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Which of these uses shelter for protection against weather? Answer: The Price of a Dream I grew up poor. We had little money, but plenty of love and attention. I understood that no matter how poor a person was, they could still afford a dream. My dream was athletics. By the time I was sixteen, I was good at baseball and football. My high-school coach was Ollie Jarvis. He not only believed in me, but taught me the difference between having a dream and showing conviction . One summer a friend recommended me for a summer job. This meant a chance for money in my pocket -- cash for dates with girls, certainly, money for a new bike and new clothes, and the start of savings for a house for my mother. Then I realized I would have to give up summer baseball to handle the work schedule, and that meant I would have to tell Coach Jarvis I wouldn't be playing. I was dreading this, but my mother said: " _ " When I told Coach Jarvis, he was as mad as I expected him to be. "Your playing days are limited. You can't afford to waste them," he said. I stood before him with my head hanging, trying to think of the words that would explain to him why my dream of buying my mom a house. "How much are you going to make at this job, son?" he demanded. "Three twenty-five an hour," I replied. "Well," he asked, "is $3.25 an hour the price of a dream?" That question laid bare for me the difference between wanting something right now and having a goal. I devoted myself to sports that summer, and within the year I was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates to play rookie-league ball, and offered a $20,000 contract. I signed with the Denver Broncos in 1984 for $1.7 million, and bought my mother the house of my dream. The writer was grateful to Coach Jarvis, because Jarvis _ . Answer: Americans won't live without cars! Each year there is an increasing number of cars on roads and streets, as millions of new cars are produced. One out of every six Americans work at putting together the parts of cars, driving trucks, building roads or filling cars with gas. Most Americans find it hard to think what life would be without a car. However, some have realized the serious problem of air pollution by cars. The polluted air is poisonous and dangerous to health. One way to get rid of the polluted air is to design a new car that does not pollute. That's what several large car factories are trying to do. But to build the new car is easier said than done. Progress in this field has been slow. Another way is to take place of the car engine by something else. Engineers are now working on some new cars. Many makers believe that it will take years to develop a practical model that pleases man. To prevent the world from being polluted by cars, we'll have to make some changes in the way many of us live. Americans, for example, have to cut down the number of their cars they are encouraged to travel and go to work by bike. Riding a bike is thought to help keep the air clean. But this change does not come easily, a large number of workers may find themselves with no jobs if a car factory closes down. And the problem of air pollution would become less important than that of unemployment. Large car factories are trying to build a clean car, _ Answer: Have you ever heard a news reporter talk about DNA?Reporters talk about DNA found at the scene of a crime.They talk about police finding DNA "fingerprints".Police sometimes use DNA as a clue to find out who committed the crime. DNA is a substance that makes up genes.Everything alive has genes.Plants have genes.Animals have genes.You have genes. Genes are the basic units of heredity .Heredity means all the characteristics you inherit from your parents.You get your genes from your parents.You inherit half of your genes from your mother.You inherit half of your genes from your father. Genes are a kind of code.A tree's genes tell what shape its leaves will be.A cat's genes tell what color its fur will be.Your genes tell what color your eyes will be.Your genes tell what color your hair will be.Everything about you comes from the code in your genes. Genes line up on strands called chromosomes in cells.Everything alive is made up of cells.Chromosomes are in the center,or nucleus of cells. Different parts of you are made of different kinds of cells.Your muscles are made of muscle cells.Your skin is made of skin cells.The code in your genes tells your body to make different kinds of cells.The genes in each cell tell the cell how to work.They tell the cell when to make new copies of itself. An Austrian monk named Gregor Mendel first saw inherited patterns in pea plants.He experimented with pea plants in the 1860s.One of the things,or traits Mendel studied was what makes some pea plants tall and some short.He said that the traits must come from units of heredity passed from the parent plants.These units were later called genes. In the mid-1900s,scientists discovered that genes are made of DNA.In the 1970s,scientists learned how to change DNA with genetic engineering.Scientists also learned that problems with certain genes cause diseases.Muscular dystrophy,cystic fibrosis,and hemophilia are some genetic diseases--diseases caused by problems in genes.Today,scientists are looking for ways to cure genetic diseases by changing genes through a process called gene therapy. What is DNA? Answer: A Letter from Steve Jobs August 24, 2011 To the Apple Board of Directors and the Apple Community, I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple's CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come. So I resign as CEO of Apple. I would like to serve, if the Board feels fit, as Chairman of the Board, director and Apple employee. As far as my successor goes, I strongly suggest that we name Tim Cook as CEO of Apple. I believe Apple's brightest days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role. I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you. Steve More Information: Steve Jobs (February 24, 1955--October 5, 2011) was an American businessman, designer and inventor. He is best known as the co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Apple Inc. Unluckily, in 2003, Jobs was diagnosed with a pancreas neuroendocrine tumor . Although the cancer was treated in the first place, he appeared thinner as his health fell. On medical leave for most of 2011, Jobs finally made a decision to resign as Apple CEO in August that year. Shortly after that, on October 5, he died. He continues to receive honors and public attention for his influence in the technology and music industries. What is Jobs' mood when writing this letter? Answer:
Jeffrey Bezos, the founder, president and chairman of the board of Amazon. com, was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico. His mother's ancestors were early settlers in Texas, and over the generations had acquired a 25,000 acre farm at Cotulla. Jeffrey spent most summers of his youth working with his grandfather on their farm. Jeffrey showed intense and varied scientific interests at an early age. He set up an electric alarm to keep his younger sisters and brothers out of his room and changed his parents' garage into a laboratory for his science projects. After he graduated from Princeton University with a degree in computer science and electrical engineering, Jeffrey Bezos found employment on Wall Street, where computer science was increasingly in demand to study market trends. He rose quickly, becoming a senior vice president, and looked forward to a bright career in finance, when he made a discovery that changed his life, and the course of business history. In 1994, there was still no Internet commerce to speak of. One day that spring, Jeffrey Bezos observed that Internet usage was increasing by 2,300 percent a year. He saw an opportunity for a new circle of commerce, and immediately began considering the possibilities. Bezos founded Amazon. com in 1994, setting up the original company in his garage. The company was called Amazon for the seemingly endless South American river with its numberless branches. It started as an online bookstore but soon diversified to all kinds of products. His work with Amazon eventually led him to become one of the most excellent dot-com entrepreneurs. He was named Time magazine's Person of the Year in 1999. In 2008, he was selected by U. S. News & World Report as one of America's Best Leaders. Bezos's Amazon has become "the Earth's biggest anything store". Amazon. com is now called "one of the smartest strategies in business history. Today Jeffrey Bezos lives North of Seattle and is increasingly concerned with charity activities. "Giving away money takes as much attention as building a successful company," he has said. Jeffrey changed the course of business history because he _ . Answer: founded a new form of commerce that developed fast later However urban life strikes you, cities worldwide have been growing ever more rapidly. Some of this growth has occurred in the developed world, but the most dramatic increase has been in the Third World. Almost all the world's population growth over the next 30 years will take place in the cities of developing countries By the year 2030, for the first time in history, 60 percent of the world's people will be living in cities. This is actually good news in some ways. "Cities are the fundamental building blocks of prosperity," says Marc Weiss, chairman of the Prague Institute for Global Urban Development, " both for the nation and for families." Industrial and commercial activities in urban areas account for between 50 and 80 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) in most countries of the world" there's the crazy notion that the way to deal with a city's problems is to keep people out of them,"Weiss continued. "But the problems of the rural life are even more serious than those of the city." For better or worse, urban-watchers are clear on one point: The quality of life for most people in the future will be determined by the quality of cities. Those cities will be bigger than ever. And yet, population numbers by themselves don't determine a city's prospects; after all, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and Hamburg, Germany, have the same population. Nor is explosive growth necessarily the determining factor. "City problems," one authority points out, "mostly have to do with weak, ineffective, and usually unrepresentative city governments." Which statement is NOT true according to the passage? Answer: The developing countries develop faster than the developed countries. In many homes, divorce is caused by the "battle between the sexes." To understand the problem, one must remember that the modern American woman is freed. During childhood and adolescence , the American girl is given freedom and education which is equal to a boy's. After completing school, she is able to get a job and support herself. She doesn't have to marry for financial security. She considers herself an independent, self-sufficient person. She wants a husband whom she can respect, but she doesn't want to be dominated by him. She wants a democratic household in which she has a voice in making decisions. When a husband and wife are able to share decisionmaking, their marriage is probably closer, stronger, and more satisfying. Otherwise, the couple is likely to wind up in the divorce court. When a couple gets divorced, the court usually requires the man to pay his former wife a monthly sum of money. If the couple has children, they usually remain with the mother, and the father is expected to pay for their support. Although divorce is quite common in the United States, 80 percent of those who get divorced remarry. The remarriages allow thousands of people, especially children, to enjoy family life again, but at the same time many troubles have arisen. A well-known American joke tells of a wife calling to her second husband, "Quick, John! Come here and help me! Your children are beating up our chidlren!" What causes most of the divorce cases in the U.S.A.? Answer: Different attitudes towards children's education. Knowing how to communicate well needs very personal attention between you and another human being. Is there a better way to learn how to communicate effectively? Yes, there is. Please follow the 3 basic steps below. 1. Relax and Breathe. Whether it's a business meeting or the first date, the first thing you must do in order to communicate is to relax. When you relax you are in control. You control your reactions and your reactions do not control you. Breathing is central to relaxation. Take a few deep breaths and your body will begin to be more at ease. This will help you apply what you already know about how to communicate well. 2. Think and you will be prepared. Have you ever heard the old saying, "think before you speak"? Well, it is true. By thinking ahead about how the conversation might flow, you will be better prepared, more at ease and more confident. 3. Follow the flow of the conversation. If you are uncomfortable, being silent will only make it worse and make the other person uncomfortable as well. So when all else fails, follow through with small talk until a common topic appears. A good way to keep a conversation going is to ask the other person questions. People love to talk about themselves and if you do this they will think very highly of you. . If you make an effort, you will succeed. Which of the following is the best title of the passage? Answer: How to Communicate with Anyone You Meet In an accurate diagram of the solar system, which object would be shown closest to Earth? Answer: the Moon
In the United States, it is important to be on time , or punctual , for an appointment , a class, a meeting, etc. However, this may not be true in all countries. An American professor discovered the difference while teaching a class in a Brazilian university. The two-hour class was scheduled to begin at 10 A.M. and end at 12. On the first day , when the professor arrived on time, no one was in the classroom. Many students came after 10:30 A.M. Two students came after 11 A.M. Although all the students greeted the professor as they arrived, few apologized for their lateness.Were these students being rude? He decided to study the students' behavior. The professor talked to American and Brazilian students about lateness in both an informal and a formal situation:at a lunch with a friend and in a university class, respectively.He gave them an example and asked them how they would react, If they had a lunch appointment with a friend,the average American student defined lateness as 19 minutes after the agreed time,On the other hand.the average Brazilian student felt the friend was late after 33 minutes. In an American university, students are expected to arrive at the appointed hour.In contrast, in Brazil,neither the teacher nor the students always arrive at the appointed hour.Classes not only begin at the scheduled time in the United States,but also end at the scheduled time.In the Brazilian class, only a few students left the class at 12:00;many remained past 12:30 to discuss the class and ask more questions.While arriving late may not be very important in Brazil , neither is staying late. It can be inferred from the professor's study of lateness in the informal situation that _ . A. American students will become impatient if their friend is five minutes late B. neither Brazilian nor American students like being late in social gatherings C. being late in one culture may not be considered so in another culture D. Brazilian students will not come thirty-three minutes after the agreed time Answer: C. being late in one culture may not be considered so in another culture Natural gasses have been created by A. years of dead things changing composition B. years of muddy waters churning C. years of growing bananas D. years of pickled flowers Answer: A. years of dead things changing composition Mr. Robinson never went to see a dentist, because he was afraid , but then his teeth began aching a lot, and he had to see a dentist. The dentist did a lot of work in his mouth for a long time. On the last day Mr. Robinson asked the dentist, "How much is all the work going to cost ?" "Twenty-five dollars," said the dentist. But he didn't ask him for the money. After a month Mr. Robinson phoned the dentist and said, "You haven't asked me for any money for your work." "Oh," the dentist answered, "I never ask a gentleman for money." "Then how do you live?" Mr. Robinson asked. "Most gentlemen pay me quickly, the dentist said, "but some don't. I wait for my money for two months, and then I say, 'That man is not a gentleman,' and then I ask him for my money. The dentist said that he never asked _ first. A. a woman for money B. the poor for money C. gentlemen for money D. people for much money Answer: C. gentlemen for money NEW YORK PLUMBING & HEATING Since 1968 Plumbing and Heating Fixing LARGE OR SMALL 24 Hours 7 Days Service Tel: 56568833 268 Pine Street 5 Avenue For which of the following problems would one call New York P & H? A. Rainwater drops from the roof. B. A refrigerator stops working. C. The floor of the bathroom is covered with water. D. There's something wrong with the furniture. Answer: C. The floor of the bathroom is covered with water. Beijing opera or Peking opera (Pinyin: Jingju) is a form of Chinese opera which arose in the late 18th century and became fully developed and recognized by the mid-19th century.The form was extremely popular in the Qing Dynasty court and has come to be regarded as one of the cultural treasures of China.Major performance troupes (,) are based in Beijing and Tianjin in the north,and Shanghai in the south.The art form is also enjoyed in Taiwan,and has spread to other countries such as the United States and Japan. Beijing opera features four main types of performers.Performing troupes often have several of each variety,as well as numerous secondary and tertiary performers.With their elaborate (,) and colorful costumes,performers are the only focal points on Beijing opera's characteristically small stage.They make use of the skills of speech,song,dance,and combat in movements that are symbolic and suggestive,rather than realistic.Above all else,the skill of performers is evaluated according to the beauty of their movements.Performers also hold a variety of stylistic conventions that help audiences navigate the plot of the production.The layers of meaning within each movement must be expressed in time with music.The music of Beijing opera can be divided into the Xipi and Erhuang styles.Melodies include arias ,fixed-tune melodies,and percussion patterns.The repertoire of Beijing opera includes over 1,400 works,which are based on Chinese history,folklore,and,increasingly,contemporary life. In recent years,Beijing opera has attempted numerous reforms in response to sagging audience numbers.These reforms,which include improving performance quality,adapting new performance elements,and performing new and original plays,have met with mixed success.Some Western works have been adopted as new plays,but a lack of funding and an adverse political climate have left Beijing opera's fate uncertain as the form enters the 21st century. Which of the followings is NOT true according to the passage? A. Performers can take different stylistic traditions in the plays. B. The standard to estimate a performer is the amount of his/her movements. C. It's necessary to keep movements along the music in time. D. The content of Beijing Opera is plentiful but much fixed. Answer: A. Performers can take different stylistic traditions in the plays.
This is not a diet. It's a simple way to lose weight~ And you don' t even have to give up the food you love or join a gym. You just follow some habits that thin people have. Keep them, and you'll become thin. ( 1 ) Wake - up When you wake up in the morning, sit up slowly without using your hands. With legs straight out, bend( ) forward until you feel sore in your back. It will burn about 10 calories (,). (2) Start with soup When you have a meal, order a clear soup, and have it before having the main food. In this way, you'll feel fuller, so you'll eat less when the main food comes. (3) An apple (or more) a day Apples are full of fiber and water, so your stomach will want less. The study shows that people who eat at least three, apples a day lose weight. (4) Stand up and walk around Every time you use the mobile phone, stand up and walk around. Heavy people sit on average two and a half hours more each day than thin people. This skill is very important as standing up and walking around will burn 50 or more calories. Use these skills, and you will have a big weight loss. ,A, B, C, D,. (5,2,10) Which of the following may the author disagree? A year ago August, Dave Fuss lost his job driving a truck for a small company in west Michigan.His wife,Gerrie,was still working in the local school cafeteria,but work for Dave was scarce,and the price of everything was rising.The Fusses were at risk of joining the millions of Americans who have lost their homes in recent years.Then Dave and Gerrie received a timely gift-$7,000,a legacy from their neighbors Ish and Arlene Hatch,who died in an accident."It really made a difference when we were going under financially.''says Dave. But the Fusses weren't the only folks in Alto and the neighboring town of Lowell to receive unexpected legacy from the Hatches.Dozens of other families were touched by the Hatches'generosity.In some cases,it was a few thousand dollars;in other, it was more than $100,000. It surprised nearly everyone that the Hatches had so much money, more than $ 3 milliorr-they were an elderly couple who lived in an old house on what was left of the family farm. Children of the Great Depression,Ish and Arlene were known for their habit of saving. They thrived on comparison shopping and would routinely go from store to store,checking prices before making a new purchase. Through the years,the Hatches paid for local children to attend summer camp when their Darents couldn't afford it."Ish and Arlene never asked if you needed anything,"says their friend Sand Van Weelden,"They could see things they could do to make you happier, and they would do them. Even more extraordinary was that the Hatches had their farmland distributed.It was the Hatches' wish that their legacy-a legacy of kindness as much as one of dollars and cents----should enrich the whole community and last for generations to come. Neighbors helping neighbors----hat was Ish and Arlene Hatch's story. According to Sandy Van Weelden,the Hatches were_. Scientific experiments can sometimes go wrong and when they do the results may range from the disastrous to the troubling. One such experiment took place in South America about fifty years ago. Whether its final consequences will cause serious damage or nothing more than a small trouble still remains to be seen. The story began in 1956 when an American scientist working in Brazil decided to solve the problem of increasing the productivity of that country's bees. He imported a very active type of African bee from Tanzania and mated it with the more easy-going native variety to produce a new kind of bees. The new bees worked harder and produced twice as much honey. It seemed that Professor Kerr, for that was the scientist's name, had a total success on his hands.www.zxxk.com Then things began to go wrong. For some reason as yet unseen, but perhaps as a result of something in their environment, the new bees began to develop extremely attacking personalities. They became bad-tempered and easy to be angry, attacked the native bees and drove them from their living places. But worse was to follow. Having taken over the countryside, the new bees, with their dangerous stings , began to attack its neighbors -- cats, dogs, horses, chickens and finally man himself. A long period of terror began that has so far killed a great number of animals and about 150 human beings. This would have been bad enough if the bees had stayed in Brazil. But now they are on the move, heading northwards in countless millions towards Central and North America, and moving at the alarming speed of 200 miles a year. The countries that lie in their path are naturally worried because it looks as if nothing can be done to stop them. Which of the following may be the cause of the new bees' attacking personalities? Lilian Hanson, a college student, expects to graduate in about two years. What makes Mrs Hanson different from her classmates is her age -- 73 years. She has been studying at college, a few courses at a time, for 27 years. When Lilian Hanson graduated from high school, she went to the bank to borrow money for further education. The banker gave her no encouragement. He didn't think that a country girl should borrow money to go to college. He thought she should be at home doing work in the house or around the farm. So Lilian Hanson went home and raised a family of nine children instead of going to college. Mrs Hanson never forgot her dream of getting a higher education. When her children were grown, she tried again. She finds the hardest part of going back to school at her age is the sitting in class for long periods of time. Because she is not as flexible as she used to be, Mrs Hanson often gets up and walks around between classes to keep from getting stiff . At the beginning of a course in using the computer, the other students all stood and gave her a warm welcome when she introduced herself and explained why she was there and what her aims were. The difference between Lilian and her classmates is that_. London is my favorite city in the world and it's a place that draws me back to it again and again. My first trip to London at the age of 19 was my first solo trip anywhere. I found a home stay program in one of my guidebooks so I spent my first several days staying on the out streets of London near Ealing Broadway. Each morning the older lady I was staying with would come into my room and place a cup of tea by my bedside and then wake me up so I could have breakfast and start my day of sight-seeing. It was like having my own British grandmother. On that first trip to the UK, which was three weeks long, I decided to spend a week in London and then the rest of the time in Liverpool with a pen pal of mine. Well, after traveling up to Liverpool and spending two days with him, I found we really weren't such great friends after all, so I decided to take the boat from Liverpool to Dublin and make my way to County Galway to see my family. Partly, I wanted to go to Ireland. And partly, I just wanted to get away from my pen pal and couldn't afford a whole week on my own in England, so family to the rescue! After a great week in Galway with my s, I went back to London for a few more days and ended up staying with some s there I didn't even know I had. One of the funny things about that entire trip was that every single day when I was in London it rained. The only time it didn't rain was the week I spent in Ireland. How did the writer travel to Dublin?
July 20th, 1969 was an important day.Two American landed on the moon.Their names were Armstrong and Aldrin.They went there in a spaceship.Its name was Apollo 11. Apollo 11 left Cape Kennedy on July 16th and went three hundred and eighty-five thousand kilometres.It took the two American three days to get there.On July 20th the spaceship landed in the Sea of Tranquility .Armstrong first stepped onto the moon.They picked up some rocks and put them in the spaceship.They jumped up and down.They were tired after their moonwalk,so they rested. On July 21st, Apollo 11 left the moon and returned to the Earth.Three days later, it came down in the Pacific Ocean.A ship took the men to America. The moon is _ kilometres away from the earth. A baby giraffe is born 10 feet high and usually lands on its back. Bringing a giraffe into the world is _ . In his book, A View from the Zoo, Gary Richmond describes how a new-born giraffe learns its first lesson. The mother giraffe lowers her head long enough to take a quick look. Then she puts herself directly over her child. She waits for about a minute, and then she does the most unreasonable thing. She throws her long leg and kicks her baby, so that it's sent sprawling . When it doesn't get up, what the mother has done is repeated again and again. The struggle to rise is important. As the baby giraffe grows tired, the mother kicks it again. Finally, it stands for the first time. Then the mother giraffe kicks it off again. Why? She wants it to remember how it can get up. In the wild, a baby giraffe must be able to get up as quickly as possible to stay with its group, where there's safety. Another writer named Irving Stone understood this. He spent a lifetime studying great people, writing stories about such men as Michelangelo, Vincent van Gogh, Sigmund Freud, and Charles Darwin. Stone was once asked if he had found something unusual about these great people. He said, "I write about people who sometime in their life have a dream of something. They're beaten over the head, knocked down and for years they get nowhere. But every time they stand up again. And at the end of their lives they've realized some small parts of what they set out to do." The writer mainly wants to tell the readers that _ . I'm not so sure I like my friends any more. I used to like them-to be honest. We'd have lunch, talk on the phone or exchange emails, and they all seemed normal enough. But then came Face Book, and I was introduced to a sad fact: many of my friends have dark sides that they had kept from me. Today my friends show off the more unpleasant aspects of their personalities via FaceBook. No longer hidden, they're thrown in my face like TV commercials -unavoidable and endless advertisements for the worst of their personalities. Take Fred. If you were to have lunch with him, you'd find him warm, and self-effacing .Read his FaceBook and you'll realize he's an unbearable, food-obsessed boring man. He'd pause to have a cup of coffee on his way to save a drowning man-and then write about it. Take Andy. You won't find a smarter CEO anywhere, but now he's a CEO without a company to run. So he plays Mafia Wars on FaceBook. He's doing well-level 731. Thanks to FaceBook, I know he's playing about 18 hours a day. Andy, you've run four companies-and this is how you spend your downtime? What happned to golf?What happened to getting another job? Take Liz. She is positive that the flu vaccine will kill us all and that we should avoid it. And then comes Chris who likes to post at least 20 times a day on every website he can find, so I get to read his thoughts twice, once on FaceBook and once on Twitter. In real life, I don't see these sides of people. Face to face, my friends show me their best. They're nice, smart people. But face to FaceBook, my friends is like a blind date which goes horribly wrong. I'm left with a dilemma. Who is my real friend?Is it the Liz I have lunch with or the anti-vaccine madman on FaceBook? Is it the Fred I can grab a sandwich with or the Fred who weeps if he's at a party and the wine isn't up to his standard? What's Andy probably busy in doing now? Switzerland is the best place to be born in the world in 2013,and the US is just 16th. A new study made by the Economist Intelligence Unit says American babies will have a dimmer future than those born in Hong Kong,Ireland and even Canada. The EIU,a sister company of The Economist,tried to measure how well countries will provide the best opportunities for a healthy,safe and prosperous life in years to come. People born in Switzerland will tend to be the happiest and have the best quality of life in terms of wealth,health and trust in public institutions,according to the analysis. The Scandinavian countries of Norway,Sweden and Denmark also all make the top five in a'quality-of-lif e'index where it is best to be born next year. One of the most important factors is being rich,but other factors come into play including crime,trust in public institutions and the health of family life. In total,the index takes into account 11 factors. These include fixed factors such as geography,others that change slowly over time such as demography social and cultural characteristics, and the state of the world economy. The index also looks at income per head in 2030,which is roughly when children born in 2013 will reach adulthood. Small economies take up the top 10 countries,with Australia coming second and New Zealand and the Netherlands not too far behind. Half of the top 10 countries are European,but only one,the Netherlands,is from the eurozone. The crisis-ridden south of Europe,including Greece,Portugal and Spain,falls behind despite the advantage of a favourable climate. Interestingly,the largest European economies-Germany,France and Britain-do not do particularly well. Nigeria has the unenviable title of being the worst country for a baby to enter the world in 2013. Which of the following is TRUE according to the text? When next year's crop of high-school graduates arrive at Oxford University in the fall of 2009, they'll be joined by a new face: Andrew Hamilton, the 55-year-old provost of Yale, who'll become Oxford's vice-chancellor----a position equal to university president in America. Hamilton isn't the only educator crossing the Atlantic. Schools in France, Egypt, Singapore, etc. have also recently made top-level hires from abroad. Higher education has become a big and competitive business nowadays, and like so many businesses, it's gone global. Yet the talent flow isn't universal. High-level personnel tend to head in only one direction: outward from America. The chief reason is that American schools don't tend to seriously consider looking abroad. For example, when the board of the University of Colorado searched for a new president, it wanted a leader familiar with the state government, a major source of the university's budget. "We didn't do any global consideration," says Patricia Hayes, the board's chair. The board finally picked Bruce Benson, a 69-year-old Colorado businessman and political activist who is likely to do well in the main task of modern university presidents: fund-raising. Fund-raising is a particularlly American thing, since U.S. schools rely heavily on donations. The fund-raising ability is largely a product of experience and necessity. Many European universities, meanwhile, are still mostly dependent on government funding. But government support has failed to keep pace with rising student numbers. The decline in government support has made fund-raising an increasingly necessary ability among administrators , and has hiring committees hungry for Americans. In the past few years, well-known schools around the world have joined the trend. In 2003, when Cambridge University appointed Alison Richard, another former Yale provost, as its vice-chancellor, the university publicly stressed that in her previous job she had overseen "a major strengthening of Yale's financial position." Of course, fund-raising isn't the only skill outsiders offer. The globalization of education means more universities will be seeking heads with international experience of some kind to promote international programs and attract a global student body. Foreigners can offer a fresh perspective on established practices. What is the current trend in higher education discussed in the passage?
Question: Statuses are marvelous human inventions that enable us to get along with one another and to determine where we "fit"in society.As we go about our everyday lives,we mentally attempt to place people in terms of their statuses.For example,we must judge whether the person in the library is a reader or a librarian,whether the telephone caller is a friend or a salesman,whether the unfamiliar person on our property is a thief or a meter reader,and so on. The statuses we assume often vary with the people we encounter,and change throughout life.Most of us can,at very high speed,assume the statuses that various situations require.Much of social interaction consists of identifying and selecting among appropriate statuses and allowing other people to assume their statuses in relation to us.This means that we fit our actions to those of other people,based on a constant mental process of _ and interpretation.Although some of us find the task more difficult than others.most of us perform it rather effortlessly. A status has been compared to ready-made clothes.Within certain limits the buyer can choose style and fabric.But an American is not free to choose the costume of a Chinese peasant or that of a Hindu prince.We must choose from among the clothing presented by our society.Further more,our choice is limited to a size that will fit,as well as by our pocketbook.Having made a choice within these limits,we can have certain alterations made,but apart from minor adjustments.We tend to be limited to what the stores have on their racks.Statuses too come ready made,and the range of choice among them is limited. According to the writer,people often assume different statuses _ . A. in order to identify themselves with others B. as the situation changes C. in order to better identify others D. as their mental processes change Answer: B. as the situation changes Question: Have you ever been to the beautiful country of Holland and its capital Amsterdam? Anyone who has traveled to Amsterdam would probably agree on one thing: Amsterdam's story is a tale of two cities -- one during the day and a completely different one at night. During the day, the largest city in the Netherlands sits quietly on the Amstel River.You can rent a bicycle, visit the Van Gogh or Anne Frank museum, or take a water taxi.But when the sun goes down, the partying begins.In the big clubs and in coffee shops, tourists gather to hang out, talk politics and smoke. Several areas of the city clearly show the two worlds that rule Amsterdam.And they're all within a short cab ride of each other.For example, Dam Square attracts daytime sightseers to its festivals, open markets, concerts and other events.Several beautiful and very popular hotels can be found there.And there's the Royal Palace and the Magna Plaza shopping mall. But at night party-seekers come to the square.Hip hop or funk music is heard there..So if you come, be ready to dance.The clubs don't shut down until 4 am. And while you're there, check out the various inexpensive ways to tour the city.Don't worry about getting lost.Although Dutch is the official language, most people in Amsterdam speak English and are happy to help you with directions.And you'll notice that half the people in the streets are on bicycles they rent. Amsterdam also has a well-planned canal system.For about 10 dollars, you can use the canal bus or a water taxi to cruise the "Venice of the North". The city has a historic past.One impressive place to visit is the Anne Frank House on Nine Streets.It was there that the young Jewish girl wrote her famous diary during World War II.Visitors can view Anne's original diary and climb behind the bookcase to the room where she and her family hid from the Nazis for two years. The passage is intended to _ . A. call up people's memories of World War II B. tell readers what A Tale of Two Cities is about C. instruct visitors what to do and see in Holland D. offer readers some information about Amsterdam Answer: D. offer readers some information about Amsterdam Question: A trucker relates that he was traveling through rural North Carolina on I-95 when a brown car combined onto the highway. It came back and forth between lanes, causing the driver of the truck to change into a lower position. At first he thought the driver was drunk, but when he came closer, the trucker saw an old man shaking uncontrollably behind the wheel. He noticed a Citizen's Band aerial shaking to and fro as the car pulled suddenly between lanes, so he called on the radio: "You in the brown Chevy, if you can hear me, pull over. Pull off the road!" Amazingly, he drdf The trucker pulled up behind the car and climbed from his cab . The elderly man staggered from his auto and fell into the trucker's arms. He poured out a story of months of fear and pain that accompanied the illness of his only daughter. Now he was returning from the hospital where it was decided that she would stop any further treatment. In the hospital he remained "strong", but out on the road he fell apart. The two men talked for the good part of an hour. The father eventually decided to share his pain with his ciaughter and said he felt good enough to drive home. The men embraced and the trucker followed him for 50 miles. As they drove along, the two talked together on the radio. The older man finally acknowledged that his exn was ahead and thanked his new friend again for the help. The trucker asked if he could make it home all right and, suddenly, a third voice broke in on the conversation: "Breaker 19, cjon't worry, good buddy. Go your way. I'll see him home" Glancing in his mirror, he saw another truck move into the exit lane behind the brown car. I think there are good people the world over. People who will gladly give that caring touch, a needed warm embrace or a patient and listening ear. They are like angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly. How did the trucker he[p the olcl man to feel good to drive home? A. By offering the old man enough money. B. By talking about what was good in life with the old man. C. By sharing pain with the old man's daughter. D. By giving the old man some good advice. Answer: B. By talking about what was good in life with the old man. Question: Once there was an old man in a town. He always forgot a lot of things. So his wife always had to say to him, 'Don''t forget this!' One day he went on a long trip alone. Before he left home, his wife said, 'Now you have all these things. They are what you need for your trip. Take care of your things during the trip.' He went to the station, bought a ticket and got on the train with it. About half an hour later, the conductor began to see the tickets. He came to the old man and said, 'Will you please show me your ticket?' The old man looked for his ticket in all his pockets, but he could not find it. He was very worried. 'I can't find my ticket. I really bought a ticket before I got on the train.' said the old man. 'I believe you bought a ticket. All right, you don''t have to buy another one, ' said the conductor kindly. ' But how can I know where I'm going? I can't remember my station!' the old man said sadly. The conductor _ the old man. A. didn't believe B. laughed at C. believed D. felt sorry for Answer: C. believed Question: More than 27,000 people from around the UK set off at dawn from London to begin the cycle route through Surrey to the Sussex coast. The annual 54-mile ride raises money for the British Heart Foundation(BHF) and is Europe's largest charity cycling event. Cyclists began the exhausting journey at Clapham Common at 6 a. m. , hoping to reach Brighton seafront within an average of six hours. Money from today's event will help the charity to continue its vital work through heart research and the development of its care and support services. Among those taking part was BBC Breakfast's resident Dr Rosemary Leonard and several colleagues. BHF spokeswoman Gemma Cloke said, "It was quite cold this morning, but everyone set off without any problems." Those taking part range in age from 14 to those in their 70s. Last year cyclists raisedPS4. 1 million for the charity, and have raised more thanPS50 million since the BHF became involved in the event in 1980. The first ride was held in 1976. It is hoped this year's fund raising total could reachPS4. 5 million. She added : "We have a lot of people taking part, from the more experienced cyclists to those cycling with friends and family in memory of someone and to raise money through sponsorship." "People are always pleased knowing the money is going to a good cause. There is so much support along the route, with local residents watching the ride. " "One of the highlights for participants is coming along the seafront while people are clapping, which can really help when they've been in the saddle for a long time. " The local residents' attitude towards the ride is _ . A. doubtful B. unconcerned C. worried D. supportive Answer: D. supportive
Humans have long been interested greatly in the idea of being able to walk on water. Sadly, biological facts prevent us ever realizing this dream without artificial aid--we simply weigh too much, and all our weight pushes down through our relatively small feet, resulting in a lot of pressure that makes us sink. However, several types of animals can walk on water. One of the most interesting is the common basilisk Basilicus basilicus, a lizard native to Central and South America. It can run across water for a distance of several meters, avoiding getting wet by rapidly hitting the water's surface with its feet. The lizard will reach a speed of 20 steps per second to keep moving forward. For humans, we would need huge feet that we could bring up to our ears in order to create enough "hitting". But fortunately there is an alternative: cornflour . By adding enough of this common thickening agent to water (and it does take a lot), you can create a special mixture that doesn't behave like normal water. Now, if the surface of the water is hit hard enough, particles in the water get together for a moment to make the surface hard. Move quickly enough and put enough force into each step, and you really can walk across the surface of this adequately thick liquid of cornflour. Fun though all this may sound, it's still rather messy and better read about in theory than carried out in practice. If you must do it, then keep the water wings ready in case you start to sink--and take a bath afterward! Walking on water hasn't become a reality mainly because humans _ . A. are not interested in it B. are afraid to make an attempt C. have not invented proper tools D. have biological limitations Answer: D Heat from the sun, waves crashing down, and huge storms all wail on a large boulder at the shore. After a few hundred years, where the boulder stood is now A. earth B. trees C. corn D. cats Answer: A As the railroads and the highways shaped the American West in the past centuries, a new electrical generating and transmission system for the 21st century will leave a lasting mark on the West, for better or worse. Much of the real significance of railroads and highways is not in their direct physical effect on the scenery, but in the ways that they affect the surrounding community. The same is true of big solar plants and the power lines that will be laid down to move electricity around. The 19 th century saw land grants offered to railroad companies to build the transcontinental railroads, leaving public land in between privately owned land. In much of the West, some of the railroad sections were developed while others remained undeveloped, and in both cases the landownership has presented unique challenges to land management. With the completion of the interstate highway system, many of the small towns, which sprang up as railway stops and developed well, have lost their lifeblood and died. Big solar plants and their power lines will also have effects far beyond their direct footprint in the West. This is not an argument against building them. We need alternative energy badly, and to really take advantage of it we need to be able to move electricity around far more readily than we can now. So trade-offs will have to be made. Some scenic spots will be sacrificed. Some species will be forced to move, or will be carefully moved to special accommodations. Deals will be struck to reduce the immediate effects. The lasting effects of these trade-offs are another matter. The 21st century development of the American West as an ideal place for alternative energy is going to throw off a lot of power and money in the region. There are chances for that power and money to do a lot of good. But it is just as likely that they will be spent wastefully and will leave new problems behind, just like the railroads and the highways. The money set aside in negotiated trade-offs and the institutions that control it will shape the West far beyond the immediate footprint of power plants and transmission lines. So let's remember the effects of the railroads and the highways as we construct these new power plants in the West. Which is the best title for the passage? A. How the Railways Have Affected the West B. How the Effects of Power Plants Can Be Reduced C. How Solar Energy Could Reshape the West D. How the Problems of the Highways Have Been Settled Answer: C Ellis Island is located in New York. Harbor Ellis Isl and is open daily year-round from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p. m. , with extended hours during summer. It is closed December 25. There is no admission charge to Ellis Island; donations are gratefully accepted. At Your Fingertips Park information (212)363-7620 Emergencies (212)363-3260 Ferry boat information (212)269-5755 Lost and found (212)363-7620 Dining, gifts, & audio tour (212)344-0996 Transportation Statue of Liberty a nd Ellis Island Ferry: Boats leave from Battery Park, Manhattan, and from Liberty State Park, New Jersey. They run about every 30 to 45 minutes beginning at 9:15 a. m. (ferry schedule subject to change) Hours: May vary; call the number below Closed: December 25 Ferry fees: (Includes Liberty and Ellis Islands) adults, $7; senior citizens, $6; children(age 3 to 17), $3. (group rates are available for 25 or more adults) Ticket & schedule information: (212)269-5755 Which of the following is not true? A. People can visit Ellis Island free of charge. B. The boats departure time is at 9:15 a.m. all the year round. C. Ferry fees for children are cheaper than for adults. D. Ferry fees for group visitors can be reduced. Answer: B Su Su is a 16-year-old Beijinger. She studies at the High School Affiliated to Renmin University. She has just published her first book, The Enigma of the Universe (<<>> ). The Enigma of the Universe tells a story of a girl called April. One day she meets an alien boy named Kaka. Kaka takes April on a journey into the universe. Later April finds out a big secret about Kaka... What's special about this book? It's a book written in both Chinese and English. Su wrote the book when she was 14 years old. She was influenced by the book Sophie's World (<<>> ) and the movie The Truman Show (<<>> ). Sophie is a girl who is interested in philosophy . Truman's life is run by television. These stories gave Su an idea for her own book. She decided to write it in English. "My English teacher asked us to write something," says Su. "I thought I'd write about my idea." Su spent a whole summer vacation writing the story. "Sometimes I had to stop because I couldn't find the right words," says Su. "I used the dictionary all the time." After finishing the English novel, Su had another idea. She decided to translate it into Chinese. The job took her just a few days. "It was easy because Chinese is my native language ," she says. Su says her story is "a mixture of philosophy and detective story and science fiction". "My classmates and I have turned it into a DV play," says Su. "I wrote the play and I played April. We will show it in our school soon!" What did Su Su write? A. Harry Potter B. Sophie's World C. The Truman Show D. The Enigma of the Universe Answer: D
Question: Is pricing a plane ticket based on the passenger's weight fair? If you're taking an international flight on Samoa Air today, your fare will be based on your weight, along with that of your luggage. The cost is 93 cents to $1.06 for each kilogram. The average American woman weighs 75.5 kilograms, far from the ideal weight for her average height. Her ticket on Samoa Air, at the $1 a kilogram rate, would cost $75.50. But let's be honest here. Since the average American woman is overweight, the ticket will cost her more. Samoa Air Chief Executive Chris Langton said, "Planes are run by weight and not by seat. The plane can only carry a certain amount of weight and that weight needs to be paid."He believes other airlines should adopt the policy. It' s not a new idea. I remember a newspaper columnist years ago who put forth the idea that the heavier among us should pay more for their seats on planes, trains and buses. Who hasn' t been squeezed into a middle seat between two plus-sized folks on a flight? It' s happened to me; one time my married seatmates had purposefully chosen their seats to have more space until a sold-out flight put me between them. Not one of my better flying experiences. What if such a policy is adopted by some airlines in the United States? Could such pricing provide a much-needed motivation for Americans to reduce body weight? I hope so. But, as we know, more than one-third of us are obese and another third are overweight. The high probability is that the heavy customers will not suddenly lose weight or stop flying, but will instead choose a different airline, simply moving the supposed problem elsewhere. There's no doubt that the heavier will suffer more discrimination . Discrimination against the overweight in the United States has increased by 66 percent over the last decade --"and is comparable to rates of racial discrimination, especially among women,"wrote Yale University researcher Rebecca M. Puhl. Your weight can affect your salary, your chances for employment, how others view you and even, now, your air fares. "If the policy succeeds it may encourage the spread of body discrimination across different industries and the wider culture," said one British editorial writer. He holds that it is companies' duty to provide equipment that meet the needs of their customers. And we'll see how effective it is as a business model. If some American airlines adopt the ticket policy _ . A. they will possibly lose a lot of customers B. there will be less overweight people C. people will use other forms of transportation D. the problem of overweight planes will be partly solved Answer: A. they will possibly lose a lot of customers Question: Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy. He was the oldest of five children in his family. His father was a wool weaver. He helped his father with the weaving, but he always wanted to sail the seas. He didn't get to school very much, but he learned to read and write Spanish during his travels. He also taught himself Latin because all the geography books were written in Latin. Some people thought he was trying to prove the world was round, but this is not true. He wanted to find a short way to get to the Indies by ship. He was a Christian and wanted to tell the story of Christ to the people he would find in the far-away lands. He also wanted wealth for himself and for Spain, and he wanted to be famous. He tried for eight years to get King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella to supply him with ships and money. They left Spain on August 3, 1492 and sailed toward the west. After many days, the sailors had covered a long distance on the sea and were ready to turn around for home when they saw land, an island Columbus named San Salvador. He thought he had found the Indies and called the people he saw there "Indians". When they got to Cuba, he thought he was in Japan. The world was a lot larger than he thought. On Christmas Eve, the Santa Maria was wrecked near Haiti. Columbus built a fort and left 40 men to hunt for gold. Then he returned to Spain on the Nina. The people of Spain welcomed him as a hero. He made three more voyages across the ocean. His 13-year-old son, Ferdinand, went with him on the fourth voyage. Columbus did not become rich as he had hoped. At the end of his life he only had a pension the king and the queen had given him because he was the first to reach the New World. He spent the last few months of his life in bed because of the pain of arthritis . Columbus not only discovered a New World, but he led the way for other explorers. Columbus taught himself Latin because _ . A. he wanted to prove the earth was round. B. he wanted to find a short way to the Indies by sea. C. he found Latin was very useful at that time. D. he wanted to travel around the world. Answer: B. he wanted to find a short way to the Indies by sea. Question: Smartphones, poor sight Look around and you'll see people busy on their smartphones. Smartphones do make our lives easier . But have you ever thought about what they mean to your eyes? According to a study, half of 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 UK who suffer from shortsightedness since smartphones were introduced there in 1997. Staring at smartphones for 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 things closer to your face, the blinking slows down. This reduces the amount of tears and causes discomfort in your eyes. Another bad habit is using smartphones in dark rooms before going to sleep. If you look at a bright screen while your pupils become larger, too much light enters your eyes. This can do harm to the eyes and cause a disease called glaucoma . While you're probably not going to stop using to your _ , 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 five meters from you and then focus on the tip of your nose. Repeat this several times. It should reduce the discomfort in your eyes. Which of the following is suggested by the writer ? A. Hold the phone at least half a meter away from the eyes. B. Don't use the phone for over an hour without a break. C. Turn off your phone for a couple of hours every day. D. Look at something green far away for several minutes. Answer: B. Don't use the phone for over an hour without a break. Question: Dangerous as they are, extreme sports remain appealing among many Australian young people! Camp Xtreme is the perfect test of your heart. Kite Surfing It's the exciting mixture of kite, board and waves. The idea of using a kite to accelerate speed seems like a new challenge, yet the art of kite flying dates back to the 13th-century Chinese when _ was used as a simple means of transport. Catch a wind and you're moving -- up, down and across the surf. "It's always exciting. You'd jump 5 feet or 35 feet. You never know if you're going to go up in the air, and your heart is just going boom, boom, boom." Coasteering It is by far the best activity and the event that everyone is still talking about. This is exploring the coastline without worrying about a coastal path or finding a rocky bay blocking your route. You climb, dive and swim from one place to another. With Coasteering, you don't have to be able to swim as the wet suit and buoyancy aid will keep you floating when you are in the water. Sky Diving Traditional parachuting doesn't sound risky enough. So now sky diving is the name for jumping from a plane and listening to your heart beating heavily as you move fast towards earth before you open your parachute at the last moment. Mountain Biking It's been around so long that bikers are no longer satisfied with just going up and down a mountain. Mountain biking is a sport which consists of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough land, using specially adapted mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes, but include features designed to improve strength and performance in rough areas. For details, please call us on 1300-792-668 or click here: www.xtremecamp.com.au. All the four extreme sports are mainly intended to test one's _ . A. heart beat B. physical health C. potential strength D. courage Answer: D. courage Question: Max is a very happy cow. He's dark brown, with big blue eyes, and a soft pink nose. He lives in a huge field during the summer, with beautiful, and tasty, buttercups and hay. During the winter he lives in a nice, warm barn. The hay isn't as tasty then, but it keeps him fed until summer comes back. One winter day Max wanted to see what was happening outside when it turned cold and bright. He had never gone out during the winter because the Farmer always locked the barn door behind him. But today the door was wide open, and Max could see the sunshine reflecting off the bright ground. He had to know why! So Max pushed open the gate to his little house with his nose and walked over to the door. Max was surprised and confused by the ground outside, it was so white and sparkly. His breath started fogging in the air, and the ground was cold and crunchy. "What is this?" He asked the rooster sitting on the fence. The roosters name was Omaha, and he was all white except for a big red puff on his head. "It's snow, son! Did you grow up in a barn?!" The rooster laughed and flew away towards his little rooster house. "It's so pretty!" Max said. He pushed it with his nose. "Oh! It's so chilly!" He started to take a bite of the crunchy white bits. He wanted to see if they had a good taste, when he heard the farmer. "Max! What are you doing out here?" The farmer, named Bob, asked. He was loud, but not mad. "It's much too cold for a small cow like you, we better get you back inside!" He pushed Max inside the barn, and this time locked the barn door tight. What was the cow's name? A. Max B. Henry C. Omaha D. Bob Answer: A. Max
Water can be a liquid, a solid or a gas. When it is a solid, it can be as hard as stone. When it is a liquid, it can run through your fingers. When it is a gas, you may not see or feel it. Water can change from a solid to a liquid or to a gas easily. This is why we always have fresh water. Now let us find out how it does. The heat of the sun turns liquid water into gas from the oceans, seas, rivers and lakes. The heat also turns liquid water into gas from the ground, the plants and the animals. Water in the gas rises and turns into clouds in the air. When the clouds come near a mountain, they rise high. As the clouds rise, they get cooler. The higher they rise, the cooler they become. Then more and more water gas turn into water drops. In this way, the drops of water in the clouds get bigger and bigger. Then they fall to the earth as rain. , The water in the oceans turns into clouds because _ Answer: the heat of the sun Miep Gies, the woman who hid the Dutch girl Anne Frank's diary from the Nazis to become one of the world's most-read books, died after a brief illness at the age of 100. It was Gies who guarded Anne's diary, and presented it to the girl's father, Otto, when he returned from the Auschwitz concentration camp at the end of World War II--the only one of his family to survive. In her diary, Anne Frank wrote about her teenage life hiding from the Nazis in Amsterdam from 1942 to 1944, when the Nazi police discovered her and her family's hiding place. The diary, first published in 1947, has been translated into 70 languages. Anne Frank expressed a great wish to live on after death. Miep Gies saw it as her duty to help in making this happen. Born in Vienna in 1909, Gies moved to the Netherlands at the age of 11. In 1933, she began working for Otto Frank at his trading company. At great risk to her own safety, she and four other helpers brought food and supplies to the Frank family hiding in a secret office building for more than two years. When she turned 100, _ . "I'm not a hero," she said. " It wasn't something I planned in advance. I simply did what I could to help." Every day she received letters from all over the world with questions about her relationship with Anne Frank and her role as a helper. Gies received many honors for her role, including from the Netherlands, Germany and Israel. What's the best title for the passage? Answer: Woman who saved Anne's diary dies at 100. I met my step-mom for the first time when I moved to America to be reunited with my father. From the beginning she made sure to let me know that I was safe and welcome. I remember when I first saw her at the airport. It was different but not uncomfortable. After I was picked up from the airport we went home and she unpacked my luggage. Then she took me shopping for new clothes since the ones I had brought with me from Africa were a bit worn. That night before I went to bed she came to my room, which was the first room I had ever had for my own, with the first bed I didn't have to share. She told me she was glad to have me and that she would take good care of me. Before she walked out of my new room, she asked me for a hug. I had no idea what she was talking about. I did not know what the word hug meant, not because I didn't speak English, but I had just never heard the word before, let alone knew what it meant. So, I just looked at her with a questioning expression on my face. But she didn't give up. She called my father into the room and asked him to explain to me what she meant. When my father was explaining I looked at her and wondered why she wanted to hug me. She then told me it was because she loved me and opened her arms wide. Shyly I opened mine and we hugged. That was my very first hug and I was 11 at that time. I'm 23 now and, thankfully, I have received many hugs since then. I consider her my birth mother because life began when I came to stay with her. For the first time there were no kids for me to take care of and I became a child for the first time. There was no work waiting for me every day other than the occasional chores that she gave me to teach me responsibility. Today I say thank-you to my mother; thank you for giving me my childhood back after it had been taken away from me. I am who I am today because of your love! What was the author's life in Africa? Answer: Difficult. How hard we have all prayed to grow up quickly, and looked forward to the happy days of being a grown-up and enjoying the many interests that a youth should have. At last, you have grown up. At least you are no longer a child. They call you "young lady". You then enjoy the pleasure of being a young lady. You are proud of being a grown-up teenager. People welcome you-this young lady-heartily. You are glad that your prayer has been answered. But there is always something that troubles you a lot. You say; "Papa and Mama, give me some money please. My pocket money is all gone already." "No", they say, "your age is a dangerous age. If you have too much money to spend, it won't do you any good." Then you have to stay at home because you dare not go out with an empty pocket. Another time you tell your grandma, "Grandma, see, I am a grown-up now." "Good, now, you can sit here and knit this for me while I go and have a rest." To show that you are no more a child, you have to sit there the whole afternoon doing the work, which only a grown-up can do. After an hour, you find it hard to do, and give the knitting basket back to your grandma. Your grandma criticizes your work. You hear what she says, "Such a big girl can't do such easy work." You wish then you were a child again. But the fact is, you are growing up, and you can't help it. That's the way it goes! Having heard her grandma's criticism , _ . Answer: she wishes she were not growing up Planning for the weather No matter what time of year you vacation in San Diego, be sure to bring a light jacket or sweater and bring shorts. During our summer months, we have warm days but cool evenings, especially if you are near the ocean. Those cool evenings can feel cold and fresh if you are visiting from someplace that is typically hot and damp all summer. And during our winter months, we can have days that reach 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees Celsius). In fact, our winter months are the sunniest months of the year along the San Diego coast. How to get around San Diego Deciding whether you need to rent a car for your visit to San Diego? If you are planning to visit attractions in and around downtown San Diego, including SeaWorld, San Diego Zoo, Balboa Park, Old Town, Coronado, and the Gaslamp Quarter, all of these attractions can be readily accessed by public transportation assuming the hotel or place you are staying in is close to a bus or trolley stop. Tour guests comment on how easy it is to use our transportation system, how clean it is, and the low cost for a one-day or multi-day pass that works on both buses and trolleys. However, if you are going to visit attractions further away from downtown San Diego such as the Safari Park or Legoland or if you want to visit our local mountains or desert, we recommend a car rental. How to make time for all the things to do Our final tip for now is to plan ahead. Unlike most cities where there may be a few concentrated tourist areas and it's easy to find things as you go, San Diego offers hundreds of attractions and guests tell us they are overwhelmed and certainly didn't plan enough time once they find how much there is to do in San Diego. Many guests visit San Diego as part of an extended trip that includes San Francisco and Los Angeles. They often plan fewer days in San Diego because they assume it is the smallest city with the least to offer only to say they wished they had planned more days in San Diego because it offers more things to do in a much more relaxing environment. By planning ahead you can also get discounts for various attractions. For example you can save a lot of money at SeaWorld if you buy your tickets in advance online, at a visitor center or through your hotel. Another reason to plan ahead is that some attractions close early or get sold out since San Diego is a big destination for major conventions and big companies bringing in employees from around the world for special events in beautiful, sunny San Diego. Why may some guests feel regretful when they arrive in San Diego? Answer: Because they haven't planned enough time to visit the city.
Dear editor, Several days ago, I heard that a dear friend of mine had killed herself. I was deep in sorrow by the sudden news. I can't keep calm any longer. I'm always thinking about life and death. Life is so precious. If we can slip into death in an impulsive moment, what use in all our efforts and hopes? Our families, our ambitions, everything is flung into total darkness. And death allows no time for regret. Nevertheless, the suicide rate increases year by year, particularly of young people. Reasons may vary from person to person, yet I think they share something in common. First, today's young people are morally weak. They hunger for success but can not face failure; they are eager to be understood but afraid of opening their hearts to others. They live in a wide world, from east to west, ancient to present, but their hearts beat in a narrow desert, closed tight, unable to communicate. Each becomes an isolated fortress , lonely, and weak. My friend is a good example of that. As a young teacher, she was devoted to her work but was disappointed with her students' occasional failures. She fell in love with a colleague but he deserted her. With no close friends, disappointed at work and in love, death seemed to her the only remaining choice and she took it. Another reason for the weakness of today's youth, in my opinion, comes from society's pressures. The young are forced to try too hard to succeed. On the other hand, society refuses to accept that children sometimes do fail. But failure is more important because it can teach the young how to win next time. What can we do to save the desperate young? The passage wants to tell us_. the reason why the young kill themselves lies in two main kinds Beaches are not only great for lying on and doing water sports, and in fact one of the best ways of enjoying them is a classic beach walk. Here at iWantSun. Co. Uk, we've been searching the globe to find you the world's best and most glorious beach walks, and here's our pick of the top. The Footpath of the Gods, Amalfi Coast, Italy The name says it all really and you truly do feel up there to walking along this wonderful mountain coastal path, which offers some of the most striking views on the planet. The path begins at town of Bomerano to charming Positano along the UNESCO World Heritage area of the Amalfi Coast. The whole walk will take you approximately four and a half hours to complete and pass over narrow rocky paths, past sheer cliffs and shining blue bays. Sydney's Great Coastal Walk, Australia Sydney's coastline is one of the most beautiful and diverse in the world. Here you have national parks, historic sites, steep cliffs, sparkling beaches and quiet bays all in one place. Sydney's Great Walk runs all the way from Barrenjoey in the north to Royal National Park in the south and takes an incredible seven days to complete. However, if you're not up to doing the full walk, then there are many different parts of the walk that you can do right in the city. Walking from the city's famous Bondi Beach to the sweeping curve of Bronte Beach takes just an hour, which takes in some top scenery. Great Ocean Walk, Australia The Great Ocean Walk stretches 104 km along Victoria's famous Great Ocean Road, located on the southern coast of Australia, from the resort town Apollo Bay to the magnificent Twelve Apostles. The Twelve Apostles are the area's famous stone landmarks which stand out like giants from the sea. The walk passes through a range of landscapes and sights, from national parks, famous surfing spots and deserted beaches, to wild coastlines, cascading waterfalls, lush forests, historic lighthouses and ghostly shipwrecks. Day walks and shorter three-hour walks such as the Wreck Beach Walk or the Lighthouse Cemetery and Lookout Walk can also be enjoyed. So next time when you're looking for a beach holiday don't just think about the resorts and the sand, but consider a more active sun holiday, discovering some of the best beaches in the world. What is special about Sydney's Great Coastal Walk? It provides visitors a variety of great landscapes. Each year about a quarter of a million Americans study abroad. For many of them, a summer or a semester in a foreign country now involves more than just sitting in classrooms and hanging out with other American students. Instead, they are encouraged and sometimes required to be involved in the local communities they are studying in. "It's ly important that they know something about how people in other parts of the world live and think, and how they behave," says William Finlay, head of the sociology department at the University of Georgia. In 2008, he co-founded a study abroad program with South Africa's Stellenbosch University. It combines traditional academic in-class learning with community involvement. "We've been working with a non-government organization in the township. Our students typically either work with little children in day care centers or work in the library and teach very basic computer skills to young children," says Finlay. The three-week program proved to be an unforgettable experience for Hillary Kinsey. She says, "It was interesting to learn the history of the area and then talk to these people and see what the social dynamics were, and how certain groups felt about other groups." When Hillary Kinsey returned home from South Africa, she and other students in the program established a non-profit group. Kinsey says the group wants to contribute to advancing education and development in South Africa. "One of the purposes of the group is that we hope to raise money and awareness about the situation where those people live and help to promote any sort of educational development that we can, " Kinsey added. While many study abroad programs focus on helping Americans to learn foreign languages, others take a more intensive approach. "In all of our locations, we place students with local roommates," says Mark Lenhart, director of CEF Academic Programs, which sends more than a thousand students to China, Korea and other countries each year. He says American students benefit from such one-on-one interactions, in spite of the challenges they face. Lenhart says, "They have to adjust to the local life. This will enable students to become more employable when they graduate." Which of the following CANNOT be used to describe Hillary Kinsey's feelings about studying abroad? Surprised. an earthquake causes the ground to bounce and jump Psychology tells us that many people hate to take risks. But it is good for us to take risks, especially when the risk is to achieve a desired result. In that way, we become stronger and braver. Our human nature should be to take risks, but some people just sit and wish they didn't have the fear to move on. This is because of one or two failures in their lives. Please step out and don't let the past hold you back from living life to the fullest. Move forward and move on! In studying the psychology of taking risks, we find that human nature provides us with the desire to experiment and take chances. Risk taking is a great benefit that allowed our ancestors to become stronger and stronger day by day. By taking risks they fought off enemies and discovered new territories . _ has become a part of our modern culture. Riding a roller coaster is a common risk taking activity that even the average person seems to enjoy although they have the understanding that it is dangerous. This psychological and biological connection creates an interesting connection between what is unsafe and what humans enjoy. Getting in a car each day is a risk. Getting out of bed is a risk. There is such thing as perfect safety. We need to take risks so that we can complete (finish) many things. Astronauts take risks when they get inside a rocket; however, the things they achieve are great. Businessmen take a risk when they buy parts of a company. However, without doing that, they could not make more money. We need to take risks so that we can gain something. It is impossible to move forward in life, earn money, enjoy a relationship, play a sport, or do anything else without taking a risk. It is all part of the game. It's one of the most important parts of life. Some people don't want to take risks, mainly because _ . they have experienced some failures before
Which human organ system produces sperm or egg cells? reproductive system Hannah was born and raised in a poor framily. She wore hand -me -downs from her older sisters.For Christmas she usually got used toys and books .As a chilld ,she wanted to have the beautiful clothes ,cars ,and homes that she often saw on TV and in magazines. Five years after college,she became a manager.Her dream came true.She had her own company near Central Park.She took skiing vacations in the winter and travelled by ship in the summer .At the age of 30,Hannah was on top of the world. Then she had her usual health check-up.Her doctor told her that she had a serious illness.Her doctor guessed that she had less than a year to live. He advised ,"If you have any once -in -a-life time plans,do them now." Hannah spent her last months in her company.She was looked after by hospice workers.Her family and friends often visited her .The moment before she died ,she opened her eyes and said,"If you have your health,you have everything." Why did the doctor ask Hannah to do some once-in-a-lifetime plans? Because she would not live for more than a year. Thirdgeneration mobile phones, known as 3G, are the next big step for the telecom industry. Data speed in 3G networks is much quicker than present technology. This means users can have highspeed Internet access and enjoy video and CDquality music on their phones. "Mobile data is not a dream; it's not an option but a requirement." said Len Lauer, head of a US communications company,Sprint PCS,at a 3G conference in Bangkok earlier this month. With 3G, you can forget about text messages telling you yesterday's news; a 3G phone can receive video news programs, updated four times a day. Internet access will also be much quicker, making it easier to surf the Web on your phone than on your computer at home. Facetoface video calls And don't worry about getting lost. 3G phones offer map services so you can find a new restaurant just by pressing a few keys on your handset. However, the most impressive part of 3G technology is video calling. With live twoday video communication, you can have facetoface talks with friends and family on your mobile phone. Many European countries have already launched the service. In May 2000 the US Government issued five licenses to run 3G wireless services, while the first 3G phones arrived in Italy in March this year. International telecom companies can't wait to sell 3G in China, the world's largest mobile telecommunications market. But they will have to be patient. At the moment, China is busy testing its 3Gbased technologies, networks and services. This will be followed by a trial period before the phones can finally hit the shops. "We need to create a pool of 3G customers before the largescale commercial launch of the service." said Fan Yunjun, marketing manager for Beijing Mobile. "We expect that the 3G licenses will be issued late next year. " With 3G, you can do the following EXCEPT _ . make your computer run faster an animal is controlled by a collection of neurons Rock singer Wu Tong says mixing musical styles is not only creative, it also shows that people can live together harmoniously. The track Linglong Tower was Wu's most popular piece when he performed in Tianjin, a city with a long tradition of quyi or narrative music. Honored as the "Shakespeare of the Asian," Cao Yu was one of the greatest playwrights of 20th-Century China. "Sunrise", Cao Yu's second play, was published in 1936. Following his first work "Thunderstorm," In 1937, the young playwright's third play, "The Wilderness," was released. In 1940, Cao Yu completed the writing of his fifth play, "Peking Man," A winner of the 2011 L'Oreal-UNESCO For Women in Science Awards, Professor Reng Yonghua says she could not have done it without the backing of her family. As a mother of two daughters, 12 and 14, Reng said she is lucky to have been supported by her family. Joan Chen, Gong Li, Zhang Ziyi - who's the next of their ilk? Most agree 24-year-old Liu Yifei is the likely contender to become an internationally Chinese actress.Born to a French-language professor and a dancer, Liu received training in dancing, singing and piano as a little girl. She moved to the United States at 10 and spent four years in New York City's Long Island. Wang Zhiming grew up in a family of instrument makers, but he is the only one who could actually play a violin.Wang, 51, has been making violins for more than 30 years. He grew up around violins and musical instruments. He is the third generation of instrument makers in his family, following his grandfather and father. , . Wang Zhiming has been making violins for more than _ years. 30
Music can be a great power to change people's lives. Regina del Carmen Sanchez, 14, always believes this. The girl from Kansas City, US, leads a hard life. She lives in a small house with her mom and grandparents. Her mom gets a very low pay. But it doesn't stop Sanchez's love of music. She wrote her first song Keep Your Head Up when she was 12. It described the bad situation at her home, but it also sent the message of hope: "My house is old and poor, but it beats being homeless... Love yourself and never give up. You'll see a better life if you keep your head up..." It took Sanchez several months to finish the song. Sometimes during a break in class, when lyrics came into her head, "I would have to write them down right then," she told the local newspaper The Kansas City Star. Jeremy Lillig was a spokesman for Bright Futures, a charity fund. When he saw the video of the song, he was _ He shared it through social media . The fund has provided money for poor students in Kansas City. Now Sanchez often plays the song in public. "I want to help people understand what is happening in the world in an easy way," she said. The word "moved" can be replaced by _ . Answer: October 15th is Global Handwashing Day. Activities are planned in more than twenty countries to get millions of people in the developing world to wash their hands with soap. Experts say people around the world wash their hands but very few use soap at so-called extremely moments. These include after using the toilet,after cleaning a baby and before touching food. Global Handwashing Day is the idea of the Public Private Partnership for handwashing with soap. The goal,they say,is to create a culture of handwashing with soap. The organizers say all soaps are equally effective at removing disease-causing germs .They say the correct way to wash is to wet your hands with a small amount of water and cover them with soap. Rub it into all areas,including under the fingernails. Then,wash well under running water. Finally,dry your hands with a clean cloth. The Partnership says soap is important because it increases the time that people spend washing. Soap also helps to break up the dirt that holds most of the germs. And it usually leaves a pleasant smell,which increases the chances that people will wash again. It also says that washing hands with soap before eating and after using the toilet could save more lives than any medicine. It could help reduce cases of diarrhea ,which is the second leading cause of child deaths,killing more than one and a half million children a year,by almost half. Which fact can't explain why soap is important? Answer: When John Weston awoke that morning, he remembered that his mother was going into hospital. He hadn't worked out quite what was wrong with her. He knew, though that she hadn't been well for some time now, and it had become almost familiar to him to see her eyes narrowed in a sudden attack of pain, and her hand pressing against her heart. Their own doctor, who she had finally gone to for advice, had sent her to an expert who knew all about these things. He had told her that just as soon as there was a bed for her, she would have to come into his hospital where he could look after her himself. During the weeks since then the pains had come even more frequently, and the narrowed eyes became an almost permanent part of her expression. Always rather sharp, she began losing her temper over little things so that John's father kept his thoughts to himself more and more. John, as ready as possible to make allowances, tried to think what it would be like to have toothache all the time and how bad-tempered that would make you. So his mother would go into hospital for a few days. He was going to stay with his Aunt Daisy till she came back, and his father would stay on at home by himself. John's cousin, Mona, was to come in and make the bed and wash the pots and dust round now and again. That was the arrangement, and John didn't care much for it. Apart from missing his mother(and he was glad she was going away because they would make her better), he wasn't very fond of his Aunt Daisy because she was even more bad-tempered than his mother. John regarded _ as most bad-tempered. Answer: Why are some rocks smoother and rounder than others? Answer: Retirement Age Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely.The " standard" retirement age varies from country to country, but it is generally between 50 and 70, according to the latest statistics, 2011.However, for a long time, people have got into an argument about whether the age of retirement should be increased or reduced in their own countries. There are several arguments for allowing older people to continue working as long as they are able.Many people think that older employees have a large amount of knowledge and experience which can be lost to a business or organization if they are made to retire.Besides, older employees are often extremely faithful employees to and are more willing to _ company policies than the young.A more important point is regarding the attitudes in society to old people.To force someone to resign or retire at 60 or 65 indicates that the society does not value the input of these people and that effectively their useful life is over. Allowing old people to work indefinitely , however, is not always a good policy.Some people took the strong view that age alone is no guarantee of ability.Many young employees have more experience or skills than older staff, who may have been stuck in one area for most of their working lives.Having compulsory retirement allows new ideas in an organization.On the other hand, older people should be rewarded by society for their life' s labor by being given generous pensions and the freedom to enjoy leisure.They can have time to do whatever they like, that is, they can have their own plans or roles and achieve their retirement goals. With many young people unemployed or frustrated in low-level positions, there are often calls to compulsorily retire older workers.However, this can affect the older individual' s freedom--and right--to work.In my opinion, giving workers more choices over their retirement age will benefit society and the individual. According to the passage, older people should go on with work because _ . Answer:
Though it is mere 1 to 3 percent of the population,the upper class possesses at least 25 percent of the nation's wealth.This class has two segments:upper-upper and lower- upper.Basically,the upper-upper class is the"old rich"-families that have been wealthy for several generations-an aristocracy of birth and wealth.Their names are in the Social Register,a listing of acceptable members of high society.A few are known across the nation,such as the Rockefellers,Roosevelts,and Vanderbilts.Most are not visible to the general public.They live in grand seclusion ,drawing their income from the investment of their inherited wealth.In contrast,the lower-upper class is the"new rich". Although they may be wealthier than some of the old rich,the new rich are anxious to make their money like everybody else lower than their class.Thus their prestige is generally lower than that of the old rich,who have not found it necessary to lift a finger to make their money,and who tend to look down upon the new rich. However its wealth is acquired,the upper class is very,very rich.They have enough money and leisure time to cultivate an interest in the arts and to collect rare books, paintings,and sculptures.They generally live in exclusive areas,belong to exclusive social clubs,communicate with each other,and marry their own kind-all of which keeps them so distant from the common people that they have been called the out-of-fight class.More than any other class,they tend to be conscious of being members of a class.They also command an enormous amount of power and influence here and abroad,as they hold many top government positions,run the Council on Foreign Relations,and control multinational corporations.Their actions affect the life of millions. The reason why the"old rich"look down upon the'new rich'is that_. Answer: the latter sweat themselves to make money "Dad," I say one day, "let's take a trip. Why don't you fly out and meet me?" My father had just retired after 27 years as a manager for IBM. His job filled his day, his thought, his life. While he woke up and took a warm shower, I screamed under a freezing waterfall in Peru. While he tied a tie and put on the same Swiss watch, I rowed a boat across Lake of the Ozarks. My father sees me drifting aimlessly, nothing to show for my 33 years but a passport full of funny stamps. He wants me to settle down, but now I want him to find an adventure. He agrees to travel with me through the national parks. We meet four weeks later in Rapid City. " What is our first stop?" asks my father. "What time is it?" "Still don't have a watch?" Less than an hour away is Mount Rushmore. As he stares up at the four Presidents carved in granite , his mouth and eyes open slowly, like those of a little boy. "Unbelievable," he says, "How was this done?" A film in the information center shows sculptor Gutzon Borglum devoted 14 years to the sculpture and then left the final touches to his son. We stare up and I ask myself, Would I ever devote my life to anything? No directions, no goals. I always used to hear those words in my father's voice. Now I hear them in my own. The next day we're at Yellowstone National Park, where we have a picnic. "Did you ever travel with your dad?" I ask. "Only once," he says. "I never spoke much with my father. We loved each other--but never said it. Whatever he could give me, he gave." _ In Glacier National Park, my father says, "I've never seen water so blue." I have, in several places of the world, I can keep traveling, I realize--- and maybe a regular job won't be as dull as I feared. Weeks after our trip, I call my father. "The photos from the trip are wonderful," he says. "We've got to take another trip like that sometime." I tell him I've decided to settle down, and I'm wearing a watch. What does the author realize at Mount Rushmore? Answer: He should have a specific aim in life. Dear Editor, I am unhappy these days.I am a student in Grade 3 of a middle school. I want to be a policewoman in the future. But my mother doesn't like the job. She always says it is too dangerous for a girl to work as a policewoman. She thinks girls should work in the office. She hopes that I can work as a teacher. But I really dislike being a teacher. I don't like work with children. When I talk with her about it , she is often angry. She always thinks she is right. I don't know what to do. Can you help me? Yours, Lily Why doesn't Lily's mother like the job as a policewoman? Answer: Because it's too dangerous. Most American children begin to go to school when they are five years old. American schools begin in September. There are two terms in a school year. The first term is from September to January, and the second is from February to June. Then the students have a great summer vacation. High school students have only four or five subjects each term. They usually have same lessons every day, and teachers don't ask them to do much homework. After school, they can do many interesting things like playing sports. Most students are seventeen years old when they finish high school. After high school, many students go to college . They can go to a small one or big one. They need a lot of money to go to college. So many college students work after school to _ . Most children go to college when they are _ in America. Answer: seventeen Self-employed private physicians who charge a fee for each patient visit are the foundation of medical practice in the United States. Most physicians have a contract relationship with one or more hospitals in the community. They send their patients to this hospital, which usually charges patients according to the number of days they stay and the facilities(operating room, tests, medicines that they use). Some hospitals belong to a city, a state or, in the case of veteran's hospitals, a federal government agency. Others are operated by religious orders or other non-profit groups. Some medical doctors are on salary. Salaried physicians may work as hospital staff members, or residents, who are often still in training. They may teach in medical schools, be hired by corporations to care for their workers or work for the federal government's Public Health Service. Physicians are among the best paid professionals in the United States. In the 1980s, it was not uncommon for medical doctors to earn incomes of more than $ 100 000 a year. Specialists, particularly surgeons, might earn several times that amount. Physicians list many reasons why they deserve to be so well rewarded for their work. One reason is the long and expensive preparation required to become a physician in the United States. Most would be physicians first attend college for four years, which can cost nearly $ 20 000 a year at one of the best private institutions. Prospective physicians then attend medical school for four years. Tuition alone can exceed $ 10 000 a year. By the time they have obtained their medical degrees, many young physicians are deeply in debt. They still face three to five years of residency in a hospital, the first year as an apprentice physician. The hours are long and the pay is relatively low. Setting up a medical practice is expensive, too. Sometimes several physicians will decide to establish a group practice, so they can share the expense of maintaining an office and buying equipment. These physicians also take care of each other's patients in emergencies. Physicians work long hours and must accept a great deal of responsibility. Many medical procedures, even quite routine ones, involve risk. It is understandable that physicians want to be well rewarded for making decisions which can mean the difference between life and death. Sometimes several physicians set up a group medical practice mainly because _ . Answer: facilities may be too much of a burden for one physician to shoulder
Question: Happiness is a journey We always convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married, have a baby, than another. Then we are frustrated that the kids aren't old enough and we'll be more content when they are. After that we're frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with.36. _ . We always tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act together. when we get a nice car, and are able to go on a nice vocation when we retire. 37. _ If not now, when? Our life will always be filled with challenges. It's best to admit this to ourselves and decide to be happy anyway. One of my favorite quotes comes from Alfred Souza. He said."for a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin, real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid.38. _ At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life." This perspective has helped me to see that there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. So treasure every moment that you have. 39. _ So stop waiting until you finish school, until you go back to school; until you get married, until you get divorced; until you have kids; until you retire; until you get a new car or home; until spring; until you are born again to decide that there is no better time than right now to be happy.... _ So, work like you don't need money, love like you've never been hurt, And dance like no one's watching. A. Looking back, we may think it's really an extraordinary journey. B. The truth is, there's no better time than right now. C. And remember that time waits for no one. D. we will certainly be happy when they are out of that stage. E. The more you have a sense of belonging, the happier you will be. F. Happiness is a journey, not a destination. G. Then life would begin. Answer: D Question: When it comes to human resources, hiring highly-skilled staff is not usually enough for a company to function successfully. Besides the knowledge in their particular fields, employees must always have additional skills-----those of co-operation. In the case that work tasks can only be carried out by communicating with people, accepting common decisions, solving problems, sharing information and helping one another, teamwork skills are important. While some jobs may require talent, the ability to work as a team is learned. There are no complicated formulas ; you don't need to have any special qualities or exceptional mental abilities. Individuals can be effective as a team if they have developed certain behaviors or habits of communication. Many companies, clubs and organizations use team building activities. Team building activities may include a number of teamwork elements. They are aimed at encouraging active participation in task accomplishment while all members have their roles as individuals and are able to co-operate towards a common goal as a team. Many team building activities focus on problem solving and discussing team issues; thus argument as a way to common consensus is encouraged. Team building activities often involve recognition and identification of team member skills, talents, knowledge, and experiences which allow the team members to learn more about each other and fully utilize those skills where appropriate . Many team activities are focused on developing keys to trust during challenging times. Team building activities are good for _ . A. hiring employees with special talent B. encouraging employees to co-operate C. helping employees work independently D. training employees in their special fields Answer: B Question: Mr. Li worked in a post office in Weihai. Last month he retired. His son works in America. Five years ago Mrs. Li went to America to look after their grandson. So Mr. Li decided to see them. Mr. Li was afraid of taking the plane so he decided to go to America by ship. On the first morning on the ship, Mr. Li met an American. The man said to him, "Good morning!" Mr. Li thought the man told him his name. So he said to him, "Li Haitao." On the second morning, Mr. Li met his son's friend on the ship. He told him about the American. After hearing that, his son's friend laughed and said, "He said hello to you in the morning." On the third morning when Mr. Li met the American again, he said, "Good morning!" And the American said to him, "Li Haitao, sir." Mr. Li didn't take the plane because _ . A. he was afraid to take the plane B. the plane ticket was too expensive C. it took a long time to take the plane D. his son asked him to take the ship Answer: A Question: The world's oceans are slowly getting more acidic, say scientists. The researchers from California say the change is taking place in response to higher levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The lowering of the waters' pH value is not great at the moment but could pose a serious threat to current marine life if it continues, they warn. Ken Caldeira and Michael Wickett, from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, report their concerns in the journal Nature. Increasing use of fossil fuels means more carbon dioxide is going into the air, and most of it will eventually be absorbed by seawater. Once in the water, it reacts to form carbonic acid. Scientists believe that the oceans have already become slightly more acidic over the last century. But these researchers have tried to predict what will happen in the future by combining what we know about the history of the oceans with computer models of climate change. "This level of acidity will get much more extreme in the future if we continue releasing CO2 into the atmosphere," said Dr Caldeira. "And we predict amounts of future acidity will exceed anything we have seen over the last several hundred million years, let alone perhaps after rare catastrophic events such as asteroid impacts ." If carbon dioxide release continues unabated , ocean pH could be reduced by as much as 0.77 units, the authors warn. It is not ly clear what that means for marine life, however. Most organisms live near the surface, where the greatest pH change would be expected to occur, but deep-ocean lifeforms may be more sensitive to pH changes. Coral reefs and other organisms whose skeletons or shells contain calcium carbonate may be particularly affected, the team speculate. They could find it much more difficult to build these structures in water with a lower pH. In recent years some people have suggested deliberately storing carbon dioxide from power stations in the deep ocean as a way of curbing global warming. But Dr Caldeira said that such a strategy should now be re-considered. "Previously, most experts had looked at ocean absorption of carbon dioxide as a good thing - because in releasing CO2 into the atmosphere we warm the planet; and when CO2 is absorbed by the ocean, it reduces the amount of greenhouse warming. Most experts once believed storing carbon dioxide in the ocean would reduce _ . A. the CO2 absorbed by the ocean B. the acidity of the ocean C. the amount of greenhouse warming D. the gradual release of CO2 Answer: C Question: Sometimes just when we need the power of miracles to change our beliefs, they materialize in the places we'd least expect. They can come to us as a drastic alteration in our physical reality or as a simple synchronicity in our lives. Sometimes they're big and can't be missed Other times they're so subtle that if we aren't aware, we may miss them altogether. They can come from the lips of a stranger we suddenly and mysteriously encounter at just the right instant. If we listen carefully, we'll always hear the right words,at the right time, to dazzle us into a realization of something that we may have failed to notice only moments before. On a cold January afternoon in 1989,I was hiking up the trail that leads to the top of Egypt's Mt. Horeb. I'd spent the day at St. Catherine's Monastery and wanted to get to the peak by sunset to see the valley below. As I was winding up the narrow path,I'd occasionally see other hikers who were coming down from a day on the mountain. While they would generally pass with simply a nod or a greeting in another language,there was one man that day who did neither. I saw him coming from the last switchback on the trail that led to the backside of the mountain. As he got closer,I could see that he was dressed differently from the other hikers I'd seen. Rather than the high-tech fabrics and styles that had been the norm,this man was wearing traditional Egyptian clothing. He wore a tattered, rust-colored galabia and obviously old and thick-soled sandals that were covered in dust. What made his appearance so odd,though,was that the man didn't even appear to be Egyptian! He was a small-framed Asian man, had very little hair,and was wearing round,wire-rimmed glasses. As we neared one another,I was the first to speak."Hello,"I said,stopping on the trail for a moment to catch my breath. Not a sound came from the man as he walked closer. I thought that maybe he hadn't heard me or the wind had carried my voice away from him in another direction. Suddenly he stopped directly in front of me on the high side of the trail, looked up from the ground, and spoke a single sentence to me in English,"Sometimes you don't know what you have lost until you've lost it."As I took in what I had just heard,he simply stepped around me and continued his descent down the trail. That moment in my life was a small miracle. The reason is less about what the man said and more about the timing and the context. The year was 1989,and the Cold War was drawing to a close. What the man on the trail couldn't have known is that it was during my Egyptian pilgrimage, and specifically during my hike to the top of Moses's mountain,that I'd set the time aside to make decisions that would affect my career in the defense industry,my friends,my family,and,ultimately,my life. I had to ask myself what the chances were of an Asian man dressed in an Egyptian galabia coming down from the top of this historic mountain just when I was walking up,stopping before me,and offering his wisdom,seemingly from out of nowhere. My answer to _ was easy: the odds were slim to none! In an encounter that lasted less than two minutes on a mountain halfway around the world from my home, a total stranger had brought clarity, and the hint of a warning, regarding the huge changes that I would make within a matter of days. In my way of thinking,that's a miracle. I suspect that we all experience small miracles in our lives every day. Sometimes we have the wisdom and the courage to recognize them for what they are. In the moments when we don't,that's okay as well. It seems that our miracles have a way of coming back to us again and again. And each time they do,they become a little less _ ,until we can't possibly miss the message that they bring to our lives! The key is that they're everywhere and occur every day for different reasons, in response to the different needs that we may have in the moment. Our job may be less about questioning the extraordinary things that happen in our daily lives and more about accepting the gifts they bring. Why did the author make a pilgrimage to Mt. Horeb in Egypt? A. He was in search of a miracle in his life. B. It was a holy place for a religious person to head for. C. He intended to make arrangements for his life in the future. D. He waited patiently in expectation of meeting a wise person. Answer: C
More than 700 business leaders, government officials and investors gathered in Mountain View, California in December,2012 to attend the Social Innovation Summit. It is an invitation-only conference aimed at finding new ways to deal with old problems. Traffic jam is a problem that Bruggemann hopes to solve."Traffic is really bad in most countries and we thought there must be some way of doing something about it."Last week, his team, winning the prize for its"nunav"traffic management system, received a Microsoft Imagine Cup Grant of $100,000."Everyone that's using our system sends his present position as well as the destination to our servers every 30 seconds. And with that information our central system can reroute all of the cars in a way that everyone gets his individual best possible route." Bruggemann says early research with the system has been promising."We found out that it could be possible to save up to 20 percent of the fuel consumption. Even more interesting, it can save up to 50 percent of the time you spend in traffic so you could get to your destination twice as fast." Team Cypher256 from Uganda also was invited to the Social Innovation Summit. They developed a device ,called WinSenga, aimed at improving health care for pregnant women in Africa. It measures the early baby's heart sounds to help test the heart rate, age and position of the baby in the mother. The device is similar in operation to an ultrasound test, but is far less costly and very practical in Africa. This is the third year for the Social Innovation Summit. The event is held twice a year, once in New York and once in California. The first one in 2012 was held in May. The United Nations'Office for Partnerships helped to organize the event. What can be inferred from the text? A. The"nunav"system is popular in Africa. B. Common people in Africa can afford to use WinSenga. C. The United Nations offered financial help to the"nunav"system. D. The Social Innovation Summit has been held three times so far. Answer: B Coffee has become the most popular American drink. Today people in the United States drink more coffee than people in any of the other countries. People drink coffee at breakfast, at lunch, at dinner and between meals. They drink hot coffee or coffee with ice in it. They drink it at work and at home. They eat coffee ice-cream and coffee candy. Coffee is black and very _ . Different people like to drink it in different ways. Some people like coffee with cream or sugar in it. Other people like coffee with both cream and sugar in it. In all ways it is served. Coffee has become an international drink. Different people like to drink coffee A. at work or at home B. in different ways C. with cream or sugar D. between meals Answer: B TOURNAMENT OF ROSES ----5 Days Los Angeles Day 1 Los Angeles.( Sun.Dec.30) Welcome to Los Angeles! This evening mixes with your traveling friends at the welcome reception. Day 2 Los Angeles.( Mon.Dec.31) Head to Pasadena for the always colorful ROSE BOWL FAMILY FESTIVAL and watch the floats decorated with tens of thousands of flowers.This afternoon, you can take the included visit to the GETTY MUSEUM.This evening, join your travelling friends at a special New Year's Eve DINNER AND DANCE GALA , complete with hats, party favors and live music.You'll toast the New Year a little early tonight to consider an early morning departure to the Rose Parade. Day 3 Los Angeles.Tournament of Roses Parade ( Tue.Jan.1) Happy New Year! Get ready for one of the world's most popular parades, and you'll see it live! Globus has booked the GRANDSTAND SEATS at the beginning of the parade route for a good view.See the wonderful colorful floats, marching bands from around the world, and the famous people. Day 4 Los Angeles.( Wed.Jan.2) This morning view the individual floats in the POST PARADE VIEWING AREA.For many this is the most exciting part of the entire event.Be sure to bring your camera and plenty of film! Another special dinner tonight--a special GLOBUS FAREWELL CELEBRATION DINNER. Day 5 Los Angeles.( Thu.Jan.3) The tour ends today, with tour guests departing on individual schedules. What activity can visitors enjoy on Dec.31? A. Tournament of Rose Parade. B. A farewell celebration dinner. C. Post parade viewing area. D. A dinner and dance gala. Answer: D 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. When the author saw his taxi driver smile and wave at the driver of the black car, he _ . A. got very angry B. was deeply impressed C. felt quite disappointed D. praised him for his manners Answer: B Imagine sailing through the sky, high above buildings and trees, in perfect peace and quiet. No noisy engines. No window with dirty marks in your way. No strong wind blowing in your face. You can't feel or hear the wind because you're traveling in the exact same direction and at the exact same speed it is. A hot-air balloon has three main parts: the balloon, called an envelope; a basket, where passengers ride; and a burner system, which supplies the hot air. Most balloon envelopes are made of strong, lightweight nylon. They vary in size and shape, but they have to be really, really big to lift even a single person. Most weigh more than an adult man and use more fabric than you'd need to cover a baseball diamond . The basket is usually made of wicker ,which is strong but not too stiff . It needs to bend a bit for a soft landing, just like a good jumper bends her legs instead of keeping them stiff and straight when she lands. When the burner system blasts flames, it makes a noisy sound, but once the balloon is flying , the burner can be turned off. The air in the envelope will then slowly cool, and the balloon will gradually sink unless the pilot starts the burner again. To operate, a pilot adds hot air to the balloon to go up or deflates it to go down, until he finds a breeze blowing in the direction he wants to fly. But no matter which way the wind blows them, balloonists have an amazing bird's-eye view of the world. The soft landing of a hot-air balloon requires that the basket _ . A. should be made of nylon B. should be controlled by a good jumper C. should be a little soft D. should be big enough to lift one person Answer: C
Around the world there are some festivals that for some of us may sound _ . In England they celebrate the rolling cheese race, which occurs every year during the last Monday in May. This festival's characteristic is a contest where an official rolls cheese down a steep hill and festival- goers go chasing after it. The winner is the first one to reach and catch the cheese. Another festival celebrated in England is the world championship of grimaces . It is a celebration that dates back to 1297 and is celebrated during the month of September. The task is to perform the best grimace using anything you can to win. The worldwide championship of wife lifting is celebrated in Finland. The game is based on Viking traditions where a man should carry away his neighbor's wife. According to the rules, any woman above 17 is considered as a wife, so if you are within this age, take care while visiting this country during the month of July. Many of you have watched Pirates of the Caribbean and have known something about pirates. The 19thof September has been declared worldwide as the day to talk like a pirate. Plenty of people have celebrated it thanks to the publicity on the Internet. First staged in 1998, the Boryeong Mud Festival is an attraction that pulls more than a million visitors to the South Korean City. As you all know, the town is said to be rich in minerals, so there is no shortage of mud. Mud is trucked onto Daecheon Beach for tourists and locals to enjoy the festival to their best. The Monkey Buffet Festival is held in Thailand to develop tourism. It's an unusual feast held for about 600 monkeys. The Monkey Buffet Festival is held in honor of the Hindu gods Ram and Hanuman and involves 3,000 kilograms of vegetables and fruits being laid out for monkeys to stuff themselves. According to the writer, a girl above 17 should be careful when enjoying _ . Answer: the worldwide championship of wife lifting "A Long Walk Home"-----life as Eli Reed saw it American photographer and photojournalist Eli Reed has been documenting "life as I saw it" for more than 40 years. His career retrospective , "Eli Reed: A Long Walk Home", is an extraordinary search of beauty while recording hardship. With a heart of love, Reed uses a style that uncovers humanity at every turn. According to Reed, "A Long Walk Home" is about what it means to be a human being. It all began with a photo he took of his mother and his memory of her smile. Raised in New Jersey, reed was originally a painter. Primarily self-taught in photography, he became a freelance photographer in 1970. after producing some impressive photos that drew much attention, he joined the famous company Magnum Photos---the first black photographer invited to do so. His photos are remarkable in their lack of judgment of the people or the situations he comes across. In Beirut, Lebanon, a man removes a tree branch from a car in a recently bombed parking lot. An old man wrapped in a sheet plays a drum in front of a sign reading "God Is the Way" while National Guardsmen lift their guns during a war in Miami. A young boy upside down with his legs in the air in a Kenyan refugee camp, his determined look faces the camera. In Harlem, New York, a group of laughing children take over an abandoned car, using it as a jungle gym. Where another photographer might have focused on the _ of these situations. Reed's camera smiles. His images show how humans cope, rise above, and carry on. This is what gives " A Long Walk Home" its power. Considering the places Reed has been to, there are very few photos of guns or obvious violence. Instead, Reed focuses on the varied human responses to hardship. We smile along with Reed in a gesture of compassion and solidarity. We recognize our fellow human beings. In his work "A Long Walk Home". Reed's photos _ . Answer: reflect the strength of humans Inventors Can you patent and profit from your idea? We have been assisting inventors since 1975. Full range of patenting and marketing services. Confidentiality guaranteed American Inventors Corp. Call for free information: 1-800=338-5656 or visit www.aic.com Parents Can you afford to raise your hearing impaired child without the insights this highly valued book has to offer? Make life easier for you and your child! Bradford Publications For information: 1-800-354-2760 or visit www.bpublications.com Earn up to$25,000 a year as a Medical Transcriptionist! No experience is needed, Work the hours you choose. Train at home in your spare time. The medical profession needs skilled transcriptionists. So if you can type, or are willing to learn, we can train you to work at home doing medical transeriptions from tapes dictated by doctors. Get free information! At-Home Profession Corp. Call Toll Free 1-800-475-0100 or visit www. athome. Com Globe Insurance Company Since 1951, Globe has grown in financial strength and reputation With over 2.8 million policies in force. Globe is committed to providing affordable life, health and accident insurance for the entire family. It only costs$1 to start your Long Life coverage. Globe Insurance Company Call Toll Free, Seven Days A Week, 24-hours A Day. 1-800-358-1945 or visit www.globeic.com The best title of the 3rd advertisement would be_. Answer: Working at Home Reader's Digest is a monthly magazine. Before the 1980s, it belonged to a privately held company, which was started in 1922 by Lila Bell Wallace and Dewitt Wallace. This magazine is small and easy to carry, just half the size of most American magazines, which caused a phrase in 2005, "America in your pocket." It is the best selling magazine in the USA. At present, its circulation in the USA has reached 10 million copies and the number of the readers there is 38 million. It also has 40 million overseas readers in more than another 70 countries. This magazines focus is not news but more of cultural views because the editors think people now can get timely news from somewhere else. They hope this magazine can give readers something that is about special personal experiences, something the readers can share with their families. In different countries, this magazine provides a window to the world for the local readers. Some parts of the magazine are about the local customs and interests of the local readers. The other parts give the local readers information from all over the world. How many people all over the world read this magazine? Answer: 78 million. If you had the chance to leave the life you have now, what would you do? Students from Fair-grounds Middle School, New Hampshire, US, chose to lead a special life for a week. They left the city and lived a different life by working on a farm. They handed over their cell phones and lived like any farmer's children. And they enjoyed it! "I didn't know what would happen when we got there," said Tyler Swift, 14, "but there were so many fun things. So much hard work, too. It was a _ ." "Getting up at 6 every morning, the students milked cows, spread hay , and washed hundreds of sticky buckets . The hardest part was cleaning up piles of poop in the animal houses. It smelled bad, but it was lots of fun! None of the students said no to the work. "With the farmers' help, they did the work better and better. And they learned a lot more than just farming work." said Rick Brown, a science teacher at Fair-grounds. "You get to know who can do what and learn to work with different people. The children all showed great team work." said Nick Quadros. How long did the children work on the farm? Answer: For a week.
What is the source of energy for life on earth? A rivers B planets C astral star D mountains Answer: C. astral star Here is some information from a tourist guide to Patapsco Valley state Park Maryland, USA. Wildlife and Nature Appreciation While visiting Patapsco Valley State Park, you will see a variety of natural habitats. Throughout spring and fall, dogwoods, maples, redbuds, and many varieties of wildflowers color the forest. This park is also home to many small mammals and birds. If you pause during your journey through tile forest, you are likely to see rabbits, grey squirrels, and red foxes. Along the banks of tile river, birdwatchers will spot Canada geese and wood ducks all year round Fishing The Patapsco River meanders through the park and is a popular attraction for anglers . The Department of Natural Resources' Fisheries Service assigns the river as a put-and-take fishery with adult rainbow and brown trout in spring and fall. Anglers also enjoy catching naturally reproducing smallmouth and largemouth bass, bluegill, redbreast sunfish and yellow perch. Fishing opportunities have been specially set aside at Lost Lake for youth under 16 and seniors 62 years of age and older. This area is also designed for anglers with disabilities. Trails Adventure seekers will enjoy hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding on the park's popular trail system. More than 17 miles of challenging and rough single track trails follow the ridges, steep hillsides and stream valleys in the park. These trails are also excellent gateways for wildlife viewing, bird watching and general nature appreciation. Please respect the rights of nearby private property owners by using only blazed trails. Remember that the park is a natural area with certain dangers, such as poison ivy, slippery trail surfaces, insects, etc. You are responsible for having the necessary skills, knowledge and equipment for a safe visit. Discover History Along the Trail Enter another time as you explore Patapsco's trails. Layer upon layer of history tells the story of man's interaction with nature. Native American hunted, gathered and fished here for centuries. In the 1700s, the valley became one of the earliest sites for America's Industrial Revolution. Early settlers cut down trees for charcoal used to fire iron furnaces . The river's current was dammed and channeled to power iron, paper, grain and textile mills . Towns and tobacco farms were established throughout the valley. While walking along the trails, tourists are reminded to _ . A feed the birds they meet B visit some private buildings C pay attention to self- protection D protect the natural environment Answer: C. pay attention to self- protection It's that time of year when people need to lock their cars. Is it because there are many criminals stealing cars? Not indeed. Rather, it's because of good-hearted neighbors who want to share their harvest. Sharon recently had a good year for tomatoes. She and her family had eaten and canned so many that they'd begun to feel their skin turn slightly red. That's when she decided it was time to share her blessings. Eventually she found a neighbor willing to have the tomatoes."Feel free to take whatever you want,"Sharon told her. Later that day, Sharon found that her garden had indeed been harvested. She thought it a good way to help someone and the food didn't go to waste. A few days later, the neighbor knocked at the door, holding a loaf of bread:"I want to thank you for all of the tomatoes, and I have to admit that I took a few other things and hoped you wouldn't mind."Sharon couldn't think of anything in her garden that had been worth harvesting and said so."But you did,"the neighbor said."You had some of the prettiest zucchini." Sharon was confused. She hadn't even planted any zucchini. But her neighbor insisted that there were bright green zucchini. Sharon's curiosity got the better of her and she had to go to see where the zucchini had grown. When the neighbor pointed at the long green vegetables, Sharon smiled."Well, actually, those are cucumbers that we never harvested, because they got too big, soft and bitter." The neighbor looked at Sharon, shock written all over her face. She hesitated a few times, and then smiling, held out the bread, part of a batch she had shared all over the neighborhood,"I brought you a loaf of cucumber bread. I hope you like it." Which is true about the loaf of bread? A It was baked for Sharon only. B The neighbor had tasted it. C It was made from zucchini. D It might not taste good. Answer: D. It might not taste good. The days of a pain-free visit to the dentist may not be far off. This is thanks to a little Japanese woman in a pink sweater, named Simroid. With a limited vocabulary, Simroid, the 160cm-tall robot is happy to feel your pain. Simroid is designed to be used at medical colleges. She has realistic looking skin, eyes, and a mouth fitted with replica teeth. Her chest also rises and falls as if she is breathing. Simroid releases a clear "ouch!" whenever a trainee dentist presses her teeth too hard with a tool. And she gives a reassuring "that's better" when the drill hits the right place. "We want to use the robots to train dentists to worry about whether patients are comfortable, and not just focus on medical techniques," said Naotake Shubui, a professor at Nippon Dental University inprefix = st1 /Japanwho helped develop Simroid. The robot was one of hundreds of cutting-edge devices on display at the world's biggest robot exhibition last week inJapan. As scientists improve the design of robots, they could soon be serving tea to office workers or directing shoppers. Today's robots look and act much like the humans who invented them. InJapan, robots can already be found working as home helps, office receptionists and security guards, as well as on the factory floor. There were more than 370,000 industrial robots in use inJapanin 2005, according to a report by Macquarie bank,40 percent of the world total, with 32 robots for every 1,000 workers. The economy ministry believes that the Japanese robot market will be worth more than $52 billion by 2025. Human work is being helped, and even replaced, by mechanical efficiency in almost every area, from golf-bag carriers to public toilet cleaners. But many scientists believe the age of the service robot is not far off. It will arrive once machines are capable of connecting with humans on an emotional level. Judging by theTokyoexhibition, _ has already begun. We can learn from the text that _ . A robots are widely used in Japan B Japan has taken the lead in developing robots C the Japanese robot market has greatest potential in the world D the world's biggest robot exhibition is held in Japanevery year Answer: A. robots are widely used in Japan As the forceful king of Macedonia , Alexander the Great overthrew the Persian Empire, becoming a hero that would survive centuries after his death. Born in 356 B.C., Alexander III was the son of Philip II and Olympias. Alexander's parents wanted him to receive the finest education, and arranged for him to study under Aristotle, regarded as one of the greatest scholars. Alexander's father was a strong leader. Philip II built an impressive army and established the Macedonian kingdom; he was even planning to attack Persia shortly before his death. In 336, Philip was murdered by one of his guards. Although it was obvious that the guard had a personal hatred, there are clues that other people were related to it. After Alexander was cleared as a suspect, he succeeded his father without opposition, and killed those said to be responsible for his father's murder, as well as all rivals. He was then just 20 years old. He then prepared to attack Persia. In the spring of 334, Alexander led the army made up of nearly 50,000 soldiers into Asia, which is called "the most powerful military expedition ever to leave Greece", He soundly defeated the Persian army at the Granicus River, sending a strong message to Darius III, leader of the Persian Empire. In 333, Alexander faced Darius at Issus, a mountain pass. The Macedonian army was greatly outnumbered but able to work the narrow mountain passageway to their advantage. Darius managed to escape. Continuing down the Mediterranean Coast, Alexander took every city in his path. In 332 Alexander declared Egypt to be part of the Greek Empire and was crowned Pharaoh . When Alexander left Egypt in 331, he defeated the Persians again and was crowned leader of Asia. In 323, however, Alexander developed a fever on the way back home and died 10 days later at Babylon. He was just 33 years old. According to the passage, we can infer _ . A Aristotle taught Alexander how to defeat other nations B Alexander was happy about his father's death C Persia is tougher to defeat than Egypt D Macedonia soon declined after Alexander died Answer: C. Persia is tougher to defeat than Egypt
Paperback: 264 pages Publisher:. Sams (March 29,2005) ISBN: 0672327627 Product Dimensions: 8.4x5.5x0.6 inches OVERVIEW This book offers straightforward practical answers when you need fast results. By working through each 10-minute lesson, you'll learn what you need to begin to use the PHP scripting language to make your websites interactive and dynamic. REVIEW When I first laid eyes on this book and its title, Teach Yourself PHP in 10 minutes, my first thought was that I was going to see this! So I opened it up and figured I'd look through it for ten minutes and see what would hit me. Well, 10 minutes turned into 20, 20 into 30 and 30 into a valuable resource that sits on my desk. Not only are the lessons within brief, but they are very easy to understand, well presented and very easy to understand for the beginner. Each lesson comes with tips to point out shortcuts, cautions to help you avoid common mistakes and notes to additional infomation. This book can be used in two ways, as a reference or as a complete tutorial on PHP basics. That alone is something that is very rare in teaching type books these days. Some of the more valuable and informative lessons will take you into the areas of: --Strings and variables --Processing HTML forms --Controlling and filtering data --User authentication --Cookies and sessions --Security practices --Configuring PHP and more!!! The book is pretty basic for experienced PHP coders, but for new or intermediate users this book is worth more than the small $19.99 CAN suggested price. Although the cover suggests it covers PHP 5.0, the coding found within also applies to PHP 4.X CONCLUSION This book completely surprised me with its value and does indeed teach you in ten minutes what other books claim to do in 24 hours. Full marks to author Chris Newman for this handy guide. What is the price of the book? A $19.99 CAN. B US$19.99 C The author doesn't tell us. D $ 20. Answer: A All students should have good study habits. When you have good study habits, you can learn things quickly. You also remember them easily . Do you like to study in the living-room? This is not a good place because it is usually too noisy. You should study in a quiet place, like your bedroom. A quiet place will help you only think about one thing, and you will learn better. Before you begin to study, do not forget to clean your desk. A good desk light is important, too .You'll feel tired easily if there is not much light . Which place is good for study according to the passage? A the living room B the kitchen C the bedroom D the restaurant Answer: C Which of the following items can perform photosynthesis? A a flying wasp B a speedy cheetah C wet dirt D a yellow tulip Answer: D Most children now chat daily either online or through their mobile phones. They are connecting to a huge number of other children all over the world. Some are shy "in real life" but are confident to communicate with others online; others find support from people of their own age on relationship issues, or problems at home. Sometimes the online world, just like the real word, can introduce problems, such as bullying or arguments. Going online is great fun, but there are also a few people who use the Internet for offensive or illegal aims. Children must be made _ of both the good things and the danger. To keep children safe your management must cover the family computer. Just as you decide which TV programs are suitable, you need to do the same for the websites and chat rooms your children visit. Remind your children that online friends are still strangers. Reminding them of the risks will keep them alert. Computer studies are part of schoolwork now, so it's likely that your children may know more than you do. We get left behind when it comes to the latest gadgets and interactive areas of websites, like chat rooms and message boards, which are especially strange. The language of chat is strange to many parents, too. Chatters love to use abbreviations such as: atb-- all the best; bbfn-- bye by for now; cul8er --see you later; gr8--great; idk-- I don't know; imbl-- it must be love; kit --keep in touch; paw-- parents are watching; lol--laugh out loud; xlnt-- excellent! Which of the following will the author probably agree with? A Children shouldn't chat so much online. B People had better not use the net language in real life. C Parents are advised to choose suitable websites and chat rooms for their children. D Children should surf the Internet together with their parents. Answer: C The high cost of living in Sydney causes city parents to worry more about their children. New research by the Financial Services Council (FSC)shows that 75% of metropolitan mums and dads say their ability to earn is important to the well-being of their kids, Tet a greater proportion of Sydney parents think children suffer emotionally by having two full-time working parents .AS a result 46%of Sydneysiders feel their Kids could be happier , against 38%of both Melbourne and regional New South Wales mums and dads. The FSC research ,which interviewed 1200 parents across the country ,also shows 66% of Sydneysiders believe the happiness of their children would be greatly affected if they or their partner couldn't work. The FSC undertook the survey as part of its Lifewise campaign ,to encourage Australians to protect themselves against financial hardship. Chairman of the Lifewise campaign John Crosswell said:"The research findings quite clearly highlight that Sydney parents prioritise their ability to earn money and yet because they are so busy doing so, it seems that their ability to spend time with their family is affected .Sydney parents are dedicated to earning money but as a consequence, perhaps they don't have the time to enjoy spending it with their family." In sydney ,the top factor for creating an ideal childhood is financial security ,at 92%.Fewer parents rate having a tigh-knit family(89%)or living near friends and family (85%)as important. David and Ari Dearnley ,of North Manly ,said money pressure was hard to avoid in Sydney ,They both work and said family finances would be severely hard if one of them couldn't But only Mrs Dearnly has income-protection insurance, "I think that I don't really need it yet",Mr Dearnly ,37, said. "I think he's mad",Mrs Dearnly ,also 27 ,said,"If David couldn't work it would have a huge impact on our lifestyle." "Looks like I'll be getting _ tomorrow,"Mr Dearnly responded. What does Lifewise campaign aim to? A Encouraging Australian people avoid the harm of financial problems B Helping Sydney parents find a suitable job? C Making Australian people improve their ability to earn D A ttracting Sydney people to buy insurance Answer: A
It gives me great pleasure today to say a few words in praise of a man we will all miss very much. To be honest, I can't imagine we will do without him when he's gone. Bill Masters almost single-handed built up our sales force in the Houston area and developed the market position that we enjoy today. In only six years, he has brought the firm from a very low fifth position in the area sales to the point where we now outsell all but one of our competitors. Not only have we got 37 per cent of the market under Bill's leadership; we are increasing our share with each passing month. As you know, the company has moved Bill to northern California to work his sales magic in one of this company's most competitive areas. But we know that if anyone can do it, Bill Masters can, and I know you all join me in wishing him the best of luck in his new work. The speech was made _ . Answer: Many people have heard stories of the California gold rush during the 19thcentury, when lots of people went there in search for gold. Panning for gold has a rich and interesting history. Nowadays some people continue to pan for gold in California. Although it cannot be regarded as a method for earning income, taking on gold-panning as a hobby can give you a feeling of being in the old west and get you out into nature. The only tool that is required to pan for gold is a gold pan. You can use a regular old flat pan, but "officially" gold pans are quite cheap so you may as well buy one that is made for the task. Most sold pans come in either plastic or medal. Once you have your pan you will want to start practicing your gold panning technique. Panning for gold works because gold is much heavier than most rocks. To pan for gold you add rock and dirt form the bottom of a stream to your pan and then gently let water flow through the pan. The lighter-weight rocks are slowly swept away while any gold will be left behind in the pan. To start panning for gold, first you will need to find a good location. Try checking maps of your area and old history books to find location where there were gold mines in the past. Even though most of the gold have already been removed, there are likely to be small leftovers that you can find. Once you have found an area that looks promising, look for any small stream or river where you can try out panning for gold. Panning for gold requires patience and it may be a long time before you hit anything of value. However, it is an enjoyable hobby and provides a great opportunity to get outdoors, so don't give up too quickly. In which part of a newspaper would you probably find this article? Answer: An old man lived in a nice house with a large garden. He took care of his flowers all the time, watering and fertilizing them. One day a young man went by the garden. He looked at the beautiful flowers, imagining how happy he could be if he lived in such a beautiful place. Then ,suddenly he found the old gardener was blind. He was very surprised about this and asked,"You can't see these flowers. "Why are you busy taking care of them every day?" The old man smiled and said ,"I can tell you four reasons. First, I was a gardener when I was young, and I really like this job. Second, although I can't see these flowers, I can touch them. Third, I can smell the sweetness of them. As to the last one, that's you." "Me? But you don't know me."said the young man. "Yeah, it's true that I don't know you. But I know that flowers are angels that everybody knows. We enjoy the happiness these flowers have brought us." The blind man's work opened our eyes and pleased our hearts, which also made his life happier. It was just like Beethoven, who became deaf in his later life and wrote many great musical works. Beethoven himself couldn't hear his wonderful music, but his music has encouraged millions of people to face their difficulties bravely. Isn't it a kind of happiness? The young man was very surprised because _ . Answer: Diving or Drowning A rich young man decided that he would like to do some diving in the sea, so he bought a rubber suit and all the other things that he needed, and took some lessons at a diving school. Then one day he walked into the water by himself and began to explore the bottom of the sea. He saw a lot of beautiful fish and other things, and then, after half an hour, he suddenly saw a man waving his arms and legs around wildly near the bottom of the sea. He was wearing only a bathing suit. The rich young man was very surprised to see him, so he took out a plastic notebook and a special pencil, which could write under water, and wrote, "What are you doing here?" He showed the notebook to the other man, who then took the pencil and wrote, "Drowning!" What did the rich young man do? Answer: Losing a baby tooth can be fun for a kid. You can put it under your pillow and look forward to finding some money there in the morning. And then you can watch your new permanent tooth grow in its place. But if a permanent tooth falls out, that's a problem. There isn't another one under the gum that can replace it. Unfortunately, this happens to some older people. And if permanent teeth fall out-or need to be pulled-an older person might need dentures. Dentures, known as false teeth, are a set of replacement teeth for any teeth that are missing. There are partial dentures, which take the place of only a few teeth and prevent the others from changing position. If all the teeth are gone, the person would need complete dentures, which replace every tooth in the mouth. Dentures can cause pains at first and take little time to get adjusted to. They also need special care. They should be brushed daily with a special denture brush and cleanser and soaked in denture solution when not in the mouth. Dentures are important for older folks because, without teeth, it's hard to smile, talk, and eat properly. But it can be a little _ if you see someone take out his or her dentures. It can also be strange to see someone, like a grandparent, without dentures in because he or she won't have any teeth. Try not to make fun of the person because this could cause hurt feelings. People usually lose their permanent teeth due to periodontal disease, or gum disease, which is caused by bacteria that attacks the gums. Diseased gums aren't strong and healthy, so teeth can get loose and fall out. Older people often have many cavities that have been filled over the years, and these fillings can weaken over time, leading to more tooth decay. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage? Answer:
A strong magnet will separate a mixture of iron nails and aluminum nails. I had hidden the long black bag in the garage for the past two days. Tonight, in the dark, I would finally take it away. If everything went OK, it would be done by morning. But I had to be sure no one, not even my wife, saw me. It was more difficult to get away from the party than I expected. I said that the children were tired and needed to get to bed. It was partly true. But the main reason for leaving was that I wanted to complete my plan. First I had to get the kids to sleep. That was never easy at any time and tonight it was even more difficult. The eldest one wanted to know why we left the party early. I told him 10:30 pm was not early. As usual, I read them a bed time story, but I had to stop myself reading too quickly or _ would learn my secret. Silence finally came, and feeling like a thief in the night, I went out of the house and into the garage. Taking one end, I dragged the bag out from its hiding place and took it into the garden. I was worried that my neighbours might see me and call the police. It was already eleven o'clock. By the light of the moon I started working, trying to make as little noise as possible. And that was not easy with a saw and a hammer. After much effort, my work was finally completed. I looked down at my watch. It was exactly 4:00 am. Then I went inside to have a shower and get a few hours of sleep. It wouldn't be long now before the kids would rush into my room and wake me up to tell me about the new tree-house Father Christmas had brought them this year. How would the children feel when they saw the man's work? Excited. Digital technology -- email and smart phones especially--have vastly improved workers' ability to be productive outside of a traditional office. Even so, most white-collar work still happens in an office. One reason is that, according to findings of a new survey of office workers conducted by Wakefield Research for the IT company Citrix, most bosses are doubtful about remote working. Half of the workers say their boss doesn't accept it, and only 35 percent say it's tolerated. Skeptical bosses will likely have their doubts reinforced by the same survey, which shows that 43 percent of workers say they've watched TV or a movie while "working" remotely, while 35 percent have done housework,and 28 percent have cooked dinner. It is true, however, that working at home makes people much more efficient , because it allows workers to take care of annoying housework while still getting their jobs done. It's much faster, for example, to shop for groceries at a quarter to three than to stand in line during the after-work rush. The fact that such practices remain officially unaccepted reflects how far we haven't come as a society from the days when we expected every full-time worker to be supported by a full-time homemaker. More broadly the Wakefield survey suggests that employers may be missing a low-cost way to give workers something of value. Sixty-four percent of those survey participants who haven't worked remotely would rather give up some bonus in order to get even one day a week working from home. Under such circumstances, smart firms need to find ways to let their employees have enough ability to change or be changed easily to suit a different situation to manage their time efficiently. What seems to be most workers' attitude toward remote working? Favorable. There's a great article in the New York Times this week about the tradition of buying a coffee for a stranger at the same time that you buy your own. They call it _ , the name for "suspended coffee" in its birthplace. In some cafes, folks in need may claim a suspended coffee and drink it without cost. No doubt the free coffee will be welcomed by people who love coffee but for one reason or another don't have the money to buy one. But I also like the opportunity it offers customers to become philanthropists . Every time they order a coffee, they can give one to somebody in need. This is a tradition that began some 100 years ago in Naples, Italy. In Naples, as reported by the Times, people love this kind of giving: "To me, the philosophy of the suspended coffee is that you are happy today, and you give a coffee to the world, as a present." -- Luigi Solito "It's a simple act of generosity: an act in which donors and recipients never meet each other. The donor doesn't show off and the recipient doesn't have to show gratitude." --Laura Cozzolino "Coffee consumptions started earlier than the unification of Italy by more than 200 years, so the traditions around it are very ancient. In Naples, coffee is a world in itself, both culturally and socially." -- Andrea Illy The practice of buying suspended coffees has grown in popularity -- with websites popping up and hundreds of cafes from Canada to Brazil to Hungary to the US offering the service. How can someone get a suspended coffee? He can drink one in a cafe that has prepaid coffees. He has breakfast at 2 a.m.because Johnny Barnes, Mr.Happy Man, has work to do.From 4 to 10 a.m.,he greets commuters as they drive by on their way to work. For years he worked as an electrician on the Bermuda railway and drove buses.When he retired, he still wanted to feel useful.So he positions himself on a patch of grass next to a roundabout that leads into Hamilton, Bermuda's largest city.He smiles and waves at every single person who passes by.He tells them he loves them - and means it. In the Matt Morris's short documentary, he says: I'm just little Johnny Barnes.I'm just a little , small instrument in the hand of God be used any way he feels fit.What I do every day , 2:00 in the morning I'm getting my break fast.You're still sleeping [he tells the interviewer] , I guess. From 20 to four until ten I stand on the corner and just greet people, let them know that life is sweet and beautiful. No matter what happens in life, it's always sweet to be alive. No matter what the weather is like , he is there from Monday to Friday , spreading love. On the rare occasion he is not there , people call the radio station to see if he is OK.. He was 88 when the film was posted in 2012.Every day he was spreading love, straight from his generous heart. So well known and beloved is Barnes that the city of Hamilton built up a statue in his honour.The figure wears the same full beard and straw hat that are Barnes's trademarks.So even when the day comes for the real Johnny Barnes to pass from this life, his smile and his memory will still be at that corner, spreading love to every passer--by. Which of the following is the best title for the passage? Mr.Happy Man
For a clearer picture of what the student knows, most teachers use another kind of examination in addition to objective tests. They use "essay" tests, which require students to write long answers to broad, general questions such as the following: "Mention several ways in which Benjamin Franklin has influenced thinking of people in his own country and in other parts of the world." One advantage of the essay test is that it reduces the element of luck. The student cannot get a high score just by making a lucky guess. Another advantage is that it shows the examiner more cares about the student's ability to put facts together into a meaningful whole. It should show how deeply he has thought about the subject. Sometimes, though, essay tests have disadvantages, too. Some students are able to write rather good answers without really knowing much about the subject, while other students who actually know the material have trouble expressing their ideas in the essay form. Besides, in an essay test the student's score may depend upon the examiner's feelings at the time of reading the answer. If he is feeling tired or bored, the student may receive a lower score than he should. Another examiner reading the same answer might give it a much higher mark. Because of _ , the objective test gives each student a fairer chance, and of course it is easier and quicker to score. Whether an objective test or an essay test is used, problems arise. When some objective questions are used along with some essay questions, however, a fairly clear picture of the student's knowledge can usually be gotten. According to the passage, which of the following statements about the objective test is NOT true? A It is more objective than the essay test in terms of scoring. B It allows the student to guess the correct answer without really knowing the material. C It shows the student's ability to think about difficult problems. D It is easy and quick to score. Answer: C Two Christmas traditions have come under attack in recent years from environmentalists: Christmas cards and Christmas trees. Paper cards are seen as wasteful and, for some people, going card-free is another way of going green. They also argue that in a world of e-mail, Skype, Facebook and Twitter, people are in touch all the time anyway; they no longer need the yearly card that connects them with long lost friends. If you want to send Christmas greetings, there are free e-cards, which get the job done with no postage or wasted paper. However, especially for people who didn't grow up with e-mail, there is something missing from a Christmas e-mail. The first Christmas cards appeared in London in 1843 and were designed by the same man who had introduced the world's first postage stamp three years earlier. His name was Sir Henry Cole. They rose in popularity throughout the 20th century. Many people sent cards that were sold for charity. The most famous of these are the ones sold for UNICEF. In the UK this year, in the three weeks before Christmas, the post office expects to handle 100 million cards every day. Environmental awareness also means that nowadays many people recycle their cards; this helps raise money to plant more trees, as well as recreating more paper. When we think of trees at Christmas, there is one that immediately springs mind---the evergreen tree that people decorate with ornaments and place their presents under. The custom dates back almost a thousand years to Germany. Nowadays 33 to 36 million Christmas trees are produced in America and 50 to 60 million in Europe each year. Some trees are sold live with roots and soil so people can plant them later and reuse them next year. Some people prefer artificial trees as they are reusable and much cheaper than their natural alternative. However, environmentalists point out that they are made from petroleum products and so have many pollution issues. What can we conclude from the article? A The first Christmas cards were designed earlier than the world's first stamps. B This year has seen a dramatic drop in Christmas card sales. C Environmentalists advise people to buy cards that are sold for charity. D Growing environmental awareness is encouraging people to recycle their cards. Answer: D People in China are among the most fearful of getting old, a new global survey suggests. According to Bupa, a British healthcare organization, which asked 12262 people in 12 countries about their attitudes toward aging, 28 percent of the Chinese polled said they feel depressed when they think about getting old. And although 72 percent of all respondents aged 65 and over said they do not feel old, the survey conducted in June and July this year found more than half of those aged 45 to 54 in China already consider themselves to be elderly. About 30 percent of Chinese respondents said they worry about who will look after them in later years, while 91 percent agreed the government of the world's most populous nation should improve care for the elderly. However, because people in China think about their future earlier, research suggests the country could be one of the best prepared for addressing the aging problem. About one third of Chinese respondents--more than double the global average--said they have put money aside for retirement, while 46 percent have taken out insurance, the poll showed. Despite being one of the best prepared nations, three fifths of those surveyed in China expect their family to care for them when they can no longer do so themselves. A Bupa-sponsored report,however, revealed that the "informal care network" (the traditional pattern of families looking after the elderly) is disintegrating. This is due to a number of factors, said the report, including structural changes to the population, the increase of women in employment, the increase of one-person households and the rise in divorce rates. The first batch of Chinese couples with only one child are largely in their 50s or 60s because the country's family planning policy was adopted in the late 1970s. Li Yinping, 55, a retired accountant, said she thinks only people in their 70s can be called old. She said her pension is enough to support her in later years and that her only hope is that her son can visit regularly. "I don't worry about my later years at all," said Li. "When I'm old, I can turn to a rest home. The local hospital can deliver the medicine I need with just a phone call." Xiao Zhe, a 26-year-old computer engineer in Beijing, is an only child whose parents live in his hometown of Chongqing. "I'm so busy with my work that I can't go back to visit them often," he said. "When they're not able to care for themselves, I will hire a nurse to look after them." China will become the oldest society in the world by 2030, according to a recent report by a Beijing-based government think tank. The United Nations also forecasts that people aged 60 and over will account for 28 percent of the country's total population by 2040. Many factors EXCEPT _ have a great impact on informal care network. A structural changes to the population B the increase of women in employment C the development of economy D the rise in divorce rates Answer: C Many scientists find that colours can change people's feelings. It's very interesting. Some colours can make people feel relaxed,and some colours can make people feel nervous. Now,this kind of knowledge is being used in many places. For example, school walls are always painted green because green makes students feel relaxed. It is also good for the students' eyes. Some books are also green or light blue for the same reason. Restaurant owners not only have to know how to make food,but also have to know how to make money. Here are some things they've learned from scientific studies. The colour red makes people hungry. Many fast food restaurants have red furniture or walls. Soft colours like pink and light blue make people feel relaxed,so they spend more time eating. Loud music may be nice at first,but it soon makes people want to leave. Hard seats also make customers want to eat quickly and leave. Many restaurants,especially fast food restaurants,use this knowledge to make customers eat faster. What's the best title for this passage? A Colour and restaurant. B Use colour to make money. C Colour and science. D Use colour to change feelings. Answer: D If you want to be a better reader,what should you know about the speed of reading? Some people read very quickly,when others read very slowly. But which one is better? The quick reader may be a good reader when he reads a story-book for fun. But he may not be able to slow down to read instructions carefully. The slow reader may be a good reader. But he may spend too much time reading a story for fun. So the reader who reads everything quickly or the one who reads everything slowly isn't really a good reader. Here are four things to remember about the speed of reading. Knowing why you are reading will help you to know whether to read quickly or slowly. Some things should be read slowly _ . Examples are instructions for making or doing something. Math books,science and story-books are full of important information. You must read these things slowly to understand and remember every important idea. Some things should be read quickly throughout. Examples are stories for enjoyment,letters from friends,and some news from newspapers. In some of your reading,you must change your speed from fast to slow and slow to fast. You will need to read some pages quickly and then slow down and do more careful reading when you come to important ideas. Which following is true? A Reading everything quickly is a good reader. B A slow reader isn't a good reader. C Reading instructions must be carefully. D You must change your speed from fast to slow. Answer: C
Corn is widely being used in the United States to make ethanol for use in automobile fuel. How might the overproduction of corn negatively affect the environment? Answer: decreasing soil fertility Driving in a foreign country is always different in at least some ways from driving in your own country. Here are some general points regarding driving in New Zealand. Visitors wishing to drive in New Zealand do not require an international driver's license but are required to carry their local driver's license whenever driving. Vehicles drive on the left-hand side of the road as they do in Britain, Australia, and Japan. Most rental vehicles will have a sticker reminding you of this important fact. When the traffic light is red, you must stop. There is no left turn rule as in North America. New Zealand road rules follow international standards but please note that in New Zealand vehicles turning left must give way to traffic turning right. In general, if you are turning left (where there are give-way signs or no signs), give way to vehicles that not turning. In all other situations, give way to vehicles crossing or coming from your right. Seat belts must be worn at all times while driving in New Zealand. This stands for the driver and passengers. The driver is responsible for ensuring all passengers are wearing their seatbelts. Do not drink alcohol before driving in New Zealand--drinking and driving laws are strictly enforced. Speed limits are in kilometres per hour (kph), not miles per hour (mph). Speed conversion: 1 kph equals 0.621 mph; 1 mph equals 1.61 kph. The speed limit on the open road is 100km/h. In towns and cities the speed limit is 50km/h. Be sure to obey all school crossing speed reductions as speed cameras operate regularly throughout New Zealand. For further information and up to date road conditions visit: http://www.transit.govt.nz This passage is most likely _ . Answer: a website travel introduction Enjoy an unforgettable day in the French capital on this luxury day trip from London to Paris,with an included Champagne lunch at the Eiffel Tower! Travel on Eurostar from St Pancras International and enjoy a panoramic sightseeing tour taking in Paris'top sights. Highlights /Romantic experience,perfect for couples /Round--trip fares /Travel by boat and see the sights from the water /Lunch included Make your own way to St Pancras International station and meet your professional guide.The departure time is 6 am.Board the Eurostar and relax as it takes you to Paris in Just over 2 hours.If you wish,upgrade to 1st Class and enjoy breakfast served on board and dinner on your return journey. Once you arrive in Paris ,join your guide on an air-conditioned coach for a patioramic sightseeing tour.See top Paris attractions such as the Champs-Elysees,Arc de Triomphe and Opera House as you hear fascinating facts about the city. Next,arrive at the Eiffel Tower for your Champagne lunch.Skip the possible long admission lines with your fast-aecess ticket and ride the elevator to the stylish 58 Tour Eiffel restaurant on the first floor.Take your seat and enjoy a glass of Champagne and delicious 2-course lunch with the full views of the city providing a truly magical baekdrop! Afterward,enjoy a 1-hour sightseeing tour along the Seine River.Take photos and listen to the helpful commentary as you pass sights, such as soaring Notre Dame Cathedral and the island,Ile de la Cite Next,either choose to use some free time to shop or sightsee,or take a guided visit to the magnificent Louvre Museum(own expense)to see Leonardo da Vinci's exquisite Mone Lisa and other masterpieces. In the late afternoon,return to Gard du Nord,station and catch the Eurostar back to St.Pancras.Your tour ends when you arrive at around 8:30pm. In order to enjoy the dinner on the Eurostar,you should _ . Answer: upgrade to 1st Class of the Eurostar Eating different colored foods can keep you healthy, as well as change your mood and behavior. Here is a list of colors, which can change your life. Blue/Purple Blue is considered to be peaceful and calming and it has the same effect on our health. The blue / purple color in food is due primarily to their anthocyanins which are antioxidants that are particularly heart healthy and may help support healthy blood pressure. Out of all the blue and purple foods available, blueberries are considered to have the highest antioxidant level. An analysis of the latest data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Study found that people who eat purple and blue fruits and vegetables are at a reduced risk for high blood pressure and are less likely to be overweight. A food and health expert says that blue and purple color foods can prevent blood mass formation, and they also lower the risk of cancer. Foods that contain blue and purple colors are: reddish eggplant (especially the skin), blueberries, blackberries, purple grapes, etc. Green We all know that we should eat green as green symbolizes nature. The green foods are rich in isothiocyanates, which help resist cancer. Dr. Ashok Agarwal, a food and nutrition specialist, explains, "They are excellent sources of folic acid, vitamin K, as well as carotene . Diets high in those above are associated with lowered blood pressure." Foods that contain the green color are: broccoli, cabbage, cucumbers, etc. Red Lycopene in reddish fruits and vegetables is a powerful antioxidant that has been associated with a reduced risk of some cancers, and also provides protection against heart attacks. Dr. Smiths says, "Cooked tomato sauces are associated with greater health benefits as compared with the uncooked version as the heating process allows lycopene to be more easily absorbed by the body. Obtaining the most benefit from food depends on proper selection, storage and cooking of the produce." Foods that contain red color are: Tomatoes and tomato products, watermelon, guava, red onions, red chili, red apples, red grapes, cherries, etc. Orange The orange foods are also rich in carotene, which are particularly good antioxidants. These foods are commonly considered eyesight foods because they contain vitamin A. "Orange fruits and vegetables also play a part in preventing cancer, particularly of the lungs and stomach. Foods that contain the color orange are: Carrots, mangoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, etc. The passage tries to tell us that _ . Answer: foods of different colors will have different benefits Light travels at a speed which is about a million times faster than the speed of sound. You can get some idea of this difference by watching the start of a race. If you stand some distance away from the starter, you can see smoke from his gun before the sound reaches your ears. This great speed of light produces some strange facts. Sunlight takes about 8 minutes to reach us. If you look at the light of the moon tonight, remember that the light rays left the moon 1.3 seconds before they reached you. The nearest star is so far away that the light that you can see from it tonight started to travel towards you four years ago at a speed of nearly 2 million km. per minute. In some cases, the light from one of tonight's stars had started on its journey to you before you were born. Thus, if we want to be honest, we can't say, "The stars are shining tonight." We have to say instead, "The stars look pretty. They were shining four years ago, but their light has only just reached the earth." Sunlight obviously _ than the light of the moon. Answer: has to travel a greater distance
Today, when a fire breaks out, you can be sure a citizen with a cell-phone camera has posted it to Facebook or Twitter, or sent it to the media.But up to now, that citizen has not been able to easily send images and details of what is happening to the people who need it most: police, firefighters and building-security people who must respond, and whose ability to help is often measured in minutes, if not seconds. That's about to change.A one-year old company called Elerts has developed a system that's designed to mobile and social technologies to speed the flow of information between citizens and emergency workers in time of danger.The system involves free mobile applications--iPhone and iPad app is available now--that eyewitnesses can use to report incidents and get public-safety warnings.And Elerts is offering a management console for security firms and universities to receive the reports and distribute warnings and instructions, like a map with the best evacuation route . The service is the brainchild of Chris Russo, deputy fire chief in the coastal town of Hull, Mass.As mobile communications sped up, he grew increasingly frustrated by his inability to communicate effectively with colleagues and the public, particularly with people who are at the scene and might be able to provide help. "Remembering situations when communications failed _ ," Mr.Russo says.Last summer, he was in a search at a beach for a missing boy, who went into a bathhouse but didn't come out.First responders feared an abduction on the beach or shark attack.The child's mother, who didn't speak English well, was so sad that she couldn't remember what color1 shorts he had on.Mr.Russo had no photo of the child, and no ability to turn to beachgoers. Two long hours later, the boy was spotted by a low-flying helicopter lost and alone on the beach crying--a lucky break."If 5 percent of beachgoers had an app to receive a message and send in sightings of a lost boy, the happy ending might have come much sooner," Mr.Russo said. What is the passage mainly about? It is said that people born on different dates have different characteristics. For example, people who were born between March 21 and April 20 are likely to be active and strong. They like power and enjoy adventures. People who were born between April 21 and May 21 are likely to learn more slowly, but they can remember what they learn well. They love children and usually have many friends. People who were born between May 22 and June 21 are bright and humorous. They like to talk and enjoy wearing fine clothes. People who were born between June 22 and July 22 think deeply. They would rather hide their feelings than express them. People who were born between July 23 and August 22 are interested in many subjects and it is interesting to hear them talk. People who were born between August 23 and September 22 are said to be calm and thoughtful. They like to read and often become successful scientists. If you have free time, you can read about star signs to see if your characteristics match your birth date. People who were born between March 21 and April 20 are _ . In Britain you may often hear "Drop in any time" or "Come to see me soon", but you can't really do that. People just say those things to make you feel welcome. It is better to telephone before visiting someone at home. If you receive a written invitation to an event that says "RSVP", you should reply to let the person who sent the invitation know whether or not you plan to go. You should never accept an invitation unless you really plan to go. You may refuse by saying "Thank you for inviting me, but I will not be able to come. " If, after accepting, you are unable to go, be sure to tell those who are expecting you as soon as possible that you will not be there. Although it is not necessarily expected that you give a gift to your host, it is considered polite to do so, especially if you have been invited for a meal. Flowers, chocolate, or a small gift are all appropriate. A thank-you note or telephone call after the visit is also considered polite and is an appropriate way to express your appreciation for the invitation. What can you do when a British friend says " Drop in any time"? Spending more than two hours a night doing homework leads to better results in English,math and science, according to a major study (by Pam Sammons, England) which has tracked the progress of3,000 children over the past 15 years. Spending any time doing homework showed advantages, but the influence was greater for the students who put in two to three hours a night, according to the study published by the Department for Education in England. The scientists who did the research say their study empbasizes what students actually do rather than how much work the school has set. Pam Sammons, a professor of education at Oxford University, said that time spent on homework showed the influence of the school-if children were expected to do homework and if they enjoy their subjects. "That's one of the reasons Indian and Chinese children do better.They put more time in it." he added. It's also reported that students who enjoyed school got better results. "Schools could make sure children had a better experience by improving the school environment, making school work interesting and making children feel supported by teachers." Sammons said. It is suggested that children aged 5 t0 7 should be set one-hour homework a week, half an hour a night for 7 t0 11-year-olds. Secondary schools were encouraged to set up two hours a night for 14 t0 16-year-olds. "Head teachers should make their own homework policy ," the government says. From the passage, we can know that _ . When people hear that I'm the youngest person to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean, they all have the same question: How did a 22-year old woman row a 19-foot boat for 70 days through high winds and crashing waves? Well, the biggest difficulty for me wasn't physical. By the time I decided to do the ocean row, I had already biked 3,300 miles cross-country, run across the Mojave Desert, and swum the 325-mile length of the Allegheny River. No, the tough part would be mental: How would I handle the loneliness, the boredom of the vast sea? I set off on January 3, 2010. I set my sights on getting past the quarter-way mark, which would take about 20 days. Day 20, January 22, was gray and cloudy. _ I was suffering from terrible loneliness. I hadn't seen landing over two weeks. Every day was beginning to feel the same. Eating, rowing, sleeping, watch the sky, watch the ocean. Then, around sunset, I saw something move on the horizon. They were dolphins! They circled my boat. Suddenly I felt so grateful. They had come to help me celebrate, just when I needed them. I rowed at full strength for the next 20 minutes with the dolphins around. By the time we went our separate ways, I was no longer lonely. Better yet, I knew I would be okay. I did make it, all 2,817 miles. I hit the coast of Guyana, South America, on March 14, after 70 days and five hours at sea. My ocean row raised $70,000 for the Blue Planet Run Foundation, which funds drinking water programs around the world. I know some athletes spend the entire journey imagining the end, and that helps them get through. But for me, the secret is to focus on the moment, where you experience the personal growth -- those moments of awareness of being connected to the sun, the weather, and the waves. And, on the best day of my life, those dolphins, which freed myself from terrible loneliness. Which can be the best title of the passage?
Michael has a pencil case made of pine wood. The surface of the pencil case scratches and dents easily. He wants to make a new pencil case that will not scratch or dent easily. Which of the following should Michael do to make a new pencil case that will not scratch or dent easily? A. make the pencil case a different size B. use a different material to make the pencil case C. make the pencil case from another piece of pine wood D. use a thicker piece of pine wood to make the pencil case Answer: B. use a different material to make the pencil case Each of us can live strong,healthy,energetic lives for a long time to come.The key?Actually,there are many of them. Eat fewer calories,but more food Slimming down can help prevent disease,and cutting way back on the amount you eat may even slow the aging process.When nutrition researchers invited themselves over for dinner in kitchens across the globe-from Greece to Japan to the state of Pennsylvania--they discovered a stomach-satisfying secret to good health:Pile your plate high with vegetables and fruits,add respectable parts of beans and whole grains,and ignore high-calorie food like cheeseburgers,cream sauces,and fatty meats. Use exercise as an anti-aging vaccine Exercise can help you gain a better quality of life as you age.It's no secret that physical activity strengthens muscles,burn calories,and puts a happy bounce in your step.But recently,researchers discovered a new,extra benefit:Exercise acts as a powerful way against the aging process itself. When exercise physiologists put healthy people aged 60 to 85 on Weight-training programs for six months then tested them for signs of free-radical damage,they were surprised by the results.By the end of the study,low-intensity exercisers had a drop in free-radical damage,while high-intensity exercisers had a slight increase. Find something interesting to do Life is always busy no matter what your age.But the truth is,when people are retired,time usually does become more available for adults after 60.With this time come choices.The easy one is merely to relax:watch more TV,eat out more often,talk on the phone as much as you want.The better choice? Discover something more meaningful to devote yourself to and do it wholeheartedly. The new discovery of exercise probably is that _ . A. it can help you live a better life B. it can strengthen muscles C. it can burn calories D. it can prevent aging process Answer: D. it can prevent aging process Elephants are the only species on the earth known to have death ritual besides man. They show a strong interest in the bones of their own kind.They are often seen gently touching the bones with their trunks and feet while remaining very quiet.Sometimes elephants completely unrelated to the dead will still visit their graves. Elephant researcher Meredith recalls something in his book about a typical elephant death ritual.The entire family of a dead elephant,including her young baby,were all gently touching her body with their trunks,trying to lift her. The elephant herd were all rumbling :The baby elephant was even observed to be weeping and made sounds that sounded like a scream,but then the entire herd fell incredibly silent.Then they began to throw leaves and dirt over the body and broke off tree branches to cover her.They spent the next two days quietly standing over her body.They sometimes had to leave to get water or food,but they would always return. Events of elephants behaving this way around human beings are common throughout Africa. On many occasions,they have buried dead or sleeping humans or helped them when they are hurt. An old woman fell asleep under a tree.When she woke up,there was an elephant standing over her,gently touching her.She kept very still because she was frightened.As other elephants arrived,they began to scream loudly and buried her under branches.She was found the next morning by the local people,unharmed. George Adamson also recalls when he shot all elephant from a herd that kept breaking into the farmers'gardens.George gave the:elephant's meat to 1ocal men and then dragged the rest of the body miles away.That night,the other elephants found the body,took the leg bones,returned them to the exact spot the elephant was killed,and made the death ritual. Elephants touch the bones of their own kind to _ . A. express sorrow at the death B. search for the hunter C. clean their trunks and feet D. call for other elephants Answer: A. express sorrow at the death Mary is an American girl. She is now in Beijing with her parents. Mary doesn't know much Chinese, but she is studying it. She often speaks Chinese with her Chinese friends. Sometimes they can't understand her, because she can't speak Chinese very well. It's Saturday morning. She goes out. She is walking in the street. She wants to go to the zoo to see the elephants and monkeys, but she doesn't know how to get there. She asks a Chinese boy the way. The boy can't understand her. Then she takes out a pen and a piece of paper. She draws an elephant on it, and shows the picture to the boy. The boy understands, and shows her the way to the zoo. Mary doesn't know how to get to _ . A. the zoo B. the park C. her home D. her school Answer: A. the zoo China may be the world's most populous country ,and it won the most gold medals at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. But its prowess at soccer is lamentable. China is ranked 84th in the sport's world standing. Chinese are huge soccer fans, and hundreds of millions are expected to tune in to the World Cup, with all the matches broadcast live on public TV. But this time the Chinese don't have their own team to root for. "Chinese have a reputation of being good at math, but they have trouble explaining why a population of 1.3 billion cannot produce a winning 11-member soccer team," said Xu Guoqi, a history professor at the University of Hong Kong. Journalists and soccer fans offer a number of reasons, most often money issues, politics, corruption and culture, and sometimes a combination of the four. Even though China now boasts wealthy companies and individuals who could sponsor teams, there is little support as long as Chinese teams are perceived as perennial losers. "This is a very bad circle," Ma said. "No results, no money. No money, no results." Few Chinese children are playing soccer. Some sports journalists and fans attribute the lack of interest partly to schools de-emphasizing sports in general and the lack of playing venues in the country's dense urban areas. "What can Chinese kids do?" said Fan Huiming, 61, a Chinese soccer fan who grew up watching matches at Beijing's Workers' Stadium, which was built in 1958 near his childhood home. "If they play soccer, the ball may fly directly into the glass of someone's home." For young people, soccer has largely been _ by basketball, thanks in part to Chinese NBA players who are treated like rock stars. Journalists and fans say NBA's aggressive campaign of marketing and merchandise in China has helped swell the popularity of basketball. By comparison, they noted that international soccer does not even have an office in China. Rowan Simons, a Briton who came to China more than two decades ago and discovered he wasn't able to play weekend soccer, has been on a campaign to popularize the sport here. Simons said the main problem is that soccer elsewhere has traditionally started as a series of neighborhood clubs, but in China, "there's virtually no football at community level". "Football in China can only succeed if it's a grass-roots activity organized by the people," he said. This time the Chinese don't have their own team to root for in the World Cup because _ . A. China is ranked 84th in soccer 's world standing. B. they are angry about why China cannot produce a winning soccer team. C. the Chinese huge soccer fans support other soccer teams. D. the Chinese soccer team is not capable to go as far as the final part of the World Cup. Answer: D. the Chinese soccer team is not capable to go as far as the final part of the World Cup.
Question: When I was fourteen, I earned money in the summer by cutting lawns , and within a few weeks I had built up a body of customers. I got to know people by the flowers they planted that I had to remember not to cut down, by the things they lost in the grass or struck in the ground on purpose. I reached the point with most of them when I knew in advance what complaint was about to be spoken, which request was most important. And I learned something about the measure of my neighbors by their preferred method of payment: by the job, by the month--or not at all. Mr. Ballou fell into the last category, and he always had a reason why. On one day, he had no change for a fifty, on another he was flat out of checks, on another, he was simply out when I knocked on his door. Still, except for the money apart, he was a nice enough guy, always waving or tipping his hat when he'd seen me from a distance. I figured him for a thin retirement check, maybe a work-related injury that kept him from doing his own yard work. Sure, I kept track of the total, but I didn't worry about the amount too much. Grass was grass, and the little that Mr. Ballou's property comprised didn't take long to trim . Then, one late afternoon in mid-July, the hottest time of the year, I was walking by his house and he opened the door, mentioned me to come inside. The hall was cool, shaded, and it took my eyes a minute to adjust to the dim light. "I owe you," Mr Ballou said, "but..." I thought I'd save him the trouble of thinking of a new excuse. "No problem. Don't worry about it." "The bank made a mistake in my account," he continued, ignoring my words. "It will be cleared up in a day or two. But in the meantime I thought perhaps you could choose one or two volumes for a down payment. He gestured toward the walls and I saw that books were stacked everywhere. It was like a library, except with no order to the arrangement. "Take your time," Mr. Ballou encouraged. "Read, borrow, keep, or find something you like. What do you read?" "I don't know." And I didn't. I generally read what was in front of me, what I could get from the paperback stack at the drugstore, what I found at the library, magazines, the back of cereal boxes, comics. The idea of consciously seeking out a special title was new to me, but, I realized, not without appeal--- so I started to look through the piles of books. "You actually read all of these?" "This isn't much," Mr. Ballou said. "This is nothing, just what I've kept, the ones worth looking at a second time." "Pick for me, then." He raised his eyebrows, cocked his head, and regarded me as though measuring me for a suit. After a moment, he nodded, searched through a stack, and handed me a dark red hardbound book, fairly thick. "The Last of the Just," I read. "By Andre Schwarz-Bart. What's it about?" "You tell me," he said. "Next week." I started after supper, sitting outdoors on an uncomfortable kitchen chair. Within a few pages, the yard, the summer, disappeared, and I was plunged into the aching tragedy of the Holocaust, the extraordinary clash of good, represented by one decent man, and evil. Translated from French, the language was elegant, simple, impossible to resist. When the evening light finally failed I moved inside, read all through the night. To this day, thirty years later, I vividly remember the experience. It was my first voluntary encounter with world literature, and I was amazed by the concentrated power a novel could contain. I lacked the vocabulary, however, to translate my feelings into words, so the next week. When Mr. Ballou asked, "Well?" I only replied, "It was good?" "Keep it, then," he said. "Shall I suggest another?" I nodded, and was presented with the paperback edition of Margaret Mead'sComing of Age in Samoa(a very important book on the study of the social and cultural development of peoples--anthropology ). To make two long stories short, Mr. Ballou never paid me a cent for cutting his grass that year or the next, but for fifteen years I taught anthropology at Dartmouth College. Summer reading was not the innocent entertainment I had assumed it to be, not a light-hearted, instantly forgettable escape in a hammock (though I have since enjoyed many of those, too). A book, if it arrives before you at the right moment, in the proper season, at an internal in the daily business of things, will change the course of all that follows. Before his encounter with Mr. Ballou, the author used to read _ . A. anything and everything B. only what was given to him C. only serious novels D. nothing in the summer Answer: A. anything and everything Question: Contrary to people's previous knowledge, it's food shortage not dietary preference that motivates birds to migrate thousands of miles back and forth between breeding and nonbreeding areas each year, a new research shows. "It's not whether you eat insects,fruits or candy bars or where you eat them that counts,but how reliable that daytoday food source is," said the study leader W.Alice Boyle of the University of Arizona. To figure out the underlying pressure that drives some birds to leave home for the season,Boyle examined 379 related species of New World flycatchers and compared their sizes,food types, habitats, migratory behaviors and whether or not they fed in flocks. To compare the birds,the researchers constructed a "supertree" showing the exact evolutionary relationships among different species. A computer analysis then determined whether a particular species was migratory because it ran in the "family" or whether something in the bird's environment was forcing it to leave each season.Boyle and her colleagues found that food shortage was the number one issue that predicted a species' migratory behavior. "Food availability is the underlying pressure, not diet and habitat," Boyle said. An alternative strategy that the birds use to handle food shortage is to hunt in flocks, since a group is more likely to find a new source of food than an individual. "If you suffer from food shortage, you have two options," Boyle said."You can either hunt with other birds or you can migrate." For what purpose does the author write the text? A. Educating readers. B. Informing readers. C. Drawing people's attention. D. Condemning the bad environment. Answer: B. Informing readers. Question: I first went to Harrow in the summer term.The school had the biggest swimming pool I had ever seen.It was a good joke to come up behind a naked boy, and push him out the pool. I made quite a habit of this with boys of my own size or 1ess. 0ne day I saw a boy wrapped in a towel on the side of the poo1.He was no bigger than 1 was,so I thought him _ .Coming secretly behind,I pushed him in,holding on to his towel so that it would not get wet.1 was surprised to see an angry face come out from the water, and being of great strength making its way by face strokes to the shore.I fled,but didn't succeed.He overtook me,pulled me hard,and threw me into the deepest part of the poo1.I soon climbed out on the other side,and found myself surrounded by a crowd of younger boys."Do you know what you have done? " They said."It's Amery:heis in Grade Six.He is champion at gym.he has won his football award." 1 was frightened and felt ashamed.How could I tell his position when he was wrapped in a bath towel and so small.He didn't seem pleased at all.so I added in a most brilliant word."My father.who is a great man.is also small."At this be laughed,and after some general words about my rude behavior and how I had better be careful in the future,expressed all was over. The writer thought Amery "a fair game" because the boy _ . A. 1ooked like an animal B. 1oved games C. was of similar size D. was good at sports Answer: C. was of similar size Question: Fund Tianhong Zenglibao has become the first fund in China to hit 100 billion yuan ($16.30 billion) of sales thanks to its cooperation with Yu'ebao, Alibaba's wealth management product. Alipay , attached to the e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, announced in June it would offer its users the option to directly invest with the private Tianhong Fund using spare cash from Alipay accounts. The business is called Yu'ebao. The past five months have seen this fund blossom, owing to the prosperous Interet e-commerce platform, and the Singles Day shopping spree on November 11 had helped Yu'ebao. In the process of a deal on Taobao, once the buyer pays for the order, his or her money is first accepted by Alipay, then after he or she receives the goods, a final confirmation is made and Alipay then gives the money to the seller. If a buyer forgets to confirm payment, the money is transferred into the seller's account after 10 days by the system. The Singles Day had a total volume of 35 billion yuan($5.75 billion) and thus a large amount of money passed through Alipay's account. Analysts estimated that Alipay may have also bought the fund using the extra income, which powerfully enlarged the scale of Yu'ebao. Profit purchasing investors tend to choose safe financial management tools. The relatively stable yields of Yu'ebao is favored by most customers, the report said. Chinese e-commerence giant Alibaba allows consumers to invest their spare cash in the money market funds through its Alipay online payment service. The product, called Yu'ebao, or "Leftovers Treasure," has netted 130 billion yuan so far, making the fund's management firm, Tianhong Fund, the country's largest fund management company. Meanwhile, due to the cooperation with Alipay, the management scale of Tianhong monetary fund has doubled from 55.653 billion yuan at the end of September to over 100 billion yuan. During the Singles Day, the frequency of payment of Alipay and Yu'ebao exceeded 188 million and 16.79 million with total transaction volume at 35 billion yuan and 6 billion yuan. Which of the following is the best title of the passage? A. Yu'ebao, the right choice to invest B. Alibaba helps make China's largest fund C. Celestica, the largest fund in China D. Alipay, a branch of Alibaba group Answer: B. Alibaba helps make China's largest fund Question: Winter weather has returned to northern areas of the world. In much of the United States, winter means the return of snow. Snow is a form of frozen water. It contains many groups of tiny ice particles ( ) called snow crystals ( ) . These crystals grow from water particles in cold clouds. They usually grow around a piece of dust. All snow crystals have six sides, but they grow in different shapes. The shape depends mainly on the temperature and water levels in the air. The shape of a snow crystal may change from one form to another as the crystal passes through levels of air with different temperatures. Snow contains much less water than rain. About seventy-five centimeters of snow has as much water as two and one-half centimeters of rain. Generally, the color1 of snow and ice appears white. This is because the light we see from the sun is white. Most natural materials take in some sunlight. However, when light travels from air to snow, some light is sent back, or reflected ( ). Snow crystals have many surfaces to reflect sunlight. It is this light that gives snow its white color1. Much of the water we use comes from snow. Melting snow gives water to rivers and crops. Snowfall helps to protect plants and some wild animals from cold. Fresh snow is made largely of air which is kept among the snow crystals. Because the air has trouble moving, the movement of heat is greatly reduced. However, snow is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of people in the United States every year. Many people die in traffic accidents on roads that are covered with snow or ice. How can snow protect plants from the cold? A. It gives them much heat. B. It has a higher temperature. C. It keeps them from wind. D. It contains air which helps hold heat. Answer: D. It contains air which helps hold heat.
One Sunday, my family had gathered at my parents' house to feast upon Mom's wonderful cooking. During the normal dinner chatter , I noticed that my father was slurring his words. No one mentioned this during dinner, but I felt compelled to discuss it with my mother afterward. We decided that there was something seriously wrong and that Dad needed to see the doctor. Mom phoned me two days later. "The doctor found a brain tumor . It's too large at this point to operate. Maybe they can do something then, but _ ." Even with the treatment, my father's condition worsened, and the doctor finally informed us that this condition was terminal . During one of his stays in the hospital, we brought our baby daughter Chelsey with us when we visited him. By this time he had great difficulty speaking. I finally figured out that he wanted Chelsey to sit on his stomach so he could make faces at her. Watching the two of them together, I realized I was living an experience that would stay with me forever. Though grateful for the times they could share, I couldn't shake the feeling of a clock ticking in the background. On the visit to my parents' home during what we all know was my father's last days, my mother took Chelsey from my arms and announced, "Your father would like to see you alone for a minute." I entered the bedroom where my father lay on a rented hospital bed. He appeared even weaker than the day before. "How are you feeling, Dad?" I asked. "Can I do anything for you?" He tried to speak, but he couldn't make out a word. "I'm sorry, but I can't understand you," I said. With great difficulty he said, "I love you." We don't learn courage from heroes on the evening news. We learn true courage from watching ordinary people rise above hopeless situations. In many ways my father was a strict, uncommunicative man. He found it difficult to show emotion. The bravest thing I ever saw him do was overcome that barrier to open his heart to his son and family at the end of his life. The father had never said "I love you" to the writer before because _ . A. he believed in strictness and punishment B. he was not so attached to the writer C. he thought there was no need to tell the writer D. he was not used to openly showing his emotions Answer: D If a day is dawning and grass is glistening, then A. the night was chilly B. the night was hot C. the snow is yellow D. the yard is burned Answer: A Every day,it is easy to see advertisements in English all around us.Look at your own bags and clothes,and at the bags and clothes of your classmates.How many different advertisements can you see which use English words? Often bags and clothes show the name of the company that made them. This is a popular form.A special picture or symbol called a logo is sometimes used.Logos appear on many different products .They are popular because when you see a logo,it is hard to forget that product or company. It is common to see advertisements on TV and hear them on the radio.Most advertisements are very short.Sometimes the advertisers use a short sentence which is easy for people to say and remember. Nike,for example,has a simple English sentence which is used all around the world:"Just do it."Advertisements often use funny situations as well.It is simple to remember it. All advertisements are designed to make people buy a product.An advertisement for a soft drink,for example,might show a group of young people who are having fun.The young people are al1 drinking the soft drink.Advertisers are saying to you,"Why don't you buy this drink and be like these people? You can be young and modern." You might think that advertisements are not after you,but the next time you buy a soft drink,ask yourself this question:Why am I buying this particular product? People are most likely to remember an advertisement that is _ . A. in English B. long C. funny D. famous Answer: C "Children need more geography field trips. Schools should organize geography field trips to stop pupils from sitting before computer screens for a long time. And children should be encouraged to see the natural world and study geography," says Michael Palin. The famous actor and writer, Michael Palin, made the comments days after a study showed that pupils in the UK were less likely to take part in science field trips than in most other developed countries. The study found that 13% of schools in the UK failed to take children out of the classroom regularly. Mr. Palin said that field trips were an important part of geography and that he was interested in geography because he had a good geography teacher and he had many opportunities to "get out of the school building". In an interview, Mr. Palin said, "It was important for children to see things for themselves and learn about the rest of the world. You have to show them a mountain, show them a factory, show them a power station." Mr. Palin had been to the North and South Poles, the Himalayas , the Sahara and Eastern Europe. "Geography is about the study of the earth. It is a _ subject," he said. "It's related to everything we do: what we eat, what transport we take to work, where we live, what houses are made of, and so on." He said children needed to get basic geography knowledge first and that once they had the basic knowledge they could move on to deeper problems, such as population and pollution. "Today's children will need to deal with a lot of problems when they grow up. They have to learn geography today," he said. Mr.Palin _ . A. thinks that population and pollution are small problems B. wanted to be a teacher when he was in middle school C. has organized some field trips for school children D. thinks that children should take part in geography field trips Answer: D After achieving a 9 percent GDP growth, hosting a successful Olympic Games and carrying out its first space walk last year, you'd think China would be happy.Yet China is not pleased. That, at least, is the opinion of a new book written by a group of Chinese authors. China Is Not Happy was published in March, 2009.It is a follow-up to the 1996 work China Can Say No, a bestseller that complained about the influence of the West, and the US in particular, on China.Thirteen years later, the authors of China Is Not Happy list their dissatisfaction with how China is being treated in the world today.They argue that China needs to use its growing power and economic resources to build its own position. "From looking at the history of human civilization, we are most qualified to lead this world." the book says. The authors, single out the US for special scorn , and say their book's message has been helped by the economic crisis ," This economic problem has shown the Chinese people that America does have problems, that what we've been saying is right." said Wang Xiaodong, one of the aulhors in an interview with The Wall Street. Since being released on March 13, the book has become a bestseller in many Chinese bookstores.The publisher has printed 270,000 copies, and says sales are far better than expected. Yet much of the response to the book has been negative.Several reviews in the Chinese media have criticized the book's radical opinions. The book is a way to "fish money from the pockets of the angry youth and angry elderly," wrote one critic in the China Youth Daily.Meanwhile, a well-known sociologists Li Yinhe, has said that China needs patriotism , but there is a limit. Wang Xiaodong admitted in an interview that the book's title is a bit of a trick." Those words in the title are just for the purpose of promoting the book in tine marketplace," he says."We didn't choose them.It was the people selling the book who chose the title " The publishers chose the title China Is Not Happy for the book because _ . A. they thought it would sell well B. the authors of the book asked them to do so. C. they had the right to name the book D. they were not happy with the society today Answer: A
At the farm, the farmer found that he needed to go to the town to get some tools. He needed to pick up five things at the store. The farmer needed to get a shovel, some hay, extra string, feed for the horses and a tire for his truck. He also found that one of the steps on his ladder was broken and needed to be fixed. He would have to get some wood to fix the ladder. He thought he might like to look at new ladders and see if it was time to get a new one. He went into the house and found his keys. He started driving down the road when he found that he forgot his wallet and needed to go back to the house. He turned the truck around and went back to the house. While he was in the house, he remembered that he also needed to get some milk at the store. He picked up his keys and wallet and went back to his truck. He picked up all the items he needed in town and was still home in time for dinner. Why did he want to look at ladders in town? Forty-two of the fifty American states offered some kind of public online learning this past school year.One state,Michigan,now requires all students to have an online learning experience before they finish high school.Even the idea of a school has changed since the rise ofthe Internet in the 1990s. A new report from the Center for Evaluation and Education Policy at Indiana University says eighteen states have full-time virtual schools.There are no buildings.All classes are online. Florida started the first statewide public virtual school in the United States in 1997.Today,the Florida Virtual School offers more man ninety courses.56,000 students were enrolled as of December.Almost sixty percent were female.The school's website says each student was enrolled in an average of two classes. Florida Virtual School has now opened the Florida Virtual Global School.Students in other countries pay for classes.Janet Heiking teaches an English class.She lives in Indianapolis, Indiana.Her students live as far away as Africa and Japan.She says they are taking her Advanced Placement class to prepare for attending an American college.They can earn college credits by passing the AP test. So how good are virtual schools? Studies have shown mixed results, as a new report from Indiana University notes.For example, students at Florida Virtual School earned higher grades than those taking the same courses the traditional way.And they scored higher on a statewide test.But virtual school students in Kansas and Colorado had lower test scores or performed at a lower level than traditional learners.Studies also find that virtual schools may not save much in operating costs. Education experts say the mixed results suggest the need for more research to find the best ways to teach in virtual schools.A1so, they say schools of education need to train more teachers to work in both real and virtual classrooms. The first statewide public virtual school in the USA was started in _ . Britain's oldest man made his first visit to London yesterday at the age of 101. Mr. John Evans had never found the time or money to make the trip from his home in Forest Fach, near Swansea. But, when British Rail offered him an all-expenses-paid birthday trip to the capital he just could not refuse. He arrived at Paddington Station and smartly turned out in his best suit, favorite Panama hat and a red rose in his buttonhole. "It's very exciting. There's no doubt about it," he said. Until yesterday he had never been far from home, except for one trip to Aberdeen. "But I've been on the seas to that faraway land called Ilfracombe 21 miles from home," he joked. Mr Evans, who spent 60 years working as a miner in South Wales, almost made the journey to London once before, at the turn of the century. "There was a trip to the White City but it was ten shillings return from Swansea -- too much I thought. All my money went to the family then," he said. During the next two days Mr. Evans will be taken on a short tour of London to see the sights. Top of his list is a visit to the House of Parliament organized by his MP, Mr. Gareth Wardell. The only arrangement he does not care for is the wheelchair provided for him if he gets tired. "I don't like the chair -- people will think I am getting old. " he said. His secret for a long and healthy life has been well publicized -- no wine, no tobacco and no anger. Before setting off from Swansea with his 76-year-old son, Amwell, he said jokingly, "I'm glad to see they've given me a return ticket. " Mr Evans didn't like the wheelchair simply because _ . A British dog-lover has invented a high-tech way of feeding his pet by Twitter( ,). Computer expert Nat Morris ,30, has designed a system to give his pet a "tweet treat" by sending him a Twitter message. His dog Toby gets some delicious dog biscuits from a computer-controlled food machine whenever Nat sends a message to "@ feedtoby". Nat often works away from home and isn't always able to feed Toby by hand. But his new invention allows Nat to feed his dog from anywhere in the world. Nat said, "Toby ly loves it. At first he didn't know what was going on. Now he sits underneath the machine, wagging his tail and waiting for the food to drop." Nat fills the food machine with small pieces of dog biscuits, but not too many in case four-year-old Toby gets too many messages. And Nat has even equipped his house with an online camera so he can see Toby enjoying the food at his home. But one problem is that friends and family have been so amazed with the "tweet treat" machine that they have started sending tweets to Toby too. So Nat has had to restrict feeding time to make sure Toby doesn't turn into Tubby. "People have been sending him tweets at all hours of the day, so I had to limit it to between 9a.m. and 9 p.m. . I'm thinking of doing an updated one which can measure his weight before he is fed, just to make sure he's not putting on too much puppy fat," explained Nat. How Nat's Twitter Feeder works: When a message is sent to @ feedtoby, it is received by a mini -computer that is linked to the feed machine. When the mini-computer receives the message, a bell rings and Toby comes running over and sits in front of the feeding machine. Next, the machine's motor pulls open a trap door which releases a serving of food. The doggy biscuits then drop into Toby's food bowl. Finally a digital camera takes a photo of him and sends it back to Nat on Twitter -- so he knows Toby has been fed. Why has Nat decided to limit the feeding machine's operating time? Everyone needs recognition for his achievements,but few people make the need known quite as clearly as the little boy who said to his father,"Let's play darts .I'll throw and you should say 'Wonderful!'" Fran Tarkenton,former Minnesota Vikings quarterback,once called a play that required him to block onrushing tacklers. FEL quarterbacks almost never block.They're usually vastly outweighed by defenders,so blocking exposes them to the risk of severe injury. But the team was behind,and a surprising play was needed.Tarkenton went into block,and the runner scored a touchdown.The Vikings won the game. Watching the game films with the team the next day,Tarkenton expected a big pat on the back for what he'd done. It never came. After the meeting,Tarkenton approached coach Bud Grant and asked,"You saw my block,didn't you,Coach?How come you didn't say anything about it?" Grant replied,"Sure,I saw the block.It was great,but you're always working hard out there,Fran.I figured I didn't have to tell you." "Well,"Tarkenton replied,"if you ever want me to block again,you do!" It can be inferred from the passage that _ .
The other day, I noticed a message on a friend's page. It made me very sad. She says she is the one who reaches out to people, but rarely do they reach out to her. So, after communicating with her for a while, I began to challenge my friends. "Contact someone right now. Send messages or call someone who you haven't spoken to for a while, or who you only talk to when they message or call you. Let someone who may feel alone in the world right this moment know that they are not alone. That is my challenge to you. Please do it , and let me know once you have. Either by calling me back, or by sending me a message. Be the change that you want to see in the world. " The response was great. 28people liked my post, another 10 posted that they did, and I got about a dozen messages telling me that they did. And there was one very special message: "I just want you to know what has happened. That day, I sent a message to a friend who I hadn't heard from for a while. She and I talked for a whole day back and forth on messages and then on the phone. She said she was so incredibly sad. Nobody has spoken with her in two weeks. By the tone of her voice, and by the conversations we were having, I think she was about to take her own life . After our conversation, she has agreed to talk to someone. Your message of kindness has saved her. I can't wait to tell you how thankful I am for people like you in the world, who care when nobody else will. I am proud to call myself your friend. Thank you! " I didn't quite know what to say after reading the message. I was wondering how best to use it for greater good. I decided that sharing what we have done is the most powerful way. I know that I am a cheerleader when it comes to making the world a better place with kindness, because if I help someone, it makes me feel better. I do it because I need to feel better. What did the author challenge her friends to do? Contact someone in need of help. Beijing - "Ma", a Chinese character for horse, is the 13thmost common family name in China, shared by nearly 17 million people. That can cause no end of confusion when Mas get together, especially if those Mas also share the same given name, as many Chinese do. Ma Cheng's book-loving grandfather came up with an elegant solution to this common problem. Twenty-six years ago, when his granddaughter was born, he consulted his library of Chinese dictionaries and lighted upon a character pronounced "cheng". Cheng looks just like the character for horse, except that it is condensed and written three times in a row. The character is so rare that once people see it, Miss Ma said, they tend to remember both her and her name. That is one reason she likes it so much. Chinese parents' desire to give their children a spark of individuality is colliding with the Chinese government's desire for order. Seeking to modernize its vast database on China's 1.3 billion citizens, the government's Public Security Bureau has been replacing the handwritten identity card that every Chinese must carry with a computer-readable one, complete with color1 photos and microchips. The new cards are harder to forge and can be scanned at places like airports where security is a priority. The bureau's computers, however, are programmed to read only 32,252 of the roughly 55,000 Chinese characters according to a 2006 government report. The result is that Miss Ma and at least some of the 60 million other Chinese with _ characters in their names cannot get new cards -- unless they change their names to something more common. Moreover, the situation is about to get worse or, in the government's view, better. Since at least 2003, China has been working on a standardized list of characters for people to use in everyday life, including when naming children. The list will aim to control the use of obscure names. This passage is somewhat like a(n) _ . special report My teacher, Mr. August J. Bachmann, was the most influential teacher I ever had. I had gotten into trouble in his class: Another student had pushed me for fun, and I became angry and began to hit him. Mr. Bachmann stopped the fight, but instead of sending me to the office, he sat me down and asked a simple question: "Penna, why are you wasting your life? Why aren't you going to college?" I didn't know anything about colleges or scholarships. No one had ever considered that a fatherless boy from the poorest neighborhood had a future. That day, instead of rushing off for lunch, he stayed and explained possible education options to me. At the end of our talk, he sent me to see a secretary who had a child at a state college. This was in 1962 at Emerson High School in Union City, New Jersey. Well, 53 years have passed, and what have I done with the knowledge he gave me? I gained a PhD from Fordham University when I was only 29. I taught English and social studies and then moved up the chain of command from teacher to principal. I've sat on the board for Magnet Schools of America and represented that organization at the United Nations. I've won a number of great educational awards. But where would I be if a truly caring teacher had not taken the time out of his lunch period to speak to me? It was without question only his confidence in me that helped me forward. I have repaid his kindness hundreds of times by encouraging misguided youngsters to aim higher. If I have saved any children, it is because of him. If I have been a successful educator, it is because I had a great role model in Mr. Bachmann. The writer _ before Mr. Bachmann talked to him. was an aimless boy A gardener wants to increase the ability of garden soil to retain water. Which of these should the gardener add to the soil? organic material Trains have long been an important form of transportation. Yet they have changed a lot since 1804, when the first train moved at 8 km/hr. Today's high speed trains can go 300 km/hr or faster. Besides their speed, they have many advantages over other transportation types. Japan built the world's first high speed railway. In 1964, Japan's "Shinkansen" trains started traveling between Osaka and Tokyo at 200 km/hr. Over time, more lines, as well as faster trains, were built. Korea, England, and the USA, now have their own high speed systems. Taiwan Province's started running in 2007. Its trains are based on two types of Shinkansen trains. They can carry 989 people and travel from Taipei to Kaohsiung in less than two hours. These systems are expensive to build, but they have many advantages. For example, they are good for the environment. Trains on the London to Paris line create 1/10 the pollution that planes create. High speed trains are also safer and cleaner than cars. Super fast trains can even help a country's economy . They make it easier to travel to faraway places. That helps businesses and land values in those areas. It's no wonder so many countries are building their own high speed railways. The main idea of this passage is that _ . there are a lot of good reasons to build high speed railways
Question: Something caught my eyes when I was walking down the street. Two silver coins were shining in a melting snow bank, so I dug through the snow looking for more. Of course, I just ended up with really cold hands. I slipped the two coins into my pocket and went home, colder but richer. I began to think about how to spend the money... Two days later, Mary and her little sister were searching the snow banks. "Finders are keepers" was my first thought. I didn't want to hand them out even though Susy was already crying. " I dropped them right here," she said between tears. Her hands were cold and red for digging in the snow. Maybe they slid down the street with the melting snow. Let's dig over here." Mary's voice sounded confident. "They'll never know" was my second thought, and I walked past them. " Phil, have you seen two sliver coins?" asked Mary. Susy looked up from digging. _ . "Tell a lie" was my third thought. "As a matter of fact," I hesitated ,"I dug two coins out of that snow bank just a few days ago. I wondered who might have lost them." Susy hugged me with a big smile, "Oh, thank you, thank you." How did Phil feel when he was going home? A. Unhappy. B. Excited. C. Nervous. D. Confident. Answer: B. Excited. Question: This is a teacher's family . The father's name is Lake Smith . He's forty - four . The mother's name is Kate Smith . She's forty - two . The Smiths have a son , Jim , and a daughter , Ann . Jim is fourteen , and Ann is twelve . The son looks like his father , and the daughter looks like her mother . They are all in No.4 Middle School here . But the Smiths are teachers ; the son and daughter are students . Ann's mother's name is _ . A. Lake Smith B. Kate Smith C. Jim Smith D. Ann Smith Answer: B. Kate Smith Question: Thousands of puffins live in Maine and on islands in the Gulf of Maine. But the puffins may be in danger. Last summer, the percentage of laid eggs that successfully produced baby puffins took a dive. Scientists also found a decline in the average body weight of the adult and baby puffins on Machias Seal Island, home to the area's largest colony. Over the winter, dozens of the seabirds from the region were found dead, likely from starvation. What's causing the puffin trouble? Scientists think it may be a shortage of food. With ocean temperatures rising, fish populations have moved around. Normally, puffins' primary food source is herring, a type of fish. A lack of herring in the area could be causing the problem. Butterfish from the south have become more abundant in the Gulf of Maine and could be a new food source for birds. But Steve Kress says butterfish may be too big and round for baby puffins to swallow. Puffins spend most of their lives at sea. They come ashore to breed each spring and return to the ocean in August. The chicks swim to sea about 40 days after hatching. Puffin populations stretch across the North Atlantic, from Maine to northern Russia. Maine's puffin population has been at risk in the past. In the 1800s, they were hunted for their food, eggs and feathers. By 1901, only one pair of puffins remained in the state. Thanks to the help of local lighthouse keepers and seabird restoration programs, the state's puffin population has been restored to more than 2,000 birds. Scientists aren't sure what will happen to the Gulf of Maine's puffins. The birds may move further north. Kress says he hopes the Gulf population will sustain itself and then he continued. "You never know what climate change will bring," Kress said. "Historically fish could move out and more southerly fish could move in, and puffins may adapt to the new fish. Only they will know how the story will unfold." It can be inferred from the passage that _ . A. Maine's puffin once nearly became extinct B. Maine's puffins' eggs were of high prices C. baby puffins grew up quickly D. the number of Maine's puffins is worrying Answer: A. Maine's puffin once nearly became extinct Question: A Nobel Prize is considered by most people one of the highest international honors a person can receive. As you know, the prizes were started by a Swedish called Alfred Nobel. He was born in Stockholm ,the capital of Sweden. Alfred Nobel was a great scientist. He made two important inventions, and so he became very rich. Although he was rich, Nobel was not a happy man. He never married or had children. Also, he was a sick man during his large part of life. When he died at the age of 63,he left a fund of $9,000,000.The money was used in giving prizes to those who made great achievements in physics, chemistry, medicine and literature , and for world peace. The first Nobel Prize were given on December 10,1901,five years after Nobel's death. Since then many famous people from all over the world have been given Nobel Prize for their achievements. Each prize has three parts. The first part is a gold medal. Second, a winner of a Nobel Prize is given a _ , saying that he has been given the prize. The third part of the prize is a large amount of money------about $40,000. Often a prize is given to just one person ,but not always. Sometimes a prize is shared. It may be given to two or more people who have worked together .It is also sometimes true that a prize is not given at all if there is no great achievement. In 1972,for example, no Nobel Peace Prize was given. What kind of person would you say Alfred Nobel was? A. rich, happy, and healthy B. poor, unhappy, unhealthy C. rich, but unhappy and unlucky D. poor, but happy and lucky Answer: C. rich, but unhappy and unlucky Question: "I find myself glancing at my watch to see how long I've been standing in line," she said. "Everywhere I go, I notice if the dumpster gates are open or if there's trash in the parking lot." Ms. Clark is a "mystery shopper", one of thousands of contract workers that companies hire to pretend as regular customers in order to judge customer service, cleanliness and whether a store is selling a product that meets company specifications . Mystery shoppers can be found or, rather, not found, everywhere from restaurants and automotive shops to convenience stores and department stores. They play a constant cat-and-mouse game with store and restaurant employees and managers. However it's not all fun and games. Once in the field, a mystery shopper will typically visit several stores or restaurants per hour, taking mental notes while inside, then jotting down physical notes after they leave. It's important for mystery shoppers to be as exact as possible, because the client companies are looking for data they can use to improve their service. The questionnaire won't say, "Does the trash can need to be emptied?" What an educated shopper will say is, "The trash can to the left of the front door was overflowing with 10 pieces of trash on the ground." Companies don't need opinion but facts. Nowadays mystery shoppers are armed with a number of high-tech devices, such as a digital scale and a digital thermometer, as well as a handheld PC for recording the entire experience. It's a challenging job but a rewarding one. Mystery shoppers can be full time or part time, but the full-time workers tend to stick to standard mystery shopping while part-timers often choose the less complex reward-based programs. In _ , the shoppers stay disguised only until the "shop" is finished, and then reveal themselves to the store management and award prizes to employees who provided excellent service. To be a mystery shopper, it's important to be a good observer, but sometimes it's important to have the right profile , too. Companies often hire shoppers from particular backgrounds to better blend in with clients' regular customers. If a secret shopper will be sent in, for example, to do a high-end automotive shop, the candidate must have a particular profile that meets a high-end, luxury car-type buyer profile. "It's a challenge to perform your shop without being discovered," Ms. Clark said, "because most of the people that we work for are very aware of the mystery shopping program." People are willing to become a mystery shopper mainly because they can_. A. get the best service and get paid at the same time B. play a cat-and-mouse game with shop employees and managers C. do the job either full time or part time and get paid well D. observe clearly what happens in the shops Answer: C. do the job either full time or part time and get paid well
People should listen to music for no more than one hour a day to protect their hearing, the World Health Organization (WHO) suggests. It says 1.1 billion teenagers and young adults are at risk of permanently damaging their hearing by listening to "too much, too loudly". It said audio devices , concerts and bars were causing a "serious threat". WHO figures show 43 million people aged 12-35 have hearing loss and the number is increasing. In that age group, the WHO said, half of the people in rich and middle-income countries were exposed to unsafe sound levels from personal audio devices. Meanwhile 40% were exposed to damaging levels of sound from clubs and bars. The proportion of US teenagers with hearing loss went from 3.5% in 1994 to 5.3% in 2006. "What we're trying to do is raise awareness of the problem that is not talked about enough, but has the potential to do a lot of damage that can be easily prevented," said Dr Etienne Krug, the WHO's director for injury prevention. The full report argued: "While it is important to keep the volume down, limiting the use of personal audio devices to less than one hour a day would do much to reduce noise exposure." Dr Krug said: "That's a rough recommendation, it is not by the minute, to give an idea to those spending 10 hours a day listening to an mp3-player. But even an hour can be too much if the volume is too loud." What might be the main cause of hearing loss according to the passage? Answer: Dog owners now have a little help understanding their furry friends . A new device called Bow-Lingual "translates" dog barks into English , Korea or Japanese. Bow-Lingual's Japanese inventors spent much time and money analyzing dog barks . They found that dog noises can be broken down into six different emotions : happiness , sadness , frustration , anger , assertion and desire . Part of the Bow-Lingual device hangs on the dog's collar . The other part is a handle-held unit for the owner . When the dogs barks , the unit displays translated phrases . Some people have scoffed at Bow-Lingual. "Who would pay US$ 120 to read a dog's mind?" they ask . But those who have purchased Bow-Lingual praise the device . Pet owner Keiko Egawa , of Japan , says it helps her empathize with her dog , Harry . "Before we go to the park , he always says he wants to play," says Egawa , "and after a walk , he always says he is hungry." Bow -Lingual is not yet available in Chinese . So you'd better keep studying Studio Classroom , or soon your dog may know more English than you do ! This passage is mainly talking about _ . Answer: The new two-child policy is making job hunting more difficult for women when about 40 percent of them said they were asked whether they planned to have a second child during job interviews, according to a report in Chongqing. China dropped its decades-long one-child policy in October and allowed each family to have two children. The country now has about 270 million married women of childbearing age. This change has put millions of career women in a dilemma between family and career. Employers also face big challenges as more female workers will have two childbearing leaves, seven to eight months altogether. A human resources website www.job.cq.qq.com conducted a survey among 500 employers and 5,000 job seekers about how the two-child policy affects the job market. Though two thirds of employers said the policy would make no difference to their recruitment , the survey showed that more than 70 percent of job seekers believe that bearing a second child will make women less popular in the job market. Forty percent of employers said they will give priority to married women with two children, according to the survey. Lin Xia, 29, quit her job after giving birth to her first child. She is now preparing to return to work. After several inquiries at a job fair, she found that the employers are concerned about future birth plans. "I thought it would be easier to find a job after giving birth," she was quoted as saying by the website. "I had to answer whether I will have a second child before I could get a chance for a job interview." Liang Siqi, 23, a college graduate, said although employers did not ask her the child question yet, she will not plan to have two children. "It (having two children) will definitely affect my career and personal life, so I will have only one," she said. Zhou Jiansong, who is in charge of human resources at a large private high-tech group in Chongqing, said the company will discuss birth issues with interviewees in order to make a better work plans. "We fully respect a women's right to bear a child or two," he said. "But you don't want them to go on a childbearing leave soon after they join your company." The experts expect more labor dispute cases concerning childbearing leave rights when bearing a second child in future. As for the influence of the new policy on working women, which of the following is TRUE? Answer: Mr Black is an American,but he is in Canada now.He is a tall man with funny glasses.He works in a big city but lives in a town far away.He lives on the twentieth floor of a building.Every morning he gets up early.Then he gets into the lift and it takes him down to the first floor.He runs to the bus stop and catches the early bus.It usually takes him about two hours to get to the factory by bus.Then he gets off the bus and walks into the workshop quickly.He starts his work at eight in the morning. Mr Black lives on the _ floor of the building. Answer: A program in our college helps you work part-time to ease your pressure from costs. If you need more money to cover all of your education-related costs, this program may be fit for you. Advantages Work experience: Last year, more than 1,400 positions were available across all departments. The jobs wary from one department to the next, and in most cases, participants find a position in their chosen field. Money: During the regular academic year(September to April), you can work party-time and earn $3,200---sometimes more---while you take courses! During the summer time, you work full-time and can earn around $6,000 over 18 weeks. Easy access: Applying for the program is easy. There is no need for face-to-face interview. All the forms you need are online; just fill in the forms and email us; we accept no letter or phone application! Did you know? At the University of Ottawa, it is not necessary to receive government assistance to qualify for our Work-Study Program. _ You could have one of these great Work-Study jobs: Student ambassador Computing and network technician Marketing assistant Sports team manager *Researcher/translator/Writer And more! The admission Section receives and evaluates applications to undergraduate programs, in addition to answering applicants' questions. Phone: 613-562-5315 Toll-free: 1-877-868-8292(#5315) What are you required to do to apply for the program? Answer:
Until she was six, Oprah Winfrey lived on a farm with her grandmother. She remembers, "One day, my grandmother was boiling clothes because at that time we didn't have a washing machine. I was four years old, and I remember thinking, 'My life won't be like this. It will be better.' " It is better-- much better. Winfrey is a billionaire, and "the Oprah Winfrey Show", which is watched by over 20 million people every day, has won many awards. As a little girl, Winfrey was always different. She learned to read when she was three. She read the Bible in church and was famous for being the little girl who talked a lot. Since then, talking has been the most important part of her life. She got her first big chance while at Tennessee State University. At age 17, she was offered a job at a radio station. Next, she hosted a talk show, " People Are Talking" , which soon became very popular. People felt comfortable telling her about their lives, and people liked her warm interviewing style. After a year, the show was renamed " The Oprah Winfrey Show" , and she was a star. Winfrey's real dream, though , was to be an actor. Finally, she achieved this when she starred in " The Color Purpose" in 1985. Her performance won her an Oscar nomination . She now has her own production company. Harpo Productions ("Harpo" is "Oprah" spelled backward).Winfrey says her greatest lesson in her life is " not living my life to please other people, but doing what my heart says". Why was Winfrey's talk show very popular? A Because she was a beauty. B Because she was a billionaire. C Because her family was very rich. D Because her hosting was warm. Answer: D In Japan's capital city of Tokyo, earthquake danger limits the height of buildings. The city has spread out so far and the traffic has become so heavy that it is very difficult to go from one place to another. The price of the land, too, has skyrocketed. All these explains why a group of Japanese land developers came to the conclusion that there was nowhere to go but down. So far they have dug out space underground for fifteen shopping centres. What are some of the advantages of shopping and eating underground? Clean air is one of them. The city of Tokyo has one of the most serious smog problems in the world. Another advantage is that you escape the ever-present threat of traffic accidents on the city's busy streets. Still another is the convenience of getting around: you are usually right next to, or even in, a subway station. And you can even spend the night underground if you like. The Kibosh station, for example, in downtown Tokyo, has a hotel with a bar, restaurant, and barbershop. What's the meaning of "skyrocket"? It means " _ ". A go up sharply B be as high as that of a rocket C fall rapidly D be as low as that of a rocket Answer: A Should universities focus on training workers for the next decade or curing diseases for the next century? A group of governors, educators, and CEOs weighed in on the best way universities can prepare for the future. They debated how the U.S. can take the responsibility for research while still preparing students for real jobs. Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin said that the first thing she thinks about as governor is educating Oklahoma students and strengthening the workforce. So she's carrying out a program called "America Works: Education and Training for Tomorrow's Jobs" that aims to "reorganize our education system with the current needs of our employers". The state governor added that this new educational approach doesn't just benefit students and companies, but also improves the state economy. "We've been able to attract new companies to our state because of what we're doing with our universities, because our students are a pipeline for the workforce," she said. "General Electric Company (one of the world's biggest companies) is coming to Oklahoma." Other group members were more focused on the long-term goals of a research university. Amy Gutmann pointed out that "basic research is the foundation for everything else that happens at a university. And if we don't do it, nobody else will." "And if nobody does that research, we'll pay the price in health care bills," argued Vagelos, who is a former CEO of Merck & Co., Inc, one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. "The jobs of universities are basic research, which is what is needed for attacks on disease," he said. "There has been a reduction in coronary heart disease by 60% in the last forty years because of this research, and that reduces health care costs." James Hunt, former North Carolina governor, argued for a happy medium. Effective communication, he said, would help the public see that the research conducted at universities actually serves a practical purpose. Eli Broad, founder of the Broad Foundations, agreed. "We have to show the public what research has achieved," he said. "We have to show how it actually goes from basic research to something they can understand." Which of the following can be the best title of this text? A Universities or colleges? B Workers or researchers? C Basic or further research? D Education or development? Answer: B Mother's Day is coming. It is a time to let Mom know she's special to you. Finding the right for Mom on that day is not always easy. We often want something personal and thoughtful. But how can we make it? These following ideas may help you. Gift of Time Moms just want to spend time with their children so make it a Mother-Daughter/Son day. Spend the whole day with her. Do the things she likes doing with her. Home Video Take your family videos and make them a short home video. She can enjoy it whenever she misses you. Although it may take a lot of time, the process can be great fun and the result is often priceless . Mom Mix Make a CD for her. It's a collection of all the songs that _ her of you and your growing up. Write a Letter Write a letter instead of a simple card. Write about all the good memories you have with her and all the things she has done for you. Flowers People send carnations on Mother's Day. You can easily spend a lot of money on them. If you have flowers in your garden, or can handpick them, it can be a great gift. Dinner Make a dinner and invite her over. You can also take it over to her house and surprise her. Just don't' forget to wash the dishes after the dinner. From the passage we know _ . A you can buy a big cake for your mom on Mother's day B writing a letter is better than sending a simple card to your mom on Mother's Day. C inviting your mom to eat in a restaurant is a good gift for her. D buying carnations for her is a good way. Answer: B Once upon a time there was a wise man who used to go to the sea to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work. One day he was walking along the shore. As he looked down at the beach, he saw something moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought that someone would dance on the beach. So he began to walk faster to catch up.As he got close,he saw that it was a young man and the young man wasn't dancing,instead he was reaching down to the shore,picking up something and very gently and throwing it into the ocean. As he got closer he called out,"Good morning!What are you doing?'' The young man paused ,looked up and replied,"Throwing starfishes into the ocean." "I guess I should have asked ,why are you throwing starfishes into the ocean?" "The sun is up and the tide is going out.And if I don't throw them in, they will die." "But ,young man ,don't you realize that there are miles of beach and starfishes all along it. You can't possibly make a difference!" "The young man listened politely.Then he bent down ,picked another starfish and threw it into the sea ,and said ,It made a difference for that one." The wise man was lost in thought when the young man kept trying. Yes, there is something very special in every one of us. We have all been gifted with the ability to make a difference. And if we can know that gift, we will gain the power to shape the future.Each of us can do something for the future,each of us must find our starfish. And if we throw our starfishes wisely and well,the world will be better. The wise man was lost in thought because _ . A he realized something new and important B he had a good story for his next writing C he worried the lives of so many starfishes D he agreed to save all starfishes on the beach Answer: A
I had a very special teacher in high school many years ago. Her husband died of a heart attack. About a week after his death, she shared some of her insights with us. The class was nearly over. She said, "Before class is over, I would like to share with all of you an important thought." "Each of us is put here on Earth to learn, share, love, enjoy and give all by ourselves. We must make the best of every single day." Her eyes were beginning to water and she went on, "So I would like you all to make me a promise. From now on, on your way to school, or on your way home, find something beautiful to notice. It doesn't have to be something you see -- it could be a nice smell -- perhaps of freshly baked bread, or it could be the sound of the breeze slightly blowing the leaves in the trees." "Please look for these things, and love them. For, although it may seem common, these things are the stuff of life. They are the little things we are put here on Earth to enjoy. They are the things we often take for granted. We must make it a point to notice them, for at any time it can all be taken away." The class was completely quiet. We picked up our books and went out of the room silently. That afternoon, I noticed more things on my way home from school than I had that whole term. I usually think of that teacher and try to enjoy all of those things that we sometimes overlook . Take notice of something special you see during your lunch hour today. Walk barefoot along the beach at sunset. For as we get older, it is not the things we did that we regret , but the things we didn't do. What is the teacher's advice? A We should love life and enjoy things around us. B We should share our important thoughts with others. C We should never feel sorry for what we have done. D We should do importand things and overlook little ones. Answer: A When cold weather freezes water in the cracks of rocks, which would most likely happen? A The rocks would become rounded. B The rocks would be used for shelter. C The rocks would be moved by the wind. D The rocks would break into smaller pieces. Answer: D Remember, from the moment they are born, our children have the ability to know when they are hungry - and they cry to let us know too! Of course, they also cry to let us know they are wet, hurt, or bored, but we soon learn to tell the difference and try to meet each need somehow. When we begin to feed them solid foods, they let us know when they have had enough by turning away from the spoon - or refusing the food back at us! Why is it that once children are old enough to sit at the table their parents are often heard bargaining with them or threatening them to finish all their dinner? When we make our children eat up the plate that we filled, we don't pay attention to their born ability to know how much, and what, their bodies need. Instead, we should allow them to use their own hunger feelings to determine how much they need, while we provide a balance of nutritious and "fun" foods. When we teach them about moderation and set a great example by living an active, healthy lifestyle, they will be less likely to develop weight problems later in life. Think of your slim friend who eats whatever she wants -but will refuse ice cream if she has had enough to eat! "Eat all your dinner if you want dessert" translates to "you must overeat so I will reward you by letting you overeat some more!" By using sweets as a reward for good behavior, kids begin to believe sweets are really special and they may want them even more. Instead, by making dessert just another (small) part of an enjoyable meal, kids learn to "save room for dessert" instead of becoming a member of the "clean plate club." Children are born to know _ . A how to stay away from poison B how much they should take when hungry C meat is worse than vegetables D sugar is better than fat Answer: B Claude and Louris are "giraffes". So are police officers Hankins and Pearson. These men and women don't look like giraffes; they look like you and me. Then, why do people call them "giraffes"? A giraffe, they say, is an animal that sticks its neck out, can see places far away and has a large heart. It lives a quiet life and moves about in an easy and beautiful way. In the same way, a "giraffe" can be a person who likes to "stick his or her neck out" for other people, always watches for future happenings, has a warm heart for people around, and at the same time lives a quiet and beautiful life himself or herself. "The Giraffe Project" is a 10-year-old group which finds and honors "giraffes" in the US and in the world. The group wants to teach people to do something to build a better world. The group members believe that a person shouldn't draw his or her head back; instead, they tell people to "stick their neck out" and help others. Claude and Louris, Hankins and Pearson are only a few of the nearly 1,000 "giraffes" that the group found and honored. Claude and Louris were getting old and they left their work with some money that they saved for future use. One day, however, they saw a homeless man looking for a place to keep warm and they decided that they should "stick their neck out" and give him some help. Today, they lived in Friends' House, where they invite twelve homeless people to stay every night. Police officers Hankins and Pearson work in a large city. They see crimes every day and their work is sometimes dangerous. They work hard for their money. However, these two men put their savings together and even borrowed money to start an educational center to teach young people in a poor part of the city. Hankins and Pearson are certainly "giraffes". The passage mainly tries to tell us _ . A what giraffes are like B what the Giraffe Project is C why Claude, Louris, Hankins and Pearson are called "giraffes" D what we should do for a better world Answer: C In the summer of 1980 a Spanish tourist, Gaspar Carner, went to Great Britain on holiday. When he was travelling in Scotland, he decided to visit Loch Ness, the famous lake where people say there is a monster. But while he was going across the lake in a boat, his bag fell into the water. In the bag were his passport, car keys, pen, and all his money. Loch Ness is 150 metres deep, so he didn't expect to see the bag again! Fourteen years later, in 1994, some scientists decided to explore the lake. They looked for the Loch Ness monster. Suddenly one of them saw something black in the water. They carefully went nearer. They thought the black thing was the monster. They went nearer and nearer. It was a bag. They took the bag out of the lake. They found that the photo on the passport was still clear. One of the scientists happened to be familiar with Gaspar Carner. So the bag was returned to him. What's in Carner's bag? A A monster. B Many useful things. C Something black. D Some photos. Answer: B
Have you taken inventory of the stress in your life? Stress can come from work. It can come from family. It can come from the places we live and the lifestyles we choose. In a recent survey, 60 percent of respondents said the city in which they live is noisier now than five years ago. The other 40 percent? They didn't hear the question. How much stress do you feel? Though not all stress should be avoided, too much pressure can cause lasting harm in practically every area of your life. The solution is to take control. Robert Reich did just that. As Secretary of Labor in the Clinton cabinet ,Robert B. Reich, told of his decision to resign from the stressful job. He said,"I have the best job I've ever had and probably ever will. No topping it."It was true. He seemed to love his job. But he added, "I also have the best family I'll ever have, and I can't get enough of them."And there was the problem --too much of a good thing. He could not give himself to his family and to this particular career at the same time. So Reich said,"I had to choose, I told the boss I'll be leaving, and explained why." His boss, of course, was the president of the United States. And the country took notice. Some people were surprised. Here was a high government official who made a decision to step out of an important and powerful position in order to spend more time at home. He took control. That is the first step to free ourselves from unnecessary stress: take control. Make the hard decision. It may be a decision for less money, a smaller home, a new location, a different job, less prestige ,or a simpler lifestyle. But one thing I believe: it will be a decision you will never regret. According to the passage, where might the stress come from? Answer: All of the above. A doctor was once teaching a class of medical students at a famous hospital in Edinburgh. An injured man was brought in, and the doctor turned to one of his students and asked him, "What's wrong with this man?" "I don't know, sir," the student answered. "Shall I examine him and find out?""There's no need to examine him," said the doctor. "You should know without asking questions. He has hurt his right knee. Didn't you notice the way he walked? He hurt it by burning it in the fire. You see his trouser leg is burnt away at the knee. This is Monday morning. Yesterday was fine, but on Saturday the roads were wet and muddy. The man's trousers are muddy all over. The man fell down on Saturday night." The doctor then turned to the man and said, "You had your pay on Saturday and went to a public house and drank too much. You got muddy and wet on the way home. Because you had drunk too much, you fell on the fire and burnt your knee. Is it right? " "Yes, sir," said the man. The medical students were having a lesson _ . Answer: at a well-known hospital Most great singers have had learnt singing lessons since childhood. Occasionally, though, a great voice comes through untrained, a voice that is unbelievably, naturally beautiful. Mahalia Jackson had such a voice. Without having had a lesson, she was able to attract listeners with her magnificent voice that never seemed forced or pretended. Mahalia Jackson was a gospel singer. She preferred to sing the soul music or folk songs rather than popular songs or rocks. Since financial rewards didn't concern her, she refused many opportunities to become wealthy. She sang for the simple country people and also for the rich, sometimes. But she never changed her style or her point of view. At one point, after some discussions, her husband advised her to try out for a regular stage role. Then, she reluctantly paid 2. 5 dollars for a song sheet and went to the interview. All the judges agreed to offer her the part, for they were highly impressed. At this point, however ,her husband got a job ,and she turned down the offer. She wanted to go on singing at concerts. Mahalia Jackson was a down-to-earth person, showing no self-pride. She considered her singing talent a gift from God and accepted it humbly. She would help box-office clerks and would even help sell tickets out front, if necessary. Therefore ,she was loved by people around her. Perhaps Mahalia Jackson's greatest moment was singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" at President John F. Kennedy's inauguration The national anthem may never have been sung better. Mahalia Jackson was popular among the people around her mainly because _ Answer: she was a down-to-earth person Americans use many expressions with the word dog.People in the United States love their dogs and treat them well.They take their dogs for walks,let them play outside and give them good food and medical care.However, dogs without owners to care for them lead a different kind of 1ife.The expression,to lead a dog's life,describes a person who has an unhappy existence. Some people say we live in a dog-eat-dog world.That means many people are competing for the same things,like good jobs.To be successful,a person has to work like a dog.Such hard work can make people dog-tired,or sick as a dog. Still,people say every dog has its day.This means that every person enjoys a successful period during his or her life.To be successful, people often have to learn new skills.Yet.some people say that you can never teach all old dog new tricks.They believe that older people do not like to learn new things and wilt not change the way they do things. Husbands and wives use this doghouse term when they are angry at each other.For example,a woman might get angry at her husband for coming home late or forgetting their wedding anniversary.She might tell him that he is in the doghouse.She may not treat him nicely until he apologizes.However,the husband may decide that it is best to 1eave things alone and not create more problems.He might decide to let sleeping dogs lie. Dog expressions are also used to describe the weather.The dog days of summer are the hottest days of the year.A rainstorm may cool the weather.But we do not want it to rain too hard.We do not want it to rain cats and dogs. When people compete against each other and will do any thing to get what they want,we use _ Answer: a dog-eat-dog world A Special Appointment Years ago I moved to Woodland Hills to take a job in a small hospital's emergency department.No one wanted to work on Christmas Eve, so the shift went to me.I kissed my family goodbye and went off to spend the night in the hospital.It was a thankless job. At 9 pm, the ambulance brought in a man in his 60s who was having a heart attack.His face was pale, and he was frightened. The whole night I did my best to save his life.Before I left in the morning to spend Christmas with my family, I stopped by to see how he was doing.It was still tough, but he had survived the night and was sleeping. The following year I got Christmas Eve duty again.At 9 pm sharp, the ward clerk told me there was a couple who wanted to speak with me.When I approached them, the man introduced himself as Mr.Lee and said, "You probably don't remember me, but last Christmas Eve you saved my life.Thank you for the year you gave me." He and his wife hugged me, handed me a small gift, and left. The following year a new doctor had joined the group, but I wanted to see if Mr.and Mrs.Lee would return.This time, I volunteered for the shift.I kept an eye on the door.Once again, at exactly 9 pm, the Lees appeared, carrying a warmly wrapped bundle.It was their new grandchild. Mr.Lee, his family and I spent 13 Christmas Eves together.In the later years the staff all knew about the story and would work to give me time with him in the break room, where we spent a half-hour each Christmas Eve. The last year I saw him, he brought me a gift.I carefully opened the package and found a crystal bell inside.It was engraved with a single word: Friendship.Now, my family, friends and I ring that bell every Christmas Eve at exactly 9 pm and offer our best wishes to the man who we won't forget. When the author left the hospital the next morning, Mr.Lee _ . Answer: was still in a state of danger
Question: "I say, I'm pleased to see you," said the little man standing by the letter-box. "Oh, hello," I said, remembering he was a new neighbor. "Simpson, isn't it?" "Yes, that's right." He seemed quite pleased by my ready recognition. "I wonder if you could lend me some money," he continued. "My wife gave me a letter to post, and I've just noticed it isn't stamped." "yes, they never are," I said, sympathetically . "It must go tonight--it really must! I'd get stamps out of the machine," explained Simpson," Only I find I have no small change about me." "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I haven't either," I said. "Oh, dear, dear," he said. "Yes, well," I said, intending to move off. But he looked so unhappy standing there with the blue unstamped envelope that I really hadn't the heart to desert him. So I took him to my house and found some pennies and gave them to him, who, in the most business like way, made a note of the loan in his pocket-book, and left. But soon he turned up again. "I'm sorry I am a stranger round here and --well, I'm rather lost..." It took me several minutes to explain to him where the post office was. In the end I felt as lost as Simpson and had to accompany him to the post office, but, only to find the automatic stamp-machine was empty! "Oh!" Simpson was so desperate that he dropped the letter on the ground and when he picked it up there was a large black spot on its face. "Dear me," he said, "My wife told me to post it tonight. I'd better post it, if you know what I mean." I did know. Or, at least, I knew Mrs Simpson. Then I got a good idea, "Post the letter unstamped--let the other man pay double postage on it in the morning. " And he had to agree. Finishing off our job, I took him home. "I'm so grateful to you, really," he said when we reached his home. "That letter--it's only an invitation to dinner to Mr... Dear me!" "Why, what's the matter?" "Nothing. Just something I've remembered." "What?" But he didn't tell me. He just opened his eyes and his mouth at me like a wounded gold- fish, murmured a "Good-night", and went inside. All the way home I was wondering what it was that he had remembered. But I stopped wondering the next morning, when I had to pay the postman double postage for a blue envelope with a large black spot on its face. Simpson was very happy when the writer greeted him because _ . A. they were good friends B. he had a very important letter to post C. he saw somebody he could turn to at last D. he didn't expect the writer to recognize him instantly Answer: D Question: Memory is essential for life. We have a short-term memory and a long-term memory. When we get old, our short-term memory becomes weaker, but we can still remember things that happened a long time ago. There are many things we can do to improve our memory, such as using various memorizing methods as well as taking special care of our health. It is important that we regularly stimulate our brain to make our memory more efficient . For example, we can do activities that we do not usually do and change our daily habits. Learning a new skill helps our brain develop. When trying to memorize something, we should focus our attention on the most important things about it. Do not allow other thoughts to enter our mind because this will lower our chances of remembering things correctly. One basic way of improving our memory is to use the link method. If we want to memorize something, we should make a picture in our mind. If the picture is silly, strange and colourful, we will remember it better. Taking notes, being organized and keeping a diary will also be useful tools. Sometimes, memory is connected with our feelings. When something dramatic happens, we usually remember it well, and we also remember where we were and what we were doing. Healthy food and plenty of vitamins are important to our memory. Drinking a lot of water also helps maintain our memory. When we are asleep, our brain stores memory. Not enough sleep can, therefore, cause problems with storing information. In addition, being tired will stop us from being able to remember well. As a result, keeping fit and having regular health checks are both important as well. What SHOULD people do when they try to make their memory more efficient? A. Always do the same things and never change their daily habits. B. Memorize something while listening to music or watching TV. C. Keep other ideas out of their mind when focusing attention. D. Sleep at most 6 hours a day and drink a lot of coffee or tea. Answer: C Question: Some people believe that a Robin Hood is at work, others that a wealthy person simply wants to distribute his or her fortune before dying. But the donator who started sending envelopes with cash to deserving causes,accompanied by an article from the local paper, has made a northern German city believe in fairytales The first envelope was sent to a victim support group. It contained EUR10,000 with a cutting from the Braunschtveiger Zeitung about how the group supported a woman who was robbed of her handbag; similar plain white anonymous envelopes, each containing EUR10,000, then arrived at a kindergarten and a church. The envelopes keep coming, and so far at least EUR190,000 has been distributed. Last month, one of them was sent to the newspaper's own office. It came after a story it published about Tom, a 14-year-old boy who was severely disabled in a swimming accident. The receptionist at the Braunschweiger Zeitung opened an anonymous white envelope to find 20 notes of EUR500 inside , with a copy of the article. The name of the family was underlined. "I was driving when I heard the news," Claudia Neumann, the boy's mother, told DerSpiegel magazine. "I had to park on the side of the road; I was speechless. " The money will be used to make the entrance to their house wheelchair-accessible .and for a course of treatment that their insurance company refused to pay for. "For someone to act so selflessly, for this to happen in such a society in which everyone thinks of himself, was astonishing," Mrs. Neumann said. Her family wonder whether the donator is a Robin Hood character, taking from banks to give to the needy. Henning Noske, the editor of the Braunschweiger Zeitung, said: "Maybe it is an old person who is about to die. We just do not know. " However, he has told his reporters not to look for the city's hero, for fear that discovery may stop the donations. Which of the following is TRUE about the donation to Tom? A. The donation amounted to EUR190,000. B. The donation was sent directly to his house. C. The money will be used for his education. D. His mother felt astonished at the donation. Answer: D Question: Do you hear the name--Rain? Yes, he is a popular star of South Korea. Rain's music teacher gave him that name. His real name is Jung Ji Hoon. The 27-year-old singer is very good at dancing, too. His eyes are bright and his smiles are sunny. When he was a child. Rain was very quiet. But in Grade Six. Rain surprised all of his classmates. He danced for them. After the excellent dancing, everyone looked at him in a different way. Rain's Songs sell well. and he acts in a few TV shows. Rain doesn't want to sing forever ."When I stop singing, I'd like to design clothes.Being a designer is my childhood dream."he said. Who gave him the name Rain? A. His father B. His classmate. C. His teacher D. His mother. Answer: C Question: One Saturday afternoon about the second week of May, Maggie and her mom Jan went to the dentist. Maggie was seven years old and she was scared of the dentist, but her mom promised to fix her favorite chicken dish for dinner if Maggie was a good girl. "At least it's not the doctor's!" she said. They got to the dentist office and Jan told the woman, named Tiffany, at the front desk that they were there. There were lots of toys in the waiting room but Maggie was too nervous to enjoy them like the other kids. Finally, a woman came and told Maggie and Jan that it was Maggie's turn. They made a right turn and went to the third room on the left. Maggie sat down in the dentist's chair. A woman, Mary, came in and cleaned her teeth and told Maggie and Jan that Maggie had done well with her brushing. Then the dentist, Taylor, came in and did a checkup. He saw that everything was good and that Maggie had no problems with her teeth. He gave Maggie a bag with a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a sugar free candy. There was also a smiley face sticker in the bag. Jan was proud of her daughter and stopped at the grocery store to get ingredients for the chicken dish for dinner as promised. How many different people did they see at the dentist's office? A. three B. one C. seven D. two Answer: A
Losing a job is considered one of the five most stressful life changes you can experience. Those who have been there say it feels like being robbed of your identity and is as painful as the loss of a loved one. It may be hard to believe at first, but finally you can use this experience as your advantage--to find another, perhaps even better job, to strengthen your relationship with your family, and to make some much-needed changes in your life. Here are three essential steps. Step1 Get emotional support. Because it's easy to feel uneasy and vulnerable , turning to others is the key to making a smooth transition . You'll need people who will listen and provide a safe place for you to cry, or to express your fears and concerns. Don't go it alone. It takes courage to ask for help, and yet, help may be what you need most to move forward. Step2 Seek professional guidance. Getting assistance from a recruiter or career adviser will not only help you value your experience and improve your skills, it also will ensure that you put your best foot forward. Once again, your local unemployment office should have helpful resources. If possible, try not to let fear cause you to grab the first new job you're offered (unless it's the right one). Give yourself time to explore different choices. Step3 _ . Meet with family members to openly discuss your feelings. Listen carefully without interrupting one another, and give everyone a turn to speak. When a man I know did this with his family, his wife agreed to leave the job search planning to him and his outplacement adviser. In turn, he agreed to keep her informed about the process on a weekly basis. When you keep the lines of communication open, you can build stronger relationships. Once you've got a new job, create your own security. Keep your resume up-to-date, stay in touch with recruiters about the job market, and constantly improve your skills to stay marketable in your field. Although being laid-off can turn your life upside down, many people say that it gave them push they needed to start a new life! We can infer from the passage that the author is most likely to _ . The income gap between China's rural and urban residents has continued to widen during the past few years in spite of rapidly rising rural incomes, Agricultural Minister Sun Zhengcai said here on Wednesday. The income ratio between urban and rural residents was 3.28:1 in 2006, against 3.23:1 in 2003, said Sun in his report on the promotion of building a new countryside in 2007. Sun also said the net income of rural residents in different regions also varied widely. The income gap is only one of several problems in rural areas, according to Sun's report. While listing the achievements in rural areas in recent years, Sun believed that rural development still followed behind urban development. "We have bigger pressure to ensure the supply of major agricultural products such as grain," he said. "China's urbanization has been speeded up and more rural residents have gone to urban areas," he said. "In this case, more agricultural producers become farm produce consumers, which created more pressure for supply," he said. Another problem facing China's agricultural development is _ application of science and technology. "Only 30 percent of scientific and technological achievements have been applied to agricultural production, which is 40 percentage points lower than developed countries," he said. Despite increased government spending in rural areas, the infrastructure is still poor and easily hit by disasters. According to Sun, the government spent 431.8 billion yuan ($59.15 billion) on agriculture, rural areas and farmers this year, an increase of 80.1 billion yuan over the previous year. China set aside 11.38 billion yuan to promote a new rural cooperative medical care system and 27.98 billion yuan to support the new compulsory education mechanism in rural area to ensure that all citizens shared the fruits of China's reform and opening-up, Sun said. Which of the following is TRUE according to the text? Working from home is more and more popular as a means of escaping the ninetofive office life. Why do you work under the eye of your boss when you can work in front of the TV in your slippers?Armed with all the necessary things--telephone, computer, email and fax,many workers believe they can work as effectively as their colleagues in the office. Being able to work wherever you like:from a busy city to a village, and not having to stand the daily things, make working from home an attractive choice. If you wish,you can even work on a river boat. So what will become of the office tomorrow?It is possible that many could go into computer space creating a new wave of virtual offices. To minimize office in innercity areas, companies will have a work force made up of a network of home workers linked by an advanced communication and information system. A central processing computer would be controlled by the manager who sends out work schedules and oversees the activity of each employee. A video screen would be created,as the need for email or telephone becomes greater. Seeing the mood and expressions of work colleagues, managers would have the ability to view several employees at once on their screen. Employees would be encouraged to feed any information that may be useful to fellow workers into the computer to make the company work more effectively. As the company's lifeblood, the computer would contain a record of all conversations and communication for future reference and hold secret information such as accounts in password protected areas. Which of the following is an advantage of a virtual office? Fashion is a term commonly used to describe a style of clothing worn by most people of a country. A fashion usually keeps popular for 1-3 years and then is replaced by another fashion. Even though there are a lot of changes in fashion, most people do not easily hope for the changes. Nowadays more and more young people prefer following the fashion. On this phenomenon , different people have different opinions. It is held that one should follow the fashion so as not to be looked down or seem strange. But it is also held that one should have his or her own judgement . Those who hold the first opinion think that society is progessing and one should get used to the changes. In their opinions, if everyone always follows the old fashion, there won't be any change and naturally there won't be much progress. However, those who hold the second view think that one shouldn't follow the fashion without having his or her own judgement and characters. As for me, I agree with the second opinion. Of course, it's good for people to keep up with the fashion, but this is not to say that people should follow the fashion blindly . If all the people follow the same fashion, there will be no variety and the whole society will be boring. According to those who hold the first view, why should one follow the fashion? I still remember --- my hands and my fingers still remember --- what used to lie in store for us on our return to school from the holidays. The trees in the school yard would be in full leaf again and the old leaves would be lying around like a muddy sea of leaves. "Get that all swept up!" the headmaster would tell us. "I want the whole place cleaned up, at once!" There was enough work there, to last over a week. Especially since the only tools with which we were provided were our hands, our fingers, our nails. "Now see that it's done properly, and be quick about it," the headmaster would say to the older pupils, "or you'll have to answer for it!" So at an order from the older boys we would all line up like peanuts about to cut and gather in crops. If the work was not going as quickly as the headmaster expected, the big boys, instead of giving us a helping hand, used to find it simpler to beat us with branches pulled from the trees. In order to avoid these blows, we used to bribe the older boys with the juicy cakes we used to bring for our midday meal. And if we happened to have any money on us, the coins changed hands at once. If we did not do this, if we were afraid of going home with an empty stomach or an empty purse, the blows were redoubled. They hit us so violently and with such evil enjoyment that even a deaf and dumb person would have realized that we were being whipped so much not to make us work harder, but rather to beat us into a state of obedience in which we would be only too glad to give up our food and money. Occasionally one of us, worn out by such calculated cruelty, would have the courage to complain to the headmaster. He would of course be very angry, but the punishment he gave the older boys was always very small --- nothing compared to what they had done to us. And the fact is that however much we complained, our situation did not improve in the slightest. Perhaps we should have let our parents know what was going on, but somehow we never dreamed of doing so; I don't know whether it was loyalty or pride that kept us silent, but I can see now that we were foolish to keep quiet about it, for such beating were completely foreign to our nature. When receiving complaints, the headmaster would deal with the big boys by means of _ .
Question: Mr Brown was going away for a week. Before he left, he said to his son, "if anyone asks for me, you can tell him that your father has been out for doing something, and will be back in a week, then be sure to ask him to sit down for a cup of tea." "OK, Dad," said his son. But he was afraid his son couldn't remember this, he wrote these words down on a piece of paper and gave it to him. His son put it into his small pocket, took it out and looked at it every now and then. Four days passed, but no one came to see his father. The boy thought that there was no man to come and that the piece of paper was of no more use for him, so he burnt it that evening The next afternoon, someone knocked at the door. The boy opened it. A man was standing at the door and said, "Where is your father?" The boy put his hand into his pocket at once and looked for the piece of paper. He could not find it. He suddenly remembered he had burnt it, so he shouted, "No more." The man was very surprised. He asked, "No more? I met your father last week. When did it happen?" "Burnt yesterday evening." Mr Brown wrote the words down on _ . A. the wall B. the door C. a piece of paper D. his son's pocket Answer: C Question: What do playing a guitar, banging a drum, and dropping a pebble in the water have in common? A. They all produce light. B. They all cause vibrations. C. They all convert heat to energy. D. They all need gravity to move. Answer: B Question: On Tuesday evening, Rick wanted to play with his friends at a playground near his house. Rick's mother, Trish, drove him to the playground. Rick met up with Andrew and Chris. Rick ran to the monkey bars. Andrew ran to the slide. Chris ran to the swings. Trish sat on a bench near the monkey bars and read a book. She wanted to finish the book for a long time and wanted to try to finish right now. Around 6 PM, it started to rain. Trish quickly put her book inside of her jacket to keep it dry. Afterwards, she called Rick and his friends over and told them it was time to go. Rick and Andrew ran to Trish to follow her to the car. Chris tried to run to Trish but tripped and fell. He scabbed his knee. He was in a lot of pain. Trish told Rick and Andrew to get inside of the car. She ran to Chris to check on him. Trish had a bandage in her pocket and put it over Chris' scab. She then helped Chris get to the car. The next day, Rick asked Chris if he was okay from the fall at the playground. Chris said he was okay and wanted to go play at the playground again soon. Where did Rick run to when he arrived to the playground? A. swings B. slide C. bench D. monkey bars Answer: D Question: Can you imagine traveling to work in a one - man submarine? Some scientists believe that some day one - man submarines will be as many as automobiles are today.A famous French driver says, "One day soon, men will walk on the ocean floor as they do on the street!" Perhaps during your lifetime people will travel, and live in the sea. If human beings want to live in the ocean, many human problems will need to be studied first. Some of these problems, similar to those of living in outer space, are pressure, lack of oxygen and weightlessness. Many questions are still unanswered.For example, can our blood make itself fit for underwater surroundings? What will happen to our muscle if we live in the water very long? Scientists are looking for answers. Perhaps in the future man will live in the sea, away from the crowded and noisy cities on land.Then sea has plenty of space, not only for floating living buildings and parks, but also for storing supplies and for underwater travel. Some scientists believe that ocean living will benefit man in more than physical ways. In the freedom and beauty of the deep sea, man may find new sources of joy. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage? ( ) A. The scientists have not solved the problem of weightlessness underwater. B. The scientists have solved the problem of weightlessness when man live in space. C. Some scientists believe that ocean living will benefit man in no more than physical ways. D. Sea has plenty of space only for floating living buildings and parks. Answer: A Question: In 2012, the Tower of London welcomed two new inhabitants: a pair of ravens named Jubilee and Grip. Their arrival celebrated the bicentenary of Charles Dickens's birth. This Grip was the third of the Tower ravens to be named after the novelist's own pet birD. One of his predecessors was resident during World War Two; he and his mate Mabel were the only ravens to survive a bombing attack on the Tower. Dickens's Grip, who had an impressive vocabulary, appears as a character in the author's fifth novel, Barnaby Rudge. On 28 January 1841, Dickens wrote to his friend George Cattermole: "my notion is to have [Barnaby] always in company with a pet raven, who is immeasurably more knowing than himself. To this end I have been studying my bird, and think I could make a very distinctive character of him." Unfortunately, just a few weeks after Dickens wrote that letter, Grip died, probably as a result of having stolen and eaten paint some months earlier. The bird had developed a strange habit - tearing sections off painted surfaces (including the family's carriage) and even drinking a quantity of white paint out of a tin. Dickens mourned his loss and wrote a humorous letter to his friend, the illustrator Daniel Maclise, about the raven's death. He related how, when Grip began to show signs of sickness, the vet was called and "administered a powerful dose of castor oil". Initially this seemed to have a positive effect and the author was thrilled to see Grip restored to his usual personality when he bit the coachman (who was used to the raven and took it in good humor). The following morning, Grip was able to eat "some warm porridge", but his recovery was short liveD. As Dickens wrote to Maclise, "On the clock striking twelve he appeared slightly upset, but soon recovered, walking twice or thrice along the coach-house, stopped to bark, exclaimed 'Hello old girl' (his favorite expression) and dieD. He behaved throughout with a decent manner, which cannot be too much admireD. .. The children seem rather glad of it. He bit their ankles. But that was play." What caused the death of Dickens's Grip? A. His old age. B. His strange diet. C. The killing of the coachman. D. His bad habit of biting people. Answer: B
Here are three students' stories about studying in another country. Mariko Okada - Tokyo My year in the USA was full of fun. I like speaking to others, so I got lots of speaking practice. I also learned lots of interesting things about America. When I got home, my friends said I was better! I hope to go back to America again in the future. Carla Fonseca - Rio de Janeiro I spent last year studying English in London. There were so many people to talk to there, but I always felt bad about my English. I missed my family very much. I think it was great to study in London, but I'm glad to be at home! Alvin Chen - Hong Kong Studying in New Zealand was lots of hard work! I had English classes six hours a day, five days a week. I also kept a diary. I like writing, and I wrote about many things in my diary every day. On Saturdays, my homestay family took me to lots of interesting places and showed me so many wonderful things. I was really glad to stay there for a year! Who dislikes the stay in another country? Answer: If an scientist is stationed in the south pole during their winter, what season is it in the arctic region Answer: I've loved my mother's desk since I was just tall enough to sit above the top of it when mother sat writing letters. Standing by her chair, looking at the ink bottle, pens, and white paper, I decided that the act of writing must be the most wonderful thing in the world. Years later, during her final illness, mother kept different things for my sister and brother. "But the desk," she said again " is for Elizabeth."[:Zxxk.Com] I never saw her angry, never saw her cry. I knew she loved me; she showed it action. But as a young girl. I wanted to have heart-to heart talks between mother and daughter. They never happened. And a _ opened between us. I was " too emotional ". But she lived "on the surface". As years passed and I had my own family. I loved my mother and thanked her for our happy family. I wrote to her in careful words and asked her to let me know in any way she chose that she did forgive me. My hope turned to disappointment, then little interest and, finally, peace-it seemed that nothing happened. I couldn't be sure that the letter had even got to mother. I only knew that I had written it, and I could stop trying to make her into someone she was not. But the present of her desk told me, as she'd never been able to, that she was pleased that writing was my chosen work. I cleaned the desk carefully and found some papers inside-a photo of my father and a one-page letter, folded and refolded many times. It was my letter. " In any way you choose, mother, you always chose the act that speaks louder than words" What's the best title of the passage? Answer: The speed of light is often called a"constant ". New experiments show that may not be true, even within a vacuum. Sometimes, light slows a bit. The new research is"very impressive work", Robert Boyd toldScienceNews.An optical physicist at the University of Rochester in New York, he did not work on the study. He speaks of the new finding:"It's the sort of thing that's so obvious; you wonder why you didn't think of it first." Light travels as particles and as waves. Photons are the name given to those particles that represent the smallest possible amount of light. At their fastest, photons travel nearly 300 million meters (almost 1 billion feet) in a single second. That's fast enough to get to the moon and back in about 2.6 seconds. Scientists had long known, though, that they could slow light photons down by shining them through a material such as glass or water. Still, light moving through a vacuum has usually been assumed to move at a peak speed. That would seem to make sense. After all, a vacuum is a space with nothing in it to slow light down. In a new study, however, scientists show that even racing through a vacuum, light can slow. So the speed of light is more of a universal speed limit than an rule for how fast photons travel, the new data suggest. Miles Padgett led the new study. As an optical physicist, he works at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. He and his colleagues showed that the key to slowing light is to change the shape of a light wave. Padgett described how they did this in a paper published online January 22 inScience. His team raced a pair of photons. One traveled unchanged through a cable made from optical fibers. The other passed through a pair of devices that acted like lenses. A lens changes light: It can focus a spread-out beam of light on a point, for instance. The second photon passed through one device that changed the shape of its waveand another that changed it back to its original form. The first photon won the race. The second photon came in a tiny bit later, several quadrillionths of a second late for every meter of the race. The difference wasn't huge, but it was enough to measure. Most technology would not pick up such a small change, but it could be important to scientists who study short pulses of light. "I'm not surprised the effect exists,"Boyd toldScienceNews."But it's surprising that the effect is so large and strong." What does the study led by Miles Padgett mainly suggest? Answer: Mr Brown and Mr Green are in the garden. They are neighbours. Mr Green asks, "What's the matter?". Mr Brown says, "My house is too small! I want a big house!". Mr Green is very clever. He has a good idea. "Buy a dog!" says Mr Green. "A dog?" says Mr Brown. "That's a funny idea! Well, OK." So Mr Brown buys a dog. He puts it in the bedroom. "This dog is very big!" says Mr Brown. "And my bedroom is very small." The next day, Mr Brown is still sad. "My house is too small," says Mr Brown. "Buy a horse!" says Mr Green. So Mr Brown buys a horse. He puts it in the bathroom. Mr Brown says, "This horse is very big. And my bathroom is very small." Mr Brown is not happy. He says to the dog and horse, "Now go away!" After that, Mr Brown is very happy. "My house is not too small! My house is wonderful!" What does Mr Brown think of his house at first? Answer:
Question: On Sundays my father always wore that dull gray apron - the one with the race cars all over it. The ritual began after breakfast when Dad always announced: "Go ahead everyone. I'll take care of the dishes!" With that my mother disappeared into the folds of the Sunday paper. Off came the suit coat he had worn to church that morning. Up went the shirtsleeves. On went that apron. For the next hour Dad did the dishes, singing ballads like "I Had a Hat When I Came In" and "Who Put the Chow in Mrs. Murphy's Chowder?" I suppose it was strange for a boy's father to wear an apron - even one with race cars - but I never thought much of it until the day that Dad broke with tradition. It was the last Sunday in August. My father seemed in an expansive mood as we walked home from church together. "Tommy," he said letting my name roll off his tongue. My mind raced ahead of his words: The birds and the bees? A new bike? A part-time job? "There comes a time in every boy's life when he must take on responsibilities." This was important. I might even get to back the car out of the driveway. "Responsibilities?" I asked. "Yes. It's time you took a greater role in the household." Power tools? Boss my baby brother? "Starting today, I want you to do the dishes on Sunday morning so your mother and I can work the crossword puzzle together." "The dishes!?" "Anything wrong with taking over the dishes, son?" I started to say something about a man's job or woman's work, but I knew immediately that my protests would fall on deaf ears. I didn't taste a bit of breakfast that morning. Dad seemed in a jovial mood as he described an exceptional Yankee game seen through the eyes of Mel Allen on the radio last night. "Mickey Mantle drove the ball right over the center field wall," he said. "Just a straight line climb in right out of the stadium." He looked out the window as if trying to pick the ball out of the cloud formations. I tried to imagine Mickey Mantle wearing an apron. Suddenly, everything grew quiet. My sister began to clear the table. My brother was scraping the last of the egg from his plate. And then that ancient family ritual that had filled so many Sunday mornings came to an end. My father announced: "Let's go read the paper, Hon." "Aren't you doing the dishes?" my mother asked in puzzlement. "Your oldest son has generously offered to fill the position." My brother and sister stopped cold. So this was what my life had come to. A dark angel sat on my left shoulder and reminded me that I could hit a baseball farther than anyone in my class. I could bench-press my weight. I knew three declensions in Latin, the language of Caesar. Ask me to run through a rainstorm. Command me to ride the roller coaster - backward. These things I would do. But I could never do those dishes. There was nothing left but to refuse. People often say there is a special chemistry between a father and a son. He came back into the kitchen just as I was about to storm out. He had loosened his tie and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt - ready to relax. In his right hand was the old apron. "I want you to have this, Tommy. It'll keep your clothes from getting wet." And before I could mount a protest, he had put the thing on me. "Thanks, Son. Your mother and I appreciate this." With that he disappeared into the Sunday paper. I looked down at the plastic. It had seen better days. I could see my dad reaching for the dishes. The dark angel flew off. Soon I was singing about Mrs. Murphy's chowder. The words came out of nowhere. And out of nowhere I knew the kind of man I wanted to be. What can be the best title for the pasage? A. Father's Love B. Father's Apron C. Father's Responsibility D. Father's Influence Answer: B Question: At three a.m., Jack Mills was sitting at the controls of the mail train. The train was made up of 13 cars. At the end of the train, 71 mailmen sat sorting the mails. Inside the second car, there were only five mailmen and 128 bags full of five-pound notes. This train had run more than 100 years without being robbed. At three minutes past three, Mills and his helper, David Whitby, saw a yellow warning light. They slowed the train, and then stopped. Whitby went to the telephone beside the track. It was out of order. Then he saw a man moving between the second and the third cars. Before Whitby could give a warning, he was knocked down by two men. Mills' cars with all the mailmen had been disconnected by the robbers. At the bridge, the bags of money were unloaded from the train and thrown into waiting trucks. One of the robbers who obviously knew the schedules of all the trains kept looking at his watch. At 3:45 he said, "That will have to be enough." The robbers drove away with more than 2,500,000 pounds. The robbery took place _ . A. before 3:03 B. in the early morning C. after three o'clock in the afternoon D. after 3:45 Answer: B Question: When an octopus feels threatened, it can release black ink into the water. The ink MOST likely helps the octopus A. move quickly through the water. B. breathe oxygen from the water. C. hide from predators. D. use food faster. Answer: C Question: Billy had a pet turtle that he took good care of, everyday. His turtle's name was Tumble. Tumble liked to walk around outside in the garden and dig small holes to sleep in. Billy loved Tumble and would visit him outside when he got home from school. Tumble's favorite food was oatmeal. So, every day after school, Billy would make Tumble a big bowl of oatmeal and take it outside for Tumble to enjoy. Tumble would see Billy and walk up to him as fast as a turtle can go. Billy would put the bowl down and wait for Tumble to come up to the bowl to eat from it. When Tumble reached the bowl, he put his nose on it. But, the oatmeal was too hot to eat. Billy reached down and blew on the hot oatmeal, to cool it down for Tumble to eat. Once the oatmeal was cool enough, Tumble could dig in and eat his big bowl of oatmeal. Billy loved to watch as Tumble ate his bowl of oatmeal, because Billy took good care of Tumble, everyday. Why couldn't Tumble eat his oatmeal, at first? A. The oatmeal was too hot to eat B. he didn't like hot oatmeal C. it wasn't his turtle bowl D. his nose was too big for the bowl Answer: A Question: "When your mother scolds you, you can look elsewhere and think about other things. Just ignore her words. But remember: such a tough attitude cannot be used often." These words are from a series of cartoons which outline skills for children to fight against their mothers. The images have created heated debate among Chinese netizens. Regarded as "a book for children aged 6 to 12 who are always scolded by their parents", the cartoons, drawn by two 10yearold Beijing girls, list over 20 skills which children can use to deal with their mothers' anger such as crying, pretending to be ashamed, fleeing into the toilet and pleasing her afterwards. Each skill is described with vivid pictures and humorous notes. The creativity of the young girls has amazed netizens, the Yangtse Evening Post reported on Thursday. According to one of the girls' mothers, her daughter once received a poor mark in an exam, and the mother blamed her and compared her performance with another classmate. The daughter's feelings led to her creating the cartoons. The girl's father, who first posted the pictures on his Sohu Microblog on Monday, said he hopes parents pay close attention to the pictures, allow children to feel free to develop their own characteristics and try not to criticize them so often. The father said the cartoons aren't finished yet; his daughter will continue with them when she has time. "The cartoons, although an individual case, reflect a modern phenomenon and some of the problems within Chinese family education," said Yu Qinfang, an expert on family education. According to a survey of 104 children and their parents, Yu discovered that as many as 51.9 percent of primary school students hate being urged to do things by their mothers. "Not giving children enough time and hurrying them to do things seems to be a very tiny detail within family life, but it is potentially a huge problem which can easily be ignored by parents. A mother's blame may lead to negative feelings within her child's heart," Yu said. "Parents should learn to blame less and be more patient." What amazed Chinese netizens according to the text? A. The girls' poor marks. B. The girls' skills against their mothers. C. The girls' creativity. D. The girls' tough attitude to their mothers. Answer: C
New picture The National Gallery now has a fine _ by the 18th century Dutch painter Jan van Os.This large picture (89.1 cm x 71cm) of flowers and fruit is painted in light bright colours on wood.It is one of the first pictures of this type in the Gallery.The picture is signed and dated 1777 and 1778.It is not unusual for a picture to be dated two years: the artist waited for particular flowers to come out in their different seasons in order to paint them.This picture was given to the Gallery by Miss Violet Churchman in memory of her sister Ida Nancy. It is now on show in Room 25. Special exhibition The exhibition "Painting in Spain During the Late 18th Century" opened in the Sunley Room on 15 March.Recently the Gallery has bought works by three Spanish painters of this period--Paret, Melendez and Francisco Bayeu, who are the focus of the exhibition.These three artists are also joined by Francisco's brother Ramon, by Antonio Gonzalez and two Italians who worked in Spain during these years--Corrado Giaquinto and Giovanni Battista Tiepolo.The exhibition runs until 31 May. Lecture news Lectures will be given along with the special exhibition every Wednesday.On 8 April, Lizzie Barker will discuss the work of Melendez, while on 15 April, Sarah Symmons will lecture on Luis Patter.On 22 and 29 April, Juliet Wilson will talk about Francisco Bayeu.On 25 April, a Saturday, Erika Langmuir will explain how artists often "tell a story" through their pictures. How many artists' paintings are on show at the special exhibition? Along with the Great Pyramid of Giza. The Sphinx is one of the most studied ancient monument of mankind's history. The whole complex of Giza, composed of the Sphinx, the Great Pyramid, other pyramids, and distinct structures, definitely holds the key to understanding advanced past civilizations. In the examination of the mystery of the great Sphinx we run into a similar situation. The Egyptians wrote very little about the construction of the Sphinx. However, the Egyptians, Romans, and Arabs did write accounts concerning its numerous restorations, which will be discussed later in this article. In addition, it should be said that other cultures had their form of a Sphinx. For example, the Greek Sphinx was a female with a human head, breast, and the body of a feminine lion. Now there are basically two schools of thought on the origin, the age and the builder of the Sphinx in Egypt. The traditional view of Egyptologists is that Pharaoh Khafre of the Fourth Dynasty built the Sphinx along with the Great Pyramid around 2,500 BC. The evidence is that the face of the Sphinx is thought to look like Pharaoh Khafre. This theory makes the Sphinx about 5,000 years old according to Dr Zahi Hawass, director of Giza Saqqara of the Egyptian Antiquities Organization. The other school of thought doesn't believe that the Egyptians built the Sphinx, but thinks that it was built by an advanced civilization before the Egyptians. The Egyptians came later and built their tombs and temples along the sides of these great structures. This school of thought has been around for hundreds of years, but new buildings give it more _ . Recently, Graham Hancock , the author of the famous book Finger-prints of the Gods and some American scholars have presented certain evidence that challenges the traditional thought on the Sphinx. They present proofs that may cause a rethinking of the so-called fact used to determine who built the Sphinx and the Great Pyramid of Giza and for what purpose. Their proofs consist of basically two pieces of evidence astronomical calculations of the stars and geological evidence that the erosion of the Sphinx and other monuments of Giza was due to water rather than sand, wind or sunshine according to Robert Bauval's book _ . It is this evidence that has turned the Egyptologists' world upside down. What would most possibly be discussed in the following section? When he was a little child, Andrew had a serious bad habit of sucking his fingers all day long, especially when he had nothing interesting to do: when he was sleeping, when watching TV, when sitting on the sofa and so on. At the beginning, his parents didn't think it was a bad habit. Therefore, as time goes by, the boy couldn't give up his habit. Now, in his twenties, Andrew seems to have developed the bad habit into another one: he always bites his nails . He cannot stop biting his nails all the time. There're moments when he even doesn't know that he is doing it. He realized it was a problem and this worried him a lot. Some of his friends told him about this bad habit, and he stops for a while. But then, if he isn't busy doing something, he starts biting his nails again! In fact, there're a lot of bacteria in your nails and they can cause some disease. Also, the nails will become ugly and hard to _ . The worst thing is that this bad habit will bring the mental illness . If people cannot correct it in time, it can affect man's mental health. In short, bad habits are very worrying, especially when the person with the habit is in public and cannot stop himself or herself doing it. Still, there must be ways to give up these bad habits and these people should try their best to stop doing them. When Andrew was a little boy, he had a bad habit of _ . Come out and let us teach you how to skydive today! We are located in Xenia, Ohio and is within a reasonable driving distance of major cities in Ohio. Situated on a private airport, Skydive Greene County offers world-class training. We didn't start skydiving but we are Ohio's oldest skydiving school which opened in 1961! Tandem Skydiving Tandem skydiving is required if this is your first time skydiving. After filling out paperwork and watching a short video, you will be ready to make your skydive. Somewhere around 11,500 feet you will be secured to your tandem instructor. The door will open and you exit the plane. Your freefall with your instructor will last for approximately 40-50 seconds. We can almost guarantee this will be the most exciting minute of your life as you reach the speed of around 120 mph, falling for about two miles back to the earth! Don't forget to have a video taken of your skydive to show all those that didn't think you would jump from an airplane! Static Line Courses Once you have made your tandem skydiving, you can move on to our Static Line Program. The Static Line Jump is the traditional way to learn to skydive. We have classes throughout the year. Every student will be led through the entire day by a licensed instructor. Never does the student feel unattended. Once training is over, students will make their first jump on that very same day! If the weather does not cooperate, you can come back the next day, or we will re-schedule a time to make your skydive. Price $165.00 Tandem skydiving only $175.00 Static Line Course only Invite one of our professional videographers on your skydive: $125.00 DVD with photos Booking To book your tandem skydive or skydiving course, call us at (937) 372-0700. We just ask for a call if you cannot keep your scheduled appointment. And you must be at least 18 years old to make a skydive at SGC. Come to learn with the best and make a skydive today! For further information, please call us at (937) 372-0700 or visit ourwebsite www. greenecounty.com! Skydivers doing tandem skydiving will have to _ . An animal that clucks has
Every Christmas the giant tree inprefix = st1 /RockefellerCentersparkles with thousands of lights. From the beginning, when construction workers raised the first one during the depths of the Depression, it has been a symbol of hope. Diana Abad, like most Americans, loved that tree. In 1999, however, Diana was writing her will. The 33-year-old woman from Staten Island, New York, was diagnosed with leukemia and wanted to put her things in order. Doctors told her she had nine months to live. Her slim chance for survival lay in finding a bone marrow donor. The most likely source for a match is always among s -- but her family was tested and there was none. Then one day in February 2000, she got a call from the hospital saying that out of the four million people _ in the National Marrow Donor Program Registry, there was only one match. The potential donor was thinking about it. In March the donor agreed, and the transplant procedure was scheduled for March 27. On that day, a doctor came in with the marrow in a bag, and Diana remembers him saying:"This is it. If it doesn't graft within four to six hours, nothing will bring you back." Diana asked a priest to give her last rite . Almost immediately after the two-hour procedure, she felt stronger. Doctors told her it looked like the graft had taken. Donors are anonymous, but when she was better, Diana sent a note through the Registry: "You don't know the joy that I am experiencing," she wrote. "I hope that one day we can meet and I can thank you in person." It was several months before the donor replied. At first he didn't even give his name. He was 34-year-old David Mason, and he lived inDedham,Massachusetts. But eventually the two exchanged phone numbers and began to talk. Then unexpectedly and unannounced, he turned up at her door inEnglishtown,New Jersey, on December 23. She says it was love at first sight. He says he didn't feel it until they met the second time. That meeting began a long-distance romance that culminated under the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center in December 2004. That's where David proposed to Diana. She, of course, said yes. Which of the following may be the title of the passage? A. Perfect Match B. Successful Graft C. Anonymous Donor D. Lucky Christmas Tree Answer: A. Perfect Match The Swedish Academy in Stockholm on Thursday named Mo Yan winner of the Twenty-Twelve Nobel Prize in Literature. The academy praised the Chinese writer for what it called his "hallucinatoty realism ". It noted his ability to combine folk stories, history and modern events in his works. An academy official said Mister Mo was "overjoyed and sacred" when he learnt he had won the award. He will receive his Nobel diploma, a medal and more than one million dollars at the ceremony in Stockholm in December. Mo Yan is a leading author of modern Chinese novels. He often writes from memories of his youth. He also sets many of his stories in the area where he was born--Shandong Province in northeastern China. Mister Mo's 1987 bookRed Sorghum is an example. It is about the extreme violence in rural eastern China during the Communist Revolution in the 1920's and 1930's. The story describes the criminal culture of the time, Japan's occupation and the terrible conditions faced by farm workers.Red Sorghumwas later made into a movie. Mo Yan's other major works includeBig Breasts and Wide Hips,Republic of WineandLife and Death Are Wearing Me Out. The Royal Swedish Academy compared him to two 20th century writers: American William Faulkner and Colombia Gabriel Marquez. Mo Yan's real name is Guan Moye. Mo Yan means "Don't speak." The writer said he chose the name to remember to stop his tongue from getting him in trouble. China is celebrating the victory of his native son. Minutes after the award was announced, millions of Chinese expressed pleasure and pride for Mo Yan on social media websites. How many books of Mo Yan are mentioned in this passage? A. Three. B. Four. C. Five. D. Six. Answer: B. Four. Russia is on the north of China. It is bigger than other countries .How much do you know about it ? Let's talk about something about its capital ----- Moscow . There is a famous square called Red Square in Moscow .It is the centre of Moscow .Is the square red? Why is it called Red Square ? Red has another meaning ---- beautiful . So " Red Square " means a beautiful square .As we all know ,there is a palace to the north of Tian'anmen Square .And there's a palace beside Red Square , too . Now , it is the offfice for the Russian government . A High bell tower stands in the palace . There is a shining red star on the top of the tower . ,, . (1,5) Russsia is _ of the China. A. on the north B. to the north C. in the north D. to the east Answer: A. on the north A new what occurs once every 3 months? A. city B. climatic term C. hill D. wave Answer: B. climatic term Forget Cyclists, Pedestrians are Real Danger We are having a debate about this topic. Here are some letters from our readers. #Yes, many cyclists behave dangerously. Many drivers are disrespectful of cyclists. But pedestrians are probably the worse offenders. People of all ages happily walk along the pavement with eyes and hands glued to the mobile phone, quite unaware of what is going on around them. They may even do the same thing whileN crossing a road at a pedestrian crossing or elsewhere. The rest of us have to evade them or just stand still to wait for the unavoidable collision. The real problem is that some pedestrians seem to be, at least for the moment, in worlds of their own that are, to them, much more important than the welfare of others. ----Michael Horan #I loved the letter from Bob Brooks about cyclists (Viewpoints, May 29). I am afraid they seem to think they own the roads. I was walking across Altrincham Road one morning when a cyclist went round me and on being asked what he was doing he shouted at me. The government built a cycle lane on the road but it is hardly used. The police do nothing. What a laugh they are! The cyclists should all have to be made to use the cycle lanes and wear helmets, fluorescent jackets and lights at night and in the morning. They should pay some sort of tax and be fined for not wearing them. ----Carol Harvey #Cyclists jump on and off pavements (which are meant for pedestrians), ride at speed along the pavements, and think they have a special right to go through traffic lights when they are on red. I was almost knocked down recently by a cyclist riding on the pavement when there was a cycle lane right next to him. Other road users, including horse riders, manage to obey the rules so why not cyclists? It's about time they had to be registered and insured, so when they do hit a pedestrian or a vehicle, or cause an accident, at least they can be treated and there might be an opportunity to claim. ----JML Write to Viewpoints of the newspaper. The three letters present viewpoints on_. A. real source of road danger B. ways to improve road facilities C. measures to punish road offences D. increased awareness of road rules Answer: A. real source of road danger
Question: What is the hottest topic at your school? In Hangzhou Yongjin Middle School, it's money. The school had an activity called "making a living" recently. About 800 Junior 1 and Junior 2 students were divided into 112 teams. They went out to make money by selling things. What did they choose to sell? Some sold newspapers; some chose bottled water; some sold environmentally friendly shopping bags and bamboo baskets. Huqi's team decided to sell educational books in front of the Children Activity Centre. They thought parents would like to buy books for their children. But unfortunately , they came across urban management officers . The officers asked them to leave. "We played hide-and-seek with the officers for the whole morning," said Hu. "Finally we gave up and moved to other place. Wang Yongyi and her team sold ice cream in a square. They didn't meet any officers. But few people were interested in what they were selling. The team then put up a board saying the money was to help the "Project Hope" for country kids. It worked. More people came to their stall. A foreigner even gave them 100 yuan. Meng Zhaoxiang and his team were luckier. They sold all their cakes in four hours, spending 39.5 yuan and getting back 80 yuan. "It was not easy to make the money," said Meng. "Some people just looked. Others just tasted but didn't buy. Now I know how hard it is for our parents to earn the money we need to lead happy lives." How did the students get money according to the article? A. By selling bags, baskets and books. B. By putting up a board in a square. C. By asking people to donate money. D. By playing hide-and-seek with urban management officers. Answer: A. By selling bags, baskets and books. Question: Imagine being a crew member, hundreds of years ago, sailing in southern waters. Your captain is searching for food while exploring unfamiliar waters. Your job is to watch the sea off the ship's side for ice. The wind is cold on your face. Alongside the ship, a fish darts past. Another slows to a stop and raises its head above the water to look at you. How could a fish do that? Did the sailors see fish with feathers or swimming birds? Today, we know that the sailors saw birds that developed the ability to swim. Their wings became flippers, and they could "fly" through the water with amazing speed. There are many types of penguins. Only two kinds raise their young on the continent of Antarctic. Adelie penguins grow up to 29 inches tall and have a white ring around each eye. Emperor penguins have yellow orange color near their necks. Standing about 35 inches tall, they are the tallest penguins living today. Emperor penguins have nests on top of their feet. Father Emperor penguins keep the egg on top of their feet for more than two months, until the egg is ready to hatch. The mother penguin goes out for food during that time. Imagine holding an egg on your feet for two months until someone returns with food! Male and female penguins are both good parents. Once the chicks hatch, both parents travel long distances to find food for them in the sea. It may be days before the parents return and the chicks eat again. When they return with food, the fun really begins. Chicks chase their parents, begging for food. Penguin chicks eat huge amounts at one time. Eventually, the adult penguins stop feeding the chicks. This is nature's way of forcing children to grow up. When the penguin chicks are hungry enough, they find their way to the sea. Without any swimming lessons, they make their way into the icy waters and swim as only penguins do. Emperor penguin chicks will be forced to grow up when they _ . A. must learn how to feed others B. have to find a new place to live C. have to find food by themselves D. need to adjust to the changeable weather Answer: C. have to find food by themselves Question: To replenish the shade in a city that had been provided by trees that were felled by a storm: A. grow gills and live on a raft B. use a large lawn mower C. get out your weed whacker D. introduce replacement timber items Answer: D. introduce replacement timber items Question: What do we do when we go camping? First, we think of a plan. We take food, clothes, a knife, and things for cooking and eating. We take things to keep us away from insects and the sun. Then we put everything into the car and we drive to the woods. We look for a place for campers and we look for a good place for our tent . The place should have a lot of air. This will keep some insects away. High land with water on both sides of it is good. Then we put up our tent. We put everything into the tent, and we are ready for fun. We can swim in the lake, walk in the woods, climb a mountain, row a boat, or go fishing. In the evening we come back to the tent, we build a big fire because it can keep the insects away. We sit around the fire and talk. We may tell interesting stories or we may sing songs. At night we lie down on the grass. We can look up at the stars. It is a busy day, so we try to go to sleep early. Everything is dark. Everything is quiet. We hope we won't hear music from the radio in the next tent. We hope it won't rain. Before going to camp we should first _ . A. think of a plan B. take some food C. take things to keep us warm D. take something for cooking and eating Answer: A. think of a plan Question: Last summer my parents and l went to Yunnan. It left us wonderful memories. If you like a spring climate ,clean air and nice views, then Yunnan is the best place for you! Day l Shanghai-Kunming Activities: Arrive in Kunming. Hotel check-in. Meals: No meals (We flew to Kunming. After our arrival in Kunming, the guide took us to our hotel by bus. Then he showed us around the shopping center for the rest of the day.) Day 2 Kunming Activities: Visit Stone Forest, Bird & Flower Market. Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch (In the Bird&Flower Market, we saw many kinds of flowers and birds as well as some traditional Chinese arts.) Day 3 Dali-Lijiang Activities: Arrive in Lijiang. Visit Lijiang Dayan Ancient City, and its famous Square Street. Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch (The Ancient City of Lijiang is known as Dayan Town. It has a long history of over 800 years.) Which is NOT right according to the passage? A. The writer spent at least three days in Yunnan last summer. B. The writer visited Lijiang Dayan Ancient City on the second day. C. The writer enjoyed himself in Yunnan last summer. D. The writer didn't travel from Shanghai to Yunnan alone. Answer: B. The writer visited Lijiang Dayan Ancient City on the second day.
On August 5 at 10:31 p.m. PST, a rover named Curiosity touched down safely on the surface of Mars, and I was lucky enough to have a front-row seat. My name is Clara, and when I was in Grade 6, I won the essay contest NASA held to name its next Mars rover. The essay I wrote was not even 250 words long, but somehow it was enough to change my life. I still remember that cold December day, sitting in a science class. I'd finished a worksheet early and decided to get a Time for Kids magazine off Mrs. Estevez's bookshelf. It was the 2008 Invention Issue, but that wasn't the only thing that caught my eye. In the magazine, there was an article about a girl who named the Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity. The article also talked about the essay contest NASA was holding to name its next Mars rover. Before I even knew anything else about it, a single word flooded my 11-year-old mind: Curiosity. I couldn't wait for the bell to ring so I could get started on my essay. That afternoon, I raced home from the bus stop, sat down at the computer and typed until my fingers ached. It turned out that I was just in time. A few days later, and the contest would have closed. Five months later, shortly after I had turned 12, I was watching a National Geographic special on mammoths when the phone rang. My mom answered, and immediately, a wide smile spread across her face. When she told me that I had won, I was happier than I could ever remember being, I screamed and ran up and down the stairs and all around the house. I completely forgot about the mammoths and did not even remember to turn off the TV until it was really late. Curiosity is such an important part of who I am. I have always been fascinated by the stars, the planets, the sky and the universe. I remember as a little girl, my grandfather and I would sit together in the backyard for hours. He'd tell me stories and point out the stars. My grandfather lived in China, thousands of miles away from my home in Kansas. I loved the stars because they kept us together even when we were apart. They were always there, yet there was so much I didn't know about them. That's what I love so much about space. No matter how much we learn, it will always possess some mystery. In the past, space exploration may have been a competition to see who got somewhere first or the fastest. But now, it is one of the few things that bring people together. Science is a language that needs no translation. It doesn't matter where you're from or what you look like - you just have to have a thirst for knowledge and a passion for learning in order to succeed. People often ask me why we go to faraway places like Mars. Why do we explore? My answer to that is simple: because we can; because we're curious; because we as human beings do not just stay holed up in one place. We are constantly wondering and trying to find out what's over the hill and beyond the horizon. The curiosity rover is more than just a robot. It is more than just a titanium body and aluminum wheels. Curiosity represents the hard work, passion, love and commitment of thousands of people from all over the world who were brought together by science. Science is so awesome. It is breathtaking and mind-blowing; and sometimes, it's just a little bit crazy. The discoveries we make about our world are incredibly humbling. They move us forward and have the potential to benefit all of mankind. This December it will be four years of my life that have been tied to Curiosity in some way. I've met so many amazing people through this experience, from scientists to engineers to administrators to volunteers. Their devotion and enthusiasm inspire me greatly. My journey with Curiosity and the MSL mission team has shaped the person that I am today, as well as the person I would one day like to become. I am deeply grateful to everyone who made it possible for me to have this amazing adventure. And to you, I hope your curiosity takes you far. Why did the writer hurry home to finish the essay for the contest NASA held? Answer: She wanted to write down what flashed through her mind in time. Throughout this long, tense election, everyone has focused on the presidential candidates and how they'll change America. Rightly so. But selfishly, I'm more fascinated by Michelle Obama and what she might be able to do, not just for this country, but for me as an African-American woman. As the potential First Lady, she would have the world's attention. And that means that for the first time people will have a chance to get up close and personal with the type of African woman they so rarely see. Usually, the lives of black women go largely unexamined. The widespread theory seems to be that we're all hot-tempered single mothers who can't keep a man. Even in the world of make-believe, black women still can't escape the stereotype of being eye-rolling, oversexed females raised by our never-married, alcoholic mothers. These images have helped define the way all black women are viewed, including Michelle Obama. Before she ever gets the chance to commit to a cause, charity or foundation as First Lady, her most urgent and perhaps most complicated duty may be simply to be herself. It won't be easy. Because few mainstream publications have done in-depth features on regular African-American women, little is known about who we are, what we think and what we face on a regular basis. For better or worse, Michelle will represent us all. Just as she will have her critics, she will have millions of fans who usually have little interest in the First Lady. Many African-American blogs have written about what they'd like to see Michelle bring to the White House -- mainly showing the world that a black woman can support her man and raise a strong black family. Michelle will have to work to please everyone -- an impossible task. But for many African-American women like me, just a little of her poise , confidence and intelligence will go a long way in changing an image that's been around far too long. What do many African-Americans write about in their blogs? Answer: What Michelle should do as wife and mother in the White House. What you see is what you eat, according to the latest study to confirm that watching TV encourages children to eat more junk food. But the researchers say there may be an easy way to stop unhealthy snacking in front of the television: put healthier food within easy reach. Leah Lipsky and Ronal Iannotti are the scientists who worked on the study, which was reported this week in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. The report says that for every hour of television children watch, they are 8% less likely to eat fruit every day, 18% more likely to eat candy, and 16% more likely to eat fast food. The reasons for the link between watching TV and eating junk food aren't surprising: young people watching TV are exposed to more advertising for unhealthy food-such as fast food-than commercials for fresh fruit and vegetables. Studies show that children who watch a lot of TV are more likely to prefer eating things that are high in sugar, salt and fat, even when they aren't watching TV. The researchers also found that some children who snacked in front of the television, however, increased the amount of fruit that they ate. It all depended on what was available and within reach. " _ ," says Lipsky. "But it suggests that if you have other choices available-and don't have the unhealthy choices available-then children might be encouraged to eat more fruit." Lipsky and Iannotti also recommend that parents _ the amount of time that children spend in front of a TV or computer-no more than two hours a day for children over two years old. According to the passage, we can infer the author believes _ . Answer: watching less TV can help children eat less junk food April 27 is Take Our Daughters to Work Day in Britain. Started at first in the United States and brought to Britain in 1994, Take Our Daughters to Work Day has become a special day for girls between 11 and 15. On that day thousands of girls take a day off school and go together with one of their parents to their work places. The purpose of this day is to broaden girls' horizons and raise their self-confidence. For many years people have thought that boys can do better than girls in society. But actually, "girls can be whatever they want to be just like boys, whether it is a pilot, a nurse or a chief executive ."says the chairman of the Our Sons and Daughters Charitable Trust, an organization which supported the activity of the Day. "Now the girls have a close look at what their parents are doing and this may help them to be more self-confident when they are faced with a choice of work." Schools and many companies support the activity too. Palmers Green High School for girls in north of London, has made the day a necessary part of careers education. Zarina Bart, 15, from Palmers Green, went with her mother Gwen to her Lawyer's office this year's Take Our Daughters to Work Day. "I learned how to fill in a legal aid form and I read details of a case. Then I went to see the actual trial." she said. Zarina found it interesting to see her mother at work. "It's really strange seeing Mum at work--running around, getting serious and telling people what to do." She has always liked this idea of going into law and thinks it likely that she will follow in her mother's footsteps. Having a chance to see how her mother works has given her more self-confidence. Experts believe that girls with higher self-confidence aim higher and are more likely to be successful in life. Parents have important effect on the confidence of teenage girls. If parents believe in their daughters and show examples both at work as well as at home for them, this will give a lot of help to girls. Take Our Daughters to Work Day is surely a step in the right direction. The writer's purpose in writing this text is to _ . Answer: introduce a special day for girls to us. Our school is very big. There are sixty classes in our school. There are about fifty students in a class. There is a television in a classroom, but there isn't a computer. There are 52 desks in my classroom. In my class there are 26 boys and 25 girls. Our library is big, too. There are many books in it. The gym is behind it, and the science labs are next to the library. Behind the gym is our dining hall. We have lunch in it. In my class there are _ students. Answer: 51
One of the most famous nursery rhymes in the English language is Mary Had a Little Lamb .It has touched many children who have read it. It is about the deep love between a young girl and her pet lamb. The poem is from a true story that happened in the early part of the 19th century in the town of Sterling, Massachusetts, in the USA. Mary Sawyer (1806-1889) lived on a farm with her family.One day, when she was about nine years old, she saw a little lamb that had just been born and left behind by its mother. It was very weak and looked as if it would die at very moment.Mary took pity on the lamb and spent the whole night looking after it. _ , it grew strong and became a very close friend with Mary, following her everywhere she went. One day, the lamb even followed Mary to school.At first she wanted to turn it back but her brother suggested that it would be fun to take the lamb to school.During the class, she hid the lamb under her desk.But when she was called to go to the front of the class, to her surprise, the lamb followed her.Though the students and the teacher thought it was funny to see a lamb at school, the teacher had to ask Mary to keep the lamb outside of the school. That very day, a young man called John Roulstone was visiting Mary's school. He was so moved by the love between the child and her little pet lamb that he wrote a poem which he handed to Mary the next day. His poem contained twelve lines. Later, Sara Josepha Hale added another twelve lines to the poem and published it in 1930 under the title "Mary Had a Little Lamb". The poem has become a classic, loved by children all over the world. The appeal of the poem lies not only in the funny idea of a sheep going to school but also in the true love between the little girl and her pet. The town of Sterling has honoured Mary's lamb by building a statue of the lamb with Mr Roulstone's poem below the statue. Which of the following statements can be inferred from the passage? A. Mary's mother was also fond of the little lamb. B. Mary wrote to John Roulstone and asked him to write the poem. C. All children were allowed to take their pets to school in America. D. Mary and the little lamb developed a very close friendship. Answer: D The German shepherd runs off and noses around in the grass of Kenya's Laikipia Plateau. "OK, Oakley," the dog's handler orders, "Find it!" Oakley sniffs until he comes to a bush, then stops, sits, and looks up at his handler. She bends to see what he has found: the waste of an endangered African wild dog. "Good dog!" she praises. The handler pulls a tennis ball from her pocket. Oakley jumps for his reward. "He doesn't actually want the waste," says Aimee Hurt, a founding member of the U.S.-based group Working Dogs for Conservation. Hurt is in Kenya to train both Oakley and his handler. "He finds it so he can play with his ball. We're the ones who want the waste." Detection dogs are sometimes taught to locate actual animals. Black-footed ferrets have been studied with their help. But more often the dogs learn to locate the waste of creatures such as bears, wolves and mountain lions. What the dogs find provides scientists with data about a species. Scientists can use the DNA collected from animal waste to identify individuals, sex, and population sizes -- all without ever seeing the animal itself. "It can take years to gather this kind of information if you have to trap animals," Hurt explains. Waste analysis might make a huge difference when wild species are accused of attacking domestic livestock . Hurt says, "A good detection dog will find the waste so we can see what the animal is actually eating." This may help reduce problems between people and wildlife. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? A. Trapping animals is not difficult. B. People are making efforts to protect the environment. C. Detection dogs attack domestic livestock frequently. D. Collecting animal waste is a good way to gather information. Answer: D Hot tea works better than cold for dissolving A. lemons B. ice C. nuts D. rocks Answer: B Success does not belong to a select group of individuals . Success belongs to those who are willing to go after it and try their best to do what they have to do. Here are some useful practical ways for you if you want to be a success. Desire. Desire is the strong wish to achieve a goal. Without desire you have nothing. Before you can run with desire, your goal must be plain, clear, and it must also be exciting. Show up. Seventy percent of success in life is showing up. You can't have a best seller, if you have never written a book. You can't get your dream job, if you're afraid to turn in an application. Showing up doesn't guarantee success, but if you don't show up, you won't succeed. Fail. Unless you're willing to have a try, fail unhappily, and have another try, success won't happen. To have success you have to do things the right way, but often the only way to do something right is to first fail at it. As Thomas J. Watson said, a simple formula for success is to double your rate of failure . So welcome failure, become a student of failure, learn from failure, and soon you will succeed. Work Harder. _ Success is not about doing what the common person can't do. It's about doing what the common person is unwilling to do. And on a deeper level, it's about creating habits that the common person is unwilling to create. It's the habit of doing things with excellence that causes success. Enjoy the Journey. Success is a journey, not a destination . Success is not a certain car or a certain house or a certain happy marriage. Success is the enjoyment of the journey. You have to enjoy the journey. Someone once said, "Unless you change how you are, you will always have what you've got." You have to change, you will change, and you will succeed. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in achieving success? A. Working hard. B. Good education. C. Strong desire. D. Enjoying failure. Answer: B The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) is launching a new campaign called Hay Fever, which aims to teach rabbit owners how to correctly feed their rabbits. Many rabbit owners wrongly take Bugs Bunny's advice and feed their rabbits an incorrect diet, according to the British animal charity. Rabbits do not naturally eat root vegetables, such as carrots, nor do they naturally eat lettuce , the charity said. The charity said that people were using these foodstuffs as major parts of a rabbit's diet, when in fact they can cause health problems. Just 8% of owners knew what to correctly feed their rabbits, according to statistics. This might explain why 11% of rabbits are suffering from tooth decay and a further 11% from digestive problems, according to research at the University of Bristol, commissioned by the RSPCA. "We want all pet rabbits to be eating hay as their main food," said Rachel Roxburgh, an animal scientist for the charity. "People also think their rabbits should eat carrots because that's what Bugs Bunny does. But he's a cartoon, real rabbits don't talk, and they shouldn't be eating carrots too often either." The RSPCA suggests giving rabbits daily handfuls of hay, around the same size as the rabbits themselves. They can also feed on grass, but not lawn clippings . To vary their diet and give them a treat, dark green vegetables are advised, including broccoli, kale and cabbage on a daily basis, as well as regular parts of commercial nuggets . What do you feed your rabbits? Are you guilty of giving them one too many carrots? Which of the following are healthy foods for pet rabbits on a daily basis? A. carrots and grass B. hay and cabbage C. lettuce and kale D. broccoli and nuggets Answer: B
Centre for Early Childhood Development & Research (CECDR) Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi June 20, 2014 The CECDR has been given permission for an ICSSR research project entitled "The Uttarakhand Disaster and Lives of Young Children & Pregnant & Lactating Mothers: An Exploratory Study of Impact, Coping & Interventions". The CECDR requires a Research Officer for the same. No of Posts - Research Officer: 1 (One) Duration - Two years (24 months) Salary - Rs. 20,000/- pm (fixed) Essential Qualifications - Post-Graduate Degree in Psychology / Social Work / Sociology / Anthropology / Child Development / Education with a Good Academic Record. Desirable: a) Previous research experience including of leading a research team b) Familiarity in working with MS Office and Statistical software c) Good conversational skills (Hindi and English, knowledge of languages spoken in Uttarakhand would be an added advantage) d) Willingness to Travel at least 15 days in a month in Uttarakhand Candidates fulfilling the above required qualifications may apply on plain paper along with their latest CV. The applications should reach "The Director, Centre for Early Childhood Development and Research" latest by July 20, 2014 either in person or by post to: Director, Centre for Early Childhood Development and Research, 1st Floor, Child Development Centre, Schools Complex, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi- 10025. Prof Zubair Meenai Director Centre for Early Childhood Development and Research Advertisement for the post of Project Assistant Applications are invited on plain paper for the post of Project Assistant (One), Rs. 14,000/- per month in an Indian National Science Academy (INSA) sponsored project entitled, "Role of small G-protein in Leishmania donovani infection", at Deptt of Biotechnology, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi-110025 under the guidance of Dr. Abdur Rub (Principle Investigator). The post is purely temporary and will continue till the continuation of the project (3 yrs). Essential qualifications: The candidates must be possessing Master Degree in Biotechnology /Biochemistry /Bioinformatics with at least 60 % aggregate. Desirable: Research experience in the field of Leishmania infection/ cell signaling/drug development etc. How to apply: Applications along with updated CV and self attested copies of the relevant documents in support of educational qualification and experiences must reach to Dr. Abdur Rub (Principle Investigator), Room No. 418, Fourth Floor, Deptt of Biotechnology, Srinivasa Ramanujan Block, Jamia Millia Islamia (A Central University), New Delhi-110025 by post/personally latest by 5th July 2014. How much can you get in the first year if you are employed as the research officer? As anybody with children knows, dining out with kids is an entirely different experience from dining out with friends. If the restaurant offers crayons , puzzles or toys of some sort, it takes a lot of the stress out of dining out with kids. Here, in no particular order, are our pick of top restaurants for kids. The Olive Garden The Olive Garden is a family favorite, especially because of the kids menu, crayons, and activity books. My daughter believes this famous Italian food chain has the "best pizza ever" on its kids menu. The kids also get to _ the famous Olive Garden bread --- a favorite for kids of all ages. The Silver Diner The Silver Diner, which has locations in New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia, gets a nod for featuring one of the most fun kids meal containers --- a heavy-duty paper car --- as well as old-fashioned, table-side jukebox selectors .The menu wins too, both for its breadth of choices, and for the number of them that are healthy. Legal Sea Foods The kids menu for popular seafood chain Legal Sea Foods is extensive and features the most choices from the sea of any kids menu we've seen. The original Boston Harborside restaurant has a small children's menu, but its other locations all have 12 kid's choices, including a pricy One Pound Lobster (or 1/2 pound), Wood-Grilled Fish of the Day, and Popcorn Shrimp selections. Ground Round This restaurant chain was a favorite of children growing up in the 1970s and early 1980s, as it served popcorn and peanuts before the meal instead of bread, and let kids throw the peanut shells on the floor. There were also cartoons and silent movies shown during dinner. Ground Round has changed with the times, but they still have delectable offerings for kids. What makes the Silver Diner different from the other restaurants for kids ? In the late 1500s, a large powerful gun was placed on top of the Signal Hill, in prefix = st1 /Newfoundland, to prevent attacks from the outside. Flags were also flown there to warn sailors of bad weather. It's fitting, then, the Italian Gulielmo Marconi should have chosen this site to receive the world's first radio signal -- in Morse code -- from England on December 12, 1901. Marconi, combining earlier ideas with his own, led us to a new communications age. For the next 50 years, until the appearance of television, radio ruled the air waves. Today, it's the TV that rules. No single person can say to have invented television. In 1884, the German Paul Nipkow invented a device that sent pictures mechanically , and in 1906, Boris Rosing, a Russian, used a ray and a disc to create the world's first TV system. Then in the early 1920s, another Russian, Vladimir Zworykin,invented a picture display tube. He took out a patent for color1 TV, even though it wouldn't be developed for another 25 years. In 1924, a Scot entered the scene -- John Logie Baird. He first succeeded in sending a moving picture and a year later got the first actual TV picture. In 1926, Baird showed TV in aLondonlaboratory. Two years later inNew York, Felix the Cat became the first TV star. TV excited everyone's imagination, but hardly anyone had a set, with just two thousand in use worldwide in the mid-1930s. Since the late 1940s, TV technology has developed very quickly. Computers may finally be combined with all televisions to give people a total all-in-one communications network. Today, it's possible to sit and watch TV in the middle of a forest or in the Arctic. It's surprising when one considers that Marconi was on Signal Hill in the same century. We can learn from the text that Signal Hill was once used as _ . Which is an example of a physical change? One day Tom was playing with his younger brother Paul beside the well near their home. Suddenly Tom fell down the well. Paul was frightened. Their parents were not at home. Their father was working in the factory and their mother was helping a neighbor. Tom called his younger brother, Paul. Paul looked at the bottom of the well and saw his brother standing in the water of the well. Tom was five feet tall and the water was only three feet deep. Paul was glad to see his brother safe in the well. Then he ran home and brought a long rope. He was only six and not very strong, so he could not pull Tom out. He was thinking hard and finally had a good idea. He tied one end of the rope to a tree and threw the other end to his brother in the well. Then Tom climbed up the rope and got out of the well. He thanked his brother first and went home to exchange his wet clothes. Tom was _ .
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park will open in Florida in 2009,and will provide attractions and rides based on places from the Harry Potter books. The novels' author JK Rowling has already given her blessing to the project. She said,"The plans I've seen look unbelievably exciting, and I don't think fans of the books or films will be disappointed." Stuart Craig, the man in charge of the design of the park, is an Oscar-winning production designer who worked on the Harry Potter films so it should be faithful to JK Rowling's vision. Stuart Craig said, "Our primary goal is to make sure this experience is an authentic extension of Harry Potter's world as it is _ in the books and films." Visitors to the park will be able to explore some of their favourite places from the book such as the village of Hogsmeade, the Forbidden Forest and, of course, Hogwarts Castle, where Harry goes to school. Although fans can look forward to a holiday in the Harry Potter theme park, many will be saddened by the fact that the best-selling series is now drawing to a close. The final instalment in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, will be published on 21 July, and to mark the event JK Rowling is to read extracts from the book to a select audience at midnight on the day of publication. Rowling has announced that two characters die in the final book, but has not revealed if Harry is one of them so fans will have to wait to find out the fate of their magical hero. What's the novel's author JK Rowling's attitude to the theme park? A Not as good as the book. B It will be well received. C Not satisfied with the places shown in the park. D Saddened. Answer: B. It will be well received. One day, a physically-deformed man came to our college and on his back was a notice saying, "Free shoe repairing for college students". Repairing shoes for free? Most of us didn't believe it, and some even thought that it was just a device to the students who would have to pay for shoes once they had been repaired. But the man just smiled and said, "Save your money to buy some books." These words really surprised me and I talked with him, "You need to make a living. Why do you repair shoes for us for free?" He answered, while keeping on working, "I'm an illiterate , but I know how important knowledge is for everyone. So I'd like to serve the students like you. I hope you can do well in your studies. In my opinion, money isn't everything in life." After the chat, I felt he was great compared with me. He, a physically-deformed man who couldn't walk without a wheelchair, still tried his best to devote himself to society. I would like to thank him because he gave me a new direction in my life, and taught me what the true value of life is. ,. Which of the following word has the similar meaning to the word "physically-deformed"? A sick B disabled C blind D deaf Answer: B. disabled German academics believe they have solved the centuries-old mystery of the "Mona Lisa" in Leonardo ad Vinci's famous portrait . Lisa Gherardini, the wife of a wealthy Florentine merchant, Francesco del Giocondo, has long been seen as the most likely model for the sixteenth-century painting. Art historians have wondered whether the smiling woman may actually have been da Vinci's lover or mother, or the artist himself. Now experts at the prefix = st1 /HeidelbergUniversitylibrary say old notes made in a book by its owner in October, 1503, confirm that Lisa del Giocondo was indeed the model for the famous portrait in the world. "All doubts about the identity of the Mona Lisa have been removed by a discovery by Dr. Armin Schlechter," the library said in a statement on Monday. "Until then, only 'scant evidence' from sixteenth-century documents had been available. These had left lots of room for doubt, and many different identities were put forward." The comments compare Leonardo to the ancient Greek artist Apelles, and say he was working on three paintings at that time, one of which was a portrait of Lisa del Giocondo. Art experts say the Heidelbergdiscovery is a break-through, and the earliest mention linking the merchant's wife to the portrait. Before this discovery the earliest link dated from around 1550, and was made by Italian official Giorgio Vasari, the library said, adding that there had been doubts about Vasari's reliability. The Heidelbergnotes were actually discovered over two year's ago in the library by Schlechter, a spokeswoman said. Although the findings were published in the library's catalogue, they were not widely publicized, and received little attention until a German broadcaster decided to do some recording there, she said. Why was the Heidelbergdiscovery a breakthrough? A Because it was made by many experts. B Because it got rid of all doubts. C Because it definitely connected the merchant's wife to the portrait. D Because it identified when the portrait was finished. Answer: C. Because it definitely connected the merchant's wife to the portrait. Jim wanted to go eat some pizza. He was a giant. He had eaten a hot dog and some carrots earlier that day, but it had been a long time. He was very hungry after a hard day of playing with his kitty. But Jim had a problem, he did know where he was. While playing with his kitten, he had left his yard and wandered into the deep woods that were near his house. It was getting dark outside, and Jim the giant was scared. He was also hungry. It had been a long time since Jim had eaten. Also, it was becoming cold, and Jim had left his jacket on the ground. There was some joy from the fact that he had his kitty. His name was Bob, and was riding around on his shoulder. Still, Jim needed to find his way out of the woods fast. It was at this time that Jim remembered that he had a flashlight in his pocket. With his flashlight, Jim could see the woods, and spot his house off in this distance. He ran home fast. Once he was home, Jim put down his kitty, and ordered a pizza. He was safe. He called his friends Steve and Adam to tell them about his big adventure, and sat down to play with his kitty Bob. What was the name of Jim's kitty? A Jim B Steve C Bob D Adam Answer: C. Bob In the United States, many low income parents cannot afford to buy enough food for their children. A program called Kids Cafe is helping some of these children by providing free nutritious snacks and meals during after-school programs. At a community center in Virginia just outside of Washington, D.C., children make a snack as part of their afterschool program. "The snack is very healthy for your body, but the main thing is that it tastes really, really good," Keith Clements tells them. He runs the Kids Cafe program. The children are between the ages of 5 and 11 and are from several local schools. About half have parents from Ethiopia. Many of the children eat their traditional food at home. Kids Cafe, with food offered free by a food bank, gives them an opportunity to try different types of food. "It's good," says one girl. But Rebecca Nance, whose parents are from the US, is not so sure. "The taste is weird." Her mother, Daffany Nance has two children in the program. She's glad her kids are getting nutritious food. "Even in my house we don't have much junk food," she says, "so it's very important that it's healthy and continues to help them grow better." The charity , Feeding America, started the national Kids Cafe program in 1993. The charity says more than 16 million children in the United States do not have enough healthy food to eat. Kids Cafe became part of the afterschool program at this community center five years ago. Lori McFail heads the afterschool program. She says some children do not eat good evening meals because their parents work late or cannot afford healthy food. She hopes the children will make full use of what they've learned about nutrition in their lives. What is the purpose of starting Kids Cafe? A To provide poor children with nutritious food. B To raise money for some poor children. C To develop the afterschool program. D To help poor children learn new skills. Answer: A. To provide poor children with nutritious food.
Dear Dr. Know I am unhappy these days. I am a student in Grade 3 of a middle school. I want to be a policewoman in the future . But my mother doesn't like the job. She always says it is too dangerous for a girl to work as a policewoman. She thinks girls should work in the office. She hopes that I can work as a doctor. But I really dislike being a doctor. It's terrible for me to work in the hospital. When I talk with her about it, she is often angry. She always thinks she is right. I don't know what to do. Can you help me? Nancy, Chongqing Why doesn't Nancy's mother like the job as a policewoman? Answer: Because it's too dangerous. Most young people enjoy some form of physical activity. It may be walking, cycling, swimming or in winter, skating or skiing. It may be a game of some forms - football, basketball, hockey, golf of tennis. It may be mountaineering. Those who have a _ for climbing high and difficult mountains are often looked up with astonishment. Why are men and women willing to suffer cold and hardship, and to take risks in high mountains? This astonishment is caused, probably, by the difference between mountaineering and other forms of activity to which men give their leisure . Mountaineering is a sport and not a game. There are no man - made rules, as there are for such games as golf and football. There are, of course, rules of different kind which it would be dangerous to ignore, but it is this freedom from man - made rules that makes mountaineering attractive to any people. Those who climb mountains are free to use their own methods, but the sport requires high mental and physical qualities. A mountain climber continues to improve in skill year after year. A skier is probably past his best by the age of thirty, and most international tennis champions are in their early twenties. But it is not unusual for men of fifty or sixty to climb the highest mountains in the Alps. They may take more time than younger men, but they certainly experience equal enjoyment. What movements are popular among people in winter in the passage? Answer: Skiing and skating Climbing Mount Everest, the world's highest mountain, just became more challenging. The government of Nepal is telling climbers they cannot leave rubbish on the trails . Each climber will have to come down the mountain with at least 18 pounds of garbage. That's the average amount of rubbish a climber leaves behind on Everest. Officials say climbers are responsible for their own rubbish. "We are not asking climbers to pick up rubbish left by someone else," said Maddhu Sudan Burlakoti, who works for the Nepal Tourism Ministry. "We just want them to bring back what they took up." More than 4,000 people have reached the 29,035-foot mountain top in the past 60 years. Leaving rubbish along the way helps climbers keep their bags light so they have energy to reach the top. "The rubbish problem in Mount Everest is not new," Burlakoti says. "When the people started to climb the mountain, they started to leave their garbage there." They have left behind cans, tents, food wrappers, and equipment. Last year, climbers carried down a total of four tons of rubbish. The new rule came into effect in April of 2014. To make sure it is followed, climbers will have to deposit money before the climb. Once they climb back down the mountain, officials will check climbers at a return camp to make sure they have the required 18 pounds of rubbish. If they do, their money will be returned to them. If they do not, climbers will not receive their deposit and they will not be given a permit the next time they want to climb Everest. The goal is to make sure no more litter will be left on Everest, which has earned the nickname the World's Highest Dustbin. "As we offer Mount Everest to all the people of the world they should take responsibility to clean it," Burlakoti says, "After seeing the results from this, we will extend this rule to other mountains also." Why was a new rule made? Answer: Mount Everest was considered to be a big dustbin. what affects an organisms acquired characteristics? Answer: its immediate surroundings XUE Bai, a 21-year-old university student, hopes to volunteer for Beijing's 2008 Olympics. "I want to do something for the Olympics. It is also a kind of learning for me," said the fourth-year student at Beijing Foreign Studies University. Now it is time for Xue to act on her plan. The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the 2008 Olympiad will start to recruit volunteers on August 28. The Olympics will need around 70,000 volunteers and the Paralympic Games will need another 30,000. University students like Xue will make up the majority of the volunteers. But the Olympics also need other volunteers - ordinary citizens and foreigners, for example. Students in Beijing should apply through their universities. Other volunteers may apply online or submit a written application. The online application system and a hotline will be open next Monday. For applicants outside Beijing, the application process begins in December. There is plenty of work for volunteers to do. For example, there will be chances to help publicize the games over the next two years. During the games themselves, volunteers will clean, serve food, marshal or offer language help. The Sydney Olympics in 2000 was the first that placed special emphasis on the role of volunteers. It used more than 45,000 volunteers in different roles. In the 2004 Athens Olympics, around 45,000 volunteers were used. More than 70,000 volunteers will be needed for the Olympic games and Paralympic Games in 2012, the London Olympic Organizing Committee has said. It is estimated that volunteers for Beijing's 2008 Olympics are mainly _ . Answer: university students
Every day, about one-quarter of American adults eat at fast-food restaurants. Cheap, tasty, and convenient, fast food is rich in fat and calories, and it's low in fiber and nutrients. Thanks in large part to fast food, half of America's adults and one-quarter of its children are fat, double the rate of a generation ago. In the past two decades, eating habits have changed as people pay more attention to their health. However, many Americans continue to eat red meat (beef in particular) as well as pork, chicken and other foods. Although beer and wine are popular in most areas, many Americans _ alcohol, because they think they will become healthier without drinking it. Various kinds of mineral water are commonly available. Eating styles and habits vary between people of different backgrounds, but Americans generally eat with the fork in the hand with which they write. A knife is used for cutting and spreading; otherwise, it is laid on the plate or table. Fast foods, such as chips, fried chicken, hamburgers, and pizza, tend to be eaten with the fingers. There is an obvious difference between what people may do at home or in a fast-food restaurant, and how they act in a more formal restaurant. Because both parents often work outside the home, some Americans are less likely to sit down as a family to eat once the children are older and able to prepare their own food or serve themselves. We can infer from the passage _ . Answer: some fast foods aren' t eaten with tools in America Use the information below to answer the question. Each organism on Earth is a part of a complex relationship with other organisms. This relationship is called a food web. The following organisms are part of a food web typically located in and around a reservoir. algae fish rabbit eagle pine tree grass field mouse Which member of the food web is a carnivore? Answer: eagle "Life is speeding up . Everyone is getting unwell." This may sound like something someone would say today. But in fact, an unknown person wrote it. Inventions can change our lives. But have all these things really improved our lives? Imagine this. You're doing your homework on the computer. Your mobile phone rings and the noise from the television is getting louder and louder. Suddenly the computer is turned off and you lose all your work. How do you feel? Inventions have speeded up our lives, but they often leave us feeling tired. One family in England went "back in time" to see what life was like without these inventions. The grandparents, with their daughter and grandsons Ben 10 and Tom 7, spent nine weeks in an old house. They had no computers or mobile phones. The grandmother, Linda, said, "The more things you have, the harder life becomes." And Ben also noticed that his grandmother had changed. She cooked delicious food for them! ,. The passage is mainly about _ . Answer: problems with technology Pam and Dora own adjoining lots in the central portion of a city. Each of their lots had an office building. Dora decided to raze the existing building on her lot and to erect a building of greater height, and she received all governmental approvals required to pursue her project. There is no applicable statute or ordinance (other than those dealing with various approvals for zoning, building, etc.)"Assume that no problems with subsidence or other misadventures occurred during construction of Dora's new building. However, when it was completed, Pam discovered that the shadow created by the new higher building placed her building in such deep shade that her ability to lease space was diminished and that the rent she could charge and the occupancy rate were substantially lower. Assume that these facts are proved in an appropriate action Pam instituted against Dora for all and any relief available. Which of the following is the most appropriate comment concerning this lawsuit? Answer: Judgment should be for Dora, because Pam has no cause of action. Alexis was _ and tired. With rage in her voice she shouted, "Pull me up!I give up, I hate this. This is stupid!" It was at that moment when Jason, the adviser on the trip, looked at me and said, "Ed, I'm going to go down and talk with her." I then shouted down to Alexis, "Hold on! You can do this. We know you can!" Jason grasped another rope, put his climbing harness on and began to repel down the cliff. Within moments Jason was beside Alexis. She had her cheek directly against the face of the rock with her feet barely resting on a small piece of the cliff that jetted outward. Jason said to Alexis, "I know that you have been on this cliff now for what seems like a long time. Your feet and fingers are cramping up and your forearms feel as though they are on fire. But , Alexis, you are strong, look how far up you are already. You have taken one of the more difficult paths up the cliff. Look Alexis, look at the path you have taken." At that moment, Alexis moved her cheek away from the rock face and looked down. The bright white chalk she used on her hands to give her a better hold, showed the path where her tired hands had moved her upward on the cliff. Jason was right. Alexis had taken the hardest way up the cliff. Jason then looked straight into Alexis' eyes and in a calm voice he said, "You are not alone out here, there are people who care about you, who want to help you and see you succeed. We are going to do this together. Are you ready?" Slowly she shook her head yes and took a deep breath. We can infer from the passage that _ . Answer: Alexis successfully rock climbed
As a funny student, Brian loved watching comedies best and hoped to become a comedy actor one day. When he heard about the talent show to be held at this school, Brian decided to take part in it. He had never acted in public before, and he was very excited. But some students laughed at him. "You are not funny but silly," Ken, one of his classmates, said to his face. "No one will like what you do," another boy also said to him, loudly. Brian couldn't understand why they were so unkind to him. For a moment, he thought about giving up the show. But he remembered how much his friends liked his jokes, and also his teachers said he was very funny. So he decided to prepare for the show. Brian did a great job at the talent show. Everyone loved his performance , and he won the first prize! His teachers and friends were proud of him. Even so, Ken told Brian that he was not funny, and that he would never be successful. Brian didn't understand why Ken said so, but he realized that it had nothing to do with him. He confidently continued to work towards his dream. As the years went on, Brian met more people like Ken. "You'll do a terrible job," they said to him. Luckily, most people encouraged him and some helped him to become even funnier. He got a lot of chances to perform in movies. He was even invited to appear on television. His fans thanked him because his comedies made them feel good when they were unhappy. Now Brian is a big comedy star! He is doing what he loves best. He never feels worried like those unkind people, and he laughs all day long! What did Brian do after winning the first prize? Answer: He went on working hard. My grandfather was a teacher. He was the headmaster of a school for boys between the ages of thirteen and eighteen. I know that he was a kind and gentle man at heart, because when I was young (and he was old), he gave me presents and seated me on his knees, and told me stories. But I believe the boys at his school were afraid of him. At school, when he walked into a classroom full of noisy boys, those boys went red in the faces, and looked down at their shoes. If a boy brought him poor, careless work, which was not the best that boys could do, my grandfather picked up the boy's work and threw it across the classroom, shouting, "Do it all again, and bring it back early in the morning!" If the boy was late, or if he forgot to bring the work, he had to do it again. My grandfather never forgot. He was a very different man at school, from the man I saw day by day in his own home. My grandfather didn't like to receive _ . Answer: work that was not as good as the boys could do There are four seasons in China.March, April and May make the spring.June, July and August make the summer season.September, October and November make the autumn season.The rest of months make the winter season. The Australia seasons are the opposite of ours.When it's spring in China, it is autumn in Australia. Australia is in the south of the earth.June, July and August are the winter months.The summer is in December, January and February.It's very hot there, too. Near the North Pole there are two seasons.The winter nights are long.For more than two months you can't see the sun, even at noon.The summer days are long.For more that two months, the sun never sets , and there's no night. _ in winter near the North Pole. Answer: The days are shorter than the nights One day a tiger caught a fox in the forest . Before the tiger eat him , the fox said, "You can't eat me, I'm king of the forest. If you eat me , all the other animals in the forest will be angry with you." The tiger didn't believe him. The fox said, "If you don't believe me, then take a walk with me in the forest. You can see whether they are afraid of me." The tiger thought it was a good idea, so they started together. The fox walked in front and the tiger went behind. When the other animals saw the tiger coming, they ran away as fast as they could. The fox called out, " Mr Tiger, you see, all the animals are afraid of me." The tiger said, "Yes, you are quite right." He let the fox go . When the other animals saw the tiger, they _ Answer: ran off One of the problems career people have in the morning is dressing for the office when there will be an evening party immediately followed, with no time to return home to change. The easiest solution is to keep a full set of toiletries and make-ups stored somewhere at the office. A woman going to an evening party should dress in one of her "basic dresses" in the morning--the kind that can change into a different look with an added scarf or jewelry. In fifteen minutes, when her office day has ended, she can metamorphose herself into another person with freshly cleaned teeth, combed hair, a new face, a different and dressier pair of shoes, and some sparkling jewelry. If she must wear a long dress for the party, she should bring it to the office in a protective bag and store it safely until she has to put it on. If a woman is going to a party, she should wear _ in the morning. Answer: a "basic dress"
When I was fifteen months old.I fell on a glass rabbit which cut my eye badly enough to blind it.And as I grew,this sightless eye , in so many ways controlled me that I walked with my face looking at the floor so people would not see the ugly me. Yet Mama would hold me in her arms and stroke my hair and say,"If you hold your head up high,it will be OK.And people will see your beautiful soul."She continued this message whenever I wanted to hide. As a little child,I thought Mama meant,"Be careful or you will fall down or bump into something because you are not looking."As a teenager, I found that my mama's words helped me begin to realize that by letting people look at my face,I let them recognize the intelligence and beauty behind my eyes. In high school I was successful both academically and socially.I was even elected class president,but inside me I still felt like a freak .When things got really bad,I would cry to my mama and she would look at me with loving eyes and say, "Hold your head up high and face the world.Let them see the beauty that is inside." When I met the man who became my partner for life,we looked each other straight in the eye,and he told me I was beautiful inside and out.Mama's love and encouragement were the spark that gave me the confidence to overcome my own doubt. "Hold your head up high" has been heard many times in my home.Each of my children has felt its _ .The gift my mama gave me lives on in another generation. What is TRUE of the writer's eyes? A. She was blind in one eye when she was born. B. Her blindness was caused by a traffic accident. C. She became blind in one eye because of a fall. D. She lives unhappily because of her blindness. Answer: C. She became blind in one eye because of a fall. We know more about the surface of the planet Mars than we know about what is at the bottom of Earth's oceans. Until recently, scientists had mapped only about 20 percent of the sea floor. But our knowledge of the deep seas is changing because of information from satellites. Scientists have produced a new map that provides a detailed picture of the oceans. The map is expected to help oceanographers, industry and governments. The new map is twice as detailed as the map made 20 years ago. David Sandwell is a geophysics professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California. He and other scientists worked on the mapping project. He says they turned to space to look deeper into the ocean. He spoke to VOA on SKYPE. "The way we're doing that is to use a satellite altimeter , a radar to map the topography of the ocean surface. Now that seems sort of strange that you'd map the topography of the ocean surface when you really want to get at the sea floor. But, the ocean surface topography has these bumps and dips due to gravitational effects that mimic what's on the sea floor." The scientists collected and studied information from two satellites. Some of the data came from the European Space Agency's Cryo-2 satellite. It was placed in Earth's orbit to watch sea ice. The other satellite is the American space agency's Jason-1. It is studying the surface of the oceans. Scientists combined the satellite data with images gathered by sonar equipment on ships. Sonar works by sending sound waves through the water. When the sound waves hit an object, its presence is confirmed. "That enables us to look at smaller-scale features and also features that are buried by sediments in the ocean basins." The new map shows the sea floor as it has never been seen before. It shows thousands of underwater mountains and places where continents pulled apart. It shows where earthquakes were active many years ago. They all are buried deep underneath the ocean floor. In one place, three mountain ridges join at the same area. Huge tectonic plates can be seen clearly there. Scientists collected and studied information by _ . A. the European Space Agency's Cryo-2 satellite B. the American space agency's Jason-1 C. sonar equipment on ships D. the Cryo-2 and the Jason-1 Answer: D. the Cryo-2 and the Jason-1 When I heard the piano, I walked to Mrs. Windsor's house and waited outside as I always did. That meant she was working with another student, and I was not supposed to bother them by ringing the bell. I stood against the wall and daydreamed what I'd rather be doing. "Almost anything", I sighed _ . I had been tutored enough to read, understand, and even write some musical compositions, but I just didn't have a gift for it. It didn't come to me naturally. I thought back to happier times when I was writing stories and acting them out with my friends, cutting up old clothes to make dresses that performers wear in plays, and building scenery out of old things we found. But Mrs. Windsor had offered to give me the lessons for free, so I felt my duty to try. The door opened and Wendy Barton came out. I walked in, sat down on the piano bench and began to sort through my sheet music. "Hello," I heard a voice behind me say softly. I turned around to see a little girl standing behind me, eating an apple. But before I could make any response, Mrs. Windsor walked into the room in her usual urgent manner and announced,"Jennifer, this is my niece, Pasha. Pasha, this is Jennifer. Pasha will be giving you your lesson today. I'm up to my ears in something else!" she then exited to the kitchen. Pasha set her apple down on the side table and slid beside me on the piano bench. "What piece do you like best?"she asked. "What do you mean?" I asked. "They're all the same to me. I don't know. "You mean you don't have a favorite?" "No, not really." Pasha looked at me, rather puzzled, then opened my sheet music to the beginning page and asked me to play. I arranged my fingers on the keys and studied the notes on the page for a moment. Then I frowned and concentrated to make the notes on the page match the finger movements. I have to admit I was a rather mechanical pianist. After about a page or two, Pasha gently put her hand on top of mine as if to calm my fingers. There was a long pause. "What are you hearing in the music?" I looked at her rather strangely and admitted I didn't know what she meant. "Like a story. What story is being playing out within the music?" "I guess I've never thought about it before. I don't know." "Here, let me try and you listen," Pasha advised. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting her fingers dance lightly over the keys. Then, she began to play. "See, it begins here beside some kind of river. Hear the water flowing beside you?" Her fingers rose and fell gently on the keys."Now the princess appears and she's picking flowers from the water's edge."A carefree, happy piece of music filled the air in time to Pasha's dancing fingers. "Oh, but she slips!"The music changed. "And our princess is being carried off by the fast-flowing stream. Quickly, the princess's horse sees her plight ," Pasha continued, and races to the river's edge where he swims out to let her catch hold of him. They make it to the bank and she hugs her faithful horse and swears she will never again wear princess skirts that weigh her down. She will only wear jeans and T-shirt from now on." Pasha finished with a big smile and then looked at me. "Aren't you the girl who tells the stories?" she asked. "I guess. I do tell a lot of stories." "Oh, yes! All the kids talk about them. I've heard about you. Well, all you have to do is learn to hear the stories in the music. That's all there is to it." "I've never thought it that way." "Let's try another one, shall we?"Pasha smiled and together we played that afternoon, finding the stories in the music and learning that sometimes it takes a friend to pull you out of the river onto dry land again. By describing herself as a mechanical pianist, the author showed _ A. she could remember the notes in a short time B. she was playing the piano without thinking C. Pasha was showing off her skills D. it had been a long time since she played last time Answer: B. she was playing the piano without thinking Last week, I was invited to a doctor's meeting at the Ruth Hospital. In one of the rooms a patient, an old man, got up from his bed and moved slowly towards me. I could see that he hadn't long to live, but he came up to me and placed his right foot close to mine on the floor. "Frank!" I cried in surprise. He couldn't answer, as I knew, but he tried to smile, all the time keeping his foot close to mine. My thoughts raced back more than thirty years - to the dark days of 1941, when I was a student in London. The scene was an air-raid shelter , in which I and about a hundred other people slept every night. Among them were Mrs West and her son Frank, who lived nearby. Sharing wartime problems, we got to know each other very well. Frank interested me because he was not normal. He had never been normal, ever since he was born. His mother told me he was 37 then, but he had less of a mind than a baby has. Mrs West, then about 75, was a strong, able woman, as she had to be, of course, because Frank depended on her completely. He needed all the attention of a baby. One night a policeman came into our shelter and told Mrs West that her house had been all destroyed. That wasn't quite true, because the Wests went on living there for quite some time. But they certainly lost nearly everything they owned. When that kind of thing happened, the rest of us helped the unlucky ones. So before we separated that morning, I stood beside Frank and measured my right foot against his. They were about the same size. That night, then, I took a spare pair of shoes to the shelter for Frank. As soon as he saw me, he came running - and paced his right foot against mine. After that, he always greeted me in the same way. How did the writer know that the patient was Frank? A. He was told that Frank was in the hospital. B. He was invited to study Frank's illness. C. Frank's name was written on the door. D. Frank greeted him in a special way. Answer: D. Frank greeted him in a special way. A judge was working in his room one day when a neighbour ran in and said, "If one man's cow kills another's, is the owner of the first cow responsible?" "It depends," answered the judge. "Well," said the man, your cow has killed mine. "Oh," answered the judge. "Everyone knows that a cow cannot think like a man, so a cow is not responsible, and that means that its owner is not responsible either." "I am sorry, Judge," said the man. "I made a mistake. I meant that my cow killed yours." The judge thought for a few seconds and then said," When I think about it more carefully, this case is not as easy as I thought at first. "And then he turned to his clerk and said, "Please bring me that big black book from the shelf behind you." In this story the judge was _ . A. a clever judge B. a humorist C. unfair D. foolish Answer: C. unfair
When shopping in a store, I met a boy. When I saw him waving his hands excitedly in the air and shouting in a loud voice, " Mommy, I'm here," I knew he was mentally challenged. I asked his name and he said proudly, " My name is Denny and I'm shopping with my mother." "Wow," I said, " That's a cool name. How old are you, Denny?" " How old am I now, Mommy?" he asked his mother. " You're fifteen years old, Denny; now be a good boy and let the man pass by." I continued to talk to Denny for several more minutes about summer, bicycles and school. _ Denny's mom thanked me for talking with her son. She told me that most people wouldn't even look at him, let alone talk to him. I told her that it was my pleasure and then I said, " There are plenty of red, yellow, and pink roses in the garden, however, 'Blue roses'are very _ and should be appreciated for their beauty and distinctiveness . Denny is a 'Blue ses'and if someone doesn't stop and smell that rose with their heart and kindness, then they've missed a chance to appreciate the beauty." She was silent for a second, and then went away with tears in her eyes. What do you think of the writer? Answer: Who won China's first gold medal at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics? It was Li Jianrou. The 27-year-old finished first in the women's 500m short track speed skating on Feb 13. The race was full of drama. Three athletes fell over because of an accident caused by Elise Christie of Britain in the second turn and Li became the surprise winner. Three-time defending champion Wang Meng of China missed the Olympics after breaking her ankle last month. Li had little experience in the race, where getting off to a quick Start is important. But she kept her cool while everyone else was falling around her. "I feel very lucky," Li said through a translator. She and one of her coaches cried tears of joy after China joined South Korea as the only countries to win the same short track event four Olympics in a row. The Koreans won the 3,000 relay in 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2006. "I cried because I was so excited," Li said. "My coach told me this medal is for Wang Meng as well, so I felt very moved." Li's victory made up for the surprising fall of teammate Fan Kexin in the semifinals. In the semis, Fan didn't even complete the first lap of the race, catching her left blade as she skated near the front. She crashed on all fours into the crew of workers who maintain the ice between races. They climbed onto the top of the pads to avoid being injured by Fan's long, sharp blades. Arianna Fontana of Italy took the silver and Park Seung-hi of South Korea earned the bronze. Which country won the women's 500m short track event 4 Olympics in a row as well as China? Answer: The most important holiday in spring, especially for Christians, is Easter. This Christian holiday is not on the same date every year,but it's always on a Sunday. It can be any Sunday between March 22 and April 25. Many people celebrate Easter by buying new clothes. Children celebrate by hunting for colored eggs that their parents have hidden around the house. People also give Easter baskets filled with candy and other goodies to one another to celebrate the day. But the holiday is more than new clothes and good things to eat. On Easter, many people go to church to celebrate Jesus' resurrection from the dead. Most people color Easter eggs. Some people hide them. Others just eat them. But no matter what one does with Easter eggs,they are an important Easter tradition throughout the Western world. People from many different cultures celebrate Easter. In both America and Belgium, children look for Easter eggs hidden on lawns and in bushes. In America, children believe the eggs are hidden by the Easter bunny .But in Belgium, the hidden eggs are supposed to have fallen from church bells. In Bulgaria , red Easter eggs are lucky in churches. Bulgarian families also hit these Easter eggs together to see whose is the strongest. The winner looks forward to good fortune that year. Still dozens of other Easter traditions exist. In parts of Austria,for example,children sing from door to door and are rewarded with colorful eggs. For Christians the more important thing to do on Easter is _ . Answer: There once was a woman named Mary. Mary's best friend was a dog named Buddy. Mary and Buddy went everywhere together. They had a lot in common. They both liked to play games like fetch and hide and seek. Neither of them liked to take a bath. Mary and Buddy enjoyed smelling flowers and eating hamburgers. But they also were very different from one another. For one thing, Buddy was a dog! Buddy liked talking to strangers and visiting new places. But Mary was shy. One day a man named John came by. Mary hid behind a tree when she saw him. Buddy tried to tell her it was okay, but she was too scared to listen. So Buddy went out to say hello to John. John was very nice and he liked the same games as Buddy. Mary watched Buddy chase after a ball John threw. She could tell John was a nice man. She wanted to play too. Buddy saw her watching and led his new friend over to Mary. John waved to Mary and brought her a flower. Mary smiled at him. She thought he was very kind and she wasn't as nervous as before. Buddy barked happily. Yay for new friends! What did Buddy, Mary and John like to do? Answer: Do you know that women's brains are smaller than men's? Normally the women's brain weighs 10% less than men's. Since research has shown that the bigger the brain, the cleverer the animal, men must be more intelligent than women. Right? Wrong. Men and women always score similarly on intelligence tests, despite the difference in brain size. Why? After years of study, researchers have concluded that it's what's inside that matters, not just the size of the brain. The brain is made up of "grey matter" and "white matter". While men have more of the white matter, the amount of "thinking" brain is almost the same in both men and women. It has been suggested that smaller brain appears to work faster, perhaps because the two sides of the brain are better connected in women. This means that little girls may learn to speak earlier, and that women can understand sorts of different information at the same time. When it comes to talking to the boss on the phone, cooking dinner and keeping an eye on the baby all at the same time, it's women who come out on top every time. There are other important differences between two sexes . As white matter is the key to spatial tasks, men know better where things are in relation to other things. "A great footballer always knows where he is in relation to the other players, and he knows where to go," says one researcher. That may explain one of life's great mysteries: why men refuse to ask for directions ... and women often need to! The differences begin when fetuses are about nine weeks old, which can be seen in the action of children when they are very young. A boy would try to climb a barrier before him or push it down while a girl would ask for help from others. These brain differences also explain the fact that more men take up jobs that require good spatial skills, while more women speech skills. It may all go back to our ancestors, among whom women needed speech skills to take care of their babies and men needed spatial skills to hunt, according to one research. The passage is mainly about _ . Answer:
Question: 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. .What lesson has the author learnt from his experience? A. Learning form parents is necessary. B. Jumping to a conclusion is dangerous. C. Telling the truth may not always be the best solution. D. Selecting pleasant words may not be the perfect policy. Answer: C. Telling the truth may not always be the best solution. Question: I remember the first time that I was extremely happy. I was about 8 years old when for the first time, there was a computer in the classroom. I remember that my teacher allowed each student to take turns playing various educational games on the computer. One day, I found the source code for one of these games. Without knowing or being taught any programming language, I was able to figure out some _ of the BASIC code. Anyone who knows a bit of programming can tell you that I just give myself an infinite number of lives in the game, so I can continue playing forever. This was also my first introduction to algebra , and I didn't even know it at the time. This was a decisive moment in my life. For the first time that I can remember, I was quite happy because of what I was learning and what I was able to do. As a result, I became enthusiastic for the rest of my life about self-learning and computers, and I was quite happy doing them, too. I've noticed that people who are truly content with life are enthusiastic in what they do. This enthusiasm, along with good health, is the key to being happy. It also leads to self-confidence and fulfillment in life, too. It may also lead to success, wealth, and achievements. Yes, success, wealth, or achievements seem to bring some people happiness, too. Yet, I don't think they can indeed make people happy. I know plenty of people who are successful and wealthy. However, I also know several of the people with successful businesses are not happy with what they are doing. I know people who continuously buy themselves new toys, cars, computers, and televisions, yet they never seem content for too long. Please remember that happiness comes from enthusiasm, and happiness is the journey of life, not the destination. What did the writer's teacher ask the students to do on the computer? A. To play various educational games. B. To figure out the BASIC code. C. To get the knowledge of algebra. D. To read some latest news. Answer: A. To play various educational games. Question: 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? What kind of picture does Mike draw? A. He often draws pictures with black B. He often draws very colorful pictures C. He draws pictures with only a few colors D. He never draws beautiful pictures Answer: B. He often draws very colorful pictures Question: We have all heard the old phrase "attitude is everything", and that phrase is certainly true.Your attitude can have a great impact on your personal motivation, so it is important to keep a positive attitude no matter what challenges you face. As a matter of fact, keeping your attitude positive in the face of difficulties is the motivation tip that most successful business owners will tell you.The most successful business owners, from Sam Walton to Bill Gates, have all been able to triumph in the face of unpleasant situations.It is those successful business owners who tell you that attitude is everything.But how you deal with that knowledge will determine your level of success. One of the most important ways to carry out "attitude is everything" is to observe who you associate with and who you surround yourself with.That is because when you surround yourself with negative people, their negative attitudes will infect you.So keeping your associates, colleagues, co-workers and friends as positive as possible is a great way to put the phrase "attitude is everything" into practice. Whatever you decide to do in life, your attitude will have a great effect on the success you achieve.Success , whether in the world of business or in your personal life, is directly related to your attitude, and the attitude you bring to your work.A positive attitude will help you achieve greater success in your job, no matter what your current level of employment. According to the text, Sam Walton _ . A. is more successful than Bill Gates B. has given readers some tips about success C. has never dealt with unpleasant situations D. is one of the most successful businessmen Answer: D. is one of the most successful businessmen Question: In 1896, Einstein went to Zurich to study physics. There he met a girl from Hungary. They studied in the same class and the same interest in physics brought them together and they became good friends. Before long they fell in love. In 1903 when Einstein was 24, he married Merits, who was 4 years older than he. After their marriage, Einstein devoted himself to the research of the great theory. To give her husband more help, Merits gave up her own work, and became a good wife and assistant. She tried her best to encourage him whenever possible. She was sure that her husband would succeed. They often discussed the theory while walking outside or sitting together in the room. They even did that in their letters when one of them was away from their home. In1914, Einstein moved to Berlin and _ there. At that time his theory proved to be correct and he had become famous all over the world. But it was not long before the First Would War broke out. Merits as well as her two sons, who were on holiday in Switzerland, couldn't come back to Berlin any more. The war not only stopped Einstein's work but also broke up the warm, happy family. In 1919, Einstein and Merits had to get divorced . The writer wanted to tell us that _ . A. Merits should be respected as greatly as her husband B. We should remember Merits when talking about Einstein' theory C. The bitter suffering was the mother of success D. Einstein suffered a great deal in his life Answer: B. We should remember Merits when talking about Einstein' theory
Since Amy Chua took the world of Chinese parents by storm with her book, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, in 2011 it seems more Chinese mothers have turned into "tiger moms". Several young Chinese mothers are my friends. But rarely any of them is free for lunch or other activities, because they appear to have become their children's "slaves". One of these young mothers moved from Hebei province to Beijing just to get her daughter admitted to a private and very expensive kindergarten. She closed her booming business and her husband shifted his office to Beijing, where they have bought a house. Another young mother is divorced and always busy with her daughter's dance, piano or English class. And a couple, both professionals in high positions, left their jobs, sold their Beijing house and moved to Australia when their son started going to school. The offspring of tiger moms rarely play sports, exchange ideas with their peers , take part in social projects, clean their rooms or wash clothes. Since everything such children do is under the guidance of their protective mothers, they don't learn how to manage their time or plan a project. As such, their education is far from complete. They are unable to defend an idea--let alone come up with one--deal with opposing views, accept defeat or organize their life. Tiger moms want their children to be more competitive so that they can enter the best schools. But school is only one period in a person's life. What about real life? What kind of independence will these children have once they grow up? Today, children don't get the chance to discuss or choose what they want: learn to play the violin or piano; take up drawing or swimming. Their tiger moms decide for them. Ideally, parents should discuss with their children, give them a choice and explain to them that they will have to finish what they start. This would help children develop not only their judgment but also their sense of responsibility. The solution to this problem is total reform of the education sector. And the government knows that. But reform needs time. We can only hope the reform is completed before today's children become the "sacrificed generation". But we need to reform the existent mindset more than the education sector . Education is not only about memorizing books and taking exams. Therefore, we should stop seeing kindergartens as "schools", and ensure all schools have the same standards, and bookish knowledge is enriched by knowledge from other sources, from society and life itself. Mothers are not to be blamed for the present situation, for in their desire to provide the best education for their children they become victims of social trends. But let's hope the Chinese view of education will change, gradually if not rapidly, to the benefit of children, families and society as a whole. This is my wish on Mother's Day. The author wrote the passage for _ . A Chinese children B Chinese people C Chinese mothers D Chinese education authority Answer: C. Chinese mothers Encouraging early reading skills can build a path to a lifelong love of reading and can help your child get a head start in school. While reading to your child is still the most important thing you can do to build reading skills, there are many techniques that can help. Make reading fun. Play games with your child as you read. Many traditional children's games can be adapted to encourage reading skills. While reading or during play, tell your child, "I spy with my little eye, something that begins with the letter "b". Help the child find something on the page or in the room that begins with that letter. For example, "I see a barn." This can also be used to teach beginning letter sounds.Ispy with my little eye something that begins with the sound "s". Help the child find a word that begins with the "s" sound. In this variation on the popular game, instruct the child that, "Simon says, point to something that starts with the letter "n". The child can then find an object in the room or a body part, such as the nose, that starts with the letter presented. This can also be used to teach beginning sounds. Make a game out of rhyming words by making up silly words to rhyme with the child's name or favorite toys. This sets the stage for rhyming real words by showing the child the similarities of sounds. As the child masters making up the words, begin rhyming real words to one another. Tips to raise a successful reader: Put books in places where the child plays. If books are easily _ , children are more likely to pick them up. Let children "read to you" by looking at pictures. Making up stories to go along with illustrations helps children discover how words relate to pictures. Take books along on trips or even short visits to the doctor's office or grocery store. Have children help you shop. Reading grocery lists and looking for specific items helps build vocabulary. What can we conclude from the text? A The most important thing is to make reading funny. B Children have a preference for stories with pictures. C Rhyming games should begin only with real words. D Children tend to read more if books are at hand. Answer: D. Children tend to read more if books are at hand. The basic flag of the United States is one of the world's oldest national flags. Only the basic flags of Austria, Denmark, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland are older. During the discovery and settlement of what is now the United States, the flags of various European nations were flown over the land, as symbols of possession. Later, in the Colonial and Revolutionary War periods, flags representing famous persons, places, and events were flown in the American Colonies. The first official flag of the United States was created by Congress on June 14,1777. It consisted of 13 alternate red and white stripes and 13 white stars in a field of blue, representing the 13colonies that had declared their independence in 1776. Congress adopted a new flag of 15 stars and 15 stripes in 1795, to give representation to the two new states admitted into the Union, Vermont and Kentucky. By 1817 there were 20 states in the Union, and it became apparent that adding one stripe for each new state would destroy the shape of the flag. As a result, Congress in 1818 restored the original design of 13 stripes and provided that each state was to be represented by one star. In 1921 Preside William H. Taft made the first official provision for the arrangement of the stars. He ordered that there be six even rows of eight stars each. Previously the arrangement of the stars had been left to the flag- maker's fancy. The evolution of the stars and stripes reflects the growth of the United States. After the admission of Hawaii into the Union in 1959, the flag was officially changed for the 26th time since its creation. There are many government flags flown in the United States in addition to the national flag. Among them are the president's and vice-president's flags and those of the federal departments and some federal agencies. Each state in the Union has an official flag. The United States Navy uses special flags for signaling. Before the War of Independence the flags of various European nations flown over the land were symbols of_. A self-rule B occupation C peace and friendship D independence Answer: B. occupation Edmonton's Downtown Park is transformed into one huge stage for five days where artists are able to share their talents, and where people are able to celebrate and enjoy themselves. Since its beginning in 1980, the Edmonton Folk Music Festival has been commemorating the true feeling of what folk music is all about and that's the traditional togetherness that is felt when people gather to share stories and feelings through song. This year will be the sixth year when volunteer Riedel will be offering up her time to the festival. "People coming off a busy spring and summer have a moment of relaxation," Riedel said. "It's really easy to relax, and it's great seeing family and friends have fun together." These families and friends come from all different kinds of musical tastes. People who take pleasure in Blues are there, so are people who love Bluegrass. This festival does its best to develop everyone's musical interests. With so many years of experience, the festival has become a well-oiled machine, and does whatever it can to make attendees feel as comfortable as possible. There are free water stations throughout the venue for people to fill up their travel cups. When people buy food, reusable dishes are given a $2 plate fee, but that is returned when the plate is brought back. The festival has completely sold out of tickets, and in record time. But with big names such as Van Morrison and Jakob Dylan, it's easy to see how that was going to happen. There is no parking area during the festival, so using the Park & Ride system or Edmonton Transit is highly recommended. A bike lock-up area is provided and will be available Thursday until Sunday one hour before the gates open until 45 minutes after the gates close. The Edmonton Folk Music Festival begins on Wednesday, Aug.4 with Van Morrison playing the special donation fund concert, and will finish up on Sunday, Aug.8. We can learn from the passenger that _ A the Edmonton Folk Music Festival is well organized B people can get tickets easily for the festival C driving one's own car to the festival is highly recommended D bikes are available at the festival from Wednesday to Sunday Answer: A. the Edmonton Folk Music Festival is well organized In the course of a bank holdup, Robber fired a gun at Guard. Guard drew his revolver and returned the fire. One of the bullets fired by Guard ricocheted, striking Plaintiff. If Plaintiff asserts a claim against Guard based upon battery, will Plaintiff prevail? A Yes, unless Plaintiff was Robber's accomplice. B Yes, under the doctrine of transferred intent. C No, if Guard fired reasonably in his own defense. D No, if Guard did not intend to shoot Plaintiff. Answer: C. No, if Guard fired reasonably in his own defense.
Japan is an island country in the Pacific Ocean. As the Japanese students already know, four main islands and more than 3,000 small ones stretch from north to south for about 1,300 miles. As for the climate of the country, well, it's hot and humid in summer, but it is quite cold and wet in Japan during winter. Typhoons, which are violent tropical storms, often threaten Japan during the fall. That's, of course, during the harvest season. The population of Japan is about 110,5 million. It may seem hard to believe, but the average population density of the country is about 678 persons per square mile. About two thirds of the entire population lives in Japan's cities. The other one third lives in the suburbs or in the countryside. No other country in southern or eastern Asia has such a large urban, or city population. Tokyo, the capital city of Japan, is the most density-populated city in the world. At last count there were more than 11.5 million people living in Tokyo. Typhoons often attack Japan during _ . A spring B summer C autumn D winter Answer: C. autumn New York, the city that never sleeps, fell silent last week--schools were closed; bus and subway services were stopped; flights were canceled, and even the stock market closed for the first time since 1985. All the disorder was caused by one thing, the arrival of hurricane Sandy. This big storm landed on Oct 29 on the US east coast and brought damaging winds, flooding, blackouts and heavy snow. Sandy is one of the largest storms that have ever hit the US, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. By the afternoon of Nov1 (Beijing time), about 140 deaths were caused by the storm as it traveled across the Caribbean islands and into the US. Unlike most hurricanes that happen during summer, Sandy was strengthened not only by warm ocean water, but also by the cold air coming from the northwest. Sandy's power grew because of the difference in masses between the warm and wet air and cool and dry air. It became a kind of "super-storm", the Guardian reported. The flooding was particularly severe. Scientists said it was because Sandy's arrival happened together with a full moon, which normally means higher-than-usual tides . "The most worrying aspect of Sandy is the high tides," Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee told Reuters before the storm arrived. "With the full moon on Monday, with Sandy coming up the bay, we're very concerned about flooding in our low-lying coastal areas." Apart from the power of Sandy itself, another reason why her arrival has caused so much damage is that its target area is crowded with big cities such as New York and Philadelphia. These urban areas are home to tens of millions of people. The flood, the snow and the blackout have brought the country's financial and political centers to a stop. "The size of this alone, affecting a heavily populated area, is history making." Said Jeff Masters, a hurricane specialist. From the article, we learn that areas hurricane Sandy targeted _ . A were mostly high land B were mostly near the sea C were far away from important cities D were empty as people were evacuated Answer: B. were mostly near the sea Smith had a small garden, and in spring she planted some vegetables in it. She looked after them very carefully, and when summer came, they looked very nice. One evening Mrs. Smith looked at her vegetables and said: " Tomorrow I am going to pick them, and then we can eat them." But early the next morning, her daughter ran into the kitchen and shouted , "Come quickly! Our neighbor's ducks are in the garden and they are eating our vegetables." Mrs. Smith ran out, but it was too late! All the vegetables were finished! Mrs. Smith cried and made her neighbor very sorry, but that was the end of the vegetables. Then several days before Christmas, the neighbor gave Mrs. Smith a parcel . In it was a beautiful, fat duck, and on it was a piece of paper with the words, " Enjoy your vegetables." , Who ate Mrs. Smith's vegetables? A Mrs. Smith B Mrs. Smith's daughter C Mrs. Smith's neighbor D Her neighbor's duck Answer: D. Her neighbor's duck Whether in the workplace or on the football field, effective teamwork can produce amazing results.However, working successfully as a team is not as easy as it may seem.Effective teamwork certainly does not just happen automatically; it take s a great deal of hard work and compromise.There are a number of factors that must be in place to make a good team. Effective leadership is one of the most important components of good teamwork.The team's leader should possess the skills to create and preserve a positive working environment and motivate and inspire the team members to take a positive approach to work and be highly committed.An effective team leader will promote a high level of spirit and make them feel supported and valued. Communication is a vital factor of all interpersonal relationship and especially that of a team.Team member s must be able to _ their feelings, express plans and goals, share ideas and see each other's opinions. Conflicts will arise no matter how well a team functions together.The best way to deal with conflicts is to have some organized methods of handling conflicts.Team members should be able to voice their concerns without fear of offending others.Instead of avoiding conflict issues, a hands-on approach that settles them quickly is much better.It is often advised that the team leader sit with the conflicting parties and help work out their differences without taking sides and trying to remain objective if possible. The team leader must set a good example to create good teamwork.In order to keep team members positive and committed and motivated, the team leader herself / himself needs to show these qualities.The team turns to the leader for support and guidance.So any negative words or behaviors on the leader's part can be disastrous. Regardless of what type of work you are in, knowing how to effectively work on and with a team is going to be extremely important to your success and that of your team. Which is the best title for the passage? A Football And Teamwork B Communication And Teamwork C What Makes Effective Teamwork D How to Handle Conflicts in a Team Answer: C. What Makes Effective Teamwork In the last fifty years, a lot of people have left Europe and gone to live in Australia. One of them was a Hungarian man. He lived in Australia for quite a long time, and he had a lot of good friends there. He always said to them, "Australia is beautiful, but Hungary is beautiful, too." Then one year he said to his friends, "I'm going to go back to Hungary to visit my home town." All his friends said to him, "We want to go with you, because you often say Hungary is a beautiful country, and we want to visit it." The Hungarian Australian took his friends from Sydney to Rome in a big plane, and then they went from Rome to Budapest in a train as they wanted to see the mountains, and the villages and the towns. They stayed in Budapest nearly a week, and they liked it very much. One day they went to the zoo in Budapest and saw two kangaroos there. These Australians were very happy because kangaroos were from their home town. They said to them, "Come here, old friends! Come and see your Australian brothers!" But the kangaroos did not move. But then the Hungarian Australian spoke to them in Hungarian, "Come here!" he said, and both of the kangaroos ran to him. The other Australians laughed and said, "Look at that. They're Australians, but they only know Hungarian!" The Hungarian moved to Australia _ . A last year B a few months ago C many years ago D over 100 years ago Answer: C. many years ago
Once upon a time there was a crook who only thought about how to get money. What he hated most was when people were polite to each other, saying things like "please", "thank you", and "don't mention it". The crook thought all those kinds of words were a waste, so he spent a lot of time inventing a machine which could steal words. With this machine, he planned to steal "please", "thank you", "don't mention it", and similar words people used to be polite. After he stole these words, he intended to take them apart and sell the letters to book publishers. After he started up his machine, people would open their mouths, intending to say kind and polite things, but nothing came out. All those words ended up inside the big machine. The crook was happy with his success, but he didn't count on a couple of very special little girls. Those girls were deaf, and had to communicate with sign language. Because the machine couldn't steal gestures, these girls continued being kind and polite. Soon they realized what had been happening to everyone else, and they found out about the crook and his plan. The girls followed him and found the machine busy separating all the words into letters. They approached the machine and started being polite to each other. Try as it might, the machine couldn't steal those words, and it started to suffer a power overload . Finally, it exploded, sending all the letters it had gathered flying into the sky. These letters started coming down, like rain, and most ended up in the sea. After that, everyone could be polite again. Seeing all those letters fall into the sea, those little girls had an idea. A little while later they opened a factory, making alphabetic spaghetti soup! What the crook hated most was _ . Susan is a 14-year-old girl. She lives in New York with her parents. Her father works in a horse-riding school. She also likes riding a horse . Susan goes horse-riding every Saturday and she can ride very well now. At the horse-riding school, she helps to give the horse food and water when the classes are over. She also cleans _ . Susan writes something about horse-riding in her blog . When you ride a horse for the first time, it's very difficult! The first thing you learn is to get onto a horse. Then you learn to move up and down like the horse. If you don't do that, it is very uncomfortable for you and the horse! At first you learn to walk the horse around. Then you learn to run slowly. When your teacher thinks you ride well, you can learn to jump .Not everyone has to learn to jump, but I like jumping. It is exciting! Susan comes from _ . "How was school, Ben?" I asked my grandson after he began kindergarten this year. "The work is too long... and there's not enough time to play," he replied. I couldn't help but remember Ben's own mother, my daughter, Jane, and her reaction to the first day of school. Julie was also disappointed with the first day of school and so was her little sister. My three-year-old daughter announced angrily after her big sister got on the big yellow school bus, "I want to go 'sool' and you not let me!" When Julie returned home that afternoon, I asked her the same question that I asked Ben, "How was school, Julie?" Julie replied, "I didn't learn to read today." This year as the school bus passed my house, my mind went back to those school days again. I could almost smell the chalk dust in the air. I also wonder what the children these days manage to get chosen to do in order to get out of school for a few moments since there are no erasers to clean. It was fun to be "chosen" for eraser cleaning duty. This was a task finished by going outside and beating erasers together while sneezing and coughing. No wonder so many babies now have allergies , and it's simply because we all have chalk dust in our lungs! On the first day of school, the expectation was so great that I would be ready long before it was time to leave for school. We didn't have backpacks because we had cigar boxes. We carried our small supplies inside a cigar box from one of the local stores. We saved the cigar boxes and used them from year to year until they fell apart. The first day of school was exciting. It was a new beginning. The doors of knowledge had been opened. The first day of school is an event in our lives that most of us remember. It's a big step for a small child toward leaving babyhood and so "there isn't enough time to play". In the opinion of the author, the first day of school is_. It's eight o'clock and the time for Morning New Highlights . One person was killed and two were injured in a car accident just thirty minutes ago. Cause of the accident is not yet found out. A great fire swept through a storehouse next to the Fulton River early this morning, causing about $3,000,000 in damage. The fire which broke out at about 2:30 was finally put out at 5: 30. That was the Morning News Highlights, Dan Verne reporting. The above passage may probably appear _ . How to stick to your own opinion in socializing ? When it comes to your life , the opinion of others should matter very little . I am not talking about your friends and family , but others who have no importance in your reality - like your social peers and others like them . They are unimportant to your life , and yet you secretly struggle for approval at the cost of your own . Remember , your opinion is king . Start by being your true self . Allowing your true self to appear and connect with people on a more real level helps them in turn do the same with you . There is openness and honesty in the interaction . At the end of the day this is what we all want - the joy of true and meaningful connections . Next , evaluate your decisions . Are they representing who you are or are they the result of other people's opinion ? Practice your ability not to be affected by pressure and learn to take nothing personally . When we are bothered by outer criticisms , it influences and changes our behavior . Don't look to others for guidance on how to behave . Don't look for approval . If you don't need approval , you won't have a reason to try to impress people or be impressed by them . And finally , be real in EVERY situation . As you express your real self , others will think highly of you and the few who don't - don't matter anyway . Be willing to be judged , and then not take it to heart . If all this is a bit scary , then start small . Rather than not caring at all what others think , start by just caring a little less . No one outside your inner circle should get a vote or pass judgment or have influence on how you live your life . The text is especially helpful for those who want to _ .
Question: For their nick-of-time acts, Toby, a 2-year-old dog, and Winnie, a cute cat, were named Dog and Cat of the Year by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. As Amy Paul choked on a piece of apple at her home, her dog jumped up, landing hard on her chest and forcing the piece in her throat out. When the Keesling family of Indiana was about to be killed by carbon monoxide, their cat clawed at the wife Cathy's hair until she woke up and called for help. No one could explain their timely heroics. Both pets were rescued by their owners in _ -----Toby as a 4-week-old thrown into a garbage bin to die, and Winnie as a week-old orphan hiding under a barn, so helpless that Cathy's husband, Eric, had to feed her milk with an eyedropper. As the Keeslings recalled it, a gas-driven pump being used broke down, spreading carbon monoxide through the house. By the time Winnie went to rescue, the couple's 14-year-old son was already unconscious. "Winnie jumped on the bed and was clawing at me, with a kind of angry sound," Cathy Keesling said. The state police responding to her 911 call said the family was only minutes from death, judging by the amount of poisonous gas in the house. Amy Paul's husband was at his job when she took a midday break from making jewelry and bit into an apple. "Normally I peel them, but I read in Good Housekeeping Magazine that the skin has all the nutrients, so I ate the skin, and that's what caused me to choke," she recalled. "I couldn't breathe and I was in panic when Toby jumped on me. He never does that, but he did, and saved my life." Both Toby and Winnie accompanied their owners to the awards luncheon. Winnie saved the lives of its owner's whole family in an accident by _ . A. jumping onto its owner B. calling for help C. making some strange noises D. clawing at Cathy's hair Answer: D. clawing at Cathy's hair Question: Don't you want to go to school? You could tell your parents you're ill. But last Monday, students from Shanghai and Zhejiang had an even better excuse: a typhoon ! Typhoon Khanun hit East China on September 11. In Shanghai, all the school were closed the next day, Monday. It was the first time that Shanghai had to close schools because of bad weather. But some students still came to school that day. " I didn't get the notice that the school was closing," said Shen Sheng, a Junior 2 student from Shanghai Aiguo School. " But it was nice that we could play in school rather than study." The school kept Shen and other 20 students safe inside and let them play sports like table tennis. But the storm wasn't all fun games. Typhoon Khanun killed 14 people. In Zhejiang, it _ about 8,000 houses. More than one million people had to be taken to safer places. Every year, typhoons hit different places around the world. Most happen in July, August and September. This year 15 typhoons hit China. Khanun was the strongest. Typhoons bring strong winds and rains. The winds can blow away houses and cars. The rains are bad for farmers' fields. Typhoon also kills people. Earlier this month, Typhoon Talim hit East and Central China. It killed at least 124 people. When was the first time that Shanghai had to close all the schools? A. In August B. In July C. On Sep.11. D. On Sep.12. Answer: D. On Sep.12. Question: Making email easier is a task that several applications and email customers have tried and failed at SaneBox, like many _ , aims to make your digital life easier without forcing you to change your email platform. To be sure, you can apply various priority classes and groupings using SaneBox. What really makes SaneBox worth checking out is its ability to ensure unimportant and low-priority emails don't take up even a second of your day. When you apply SaneBox to your email client , it spends a good deal of time scanning your entire inbox, including ones you've already read. This helps the add-on determine which emails are most important to you. From then on you'll only see emails that SaneBox determines are must-reads, with all others falling into a "Later" folder which you can read at your spare time. Each day --- or however often you want it --- SaneBox will produce a report of all the low-priority emails it has collected for you, like a secretary gathering all the odds and ends for a short daily report. If you find an important email has been flagged as low-priority, you can adjust the settings so it never happens again. SaneBox works with all IMAP, WebDAV and OWA email customers including Yahoo, Gmail, AOL, MS Exchange and others. The program also supports OS X's Mail customers, though it requires a bit of adjusting POP-only email services are not supported. You can try out SaneBox for two weeks with no charge and after that point 3 options of subscriptions are available, ranging from US$2 to $20 per month. The most important function of SaneBox is _ . A. to clear your mail box when it is full B. to scan your inbox faster than others C. to classify your emails to your preference D. to gather all the odds and ends for you Answer: C. to classify your emails to your preference Question: Welcome to this Website on the British Isles. Over the coming months it will be expanded to allow you to find information on all aspects of life in the British Isles. The British Isles is visited by millions of people each year, many returning time and again. Wales: Wales is full of fascinating places to visit and stay. The castles of Beaumaris, Conwy, Harlech and Caernarfon are officially listed as world heritage sites and provide an insight into the troubled past of this great land. The national park of Snowdonia is stunning and provides walkers and climbers with many opportunities to challenge their limits. South Wales also has interesting places to visit: Pembrokeshire is especially inviting for tourists. England: We all know about the attractions lf London but England has a lot more to offer outside of the city. The "English Riviers", Torquay, is blessed with good weather and is a major tourist attraction. This is a great place to stay and explore the local seaside resorts. Windsor castle is a great place to visit and the town and surrounding areas are beautiful. Warwick castle in the centre of England is world famous and holds regular evens to show how life was like in the time it was built. Scotland: A great place to visit, Scotland still has many places that are relatively uninhabited and are great for getting away from it all. Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in the British Isles and the numerous lakes provide great fishing. In parts you can still hear Gaelic spoken and we all know about the Scottish expertise in making Whisky! You can also visit the ski resorts of Aviemore in the Cairngorms. Glasgow, the capital is now recognized as a centre of culture as well as being a great shopping centre. The highest mountain in the British Isles is in _ . A. Wales B. England C. Scotland D. Chester Answer: C. Scotland Question: The Peales were a famous family of American artists.Charles Willson Peale is best remembered for his portraits of leading figures of the American Revolution.He painted portraits of Franklin and Jefferson and over a dozen of George Washington.His life-size portrait of his sons Raphaelle and Titian was so realistic that George Washington reportedly once tipped his hat to the figures in the picture. Charles Willson Peale gave up painting in his middle age and devoted his life to the Peale seum,which he founded in Philadelphia.The world's first popular museum of art and natural science mainly covered paintings by Peale and his family as well as displays of animals in their natural settings Peale found the animals himself and found a method to make the exhibits more lifelike.The museum's most popular display was the skeleton of a huge,extinct elephant,which Peale unearthed on a New York farm in l801. Three of Peale's seventeen children were also famous artists.Raphaelle Peale often painted still lives of flowers,fruit,and cheese.His brother Rembrandt studied under his father and painted portraits of many noted people,including one of George Washington. Another brother,Rubens Peale,painted mostly landscapes and portraits. James Peale.the brother of Charles Willson Peale,specialized in miniatures .His daughter Sarah Miriam Peale was probably the first professional female portrait painter in America The author's attitude toward the Peales is in general_. A. puzzling B. exciting C. admiring D. disappointing Answer: C. admiring
Item 78431 The Video Camera Pen $129.95; Available for Immediate Shipment; Order by Phone: 1-800-321-1484 This is the pen that has a built-in video camera, capturing (,) videos or still images with a click of its button.Ideal for use while secured in a pocket, it can capture up to five hours of video. Its battery provides up to two hours of power before requiring a recharge. Item 78098 The Wristwatch Camcorder $149.95; Available for 3-day shipment; Order by Phone: 1-800-321-1484 This is the men's watch with an unnoticeable camera located at the two-o'clock position, yet the watch's hands never make it covered.So you'll be always ready to capture a famous person or a pet's ridiculous actions. The camera's rechargeable battery provides up to two hours of use from a four-hour charge. Item 77918 The only 55 Inch Widescreen Personal Movie Theater $249.95; Available for Immediate Shipment; Order by Phone: 1-800-321-1484 This is the only personal media viewer that provides a private viewing experience just like watching a widescreen 55 inch television from 10 meters away.It connects to a video iPod, iPhone, portable DVD player with two AA batteries providing up to six hours of continuous operation. Item 77281 The Digital Phone Album Watch $99.95 Available for Immediate Shipment; Order by Phone: 1-800-321-1484 This is the watch that vividly displays 120 of your favorite digital photographs.You can download digital photographs to the watch.The watch can be viewed in the Photo Album mode or digital mode (time and date view).A six-hour charge provides up to 10 days of use If you're a movie fan, you probably show strong interest in _ Every year in late spring at Wild Friends, the wildlife health center, workers receive baby animals, including songbirds and rabbits. This is the busiest time when workers care for and raise all the little ones before sending them back into the wild. There are many reasons for these little animals' coming to the center. First of all, street cats or dogs catch, injure or take away little birds from their nests. Sometimes people catch baby animals and keep them at home, giving them food that they are not used to. It would make them sick. Most people don't realize that it's against law to get live animals out of their nests. As for songbirds, people often find them on the ground in their yards, thinking they have no other choice but to leave them on the ground to die. This is because many people wrongly believe that once a bird is touched by a person, its mother will not accept this child bird. But that's not true. If a little bird falls out of the nest, you should check whether it is injured. If not, you should put the bird back in the nest. If the bird is injured, call your local wildlife center quickly. As for the progress of protecting wild animals, people at Wild Friends devote all their energy to this work. Over the last weeks, they have been able to send many of the birds and rabbits that came here earlier this spring back to nature. If a young healthy bird is lying on the ground, you should _ . On Thanksgiving Day, nine years ago, I stole my father's car. He was 88 years old and living in a retirement community in Ojai. The previous July, he had failed his driver's test, but he'd kept driving without a license, as if he had forgotten that he didn't have a license, or as if he hadn't cared, but something had to be done. On Thanksgiving morning, I drove up to fetch him for a turkey dinner, and while he finished getting ready, I stole his spare car keys. So Dad spent the night at my house. The next day, after a long talk in which he still refused to relinquish his keys, I drove him home with a friend, who would drive my father's car back to my place. I was so nervous and eager for the whole thing to be over, so I got a speeding ticket on the way. My father never fully forgave the theft of his car, although as the months passed and his dementia worsened. One reason my father had been so eager to keep driving was that his younger brother Wes lived in a county home. Wes had been born mentally challenged and later suffered from schizophrenia , my father had driven monthly to see him. It seemed right to help them see each other. So, seven years ago, Jim and I borrowed a van equipped for a wheelchair ,picked up Wes and took him for Thanksgiving with my father. At my father's place, we moved Wes in his chair out of the van and up to the door. When the brothers saw each other, their faces lit up. "Is that you, bud?" Wes called out, half rising from his seat. "Wes!"My father cried. They grasped each other's hands firmly, smiled at each other, their joy obvious. Slowly, we made our way back to my father's apartment; my husband walked alongside my father while I pushed Wes in his chair. That was last time my father saw his brother. Wes passed away a few months later. My father continued to worsen. That was our last Thanksgiving together. He died in 2011, a few months shy of his 96th birthday. That means there will be no car tricks this year, no wheelchair van and there will never again be multiple generations of our family at the same table. Which of the following words can describe the writer? In 2007.five young people in the American state of Massachusetts developed an idea. The team knew that the world is filled with mobile phones.About eighty percent of all people are said to live within reach of a wireless telephone signal. The idea was to use mobile phones and the Internet to connect job seekers with employers.The young people wrote a business plan and formed a company called Assured Labor. Assured Labor won a development competition at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).Three of the founders were graduate students there. ' Assured Labo is an electronic market place.It has two parts.One is for;the United States.That operation was launched in January in Boston.It links people with employees offering temporary jobs. The other arm of the business is for developing markets.That operation is meant to help people get mbfe permanent jobs.A representative is currently building partnerships with universities,and international companies in Central America. Assured Labor's president David Reich,says the companies now place job advertisements on radio or in newspapers.Some even drive around in cars with loudspeakers announcing that jobs are available.He says the companies are interested.in having more modem hiring practices. Through Assured Labor, companies will list open positions on the Internet.People who think they could do the job could reply by text messages or on their cellophanes. This is how the system works inprefix = st1 /Boston. The jobs available include house cleaning.Dog walking and home repay. People who want their house cleaned,for example,can look online at a list of twenty housekeepers.The list tells what services.they offer,and how much they want to be paid.People need two letters praising their work to get on the list of service providers. The employer chooses workers they would like jot hire ,The company then sends the workers a text or e-mail message so they can respond quickly to an offer. After a job is completed,the employer and employee rate each other, The rating is kept for future use.Assured Labor is not charging anyone,right now, but the plan is to have employers pay for the service. What can be inferred from the passage? If our globe is split in half, the innards would be
Last winter vacation, our class went to Xiangshan for a trip.Though the weather was a little cold, it was sunny. At six in the morning we met at the school gate.We took a bus there.On the bus, our monitor told us an interesting story.The story was about an interesting man.Then three girls in our class sang songs.We were very happy. At about seven thirty we got there.It was a beautiful mountain.There were many visitors.Then we started to climb the mountain.The boys had a climbing race .Li Ming won the first prize.He got a blue hat.At about nine o'clock we met a famous singer.Qi Hui and Ma Yan even got his autographs.They were very excited. We had lunch in the mountain.We brought food from home and ate together. After lunch we went to the zoo, because the was a new member in the zoo.It was a cheetah .It came from Africa. Finally, we took the bus back to school.Although we were tired, we really had fun. It took them about _ to get to he mountain. A. one and a half hours B. an hour C. forty minutes D. half an hour Answer: A Most of us have quite good memories, but our memories are limited. For example, we cannot remember everyone we have ever met or what we did on every single day of our lives. However, there are some people who do have _ memories. These people have a rare condition known as savant syndrome . Savants suffer from a developmental disorder, but they also exhibit great talents that contrast sharply with their physical and mental disabilities. Kim Peek (1951-2009) was a savant who lived in Salt Lake City, Utah, in the United States. He was born with damage to parts of his brain, but it seemed that other parts of his brain, particularly those relating to memory, became over-developed. Peek's unique abilities appeared at a very early age. When he was just 20 months old, he could already remember every book that was read to him. Peek could read two pages of a book at the same time---one page with the right eye and one with the left---in less than 10 seconds and remember everything he read. By the time he died, Peek had memorized more than 9,000 books. He could remember all the names and numbers in a variety of telephone books. He could remember thousands of facts about history, literature, geography and sports. Dr. David Treffert, an expert on savant syndrome, once described Peek as "a living Google" because of his astonishing ability to memorize and connect facts. However, at the same time, Peek was unable to carry out simple tasks, such as brushing his hair or getting dressed, and he needed others to help him. In 1989, the movie Rain Man won the Oscar for best Picture. The main character in the movie, played by Dustin Hoffman, was based on Kim Peek's life. He started to appear on television, where he would amaze audiences by correctly answering difficult questions on different topics. Peek became world famous, and he and his father began touring widely to talk about overcoming disabilities. He inspired a great many people with his words. "Recognizing and respecting differences in others, and treating everyone in the way you want them to treat you, will make our world a better place for everyone. Everyone is different." According to the text, Peek _ . A. could take care of himself B. was born with a good memory C. was the student of Dr. David Treffert D. became brain-damaged at 20 months old Answer: B London, Reuters--What could annoy teenagers enough to make them stop hanging out with friends and go home? No, it's not a visit from their mothers, and not a threat to take away their cellphones or pocket money. It's high-frequency noise. The UK police recently agreed to use a device called the Sonic Teenager Deterrent. It sends out a sound that makes teenagers become so impatient and angry that they have to cover their ears tightly and walk away. The sound is at extreme high-pitch that can be heard by those under 20. The body's natural ability to detect some wave bands decreases almost entirely after 20, so few adults can hear the sounds. The black-box device, nicknamed the Mosquito because of its sound, can be fixed to the outside walls of shops, offices and homes. It sounds to youngsters like a crazy insect or a badly played violin. But it causes no physical damage. A number of police forces and councils have given permission to use the system and want to install it at trouble spots. Staffordshire Police Inspector Amanda Davies, who has given the device to shopkeepers in the Moorlands area, said," It is controlled by the shopkeepers--if they can see through their window that there is a problem, they turn the device on for a while until the group has run away." Who will welcome the device most? A. Shopkeepers. B. The police. C. Young people. D. The producer. Answer: A On a Monday, a mother was in the kitchen cooking ham for the family. She was in quite the hurry because she had to pick the kids up from school. Without knowing, she stuck a spoon in the ham and put the ham in the oven. She wasn't paying attention because of being in a hurry and also because the dog was playing with a ball. The ball flew past her head as she had finished putting the ham in the oven. She yelled at the dog and made him play with the ball outside. She saw clouds in the sky as she let the dog out. Seeing that the clouds were so pretty that she wanted to take a picture of them. She got her camera and took a few pictures as the dog played happily in the yard. What did the mother do when she saw the clouds in the sky? A. take pictures of them B. throw a ball C. cook them D. pick the kids up from school Answer: A Which of these statements about nonrenewable resources is true? A. They are inexpensive. B. They help keep the air clean. C. They can take millions of years to form. D. They are used because they are easily removed from the ground. Answer: C
Since my family were not going to be helpful about my taking a cooking job, I decided I would look for one all by myself and not to tell them about it till I'd got a permanent one. I had seen an agency advertised in a local paper, so as soon as there was no one about to say "Where are you going?" I rushed out of the house in search of it. I was wildly excited, and as nervous as if I were going on the stage. Finding the place quite easily, I tore up three flights of stairs, and swung breathlessly through a door which said "Enter without knocking, if you please." The simple atmosphere of the office calmed me, and I sat down on the edge of a chair. The woman at the desk opposite looked carefully at me. Then she questioned me in a low voice. I answered softly and started to feel helpless. She wondered why I was looking for this sort of job, so I felt I had to give her the idea of a widowed mother struggling against poverty. But I felt more helpless when she told me that it would be difficult to get a job without experience or references. Suddenly, the telephone on her desk rang. While having a mysterious conversation, she kept looking at me. Then I heard her say: "In fact, I've got someone here who might suit." She wrote down a number, and my spirits rose as she held out the paper to me, saying: "Ring up this lady. She wants a cook immediately. Cook a dinner for ten people tomorrow. Could you manage that, I wonder?" "Oh, yes," say I--never having cooked for more than four. Then I rushed out and called the lady, Miss Cathy. I said confidently that I was just what she was looking for. "Are you sure?" she kept saying. Anyway she decided to employ me and a permanent position if I carried out the promise of my self-praise. I asked her what tomorrow's menu was to be. "Just a small, simple dinner: lobster cocktail, soup, turbot Mornay, fruit salad and a savory." In a rather shaken voice I promised to turn up in good time tomorrow and rang off. What did the author feel on her way? Smile, how warm the world is! It can make anyone happy. It's not like anything else, but just warm, makes you feel warm. Mother's smile is like a spring wind. It's so _ When you are sad, it can make you happy again. When you fail to do something, it can make you stand up and work hard again. When you give up doing something, it can make you try your best again. Smile, so easy, but so useful as well. Let's learn to smile. Everyone needs others' smile. When we give others a smile, we will feel happy, too. And maybe next time, when you need a smile, the others will give it to you. Let's learn to smile often, I think it can even make the whole world warm. Living with a smile, _ . Which of the following is TRUE? Daniel comes from Sydney. He is now staying in Beijing with his family. He usually gets up at about 6:30 am and has breakfast at 7:00 am. Then he leaves home at 7:15 am. He gets to school at 7:45 am. His first class begins at 8:00 am. There are four lessons in the morning. Morning classes are over at 11:50 am, and he has lunch 10 minutes later. Afternoon classes begin at 1:30 pm. There are two lessons in the afternoon. They are over at 3:10 pm. Daniel usually stays at school for another hour to play soccer, and then goes home. When does Daniel's first class begin? Is language, like food, a basic human need? Judging from the extreme experiment of Frederick in the 13th century, it may be. Hoping to discover what language a child would speak if he heard no mother tongue he told the nurses to keep silent. All the babies died before the first year. But clearly there was more than language deprivation (,). What was missing was good mothering. Without good mothering, in the first year of life especially, the ability to survive is seriously affected. Today no such extreme deprivation exists as that ordered by Frederick. Nevertheless, some children are still backward in speaking. Most often the reason for this is that the mother is insensitive to signals of the baby, whose brain is programmed, to mop up language rapidly. There are critical times, it seems when children learn more rapidly. If these sensitive periods are neglected, the ideal time for acquiring skills passes and they might never be learned so easily again. Linguists suggest that speech milestones are reached in a fixed order and at a constant age, but there are cases where speech has started late in a child who eventually turns out to be of high IQ. Recent evidence suggests that a baby is born with the ability to speak. What is special about man's brain, compared with that of the monkey, is the complex system which enables a child to connect the sight and feel of, say, a teddy bear with the sound pattern "teddy bear". But speech has to be developed, and this depends on interaction between the mother and the child, where the mother recognizes the signals in the child's babbling, clinging, grasping, crying, smiling, and responds to them. Insensitivity of the mother to these signals reduces the interaction because the child gets discouraged and sends out only the obvious signals. Sensitivity to the child's nonverbal signals is basic to the growth and development of language. The reason that some children are backward in speaking is most likely that _ . A bobsled moves much faster as it leaves the concrete an touches the
He was a single father, raising a 5-year-old boy alone. He worried about his son growing up without a mother to care for him. One day he went away on business, leaving the child alone. He was worried about the child all the way, not knowing if he had eaten. But his child always told him not to worry. He went home quickly after finishing his work. When he got home, the child was deep asleep. He was tired out. When he was about to sleep himself, he was surprised to find an overturned bowl of noodles under the quilt. He spanked his sleeping son angrily:"Why are you so naughty, making the quilt dirty? Who will wash it?" It was the first time that he had hit his boy after his wife's death. "I haven't," the boy explained with tears in his eyes. "This is your supper, Daddy." In order to let his father eat dinner as soon as he got home, the boy cooked two bowls of noodles: one for himself, the other one for his father. He was afraid his father's noodles would get cold, so he placed them under the quilt to keep them hot. Hearing this, the father hugged his boy tightly without saying a word. According to the passage we know the boy only had _ . a father CALCUTTA, India Mar 24, 2006 (AP) -- One of the world's oldest creatures, a giant tortoise believed to have been about 250 years old, has died in the Calcutta zoo where it spent more than half its long life. Addwaita, which means "the one and only" in the local Bengali language, was one of four Aldabra tortoises brought to India by British sailors in the 18th century. Zoo officials say he was a gift for Lord Robert Clive of the East India Company, who was instrumental in establishing British colonial rule in India, before he returned to England in 1767. Long after the other three tortoises died, Addwaita continued to thrive , living in Clive's garden before being moved to the zoo in 1875. "According to records in the zoo, the age of the giant tortoise, Addwaita, who died on Wednesday, would be about 250 years," said zoo director Subir Chowdhury. That would have made him much older than the world's oldest documented living animal: Harriet, a 176-year-old Galapagos tortoise who lives at the Australia Zoo north of Brisbane, according to the zoo's Web site. She was taken from the island of Isla Santa Cruz by Charles Darwin in the 19th century. Aldabra tortoises come from the Aldabra atoll in the Seychelle islands in the Indian Ocean, and often live to more than 100 years of age. Males can weigh up to 550 pounds. Addwaita, the zoo's biggest attraction, had been unwell for the last few days, said local Forest Minister Jogesh Burman. "We were keeping a watch on him. When the zoo keepers went to his enclosure on Wednesday they found him dead," Burman said. Now, the oldest animal in the world is about at _ according to the passage. 176 years old Our 16-year-old daughter started to smoke last Christmas. It killed me to see that lovely girl with a cigarette in her mouth. I told her how I felt. Martha continued to smoke, saying, "It's my life," and so on. I told her if she didn't stop smoking, I wouldn't send her to college. She agreed to give it up. Last night there was cigarette smell on Martha's breath. She had to say she had broken her word. Now I must do what I've said to punish her. Martha is unusually bright and wants to teach children. I'm working full-time to put her older sister through school and would do the same for Martha. My husband's pay is good, but with prices going up all the time we could never educate the girls unless I kept on working. My theory is that if smoking is more important to Martha than college, I'm a fool to work to put her through college. Why did the mother feel sad? Because her daughter got used to smoking. Passage 1 Mobile Phone Madness How much do you love your mobile phone? A Chinese student had to call 110 for help this week after he got his arm stuck in a toilet trying to rescue his mobile phone. After dropping his phone in the toilet, he decided to wrap(,) his arm in newspaper in the hopes of keeping clean. But the newspapers became larger in size in the water, and then even his roommates couldn't help him pull his arm out. So policemen were called and they spent an hour unsticking the stuck student. Passage 2 Crazy Pet Lovers How much do you love your pets? Many people in China are famous for how much they love their pets. They dress them up in fashionable clothing and buy them high quality food. But would they spend 7,000 English pounds (68,000 yuan) on a wedding for their pets? And that's what a couple in Brazil spent on a fancy wedding for their pet Yorkshire terriers( a kind of dog). Passage 3 Oh, rats! When something goes wrong, you can often hear Westerners cry "Oh, rats". But when it comes to Southern China, "Oh, rats!" can mean it's what you want for dinner. According to a report in China Daily, some restaurants in Guangzhou serve rat meat. But, actually, most of those rats are field mice. What would Mickey Mouse say? Passage 4 Liar , liar Here's some news that most women already know. Men tell more lies than women. The London Daily Mail cites a new study that says men tell about three lies a day, while women tell only two lies a day. Men are also less likely to feel guilty about lying, according to this week's survey of 3,000 people by a research organization called One Poll. According to the Poll, lying to our mothers is very popular. But then, so is lying at work. And both men and women will lie when it comes to how much they've drunk. So how easy is it to tell when someone is lying? According to the new study on lying, which of the following is not true? Lying at work is more popular than lying to our mothers. What is a thermometer used to measure? warmness
Giving someone good news is easy, but what about bad news? Are there any good ways to give bad news without making people too upset? The following steps might help: Say something positive. Try to start or end the conversation with some good news, so that it's not all bad. For example, " You did very well in the interview, but unfortunately we've given the job to somebody else." Prepare your listener for the news. Use phrases to introduce what you're going to say, like "Unfortunately, ...", " I'm really sorry , but..." or " I'm afraid I've got some bad news." This gives the listener time to prepare for what you're going to say. Try to give a reason. People like know why things go wrong. Try to explain the decision. If someone doesn't get the job, can you explain why? If you have to cancel an appointment, try to give a reason. Use a soft _ of voice. If you're giving someone bad news, try to use a soft, calm voice to make your sound kind. Say things to show you understand, like "I'm really sorry." Or "I know this must be disappointing." Which step isn't mentioned in the passage? Answer: Climate change,pollution,overuse of water and development are killing some of the world's most famous rivers including China's Yangtze.India's Ganges and Africa's Nile.WWF said on Tuesday.At the global launch of its report "World's Top 10 Rivers at Risk",the group said many rivers could dry out, affecting hundreds of millions of people and killing unique aquatic life. "If these rivers die,millions will lose their livelihoods,biodiversity will be destroyed on a massive scale,there will be less fresh water and agriculture,resulting in less food security,"said.Rayi Singh,secretary--general of WWF--India.The report launched ahead of "World Water Day" today,also cited the Rio Grande in the United States,the Mekong and Indus in Asia,Europe's Danube, La Plata in South America and Australia's Murray--Darling as in need of greater protection. Rivers are the world's main source of fresh water and WWF says about half of the available supply is already being used up.Dams have destroyed habitats and cut rivers off from their flood plains.while climate change could affect the seasonal water flows that feed them,the report said.Fish populations,the top source of protein and overall life support for hundreds of thousands of communities worldwide,are also being threatened, it found..The Yangtze basin is one of the most polluted rivers in the world because of decades of heavy industrialization,damming and huge influxes of sediment from land conversion. Climate change,including higher temperatures,also means serious consequences for fishery productivity,water supply and political security in Africa's arid Nile basin.Tributaries flowing into the Ganges are drying up because of irrigation,WWF said. The top 10 rivers are fast dying as a result of the following EXCEPT _ . Answer: It's Sunday. Mike does not go to school. But he is not at home. He is now sitting on a bus. He is going shopping. An old woman gets on the bus. Mike stands up and says to her,"Come and sit here, please."The old woman goes over and sits down. She says,"Thank you very much, dear little boy." The bus stops near the shop. Mike says"Goodbye"to the old woman and gets off the bus. The old woman smiles and says"Goodbye"to him, too. What is Mike going to do? He is going to _ . Answer: There is an apple tree, it loves a little boy, the boy also loves to come and play around it. One day, he needs a toy, but he has no money, so the tree asks him to sell all the apples. At last, the boy gets the toy happily. Then the boy grows up ,he becomes a man. But he doesn't go to see the tree for a long time. The tree is very sad. One summer day, the man returns and the tree is very happy "Come and play with me!" the tree says. "No, I have to work, because I must buy a big house. Can you help me?" the man asks." Sorry, I have no house, but you can cut all the brunches on me, you can _ the house with them ." the tree answers. So the man gets the house. After many years, the man becomes older, and he comes back again. "I only have the dying roots ,but you can have a remember to love your parents at any time! What does the man want to get when he returns one summer day? Answer: A student is using hydrochloric acid in an investigation. Which piece of safety equipment is most important during this investigation? Answer:
It was four o'clock when we left Micatlan,and we traveled quickly until it became almost completely dark.It was our intention to return to our general quarters in Atlacomulco that night.We had a long journey ahead of us,especially because it had been decided there was no way we would try to cross the ravines again at night,since they were considered far too dangerous.Futhermore,an eclipse of the moon was expected,and,in fact,while we were crossing an open field,the moon appeared on the horizon,half in shadow,a rare and beautiful sight. After a few hours of riding,we suddenly realized that we had lost our way,and worse still,had no way of finding it again.Night had fallen and there was not a single hut in sight,only great plains and mountains and the lowing of distant bulls all around us.We continued on ahead,trusting in luck,though it was difficult to say where she had brought us.By good fortune,our advance riders ran into two Indians,a man and a boy,who agreed to guide us their village and no further. After an interminable and exhausting road,which we traveled at a brisk trot,the barking of several dogs announced an Indian village.In the dying light,we could just make out cane huts,firmly situated between the banana trees,with fenced gardens in front of each one.Our convoy stopped in front of one particular hut,a kind of inn or shop for alcohol,where a naked goblin-like figure,the ideal husband for a witch,was serving cheap brandy to the Indians,most of whom were already drunk. We dismounted and threw ourselves to the ground,too tired to even think.Someone found us,God knows how,a cup of dreadful hot chocolate.We began to realize that we were completely lost,and so it was agreed to give up our attempt to reach Atlacomulco that night.Instead,we should head for the village of "E1 Puente",where our guides know a Spanish family,made up of several unmarried brothers,who,without any doubt,would be delighted to offer us a safe refuge for the rest of the night.We remounted and began our journey,a little restored after the pause in our journey and the dreadful hot chocolate. Where did we travel to? A El Puente. B The cane huts. C Atlacomulco. D An Indian Village. Answer: C One day when Jack was walking in the park, he saw a woman he knew sitting on a bench with a dog beside her. The dog was looking up at the woman. Jack walked up to the woman and said, "Hello, Sue, how are you? May I sit and talk with you for a while?" "Of course, please sit down," Sue said. Jack sat down next to Sue on the bench, and they talked quietly together. The dog continued to look up at Sue, as if waiting to be fed. "That's a nice dog," Jack said, pointing at the animal. "Yes, he's handsome. He's a bit of a mixture , but that's a bad thing. He's strong and healthy." "And hungry," Jack said. "He hasn't taken his eyes off you. He thinks you've got some food for him." "That's true," Sue said. "But I haven't." The two friends laughed and then Jack said, "Does your dog bite?" "No," Sue said. "He's never bitten anyone. He's always gentle and good-tempered ." Hearing this, Jack decided to _ the dog. He put out his hand and touched the animal's head. Immediately it jumped up and bit him. "Hey!" Jack shouted. "You said he didn't bite." "No, I didn't," Sue replied. "You asked if my dog bit, and I said no......" What did Jack do when he saw the woman? A He walked past her. B He spoke to her dog. C He spoke angrily to her. D He asked to sit next to her. Answer: D What does the earth orbit that causes the seasons to change? A mercury B venus C pluto D plasma star Answer: D It was Saturday, so Mr. Smith did not have to go to work. It had snowed heavily the night before, and Mr. Smith's son Bobby had a new sledge , which he had been very eager to try out for a long while. There was a good slope in a park not far away from the Smiths' house -- a slope which children often used for their sledges, so Mr. Smith agreed to take Bobby there in the car. They put the sledge in and went off. When they reached the park, they found that there were already a lot of boys there, each boy with a sledge of his own. They were sliding down the slope at great speed, and then pulling their sledges up again for another go. Mr. Smith stood by, watching them with a smile. It was obvious that each and every one of them had much fun. After a few moments, Mr. Smith suddenly saw among the boys a kid who was small and poorly-dressed, and did not have a sledge. This boy had flattened out one old cardboard box, and was sliding down the slope on that. Mr. Smith felt very sorry for this poor boy, and determined to tell his son Bobby to share his new sledge with the boy. But before he could catch Bobby to speak to him, he was somewhat surprised -- and much more delighted -- to notice that several of the older boys in the park were already offering the poor boy their nice sledges. Mr. Smith watched them with greater interest -- and suddenly realized that the bigger boys were not doing this because they felt sorry for the poor boy, but because they enjoyed riding on his cardboard box more than on their own sledges. They were actually waiting eagerly and impatiently for a turn on the flattened cardboard box! What did Bobby desire to do for a long time? A To test and play with his new sledge. B To make a new icy slope by himself. C To skate with his father in the nearby park. D To ride in his father's car on a snowy night. Answer: A I have just invented a time machine. It can take people to the past or the future for five hours. I got into my time machine and keyed the words, "1964,11 Niven Road, Singapore", then pressed the button . In a moment, I was in front of a house, 11 Niven Road. I thought that it would be fun to see what my father was like when he was 10 years old. I saw four children looking for a lost dog. They were my father, my uncle Kelvin, my aunt Peek and aunt Janet. I introduced myself as an old friend and agreed to help them look for their dog, Blackie. We wanted to climb a hill and looked into the houses below. When we reached the top, we heard a dog barking. "Blackie !" my father shouted. We looked down and saw Blackie in the house. We knocked on the door of the house and asked the man to return Blackie to us. The man asked us to prove the black dog was Blackie. My father called out Blackie's name and the dog barked. The man had to give Blackie back to us. We went back to 11 Niven Road and I said goodbye to them. My five hours were almost up. I ran to the machine and soon I was back in my time. What an adventure ! When was the writer's father born? A In1954. B In 1964. C In 1974. D It was not mentioned . Answer: A
I don't think a day goes by when I don't think of my father. He died twenty-one years ago when I was twenty-six. He was a good man , but I hardly saw him around home, for he ran a big company. I secretly wished something could bring him closer to me. It wasn't until he became seriously ill that we really got to know each other and had a place in each other's lives. After his near death and many operations, I was trained as his nurse to take care of him. Although the job seemed boring and tiring in certain people's eyes, I liked it. Taking care of him seemed to reduce the pain of his absence from my younger life. I enjoyed his company and attention and, though through a sad situation, I was finally getting my fill . Now I am a dad myself, but certainly not a _ as my father. Although I work away from my home, I always have my meals with my family. Father's Day is coming I still have the pencil holder made from a decorated tin sitting on my desk. It's a gift from my only son. Each year, the gift is something different and each year, I couldn't care less about the gift itself. You see, the gift I enjoy is the pleasure of my son's company and knowing that we have a place in each other's lives. At heart , all men know their fathers are important. Want a great Father's Day? Tell your dad you love him and give your kid a hug today-before Father's Day actually arrives. From this passage we can guess that a workaholic is likely to be a person who _ . Answer: spends almost all his time working Dear Peter How about your study? It's Sunday today. I'm writing a letter to you. I'm going to tell you something in Beijing. Beijing is different from London. In our country, we drive on the left side of the road, but here people drive on the right side. Most people go to work by bus or by bike. The rush hours are from seven to nine in the morning and five to seven in the afternoon. People in China work around eight hours a day, five days a week. They usually begin to work at eight in the morning, and rest on Saturday and Sunday. I have Chinese classes every morning from Monday to Friday. The students in our class are from many countries. We're all working hard and friendly to each other. The Chinese students are ready to help us with our Chinese. We also help them a lot with their English. We are getting along very well. That's all for today. Please write to me soon. Yours Susan People drive on _ in London. Answer: the left side of the road Tom was one of the brightest boys in the year, with supportive parents. But when he was 15 he suddenly stopped trying. He left school at 16 with only two scores for secondary school subjects. One of the reasons that made it cool for him not to care was the power of his peer group. The lack of right male role models in many of their lives -- at home and particularly in the school environment -- means that their peers are the only people they have to judge themselves against. They don't see men succeeding in society so it doesn't occur to them that they could make something of themselves. Without male teachers as a role model, the effect of peer actions and street culture is all-powerful. Boys want to be part of a club. However, schools can provide the environment for change, and provide the right role models for them. Teachers need to be trained to stop that but not in front of a child's peers. You have to do it one to one, because that is when you see the real child. It's pointless sending a child home if he or she has done wrong. They see it as a welcome day off to watch television or play computer games. Instead, schools should have a special unit where a child who has done wrong goes for the day and gets advice about his problems -- somewhere he can work away from his peers and go home after the other children. Why did Tom give up studying? Answer: It's cool for boys of his age not to care about studies. Mr. Grey was the manager of a small office in London. He lived in the country, and came up to work by train. He liked walking from the station to his office unless it was raining, because it gave him some exercise. One morning he was walking along the street when a stranger stopped him and said to him, "You may not remember me, sir, but seven years ago I came to London without a penny in my pockets, I stopped you in this street and asked you to lend me some money, and you lent me PS 5, because you said you were willing to _ so as to give a man a start on the way to success." Mr. Grey thought for a few minutes and then said, "Yes, I remember you. Go on with your story!" "Well," answered the stranger, "are you still willing to take a chance?" Mr. Grey had been willing to lend money to a stranger in order to _ Answer: help him on the way to success We may be very pleased with the rapid progress we have made in every field of study. But the way to test a student's knowledge and ability still remains as poor as it was. We have almost done nothing to improve our examination system. It is well known that the examination system we are now using may be a good way of testing a student's memory, but it can tell you nothing about a student's ability. It does no good to students and teachers. As soon as a child begins school, he enters a world of examination that will decide his future of job. In fact a good examination system should train a student to think for himself. But it now does nothing about that. So students are encouraged to member what is taught. It does not enable them to gain more and note knowledge. The students who come out first in the examination often may not be the best in their studies. Besides, the examinations often force teachers to train students what to do with the coming examination from time to time. There must be some simpler and better way to test a student' s ability besides knowledge. And that is what we should do at once. The passage tells us about the importance of _ . Answer: getting examination system improved
Question: My son wanted to give a party for my birthday. We discussed the invitations and the cost of the party. However, we had very different ideas about whom and how many people to invite. He thought that the people we knew had badly disappointed me by not keeping in touch with me since the death of my wife. But my idea of a relationship among people was to be friendly to everyone. He said, "Come on, Dad, where have all these so-called friendly, good people been since Mum passed away? They visited us in the past because Mum made good food." I replied, "I am sorry to hear that. Is this the reason why you do not want to invite those people? It's no wonder that you are unhappy. Can you live alone? Are you teaching your children to do the same in the future?" I asked myself where I had gone in his upbringing. My wife had often blamed me for not paying enough attention to communication with other people when I was raising our son. I realized at this moment that she was quite right. Hours later, my son phoned me to say that he accepted his wife's advice and agreed to have a party with some of my friends. In the end, we had a great time. And he didn't "hate" those friends any more. "Happy Birthday, Dad! Sorry that I have kept you away from your friends. I love you." On hearing what he said, I was full of happiness and excitement. I was proud that he could change his mind. The best title for the passage would be _ . A. My Son and I B. My Birthday Party C. How to Stay in Touch with Old Friends D. How to Hold a Happy Birthday Party Answer: B Question: The US will seek to expand its own oil production in an attempt to reduce dependence on imported oil and bring down fuel prices , President Obama says . New contracts for exploration will be signed in non-protected areas of Alaska and in the Gulf of Mexico. In his weekly speech , the President insisted the US could reduce its need for imported oil and improve safety. Using his speech to tell Americans that he understood their concerns about rising prices, President Obama focused particularly on the price of fuel, which has risen in recent months. US consumers have historically enjoyed cheap fuel , but have seen prices rise in recent months even though US oil production in 2010 reached its highest level for seven years. Although the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 was serious, Mr Obama said the Gulf remained a key part of the country's future energy supply. The President's proposals come after Republicans introduced a series of proposals that would expand and speed up oil and gas production. The White House has criticized the Republican proposals for safety reasons , but Mr Obama was clear in his speech that he felt safety and environmental standards could be maintained even though production might rise. " I believe that we should continue to expand oil production in America --even as we increase safety and environmental standards ,"he said. "As a nation, we should be investing in the clean, renewable sources of energy that are the solution to high gas prices." Mr Obama has previously called for a step-change in energy policy, saying the US must move towards getting 80%of its electricity from clean energy sources by 2035. Mr Obama thinks the Republican proposals are _ . A. Not safe enough B. Not environmentally friendly C. Practical D. Clear Answer: C Question: Smoking bans in public places are linked with falls in childhood asthma attacks and preterm births , according to the biggest analysis of the influence of public smoking bans on child health. The finding should remove fears that such laws could have the opposite effect because they may lead people to smoke more at home. Several countries, such as Japan and Australia, have tightened laws on smoking in public places over the last few years. Meanwhile, some countries, such as the Netherlands and Germany, still allow smoking in pubs and restaurants. Only about half of US states have comprehensive bans, and there are few restrictions in poorer nations. Opponents often claim that bans could result in people smoking more at home, which would be worse for their children's health. Asthma is one of the main concerns as second-hand smoke harms children's airways in several ways. Researchers led by Jasper Been at Maastricht University Medical Centre reviewed as many as 11 studies that examined how hospital admissions for childhood asthma and preterm births changed after smoking bans came in. The studies involved more than 2.5 million births, and nearly 250,000 hospital admissions for asthma. The result shows that both asthma admissions and preterm birth rates fell by about 10 percent within a year after smoking restrictions were carried out. The effect on preterm births could also have been caused by pregnant women being more likely to quit or cut down following a public ban, says Been. But Been also says the studies could not completely prove that smoking bans directly caused these changes. However, as a matter of fact, because the analysis included several smoking bans introduced in different countries in different years, and most saw health improvements. Such findings are useful for countries and states where there is ongoing debate about how strict smoking bans should be, especially as hospital care for premature babies is so expensive. This might be one of the most important things to know in order to strengthen legislation . Other studies have shown that rates of heart attack and stroke also tend to fall after smoking bans are introduced. According to the passage, some oppose smoking bans in public places because . A. they have much difficulty in quitting smoking B. they believe it will cause people to smoke more at home C. smoking bans contributing to health can't be proved D. the laws might cause opposite effect on smokers Answer: B Question: Which characteristic is inherited rather than learned? A. telling a story B. saluting the flag C. having blue eyes D. riding a bicycle Answer: C Question: I remember the first time that I was extremely happy. I was about 8 years old when for the first time, there was a computer in the classroom. I remember that my teacher allowed each student to take turns playing various educational games on the computer. One day, I found the source code for one of these games. Without knowing or being taught any programming language, I was able to figure out some _ of the BASIC code. Anyone who knows a bit of programming can tell you that I just give myself an infinite number of lives in the game, so I can continue playing forever. This was also my first introduction to algebra , and I didn't even know it at the time. This was a decisive moment in my life. For the first time that I can remember, I was quite happy because of what I was learning and what I was able to do. As a result, I became enthusiastic for the rest of my life about self-learning and computers, and I was quite happy doing them, too. I've noticed that people who are truly content with life are enthusiastic in what they do. This enthusiasm, along with good health, is the key to being happy. It also leads to self-confidence and fulfillment in life, too. It may also lead to success, wealth, and achievements. Yes, success, wealth, or achievements seem to bring some people happiness, too. Yet, I don't think they can indeed make people happy. I know plenty of people who are successful and wealthy. However, I also know several of the people with successful businesses are not happy with what they are doing. I know people who continuously buy themselves new toys, cars, computers, and televisions, yet they never seem content for too long. Please remember that happiness comes from enthusiasm, and happiness is the journey of life, not the destination. According to the author, what can lead a person to be happy? A. Success and wealth B. Education and self-confidence. C. Knowledge and achievements D. Enthusiasm and good health. Answer: D
Question: Alice's mother died when Alice was five years old. Alice, who grew up to be my mother, told me that after her mother's death her family was too poor to even afford to give her a doll. In December 2012, I had a job at a local bank. One afternoon, we were decorating the tree in the bank lobby . One of my customers approached me with her beautiful handmade dolls. I decided to get one for my daughter, Katie, who was almost five years old. Then I had an idea. I asked my customer if she could make me a special doll for my mother--one with gray hair and spectacles : a grandmother doll. And she gladly agreed. A friend had told me that his dad who played Santa Claus would be willing to make a visit on Christmas morning to our home to deliver my Katie her presents, so I made some special arrangements. Christmas Day arrived and at the planned time; so did Santa Claus. Katie was surprised that Santa had come to see her at her own house. As Santa turned to leave, he looked once more into his bag and found one more gift. As he asked who Alice was, my mother, surprised at her name being called, indicated that she in fact was Alice. Santa handed her the gift, with a message card that read: For Alice: I was cleaning out my sleigh before my trip this year and came across this package that was supposed to be delivered on December 25,1953. The present inside has aged, but I felt that you might still wish to have it. Many apologies for the lateness of the gift. Love, Santa Claus My mother's reaction was one of the most deeply emotional scenes I have ever seen. She couldn't speak but only held the doll she had waited fifty-nine years to receive as tears of joy ran down her cheeks. That doll, given by "Santa", made my mother the happiest "child" that Christmas. When the writer's mother received the doll that she had waited so long, she was _ . A. pleased and inspired B. puzzled and angry C. happy and excited D. curious and grateful Answer: C. happy and excited Question: This US competition is for camping related articles in which you share your tips, advice, experience, etc. Closing: When we've received 100 articles -- so you'd better be quick. Prizes: $100,$75,$25 -- all in VISA Gift Cards. How to enter our writing competition In your own words, write an article on a camping topic such as: how to's, reviews, tips and advice, or any topic camping related.The best articles will include useful information about camping, in an interesting and well-written way.Remember that it should be no less than 200 words. Other requirements 1.Fill in all the information required, including your article, on our webpage CampTrip.com and then submit it. 2.You must be 16 years old or over to take part in the competition. 3.You must be a student who is now studying in the US. And what's in it for you? We are giving out a VISA Gift Card for first, second and third best articles.Simply share your experience with others and try to win a VISA cash card.The writing competition is limited to 100 articles which gives you a better chance of writing.So why don't you take up this chance? If you want to enter for the competition, _ . A. you should write something useful B. you must be a US student who is under 16 C. you'd better write a short introduction of yourself D. you must send your information to an e-mail address Answer: A. you should write something useful Question: It takes Te'Anne Collins more than an hour to get to school by bus. But for her, it is worth it. Te'Anne is one of many talented students who will attend an interview for a musical theatre program at Wexford Collegiate School for the Arts. "She is someone with unbelievable talent, " says her music teacher, Ann Merriam . "Te'Anne works two jobs, so she can support her studies and living expense." Te'Anne has come a long way since she first came to Wexford collegiate in 9thgrade. She was new to the school and started going out with the wrong crowd. Her negative lifestyle and attitude caused her scores to decline steadily. It was Ann Merriam who pulled her aside. "She told me that she didn't even know who I was and that she often heard bad things about me, " says Te'Anne. "When I think about it now, I deserved it." Now in Grade 12, Te'Anne has fought her way to the front of the stage and has earned her place as an important member of Wexford Gleeks -- a club that Ann Merriam has been running for over 20 years. Ann Merriam is the founder of the famous musical theatre program, which has been attracting audiences for years. A bit of a maverick ,she quietly started the program in the 80's on a shoestring budget, despite an important leader's disagreement at the beginning. Wexford Gleeks is now one of the top competitors at the 2013 Show Choir Canada competition. Te'Anne's story began to spread and soon telephone calls came flooding in the school board from kids' parents, because they knew Ann Merriam never gave up on any student. Te'Anne thinks a long bus journey is worthy, because she _ . A. gets permission to attend Wexford Collegiate. B. is praised by her music teacher for her talent. C. gets an opportunity for a musical theatre program. D. is able to support her studies and living expenses. Answer: C. gets an opportunity for a musical theatre program. Question: Dick's grandmother is very rich . She has many shops. The old woman begins to learn drawing when she is sixty years old. And she loves it very much. She draws a lot of pictures for twelve years. One day, the old woman is ill. She stays in hospital. Before she dies, she says to Dick," I want to give my picture to a school. Then the students will remember me forever . But I don't know which school I'll give them to. Can you help me?" "Well" says Dick," You can give them to a blind school!" Dick thinks the pictures are _ . A. bad B. nice C. beautiful D. very good Answer: A. bad Question: Scientists use models that show the features of an atom. A scientist should use a model that A. was the first to be developed B. was most recently developed C. shows the arrangement most clearly D. shows the details needed for a specific purpose Answer: D. shows the details needed for a specific purpose
Question: Over the years I've been teaching children about a simple but powerful concept -- the ant philosophy .I think everybody should study ants. They have an amazing four-part philosophy, and here is the first part: ants never quit. That's a good philosophy. If they're headed somewhere and you try to stop them; they'll look for another way. They'll climb over, they'll climb under, 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 you're supposed to go. Second, ants think winter all summer. That's an important viewpoint. You can't be so naive ( ) as to think summer will last forever. So ants are gathering in their winter food in the middle of summer. An ancient story says, "Don't build your house on the sand in the summer. " Why do we need that advice.'? Because it is important to be realistic. In the summer, you've got to think storm. You've got to think rocks as you enjoy the sand and sun. Think ahead. The third part of the ant philosophy is that ants think summer all winter. That is so 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 dive back down, but then they come out on the first warm day. They can't wait to get out. And here's the last part of the ant-philosophy. How much will an ant gather during the summer to prepare for the winter? All he possibly can. What an incredible philosophy, the "all-you-possibly-can" philosophy. Wow, what a great seminar to attend -- the ant seminar. Never give up, look ahead, stay positive and do all you can. What is the second philosophy of ants? A. Think winter all summer. B. Always be realistic. C. Never become lazy in summer. D. Always look ahead. Answer: D. Always look ahead. Question: Dear Grandma, How are you? I hope you are feeling well and your leg is improving. Can you walk a bit now? Is your neighbour, Mrs Lu, bringing you enough books to read? I hope so. You'd love our school library, Grandma. There are so many books on all kinds of subjects. The other day I found a book about engineering. I couldn't really understand it but I hope to learn more about this topic sometime. This term I have three new subject classes, so I think I'll tell you about them. I study biology. It is a very interesting subject. I'm learning all about the human body, where everything is and what it does. Did you know that we have a kissing muscle? It's called 'orbicularis' and it's a circle muscle that closes your mouth and moves your lips forward. I love biology. It's so interesting! Another new subject is religion . I didn't think I would like this one, but actually it is very interesting to hear how different people worship . We are learning about lots of religions from all over the world, not only Asia. My other new subject is Spanish. It's really difficult to learn a new language but I know it will be useful for me in the future, if I want to travel around the world. Spanish is one of the official languages of the European Union and the United Nations. I've learnt that Spanish is not only spoken in Europe but in South America too. Countries like Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Mexico also speak Spanish. You know I've always wanted to go to Mexico, so if I can speak Spanish it would be really useful. Did you study these subjects when you were at school? I suppose subject choice changes over time, doesn't it? I'll come to visit you again in the next holiday, which I think is in eight weeks' time. I'll bring you some of my new books if you like. I hope you can write back soon and tell me all the village news. I miss you very much. Lots of love, Sara From the letter we can know that Grandma's leg was _ . A. improving B. lost C. getting worse D. hurt Answer: D. hurt Question: Hello, boys and girls. I have a photo. Let's have a look at it. This is me. My name is Jack. I'm in No.1 Middle School. This is my mother. She is a Chinese teacher. And this is my father. He is tall and strong. He is an English teacher. My mother and my father are not in my school. Look at the girl. She is my sister, Mary. She is clever. Mary has a dog. It's Spotty. Spotty is my good friend too. All of us are very happy. Spotty is _ . A. Jack's dog B. Jack's sister C. Mary's dog D. Mary's sister Answer: C. Mary's dog Question: In many societies, there is often greater acceptance of light skin than dark skin. Light skin may be seen as a mark of beauty, intelligence and success. These beliefs can lead to social pressure even within the same racial group, if some members are darker skinned than others. The result is that skin lightening has become a common activity across Africa, Asia and other areas of the world. More and more people with dark skin are using skin lightening products, even if they may face health risks. They believe that having whiter skin will improve their lives. Many people think they will have a better chance of getting a job or marrying into a better family. Or they want to look like what their society generally considers beautiful. Some beauty care products and soaps contain chemicals that make skin lighter. This process is also called bleaching. But some of the chemicals are extremely dangerous. One of the most dangerous is hydroquinone. Hydroquinone has been banned in several countries. This chemical has been linked to kidney damage and some kinds of cancer. It also causes low birth weight in babies when mothers use it during pregnanc y. At first, bleaching products make the skin color1 lighter. But after long-term use they can cause problems. They can even make some skin darker. The chemicals in the products block and break down the natural process that gives color1 to skin. The skin loses its natural barrier to protect against sunlight. Then the skin can become thick and discolor1ed. Usually the person will use more of the product in an effort to correct the problem, but this only makes it worse. Fatimata Ly treats skin conditions in the Senegalese capital, Dakar. Doctor Ly says skin bleaching has become a problem throughout Senegal. She says the chemicals are now more dangerous because they are stronger. Some cases have resulted in blackened fingernails, infections and permanent skin damage. And these are not the only risks. Experts say some people who change their skin color1 suffer emotional damage. They feel regret and sadness. They feel that instead of risking their health, they should have learned to love and accept their skin color1 as it was. Why has the skin lightening become a common activity all over the world? A. There are many products that can make the dark skin light. B. Many people with dark skin have no confidence. C. People with light skin seem to have more advantages over people with dark skin. D. People with dark skin are forced by the pressure of their families. Answer: C. People with light skin seem to have more advantages over people with dark skin. Question: Both the young and the old may feel lonely. A three-year-old child will feel lonely when it is left alone, and an old man over eighty years old is often afraid to live alone, too. Some people feel lonely because they may not have enough time to make friends. Not only the quiet, shy people may feel lonely. Some people are active and outgoing, but they are sometimes afraid to talk and make friends with others. They always try to hold other people away from them. They may seem to have lots of friends, but inside they are hurting. Are you lonely? If your answer is "yes", you may need to work hard enough! Here are some tips to think about: To be wanted and needed is a big answer to loneliness. Is there any way you can help other people? Try to do something helpful for others even if you are very busy. By helping other people, we find friends and lose loneliness. Do you have an interest or hobby? Find a group of people with this interest and join them. Live in the real world! The world on the Internet is not a real world and it is very different from the real life. The students asleep in class are mostly those who often surf the net through the night. As a result, they'll get lost in the real world. Don't wait for someone to phone, or write, or email you, you call them. And if they seem too busy, it doesn't mean you are not welcome. Try another time! When you've done anything wrong to other people, don't be too proud to say sorry. You must do that even if you find it hard to open your mouth. According to the passage, some people feel lonely because _ . A. they stay at home all day B. they have too many friends C. they have too much time to meet friends D. they don't have enough time to make friends Answer: D. they don't have enough time to make friends
Question: Today is July 20th.Mr Smith is going to have a trip.This is his travel plan. Dep.="depart;" leave arr.=arrive 21 July dep. New York 12:25 23 July dep. Ottawa 14:20 arr. Toronto 17:15 25 July dep. Toronto 09:45 arr. Tokyo 15:10 29 July dep. Tokyo 14:20 Arr. Sydney 20:05 2 August dep. Sydney 08:20 Arr. New York 16:25 How long is Mr Smith traveling? A. 9 days. B. 10 days. C. 11 days. D. 12 days. Answer: D. 12 days. Question: HK's Family Affair The 39thHong Kong Art Festival, to be held early next year, will be based on the topic of "family" The art festival, considered to be Asia's best, began in 1973. "We hope that people from Beijing and from all over the world will go to Hong Kong to enjoy the different performances in our art festival,"Douglas Gautier, the festival's management director, said in a press conference in the capital. In the 29 days of the festival, which runs from March 8 to April 7,2012, the audience can choose from 111 performances of 51 programmes given by 700 foreign performers, 450 local artists and 160 actors from the mainland. Programmes vary from classical music, jazz, world music, Western and Peking opera, drama and dance to outdoor shows. The programmes include Beethoven's only opera Fidelio, Shakespeare's drama Romeo and Juliet, the ballet Mozartina and African dances, to name just a few. The lineup includes the English Touring Theatre, Prague Chamber Orchestra, Zurich Ballet, The Spanish National Dance Troupe, as well as Europe Galante the Petersen Quartet, pianists Angela Hewitt and Lang Lang, and saxophonist Jan Garbarek. In order to increase attendance, hotels and airlines are offering _ along with art festival ticket sales, most of which are at 20% and 30% cheaper. For more information, please check: _ According to the text, we do NOT have any information about _ . A. who will perform on stage B. what programmes there will be C. when the 39th Art Festival will be held D. which theatres will put on performances Answer: D. which theatres will put on performances Question: Most of us remember our teachers well. Three successful Americans talk about the teachers who encouraged them. Kevin Henkes is an excellent author and illustrator whose books include Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse, The Year of Billy Miller, and Kitten's First Full Moon, which won the Caldecott medal. "I grew up in the school days of silent hallways and desks in neat,evenrows. One day, our forth-grade teacher allowed the class to move the desks out of rows intogroups of four. It might seem like a small thing now, but it taught me that you could do things differently; you could think outside the box. That teacher helped me view my world differently. Good teachers can change lives." Katherine Applegate has won many awards for her books, including the Newbery Medal for The One and Only Ivan. She also created the Animorphs series with her husband, Michael Grant."My sixth-grade teacher in Michigan sensed that 1 wanted to write,so one day she sent me home to write about the word'blue'in as many ways as possible. Because of that,for the first time in my life, I thought of myself as someone with special skills as a writer, someone who was unique. My teacher's actions said'I see something special in you.'" In his role as U.S.Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan is in charge of the department that collects data and directs research on America's schools."My high school English teacher was amazing. She challenged us to express our ideas clearly in class and in our writing. There was no such thing as a bad question. She wanted to hear from us and encouraged us to speak up and express ourselves. She pulled things out of me that I didn't know I had inside. I think that is the genius of good teachers." What do we know about Arne Duncan? A. He became a superb lecturer after graduation. B. He was inspired to do research in high school. C. He was encouraged to realize his full potential . D. He won prizes for his writings in English class. Answer: C. He was encouraged to realize his full potential . Question: There are probably no people on Earth who like to gossip as much as the British. If prying into other's lives were an Olympic sport, then Team GB would surely take the gold medal. And when the British can't watch the lives of real people, they have another source of entertainment to fall back on--the soap opera. British soap operas are very different to US TV dramas. For one, they are normally longer running. The two most popular, Coronation Street and East-enders, have been running for 48 and 24 years respectively. Both are broadcast several times a week, so remarkably there have been more than 7,000 _ of Coronation Street. The most obvious difference is that, unlike US dramas, the British soap operas focus on the real world. There is little glamour , the stars are rarely rich, and they normally have boring jobs. Perhaps the appeal is that the lives of the characters often mirror the lives of the audience--but with some drama added. This means the viewer can relate to the characters and feel the pain and happiness they go through on the show. Because these soap operas last for decades, the cast is ever changing. The shows rarely focus on one or two main characters. Like the real world, people come and go all the time. However, there are exceptions. Coronation Street's William Roach, 76, has played the role of Ken Barlow since the very first episode of the show in 1960, and he is still a regular. The choice of which soap opera you follow is often cultural: People from the north of British tend to watch Coronation Street as it is set in Manchester. People from the south generally prefer East-enders, which is set in the east of London. The show is generally considered grittier and is aimed at a younger audience. Why do British people like to watch such operas? A. They can find their own life from the operas. B. They can enjoy the operas in their free time. C. They can watch the operas for many years. D. They care about the fate of the characters in the operas. Answer: A. They can find their own life from the operas. Question: Jerry was a manager in a restaurant.He was always in a good mood and always had something positive to say.This really made me _ so one day I asked him,"It's hard to be a positive person all of the time.How do you do it?'' Jerry replied ,"Each morning I wake up and sayto myself,"Jerry, you can choose to be in a good mood or a bad mood," and I choose to be in a good mood. Life is all about what you choose.And what you choose leads your life."Several years later,I heard that Jerry left the back door open one morning and was robbed .While trying to stop the thief ,he was shot. I went to see him in the hospital.When I asked him how he was,he replied,"If I were any better,I'd be twins." "Weren't you scared when you were in danger?"I asked."Yes. The doctors kept telling me that I was going to be fine, but in their eyes,I read."He's dead."I knew I needed to take action." "What did you do?" "Well.there was a big nurse asking me if I was allergic to anything."Yes,'I replied ."Bullets !Everyone laughed and I told them: I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive." Jerry lived thanks to the great doctors ,and also because of his amazing attitude .Attitude ,after all ,is everything. When Jerry met difficulties in life,how did he deal with them? A. He faced them positively. B. He talked to the writer about them. C. He asked others to help him. D. He tried to stop thinking about them Answer: A. He faced them positively.
Passage A Shenzhou Travel Agency Five-day trip to Zhangjiajie By train Five-star hotel Call Miss Li at 5678-9230 for more information. Piano Lessons Music teacher Good at teaching kids from 5 to 10 years of age Call Mary at 8230-7861 Babysitter Wanted A 2-year-old baby At my home From 8:00 am to 4:00 pm A woman who is less than 45 years old Be good with kids. Call Mr Johnson at 5817-6291 Room for Rent One of two bedrooms Share kitchen and bathroom with a quiet and clean girl E-mail Lisa at ryhou@hotmail.com What number should you call if you want to go to Zhangjiajie? 5678-9230 Please come to meet a family from Canada. The girl's name is Wendy. Her family are in China now. Her father and mother work in Shanghai. Wendy's father is an office worker and her mother teaches English in a school. Wendy has two brothers but no sisters. They are all students but they are in different school. She is in Grade Eight and her brothers are in Grade Six. They love their schools. Wendy usually goes to school with her brothers _ . Sometimes their father takes them in his car. In the afternoon, they have lunch at school.They like to play with their classmates. And they often help each other. Who is an English teacher? Wendy's mother Which of the following best describes a mineral? a natural substance that makes up rocks We know good manners are important. Today I am going to tell you something about manners in different countries. I think you already know that people in different countries usually have different ways of doing things. Something that is rude in one country may be quite polite in another. For example, in Britain you mustn't lift your bowl to your mouth when you are having liquid food. That is considered bad manners in Britain. But in Japan you needn't worry about making a noise when you drink something. It shows that you are enjoying it. In Britain we try not to put our hands on the table at all during a meal. In Mexico, however, guests are expected to keep their hands on the table _ a meal. In Arabic countries we must be careful with our hands. You see, in Arabic countries you mustn't eat with your left hand. This is considered to be very impolite. So, what should you do if you visit a foreign country? Well, you needn't worry. You can ask the native people there to help you and you can just watch carefully and try to do what they do. In Arabic countries you must be careful with your _ . hands People often like collecting things. Collecting stamps, books, pictures and pens are some common hobbies. I know many kinds of collections. but do you know the collection of clocks? My friend Mr. Clock, a short man, has the hobby. He has one thousand five hundred clocks. There are clocks here and there in his house. You can see lots of clocks on shelves. As there is not enough room for so many clocks, the man has to put clocks into some boxes under the beds in his house. Mr. Clock likes his large collection of clocks, but his wife,Mrs. Clock does not enjoy them at all. She complains every day because she has to do much work,for it is not easy to clean hundreds of clocks. She also complains about the noise. Each clock keeps a different time. So she can hear the chimes almost any time day and night. There is something even worse. With so many clocks around, she is never able to know the correct time! Mr. Clock likes collecting _ . clocks
Question: Mobile Phone Manners Mobile phones have changed the way we communicate;they have also brought about problems in phone manners.Gaik Lira, a Singapore-based advice has some advice on phone manners. When dealing with missed calls,the person being.called should return the call."Calls should be returned as soon as possible, and no later than the following day. Anything later than that,and an apology or a reason for the delay should go with the call." Text messages should be kept short and to the point.If they go beyond four or five lines,call or e-mail instead."The use of short forms should be among family members and friends,never in a business situation." Speak in a low voice as if you were talking to someone next to you.If the connection is bad,don't raise your voice in order to be heard,simply move to another place where the connection may be better.And if that doesn't work,tell the caller to call you back or offer to call at a later time. When a conversation is cut off due to a bad connection,the person who started the conversation should call back."It may be inconvenient for the other person to return the call,especially if it's an unlisted number,or an overseas call." When running late for a date or meeting,it is acceptable to text to inform that you'll be delayed.Messages should be apologetic."A message like'Sorry.Will be about 30 mi- nutes late due to flight delay'is considered polite and thoughtful." Taking calls during meetings is only acceptable if you have informed the chairperson that you are expecting an urgent call.If you get an unexpected but urgent call,apologize to those present and offer a quick explanation as to why you have to take that call.Then leave the room to contioue your phone conversation. What should you do if the connection is bad when you aye talking on your mobile phone? A. Raise your voice in order to be heard. B. Hold on till the connection becomes better. C. Ask someone next to you to lend you his or her phone. D. Move away from where you are or stop and talk later. Answer: D Question: One of my main concerns when I am helping people achieve their goals is how they measure success. I see individuals getting frustrated as they struggle hard for success. One of the main reasons that cause this frustration is that people allow their definition of success to be determined by someone or something else. Another is that they become frustrated at their own apparent lack of success when comparing themselves to other people. We are individuals with individual wants, skills and experiences. We should look at our own skills to determine what is successful to us. We should look inwards to determine what it would mean for us to be successful in our own mind rather than someone else's. Evaluating a successful person needs to look at his pathway to success, his actions ,his determination and translate that into his own experience to see how he can improve himself. You must set your own course of action, and stay on your course. You alone must determine what success means to you. Do what you do to the best of your ability and the rest will take care of itself. For example, I believe that I am successful but I am not a millionaire! Others may not see me as successful in their eyes but that does not matter. It is how I see myself that is important to me and my life. Here is the truth. Being a success is doing your best, not being the best. Success is not something you become; it is something you continue being. When we get to that point, we will experience a lot more joy and a lot less frustration. And that sounds good to us! Remember the great quote from Napoleon Hill, "If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way." According to the passage the writer advises us to _ . A. attach the importance to others' attitude and evaluation B. learn from others ,failure C. set a proper goal and strive to realize it D. look at others' skills to determine what is successful to us Answer: C Question: It is a novel that is probably more talked about than read. People think: "It's such a big book! It has such a serious theme!" The feeling that they are going to be taught a long, hard lesson often puts readers off. But really, War and Peace (1869), which tells the stories of five upper-class families in Russia at the time of the 1812 French invasion, is not to be missed. Reading this novel is one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences, like climbing the Great Wall: You will regret it if you do not try. Earlier this month, USA Today reported that a six-episode War and Peace miniseries produced by the BBC would air next year. With a complex plot and so many characters, readers unfamiliar with the work might be most interested in the characters from the financially-troubled Rostov family of Moscow. Count Rostov has four teenage children. Natasha is in love with Boris Drubetskoy, who is about to become an army officer. Nikolai Ilyich loves the poor Sonya, a ward of the family, but his family is not happy with their relationship. The proud Vera is about to start a happy marriage with a German-Russian officer. The youngest Rostov is the 9-year-old Petya, who, like his brother Nikolai, has his heart set on fighting for his country. The lives of all are about to be changed by the upcoming great war that involves many other major characters of War and Peace, such as Prince Andrei, who goes into a military career partly in order to get away from his unhappy marriage to the socialite Lise. The novel has a great reputation among many kinds of writers and millions of readers. US writer Ernest Hemingway wrote: "I don't know anybody who could write about war better than Tolstoy did." A comment by the great 20th-century Russian short-story writer Isaak Babel shows the rich sense of history that Tolstoy's work conveys. "If the world itself could write, it would write like Tolstoy," Babel commented. What can we know from Isaak Babel's comment? A. The novel has a great distinction in the world. B. The book helps readers make sense of history. C. Many other writers regard Tolstoy as their idol. D. Readers should follow Tolstoy's writing style. Answer: B Question: A NEW weapon is on the way in the fight against smoking in Europe. Soon when smokers buy cigarettes they might see a shocking photo of a blackened lung or a cancer patient staring back at them from the packet . Some boys may think of smoking as cool and sexy. Their friends won't agree when they see their packets of cigarettes lying on the table. The European Union announced on October 22 that it had chosen 42 photos that showed the damage cigarettes could do to the body. It called on member nations to put these pictures on packets to discourage smokers. To catch the attention of teenagers, the special packets warn of long-term medical dangers, like cancer. Short-term effects, like bad skin, are also on the list. "The true face of smoking is disease, death and horror. That is the message we should send to the young," said David Byrne, an EU health official. "Hopefully these pictures will shock students out of their love for cigarettes." The EU head office hoped the pictures would work better than current written warnings on packs of cigarettes. The warnings included "smoking kills" and "smoking can lead to a slow and painful death." So far, Ireland and Belgium have shown interest in the photos. Canada has used similar pictures and warnings on cigarette packs since 2000. The country has recently seen a fall in the number of smokers. According to studies, smoking is the single biggest cause of avoidable death in EU. Every year more than 650,000 smokers die, more than one person a minute.(272) What probably made the EU think of the idea? A. A country`s success in this aspect B. People`s fear of disease and death C. The youth`s fear of losing beauty D. The increasing seriousness of smoking Answer: A Question: Food serves as a form of communication in two fundamental ways. Sharing bread or other foods is a common human tradition that can promote unity and trust. Food can also have a specific meaning, and play a significant role in a family or culture's celebrations or traditions. The foods we eat--and when and how we eat them--are often unique to a particular culture or may even differ between rural and urban areas within one country. Sharing bread, whether during a special occasion or at the family dinner table, is a common symbol of togetherness. Many cultures also celebrate birthdays and marriages with cakes that are cut and shared among the guests. Early forms of cake were simply a kind of bread, so this tradition hits its roots in the custom of sharing bread. Food also plays an important role in many New Year celebrations. In the southern United States, pieces of corn bread represent blocks of gold for prosperity in the New Year. In Greece, people share a special cake called vasilopita. A coin is put into the cake, which signifies success in the New Year for the person who receives it. Many cultures have ceremonies to celebrate the birth of a child, and food can play a significant role. In China, when a baby is one month old, families name and welcome their child in a celebration that includes giving red-colored eggs to guests. In many cultures, round foods such as grapes, bread, and moon cakes are eaten at welcome celebrations to represent family unity. Nutrition is necessary for life, so it is not surprising that food is such an important part of different cultures around the world. According to the passage, sharing bread _ . A. indicates a lack of food B. can help to develop unity C. is a custom unique to rural areas D. has its roots in birthday celebrations Answer: B
A soldier who lost both his legs after being blown up in Afghanistan is racing a sports car in his hometown this weekend. Remarkably David Birrell will not only drive the Mazda MX5 but he does without any specially adapted equipment. Davie, 28, has battled back from terrible injuries after a bomb blew up directly below him. He gave himself first aid and fired at Taliban fighters until help arrived. Davie was always interested in motor sport and after spending weeks in hospital was introduced by Help the Heroes to Mission Motorsport, which helps the wounded recover. The charity are organizing a major event, Race of Remembrance, at the Anglesey Circuit near Rhosneigr of North Wales in November, and Davie was at the circuit yesterday for an official launch. He said,"It's my first time racing on Anflesey. This means everything to me. I loved it straight away, and it gives you something to focus on, to try and stay in front of others. I was boxing since the age of eight and my whole life has been one-to-one competition. But now everything has changed." Davie, a corporal in the Black Watch, was in Helmand in April 2010 when his interpreter stood on the bomb. He said,"I was confused and went blank for a couple of seconds. There was dust in the air and I couldn't see. Both legs were still attached but there were massive injuries to my right leg and my left foot was broken."As the Taliban began firing he returned fire and waited for help. He added,"A medical team came over. I was taken back to Camp Bastion by helicopter. I was there for two days before being flown to hospital in Birmingham." He had lost his right leg and the following year had his left leg _ below the knee, ending the Army career. What we know about Davie is that _ . A Davie was killed by Taliban fighters. B Davie's interpreter survived the accident. C Davie's legs were blown up immediately. D Davie might like boxing when he was young. Answer: D. Davie might like boxing when he was young. Can you remember the first time you learned to ride a bike or drive a car? Learning these skills changed your life forever and opened up new horizons.Learning about computers can be like learning how to ride a bike or drive a car.Once you have invested the time to master the skills, you will never go back to the old days.The new technology is simply too convenient and too powerful. Technological developments through the years have enabled us to do more with less effort We have continuously looked for better ways of doing things.Each invention and new development has allowed us to extend our capabilities.Today we see one of the most dramatic technologies ever developed--the computer.It extends the capabilities of our minds. Computers have saved organizations millions of dollars.Furthermore, these same computer systems have opened up new opportunities that would have gone undiscovered or neglected. The computer may multiply what we can do, and the return on investment is high.The growth of computer usage is surprising.On the other hand, the computer can do serious damage.Invasion of privacy, fraud , and computer-related mistakes are just a few shocking examples. The computer is like a double-edged sword.It has the ability to cut us free from some activities, but it can also cut deep into profits, personal privacy, and our society in general.How it is used is not a function of technology.It is strictly a function of how people decide to use or misuse this new technology.The choice is yours, and only through a knowledge of computer systems will you be able to avoid the dangers while enjoying the many benefits of the computer age. The writer thinks learning about computers is like learning how to ride a bike or drive a car because _ . A it is simple and practical B it needs a lot of practice C it leads people to new life experiences D it takes much time to master the skills Answer: C. it leads people to new life experiences Paper was not made in southern Europe until the year of 1100.Thouth Scandinavia now makes a great deal of the world's paper, it had not begun to make it until 1500. It was a German named Schaeffer who found out that one could make paper from wood. After that, forest countries, such as Canada, Sweden, Norway, Finland and the United States, became important in paper making. Today in Finland, for example, no industry is bigger than the forest industry. And the paper industry is the most important part of it. Modern paper-making machines are very big, and they make paper very fast. The biggest machines can make a piece of paper 750 meters long and six meters wide in one minute. When we think of paper, we think of newspapers, books, letters, envelopes , and writing paper. But there are many other uses. Each year, more and more things are made of paper. We have had paper cups, plates, and dishes for a long time. But now we hear that chairs, a tables and even beds can be made of paper. The newest thing made of paper in the world may be a paper house. It is not a small house for children to play in, but a real, big house for people to live in. it is not expensive. You can put up a paper house yourself in a few hours, and you can use it for about 5 years. ,. In which country is the forest industry the biggest industry? A Finland. B Sweden. C Norway. D The Untied States. Answer: A. Finland. An Apple employee is in trouble after the prototype of its top-secret iPhone5 was left in a bar. The as yet unreleased prototype was supposedly "misplaced" at Cava22 in San Francisco. Apple's security team was called in after reports that it had been sold over the internet for PS120. However, technology website Cnet.co.uk reports that the San Francisco Police Department said Apple had not reported the item as lost. Cava22 owner Jose Valle has said that neither the SFPD nor Apple have contacted him, although he does remember getting calls about a lost iPhone last month. It follows a very similar incident in April 2010 when a then-unreleased iPhone4 was left in a beer garden of a German bar in California by an Apple engineer. The lost iPhone4 was also sold over the internet to the technology blog, which paid PS3,000. The incident led to Apple strengthening its already stiff security, for it seems difficult to believe that a virtually identical incident would happen for the second time in two years. What can we infer from the text? A The iPhone5 prototype was left in the bar on purpose. B The owner of Cava22 got the iPhone5 prototype. C The SFPD contacted the bar owner for the incident. D The Apple officials felt quite angry about the incident. Answer: D. The Apple officials felt quite angry about the incident. At a country auction, Powell acquired an antique cabinet that he recognized as a "Morenci," an extremely rare and valuable collector's item. Unfortunately, Powell's cabinet had several coats of varnish and paint over the original finish. Its potential value could only be realized if these layers could be removed without damaging the original finish. Much of the value of Morenci furniture depends on the condition of a unique oil finish, the secret of which died with Morenci, its inventor. A professional restorer of antique furniture recommended that Powell use Restorall to remove the paint and varnish from the cabinet. Powell obtained and read a sales brochure published by Restorall, Inc., which contained the following statement: "This product will renew all antique furniture. Will not damage original oil finishes." Powell purchased some Restorall and used it on his cabinet, being very careful to follow the accompanying instructions exactly. Despite Powell's care, the original Morenci finish was irreparably damaged. When finally refinished, the cabinet was worth less than 20% of what it would have been worth if the Morenci finish had been preserved. If Powell sues Restorall, Inc., to recover the loss he has suffered as a result of the destruction of the Morenci finish, will Powell prevail? A Yes, unless no other known removal technique would have preserved the Morenci finish. B Yes, if the loss would not have occurred had the statement in the brochure been true. C No, unless the product was defective when sold by Restorall, Inc. D No, if the product was not dangerous to persons. Answer: B. Yes, if the loss would not have occurred had the statement in the brochure been true.
Hello, I'm Frank. I'm twenty-four years old. I live in Shanghai now. There are many tall buildings, big houses and busy streets in this city. My flat is on the eighth floor of a ten-floor building. There is a nice park. In the morning, there are many people doing exercise in it. My flat is small. It has no kitchen. There is only one bedroom. It looks nice and tidy. My favorite place is the balcony . I often sit on the balcony to have a rest . I work in a restaurant on a busy street. It is a good place to meet friends and taste nice food. I'm always busy cooking food and making coffee for the customers . When I'm free, I'll help the waiters clean the chairs and tables. Sometimes I feel a little tired, but I'm happy here. There is no _ in Frank' s flat. kitchen As late as 1800, women's only place was in the home. The idea of woman in the business world was unthinkable. Men were certain that no woman could do a good job outside her home. This was such a widely accepted idea that when the well-known Bronte sisters began writing books in 1864, they had to sign their books with men's names instead. Teaching was the first profession open to women soon after 1800. But even that was not an easy profession for women to enter because most schools and colleges were open only to men. Oberlin College in Ohio was the first college in America to accept women. Hospital nursing became respectable work for women only after Nightingale became famous. Seeing that she was not only a nurse but also a rich and well-educated woman, people began to believe it was possible for women to nurse the sick and still be "ladies". Miss Nightingale opened England's first training school for nurse in 1860. The invention of the typewriter in 1867 helped to bring women out of the home and into the business world. By 1900, thousands of women were working at real jobs in schools, hospitals and offices in both England and America. Some women even managed to become doctors or lawyers. The idea that women could work in the business world had been accepted. Why couldn't women become teachers easily? Because _ most schools and colleges were open only to men. For most kids, homework is just part of their daily lives, but have you ever imagined that one day you won't need to do any homework at all? Such a thing has just happened in a school in the UK. Nottingham East Academy, a school in the UK, has established a non-homework policy recently. The school plans to give an extra lesson and provide more activities for students to do at school. So the students no longer need to do homework after class. When the school announced this policy , students , parents and teachers were all shocked. The school , Nottingham East Academy , is the country's largest school. It has a total of 3,570 students. Barry Day, the president of the school, thinks that homework is unnecessary and can easily cause argument both at home and at school. He once told the local newspaper ," People give homework for children to do simply because they think it should be given. Actually, homework doesn't help with education at all." Letting kids leave their homework at school is becoming popular in the UK. Several other schools are welcoming the policy and are taking similar measures .Tiffin Boy's school has started giving students less homework. Students now spend less time on homework. The time has dropped from two or three hours to just forty minutes a night. Nottingham East Academy is asking students to read for pleasure with their parents at home instead. According to the passage, which statement is WRONG? In the UK, no school has announced a non-homework policy so far. If a thing is near a planet, yet a planet is orbiting something else, the orbiting item circling the planet is likely luna Hardly a day goes by without the subject of money being raised in most people's lives. However, it is highly debatable whether money is more important than other things, such as health and happiness, which some people consider to be of greater significance. To begin with, it is often argued that having money enables people to exert their influence over others. Wealthy businessmen, for example, are often the most highly respected members of society, and business tycoons are often referred to by world leaders, who then make policies that affect the whole population. As a result, money can be seen as the single most important factor in everyday life. Secondly, from the point of view of the individual, money is vital for survival. Western society is structured in such a way that, without money, people cannot get proper nutrition and health care. Furthermore, in some cases, the inability to pay heating bills can indeed become a matter of life and death. On the other hand, many people say that one of the factors in life, which is undoubtedly of greater importance than money, is health. As Izaak Walton said, health is, "a blessing that money cannot buy". What is more, money is sometimes of little comfort to those who are suffering from health problems. Despite the fact that money can buy the best medical care available, it is not a guarantee of a longer life. In addition, most people would agree that personal happiness easily outweighs money in importance. Even if an individual is extremely rich, this does not necessarily lead to happiness. In some cases, the contrary is true, and vast wealth brings a whole range of problems. Genuine happiness cannot be bought and it is usually independent of financial status. On the whole, although there are those who would rank money as the single most important thing in life, we, the vast majority, would disagree. According to the text, money is _ . always a hot topic in people's lives
Once architect Frank Lloyd Wright built a house for businessman Hibbard Johnson. One rainy evening Johnson was entertaining guests for dinner when the roof began to leak. The water leaked through directly above Johnson, dropping steadily onto his bald head. Angry, he called Wright."Frank,"he said,"you built this beautiful house for me and we enjoy it very much. But ... the roof leaks, and right now I'm with some distinguished guests and it's leaking right on top of my head."There was a pause on the line, and Frank replied,"Well, why don't you move your chair?" Just when we'd like to have everything perfect in our lives, the roof springs a leak into even the best constructed and waterproof lives. Leaks happen. We have a choice, we can sit under the leak and complain, or we can regain our joy by moving our chair -- changing our perspective. Now, some will point out that the reason they have no joy in their lives is that they don't have a reason to be joyful. They have a lot of leaks in their roof. Life seems like it's fallen apart. They aren't satisfied with their job, if they even have one. Their family has problems. Their health isn't good. Their car is under repair. They just can't see a"reason"for being joyful. It's hard to be joyful when life is going against you. It's hard to be joyful when you're struggling with troubles, or defeated by pain, or unsure of your future. But there's a problem with that approach to life. If we wait till everything turns out the way we want them to in our lives or we're not going to be joyful until all the leaks are repaired in the roof of our lives...THEN we're never going to experience joy. There's an alternative. You don't have to wait until you're happy with your life. Deep spiritual joy in your life will always bring you happiness. But the pursuit of happiness won't always bring you joy. People have a hard time understanding the difference. Worldly happiness almost always relies on some situation or event to make us feel good. If something good happens, we'll feel good, but if something bad happens, we won't. By contrast, spiritual joy doesn't depend on present situation. In fact, spiritual joy can often exist despite our circumstances. Don't let other people steal your joy. If the roof is leaking and you can't get someone to fix it right away, move your chair. Change your perspective. Lay hold of joy and take control of your circumstances, rather than swinging with your emotions and continuing to look for happiness. What's the purpose of mentioning Frank Lloyd Wright? To introduce the topic of the passage. Figuring out how to lose weight is a challenge for many of us, particularly considering that the quickest path to weight loss is different for everyone. Of course the common methods are always proper diet and exercise, which not only work in weight loss but also keep a body healthy. Of course you've heard this before -- the challenge is to follow through. Others have lost weight by following these simple guidelines, and so can you. Set small, practical goals. If you have a lot of weight to lose, try for 5 pounds, relax a bit and then go for 5 more. Start a regular exercise program and _ . Don't be afraid of those sweat suits and pants! Do extra exercise in addition to your regular program. Park at the far end of the parking lot and walk; take the stairs instead of the lift. Healthy foods are an important ingredient in losing weight. Eat low-fat, high-fiber foods such as salads and vegetable pastas. Choose foods that you like. Learn to prepare healthful, low-calorie foods that taste good by checking healthy cook books for new recipes. Eating well doesn't have to mean eating dull. Eat smaller more frequent meals. This way your body starts to increase its metabolism so that calories are burned faster. Also mini-meals can prevent overeating. Plan ahead and keep a food diary. Keep the fridge stocked with healthy foods such as vegetables and fruit and you'll be less likely to run out for high-calorie, high- -fat junk food. This will help you know where you can improve your diet. We can learn from the passage that _ . you can learn to prepare healthy, low-calorie foods by checking healthy cook books A person wants to know how fast winds will be going this week. They buy a device made of metal and place it outside next to the chimney In an arson prosecution the government seeks to rebut Defendant's alibi that he was in a jail in another state at the time of the fire. The government calls Witness to testify that he diligently searched through all the records of the jail and found no record of Defendant's having been incarcerated there during the time Defendant specified. The testimony of Witness is admissible as evidence of absence of an entry from a public record. 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. Why do the post-90s generation create "Martian language" according to the passage? Because they can hide their secrets from the authorities.
The Kinema, Lincolnshire It's a wooden building on the outside and a two-screen cinema on the inside, all nesting among pine trees in a tiny village. The Kinema showed its first film in 1922 and the first six rows were deckchair . Today, it's more richly decorated. "People come here because it's a fantastic experience," says manager Philip Jones. "Many rooms in the Kinema are simple and not attractive, but we try to remain everything that makes it special." The Cube, Bristol It's not really a cinema. It is a not-for-profit cooperative run by volunteers, which has been operating for the last 15 years. They are "unique for what we do, which is to operate seven nights a week and with no funding." They make many things themselves, such as cola and yogurt. The Broadway, Nottingham A cinema has been here since the 1960s, when local fashion designer Paul Smith would come to see arty foreign films, which heavily influenced his career choice. Later, he designed the stripy sofas. The Broadway was previously used as a church, but locals love it for its independent, art house, and DIY spirit. The Broadway also has a right-on restaurant, with locally sourced vegetables and salads, and even serves its own beer. The Rex, Hertfordshire It opened to the public in 1938 and has been named the most beautiful cinema in the UK. There's a varied program with different films every night. Hot dogs and popcorn are banned. And a real person answers the phone when you call. People speak very highly of the Rex. So do go, if only once, to see just how a cinema should be run. In Philip Jones' opinion, the Kinema may attract people who _ . want to experience something special When Andrea Peterson landed her first teaching job, she faced the task of creating a music program with almost no money for equipment or supplies in a climate where standards-based learning was the focus and music just provided a break for students and teachers. For her drive and creativity in overcoming those challenges, she's been name national teacher of the year. Principal Waynes Kettler said he's worked with many outstanding teachers in his 22 years as an educator, but Peterson is "just that one step above anybody I've ever worked with before." Kettler and others at Monte Cristo Elementary School talk about the ways she has introduced the learning from other classrooms into her music program and her creativity in working around things such as the lack of money for new music. When students were reading S.E. Hinton's novel in their regular classroom, Peterson helped them write a 30-minute play with scenes from the book. Then they chose three Broadway tunes that focused on race, equality and social justice, the themes of the book. Peterson composed two other sons herself after classroom discussions about the play and the book. The honor means a lot to residents of Granie Falls. It's inspiring to know that people from small towns can even win national honors. As national teacher of the year, Peterson will spend the next year outside classroom, as a national and international spokeswoman for education. Not surprisingly, she is a big believer in the value of arts education. She said it's essential for schools to offer classes such as art or music and physical education because for some kids one of those subjects is the only thing that motivates them to come back to school day after day. What is the most important reason that Peterson won the award? She motivated students to learn music with her creativity. Friendship continues to remain central to our lives. Friends often affect our health and energy. More and more people are increasingly turning towards their friends for support and sharing rather than just communicating with their s. We may have a very unclear understanding of what makes a friend but we all want to have a good number of friends around us. There are certain things you do to help you make friends or at least help you get close to people whom you want to make friends with. The first step to make friends with people is to make them like you. If they don't like you in the first place, it is unlikely that they'll be eager to become your friends. To let someone know that you are interested in him, simple _ s like a little smile and calling him by his name can help. To make the other person feel important, you need to be a good listener and to encourage him to talk. Give your honest and sincere opinion, but do not make fun of him. The second step is to develop trust in each other. You need to share opinions with this person and it is necessary for you to develop a habit of seeing things from his point of view. To become the best of friends, you must show concern and consideration for your friends' desires and opinions. The third and final step is to show your support and encouragement towards your friend. Moreover, you also need to be very clear about your expectations from your friend. If what you expect from the person you want to be a friend matches with what that person can and wants to do in friendship, the developing friendship between you and your friend is sure to be easy and successful. We can infer from the passage that _ . friends should understand each other October 7th Dear Liu Qi. I'm writing to tell you that the students of our school are planning to go for a school trip to Beijing near the end of this month, from October 20thto 27th. I'd like to invite you to come and join us. I remember you told me that you liked travelling. We'll visit many places of interest. Such as the Great Wall, the Palace Museum and the Summer Palace. If it doesn't rain, we'' also go camping at the foot of the Great Wall. We'll stay at the Beijing Holidday Village. During these days, we'll have parties. At the parties, the students will sing, dance and play games together. Would you please write back to let me know if you come? We need to buy the train tickets ahead of time . I'm looking forward to hearing from you soon. Yours, Lin Yun Which of the following WON'T the students do at the parties.? _ Play football In less than two months, Junior 3 students around the country will take the senior high school entrance exam. They are studying hard for this big challenge. Do they have time to do something in memory of their middle school years? Many do. Leng Jingze, 15, from Tianjin said that in her class students are already writing goodbye messages for each other. "Even the head teacher has a plan," said Leng. "She plans to put all our class photos and the Chinese compositions we have written onto a CD and give each student one," said Leng. "She will also write something for each student." Wang Zeyu, 16, in Changchun, Jilin said his classmates are making "lucky stars" as graduation gifts. They are making the cheerful stars from colored paper. "Before making a lucky star, you write some words for the person on the paper," said Wang. "He or she can read the words later." Who does Wang want to make a lucky star for? He said he wanted to make one for his head teacher. "I'll write: Dear teacher, you always look so serious," said Wang. "But we know you have a warm heart. Smile more!" In Xiao Xia's school in Beijing, each Junior 3 student will get a yearbook , in which the graduating classes will put their photos and self-introductions. "Most classes have written an article as the self-introduction," said Xiao, 15. "We have written a poem in the ancient style!" The poem records the big events of the class's history and is in the shape of the number 9. "Nine is our class number," said Xiao, who felt very proud of the idea. "Our class may be not the one with the best school grade but it must be the most creative one," said Xiao. "I feel lucky to study in such a class!" Leng Jingze's head teacher plans to _ . all above
We invite you to our GoNeutral Walk, formerly known as "Walk for Water" * Saturday April 13, 2013 * From 8:30 am -- 3:30 pm Paramount Ranch , Agoura Hills We invite you and your friends to join Jewish National Fund for our Walk to help the environment! We must take responsibility for the Earth's future. You can help offset our carbon emissions by planting trees and contributing to Jewish National Fund's important environmental work in the event. Please feel free to contact: Donna Daniel at ddaniel@jnf.org or (818) 704-5454 x201. We look forward to seeing you there! Each year we host a Walk event, which is a huge success, attracting over 2,000 people from around the Los Angeles area. This year, the Walk has a new look. JNF partnered with the new green plan, GoNeutral. The GoNeutral campaign is focused on removing our carbon footprints from the Earth and contributing to a healthier future for our planet. Funds from the GoNeutral Walk will go towards JNF environmental programs to stop desertification , promote water reuse, grow crops efficiently in the desert and create green "lungs" around cities. This is an exciting and unique opportunity for you to support a very important effort, as well as enjoy a fun day filled with live entertainment, children's activities and much more at the park. Thank you for your support and I look forward to your commitment to the GoNeutral Walk this year. For more information visit www.jnf.org/goneutral or www.walkforwater.org or www.jnf.org. Feel free to contact us at (818) 704-5454. Which of the following is not the activity arranged for participants? Answer: Growing crops in the desert. Isn't it amazing how one person, sharing one idea, at the right time and place can change the course of your life's history? This is certainly what happened in my life. When I was 14, I was hitchhiking from Houston, Texas, through El Paso on my way to California. I was following my dream, journeying with the sun. I was a high school dropout with learning disabilities and was set on surfing the biggest waves in the world, first in California and then in Hawaii, where I would later live. Upon reaching downtown El Paso, I met an old man, a bum , on the street corner. He saw me walking, stopped me and questioned me as I passed by. He asked me if I was running away from home, I suppose because I looked so young. I told him, "Not exactly, sir," since my father had given me a ride to the freeway in Houston and given me his blessings while saying, "It is important to follow your dream and what is in your heart. Son. " The bum then asked me if he could buy me a cup of coffee. I told him, "No, sir, but a soda would be great." We walked to a corner shop and sat down on a couple of swiveling stools while we enjoyed our drinks. After talking for a few minutes, the friendly bum told me to follow him. He told me that he had something grand to show me and share with me. We walked a couple of blocks until we came upon the downtown El Paso Public Library. We walked up its front steps and stopped at a small information stand. Here the bum spoke to a smiling old lady, and asked her if she would be kind enough to watch my things for a moment while he and I entered the library. I left my belongings with this grandmotherly figure and entered this wonderful hall of learning. The bum first led me to a table and asked me to sit down and wait for a moment while he looked for something special amongst the shelves. A few moments later, he returned with a couple of old books under his arms and set them on the table. He then sat down beside me and spoke. He started with a few statements that were very special and that changed my life. He said, "There are two things that I want to teach you, young man, and they are these: "Number one is to never judge a book by its cover, for a cover can fool you." He followed with, "I' ll bet you think I'm a bum, don't you, young man?" I said, "Well, uh, yes, I guess so, sir. " "Well, young man, I've got a little surprise for you. I am one of the wealthiest men in the world. I have probably everything any man could ever want. I originally come from the Northeast and have all the things that money can buy. But a year ago, my wife passed away, bless her soul, and since then I have been deeply thinking about life. I realized there were certain things I had not yet experienced in life, one of which was what it would be like to live like a bum on the streets. I made a promise to myself to do exactly that for one year. For the past year. I have been going from city to city doing just that. So, you see, don t ever judge a book by its cover, for a cover can fool you. "Number two is to learn how to read, my boy. For there is only one thing that people can't take away from you, and that is your wisdom." At that moment, he reached forward, grabbed my right hand in his and put them upon the books he'd pulled from the shelves. They were the writings of Plato and Aristotle--forever classics from ancient times. The bum then led me back past the smiling old woman near the entrance, down the steps and back on the streets near where we first met. His parting request was for me to never forget what he taught me. Why does the writer describe his meeting with the old man? Answer: To show how the course of his life story was changed. How does a student best avoid becoming dehydrated during a field investigation on a hot day? Answer: drink water from a bottle It does not have to be January 1stto give yourself a chance to make the most out of your day. Every day is a new day and a fresh start to learn, grow, develop your strengths, free yourself from past regrets or hurts, and move forward older and wiser. Every day gives you a chance to reinvent yourself. It is never too late to change things that are not working in your life. Each day is a new beginning and a piece of blank paper. How would you like to create your day? What would you like to paint on it? If you wake up in a negative mind, you are more likely to paint a dark picture throughout the day, and your picture will not show hope, happiness and joy. If you take each day to think actively, and have a positive intention for how you would like to create your day, how would your life be different? What can daily positive intentions do for you? Every day you will give yourself the gift of an "attitude of gratitude ". Each day is a chance to look at things in a different way. You can experience each day in the beauty of the world-and the beauty of you who are in it! You find yourself changing from "I can't" to "I can". With a focus on positive intentions, you feel you are full of power and more like a "winner" than a "loser". You pay more attention to the present, and will be more likely to live fully in the present each moment of each day. After all, the past is a great place to visit, but you don't want to live there! So how about starting each day taking a moment to think of a positive intention for the day? If you have daily positive intentions, you will _ . Answer: get a positive result Christopher Thomas,27,was a writer by night and a teacher by day when he noticed he was always tired and was losing weight fast. Diagnosed with diabetes , Thomas would need to inject himself with insulin three times a day for the rest of his life or risk nerve damage, blindness and even death. And if that weren't bad enough, he had no health insurance. After a month of feeling upset, Thomas decided he' d better find a way to fight back. He left Canton,Michigan for New York, got a job waiting tables, nicknamed himself the Diabetic Rockstar, and created diabeticrockstar..com, a free online community for diabetics and their loved ones-a place where over l,100people share personal stories, information and resources. Jason Swencki' s son, Kody, was diagnosed with diabetes at six. Father and son visit the online children' s forums together most evenings. " Kody gets so excited, writing to kids from all over," says Swencki, one of the site ' s volunteers." They know what he' s going through, so he doesn' t feel alone. " Kody is anything but alone; Diabetes is now the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, with 24 million, diagnosed cases. And more people are being diagnosed at younger ages. These days, Thomas' s main focus is his charity,Fight It, which provides medicines and supplies to people--225 to date-- who can' t afford a diabetic' s huge expenses. Fight-it. Org has raised about $ 23,000 -- in products and in cash. In May, Thomas will hold the first annual Diabetic Rockstar Festival in the Caribbean. Even with a staff of 22 volunteers, Thomas often devotes up to 50 hours a week to his cause, while still doing his full-time job waiting tables. " Of the diabetes charities out there, most are putting money into finding a cure, " says Bentley Gubar, one of Rockstar ' s original members. " But Christopher is the only person I know saying people need help now. " According to the text, Kody _ . Answer: benefits from diabeticrockstar. Com
At my school, we have a lot of interesting activities after class. Among these activities, I like the English Party best. Every September, we have an evening party. It starts at 8:00 pm. The students do different things at the evening party. Some sing English songs with our foreign friends. Some girls dance. Some other people play the piano, the violin and the drums when they are singing or dancing. Also, we play some interesting games together. Everyone is happy and has a good time at the party. Usually, the party lasts three hours, but we feel the time is too short. Happy hours always pass so quickly. : Who do we sing the English songs with? Answer: How to Graduate from College with a High GPA(Grade Point Average) One Hour a Day One of the most challenging things about college is time management. It's not that you don't have enough. In fact you usually have too much time, and as a result time gets wasted. If you take good notes in class, and spend one hour reviewing your notes every day before going to sleep, you will make use of the power of the subconscious to absorb information and by the time exams come around you'll know all the material on a subconscious level, and you don't have to sit up the night before exams. Select Easy Courses The reason why selecting easy courses is powerful is that it allows you to start off your college career with an extremely high GPA. Good grades have less and less of an impact on your GPA later in your college career and raising your GPA becomes much more difficult. Selecting easy courses in the first term also leaves room for the occasional failure when coursework become more challenging. Join (or Form) Study Groups If you go to a large public school where classes often have 700 plus people, study groups are an extremely effective way to ensure good grades. Study groups are often led by older students who have taken the course and received A's in that particular course. They also often provide you with resources such as practice tests, practice problems, and many others that might not be provided by professors. Use Personal Development I can honestly say I didn't involve myself in personal development when I was in college. Looking back I realize that I suffered from low self-respect and a very unhealthy self-image. But, if I had combined personal development techniques with the three steps above, my college career would have turned out very differently. If you have already started school, I recommend developing a strategy that applies these four ideas to your current schedule. If you haven't started school yet, do some research on easier courses and what study groups might be available. If you follow through and commit to the four recommendations above, you'll set yourself up for a very successful first term, and hopefully a very successful college career. Group study is meant to let the students _ . Answer: Slang is a popular, less official and often very current form of language. It is an important part of a living language and is constantly changing as language changes. Slang is often playful, direct and sometimes less respectful than the more official and traditional version of language. So now I'm going to lay it on you! To "lay it on" is American slang for "to tell" or "to explain." Slang can take many forms. For example, slang can be local to one city or area. In Washington, D.C. there is a whole set of slang to describe politics and business in the city. For example, the term POTUS stands for President of the United States. POTUS can often be found with his wife, FLOTUS, the first lady of the United States. "Inside the Beltway" is a popular expression that describes the area of Washington, D.C. The beltway is the large highway that circles the city. The Internet has helped create a whole new kind of computer-related slang. An "angry fruit salad" is an expression that describes a website with too many bright colors. "Netiquette" is slang for correct behavior when using the Internet. Young people often develop the latest slang. For example, to say Special English "rocks" or is "phat" means Special English is really great. A "kegger" is a party where beer is served. If something is "wack", it is wild and crazy. Different professions often have their own slang as well. For example, medical workers might refer to a complaining patient as a "gomer". A "tough stick" is someone whose veins are difficult to find when he or she needs to have blood taken. No matter how well you speak English, there are always new and interesting slang words to discover. There are entire dictionaries for describing slang. Many experts do not even agree on what is and what is not slang. Often slang words later become a part of officially accepted language. Official or not, slang is an energetic and exciting part of the American language that continues to change. It can be inferred from the passage that _ . Answer: Beldon and Canfield are two seashore towns, not far apart. Both towns have many hotels, and in summer the hotels are full of holiday-makers and other tourists. Last August there was a fire at the Seabreeze Hotel in Beldon. The next day this news appeared on Page Two of the town's newspaper, The Beldon Post. FIRE AT SEABREEZE Late last night firemen hurried to the Seabreeze Hotel and quickly put out a small fire in a bedroom. The hotel manager said that a cigarette started the fire. We say again to all our visitors, "Please don't smoke cigarettes in bed." This was Beldon's first hotel fire for five years. The canfield times gave the news in these words on Page One: ANOTHER BELDON HOTEL CATCHES FIRE Last night Beldon firemen arrived just too late to save clothing, bedclothes and some furniture at the Seabreeze Hotel. An angry holiday-maker said, " An electric lamp probably started the fire. The bedroom lamps are very old at some of these hotels. When I turned the bedside light on, I heard a funny noise from the lamp." We are glad to tell our readers that this sort of adventure does not happen in Canfield. What are the facts, then? It is never easy to find out the exact truth about an accident. There was a fire at the Seabreeze Hotel 1st August: that is one fact. Do we know anything else? Yes, we know that firemen went to the hotel. The Canfield newspaper gave a report just opposite to The Beldon Post by saying that _ . Answer: The centenary of the birth of William Faulkner, one of the great modern novelists, was celebrated in September 1997. Faulkner wrote about the southern states of the United States of America where he grew up, and where his family had an important part to play in the history of that region. His work became a touchstone for insights into the troubled issues of southern American identity, race relations, and the family interrelationships of the old time southern gentry . Faulkner was born in New Albany, Mississippi on September 25, 1897. Despite his interest in writing, he left Oxford High School, Mississippi, without graduating. After World War I, he entered the University of Mississippi as a special student, a right to study which was granted to retired soldiers, although Faulkner had only finished training with the Air Force in Canada, and not entered combat . Faulkner began to write poems, a verse play, short stories and finished his first novel Sartoris in 1928. His fiction was centered for 14 of the 19 novels published during his lifetime in a fictional region called Yoknapatawpha County. The name is said to come from the Indian Chickasaw word meaning split land. In December 1950, Faulkner was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. When he accepted it in Stockholm, his speech emphasized that he wished to continue writing, but in a positive way that affirmed the power of humanity to prevail over adverse circumstances. As he said in his speech, he still felt that, despite the threat of nuclear war then hanging over the world, the central concern of the writer should be "the problems of the human heart in conflict with itself". He wanted the tensions and problems that he had cast the spotlight on in the southern states of America to be resolved by the life-affirming attitudes and action of his characters. Like playwright Tennessee Williams, Faulkner was a major voice who spoke for the troubled heart of the southern states of America. His achievement is all the more remarkable because, as a schoolboy, he was not only a frequent absentee but also reportedly failed to reach pass grades in English class. His collected short stories, novels, poems, and other writings form a legacy( ) of literature which casts profound illumination on the special culture of the South, a culture which developed from a history and social circumstances that were always unique. From the focus on a fictional county, and by remaining true to his view of a close-knit but real society that reflected the greater world around him, Faulkner in the end fashioned a legend of the Deep South that is one of the major achievements of the 20th century literature. Which of the following statements about William Faulkner is NOT true? Answer:
Question: Asia tops the OECD solving skills test QUESTION: Can you quickly learn to set a thermostat ? Don't look down upon such a task. It shows your ability to solve problems in creative ways, said the OECD . The OECD recently gave a problem-solving test to 85,000 students. They were all 15 years old, and from 44 countries. The test give each student four to eight everyday problems to solve. For example, they had to set a thermostat, and find the quickest way to a place. Students from Singapore and South Korea did the best job, said the OECD. They were quick learners, curious and able to solve problems that they were not familiar with. Students from Japan and China were also among the _ groups. They did a better job than those from countries like the US, Canada, Australia, the UK and France. Problem-solving skills are important, said the OECD. "Today's 15-year-olds with poor problem-solving will become tomorrow's adults struggling to find or keep a good job," said Andreas, acting director of Education and Skills at the OECD. "The world economy no longer pays you for what you know. Google knows everything .The world economy pays you for what you can do with what you know," he said. Why are problem-solving skills important? A. Because the world economy will pay you for what you know. B. Because Google knows everything. C. Because poor problem-solving skills will become tomorrow's ability. D. Because problem-solving skills will help you keep a good job in the future. Answer: D Question: Higher hotel prices, airline capacity cuts and rising travel demand mean travelers will have to work harder to find a good deal in 2013. But there are plenty of online tools to help keep your vacation expenses _ . Here are some websites to help you save money on air tickets this year. Looking for sales on a specific routs, or just want to go somewhere cheap? AirfareWatchdog. com searches for deals computers tend to miss, like promotion codes airlines include in e-mail advertisements. It also finds sales from Allegiant and Southwest, which typically aren't listed on major airfare search engines. You can sign up for specific fare notifications or a list of all the cheap round-trip fares from your local airport. Where can you go for $500 or less? Kayak.com/explore will show you where you can go for a vacation for a particular price .You can narrow your search by month, region, flight length, weather or activity. Clicking on a price reveals dates the fare is available. If you already know where you want to go, use itasoftware.com to find the cheapest dates to fly. To purchase, you must go to the airline's website or online agencies like Travelocity. To figure out whether to buy that plan ticket now or wait, go to Bing.com/travel. Its Price Predictor can determine how likely a fare is to rise or fall during the next seven says from more than 250 cities in the Unites States to top domestic destinations and major airports in Europe. The site claims that its predictions are about75 percent accurate and save customers more than $50 on average for a round trip. After you've booked your tickets at an airline site, enter your flight information at Yapta.com to track the price so you don't miss out on savings if the price drops. If you've chosen a vacation destination, which website should you visit to choose the cheapest dates for air tickets? A. Airfare Watchdog.com B. kayak.com/explore C. Itasoftware.com D. Yapta.com Answer: C Question: On hearing the words "Just do it!", you will know there is a Nike product nearby. If it's "Always Coca-Cola", you can be sure someone wants to sell you a refreshing drink. _ The slogan helps people understand the brand better by telling them what it wants to sell to its customers. Good slogans leave a message inside people's minds. It's almost certain that every brand has a popular slogan. Here are a few examples: "Just do it!'--This slogan speaks out to teens. It tells them to do something, but only if they think it's worth it. And if so, why not do it wearing Nike? "Always Coca-Cola.' Coke's slogans change every few years, but this one has enjoyed a lasting popularity because it shows the brand's spirit. It seems to say "Coke is the only drink there is; there are no other forms of drinks." "Share moments, share life." This slogan from Kodak connects photos and beauty. It takes people to remember the happy moments in life by taking photos of _ using Kodak film of course! What would be the best title for the text? A. Just Do It! B. Slogan And Brand C. Famous Slogans D. What is a Good Slogan. Answer: B Question: Scientists believe that one of our most important means of knowing what is going on around us is the sense of sound. We are warned of danger by sounds. Sounds serve to please us in music. Sound has a waste product, too, in the form of noise. Noise has been called unwanted sound. Noise is growing and it may get much worse before it gets any better. In order to know how noise affects people and animals, scientists have been studying for several years. They are surprised by what they have learned. Peace and quiet are becoming harder to find. Noise pollution is a threat that should be looked at carefully. Sounds is measured in units called decibels . At a level of 140 decibels people feel pain in their ears. Trucks , buses , motorcycles, airplanes, boats, factories---all these things make noise. They trouble not only our ears, but minds and bodies as well. There is a saying that it is so noisy that you can't hear yourself think. Doctors who study noise believe that we must sometimes hear ourselves think. If we don't, we may have headaches, other aches and pains, or even worse mental problems. Noise adds more tension to a society that has already faced enough stress. Why does the passage say peace and quiet are becoming harder to find? A. Because the world is making more and more noise. B. Because wars and battles happen here and there in the world. C. Because all the sounds are becoming over 140 decibels. D. Because some machines can make noise. Answer: A Question: Sabina Castelfrancol Rome October 16, 2011---The U.N. World Food program says there are growing concerns over food insecurity in the developing world. Some of those concerns are discussed in a report to agree with the anniversary Sunday of World Food Day. The theme for World Food Day 2011 is "Food prices-From Crisis to Stability". A ceremony to mark World Food Day will be held Monday at the headquarters of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome. Rising food prices, weather emergencies and political instability are deepening the struggle of families trying to provide for their households in many developing nations. This year's "State of Food In security in the World" report, published last week, focuses on the impact of food price _ confirming that high, unpredictable prices are likely to continue. The report highlighted how poor consumers, small farmers and countries dependent on imports, especially in Africa, have been deeply affected by the food and economic crises. Gregory Barrow is with the World Food Program in Rome. "if you look at the places where World Food program works particularly in developing countries, you see populations of people who might be spending 60,70,80percent of their salaries on purchasing food for their families". Barrow added that if prices become changeful and generally start rising, even by a small amount, it means that many of these people are going to struggle to put nutritious food on their tables. The report also showed that even short-term fluctuations in prices can have a long-term effect on development, and that cutting back on nutritious food in the first 1.000 days of a child's life can affect mental and physical development and finally, future earning capacity . The United Nations has programs in place aimed at reducing the number of hungry people by one-half by 2015.But most observers agree this target is unlikely to be reached. The attitude of Barrow towards food prices is _ . A. concerned B. supportive C. disappointed D. interested Answer: A
A student was going to spend his holiday in a cool mountain village. That evening he stayed at an inn near the railway station . Before going to bed, he went to the boss of the inn and said, "Excuse me, sir. Will you please wake me up at a quarter to five tomorrow morning? I'll take the five o'clock train." "Oh, sorry, sir," the boss said in a hurry, "I'm afraid I can't. I won't be able to get up so early." The student was disappointed . When he began to return to his room, be stopped and asked, "Have you got an alarm-clock ? Maybe it can help me." "Wait a minute, then." The boss said and brought out an alarm-clock. "Here you are, sir." "Thank you very much." The student said happily. But he found it was rusty when he had a look at it. And it sometimes worked and sometimes didn't. He asked, "Will it ring in time?" "I don't know, either." said the boss, "But it doesn't matter. You just give it a good shake at a quarter to five. And it will ring on time." From the story we know the _ . Answer: The term, culture shock, describes the anxiety produced when a person moves to a completely new environment. This term expresses the lack of direction, the feeling of not knowing what to do, and not knowing what is appropriate or inappropriate. The feeling of culture shock generally sets in after the first few weeks of coming to a new place. We can describe culture shock as the physical and emotional discomfort one suffers when coming to live in another country or place. Often, the way that we lived before is not accepted as or considered as normal in the new place. Everything is different, for example, not speaking the language, not knowing how to use banking machines and so forth. Although one can experience real pain from culture shock, it is also an opportunity for resetting one' s life objectives. It is a great opportunity for learning and acquiring new viewpoints. Culture shock can make one develop a better understanding of oneself. Culture shock has many stages. The first stage is called the "honeymoon" stage. The new arrival may feel excited as everything is new. In the second stage, a person may encounter some difficult times in daily life. For example, communication difficulties may occur such as not being understood. There may be feelings of discontent, anger, sadness, and feeling incompetence. This happens when a person is trying to adapt to a new culture. Transition between the old methods and those of the new country is a difficult process and takes time to complete. The third stage is characterized by gaining some understanding of the new culture. One may start to feel a certain psychological balance. The new arrival may start to have a feeling of direction and want to belong. In the fourth stage, the person realizes that the new culture has good and bad things to offer. The person has a more solid feeling of belonging and starts to set goals for living. The fifth stage is called the " re-entry shock". This occurs when a return to the country of origin is made. One may find that things are no longer the same. For example, some of the newly acquired customs are not in use in the old culture. Many factors contribute to the length and effects of culture shock. For example, the individual's state of mental health, type of personality, previous experiences, familiarity with the language, and level of education. So the five stages are present at different times and each person has their own way of reacting. 64. What do we learn about culture shock? What do we learn about culture shock? Answer: One night, the first floor of the house suddenly caught fire. The fire was big, and soon became a sea of fire. On the second floor lived a little girl and her grandmother; the little girl's parents had died, and she lived together with her grandma. In order to rescue the little girl, the grandmother was burned to death, leaving the little girl crying for help loudly. How could people enter the house? At the very moment, a man carrying a ladder rushed to the flames and got into the window. When he appeared again in the eyes of the people, the little girl was in his arms. He gave the child to the crowd, and then disappeared into the night. This little girl had no family. Two months later a meeting was held to find a person to adopt the girl. A teacher was willing to adopt this child, and said she could give her the best education; a farmer wanted to adopt this child, saying that village life would let the child grow up healthily and happily; a rich man said, "I can give the child everything that others can do." A lot of people who wanted to adopt this child said about many benefits of their adopting the child. But the little girl's face had no expression. At this time, a man, through the crowd, walked straight in front of the little girl, and opened his arms for the little girl. People were puzzled, and they found that the man had terrible scars on his arms. The little girl let out a cry, "This is the man who saved me!" She suddenly jumped up, and buried her face in his arms and sobbed. Naturally the man adopted the girl. The meeting was held there in order to _ . Answer: Gordon Brown was born in Scotland in 1951.His childhood was a brilliant success because of his intellectual strength.He was accepted into middle school at 10.At 16 he became the youngest student at Edinburgh University. "At that time, he was a lucky boy, good at almost everything," said his old friend Murray Elder.However, setbacks fell on the brilliant boy.After a rugby injury, he became blind in his left eye.Before long, similar symptoms developed in his right eye."I lay in the hospital bed in total darkness, uncertain about my future," said Brown. Looking back into the past, Brown didn't complain about his bad luck.He even said: "One door closes; you can't play rugby any more, so you focus on other things." Brown was interested in student politics in university, which helped a lot in his political career later in life. In 1997, Brown was made Chancellor of the Exchequer .He has succeeded in giving the country a high rate of employment and the longest period of economic growth in its history. Compared with his successful career, Brown's family life is full of downs.He lost his first daughter ten days after her birth.His one-year-old youngest son has a deadly disease."These accidents make me appreciate my life more," he said. Which of the following is TRUE about Gordon Brown? Answer: The United Nations climate talks in Doha, Qatar, continued into their second week, Wednesday, as delegates from nearly 200 countries struggle to craft a replacement for the Kyoto Protocol, the global agreement on climate change that expires at the end of this month. The negotiations are deadlocked over demands by poorer nations for financial help in coping with climate change. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on delegates at the United Nations Conference on Climate Change to speed up their work on an agreement to address a warming planet. "Let us be under no illusion , this is a crisis, a threat to us all, our economies, our security and the well-being of our children and those who will come after," he said. "No one is immune to climate change, rich or poor." Delegates from nearly 200 countries --- rich and poor --- are in Doha to extend the Kyoto Protocol, the 1997 global climate change agreement that expires at the end of this month, and to begin to _ a new agreement to replace it. Two issues block the way forward. Developing countries are demanding that industrialized nations fulfill their pledges under Kyoto to reduce their climate-changing industrial emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, and to put new, larger emission curbs on the table. The developing nations, led by China, are also insisting that rich nations provide more aid to poorer countries to help them cope with the effects of climate change, including rising sea levels and more violent storms. In Doha Wednesday, Tim Gore, a climate change policy advisor for Oxfam International, a confederation of groups working on social justice issues, applauded efforts by England, Germany and Sweden to increase their climate aid and expects other nations to follow. "Those announcements are truly welcome. And they shine a spotlight on those that have remained silent: the U.S., Canada, Japan, even Australia," Gore said. "But we need to be very clear as well that those types of announcements made in press conferences can be no substitute for clear commitments in the text that poor countries have come here to negotiate." What's the main idea of the passage? Answer:
Mark Black is my good friend. He is English. He has a yellow bike. His bike number is 9075. His mother has a black car. The number is CA3566. His father has a black car, too. The number is CA3567. Mark and _ are good friends. Answer: For years I have been asked by several people how and why I came to translate a novel by Virginia Woolf in 1945. I graduated from the University of Ankara in 1941 and my four teachers, including Orphan Burian, are members of the Translation Bureau who prepared a list of works to be translated into Turkish and set themselves to translating some of these, besides shouldering the heavy work of correcting or editing the translations submitted to the Bureau. Orphan Burian, now mostly known for his translations of Shakespeare, had started to translate To the Lighthouse for the Translation Bureau, but at the same time he wanted to do something from Shakespeare. So he transferred it to me. For me, To the Lighthouse was love at first sight or rather at first reading. To translate a book, I first read it from the beginning to the end. Then I started writing each sentence by hand. When I finished the whole book I read my translation from the beginning to the end, checking it with the original, and making corrections. Then I typed it, and read the typed copy, making changes again. All in all that added up to five readings. I started translating the novel in 1943 and submitted it to the Bureau in 1944. It was published in 1945 under the general title of "New English Literature" in the series called "Translations from World Literature" known as the "Classical Series". So, the first book by Virginia Woolf in Turkish appeared in 1945, and it was To the Lighthouse. This was eighteen years after its publication in England in 1927. To me the book itself was pure poetry; I read it as if in a dream. Not trying to dive very deeply into it, I sort of swam on it or over it. Now, years later, _ . Even after so many years, in each reading I become conscious of new layers of which I haven't been aware before. It keeps pace with my experiences in life as years go by, and each reading is a new reading for me. In 1982 and again in 1989 I revised it for two new editions and I again did it sentence by sentence checking it with the original. In those years I had thought it was necessary to revise my translations every ten years, but now I think I must do it every three or four years. In a country like Turkey, where we work very hard to clear our language from old and new foreign words, we should try to be up to date as to the words we are using, and of the same importance are the studies being made on the methods or techniques of translation, and new approaches in translation. While translating, I usually have both the writer and the reader in mind. The novels she wrote after 1920 were especially new for most of the readers. She usually uses very short sentences, followed by rather long ones. I remember sentences of more than ten lines which weren't easy for me to translate as they were. And in Turkish our having only one word, the word "O", for "he", "she", "it" in English, made me repeat the names of the characters more often than Woolf did. And I changed some long indirect sentences in the original into direct sentences in my translation, thinking it would make an easier reading in Turkish. When translating, I make use of all kinds of dictionaries. A difficult English word for me is the word "vision". In To the Lighthouse, the artist Lily Briscoe is trying to finish the picture she has been drawing for some time and the novel ends with the following sentences: "Yes, she thought, laying down her brush extremely tired, I've had my vision." And I'm still thinking about how to translate this remark into Turkish. While translating, the writer repeated the names of the characters to _ . Answer: Twice in the past few days, I've witnessed families arguing to the point of having major 'falling outs' (when you get so angry with each other that there is threat of withdrawing love from a family member and/or abandoning the relationship). Last night, one of those situations occurred and a friend contacted me on QQ and asked my advice. Their situation arose where a son-in-law had disagreements with his wife and then got into a quarrel with his mother-in-law and father-in-law. In the end, the son-in-law threatened to cut off all relationship with his in laws and also to deny his in laws a relationship with his own daughter, their granddaughter. Not only did the son-in-law threaten his wife's parents, but he has followed through with his threat and hasn't allowed his wife or his child to have any contact with his wife's parents in almost a year. The first question my friend asked me was, "Michael, what do you do when you get into a quarrel with your family?" I said, "I don't know." They said, "Well what about when you quarrel with your mother or one of your siblings (brother or sister)?" I said, "I don't know." He said, "Well, what would you do if you got into an argument with your in laws when you were married?" I said, "I don't know." He said, "What do you mean that you don't know?" I said, "Well, I never got into a quarrel with my in-laws, my mother or my siblings." He said, "Be serious, Michael. I need some help with this situation." I said, "I am serious. I never quarreled with mother, brother, sister, father-in-law, mother-in-law or brother-in-law. At least not in my adult life (since I turned 18 years old)." My friend found it hard to believe that I never did any of these things. I suppose (I really don't know; Ha!) that many people wouldn't believe that an entire family could maintain a such a level of peace, harmony, respect and love. The truth is, my family doesn't do those things. You may wonder 'why' we don't do that. Well, I never really thought about 'why' we don't do that. But I do know, we don't. So, I did the most logical thing I could think of. I asked my mother 'why' we don't quarrel, argue, fight and have such situations. Some people believe that if you don't argue, quarrel and fight, then, you don't care enough. I would say that my family cares very deeply for each other and love each other and express our love to each other, very often. We don't believe that you have to quarrel, argue and fight in order to show that you care and that you love the other. Instead, we show that we love, care and respect each other by, well, loving, caring and respecting each other. How do the members in the writer's family live in harmonious? Answer: These days, most people in Britain and the US do not wear formal clothes. But sometimes it is important to wear the right thing. Many British people don't think about clothes very much. When they go out to enjoy themselves, they can wear almost anything. At theatres , cinemas and concerts you can put on anything you like: from beautiful suits and dresses to jeans and sweaters. Anything goes, as long as you look clean and tidy. But in Britain, as well as in the US, men in offices usually wear suits and ties and women wear dresses or skirts (not trousers). Doctors and business people always wear quite formal clothes. And in some hotels and restaurants men have to wear ties and women have to wear tidy dresses. In many ways, Americans are less formal than British people, but they are more careful with their clothes. At home, most Americans wear informal or sports clothes. But when they go out in the evening, they like to look nice. In good hotels and restaurants, men have to wear jackets and ties, and women have to wear pretty clothes. It is difficult to say exactly what people wear in Britain and the US, because everyone is different. If you are not sure what to wear, watch what other people do and then do the same. You'll feel good if you don't look too different from everyone else. Which of the following is True according to the passage? Answer: Long ago there was a man with the name Smith. He made a living by making caps. One day he went to sell his caps. He went through a forest. There were many monkeys in it. It was very hot. The man is very tired and wanted to have a rest. He came up to a large tree, put his caps on the ground, took one of them and put it on his head. Then he lay down and soon fell asleep. "Where are my caps?" Smith cried when he woke up.He looked up and saw many monkeys in the tree and each monkey had a cap on its head. "Give me back my caps!" the man shouted at the monkeys.But the monkeys didn't understand him.They only laughed.The man got angry,took off his own cap,threw it on the ground and cried,"If you want all my caps,you may take this one,too!" And what do you think happened?The little animals did the same. Each monkey took off its cap and threw it on the ground. The man was very glad. He quickly collected all his caps and went on his way. When the man woke up,he found _ . Answer:
A 15-year-old Saanich student who invented a flashlight powered by body heat is heading home today from California with a big prize--and an opportunity to expand on her work. St. Michaels University School student Ann Makosinski was the only Canadian among the four winners at Google's annual international science fair, beating out thousands of other young scientists from around the world. Winning the international contest was "a total shock", Ann said from San Francisco. "I definitely think it will have an influence on my future." Ann thanked her family for encouraging her interest in science, telling the judges that her first toy was a box of transistors . Ann's prize includes a $25,000 scholarship and a "once-in-a-lifetime experience" from either the European Organization for Nuclear Research, Lego or Google for her Hollow Flashlight, which has no moving parts or batteries. Ann created the flashlight for a local science fair. The inspiration for the invention came from seeing unwanted batteries and after visits to the Philippines, where she saw the need for a battery-free flashlight. A friend at school there failed in her studies because of a lack of electricity and light to study when it became dark. In her project, Ann wrote that she "made two flashlights that do not use any batteries, harmful chemicals, or kinetic energy . They do not create any noise and will always work. The flashlight's only limitation is its need for at least a 5degC temperature difference to provide usable light." A You Tube video of Ann explaining how she created the flashlight has been viewed more than 1.4 million times. Despite her success, the private school student is undecided about her career path. Ann hopes she can find a way to combine her love of film with science. The four winners were chosen from 15 finalists from eight countries. The contest attracted thousands of entries from students in 120 countries. In which part of a newspaper can we probably read this passage? A Travel B Nature C Culture D Technology Answer: D What has a positive impact on body strength? A frequent physical contact B irregular body motion C decreased physical effort D active physical effort Answer: D Hello! My name is Kate Green. I'm a student in No. 14 High School. I have classes from Monday to Friday. I have many things to do after class. On Monday and Wednesday, I help my friends with their English. On Tuesday and Thursday, I make model planes. On Friday afternoon, I have a good rest at home and do my homework. Now it is 8:30 in the morning. I am having a math class. I am listening to the teacher. My friends Li Lei and David are writing something. All of us are working hard. ,. _ are writing something at 8:30. A Li Lei and Kate B Li Lei and David C Kate and Green D Kate and David Answer: B Built in 1794 for the 5th Duke of Bedford, this hotel in the heart of Bedford overlooks the River Ouse, which winds through the beautiful Bedfordshire countryside. We offer a flexible approach to conferencing. With purpose-built meeting rooms offering a flexible and functional space, our hotel is designed for comfort and convenience. Day Delegate (/),24 Hour Delegate or room hire only can be arranged to meet your needs and we offer a range of food and drinks for all requirements. The Bedford Swan Hotel provides an impressive range of conference, training and function rooms which are suitable for up to 300 delegates. Our hotel is located about 30 minutes' drive from Luton Airport and a 20-minute walk from Bedford Train Station with regular trains to and from Central London. What to expect: A professional service from the beginning Your own event consultant * A great location with car parking * Well-equipped rooms perfect for your meeting or event * Various Day Delegate packages * Personalized dining and refreshment breaks * Accurate billing Discounted Day Delegate Rates from PS 40 per person * Hold your meeting before 30th November 2014 and benefit from our special day delegate rates * Day Delegate Rate from PS40. 00 per person * Minimum numbers of 10 apply Call us on 02348 346566 or e-mail us on info@bedfordsvuanhotel.co.uk Which of the following services is not mentioned by Bedford Swan Hotel? A Car parking. B An event consultant. C Personalized dining. D Exchanging foreign currency. Answer: D (1)Needed: Full time secretary position available. Applicants should have at least 2 years experience and be able to type 60 words a minute. No computer skills required. Apply in person at United Business Ltd., 17 Browning Street, Leeds. (2) Are you looking for a part time job? We require 3 part time shop assistants to work during the evening. No experience required; applicants should between 18 and 26. Call 366 - 76564 for more information. (3) Computer trained secretaries: Do you have experience working with computers? Would you like a full time position working in an exciting new company? If your answer is yes, give us a call at 457-896754 (4) Teacher Needed: Hania's Playschool needs 2 teacher/trainers to help with classes from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Applicants should have appropriate licences. For more information visit Hania's Playschool in Leicester Square (5) Part Time work available: We are looking for retired adults who would like to work part time at the weekend. Responsibilities include answering the telephone and giving customer's information. For more information contact us by calling 345-674132 (6) University positions open: The University of Bristol is looking for 4 teaching assistants to help with homework correction. Applicants should have a degree in one of the following: Political Science, Religion, Economics or History. Please contact the University of Bristol for more information. You must work _ if you are accepted by calling 345-674132. A during the evening B at the weekend C from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. D during the day Answer: B
Question: Americans get really annoyed when people drive badly, smoke in no-smoking zones, or don't pick up after their dogs, but the rude behavior that annoyed them most is workplace discrimination, according to a survey. The survey found workplace discrimination featured highly on the "Terrible Ten" list of rude behaviors. In the survey,615 people from two companies in Baltimore and the University of Baltimore were asked to rank 30 examples of rude behavior ranging from text messaging when talking to someone, taking other people's food from the office fridge, to snubbing people. Dr Forni, who conducted the survey, said he was surprised discrimination topped the list above other more usual bad habits in the workplace such as colleagues brushing their teeth in the water fountain. "When a worker felt they weren't chosen for a project because they did not speak English as well as others, or felt they weren't promoted because of their national origin, age or sexual preference, they were really upset," he said. "The American workplace is the most diverse in the world and the American worker is very sensitive to any kind of treatment that seems to be unfair." Aggressive--behavior typical of rush hours--came second in the list with taking credit for someone else's work rounding out the top three, followed by treating service providers as inferiors. Forni said it seemed from this survey that people were starting to focus more on the big issues. He said people were far more forgiving when family or friends behaved in a way seen as rude than work colleagues. "With the long hours that are so common today in the workplace, the real determinant of our ability to have a good or bad day is linked to the people we work with," he said. What will the author most probably talk about next? A. A list of "Terrible Ten" behaviors in America. B. How to create workplace equality in America. C. How to get along well with workmates. D. Compare American terrible behaviors with Chinese ones Answer: A Question: 17-year-old Tibetan boy climbs 40 meters up a tall tree only to get some honey as an ingredient for a traditional local drink. The money he makes from selling the honey will be used to pay for his younger brother's tuition fee . This is only a scene from the first episode of CCTV's new documentary, A Bite of China 2(2), which appeared on April 18, 2014. But they are enough reasons for viewers to spend an hour every Friday until June 6 enjoying in front of their television sets. Viewers have had to wait a long time since A Bite of China 1 came out in 2012. Back then, the seven-episode documentary was considered the best one ever produced by CCTV, with its good effects and rich food culture. A famous foreigner praised it, saying "it's the best TV show I've ever seen about food. I'm sure it's the best one ever made. " The new season includes eight episodes, covering 300 types of food. According to CCTV, every minute of the show was edited out of 150 minutes of footage . Finding their subjects was often the hardest part of the film team's job. It took them six months to film a beekeeping couple , which included a journey of more than 2,000 kilometers. Food is a personal thing, in that no dish suits all tastes. However, the program has still managed to move all sorts of viewers. "Compared with A Bite of China 1, the new season has a more human touch, which makes viewers cover some tears while their mouths are watering," said Sina Entertainment. As always, the people are the most interesting part. A Bite of China 2 shows a greater dream--through homemade food, it tells the joys and _ of common Chinese in changing times, according to director Chen Xiaoqing of the documentary series . "I was moved by the people in each simple story," said Li Weifang, 17, of Beijing No 3 High School. "Their work helps enrich China's food culture. " In fact, that is exactly what the new season hopes to deliver . Through the program, "the listeners will see the characteristics of the Chinese people: save and tenacity ," Chen told Xinhua Internet. ,,. (2,10) What was the most difficult part of filming the documentary? A. Finding the right subjects. B. Creating the good effects. C. Filming in hard environments. D. Editing so much footage. Answer: A Question: When most of us look at our hands, we might notice that we need to clean, or stop biting our fingernails, and that's about it. But if you ask a doctor, he can see a whole lot more. Everything from poor diet and stress to serious kidney problems can be revealed by a glance at your fingernails. There are about 30 different nail signs that can be associated with medical issues, though may indicate more than one problem, according to Dr.Amy Derick, a clinical instructor of dermatology at Northwestern University. Here are five of the things a doctor can tell about your health based on your fingernails. 1. People who aren't eating well and lack vitamin or dietary may have thinner than normal nails, which are more likely to break. 2.Horizontal lines are associated with serious physical stress. They frequently occur in people who have gone through chemotherapy .They can also occur after some illnesses, injuries, or with severe malnourishment .Interestingly, there may be an altitude connection too. They've also been found in people who dove 1,000 feet and others who participated in an Everest exploration. 3. Vertical lines, however, are generally not such a big deal. Some people are more genetically prone to them than others, but they're commonly associated with aging. 4. When people lack iron, their nails can turn spoon-like. Instead of curving down and covering the finger normally, they 'll start to rise up on the sides and front, like the part of a spoon that holds liquid. 5. Kidney and liver problems can create "half-and-half nails", where one part of the nail is white and the other part dark or pink, according to Derick. Doctors note that because disease diagnosis is complex and some symptoms can be associated with different diseases, you should always see a medical professional if you are concerned about something you notice. If we don't eat well or regularly, our fingernails may _ . A. become harder than normal nails. B. become thinner than normal nails. C. become "half-and-half" nails. D. have horizontal and vertical lines. Answer: B Question: Cultural events that take place in Edinburgh during August draw most people's attention, but plenty of other festivals can also entertain you throughout the rest of the year. Ceilidh Culture Festival Where: various places When: Date late Mar/early Apr Tel & website: 228 1155, www.ceilidhculrure.co.uk Backed by the local authorities, this is a community-focused celebration of traditional Scottish music, dance, song and storytelling. City-wide over a period of nearly four weeks, prices are different for different events. Beltane Fire Festival Where: Calton Hill, Calton Hill & Broughton When: 30 Apr Website: www. beltane.org An ancient tradition marking the transition from winter to spring, the Beltane fire festival was revived in the 1980s and has grown into quite a drama: fire, costume, body-paint, dancing and drumming. If the weather holds, it can attract up to 12,000 people. Tickets cost around PS5 in advance from the Hub; a limited number are available for PS7 on the night. Doors Open Day Where: various places When: weekend, late Sept Tel & Website: 557 8686, www.cockburnassociation.org.uk Each year, heritage body the Cockburn Association works with organizations and individuals to allow public access to buildings that few people usually get to see---everything from private homes to lighthouses. It's all free. Capital Christmas Where: various places When: late Nov till early Jan Website: www.edinburghschristmas.com What started out as a few accidental events has grown into a large, popular, city-wide festival. The main part is the Winter Wonderland in Princes Street Gardens, including fairground rides, crafts market, a skating rink and the Edinburgh Wheel (a Ferris wheel next to the Scott Monument). If you want to find out more about the Ceilidh Cultural Festival, you can visit _ . A. www. ceilidhculrure.co.uk B. www.cockburnassociation.org.uk C. www.edinburghschristmas.com D. www. beltane.org Answer: A Question: Now throwing shoes at President Bush is a popular game on the Internet. It turns out that there are times when it's good to throw shoes. After leaving his office in the center of the city, a young man bought a new car and drove it from the city to his home. He was very happy and the car ran very fast. Suddenly, a shoe hit the car door . The man got very angry. He jumped out of the car and caught a boy who still had a shoe in his hand. "Who are you? Why did you do that?" the young man shouted at the boy. "I'm sorry. But I don't know what else to do. My sister has been hurt. I cried for help but nobody stopped," the boy said. The man looked around and saw a girl by the road. Her leg was bleeding . "She is my sister. She wanted to cross the road but fell out of her wheelchair. She is too heavy for me. I can't get her back into the _ . "The man was moved. He helped the bleeding girl back into her wheelchair. "Thank you. You're so kind," said the little boy. Life speaks to our hearts. Sometimes we don't have time to listen and it will throw a shoe at us. Why did the boy throw the shoe? A. Because he liked the car. B. Because her sister was hurt. C. Because he was hurt. D. Because he was naughty. Answer: B
Question: It is common sense that children who walk or cycle to school have a lower risk of obesity than those by car. But driving your youngsters to the gates could also cause their academic work to suffer. Researchers found children who were driven to school, or who took public transport, had poorer concentration levels than those who took a more active route such as walking or cycling. The joint study by researchers at two Danish universities found the regular exercise could advance a student up to half a year in their studies. Children who were driven to school, or who took public transport, performed less well in a test measuring concentration levels, than those who had walked or cycled. The results surprised the researchers, as their hypothesis originally focused on the effects of eating breakfast and lunch on pupils' ability to concentrate. "The exercise one uses to transport oneself to school is reflected in the level of concentration one has about four hours later," Niels Egelund, a co- author of the report said. "The results showed that having breakfast and lunch has an impact, but not very much compared to having exercise." "As a third-grade pupil, if you exercise and bike to school, your ability to concentrate increases to the equivalent of someone half a year further in their studies," he added. In the survey, taken by 19, 527 pupils aged five to 19 years old, participants were asked about their exercise habits and were then given a basic test measuring their concentration. "Most people know the feeling of being refreshed after having exercised, but it is surprising that the effect lasts for so long," Egelund said. Previous research from the university of Montreal has found that exercise helps our brains make better use of oxygen. It may also reduce mental fatigue and sharpen your thinking in between gym sessions. And last week Swedish researchers said they found that muscular boys will live longer than their weaker friends. And even if they are overweight by the time they get to adulthood, those with stronger muscles tend to live longer. Children driven to school performed badly in their academies work in that_. A. they are too lazy B. they are not healthy C. they are not focused D. they are not smart Answer: C Question: A person who knows that they drove two hundred miles today can figure out how fast they went if they know how much time was spent A. behind a horse B. with ice cream C. on the road D. with windows down Answer: C Question: Oxford University students think about the collegiate system as follws: "The collegiate system is exactly what I expect, lots of students all living together, with the JCR(Junior Common Room) acting to support students and organize parties and social events." 2nd year undergraduate, Archaeology and Anthropology "Most of all, I like the collegiate structure, which appeals to me as it is less of an imposing 'body' to get involved with. This allows you to play sports and do other things similarly at any level that you like. I play football and cricket for my college and also play recreational rugby and tennis where I can fit it in." 2nd year undergraduate, Biochemistry "I choose to study at Oxford firstly because I want to study at the highest level and stretch my mind;I felt that the Oxford tutorial system is the best environment to achieve this. Secondly because the collegiate system seems to offer a friendlier atmosphere than a large campus..." 2nd year undergraduate, Mathematics "Not only is Oxford one of the top universities in the world...students here have the benefit of the social support of a small college community." 3rd year undergraduate, Medicine "The aspect of Oxford that I appreciate the most is the sense of belonging that the collegiate system offers. If you choose to accept it, your college will provide you with the social scaffolding to ensure that both your weeks and weekends are fun.." DPhil student, Inorganic Chemistry "The college system and the amazing sports opportunities make the experience of Oxford even better because there is so much more to do once you leave the lab..." DPhil student, Physiology In the opinion of the student majoring in biochemistry, _ . A. there is nothing wrong with the collegiate structure B. the college will help you to decide on the level of your sports C. you are free to decide what to learn or play according to your own level D. there are not enough levels of sport activities for you to choose from Answer: C Question: More over smart phone, the intelligent watch is about to take your spot as the latest hi-tech current, allowing wearers to glance at messages and even take calls without touching their phones. The i'm Watch, available since 2011, is the flagship product of an Italian company--i'm. This smart watch is an assist to the smart phone, with which it can communicate by Bluetooth wireless technology. It means you can leave your phone in your pocket as you answer or reject a call, review e-mails or read updates from friends on Twitter or Facebook. The i'm Watch also has its own applications, such as i'm Sport, which links with a heart rate detector to allow a runner to check his pulse. Such functions already exist in specialized sports watches but not on watches that are linked to smart phones. With a square shape, a 3.8-centimeter touch screen and various color1s, the i'm Watch sells for a minimum of 300 Euros($390) for the basic model and prices climb to 16,000 Euros for a luxury model in silver or decorated with diamonds. So far, the watch has already found 30,000 buyers, 80 percent of whom are men aged 25 to 50. "Seventy percent are iPhone users, 25 percent Samsung and the rest are other telephones using Google's Android operating system," said Massimiliano Bertolini, a manager of the company, which aims to sell more than 200,000 watches this year. The company's target market is the person who is always glued to his smart phone, even in meetings or at the movies, or people who wish to keep an eye on their heartbeat during exercise. They will especially target women with advertisements emphasizing its design rather than its technology. Which of the following best describes the i'm Watch? A. Economical. B. Typical. C. Multifunctional. D. Traditional. Answer: C Question: To survive living things A. need money B. need Pu C. need H2O D. need hunting skills Answer: C
Kai-Fu Lee is one of the most successful Chinese professional managers. He worked for big companies such as Apple, Microsoft and Google. Now he works for himself and he also writes some books. Behind each of his choices is his belief that you should "lead your life" rather than "live your life". He made his first big decision in 1990. He was then the youngest associate professor of Carnegie Mellon University. If he had stayed a little longer, he would have become a tenured professor. But he decided to join Apple. There, he led his team to many hi-tech miracles , such as the iPod and iPhone which changed the world using hi-tech. In 1996, he went to work in SGI. In 1998, he joined Microsoft and started up Microsoft Research China which is now called Microsoft Research Asia. Because of his effort, it becomes one of the best labs in the world. In 2005, he moved on again, to Google. In his four years there, Google's market share in China jumped from 16% to 30%. Now, he has started his own company "Innovation Works". He aims to help new Chinese companies in mobile computing and e-commerce and also help China's young people start up their own business. Young people can send their business ideas to the company. If Lee likes an idea he receives, his company will help to turn the idea into a business. Lee has written several books. His Be Your Personal Bestis a bestseller. His autobiographyMaking a World of Difference: the Kai-Fu Lee Storytells the story of Lee's many successes but also setbacks on the way to becoming a technology and business giant. How many times has Lee changed his jobs? A Four. B Five. C Six. D Seven. Answer: B. Five. It's September, and we're back to school. It's good to see all my teachers and friends again. They all look fine. We are in Grade Eight this year. We are going to have some new subjects. My name is Wu Ming. Wei Fang and I are in the same class. I'm not very good at Chinese, but Wei Fang says she's going to help me. I think I can do better than last year. I like English very much. This year I'm going to do more speaking. Zhang Hong also likes English, but he needs some help. I'm going to help him. This term I'm going to work for the wall-newspaper. My classmates say I draw well. I like it, too. I'm going to do my best this year. This is a new term. Students are all _ . A at home B in the class C in the open air D at school Answer: D. at school Do you like to eat sushi ? Many people are afraid to eat it, because they think the bacteria in it might make them sick. However, a new study shows that sea bacteria are good for people. The study finds that a special enzyme from sea bacteria is helpful to humans. It helps people to get more energy from food. To people's surprise, the enzyme is present only in the Japanese. The Japanese traditionally like to eat food rich in seaweed . And the seaweed is rich in this kind of enzyme. However, the enzyme isn't present in all the Japanese. During the study, just 5 out of 14 Japanese had the enzyme. All the Americans studied didn't have the enzyme. "The number is small," said researcher Mirjam Czjzek. "But we can say that this enzyme is present only in the Japanese and not in the North Americans." Then some people think that maybe other people are able to get the enzyme if they eat a lot of seaweed. The study suggests that they collect uncooked seaweed to make their sushi. Restaurant sushi is often cooked, which will destroy the enzyme. So, if you want to get that enzyme, you can travel to Japan to have a taste of the real sushi. Why do the Japanese have the special enzyme? A Because they eat a lot of seaweed. B Because they were born with such an enzyme. C Because they get more energy from food. D Because they like to eat food full of bacteria. Answer: A. Because they eat a lot of seaweed. If you are a book-lover, you may be interested in the following. Dietland, by Sarai Walker If you're sick of the stick-thin and perfectly slim models of society today, Dietland is for you. The funny novel follows Plum Kettle, an over-weight advice journalist who answers fan mail for a teen girls' website. She's convinced that her life won't really start until she saves up enough money for her weight-loss operation -- when she'll finally look like the "perfect" woman. But after she gets pulled into a series of adventures with a group of women who live life on their own terms, she begins to reconsider her own opinions of what "beauty" really is. Orhan's Inheritance, by Aline Ohanesian After Orhan's Turkish grandfather dies, he learns that while he's taken over his grandfather's successful business, the house that's been in his family for generations was not left to him. Instead, it went to an 87-year-old woman who lives in L.A. that no one in his family has ever heard of. To get to the bottom of this, Orhan travels to L.A. to meet with the woman. It's then that he uncovers the secrets of his family. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, by Yuval Noah Harari If the story of evolution has always interested you, this book is for you. In it, Dr. Yuval Noah Harari explores how, if 100,000 years ago there were six different kinds of humans on Earth, only one lived through to today: homo sapiens. He takes both an historical and biological approach to his discussion of how humans have evolved over time. He talks about the society created by sapiens and cultural wonders. And perhaps what is most fascinating is the evolution of humans. What does Plum Kettle want before she joins the women in the adventures? A Natural beauty. B A large sum of money. C A healthy lifestyle. D A slim shape. Answer: D. A slim shape. Sam and Joe were astronauts. There was once a very dangerous trip and the more experienced astronauts knew there was only a small chance of coming back alive. Sam and Joe, however, thought it would be exciting though a little dangerous. "We're the best men for the job," they said to the boss. "There may be problems, but we can find the answers." "They're the last people I'd trust ," thought the boss. "But all the other astronauts have refused to go." Once they were in space, Joe had to go outside to make some repairs . When the repairs were done, he tried to get back inside the spaceship. But the door was locked. He knocked but there was no answer. He knocked again, louder this time, and again no answer came. Then he hit the door as hard as he could and finally a voice said, "Who's there?" "It's me! Who else could it be?" shouted Joe. Sam let him in all right but you can imagine that Joe never asked to go on a trip with Sam again! Most of the astronauts don't want to go on the trip because _ . A there was little chance to go B they weren't experienced enough C they thought it was too dangerous D it wasn't exciting enough Answer: C. they thought it was too dangerous
Exchanging music over the Internet is fun and easy. Better yet, it's free, which means you don't have to pay for any more expensive music CDs. Several online file-sharing services make it easy for music lovers to exchange their favorite tunes with one another. However, this sharing of music -- a form of music piracy -- is doing harm to the music industry. Industry experts estimate that US$4.3 billion in worldwide sales was lost to music piracy last year. These lost profits could force record companies to stop producing the music of many popular artists. That would hurt both musicians and music fans alike. Music producers are puzzled about how to fight music piracy. Their efforts to fight piracy using the law have had only limited success. The music industry did win a legal victory against Napster, a famous music website. The courts ordered Napster to stop giving away copyrighted music from their site. But a number of other music-sharing networks have sprung up in its place. These new networks are made up of thousands, or even millions, of individuals. Unlike Napster, there's no one company controlling the distribution of music over each network. So it's nearly impossible to stop the illegal activities. Now people in the music industry have decided that " if you can't beat them, join them." They've begun to offer legal alternatives to online music piracy. Major music producers have given companies like Apple Computer permission to sell their music online. Apple's iTune Music Store allows computer users to legally download any song for 99 cents. Will these new measures save the music industry from piracy? That depends on whether music fans are willing to pay 99 cents fro a song that they can download illegally for free. Unfortunately, many people believe music should be free. The music industry, however, hopes to persuade these music fans to change their tune. Which of the following statements would the author agree with? A The only effective way to fight music piracy is to stop it by law. B Music lovers will be persuaded to pay for online music in time. C It is certain that no one will be willing to pay for online music. D There is a long way for music industry to go in fighting piracy. Answer: D. There is a long way for music industry to go in fighting piracy. The predictability of our death rates is something that has long puzzled social scientists. After all, there is no natural reason why 2,500 people should accidentally shoot themselves each year or why 7,000 should drown or 55,000 die in their cars. No one establishes a quota for each type of death. It just happens that they follow a consistent pattern year after year. A few years ago a Canadian psychologist named Gerald Wilde became interested in this phenomenon. He noticed that mortality rates for violent and accidental deaths throughout the Western world have remained strangely static throughout the whole of the century, despite all the technological advances and increases in safety standards that have happened in that time. Wilde developed an interesting theory called "risk homeostasis". According to this theory, people naturally live with a certain level of risk. When something is made safer, people will get around the measure in some way to get back to the original level of danger. If, for instance, they are required to wear seat belts, they will feel safer and thus will drive a little faster and a little more recklessly, thereby statistically canceling out the benefits that the seat belt offers. Other studies have shown that where a crossing is made safer, the accident rate invariably falls there but rises elsewhere along the same stretch of road as if making up for the drop. It appears, then, that we have an inborn need for danger. In all events, it is becoming clearer and clearer to scientists that the factors influencing our lifespan are far more subtle and complex than had been previously thought. It now appears that if you wish to live a long life, it isn't simply a matter of paying attention to certain precautions such as eating the right foods, not smoking, and driving with care. You must also have the right attitude. Scientists at the Duke University Medical Center made a 15-year study of 500 persons personalities and found, somewhat to their surprise, that people with a suspicious or mistrustful nature die prematurely far more often than people with a sunny disposition. Looking on the bright side, it seems, can add years to your life span. What social scientists have long felt puzzled about is why _ . A the death rate can not be predicted B the death toll remained stable year after year C a quota for each type of death has not come into being D people lost their lives every year for this or that reason Answer: B. the death toll remained stable year after year Gary is teaching his students to play a game called "Word House" in the English class. Here is the way to play the game: 1. Get some pieces of paper that are cut into squares. Each Square is for writing one letter only. 2. Write a letter on one square. For example, write "i." 3. Next, take another two squares. Make a two-letter word which contains the letter you have written, for example, "in" or "hi." Put the new word (written on the two squares) below the first square. 4. Then make a three-letter word which contains the two letters you have written.Again, put the new word on the next line. 5. Keep making new words in the same way to build a "word house." The person who builds the highest word house in twenty minutes wins the game. Which is true about the game? A It is about spelling. B It is a computer game. C There have to be five people in the game. D Students have to write four words in twenty minutes. Answer: A. It is about spelling. One day, I heard an American boy said to a Chinese girl student, "You speak very good English. " But the girl answered, " No, no. My English is very poor. " The foreigner was quite surprised at the answer. Thinking he had not made himself understood or the girl had not heard him clearly, he said, " Yes, indeed, you speak very well. " But the girl still kept saying, "No. " In the end, the American boy could not understand and didn't know what to say. What's wrong with the girl's answer? She didn't accept a compliment in the same way as the American people do. She should answer, "Thank you" instead of "No". She really understood what the American boy had said, but she thought she should be modest. In the west, people will feel proud and confident when they are praised. So if someone says the dishes you have cooked are very delicious, you should say, "Thank you." In our country, we think being modest is a virtue and being proud is a bad thing, but in my opinion, being confident does not mean being proud, so sometimes you should be confident instead of being modest. If you are modest and say, "No, I'm afraid I can't do it well", while working in a western country, the others may think that you really cannot do it. If you often say, "No", you will certainly be _ by others. When asking for a job, if one says something like''Yes,I can certainly do it"instead of "let me have a try",he or she will expect to get it. So in the west, you should be brave to show your self-confidence. Why did the Chinese girl say"No"when she was praised? A Because she thought she should be proud. B Because she thought she should be confident. C Because she thought she should be modest. D Because she thought she is a student. Answer: C. Because she thought she should be modest. Winslow Homer was the second of three sons of Henrietta Benson and Charles Savage Homer. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1836 and grew up in Cambridge. His father was an importer of tools and other goods. His mother was a painter. Window got his interest in drawing and painting from his mother. But his father also supported his son's interest. Once, on a business trip to London, Charles Homer bought a set of drawing examples for his son to copy. Young Winslow used these to develop his early skill. Winslow's older brother Charles went to Harvard University in Cambridge. The family expected Winslow would go, too. But, at the time, Harvard did not teach art. So Winslow's father found him a job as an assistant in the trade of making and preparing pictures for printed media. At 19, Window learned the process of lithography .This work was the only formal training that Winslow ever received in art. In 1859, Window Homer moved to New York City to work for Harper's Weekly. Homer also started to paint seriously. He hoped to go to Europe to study painting. But, something would intervene the direction of Window Homer's artistic work. Harper's magazine would send him to draw pictures of the biggest event in American history since independence. It was the Civil War between the Union and the rebel southern states. Winslow Homer went to Washington, D. C., in 1861. He drew pictures of the campaign of Union Army General George McClellan the next year. His pictures of the war showed many ways that conflicts affect people. Window didn't go to Harvard University because _ . A he didn't want to go there. B he wasn't admitted to Harvard University. C he couldn't learn art in Harvard University. D his family had no money to send him there. Answer: C. he couldn't learn art in Harvard University.
Black wallet with some money. Come to Room 502 in the evening, or call 9796788. WANTED IMMEDIATELY A boy or a girl to deliver newspapers Pay: $ 10 per day Hours: 3:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. from Mon. to Sat. For more information Call Mr. Jones on 8947659 Call Jeff on 3338651 SINGLES' CLUB A club for single people looking for new friends. Ages: 25-40 Activities: parties, swimming, concerts, dances, etc We meet every Friday at 8:30 p.m. 28 Garden Street Tel: 7026449 E-mail: singleclub@yahoo.com Who can join the Singles' Club? A A 24-year-old young man. B A 28-year-old married woman C A 29-year-old single lady. D A 50-year-old single man. Answer: C A friend of mine named Paul received an expensive car from his brother as a Christmas present. On Christmas Eve when Paul came out of his office, a street urchin was walking around the shining car. "Is this your car, sir?" he asked. Paul answered, "Yes, my brother gave it to me for Christmas." The boy was surprised, "You mean your brother gave it to you and it did cost you nothing? Sir, I wish..." He hesitated . Paul thought of course he knew what the boy wanted, but what the boy said surprised him greatly. "I wish, " the boy went on, "that I could be a brother like that. " Paul looked at the boy in surprise, and then he said again, "Would you like to take a ride in my car?" "Oh yes, I'd love to." The boy answered. After a short ride, the boy turned with his eyes shining and said, "Sir, would you mind driving in front of my house?" Paul smiled a little. He thought he know what the boy wanted, He wanted to show his neighbors that he could ride home in a big car. But Paul was wrong again. "Will you stop where those two steps are?" the boy asked. He ran up to the steps. Then in a short while Paul heard him coming back, but he was not coming fast. He Was carrying his little crippled brother. He sat down on the step and pointed to the car. "There he is, Buddy, just like I told you upstairs. His brother gave it to him for Christmas and it didn't cost him a cent . And some day I'm going to give you one just like it... then you can see for yourself all the nice things in the Christmas window- that I've been trying to tell you about." Paul got out and lifted the boy to the front seat of his car. The shining-eyed elder brother climbed in beside him and the three began an unforgettable holiday ride.[:Zxxk.Com] From the story we can see the urchin _ . A wished to give his brother a car B wanted Paul's brother to give him a car C wished he could have a brother like Paul's D wished Paul could be a brother like that Answer: A Check out all the new releases in the next four weeks. Wednesday 16 march Chalet Girl (12A )Watch the Trailer A British comedy about a girl who decides to give up her job at a fried chicken fast food place to try out being a chalet girl in the Alps. Starring Bill Nighy and Ed Westwick. Friday 18 March Submarine (15) A comedy following a teenager who wants to lose his virginity and stop his father from leaving his mother. Directed by Richard Ayoade. Friday 25 March Country Strong (12A) Watch the Trailer Rising country music songwriter (Garrett Hedlund) falls in love with a fallen star (Gwyneth Paltrow), and together they plan his rising and her comeback. A Turtle's Tale: Sammy's Adventures (3D) (U) A sea turtle who was hatched in 1959 spends the next 50 years travelling the world as it changes through global warming. Friday 1 April Killing Bono (15) Watch the Trailer Two brothers attempt to become global rock stars but can only look on as old school friends U2 become the biggest hand in the world. Passenger Side (D) Two brothers spend the day driving around Los Angeles county looking for the meaning of their lives, or cheap street drugs, depending on whom you believe. Friday 8 April The Silent House A horror movie based on a true story about a small house in a village in Uruguay which holds some dark secrets Rio (3D) Watch the trailer An animated film about a domesticated macaw from Minnesota who sets off on an adventure. If you want to see a horrible film, you can see _ . A The Silent House B Country Strong C Killing Bono D Rio Answer: A Given that many people's moods are regulated by the chemical action of chocolate, it was probably only a matter of time before somebody made the chocolate shop similar to a drugstore of Chinese medicine.Looking like a setting from the film Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, Singapore's Chocolate Research Facility (CRF) has over 100 varieties of chocolates.Its founder is Chris Lee who grew up at his parents' corner store with one hand almost always in the jar of sweets. If the CRF seems to be a smart idea, that's because Lee is not merely a seasoned salesperson but also head of a marketing department that has business relations with big names such as Levi's and Sony.That idea surely results in the imagination at work when it comes to making different flavored chocolates. The CRF's produce is "green", made within the country and divided into 10 lines, with the Alcohol Series being the most popular.The Exotic Series--with Sichuan pepper, red bean , cheese and other flavors--also does well and is fun to taste.And for _ , who think that they have a better knowledge of chocolate than others, the Connoisseur Series uses cocoa beans from Togo, Cuba, Venezuela, and Ghana, among others. Which line of the CRF produce sells best? A The Connoisseur Series. B The Exotic Series. C The Alcohol Series. D The Sichuan Series. Answer: C Most British telephone cards are just plain green, but card collecting is becoming a popular hobby in Britain and collectors even have their own magazine, International Telephone Cards. One reason for their interest is that cards from around the world come in a wide variety of different and often very attractive designs. There are 100, 000 different cards in Japan alone, and there you can put your own design onto a blank card simply by using a photograph or a business card. The first telephone cards, produced in 1976, were Italian. Five years later the first British card appeared, and now you can buy cards in more than a hundred countries. People usually start collecting cards because they are attractive, small and light , and they do not need much space. It is also a cheap hobby for beginners, although for some people it becomes a serious business. In Paris, for example, there is a market where you can buy only telephone cards, and some French cards cost up to 4, 000 pounds. The first Japanese card has a value of about 28, 000 pounds. Most people only see cards with prices like these in their collectors magazine. The writer mentions a market in Paris in order to show that _ A card collecting is popular among young people B French and Japanese cards are the most valuable C people can make money out of card collecting D card collectors magazines are very useful Answer: C
Question: Charles Blackman: Alice in Wonderland An Exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), Australia 10 June--12 August 2013 Venue The lan Potter Centre Admission Free entry Charles Blackman is famous for his beautiful painting of dreams. In 1956, he heard for the first time Lewis Carroll's extraordinary tale of Alice in Wonderland--the story of a Victorian girl who falls down a rabbit hole, meets a lot of funny characters and experience all kinds of things. At that time, Blackman's wife was suffering from progressive blindness. The story of Alice moving through the strange situations, often disheartened by various events, was similar to his wife's experiences. It also reflected so much of his own life. All this contributed to the completion of the Alice in Wonderland paintings. Illustrator Workshop Go straight to the experts for an introductory course in book illustration . The course includes an introduction to the process of illustration and its techniques, workshop exercises and group projects. Dates Sunday 17June & Sunday 5 Aug. 10 am--1 pm Venue Gas Works Arts Park Wonderful World Celebrate the exhibition and Children's Book Week with special activities just for the day, including a special visit from Alice and the White Rabbit. Date Sunday 24 June, 11 am--4 pm Venue Exhibition Space. Level 3 Topsy-Turvy Visit the exhibition or discover wonderful curiosities in artworks in the NGV Collection and make a magic world in a box. Alice and the White Rabbit will be with you. Walt Disney's Alice in Wonderland will be screened. Dates Sunday 8,15,22,29 July, and Tuesday 24--Friday 27 July, 12 noon--3 pm Venue Theatre, NGV Australia Drawing Workshop Distortions of Scale can make artworks strange but interesting. Find out how Charles Blackman distorted scale in his paintings to create a curious world, then experiment with scale in your own drawings. More information upon booking. Date Friday 27 July, 10:30 am--3 pm Venue Foyer, Level 3 Charles Blackman's paintings come from _ . A. his admiration for Lewis Carroll B. his dream of becoming a famous artist C. his wish to express his own feelings D. his eagerness to cure his wife's illness Answer: C Question: When visiting Maui , one of the most beautiful islands in the world , there are so many attractions for you . HALEAKALA Mt. Haleakala towers 10,023 feet high and is one of the two volcanoes that created this incredible Hawaiian isle . Haleakala National Park offers a variety of activities , making it one of the most revisited attractions in all the Hawaiian Islands . The most popular activities include enjoying sunrise and sunset , hiking , and backcountry camping on Maui . ROAD TO HANA There are many ways to experience the Road to Hana , and the sleepy coastal Town of Hana , Maui . Visitors can go by group and private tours , or explore on their own by renting a vehicle . Beginning at the historic Town of Paia , visitors can enjoy decorated coastlines all the way to Hana , world famous beaches in Hawaii , tropical landscapes , waterfalls , scenic lookout points , and cultural attractions that mark significant points in Maui's unique Hawaiian history . HO'OKIPA BEACH PARK Ho'okipa Beach Park is one of the most famous beaches in the world for professional surfing and windsurfing . In the ancient Hawaiian language , " ho'okipa " means hospitality , which is exactly what this Beach Park offers ! At Ho'okipa , visitors can see the powerful coastline from the top parking lot for amazing photo opportunities . Or you can go to the sand for afternoon BBQ's and the glorious Maui shunshine . OHE'O GULCH POOLS The Ohe'o Gulch Pools , more commonly referred to as the Seven Sacred Pools , is a wonderful place to explore Maui on vacation . The lower pools are more easily accessed , and perhaps the best choice for visitors who want to jump in . Due to the popularity of the Seven Sacred Pools , it is highly suggested to arrive early for a chance to enjoy privacy in this beautiful location . In Ho'okipa Beach Park , you can enjoy all of the following activities EXCEPT _ . A. surfing B. camping C. sunbathing D. photographing Answer: B Question: Kate, Jack and Sam are good friends. They are in the same school.Kate and Jack are classmates. But Sam is in a different grade-Grade Three. They often do sports or play games after school. This evening Jack is going to Sam's birthday party and he is going to give him a new book for his birthday because he likes reading very much. Kate wants to go to the party, too. But she has to stay at home because her mother isn't feeling well. She asks Jack to take a present to Sam for his birthday. She wants to give Sam a different present, so she gives him a very mice new pen. When is Sam's birthday party? A. Tomorrow. B. At the weekend. C. After school. D. This evening. Answer: D Question: My name is Lisa. Because of my job, I often went to the United States. I often felt worried during my trip because I didn't speak English well. So I decided to learn English. I went to Mrs Brown's English class. Before I came to the class, I always walked away when I met any Americans. But now I try to talk to Americans in English. And I like going to supermarkets, cafes and restaurants to talk with local people. I learn English in four ways. First , I listen to the teacher carefully and keep speaking in class. Second, I do my homework after I get home. I learn at least five words every day. Third, I listen to American radio and watch American TV programs. Finally, I surf the Internet to talk with different people in English. To learn English well, I think you must learn to open your mouth. For me that is the key to opening the door of learning English. Which of the following is NOT TRUE? A. Lisa liked to talk to Americans in English better than before. B. Lisa tells us five ways of learning English. C. Mrs Brown's class was a great help to Lisa. D. Lisa speaks a lot in Mrs Brown's class. Answer: B Question: The Internet, mobile phones and iPads are parts of our lives now. Technology is greatly affecting all ways of our lives, from the ways we work to the ways we play. And it even causes a number of social problems such as cloning humans. We have had lots of technology and it has changed our lives a lot. We are sure that humans will continue to use more and more technology. Here are some examples of modern technology that will change our ideas and will affect our lives greatly. Global Positioning System (GPS) It's a system that uses radio signals from satellites to show exact information. It tells you where the user is on the earth in all weather conditions. It's made up of three parts: satellites, control equipments on land and receivers. Space Technology Russian and American scientists have worked together for the International Space Station, (ISS) for a long time. They hope the ISS will provide a long-lasting lab. Such a lab will bring humans limitless advantages. It's even hoped that one day space technology will take humans to their new houses in space. Underwater Robot Hercules is a kind of underwater robot with some high technology equipments. It will be used to search for ancient ships which were destroyed into the deep sea during their journey long ago. The world is changing so quickly that it's hard for us to catch up with all the new inventions because they seem to come out every month. It's important for us to learn about new technology and the role that it plays in our lives. So we should be willing to accept modem technology, or we will fall behind the times. What is the purpose of the passage? A. To help us study some new technology. B. To tell us technology is changing the world. C. To help solve the problems that technology causes. D. To remind us the advantages of technology are limitless. Answer: B
Mr Black goes into his usual teashop one morning, and sits in one of the seats at the counter . Many other people also come in, but none of them stays long. About fifteen minutes later, a young man and a young woman come in. There are only two empty seats at the counter, one on Mr Black's left, and the other on his right. The woman sits on one seat, and the young man sits on the other, but Mr Black immediately asks to change seats with the young man so that he and the young woman can be together. "Oh, that isn't necessary," the young man says, but Mr Black insists . When the young man and the young woman are side by side, he says to her, "Well, this old man is very kind. He wants us to sit together. May I introduce myself? My name is John. What's your name?" There are _ at the counter. Answer: two empty seats In every country, there are thousands of people who want to help out. Many join organizations run by their governments, for example, the Peace Corps in the United States and Voluntary Service Overseas in Britain. Since the powerful earthquake took place in Sichuan, more than 200 thousand volunteers across China have been helping there! They do all kinds of work or come up with ways to help improve life. Some offer their professional skills for free. Others have no qualifications , but they love to work hard to help. One of the most famous volunteers in the world was Mother Teresa. She could be the best volunteer because she gave her life to helping the poorest people of Calcutta. She helped the homeless, cared for the sick, gave out food, and became the mother of those without families. Now more and more teenagers actively look for volunteering opportunities, too. They volunteer because they think it will be fun or they will learn something. They also like the idea of being helpful to others, even if it is just handing out books for the teacher. As they get older, these reasons are still the same, but there are other important reasons for volunteering such as learning on-the-job, getting work experience, and improving their social life. All volunteers bring joy to the people they help in so many ways. They might read books to the blind, fix up broken homes, find ways to get water for villages. Could you be a volunteer? What kind of volunteer work could you do? There is someone in the world who needs you. The word those in the passage means _ . Answer: the kids Which instrument should a student use to measure exactly 10 milliliters (mL) of water? Answer: graduated cylinder Endothermic reactions are reactions that require more energy to start than they give off in the products. Which statement describes an endothermic reaction? Answer: It absorbs heat energy and is cold to the touch. Construction workers in Southern California have made a wild discovery. They were digging at a building site in San Timoteo Canyon when they unearthed hundreds of ancient animal fossils. Researchers say the bones hold important clues about the history of the region. Nearly 1, 500 fossils were recovered from the dusty canyon. The remains are about 1.4 million years old. They include the bones of a new species of deer, several small rodents and more. A giant cat fossil was also found. Scientists believe the animal was an ancestor of the saber- toothed tiger. Signs of plant life were uncovered as well. "This is a huge find," says Rick Greenwood, a scientist studying the site. "I don't think most people had any idea that those types of animals were wandering around here more than a million years ago." San Timoteo Canyon is located about 85 miles from Los Angeles. The area of the canyon where the fossils were found was once part of a green river valley. Today, the region is dry and plant life is rare. Most of the fossils are well preserved. Experts say a muddy lake bed may have trapped thirty animals that wandered over for a drink. The mud helped to protect the animal fossils. The remains are a million years older than those discovered at the famous La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles. Scientists studying the bones will be able to learn more about how the animals adapted to changes in the environment. "We have a confused view of what this time period was like, " says another scientist. "A discovery like this could really be an important contribution." About 35 different animal species are represented in the fossil collection. Scientists began removing bones from the site last fall. The project was completed this summer. Starting next year, the fossils will be on display at the Western Science Center in the nearby city of Hemet, California. Compared to the discovery at the La Brea Tar Pits, the canyon-involved fossils _ . Answer: are far older
Which would least refract light? A. a cardboard box B. a bottle C. a gem D. a diamond Answer: A. a cardboard box Many birds migrate. This means that every year they fly somewhere warm in the winter and then return to the place they came from in the spring. One mystery is how birds know how to travel such long distances without getting lost. Scientists have wondered for years whether they are born with the knowledge of where to go or whether they learn it after they are born. Now, researchers have found evidence that shows that one type of bird, at least, learns how to migrate. The bird is the whooping crane , a tall, white bird that lives in the United States. In the 1940s, the number of these birds decreased to fewer than 25 individuals, and many people feared that they would die out. Thanks to efforts to save them, they have now increased to about 600. However, the birds are not very good at taking care of their young. Because of this, eggs are brought to a site in Maryland. There, scientists from the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership raise the baby birds. Later, the young birds are taken from Maryland to Wisconsin, where the scientists teach them how to fly. From there, they fly about 2,200 kilometers south to Florida to spend the winter. The first time, scientists lead the way in a small airplane. From the second year, though, the birds travel by themselves. For 14 years, the scientists have kept a careful record of every flight the birds have taken between Wisconsin and Florida. They have also recorded which birds fly together, the relationships between the birds, and the gender of each bird. When scientists analyzed the data, they were surprised by the results. These showed that each bird took a very different route. However, as they got older, they flew more and more directly between Wisconsin and Florida. This continued until they were five years old. This indicates that the birds gradually learned the best route to take. Moreover, when an older bird was in a group, the whole group flew more directly. This suggests that the older birds taught the younger ones a quicker route. Scientists say that this evidence marks a big step toward solving the mystery of bird migration. Why do scientists raise whooping cranes? A. They want to observe how the mothers take care of their young. B. They are worried that the birds will fall down many times. C. Whooping cranes' eggs need to be watched constantly. D. Whooping cranes are bad at raising their own young. Answer: D. Whooping cranes are bad at raising their own young. Television is a central part of many people's lives. There are very few places in the world where one cannot find a television set. Some sporting events, such as the Olympic Games or the football World Cup, can attract audiences of many millions. But is television a good or bad influence on young people in the modern world? Thomas Murray, president of the British Parents Against Television Society, believes that it has not improved young people's lives. "Television damages family life," he argues. "At mealtime, families no longer talk to each other. In the evenings, youngsters do not spend good quality time with family members. Instead, they watch television." Murray says that this lack of communication leads to social problems. Murray also believes that the content of television programmes provides young people with poor role models. "There is so much violence on TV--guns, kung fu fighting, and so on. Young people think that all problems should be solved by aggression." It is not just young people's mental health that worries Murray. "Teenagers don't get enough exercise because they spend so many hours watching television. They also develop back problems from sitting down for so long, and _ from the effort of watching." Murray would like to see changes to television habits. "Programmes should be educational. Their contents should be nonviolent and healthy. There should be no programmes after ten o'clock in the evening. Parents should teach their children to enjoy their spare time by playing sports or games. And certainly, the television should be switched off during mealtime. Susan Taylor is a television producer. She believes that television is a good influence on young people. "Television brings the outside world to youngsters. It even brought us pictures from the moon! And look what happens after the Olympic Games or the World Cup matches have been shown on TV. People start to take more exercise. Also, there are a lot of programmes about healthy eating and keeping fit." However, Taylor agrees with Murray's point of view concerning parents. "Of course parents have a role to play in educating their kids. They should turn the TV off during mealtime and they should talk with their children as often as possible." The article is mainly about _ . A. that TV is a central part of many people's lives B. that Murray would like to see changes to television habits C. whether TV is a good or bad influence on young people in the modern world D. that parents should turn the TV off during mealtime and talk with their children Answer: C. whether TV is a good or bad influence on young people in the modern world Your body works 24 hours a day. It's always building and repairing, feeding and cleansing itself. Its goal is to be ready for your every movement, breath, and thought. The quality of your life depends on how well your body works. And how well your body works depends on how much energy it gets. Energy comes from the food you eat. Food contains nutrients that your body needs for growth and energy. By eating a balanced diet, your body gets the six important nutrients it needs.Minerals are nutrients that build bones and teeth. Minerals also form red blood cells and other substances.Wateraids digestion and waste removal.Carbohydrates give your body its main source of energy. Two carbohydrates are sugars from foods such as fruits and vegetables and starches found in rice, potatoes, and bread.Fatshelp build cell membranes .Proteinsrepair and grow body tissues . Finally,vitaminshelp your body use carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. The United States Department of Agriculture(USDA) has created a nutritional food pyramid . It shows the daily number of servings you should eat from five food groups. The food pyramid has four levels. The base of the pyramid is the largest level. It contains the bread, cereal, rice, and pasta group from which you need six to eleven servings. The next level has two food groups: vegetables and fruits. The USDA recommends three to five servings of vegetables and two to four servings of fruit. The third level also has two groups: the milk, yogurt, and cheese group and the meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, and nuts group. You need two to three servings from each of these groups. The top of the pyramid is the smallest level. It contains fats, oils, and sweets. These foods have few nutrients, so eat them sparingly . To help the reader understand the six nutrients needed by the body, the author _ . A. describes the five basic food groups. B. explains what a balanced diet is. C. writes the details of each nutrient. D. tells the number of daily servings needed from each food group. Answer: C. writes the details of each nutrient. There was a man who had a little son. He loved him very much. Every day after work the man would come home and play with the little boy. When the man came home from work one night, he found that he had some extra work to do. And he wasn't able to play with his little son. He wanted to give the boy something to keep him busy. So, looking around his study, he saw a magazine with a large map of the world on the cover. He got an idea. He patiently tore the map up into pieces. Then he led his son into the dining room and spread the pieces on the table. He explained to the boy that it was a map of the world. He told the boy to put it back together and they could play together when he finished. Surely this could keep the child busy for hours, he thought. After about thirty minutes, the boy came to the man and said, "Okay, it's finished, Dad. Can we play now?" The man was surprised, saying, "That's amazing! How did you do that?" The boy said, "It was easy. On the back of the page was a picture of a man. When I put the man together, the whole world appeared completely." Which of the following is TRUE about the passage? A. It's a report about a father's extra work. B. It's a story between a father and his clever son. C. It's an advertisement for the map of the world. D. It's a poster about how to deal with parents' problems. Answer: B. It's a story between a father and his clever son.
At a day care center in Taxes, children were playing outside. One of the children was Jessica McClure. She was 18 months old. Jessica's mother, who worked at the day care center, was watching the children. Suddenly Jessica fell and disappeared. Jessica's mother cried and ran to her. A well was in the yard of the center. The well was only eight inches across, and a rock always covered it. But children had moved the rock. When Jessica fell, and she fell right into the well. Jessica's mother reached inside the well, but she couldn't feel Jessica. She ran to the phone and called 911 for help. Men from the fire apartment arrived. They discovered that Jessica was about 20 feet down in the well. For the next hour, the men talked and planned Jessica's rescue . Then they told Jessica's parents their plan. "We can't go into the well. " they said "It's too narrow. So, we're going to drill a hole next to the well. Then we 'll drill a tunnel across Jessica. Then we'll bring her up through the hole. " The man began to drill the hole on a Wednesday morning. "We'll reach Jessica in a few hours ", they thought. The men were wrong. They had to drill through the solid rock. Two days later, on Friday morning, they were still drilling,. And Jessica McClure was still in the well. During her days in the well, Jessica sometimes called her mother. Sometimes she slept, sometimes she cried, and sometimes she sang. All over the world people waited for the news of Jessica. They read about her in the newspapers and watched her rescue on TV. Everyone worried about the little girl in the well. At 8 P. M. on Friday, the men finally reached Jessica and brought her up from the well. Jessica was dirty, hungry, thirsty and tired. Her foot and forehead was badly injured. But Jessica was alive. A doctor at the hospital said, "Jessica was lucky she was young. She's not going to remember this very well. " Maybe Jessica will not remember her days in the well. But her parents, her rescuers, ans many other people around the world will not forget them. After Jessica's rescue, one of the rescuers made a metal cover for the well. On the cover he wrote, "To Jessica, with love from all of us. " Which of the following can most probably be the tittle of the reading? John moved into a new house. He was very happy. He had an old cat and a young cat. He liked them very much, He thought, "I must let my cat go in and out of my house when I'm not at home." He had an idea. One day, a friend came to see him and saw two holes in his door. One is big, the other is small. "My dear friend," he said, "It's a very nice house, but why are two holes in your door of the new house?" "To let the cat in and out, of course." John said. "But why are there two holes? Is one hole all right?" "How can a big cat go through the little hole?" said John. "That's right. But can't a little cat go through a big hole?" The friend laughed. _ all right for the big cat and the small cat go through. I was driving home one evening at about 5, caught in traffic, and the car started to die-- I hardly managed to get into a gas station, glad only that I would have a warm spot to wait for the tow truck . Before I could make the call, I saw a woman walking out of the " Quickie Mart" building, then suddenly she slipped on some ice and fell down, so I got out to see if she was okay. When I got there, it looked like she had been overcome by weep than that she had fallen; she was a young woman who looked _ with dark circles under her eyes. She dropped something as I helped her up, and I picked it up and gave it to her. It was a coin. At that moment, everything came into focus for me: the crying woman, the ancient Suburban packed full of stuff and three kids in the back, and the gas pump reading $4.95. I asked her if she was okay and if she needed help, and she just kept saying "I don't want my kids to see me crying," so we stood at the other side of the pump from her car. She said she was driving to California for Christmas and that things were very hard for her right now. I took out my credit card and swiped it through the card reader on the pump so that she could fill up her car completely, and I bought two big bags of food for her kids in the car who attacked it like wolves. While it was fueling, she asked, "So, are you an angel or something?" I said, "At this time of year, angels are really busy, so sometimes God uses common people." It was unbelievable to be part of someone else's miracle. And of course, you guessed it, when I got in my car it started right away and got me home with no problem. Sometimes, angels fly close enough to you that you can hear the flutter of their wings. Caught in traffic, the author still felt happy because _ . Laura is at the airport. She waits for her plane.Her plane is to Berlin,and it is 4 hours away.Laura walks around the shops. After an hour she wants to go to the bathroom.But she doesn't find it."Where is the bathroom?"she says.She starts asking other people.Laura says to a man,"Excuse me,sir,could you please tell me where the bathroom is?"The man says,"You mean the restroom,right?"Laura says,"No,I mean the bathroom.""Well,the restroom is over there."He says and walks away. Laura doesn't understand .She asks a woman,"Excuse me,madam,could you please tell me where the bathroom is?""The restroom is over there,"the lady answers andwalks away. Laura is _ ."What's wrong? I need to use the bathroom and they tell me to rest!" Then Laura gives up .She feels tired and thinks she needs to rest. She walks to the restroom.Now she is surprised.She realizes the restroom is the name for a public bathroom! Which of the following is TRUE ? One of Britain's bravest women told yesterday how she helped to catch suspected police killer David Bieber --- and was thanked with flowers by the police. It was also said that she could be in line for a share of up to PS30,000 reward money . Vicki Brown , 30 , played a very important role in ending the nationwide manhunt . Vicki , who has worked at the Royal Hotel for four years , told of her terrible experience when she had to steal into Bieber's bedroom and to watch him secretly. Then she waited alone for three hours while armed police prepared to storm the building. She said : " I was very nervous . But when I opened the hotel door and saw 20 armed policemen lined up in the car park I was so glad they were there." The alarm had been raised because Vicki became suspicious of the guest who checked in at 8 pm the day before New Year's Eve with little luggage and wearing sunglasses and a hat pulled down over his face. She said : " He didn't seem to want to talk too much and make any eye contact." Vicki, the only employee on duty , called her boss Margaret , 64 , and husband Stan McKale, 65 , who phoned the police at 11 pm. Officers from Northumbria Police called Vicki at the hotel in Dunston , Gateshead , at about 11:30 pm to make sure that this was the wanted man . Then they kept in touch by phoning Vicki every 15 minutes. " It was about ten to two in the morning when the phone went again and a policeman said ' Would you go and make yourself known to the armed officers outside ?' My heart missed a beat ." Vicki quietly showed eight armed officers through passages and staircases to the top floor room and handed over the key. " I realized that my bedroom window overlooks that part of the hotel , so I went to watch . I could not see into the man's room , but I could see the passage . The police kept shouting at the man to come out with his hands showing . Then suddenly he must have come out because they shouted for him to lie down while he was handcuffed ." Vicki's heart missed a beat because _ .
Question: "ONE in every 50 Shanghai women has cancer, a total of more than 140,000 women currently living in the city, and cancer statistics are based on citizens with permanent residency ," officials from the Shanghai Center for Disease Control and Prevention said ahead of International Women's Day on Friday. However, they said the city's rate of cancer in women was rising slowly along with its rising number of elderly people. Early screening for breast, colorectal and cervical cancers can help prevent 30 percent of cancer cases. Breast, colorectal, lung, gastric and thyroid cancers are the five most common cancer forms among women, with breast cancer accounting for 16 percent of Shanghai's new cases each year and colorectal cancer 13 percent. Cervical cancer, although only the 12th leading cancer in women in Shanghai, is particularly common among women between 25 and 54 years old. Dr Zheng Ying, director of the center's tumor prevention and control department, said , "breast, colorectal and cervical cancers accounted for 32 percent of female cancers". He added, " However, the three types of cancer can be detected and treated properly through early and regular screening. Our main target of women's cancer prevention education this year is breast cancer, cervical cancer and colorectal cancer."The prevention and control of colorectal cancer will be a new public health project this year with the city government promoting a community-based screening program. Experts say women over 20 should examine their breasts every month and have annual clinical checks after the age of 35. Women over 50 should have mammograms(X) every two years. For cervical cancer, women over 20 should be checked every three years. Women over 50 years old should have annual medical checks. Zheng said anyone with a family history of the three types of cancer should be aware of the need for more frequent examinations and early screening. What is the best title of the passage? A. the women with cancer in Shanghai B. lots of women in Shanghai have cancer C. the five most common cancer forms among women in Shanghai D. The prevention and control of cancer Answer: B. lots of women in Shanghai have cancer Question: Greenwich is on the River, five miles from the middle of London, and its history is two thousand years old. The first English people were fishermen there, and they named the place Greenwich, meaning "green village". Later the English kings and queens lived at Greenwich in their beautiful places. The name of the earliest palace was Placentia. Henry VIII lived there. He knew that England must be strong at sea. So he started two big ship-yards at Greenwich. But trouble was coming to Greenwich. In 1649, a war started in England and for eleven years there was no king. The men who had worked for him at Placentia decided to live the place themselves. They sold all its beautiful things. Finally, the war ended and King Charles II came back. But Placentia was falling down. So King Charles built a new and bigger palace, which is now open to the public. At this time, Charles was worried about losing so many of its ships at sea: their sailors did not know how to tell exactly where they were. So in 1675, Charles made John Flamsteed, the first astronomer in England, try to find the answer. Flamsteed worked in a new building on the high ground in Greenwich Park. From it with a telescope which he made himself, Flamsteed could look all round the sky. And he did, night after night, for twenty years. Carrying on Flamsteed's work a hundred years later, an astronomer called Harrison finally made a clock which told the time at sea, and helped sailors to know where they were. You can see Harrison's clock, still working, in Greenwich's museum of the sea. Because of Flamsteed's work, every country in the world now tells its time by Greenwich Time. Charles made John Flamsteed try to find _ . A. how to build strong ships B. how to tell sailors' positions at sea C. how to tell the exact time D. a place to set up a telescope Answer: B. how to tell sailors' positions at sea Question: Bayfield Shopping Coupons 1. Six Hours Free Parking If you spend $ 100 or more in our stores you will receive six hours of free parking. When you have spent $ 100 or more, just take this coupon and your receipts to the customer service desk on level 4. They will stamp your parking ticket to allow 6 hours of free parking. Offer until November 14. 2. Win a $ 1,000 CD Collection Win your choice of $1,000 worth of CDs from JB Music Store. Just buy any two CDs and your name will go into the competition. Select your own prize from our wide variety of rock, pop, jazz, and classical music. Competition ends November 14. Prize drawn on November 21. Check store for more information. 3. Buy One, Get One Free Buy one shirt or tie at Daniel's Men's Wear, and get another shirt or tie of the same value free. Choose from any of our dress shirts and we will give you another one at no cost. Hurry! Offer ends November 14. Offer limited to one per customer. 4. 10% Off Present this coupon at The Book Store to get a 10% discount on any books you buy. We have lots of books to choose from, including children's books, novels, travel guides, and science works. You are sure to find something that you will enjoy. Shop now for Christmas. We have plenty of toys as gifts for you and avoid the rush. Offer here until November 14. 5. Half-price Movie Tickets Buy a full-price movie ticket on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, and you can buy a second ticket for a friend for only half price. The latest movies are here, shown in one of our five theaters at Bayfield Shopping Center. Offer good through December 1. Limit one per customer. 6. Free Soft Drink Buy any meal for at least $ 6 at Mike's Cafe, and receive a free soft drink. We serve the best fast food in the Shopping Center. Come in and try our delicious meals and our excellent service. You won't be disappointed! Free soft drink offer ends November 14. What are these ads for? A. Food you can order for delivery. B. Places to go on vacation. C. Special offers at a shopping center. D. Things on sale in a big store. Answer: C. Special offers at a shopping center. Question: 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 has some _ in his garden. A. pear trees B. banana trees C. apple trees D. orange trees Answer: C. apple trees Question: I was doing my last-minute Christmas shopping in a toy store, looking at fashion dolls. A nicely-dressed little girl with her father was excitedly looking through the same dolls as well. As she was looking, a boy wandered in and sorted through some of the video games. He was dressed neatly, but in clothes that were obviously rather worn. He, too, had money in his hand, but it seemed to be no more than five dollars or so at the most. He was with his father as well, but each time he picked one of the video games and looked at his father, his father shook his head. The little girl had apparently chosen her doll, a beautifully-dressed glamorous creation that would have been the envy of every little girl on the block. However, she stopped to watch the little boy and his father. Then, the little girl put her carefully-chosen doll back on the shelf, and ran over to the video games. She excitedly picked up one that was lying on top of the other toys and raced towards the reception desk after speaking with her father. I picked up my purchases and waited in line behind them. Then, much to the little girl's obvious delight, the little boy and his father stood behind me. After the video game was paid for and bagged, the little girl handed it back to the cashier and whispered _ in her ear. The cashier smiled and put the package under the counter. I paid for my purchases and was rearranging things in my purse when the little boy came up to the cashier. The cashier rang up his purchases and then said, "Congratulations, you have been selected to win a prize!" With that, she handed the little boy the video game, and he could only stare in disbelief. It was, he said, exactly what he had wanted! The little girl and her father were standing at the door-way during all of this, and I saw the biggest, prettiest smile on that little girl's face that I have ever seen in my life. We can infer from the passage that the author thought the little girl _ . A. was quite good at playing jokes B. was kind-hearted and really understood Christmas spirit C. was lucky enough to be born in a rich family D. and the little boy would become good friends Answer: B. was kind-hearted and really understood Christmas spirit
Eating Out with Kids When you go out to dine with kids, you need to know the places where kids are not only welcomed, but really catered for. Now we've listed some of the best family-friendly restaurants and cafes. MUMU Grill It offers the perfect family dinner. The children can eat and then play in the park opposite the restaurant while the parents keep a watchful eye. It serves various steaks, and the most popular one is the beefsteak with onion rings. Children will be kept amused by the kids'menus, which feature colouring-in activities. Children are able to colour in a picture of a cow with crayons . Operating Hours: Monday to Friday: 4 pm to 6 pm Saturday to Sunday: 3 am to 7 pm Tel: 9460 6877FlyingFoxCafe It is located in one park in Mona Vale. Near the cafe is a fantastic fenced children's playground, famous for playground facilities including a bike track, walking tracks and a dog walking beach. Operating Hours: Monday to Sunday: 9 am to 4 pm The weather can sometimes influence closing times, so if you are unsure, please call on 9986 0980. Billy Lids It is a unique environment where your child can play safely while you relax in the central cafe area. The indoor playground includes facilities for children up to 11 years old such as a big climbing structure, slides and a jumping castle. There are plenty of food options for the kids, including homemade sausage rolls. Operating Hours: Monday to Thursday: 9 am to 5 pm Friday to Saturday: 9 am to 6 pm Tel: 9916 0350TheGladesvilleBistro Welcome to our revolutionary kid friendly family bistro --where your kids are welcome to play, draw, slip and slide. Our menu includes sandwiches and chips. Your children will receive a free cup of popcorn with every kid's meal purchased. Operating Hours: Monday to Sunday: 11 am to 7 pm Tel: 9816 4052 What can we learn about MUMU Grill? It offers colouring-in activities to children. The human body produces motion by changing chemical energy into mechanical energy. Which of these best describes what happens to the energy? The total amount of energy is constant. Electronic waste, or e-waste, refers to electronic products that are no longer usable. This can include TVs, cell phones and computers and other office electronics, electronic toys and videos machines. Today, the average turnover rate for a computer in the United States is every two years, according to the environmental group, Greenpeace. The group's Dai Yun says e-waste is a global problem. "The electronic industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. The high speed of growth in this industry means more and more electronic products are being wasted and thrown away. If no one decides to retrieve the old products and process them properly, the electronic waste will sweep over the earth like the huge wave behind me and pollute the Earth seriously." Greenpeace works out that 20 to 50 million tons of e-waste are produced globally each year. The components in many electronic products contain harmful chemicals that pollute ground water and the environment. At present , the U.S. has no federal law for the disposal of e-waste although a few states have e-waste recycling programs in place, but there is no law. The U.S. exports much of its e-waste to third world countries, such as India and China, where workers took apart computers for valuable parts, hoping to sell them for money. But harmful wastes expert, Dr. Bakul Rao, says that's a dangerous practice. "From now on, the recyclers are not very educated. All they know is they can retrieve copper or gold out of it. So, the easiest way to do that is leach it out in an acid or burn it off to retrieve it. So, that's where they don't know how to deal with it, neither do they have any health systems in place. So, their exposure is more." What of the following statements is true according to the passage? The way uneducated workers deal with old computers does great harm to the environment as well as to their own health. Long long ago, there was a small seed . Because it was only a seed, nobody noticed it. Thus, feeling inferior , the seed gave no importance to his existence. Then one day, a wind picked him up and threw him on an open field in the sun. Later, he was given rain. Years later he saw a traveler sitting by his side. "Thank you God for this. I really needed some rest," he heard the traveler say. "What are you talking about?" the seed quickly asked. He thought the man was making fun of him. No one ever spoke to him like that. "Who just spoke?" the shocked man asked. "It is me, a seed." "A seed?" the man looked at the big tree. "Are you joking? You are no seed. You are a big tree!" "Really?" "Yes! Why else do you think people come here?" "What do they come here for?" "To feel your shade ! Don't tell me you didn't know you had grown over time. "A moment passed. The seed thought and smiled for the first time in his life. The years of torture by the sun and the rain finally helped him grow up. "Oh! That means I'm not a little seed anymore! I was actually born to make people feel comfortable. Wow! That's great! " The seed didn't realize the importance of his existence because _ . he didn't believe in himself Sports are important in English life. The people of England are sports lovers. Some of the world's famous sports began here such as football and cricket. Football is a game played in winter and early spring. Lots of people play football in parks or playgrounds just for fun. With hundreds of year's history, it is one of the most important sports in England. The English love football very much and they turned most of their main players into famous persons. David Beckham and Bobby Charlton became heroes for many children. The most interesting part of the English football year is the FA(Football Association) Cup Final each May. According to the passage, the FA(Football Association) Cup Final is in _ . each May.
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 oil 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, prefix = st1 /Iraqsent soldiers intoKuwaitand set off the Persian Gulf War. As part of theIraqwar plan, 9,000,000 tons of oil were let out into the Persian Gulf byIraq. This oil covered 1,500 square kilometers of water in the Persian Gulf. The oil also damaged 650 kilometers of the coastline of bothKuwaitandSaudi 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 far into the future. The third mate ran the tanker aground 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 area Answer: D. he did not know the area I grew up in one of the poorest areas in Bradford. I live in a three-bedroom house with six brothers and sisters. I studied very hard . I got the best results in the history of the school. Other students would be happy with receiving such results. Their parents would give them an MP5 player as a prize or take them for a trip. What about me? In fact it made me sad. It was because my application to Imperial College London didn't pass. It is my dream to study medicine there. I know that nothing in life is easy. I won't give up. I will apply again the following year. While some students are traveling during the holiday, I am working hard. I help the doctors look after sick people in a hospital . I believe I must become a doctor one day. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage? A The writer is working as a doctor. B The writer is good at school C The writer's family is poor. D The writer doesn't think that life is easy. Answer: A. The writer is working as a doctor. Improvements in farming technology would most likely A increase the amount of food produced. B change global climate conditions. C promote unhealthy dietary choices. D decrease the amount of daily exercise. Answer: A. increase the amount of food produced. Mayor Bill de Blasio designated the Lunar New Year an official public school holiday in New York City in June, 2015. The move came after de Blasio in March, 2015 declared school holidays on the most-observed holiday in Islam, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. De Blasio, _ a promise made during his 2013 mayoral campaign, said students would also have a day off on the Lunar New Year, and not long ago the Asian holiday took place on February 8, 2016. "About 15% of the city's school system is of Asian descent , and many student, have been taking the day off as a sick day" said State Senator Daniel Squadron. "It's a big deal," he said, whose district includes Manhattan's Chinatown. "Families have had to choose between their most important cultural celebration and missing a day of school." The city's Department of Education had been working on the practical arrangements for adding another holiday while maintaining the legal 180 school days. The problem was solved by combining two half days that previously did not count towards the total to form a single full day that can be counted towards the total. After San Francisco, New York is the second major urban school district to add the Lunar New Year to the official school calendar. "This holiday is not about kids just getting a day off from school," said Assemblyman Ron Kim. "It's about the City of New York telling hundreds of Asian-American societies that America is a cultural melting pot." Kim said recognizing the holiday is one way of pushing back against feelings of isolation and marginalization felt by the Asian-American community. What do we know from Ron Kim's words? A He's opposed to the new school holiday. B Asian culture is valued most in New York. C Asian culture is part of the American society. D The holiday wipes out Asian Americans' isolation. Answer: C. Asian culture is part of the American society. Sedans being powered by _______ is an example of an alternative fuel source A maize B refuse C bees D soda cans Answer: A. maize
Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions usually cause the largest, most disastrous debris ( ) flows. A great many victims of the earthquake that struck Wenchuan of Sichuan province last May were killed not by the quake itself but by the sudden large amounts of debris that followed. Most debris flows occur where the soil is composed mainly of sand or colluviums ( ) . Loose soils made up of bits of sand or colluviums fall apart easily and are main material for fast -moving debris flows. Scientists have conducted endless experiments to find out how debris flows work. They have learned that the amount and the timing of water entering the soil are crucial ( ). Typically, that means debris flows often occur when a long rainy period of many weeks is followed by an intense, brief heavy rain. . More often than not, however, debris flows are started by water, in the form of rain, snow, or river flow. In 1998, heavy rains from Hurricane Mitch unleashed about one million tons of mudslides, burying thousands of people, in Central America. Water flows through the soil until it hits a hard layer of bedrock or clay. There the water builds up, filling the tiny spaces between the soil and rock. That buildup reduces the natural friction ( ) that keeps the rock and soil debris lying on the slope. If conditions are approaching dangerous levels, the slope will then fall down. Despite what scientist know about the fact, debris flows are still impossible to predict at present because there are many other uncertains affect the stability of each slope. However, one thing is known: On hillsides where one debris flow has occurred, another will eventually follow. The next debris flow could take days, weeks, or years to happen. The passage is mainly about _ . Answer: the causes of debris flows It was time to break free. I needed to run away and the Bloomsburg Fair was the best place to go. I don't know if you can call it running away when it was only an hour away from my home.But once I entered the fair grounds, I crossed over into another world.The loudspeaker offered background music over the sounds of people talking, bargaining and food sellers yelling for your attention. I belonged here.I didn't know if I had it in my blood or not, but I always wanted to have a small food stand and travel in my off season from fair to fair selling goodies.Perhaps one day.It certainly wasn't a priority in my life , Perhaps it should be. After I was there a while, I needed to get away to a quiet spot.Most of the time, I could find that anywhere the farm animals were kept. They needed the quiet.So I went there to find peace with the cows, goats, horses, pigs and yes, the turkeys.You'd think being this close to "Thanksgiving", they'd be a little scared, but they were not. It was in the dairy barn where I found peace this time.I so admired the young folks who tended to farm animals.I thought they had a greater appreciation for life.They participated in it firsthand.I once watched a young farmer help bring a baby cow into the world. My favorite scene was to come across a young cowboy lying in the hay asleep among the cows that had settled down for a rest.There, with his heads in a small soft spot alongside his favorite cow, I had seen him in a much deserved sleep.Perhaps better at rest there than in his own bed. I had the pleasure of speaking with a young teenage farm girl that day. "You look so comfortable," I said to her. "Oh I am," she said."Life makes it comfortable for me." "You mean being a farm girl?" "No, Life! That's the name of my cow," she said, smiling as she gently patted the cow's side. "I thought they called cows Betsy and Elsie.Why did you call her Life?" "I discovered life again here.It was the only meaningful name that came to mind.I had been raised in the big city and really hated _ .Then we moved to the country, running away from it.I think my parents called it a mid-life crisis," she said, laughing. "Oh, I can understand that.I've been in one since birth," I said. "It was on the farm that I learned to love life again.I was there when Life was born.It was so exciting.My whole outlook on the world changed.So I named her Life.Now, I can say I really love 'Life'," she said. "How amazing! I write stories and J am always trying to get people to enjoy life, to wake up each day expecting the best from it.But they all too often go to bed with so much bad stuff in their soul, and on their mind, that they wake up feeling bad and expect it to only get worse from there. All too often it does, just because that's all they choose to see in that otherwise perfectly beautiful day," I told her. "That's too bad.They need to see a cow born, a chicken hatch.I guess they need to wake up early and hug Life!" she said, laughing. "When was the last time you hugged Life" she asked me. "I am sorry to say even I have had trouble doing that lately," I said. "Come here!" she said. Then standing up and stepping aside, she said, "Go ahead...hug Life!" I paused for a moment and dropping all thoughts of looking silly, I did.I hugged a cow. The writer was surprised at the farm girl's words and he thought people often _ Answer: ignored the bright side of each day In Eastern Europe, blue jeans symbolize American culture and "the good life". In Spain they are known as "cowboys". In China, jeans are known as "niuzaiku", also, "cowboy trousers", which means they are connected with the American West cowboy culture and outdoor work. Jeans are usually made from denim , but may also be made from other materials. The earliest known cloth for jeans was a thick cotton cloth from the Indians. At first they were working clothes. They became popular among teenagers in the 1950s. Today jeans are a very popular form of casual wear around the world and come in many styles and colors. Jeans were first made in Genoa in Italy. The trousers were made for the Genoese navy because they needed trousers which could be worn wet or dry, and whose legs could be easily rolled up while the men were cleaning the ships. These jeans would be washed by pulling them in large fishing nets behind the ship, and the sea water would make them white. In the 1850s Levi Strauss, a business man living in San Francisco, was selling blue jeans under the "Levi's" name to the coal workers of California. During World War II, the coal workers liked jeans very much because they were strong and did not tear easily. In the 1950s, jeans became popular with young people in the United States. Wearing of blue jeans by teenagers was the symbol of rebels in TV programmes and movies. Some cinemas and restaurants refused to let people in if they wore blue jeans. In the 1980s, jeans finally became high fashion clothing, when famous designers started making their own styles of jeans, with their own labels on them. Sales of jeans went up and up. Why the people who wore blue jeans were refused to go into the cinema in the 1950s? Answer: Because wearing jeans was the symbol of rebels. For years I went to school by bus,so I met many"familiar"strangers.We took the same bus but didn't know each other's names.I used to think it was impossible for us to be true friends.How wrong I was!Smiles from the"nameless"people have changed my thoughts. The first time I got on the bus,I saw different faces.We met,greeted and cold faces turned into smiling faces.As days went on,we chatted like old friends. But I felt it a pity that I was unable to set up the same friendship with a silent girl in the front of the bus.Her old clothing suggested that she didn't have much money,but she always took a cup of water for the driver.I guessed she was a kind girl.But why did she sit in silence instead of talking with us?Why did she never reply to our friendly greetings?Couldn't she smile? Then,one evening,I got the answer.I walked to the park nearby and found the girl sitting alone under a tree,lonely and sad.I greeted her with the same warm smile that I had shown to her all these months,but this time her face turned red,then a shy smile appeared.As soon as she began her first words,I understood why she hadn't spoken to us before.Talking was hard for her. I learnt her story:Her parents worked hard somewhere.She lived with her disabled grandparents.She said,"I can't express myself very well.Most of the time,I can't say what I want to say.I have no friends but...you always smile to me like an angel...so I also want to smile."That evening,we exchanged our names and we said goodbye like old friends. Smile is the key to opening the door of the heart;it can break the cold walls in front of us. The girl had difficulty in _ . Answer: talking What a Scientist Is Like If you were asked to imagine a scientist, what image would come to your mind? The common idea that most kids from kindergarten through college have of a scientist is a man wearing a white lab coat with messy hair, big glasses, and several glass cups of mysterious color1ful liquids giving off clouds of smoke. As for adults, the majority view scientists as strange people who spend 100 hours a week slaving away in a lonely laboratory. However, the reality is quite different. Recently I've had a chance to take part in a scientific experience far from my laboratory and into Costa Rica. It supports a huge amount of wildlife due to its geographical placement between North and South America. It is home to more than 500,000 species ,which represents nearly 4% of the total species worldwide! First we worked alongside conservationists to preserve wildlife at a leatherback turtle ( )rescue center. We helped the volunteers preserve turtle populations by removing rubbish from the shoreline to create a safe environment for turtle eggs to come out. After that we stayed at Mount Arenal where we studied seismic activity relating to earthquakes. During our stay at Arenal, we rode over the mountainous areas and took a long walk through the rainforest. After reaching the top, we went down and through waterfalls to the beautiful valley below! On the last day we got a hands-on introduction to rocket science where we learned about new rocket technology that will be used on the international space station. During my Costa Rica experience, I know that being a scientist doesn't mean working in a lab all day and night. A scientist is one who loves learning and getting a better understanding of the world from helping preserve wild-life, learning about earthquakes or inventing rockets. I think that schools should really stress that science is so much more than wearing a lab coat and mixing chemicals. Kids need to be aware of the excitement and adventures science can bring! What does the author learn about science from his experience? Answer: Science is more than working in a lab.
"Listen carefully to what I say," the time traveler said, "I shall tell you something that you will not agree." "Why will we not agree?" I asked. "Because the science and mathematics you know are not correct," he said. "You believe there are only three dimensions -length, breadth and thickness." "There is nothing to argue with that, " the youngest member of our little group said. "Exactly!" the time traveler answered, "But there is also a fourth dimension - time." "We all know about time, " another member of the group said. "Time passed." "I do not agree," the time traveler said, "Length, breadth and thickness do not pass. They stay in the same place in space. We move about them. I can prove that time is the same. It does not pass. We move in time the same way that we move in breadth, length and thickness." None of us believed the time traveler, and we argued with him for many hours. "If we could travel back in time," the scientist said, "We could do things to change the future." "If we could travel forward in time," the doctor said, "we could do things that change our present." The time traveler smiled, "It is clear," he said, "that there is only one way I can show you that I am right. We must do an experiment. Please wait here." He left the room and soon returned, carrying what looked like a clock. "This is a model of a time machine. It took me two years to make it," the time traveler said. "I want all of you to understand that when I start the machine, it will immediately travel in time and disappear from the present." He turned to the youngest of all. "Give me your hand," he said. The young man put out his hand. The time traveler took it and placed it on the machine. Immediately, there was a sudden wind, and the little machine disappeared. I was certain this was not a trick, but the doctor was not so sure. "Are you asking us to believe," he said, "that the machine is now in a different time?" "Certainly! In my laboratory, a full-size machine is almost complete. As soon as it is complete, I shall send myself on a journey through time. Would you like to see my machine?" "Are you serious about this?" the doctor asked. "I have never been more serious about anything," the time traveler said, "Come." We followed him to his laboratory. There, we saw the actual machine, not quite complete, but large enough for a man to sit in. How long did it take the time traveler to make his model time machine? Answer: Two years. Teens are more likely to behave badly if their parents expect them to,a new US study has found. "Parents who believe they are simply being realistic might actually be having a bad effect on their children," Christy Buchanan,a teacher at Wake Forest University and one of the authors of the study,said. "Bad expectations on the part of both parents and children predict more rebellious behaviors later on." The finding came from a study of more than 250 sixth and seventhgraders and their mothers. They were examined at the start of the study and again one year later. If kids' mothers expected them to take more risks and be more rebellious,higher chances of risky behavior were seen. _ _ _ when kids had bad expectations of themselves. "Sometimes parents expect more negative behavior from their children than they should based on the children's history of behavior," Buchanan said.Parents shouldn't be naive about the possibility of bad behavior,she said,but it's also a mistake to think that children who are wellbehaved will naturally become rebellious at the age of 13. "By thinking risktaking or rebelliousness is normal for teenagers and showing that to their children,parents might add to other messages from society that make teenagers feel that they are strange if they are not willing to take risks or break laws," she said."This can mean,for example,that when parents expect teens to drink before they turn 21 or to do other risky behaviors,kids are less likely to refuse to do so later in their lives." On the other hand,parents' expectations that teens can exhibit good behaviors and refuse to behave badly or to take risks could help reduce the possibility of bad behavior,Buchanan said."As a parent,you should put expectations on your children carefully." The passage is centered around the topic of _ . Answer: parental education I'm an English girl. My name is Rose White. I'm short but my hair is long. I have a round face and my mouth is small. Now I'm a student in No. 5 High School. I have a good friend. Her name is Liu Xing. We are in the same class. She is from China. She has big eyes. But her mouth is small. ,. Rose White has a _ face. Answer: round Most mornings, the line begins to form at dawn: scores of silent women with babies on their backs, buckets balanced on their heads, and in each hand a bright-blue plastic jug. On good days, they will wait less than an hour before a water tanker goes across the dirt path that serves as a road in Kesum Purbahari, a slum on the southern edge of New Delhi. On bad days, when there is no electricity for the pumps, the tankers don't come at all. "That water kills people," a young mother named Shoba said one recent Saturday morning, pointing to a row of pails filled with thick, caramel -colored liquid. "Whoever drinks it will die." The water was from a pipe shared by thousands of people in the poor neibourhood. Women often use it to wash clothes and bathe their children, but nobody is desperate enough to drink it. There is no standard for how much water a person needs each day, but experts usually put the minimum at fifty litres. The government of India promises (but rarely provides) forty. Most people drink two or three litres--less than it takes to wash a toilet. The rest is typically used for cooking and bathing. Americans consume between four hundred and six hundred litres of water each day, more than any other people on earth. Most Europeans use less than half that. The women of Kesum Purbahari each hoped to drag away a hundred litres that day--two or three buckets' worth. Shoba has a husband and five children, and that much water doesn't go far in a family of seven, particularly when the temperature reaches a hundred and ten degrees before noon. She often makes up the difference with bottled water, which costs more than water delivered any other way. Sometimes she just buys milk; it's cheaper. Like the poorest people everywhere, the people of New Delhi's slums spend a far greater percentage of their incomes on water than anyone lucky enough to live in a house connected to a system of pipes. A person needs at least _ litres of water a day. Answer: fifty The health of millions could be at risk because medicinal plants are being used up.These plants are used to make traditional medicine,including drugs to fight cancer."The loss of medicinal plants is a quiet disaster,"says Sara Oldfield,secretary general of the NGO Botanic Gardens Conservation International. Most people worldwide (including 80 percent of all Africans)rely on herbal medicines which are got mostly from wild plants.But some 15,000 of the 50,000 medicinal species are under threat of dying out,according to a report from the international conversation group Plantlife.Shortages have been reported in China,India,Kenya,Nepal,Tanzania and Uganda. Overharvesting does the most harm,though pollution and competition from invasive species are both responsible."Businessmen generally harvest medicinal plants,not caring about sustain ability,"the Plantlife report says."Damage is serious partly because they have no idea of it,but it is mainly because such collection is unorganized." Medicinal trees at risk include the Himalayan yew and the African cherry,which are used to treat some cancers. The solution,says the report's author,Alan Hamilton,is to encourage local people to protect these plants.Ten projects studied by Plantlife in India,Pakistan,China,Nepal,Uganda and Kenya showed this method can succeed.In Uganda the project has kept a sustainable supply of lowcost cancer treatments,and in China a public run medicinal plant project has been created for the first time. "Improving health,earning an income and keeping cultural traditions are important in encouraging people to protect medicinal plants,"says Hamilton."You have to pay attention to what people are interested in." Ghillean Prance,the former director of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in London,agrees that medicinal plants are in need of protection. "Not nearly enough is being done,"he told New Scientist."We are destroying the very plants that are of most use to us." What contributes most to the loss of medicinal plants? Answer: Improper harvesting.
Which of these describes water in a solid state? Hail during a storm People in Australia love koalas and take care of them. They have set up places for them to live safely. No one can kill them for their pretty fur . When a koala is born, he has no fur. And he is not as big as your little toe ! The mother koala has a pocket in the front of her body. The baby goes into this warm pocket. There he stays for six months. The koala could not live without a special kind of tree. The tree gives him both his home and his food. For most of the day the koala sleeps in the tree. At night the koala looks for food. He may go miles to find it. He likes only the _ and the leaves of the tree. He eats nothing else. And he eats more than two pounds each night!How lovely the koalas really are! Koalas cannot live without a special kind of tree because _ . they live in the tree and get food from it My six-year-old came home from school this week with two envelopes. One was for a donation to help people in the Philippines. The other was to help hungry families have a Thanksgiving meal. "I'll put a check in each of these. Then you can add your own money from your piggy bank, okay?" I said, thinking he'd be so excited to put his own stamp on things. "That's okay, mom. You put money in. I don't want to waste mine," he sweetly sang as he colored. "I want to fill my bank all the way up." Ack! I guess I know what our dinnertime discussion will be about tonight, I thought. I had figured that through watching his parents donate items, helping us take toys from time to time to needy kids and putting money in the basket at church, he would just understand why it was important to help people in need -- and even want to do it himself. But of course he doesn't really understand yet. "There's a big disconnect between the people 'over there' and my piggy bank," said parenting educator Vicki Hoefle. "There's nothing wrong with the child. There's just no connection." As for having that conversation immediately, or forcing my son to put money into the envelopes: "Try not to do it now," Hoefle said. Teaching a child about donating their own money or toys or time to people in need "should be a gentle introduction into what we hope will be a way of life for our kids." She suggested these things to help children understand the importance of giving: * Just talk about it. Then explore the issue from a perspective he can understand. * Use the course of a year to introduce kids to opportunities. That way, they won't be shocked when you ask them to stuff their own money into an envelope (like this writer just did). * Pick a family charity for the year and have a conversation about how you all can help throughout the year. * Think of this not as something you must teach, but as something to expose them to. At her house, Hoefle said, "When you got something new, you gave something up." Each birthday, her children would pick what toys they had outgrown and give them away. "There was a comfort in it. It just became a natural part of the kids' lives." So I will fill those envelopes alone this time. But I'll make sure he understands why they should be filled--gradually. What can we learn about the writer from the passage? She often makes donations for people in need. Luke was starting his first day of day care. He was a little nervous about meeting his new teacher and all of his new friends. When his mother dropped him off, he kissed her goodbye and sat down in the green seat that his teacher showed him. He looked around the room. There were a lot of other kids there. A baby sat in a high chair sucking on a blue pacifier. A kid about Luke's age named George was drawing and tracing his hand on paper. A little girl named Mary raised her hand and asked the teacher if she could go to the toilet. The teacher walked her into the bathroom and then returned to the class. She started helping Luke get to know the other kids in the class. A little girl named Jessica tapped Luke on the shoulder and gave him some candy. He took the pink candy from her and thanked her. Luke smiled and thought, "I'm going to like it here." What was the name of the girl who gave Luke the candy? Jessica In my thirty years as a Time Management speaker, I have observed a lot of what we can and should not do to increase our daily success. Time management is not necessarily working harder, but quicker and more smartly. Sometimes our mistakes will keep us from running at a full pace. Here are the top four Time Management mistakes we should all avoid to help us to increase our daily success. a. Start your day without a plan of action in the morning. If so, you will have worked hard but may not have done enough of right things. Time Management is not doing the wrong things. b. Work with a messy desk or work area. Studies have shown that the person who works with a messy desk spends one and a half hours per day looking for things. If you have ever visited the office of a top manager who is working with a clean desk, you will find that the manager works efficiently . c. Don't get enough sleep. Studies show that nearly 75% of the people around us complain about not having enough sleep, and then throughout their days they are tired. For most people, they get the quantity of sleep, but they lack the quality of sleep. Their days are filled with so much stress; they are out of control, working harder but maybe not more smartly, so it's difficult for them to get a full night's sleep. d. Don't take a lunch break. Many do not take a lunch break, working through that period in the hope that it will give them more time to increase their success. Studies have shown that it may have the opposite effect. After doing what we do for several hours, we start to feel tired. A lunch break, even short, gives us a chance to get our energy back again. The best title for the passage is _ . Time Management Mistakes
Seafood buffet Treat your mother to a buffet lunch featuring an array of seafood at Days Hotel & Suites Beijing. There are oysters and sashimi, as well as an on-site grill of various meat and seafood, plus dumplings. Other selections are savory soup and delicate dessert. Your mother will receive a hand-made festival gift. 11:30 am, MAY 13TH. 6773-1234 Ext 3930. Sunday buffet Cafe 99 at Regent Beijing offers a sumptuous Sunday buffet with caviar and free flow of champagne and wines on Mother's Day, May 13.11:30 am-3 pm. 8522-1789. Shaanxi style Chefs from Shaanxi Province treat customers to authentic local noodles at the Regal Palace Chinese Restaurant, Days & Suites Beijing, including Qishan noodles with spicy and sour pork sauce, oil-sprayed noodles, besides based cakes with pork stuffing, and mutton soup with steamed buns. 8778-9888 Ext 262. Da Zhai Men Traditional Chinese architecture, performances and popular Chinese foods. Daily 11 am- 2 pm, 5 pm-11pm. Guoxing Jiayuan, Shouti Nanlu, Xicheng District. 8835-6687. Da Zhai Men Traditional Chinese architecture, performances and popular Chinese foods. Daily 11 am-2pm, 5pm-11pm. Guoxing Jiayuam, Shouti Nanlu,, Xicheng District. 8835-6687. Mughal's Beijing Restaurant Classic curry dishes and many other famous Pakistani/Xinjiang halal dishes(English menu). Lunch buffet every working day for 38 yuan per person. Live dance performances every day (starting at 7:30 pm). There is a big open-air terrace. Daily 11 am-midnight, Rm 5188, 5th Floor, 3.3 Fashion Plaza, 33 Sanlitun Road, Chaoyang District. 5136-5575. Brunch Pay tribute to Mom with a brunch fest at the Kerry Center Hotel. Complimentary chocolates, flowers and a glass of champagne add to the festive environment, Starting at 11:30 am, Sunday May 13.6561-8833 Ext 40. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? Answer: Anne Whitney, a sophomore at Colorado State University, first had a problem taking tests when she began college. "I was always well prepared for my tests. Sometimes I studied for weeks before a test. Yet I would go in to take the test, only to find I could not answer the questions correctly. I would blank out because of nervousness and fear. I couldn't think of the answer. My low grades on the tests did not show what I knew to the teacher. "Another student in biology had similar experiences. He said, "My first chemistry test was very difficult. Then, on the second test, I sat down to take it, and I was so nervous that I was shaking. My hands were moving up and down so quickly that it was hard to hold my pencil. I knew the material and I knew the answers. Yet I couldn't even write them down!" These two young students were experiencing something called test anxiety. Because a student worries and is uneasy about a test, his or her mind does not work as well as it usually does. The student cannot write or think clearly because of the extreme tension and nervousness. Contrary to people's common belief that poor grades are often a result of poor study habits, sometimes test anxiety plays a role in students' achieving low grades. Recently, test anxiety has been recognized as a real problem, not just an excuse or a false explanation of lazy students. Special university advising courses try to help students. In these courses, advisors try to help students by teaching them how to manage test anxiety. At some universities, students take tests to measure their anxiety. If the tests show their anxiety is high, the students can take short courses to help them deal with their tensions. These courses teach students how to relax their bodies. Students are trained to become calm in very tense situations. By controlling their nervousness, they can let their minds work at ease. Learned information then comes out without difficulty on a test. An expert at the University of California explains, " With almost all students, relaxation and less stress are felt after taking our program. Most of them experience better control during their tests. Almost all have some improvement. With some, the improvement is very great. " To "blank out" is probably _ . Answer: Bruce Lee was born in San Francisco, California in 1940. His farther was a movie actor. Young Bruce appeared in his first movie with his farther when he was only two months old. Bruce and his parents returned to their home in Hong Kong in 1941. Bruce began to act in Chinese movies at the age of six. In Hong Kong, Bruce Lee began his life-long interest in the Chinese Kung Fu. He studied with Yip Man, a Kung Fu master. Bruce was also often seen in many street fights. His parents decided this must stop. They sent him back to the United States. He became a student at the University of Washington in Seattle. Later he opened a school to teach Kung Fu in Oakland,California. In 1966, Bruce Lee acted in an American television series called The Green Hornet .The program was not a success, but many Hollywood movie actors began studying Kung Fu with him. He appeared in several other television programs. Bruce Lee returned to Hong Kong in 1971 to act in a Chinese movie known in the United States as Fists of Fury. The movie was extremely popular in Asia. He followed this with another film, The Chinese Connection. It too was extremely popular. In 1973, Bruce Lee made his most famous movie, Enter the Dragon. It was the first movie made between American and Chinese movie companies. It became _ which made Bruce Lee a world famous movie star. Bruce Lee died a few weeks before the movie was put on. He was 32 years old. It's said that his early death ended what would have been a very successful movie career. According to the passage, which of the following is true? Answer: Johnny the Explorer Johnny was three when he ran away from home for the first time. Somebody left the garden gate open. Johnny wandered out, crossed some fields, and two hours later, and arrived in the next village. He was just able to give his name and address. By the time he was seven, Johnny used to vanish from home two to three times a year. Sometimes he covered quite long distances on foot. On other occasions he got on a bus or even a train, and simply sat there until someone asked for his ticket. Generally the police brought him home. "Why do you do it?" they used to ask. "You aren't unhappy at home, are you? .... ""Of course not," Johnny replied." Then why?" "I just like seeing places," Johnny told them. Johnny continued to "see places" although everyone tried to stop him. His parents used to watch him closely, and so did his teachers; but sooner or later Johnny managed to slip away. As he grew older, his favorite trick was to hide on a long distance truck. Sometimes he used to travel hundreds of miles before anyone discovered him. It is hardly surprising that eventually Johnny managed to get on board a plane. He was twelve at the time. It was a cargo plane and, a few hours later, Johnny found himself in Cairo. How did he get on board? No one knows! According to Johnny himself, it was easy: he just went into the airport, walked along some corridors and got on board the nearest plane. In spite of all this, Johnny did well at school. He enjoyed maths and languages and, perhaps not surprisingly, he was especially good at geography. "What do you want to be when you grow up?" his teachers asked him. Johnny did not take long to answer that question. "An explorer!" he answered. "But it's difficult to become an explorer in this modern age." they tried to tell him, But it was no use: Johnny knew what he wanted! Just before he left school, Johnny saw a notice in one of the daily papers. An expedition was about to go to Brazil to travel up the Amazon River. There were vacancies(,) for three young people "willing to work hard and with a sense of adventure". Johnny applied, and, one month later, he was on his way to Brazil. From the passage, we can learn that _ . Answer: I will never forget what my old headmaster told me. Normally when you are only 15years of age you do not remember most of the things that are preached by your teachers. But, this particular story is one such lesson that I will never forget. Every time I drift off course, I get reminded of this story. It was a normal Monday morning at an assembly, and he was addressing the students on important things in life and about committing ourselves to what is important to us. This is how the story went: An old man lived in a certain part of London, and he would wake up every morning and go to the subway. He would get the train right to Central London, and then sit at the street corner and beg. He would do this every single day of his life. He sat at the same street corner and begged for almost 20 years. His house was filthy, and a stench came out of the house and it smelled horribly. The neighbours could not stand the smell anymore, so they summoned the police officers to clear the place. The officers knocked down the door and cleaned the house. There were small bags of money all over the house that he had collected over the years. The police counted the money, and they soon realized that the old man was a millionaire. They waited outside his house in anticipation to share the good news with him. When he arrived home that evening, he was met by one of the officers who told him that there was no need for him to beg any more as he was a rich man now, a millionaire. He said nothing at all: he went into his house and locked the door. The next morning he woke up as usual, went to the subway, got into the train, and sat at the street corner and continued to beg. Obviously, this old man had no great plans, dreams or anything significant for his life. We learn nothing from this story other than staying focused on the things we enjoy doing, commitment(,). We should remain true to our course, although it may mean committing ourselves to things that people around us would normally disapprove. Just keep it in mind that commitment attracts wealth. Why did the police officer clean the old man's house? Answer:
Heading to Seattle? What's New in Washington's Seaside City? Advice to visit Seattle's Pike Place Market may border on cliche--but for a good reason. "Whether you're visiting Washington's seaside city for vacation or just stopping by en route to and from the coming Sasquatch music festival, Pike Place is an easy catch-all destination for shopping, eating and just plain walking around," said Kirk Johnson, The New York Times's Seattle bureau chief for the past three years. The Seattle Great Wheel is one of many stops to consider in Washington's seaside city. "Almost any day of the week, especially on the weekend, it's a crazy fun scene of people shopping," Mr. Johnson said. "There's also pretty good food." He recommends wandering into whatever place--especially a hole in the wall--catches your eye. There is one specific restaurant Mr. Johnson likes: the Pink Door, which has no signage and can be found only by its rosy entrance. "It's creative, interesting Italian," he said. "In the summer they get a lot of great fresh vegetables and probably have the best tomato bruschetta I've had." He also recommends the nearby Pioneer Square, the oldest neighborhood in Seattle. Its historic architecture has charm, and the area isn't bad for a lunch break, he said. The clear favorite here is Salumi--which, as the name suggests, is known for its cured meats. Mr. Johnson did warn, however, that it's necessary to plan for the fact that the restaurant has a long line as soon as it opens. Pioneer Square is also a portal to Seattle's maritime world that remains alive and well. Ferry rides are a short walk away. Mr. Johnson said the ferry ride to Bainbridge Island provides "a great view of the city," and it's not a long ride back to the mainland. At some point, you may see sculptures emerging on the horizon--that would be the Olympic Sculpture Park, which is operated by the Seattle Art Museum, Mr. Johnson said, and that's worth a visit itself. People who want to experience Seattle's nearby charms can easily do so with a bicycle, Mr. Johnson said, if they want to get away from depending on a car. He takes a ride to Chateau Ste. Michelle, a famous winery outside the city. Starting in June, he said, Chateau Ste. Michelle hosts a summer concert series on its lawn. What are you encouraged to do if you are going to visit Seattle? Answer: Some plants grow only in specific places in the world. Some cacti, for example, grow only in deserts. Which of the following is most important in determining where a plant can grow and survive? Answer: Are you planning to visit Britain? Here are a few suggestions for a beautiful weekend away. Bournemouth This famous tourist town has 11 km of beautiful beaches. Last year, 10,000 tourists visited this beautiful town. It's the perfect place to go swimming or sailing. There are lots of lovely parks and gardens to visit and it's a great place to eat out. You can also go to a classical concert or go dancing in one of the nightclubs. Stratford-upon-Avon This was William Shakespeare's hometown. He spent most of his life in this town and wrote his plays here. You can visit his house or see his plays at one of the Royal Shakespeare Company's theatres. There are some interesting museums and lots of beautiful 500-year-old house. You can also go on boat trips and visit traditional English villages. Alford Deep in the Lincolnshire countryside is the pleasant market town of Alford. It is known for its five-sailed windmill . Have a walk round this lovely old place and you'll see many pleasant houses from as far back as the 17thcentury. Captain James Smith, who was one of the founders of James town in Virginia, USA, was educated in Alford. Bath Most people come here to see the 2,000-year-old Roman Baths. But this city is also famous for its beautiful 18thcentury buildings and was the home of the writer Jane Austen. You can learn about her life at the Jane Austen Centre near Queen's Square. In the past, Bath was also popular with the royal family and Queen Elizabeth I spent one or two weeks every year here. What is Alford famous for? Answer: Not only a popular singer was Yao Beina, but also she was an energetic and warm-hearted angel. She had her corneas donated to two men who needed them, which helped them see the world clearly again. Yao was born in a music family on Sept. 26, 1981 in Wuhan. She started to learn the piano at the age of 4, and she sang her first song on the stage when she was 9 years old. Yao did quite well in singing, so she took part in the thirteenth Youth Singing Competition and won the first prize. She became well-known to the public after making a series of songs for the hit TV drama "The Legend of Zhenhuan" in 2012, and the mandarin version of "Let It Go" from Disney's "Frozen". In July 2013, she competed in The Voice of China II and finally got the second place in Na Ying's team. She had won a lot of music awards before she was famous. Yao Beina was unfortunate to be diagnosed with breast cancer and had a successful operation in 2011. Since then, she has fought against the disease for about four years while keeping singing, but sadly she failed. She originally thought of donating all of her organs to save others' lives, but failed to do it because of her serious illness. She's gone, even though she had never stopped struggling with cancer. Heaven just got another beautiful angel, with her beautiful voice and kindness. Yao Beina had her _ donated to save others. Answer: Leadership is the most significant word in today's competitive business environment because it directs the manager of a business to focus inward on their personal abilities and style.Experts on leadership will quickly point out that"how things get done" influences the success of the outcomes and indicates a right way and a wrong way to do things.When a noted leader on the art of management,Peter Drucker,coined the phrase"Management is doing things right;leadership is doing the right things,"he was seeking to clarify the distinctions he associates with the terms. When Stephen Covey, founder and director of the Leadership Institute,explored leadership styles in the past decade,he focused on the habits of a great number of highly effective individuals.His Seven Habits of Highly Effective People became a popular bestseller very quickly. His ideas forced a reexamination of the early leadership example,which centered on the feature that was found in the character ethic and the personality ethic.The former ethic suggested success was founded on modesty, loyalty, courage, patience, and so on. The personality ethic suggested it was one's attitude, not behavior, that inspired success, and this ethic was founded on a belief of positive mental attitude. In contrast to each of these ideas, Covey advocates that leaders need to understand universal principles of effectiveness, and he highlights how vital it is for leaders to first personally manage themselves if they are to enjoy any hope of outstanding success in their work environments; To achieve a desired _ for your business, it is essential that you have a personal vision of where you are headed and what you value. Business leadership means that managers need to"put first things first," which implies that before leading others, you need to be clear on your own values, abilities, and strengths and be seen as trustworthy. What does Peter Drucker's phrase infer? Answer:
In the United States, it is not usual to telephone someone early in the morning. If you telephone early in the day, while he is shaving or having breakfast, the time of the call shows that the matter is very important and requires immediate attention. So it is with the telephone calls made after 11:00 pm. If someone receives a call during sleeping hours, he may think that it's a matter of life and death. The time chosen for the call communicates its importance. In social life, time plays a very important part. In the USA guests tend to feel they are not highly regarded if the invitation to a dinner party reaches them only three or four days before the party date. But it is not true in all countries. In other areas of the world, it may be considered foolish to make an appointment too far in advance because plans which are made for a date more than a week away tend to be forgotten. The meaning of time is not the same in different cultures that treat time differently; being on time is valued highly in American life, for example. If people are not on time, they may be regarded as impolite or not fully responsible. In the USA no one would think of keeping a business friend for an hour; it would be too impolite. A person who is 5 minutes late is expected to make a shout apology. It he is less than 5 minutes late, he will say a few words of explanation, though perhaps he will not complete the sentence. A call at midnight would mean _ . A. it is a matter of life and death B. the matter is too difficult to handle C. the matter requires immediate attention D. the matter is less important Answer: A 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!" What would be the best title for the text? A. Success of illiterate newsboy B. Local blacksmith becomes famous C. The thriving trade of the blacksmith D. Reading and writing-the road to success Answer: A Which of the following statements best explains how the decomposition of plant and animal matter helps to form rich soils? A. Decomposition adds silt to soil. B. Decomposition adds water to soil. C. Decomposition adds oxygen to soil. D. Decomposition adds nutrients to soil. Answer: D There is one language, and people, young and old , men and women, use it very often, in every country in the world. It is everyone's second language . You can't hear it, but it is very easy to understand . It is sign ( )language. When you wave to a friend in the street, you are using sign language. When you put up your hand in class, you are saying "Please ask me, I think I know the right answer". When a police officer wants to stop cars or buses, he puts up his hand. He's using sign language. Churchill's famous "V for Victory "is also sign language. Sign language is useful in quite places full of noise . Even when you are swimming with your friends , you can have a talk under water. In a noisy place the best way to talk is to _ . A. speak louder B. use sign language C. speak in a low voice D. stop the noise Answer: B Food or friends? Lip salve or iPod? What is the most important thing in the US teenagers' lives today? Let's take a look. Some find that they can't do without people. "My biggest need is my friends. Without them, I wouldn't do much," said Adrian Fernandez, a 14-year-old boy. With others, food always comes first. "I do not think that I could live without chili con carne . I eat it every day. And if I didn't have it, it's all I would think about," said Max Wu, an 8th-grade boy. Sometimes, the things teenagers can't do without are strange. Take 14-year-old girl Hannah Sacchini for example. "I cannot live without lip salve, especially in winter," said Hannah Sacchini. "I go mad if my lips get dry." Of course, today everybody uses mobile phones and computers. Some teens can't live without these high-tech things. Justin Beck, a 15-year-old boy, feels like this: "I would not be able to live without my iPod. I use it for so many different things. I always have it with me," he said. So, now we know the things US kids really must have. What about you and your classmates? What can't you live without? ,. (10) The passage mainly tells us _ . A. what things the US kids really must have B. what the US teenagers do every day at school C. what the most important food in the US teenagers' lives is D. how the US teenagers' lives are every day at school Answer: A
Surgeons in Spain have successfully carried out the world's first organ transplant using new stem cell technology. Some people are calling it the greatest medical breakthrough so far this century. But what are stem cells? As we know, most cells in our bodies are designed to serve specific purposes - for example, a liver cell develops to work in the liver and cannot become a heart cell. But stem cells are different. They are very young, and in the laboratory scientists can grow them into different types of cell. Claudia Castillo needed a new windpipe after getting a serious disease. Scientists from the University of Bristol in the UK took a donor windpipe, or trachea, from someone who had recently died. They used strong chemicals to remove the donor's cells, leaving a tissue scaffold . This was refilled with cells from Ms Castillo's windpipe, and stem cells from her bone. After four days the cells had grown sufficiently for the windpipe to be transplanted into Ms Castillo. Currently, transplant patients have to take drugs for the rest of their lives to prevent their bodies rejecting the new organs. These drugs can have bad side-effects, and do not always prevent rejection. But by using Ms Castillo's own cells, doctors were able to trick her body into thinking the new windpipe was her own organ. Five months on, Claudia Castillo is in perfect health. This ground-breaking procedure could be used in other transplant operations in the future. Scientists also believe stem cells might be used to treat Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, heart disease, stroke, arthritis, diabetes, burns and so on. However, stem cell research is extremely controversial. The most effective stem cells do not come from adults but from embryos created in laboratories and which are just a few days old. Many people have religious or ethical objections to growing embryos, even if they can be used to cure diseases. This transplant is considered the greatest medical breakthrough because _ . Put 2 February in your diary! It is World Wetlands Day! It marks the date that the Convention on Wetlands was signed in1971.This special day was first celebrated in 1997 and it is celebrated every year. The celebration is a call for action. It is a way to show people how important and useful the wetlands are for people. On World Wetlands Day, people around the world take part in many wetlands activities. People take trips to the local wetlands. There are talks about how important the wetlands are. People get together to clean up their local wetlands Children draw pictures to advertise the day. People also compete in boat races. The World Wetlands Day is important! If there are no wetlands, there will be no water for anyone in the future. Wetlands help protect nature and resources like fresh water. Already, more than 10000 million people in the world do not have fresh water. Many people do not know how important the wetlands are. They can understand why an elephant or a tiger is important because they are big, beautiful animals. It is much harder for them to understand how important the animals in the wetlands are. These small animals, such as frogs and snails, play a very important part in keeping the balance of nature. All plants and animals are part of the food chain .If the small wetlands animals die, some animals in the food chain will have nothing to eat. They will also die. People need the wetlands to keep the balance of nature in the world. If we do not protect nature today,it will be gone tomorrow. Why are small animals important? what does lighting it cause a candle? For 40 years, people in London have been happy to see parakeets in their parks. The shocking green body and long tail have brought a bright color to the parks, which have attracted a lot of people. However, the parakeets are no longer welcome. They will push out local birds from trees to build their own nests, and will also take most of the food in the parks, such as seeds, fruit and nuts. Sometimes by accident, plants and animals are carried to new places. They are transported by trains, ships or even planes. Often, animals like fishes get transported in the water containers of ships. When these ships reach new places and pump out the water from their tanks, these animals will start a new life in a new place. Sometimes people take plants and animals from one part of the world to the other to solve a problem. But it will create a bigger problem. Years ago, the farmers of northern Australia brought the toads from South America to their farms. They thought they would kill the beetles that harm the sugarcane crops. But the toad has done much more. It is now killing Australia's native animals, such as snakes, water birds and so on. What can we learn about the toads? Lichens are symbiotic organisms made of green algae and fungi. What do the green algae supply to the fungi in this symbiotic relationship?
One dark and stormy night, an elderly man and his wife entered the hall of a small hotel in Philadelphia, hoping to get shelter for the night. The clerk, a friendly man with a beautiful smile, explained that there were three conferences in town. "All of our rooms are taken," the clerk said, "but I can't send a nice couple like you into the rain at one o'clock in the morning. Would you perhaps be willing to sleep in my room? It's not a suite, but it will be good enough to make you comfortable for the night." The couple agreed. As the elderly man paid the bill the next morning, he told the clerk, "You are the kind of person who should be the boss of the best hotel in the United States. Maybe someday I'll build one for you." The clerk looked at them and smiled. The three of them had a good laugh. Two years passed. The clerk had almost forgotten the incident when he received a letter from the elderly man, asking the clerk to pay him a visit. The elderly man met him in New York, and led him to the corner of the Fifth Avenue and 34thStreet. He then pointed to a great new building there, a reddish stone one with watchtowers thrusting up to the sky, and told the clerk that it was the hotel he had just built for him to manage. That wonderful building was the original Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. And this young clerk whose name was George C. Boldt never foresaw the return of events that would lead him into the manager of one of the world's most attractive hotels. According to the text, the clerk _ . Answer: Windsor Castle is one of the most famous castles in the world.It lies in Windsor Town,32 kilometers west of London City ,by the south bank of the River Thames.People built the castle just outside of London to protect the capital of Britain. Windsor Castle has a long and rich history.It began to be built in 1 066.People rebuilt it again and again during every period in history to today'S dimensions .For almost 1,000 years,the castle has been used as the family home of British kings and queens.It was also used as a prison during the English Civil War.Today ,Windsor Castle is the private home of Queen Elizabeth II.She spends most of her private weekends there. Although it is still a living place of the royal family ,the public can visit much of the castle.It is one of the most popular sights in Britain.There,art lovers can enjoy some of the finest paintings by Rembrandt and Canaletto.Visitors can also take a look at George IV's private apartments.They are some of the most beautiful rooms in the castle. Now Windsor Castle is the private home of _ . Answer: Red roses were her favorites; her name was also Rose. And every year her husband sent them, tied with pretty bows. The year he died, the roses were delivered to her door. The card said, "Be my Valentine " , like all the years before. Each year he sent her roses, and the note would always say, "I love you even more this year, than last year on this day. My love for you will always grow, with every passing year." She knew this was the last time that the roses would appear. She thought, he ordered roses in advance before this day. Her loving husband did not know that he would pass away. He always liked to do things early. Then, if he got too busy, everything would work out fine. She cut away some stems, placed them in a very special vase, and set the vase beside the picture of his smiling face. She would sit for hours in her husband's favorite chair, staring at his photo and the roses sitting there. A year went by, and it was hard to live without her mate. Loneliness and solitude had become her fate. Then, the very hour, as on Valentine's Day before, the doorbell rang, and there were roses, sitting by her door. She brought the roses in, and just looked at them in shock. Then, she went to get the telephone to call the florist shop. The owner answered, and she asked him, if he would explain why someone would do this to her, causing her such pain. "I know your husband passed away, more than a year ago," the owner said, "I knew you'd call, and you would want to know. The flowers you received today were paid for in advance. Your husband always planned ahead. He left nothing to chance." "There is a standing order that I have on file down here. And he has paid, well in advance; you'll get them every year. There is also another thing that I think you should know. He wrote a special little card ... he did this years ago." "Then, should ever, I find out that he's no longer here. That's the card ... that should be sent to you the following year." She thanked him and hung up the phone ,her tears now flowing hard. Her fingers shaking, she slowly reached to get the card. Inside the card, she saw that he had written her a note. Then,as she stared in total silence, this is what he wrote: "Hello my love, I know it's been a year since I was gone. I hope it hasn't been too hard for you to overcome. I know it must be lonely, and the pain is very real. If it was the other way, I know how I would feel. The love we shared made everything so beautiful in life. I loved you more than words can say. You were the perfect wife." "You were my friend and lover; you satisfied my every need. I know it's only been a year, but please try not to grieve. I want you to be happy, even when you shed your tears. That is why the roses will be sent to you for years." "When you get these roses, think of all the happiness that we had together, and how both of us were blessed. I have always loved you and I know I always will. But, my love, you must go on; you have some living still." "Please ... try to find happiness, while living out your days. I know it is not easy, but I hope you find some ways. The roses will come every year, and they will only stop when your door's not answered, when the florist stops to knock. He will come five times that day, in case you have gone out. But after his last visit, he will know without a doubt. To take the roses to the place, where I've instructed him, and place them where we are, together once again." How did Rose feel when she received roses a year after her husband's death? Answer: Public schools in Washington, D.C. provide students with musical instruments for free. When something goes wrong with an instrument, Charles West and Larry Jernigan do the repairs. Both men approach their work with a passion . For them, it's important that students have a joyful experience with music. The two have worked together for almost 20 years. This year alone, they've fixed about 450 instruments. Both men are musicians and music lovers, so learning to do repairs came naturally. "I have been a musician all my life." says West. "I played in an orchestra here in the city. I majored in music in college. I played in an army band." Jernigan's musical interests are varied. "I was formerly trained in the piano and guitar. The alto sax, and the flute, I picked up while working here." In addition to fixing instruments, the two also go to schools to instruct teachers and students on how to make minor repairs on their own. West believes if children start early and stay concerned with music, it enriches other areas of their lives. "I see that in other kids. I see it in myself. I have seen it hundreds of times and it works," he says. "They learn teamwork. They learn patience and respect." But West has concerns about the future of music in the electronic age. "This instant age has taken away from the sit-down, the patience. And to learn to play an instrument, it takes patience, it takes diligence, it takes time." Being able to enjoy music on the job is one of the benefits of the job. Both men agree their best rewards are the students' performances. Which of the following is true of the two men? Answer: A komodo dragon's body temperature would be highest if immersed in Answer:
Question: Can you speak to dolphins? Of course you can but you won't be able to understand them! We interviewed a biologist and asked her what research on dolphin communication has shown. This is what she told us. Just like dogs, cats and other mammals, dolphins communicate by using sound, vision , touch and taste. Each dolphin has its own signature whistle to identify itself and to call others. Dolphins don't have the ability to smell, but their hearing and eyesight are excellent. We also asked Jane if dolphins have got their own language. She told us that they have and that dolphins started talking to each other from birth. They make different sounds, including whistles, squeaks and click. Sometimes they even sound like a heavy metal band! We then asked Jane if any interesting experiments have been done. She told us that a very interesting experiment had been done with a mother dolphin and her two-year-old baby in an aquarium. They talked to each other over the telephone! The two dolphins were in separate tanks which were connected by a special under water system. Unfortunately the biologists couldn't understand what the dolphins were talking about because they haven't been able to decode dolphin language yet. However, it was very clear that the dolphins knew what they were talking about. Finally we asked Jane if there was hope that we would be able to understand dolphins in the near future. She told us that she and her team have been listening to dolphins for more than 17 years, using special equipment to record and analyze their language. Unfortunately they haven't been able to decode it yet, but who knows -- maybe one day we'll get a phone call from a dolphin. The interesting experiment tells us _ . A. dolphins could talk in their own language B. only mother dolphin was able to talk to her baby C. the biologists can decode dolphin language D. the two dolphins were talking by touch Answer: A Question: I hate nosy neighbors and it's very unlucky that I had one for myself. They moved in a couple of months back and although I never felt that they were a strange family, I've always hated the way they get "too close" to me, my house, my garden, and even my garbage cans. One day, my neighbors were mowing their lawn . My garbage cans were near their lawn. For some strange reason, I found the wife looking through my garbage cans. I felt angry but since they were from a different culture, I thought that maybe it was "normal" from their ideas. That afternoon, the couple knocked on my front door. When I opened, they gave me a plastic bag. Inside were my old daily bills, credit cards and bank statements, and an old birthday card that my old uncle sent. They said that they were returning them to me because these documents contained very private information that may be used by others. I've heard it before. I asked them how those documents can be used by others and they started telling me their very own experience, which forced them to leave their home and move next door to us. The wife told me that she never destroyed the bills. They also had a "nosy neighbor" who looked through their garbage cans which they actually thought was pretty strange. Little did they know that this "nosy neighbor" was collecting their personal information from their rubbish. Then all their money was taken out from the bank by their neighbor. It was a very painful experience for all of them and they wanted to leave them all behind so they left. I was very thankful. They were not nosy neighbors. They simply didn't want us to experience the same thing that they did. Why did the couple come to the author's home? A. To introduce themselves to the author. B. To get to know each other better. C. To return the documents to the author. D. To borrow some money from the author. Answer: C Question: A captain of a boat lost his way in the middle of a storm. While trying to control the ship and avoid sinking, he started feeling annoyed. The water became bigger; the noise of the water hitting the boat, like a feather carried by the wind, almost led him to hopelessness. But he did not give up and tried harder every time the waves hit the boat. In his desperate attempts to stay strong and keep the boat steady, he was unable to hear one of his crew officers yelling at him. "Captain, Captain!" kept yelling the officer. He held on to one of the deck's bars in order not to fall off the boat, "Captain, Captain!" insisted the officer. This time, while the officer was trying to approach him, a huge wave almost made the boat turn over and he fell and rolled on the deck till he luckily found another bar to hold on to. After several attempts, the officer finally was able to reach his fighting and tired captain, who had started to yell out his frustration and thoughts to the angry waves. "If I am a good and hard-working man, why does this happen to me? And why can't I get out of this one? I have been sailing the open ocean for years to fish the best catch and get support for my family!! Why, why, why?!!!" At that moment, his crew officer was able to catch the captain's shoulder and make him turn so that the captain could hear him. "Captain, Captain!" yelled again the officer. The captain looked at him angrily because the officer distracted him from his difficult task. "What do you need, officer? Don't you see I am trying to control the ship and find our way back?" complained the captain. His officer kept holding on to the captain and pointed at the opposite direction, towards the stern . "Captain!" he replied. "The lighthouse is right over there, on the other side. We are going in the wrong direction!!" Why was the captain angry with his crew officer? A. He didn't want to be disturbed. B. He was trying to keep the balance. C. The crew officer shouted too loudly. D. The crew officer made the boat shake. Answer: A Question: I've spent over a year in India, and in those 365 plus days, I've learned a lot about getting around Indian cities. My biggest lessons have been learned through being cheated, particularly by taxi and rickshaw drivers, but that doesn't mean those are bad ways to travel, as long as you know what you're doing. Below are the best ways to get around the city of Delhi, India, and tips for how to keep from being the victim of scams . Taking taxis is a great way to get around the city of Delhi and chances are, if you arrive in Delhi by plane, as soon as you make it through customs, you'll be swarmed by Indian taxi drivers. At the Delhi airport, be sure to arrange for a taxi to your hotel at one of the two Delhi Traffic Police Taxi Booths. One is inside the airport, and one is outside. The key is to make sure to go to a booth run by the police, rather than by independent taxi drivers. Rickshaws are one of my favorite ways to get around Indian cities, partly because it's how the locals often travel. Auto-rickshaws are more common, but bicycle rickshaws are still used in Old Delhi. If you do have a chance to take a bicycle rickshaw, you should do it at least once for a unique experience that should only set you back about 15 rupees. Auto-rickshaw rates around Delhi range between 30 and 80 rupees, depending on distance. If you really want to travel around Delhi like the locals, take a public bus. Indian buses become very crowded and most do not have air conditioning. They are, however, very cheap. A bus trip won't set you back any more than 15 rupees, as long as you stay within the city limits. Since Indian buses get so crowded, try to board the bus at the start of the route so you can get a seat. The train is a great way to get around within the city of Delhi. Fares are reasonable, between six and 22 rupees. All departure announcements are in both Hindi and English, and tokens can be purchased for between six and 22 rupees. The author suggests taking a rickshaw in order to _ . A. save some money B. gain some unique experience C. enjoy the comfortable trip D. help the local rickshaw drivers Answer: B Question: The one-child policy in our country has made most families much smaller than before. That is to say, there are fewer children in a family. But the population of China is still growing faster. Why? In fact, it's a serious problem not only in China, but also in the whole world. It's reported that the world population is _ to reach 9,200,000,000 by 2050. There are two important reasons. First, there are still more and more babies born every year. Next, people in the world can live much longer than before. The earth is too tired, but it has to burden more in the future. Who can save her? ,. The population of the world will be about _ by the year 2050. A. 92 million B. 92 billion C. 9.2 billion D. 9.2 million Answer: C
You feel generally depressed and unable to concentrate. Your pattern of daily activity may change:you find yourself awake and active in the middle of the night;you sleep late into the day. You stay in your room and have little contact with people except with those who speak your language. In your mind,you criticize the people around you;You are constantly comparing between life here and the perfect life back home. Above a11, you are homesick almost all the time. If you ever find yourself behaving in these ways,you are probably suffering from culture shock. Culture shock is a psychological condition that sometimes has physical effects. It affects people who have moved away from an environment where they know how to live into a new environment where much is unfamiliar to them-the food,the weather, the language,and especially the unwritten rules for social behavior. Culture shock is caused. therefore,by a lack of familiarity with the system of rules that the new society uses for everyday living. Language is an obvious example of one type of these rules. If your language is limited,even the simplest task can suddenly become difficult for you. However, knowledge of the language doesn't make you free from the effects of culture shock as many Britons in the United States and many Americans in Britain will experience. Most people are unaware that each culture has its own rules for social behavior;they certainly think that polite, civilized people behave the same way worldwide. This mistaken belief will cause you to behave and judge the behavior of others according to the rules you learned as a member of your own culture. If the rules are different, then people will misunderstand your behavior, and you will misunderstand theirs. How can you deal with culture shock? First, you need to realize that every newcomer suffers from some culture shock. You're not the only case. Second,remember that culture shock can be cured. The process of recovery will start as you begin to become used to the new culture. Of course learning the language will help remove the _ to communication and will ease the job of making Mends with people. Recognizing and learning the new cultural rules of behavior, however, may be just as important. You'll still have emotional reactions to unfamiliar situations but you'11 find yourself making jokes about them rather than condemning the entire society as "stupid." The jokes are a good sign:they show that you are recovering. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage? John was part of my childhood growing up in the 1970s and a link to sunny, fun-filled days spent on the beach at Bangor in Northern Ireland where we went for our summer holidays. To many, he was a mystery. Every afternoon John would wander to the end of the pier where he fed the seagulls and delighted in the sound of their excited cries as they flew around his head. Often I asked my family questions regarding John. Eventually I gave up as no one could tell me anything about him. As I grew up, my visits to the beach became less frequent, and my memories of John buried in a child's imagination. Last year memories came flooding back as I walked along the coastline, where I noticed a lady feeding the seagulls on the pier, and I decided to introduce myself. Then I came to know that the lady was John's daughter, and after John left this world she carried out the ritual , which had held such importance for her father. In some strange way I felt we shared a bond, each needing to remember. In return, Lucy told me of John's life, his days in the British Navy during World War I and how he almost lost hope when his ship was attacked by a German U-boat in the North Sea and he found himself in a lifeboat with five others. Close to death, he thought he heard the sound of wings. He put up his hands, only to catch a seagull that had landed on the side of the boat. The seagull saved the lives of the six men as it was used to catch fish, which kept them alive until they reached land. This period of John's life was one he never talked about. But the ritual he first performed as a young man remained a part of him until he died. Now I visit Lucy as often as I can, just to chat or very often walk along the beach to the pier end. We enjoy the comfortable silence, each lost in special memories. We can infer from the text that John _ . When do you think of a forest, what do you see? Just trees? Or do you see many other things, such as singing birds, colorful plants and wild flowers? The forest is a whole world of its own. It is full of many different living things . But even though they are all different, they have one thing in common: they all need each other in order to live on .The trees feed the forest "people" by making food in their leaves; by using sunlight to join water and minerals from the soil and air. Their deep network of roots joins the soil together and stops it from dying out, making it possible for living things to live in it. Human beings are like the living things in the forest. We need one another in order to live. We need the farmers to grow our food, railroad and truck drivers to bring it to our shops and clerks to sell it to us. We need people to prepare our food and cook it and others to take our waste things away. Then, of course, we need doctors, nurses, government leaders, mailmen, telephone operators, and many others. We also need other human beings in another way. We need people for friendship, to talk over our problems, exchange ideas. Think how lonely and unhappy you would be if you lived all alone. Life is a matter of giving and taking. We need to help other people as much as we need other people to help us. Think what a good feeling you have when you have done something for someone else. You know, being a volunteer is so great! ,. What do you feel when you have done something for someone else? Humans love animals and they especially love animals with humanlike personalities. For this reason, many of the most popular films are either centered on animals or have animals as important characters. Even in a movie that has little or nothing to do with animals, a pet can add a certain emotional quality to a film's plot. As expected, dogs and cats, the two most popular pets, make up the majority of animal characters in films. But many other less common pets have had starring roles also. Snakes, rats, pigs, rabbits, horses and many others have touched our lives through their extraordinary ability to personify humans in ways that humans just can't do. Most movies that feature pets as central characters are family movies that give families a platform around which delicate subjects can be discussed. Often kids have an easier time understanding subjects like death and illness if they see it through the eyes of one of these personified animals. These days, computer animation and graphics allow an entirely new generation of pet movies to be made. Animals that before were never seen in a film but now appear on the big screen in life. Whether they are lions, elephants, polar bears or some other exotic animals, video stores now have hundreds of titles offering humanlike performances from any type of animal imaginable. Most animal movies have at least a little comedy. Even the saddest of classics such as Bambi or Charlotte's Web contain plenty of humor to relieve the tension and make the movie bearable. These movies almost always carry with them themes of human experiences and a message of hope. Kids learn that though life carries on with pain and sorrow, we learn to live with those facts and enjoy life for its good times. Perhaps one of the best parts of pet movies is the way they help wipe away our stereotypes about certain types of pets. For example, the conflict between cats and dogs is often shown in a fun and non--violent way in the movies. If these lifelong enemies can find a way to live in harmony, then certainly we humans should have no trouble doing so. Perhaps it is the fact that animals have so much to teach us about ourselves that makes us love them so much in the movies. What is the author's attitude towards pet movies? Coca-Cola has created a publicity stunt in Singapore -- a vending machine which gives out free cans of Coke in return for hugs. The _ idea is part of the company's Open Happiness campaign designed to attract young people in Singapore. Students at the National University of Singapore were surprised to find that the soft drinks company had placed the machine in the schoolyard. But instead of the drinks brand's logo , the words "Hug Me" are written across its red-and-white logo. Instead of paying money, customers have to hug the drinks machine to receive a free can of Coke. Public displays of affection are uncommon and have long been discouraged in Singapore, but are on the rise among young people. The move is part of a campaign created by the advertising firm Ogilvy & Mather, intended to let the youth to see the brand as a non-threatening friend. Leonardo O'Grady, leader of the campaign, said, "Happiness is contagious . The Coca-Cola Hug Machine is a simple idea to spread some happiness. We want to spread happiness in an unexpected, creative way to attract not only the people present, but the audience at large." He hopes that it will encourage consumers to bring positivity, optimism and fun into their lives and to open a Coke, sharing a little happiness. The machines have been such a success that there are plans to roll them out across Asia. Mr. O'Grady added, "The reaction was amazing -- at one point we had four to five people hugging the machine at the same time as well as each other! In fact, there was a long line of people looking to give hugs." The passage mainly tells us that _ .

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