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Thousands of students, from all around the world, have helped their international careers by taking EIS English studies at South Thames College London - STCL. You too can take our first-class EIS courses to learn, and live English in London @ STCL. 1. Our experience We have provided English for International Students EIS courses to people from around the world for 40 years. More than 1,000 students take our EIS courses each year, often after a recommendation from a friend or relative. Our teachers have worked in many countries; their experience will help you to develop international English communication skills. 2. A world in one college The College has students from more than 100 countries. When you study English with us, you will have the opportunity to meet not only UK students, but also people from all over the world. 3. _ The College's main purpose is to provide education and training for our local community. We have more than 20,000 students, on a range of academic, technical and vocational courses in addition to English language courses. All students can also use the facilities available at the college--library services, free Internet access, sports & more. You can join a range of leisure and social activities. 4. Assured quality STCL is a member of English UK, the national association of accredited English language centers. Our EIS courses meet the quality standards of Accreditation UK and are accredited by the British Council. 5. Our range of courses We have a wide range of courses designed to meet the needs of global citizens in an international environment. Our courses prepare you both for life in London - perhaps as a student - and for your future career, anywhere in the world. We help you improve your English so you can communicate more effectively - for study, work or socializing... Intensive courses meet UK immigration regulations for students. For information about out intensive English courses, click here. What is the purpose of the passage? Answer: To attract students from all over the world. The Story of a Broken Bowl Henry is a boy of nine. Three years ago he began to go to school. He studied hard and does well in his lessons. His parents like him very much. Henry's grandpa is a single man. But once he lost a leg in a traffic accident. And now he can't work. He often tells the boy all kinds of interesting stories. Sometimes he makes a kite or a cage. And he teaches the boy how to catch the singing birds and how to give them food. The boy admires him very much and always stays with him when he's free. But Henry's mother didn't like the old man. She always thought him useless and dirty, and didn't let her son play with him but the boy didn't listen to her. When they sat at table, she put some food on another table and filled a broken bowl with rice and porridge. The old man was very sad but he dared not say anything. Henry was angry with his mother about it. One day he saw a broken bowl on his way home. He picked it up and put it into his bag. His mother found it and asked, " Why have you brought a broken bowl home, dear?" " I keep it for you." said Henry, "When you're old like my grandpa, I'll fill it with rice for you !" Having heard this, the woman began to cry. Since then she's been good to the old man. Henry brought the broken bowl home to _ . Answer: frighten his mother Everybody sleeps, but what people stay up late to catch--or wake up early in order not to miss--varies by culture. From data collected, it seems the things that cause us to lose the most sleep, on average, are sporting events, time changes, and holidays. Around the world, people changed sleep patterns thanks to the start or end of daylight savings time. Russians, for example, began to wake up about a half-hour later each day after President Vladimir Putin shifted the country permanently to "winter time"starting on October 36. Russia's other late nights and early mornings generally correspond to public holidays. On New Year's Eve, Russians have the world's latest bedtime, hitting the hay at around 3:30 am. Russians also get up an hour later on International Women's Day, the day for treating and celebrating female relatives. Similarly, Americans' late nights late mornings, and longest sleeps fall on three-day weekends. Canada got the least sleep of the year the night it beat Sweden in the Olympic hockey final. The World Cup is also chiefly responsible for sleep deprivation , The worst night for sleep in the U.K. was the night of the England-Italy match on June 15. Brits stayed up a half-hour later to watch it, and then they woke up earlier than usual the next morning thanks to summer nights, the phenomenon in which the sun barely sets in northern countries in the summertime. That was nothing, though, compared to Germans, Italians, and the French, who stayed up around an hour and a half later on various days throughout the summer to watch the Cup. It should be made clear that not everyone has a device to record their sleep patterns, in some of these nations, it's likely that only the richest people do. And people who elect to track their sleep may try to get more sleep than the average person. Even if that's the case, though, the above findings are still striking, If the most health-conscious among us have such deep swings in our shut-eye levels throughout the year, how much sleep are the rest of us losing? What does the author say about people's sleeping habits? Answer: They are culture-related . The Internet will overtake radio in 2008 and become the world's fourth-largest advertising medium, a year earlier than forecast. Global spending on Internet advertising increased from 18.7 billion U.S. dollars in 2005 to 24.9 billion dollars last year, according to Zenith Optimedia, the media-buying agency. The Middle East and Asia are driving a boom in global advertising spending. Zenith predicted _ of 7.7% in spending in Asia in the run-up to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. In the Middle East and Eastern Europe, advertising spending is growing faster than in North America and Western Europe, which are "maturing rapidly" as advertising markets, Zenith said. Advertising spending in the Middle East increased by 22.4% between 2005 and 2006, compared with growth of 5.2% in America and 4 per cent in Western Europe. Zenith attributed the huge percentage share in the Middle East to the growth in local economies and high oil prices. In addition to the Olympics, the U.S. presidential election and the European football championship in Austria and Switzerland next year will be the biggest contributors to overall growth during the next two years. However, Zenith noted, the market should brace itself for a fall in revenues after those big events end. Which has enjoyed the fastest growth of advertising spending in the last year? Answer: The Middle East. Which of the following provides the best reason for squirrels vacating their forest? Answer: The forest is being harvested for lumber
There were times it was only schoolchildren who felt sick before they got their grades. But now teachers in Germany are scared, too, as they are being graded by their students. Many teachers are opposed to it. They don't mind being evaluated . But they are upset because the results are then being posted on the Internet and accessible to millions of Internet users. On the websitewww.spickmich.deduring the past four months students have posted evaluation of 100,000 teachers. The teachers are graded on categories such as "motivated", "good instruction", "easy examinations", or even "sexy". Many teachers think that their privacy has been violated. The creators of the website say that the students are only being offered the chance to provide teachers with some feedback about their classroom instruction. Bernd Dicks, who founded the website with three friends, says that the students are largely quite satisfied with their teachers. On a grading scale of one to six, the teachers' average grade is 2.7 and it has been improving lately. He often says the impression is that students are bullying their teachers. But there is also bullying of the students by teachers. "Teachers must also learn to live with criticism," he added. But still, the website is not totally immune from manipulation , as one teacher near the northern city of Hanover recently proved. He registered himself on the website as a student and then rated his own teaching colleagues highly. Within a few days, seven of his colleagues were listed in the top 10 ranking of Germany's best teachers. Many teachers are opposed to the website because _ . Answer: A bird makes its home in various places, such as Answer: Has anyone been prepared for the possibility that unexpected poor visibility will stop the pilot from landing? If your pilot is forced to turn back only for his lack of passing a certain test, you will be certainly shocked. This very thing happened to the passengers on Flight BE1431 on Thursday. Just minutes before landing on Charles de Gaulle Airport , Paris, the pilot, a very experienced one, told his passengers, "Unfortunately I'm not qualified to land in Paris for the poor visibility. To do so a level II qualification is required, which I have not gained. We'll have to fly back." Then, you may guess how the passengers felt about their flight back to the starting airport. A spokeswoman said the pilot was really experienced with more than 30 years flying a number of different passenger aircraft types. "But he has recently transferred from flying aBQ300 to aBQ400, so hehas to regain his qualification for landing in such conditions as the thick fog he experienced this time," she said. "The pilot, therefore, quite correctly turned the aircraft back, a decision 100 percent accepted by the aviation officials in the company." One passenger said she had missed an appointment for an interview in prefix = st1 /Paris. "I might have had a nice chance to work inParis," she told the local newspaper. "The whole thing sounds hard to believe. If I had not been on the plane, I would take it as a funny story!" The British Civil Aviation Authority described the incident as one that was "quite unusual but probably not unheard of," because there are different classifications of aircraft with different qualifications for landing in different climatic conditions and when an aircraft is updated, the pilots have to get retrained, even though they have enough skills to do the job successfully. Poor pilot, it's not really his fault... Without her own experience, the passenger would consider the incident to be quite _ . Answer: When the bell rings, every student takes out an iPad. The light from the screens makes their young faces pretty and lively. That's what happens every day at my school in the US. We use iPads in class. I felt surprised and excited when I got an iPad the first day I arrived at the school. But it was not free. I spent about $100 to rent it for three years. Every iPad at my school has a special learning system called _ . Teachers put their teaching materials like textbooks and PPTs on it. When we have classes, we enter the system and download the materials with our iPads. It makes the classes interesting and efficient . For example, a few weeks ago, we learned about London in the UK. Our teacher prepared a video in which we saw many places of interest in London. We could not only watch the video, but also see the words at the same time. Because of the video, I know more about the city. We also do our homework with iPads. We can know how well we do our homework right after we submit our homework. However, there are still some bad points about learning with iPads. Some of my classmates play games or surf the Internet in class. I believe the key to use iPads well is to have good self-control , isn't it? What does the writer think of using iPads in school? Answer: The Ice Hotel Are you going into skiing? Is winter your favorite time of year? If you like snow and ice, maybe you should stay at Ice Hotel in Quebec, Canada. But, you can only check in at this hotel during the winter. Why ? Because this hotel is built every December. It has 32 rooms and 80 people can stay there each night. The hotel even has a movie theatre, art gallery, and church. Of course, all of these parts of the hotel are made of ice. In fact, all the furniture, art, lights, and even plates and drinking glasses are made out of ice. Because this hotel is so unusual, it is becoming very popular. People from all over the world come to the Ice Hotel to look at the fantastic ice art, drink and eat from designed ice dishes and experience the unique atmosphere . Some couples have even got married in the hotel's ice church. But all these guests keep their winter coats on! Because of all the ice, the temperature inside the hotel is always between - 2oC and - 5oC. Surprisingly, sleeping is not a problem in the freezing cold hotel rooms. Every guest gets a special cold-weather sleeping bag and some fur blankets. These keep the room cozy and warm until morning. In which part of the hotel would you probably find "plates"? Answer:
Question: In the UK, a group of campaigners have declared the last Saturday in November as National Buy Nothing Day. "Our message is clear: shop less, live more!" says organizer Michael Smith. "The challenge is to try simple living for a day. Spend time with family and friends, rather than spending money on them. Anyone can take part, provided they spend a day without spending." On Buy Nothing Day, they take to the streets to tackle consumers . They dress as pigs to symbolize greed . They offer to cut up credit cards and hand out shopping bags with the words "another useless thing I don't need" written on the side. Some hold street parties to show shoppers that it is possible to have fun without spending money. Others go into shops and put notes saying "don't buy me" inside clothes and shoes. Some protestors are working against powerful forces. Many retailers and manufacturers depend on Christmas sales for most of their profits. Around two thirds of GDP in the West is made up of consumer spending. If this drops, many people will lose their jobs. At least that will make it easier for them to buy nothing. And there is also the risk that the campaigners will be seen as killjoys, who want to stop people enjoying themselves. "There's a fun side to this," says Michael Smith. "To some it's a protest, but it's also a street party. We're not saying that people are bad because they go shopping, but we need get the message across for people to consume wisely. And after we're finished, we'll probably go for a drink." In order to persuade people to stop shopping, the campaigners _ . A. stop people going out B. have different ways to make it C. offer goods to people freely D. play tricks on consumers Answer: B Question: Runners in a relay race pass a stick in one direction. However, merchants passed silk, gold, fruit, and glass along the Silk Road in more than one direction. They earned their living by traveling the famous Silk Road. The Silk Road was not a simple trading network. It passed through thousands of cities and towns. It started from eastern China, across Central Asia and the Middle East, and ended in the Mediterranean Sea. It was used from about 200 BC to about 1300 AD, when sea travel offered new routes. It was sometimes called the world's longest highway. However, the Silk Road was made up of many routes, not one smooth path. They passed through what are now 18 countries. The routes crossed mountains and deserts and had many dangers of hot sun, deep snow and even battles. Only experienced traders could return safe. The Silk Road got its name from its most prized product. Silk could be used like money to pay taxes or buy goods. But the traders carried more than just silk. Gold, silver, and glass from Europe were much found in the Middle East and Asia. Horses traded from other areas changed farming practices in China. Indian merchants traded salt and other valuable goods. Chinese merchants traded paper, which produced an immediate effect on the West. Apples traveled from central Asia to Rome. The Chinese had learned to graft different trees together to make new kinds of fruit. They passed this science on to others, including the Romans. The Romans used grafting to grow the apple. Trading along the Silk Road led to world-wide business 2,000 years before the World Wide Web. The people along the Silk Road did not share just goods. They also shared their beliefs. The Silk Road provided pathways for learning, diplomacy, and religion. It's probable that traders along the Silk Road needed _ . A. to deal with a lot of difficulties B. to know the making of products C. to receive certain special training D. to remember the entire trade route Answer: A Question: I recently ran into a friend I hadn't seen for a long while.Our conversation was lively and full of news from both sides.Before we parted she said,"You'll have to drop in sometime." I immediately sensed that if I simply "dropped in'' I would take my friend by surprise,and I would be discouraged by the image of her standing in her doorway,staring at me,and asking,"Oh,err ...what brings you here?" Whatever happened to the unannounced drop-in visit? When I was growing up in the 1960s, it seemed that people - mostly relatives, but also friends - were always _ . My parents would put coffee on,and my mom would find something in the kitchen to serve along with it.Then the conversation would begin...The neighbor lady,a worrier,was unloading her sadness while my mom quietly listened.The Irish man next door had such an accent that I remember asking what language he spoke.My Polish relatives arrived in packs...But I never heard my parents say anything like "We weren't expecting you'' or "This isn't a good time."Drop-in visitors had a certain right of way and became No.1. What happened to such visits? Actually I know the answer.Times have changed.Everybody gets busy with work.There is no longer a stay-at-home mom keeping a pot of hot coffee or tea ready throughout the day for a surprise guest.Exploding malls and stores are now replacing homes as a central form of entertainment. Just the other day a former student of mine showed up."I'm sorry for the surprise visit."my student began."I just wanted to see if you still lived here.I'll only stay a minute."My response was immediate." No, you won't," I said."Just come in, sit, have coffee, and we'll talk.'' I had nothing in the kitchen but we ordered pizza.And we had a lovely time.I have tried to keep the drop-in tradition alive though it takes some effort. The author writes the passage intending to _ . A. encourage people to be drop-in visitors B. explain how to deal with unexpected visitors C. share his feelings about the drop-in tradition D. show the importance of making friends Answer: C Question: Traveling is one of the most important activities and people have been interested in it for many years. Modern traffics develops fast, so traveling to different places has become much easier than before. Staying healthy:while traveling can make your trip happier. But do you know how to keep healthy during a trip? The following information may be useful for you. Before leaving: * Wear comfortable shoes, a hat and sunglasses. * Take some necessary medicine with you. They can be used when you get sick or have other problems. * If you do lots of sports like walking or climbing on your trip, you should do some exercise for weeks or months before you leave. While traveling: * Be sure not to eat dirty food or bad fruit. * Have enough time to take a rest during your trip. * Tap water is not safe, so drink bottled water and always clean the cover on the bottle. You had better _ while you are having a trip. A. do enough exercise B. have enough time to take a rest C. drink tap water D. be too tired Answer: B Question: When I came home to London at the end of my first term at university in December 1968, I was flat broke, and more broke because it was Christmas, so I went to an employment agency for a job. "Would you like to work for the Beatles? " they asked. "Don't you have anything better?" I asked. Fifteen minutes later I got the job. When I asked why they accepted me when millions would have done the job for free, the answer was "That's just the problem." Yes. I owed the job to the fact that I was not a crazy fan. But of course I was a fan. It was difficult not to be. I worked over the winter holiday in 1968 and also during Easter 1969. I had to take a taxi in the days to deliver papers sealed in envelopes to the Beatles' house. I took the envelopes to the address, handed them over to whoever answered the door and lift. Who would entrust such papers to an unknown student today - the envelopes would be opened and the contents of the papers copied and sold to the Press. It never occurred to me to do that. Much has been lost in 40 years! I am always asked how many autographs I collected, and the answer is none. How uncool would it have been to ask for an autograph? Far better just to hear the Beatles' s greets--"Hi, boy." How's it going?" More than 40 years later, this remains the best job I have ever had. It met my immediate material need and provides a memory that can be my life treasure. For a child of the 60s, this was its peak. If some details of the memory are not so fresh, it's because they weren't important then. At 19, you take the things that happen for granted. At 61, they become gold dust. If I had known that then, I would have kept a diary. How does the author find his job as a mail boy when he was 19? A. It was an experience worth treasuring. B. It was foolish of him not to make more money. C. He reached the peak of his life in the university. D. It helped him develop a habit of keeping a diary. Answer: A
Beckham in a Football Movie Do you like football? You must know David Beckham. But do you know that he will be in a movie? He will be David Beckham in the movie Goal. Beckham said, "I want to teach kids how to play football when I finally _ ." "I believe that Goal will send a _ message to kids around the world." Beckham, 29, said, "I think that Goal will make football more popular in America and Asia. I am very happy because I can help do it," he said. What is the Goal? Answer: As the earth tilts towards the sun you will see Answer: No one gets through life without experiencing many disappointments. Strangely, though, most people seem unprepared for disappointment and react to it in negative ways. They feel depressed or try to escape from their troubles instead of using disappointment as an opportunity for growth. One negative reaction to disappointment is depression. A woman trying to win a promotion, for example, works hard for over a year in her department. Helen is so sure she will get the promotion. However, the boss names one of Helen's co-workers for the spot. Deeply depressed, Helen loses her enthusiasm for her job and can barely force herself to show up every day. Helen tells herself that she is a failure and that doing a good job just isn't worth the work. Another negative reaction to disappointment is the desire to escape. Kevin fails to get into the college his brother is attending, the college that was the focus of all his dreams, and decides to escape his disappointment. Why worry about college at all? Instead, he covers up his real feelings by giving up on his school-work and getting completely involved with friends, parties, and "good times". The positive way to react to disappointment is to use it as a chance for growth. This isn't easy, but it's the only useful way to deal with an inevitable part of life. Helen, the woman who was not promoted, could have handled her disappointment by looking at other options. If her boss did not recognize her talent and hard work, perhaps she could transfer to another department. Or she could ask the boss how to improve her performance so that she could prepare for the next promotion. Kevin, the boy who didn't get into the college of his choice, should look into other schools. Going to another college may encourage him to be his own person, step out of his brother's shadow, and realize that being turned down by one college isn't a final judgment on his abilities or potential. Disappointments are unwelcome, but regular visitors to everyone's life. We can feel depressed about them or we can try to escape from them. The best thing, though, is to accept a disappointment and then try to use it somehow: Step over the unwelcome visitor on the doorstep and get on with life. In the author's opinion, Helen should _ instead of feeling depressed. Answer: The home of the future won't be completely different and we will be living in houses and flats just as we do today.But people will want to shape their homes to match their dreams.No two homes will be the same.People will be able to buy "house kits" containing a basic house structure, with movable walls, doors and windows.They will put together the different parts to create the home they want. Many jobs that we do today will disappear, others will still exist but will change and new jobs will be created. Skilled workers such as builders, gardeners and electricians won't disappear because machines can't replace them. Teachers will still exist because students need human contact. But they will be using modern technology in class more and students will be working more from home. The medical technology revolution and space travel will create new jobs which we can only imagine today. Space holidays will develop in the future, but these holidays won't be for everyone because they won't be cheap. Short space trips will develop first, then space hotels will orbit the earth where it will be possible to have a longer vacation. By the end of the next century, there will be holiday centres on the moon with leisure facilities for families. Paper won't exist in the future. Instead, there will be e-paper which people will be able to use over and over again. This will develop in order to save natural resources. E-newspapers and e-magazines will replace traditional newspapers and magazines and we will download information and news articles from the Internet every day onto our reuseable paper. The laws of physics tell us that the earth is going to disappear some time in the future.This isn't going to happen tomorrow but scientists predict that it will happen in five billion years when our sun explodes .We will have to explore the universe and find another home. At some point in the distant future, either we stay on the earth and die with it, or we leave and move to another planet. There won't be any other choice. E-paper will replace traditional paper because _ . Answer: Life on Mars could become a reality and it could happen in your lifetime. A welcoming planet Scientists say Earth's neighbor Mars, a bright red planet about half Earth's size, is the most likely to support human life. Mars even has frozen water on its surface. Since the late 1990s, NASA has been exploring Mars using remote-controlled vehicles . Most recently Curiosity, a car-size vehicle, traveled through space on an unpiloted spacecraft and landed on Mars in August 2012. Directed by NASA scientists , the vehicles move on the surface, taking pictures , collecting and analyzing soil, and looking for signs of life. But what about human explorers? Plans are already in the works to send astronauts to Mars as soon as the mid-2030s. _ But before you start packing your bags, let's consider the challenges. For starters, Mars is far away. Just getting there could take up to 10 months. Scientists already know that time away from Earth's gravity harms the human body. Bones and muscles get weaker. The body produces less blood. What damage would months and months of living in space do? And then there is the matter of water, oxygen, food and fuel. Scientists will have to find solutions to these problems, or the first humans on Mars won't survive very long in their new home. Tiny Dangers There's another tinier risk. It's so tiny that you can't even see it: germs. Some scientists believe that our germs could pollute the whole planet of Mars. Potentially killing Martian life before we have the chance to discover it. Worse, there is a small but terrifying chance that any microscopic life already there might be harmful to us . Worse still, if any of those Martian germs were brought back to Earth, the result could be disastrous. Animals, plants, and people could be wiped out. Worth the $$$? A more practical concern is the cost. The price could approach $ 1 trillion . How can we justify spending that much when so many problems--poverty, disease--could use the cash here on Earth? Which may cause the biggest danger? Answer:
Which place are we likely to find algae? Answer: a small hidden puddle To be a good teacher, you need some of the gifts of a good actor; you must be able to hold the attention and interest of your audience; you must be a clear speaker, with a good, strong, pleasing voice which is fully under your control; and you must be able to act what you are teaching, in order to make its meaning clear. Watch a good teacher, and you will see that he does not sit still before his class:he stands the whole time he is teaching; he walks about, using his arms, hands and fingers to help him in his explanations, and his face to express feelings. Listen to him, and you will hear the loudness, the quality and the musical note of his voice always changing according to what he is talking about. The fact that a good teacher has some of the gifts of a good actor doesn't mean that he will indeed be able to act well on the stage, for there are very important differences between the teacher's work and the actor's. The actor has to speak words which he has learnt by heart; he has to repeat exactly the same words each time he plays a certain part, even his movements and the ways in which he uses his voice are usually fixed beforehand. What he has to do is to make all these carefully learnt words and actions seem natural on the stage. A good teacher works in quite a different way. His takes an active part in his play:they ask and answer questions, they obey orders, and if they don't understand something, they say so. The teacher therefore has to meet the needs of his audience, which is his class. He cannot learn his part by heart, but must invent it as he goes along. I have known many teachers who were fine actors in class but were unable to take part in a stage-play because they could not keep strictly to what another had written. What is the text about? Answer: The similarities and differences between a teacher's work and an actor's. Most Chinese people expect to relax and enjoy themselves during the Golden Week. But for those trying to go someplace,it may seem more disappointment than pleasure. This year, the severe traffic jam resulted in a roadside wedding. The suffering of being stuck in traffic was possibly most strongly felt by Lv Kangzhou and his bride Yan Mengxia. By tradition, the groom drove early in the morning to the bride's home in Zhejiang province in East China to pick her up along with her family and take them to his family's hometown for the wedding. By 4 p.m., Lv's wedding was 90 minutes away, but his car had not moved an inch for a long time. Lv contacted the local radio to explain his difficult situation and ask for a traffic forecast. The radio host told Lv there was no way he could hold his wedding on time and offered to hold their wedding on the air. At 5:30 p.m., Lv and his bride said their vows on the side of the road while Lv's family and friends witnessed the ceremony while listening to the radio. Lv wasn't the only person stuck in the Golden Week crowds. According to the state news agency Xinhua, 11.7 million people traveled by train Wednesday. It calculated that 120,000 people gathered at Tiananmen Square in Beijing to watch the flag raising ceremony. Last year, the Forbidden City in Beijing hosted 175,000 tourists on a single day during Golden Week, and the number is expecting to be even bigger this year. Chinese internet users routinely complain about the Golden Week holiday every year. As internet user Tuzhi said on Sina Weibo: "On the Great Wall, I'm holding your hand, but I cannot see your face." What does the text mainly intend to tell us? Answer: The crowded situation in China during the Golden Week. The old shopkeeper led me through to the back of the shop. The room was filled with boxes and dusty photographs of people holding packages in their hands. Mr. Hopkins said, "We have a very wide choice of items for sale. Whenever I serve a new customer, I take his picture. " Mr. Hopkins pointed to an ancient camera on a table. I began to appreciate the lovely items on sale. I spent a very pleasant hour being shown the _ in the shop. Finally, I bought an antique jewelry box, a pair of riding boots and a sewing machine. I was very excited that I had found such a good little shop. "I will tell all my friends about your love-ly place. " I told the shopkeeper. "Please don't do that, sir. " said Mr. Hopkins. "This is a special place for special people. You must keep this shop a secret. " Then he took my photograph and handed me the picture straight away. " That was quick ! " I exclaimed. In the picture I looked proud and excited holding the presents I had bought there. On Christmas Day, my friends and relatives were delighted with the presents I had bought for them. For weeks, my brother begged me to take him to the wonderful little shop. I finally agreed. We walked along Oxford Street, past the department store and found---nothing. In its place was an empty space being used as a car park. I checked the area again. There was the music shop, and there was the department store. In between should have been Hopkins and Son, but it wasn't there. Just then, an old policeman came. "Are you looking for something, sir?" he asked. "I am looking for a little shop called Hopkins and Son. " "Oh yes, there was a shop here 'once called Hopkins and Son. But it was knocked down over 30 years ago. " I looked again at the place, then I reached into my pocket and took out the photograph that Mr. Hop-kins had taken of me holding my presents in the little shop. " How strange ! " I screamed. What can we learn about the shop? Answer: It was between a music shop and a department store. There was a king who gave his daughter a beautiful diamond necklace. The necklace was stolen and his people in the kingdom searched everywhere but could not find it. So the king asked to search for it and put a reward for$50,000 for anyone who found it. One day, a clerk was walking home along a river when he saw something shinning in the river and when he looked, he saw the diamond necklace. He decided to try and catch it to get the $50,000 reward. He put his hand in the river and tried to catch the necklace, but somehow missed it and didn't catch it. He took his hand out and looked again and the necklace was still there. He tried again. But strangely, he still missed the necklace! He came out and started walking away, feeling sad. Just then, an old man walking by saw him, and asked him what was the matter. The clerk didn't want to share the secret with him, thinking he might take the necklace for himself, so he refused to tell him anything. The old man could see this man was troubled. He again asked the clerk to tell him the problem and promised that he would not tell anyone about it. The clerk told him about the necklace and how he tried and tried to catch it, but kept failing. The old man then told him that perhaps he should try looking upward, toward the branches of the tree, instead of in the river. The clerk looked up and true enough, the necklace was hanging on the branch of a tree. He had been trying to take a reflection of the real necklace all this time. Where did the clerk find the necklace at last? Answer: On the tree
Question: In the mid 1990s, people started doing business on the Internet. At that time, there were two kinds of companies. First, there were traditional companies which sold things in stores. Then, there were Internet companies which didn't have stores, they sold things only over the Net. Traditional companies didn't want to lose any business. Quickly, they created their own websites and began selling things over the Net. These are the so-called "brick and click" companies. Many stores are made of brick, and you click on your mouse to buy things with your computer. That's where the name "brick and click" comes from. By the late 1990s, e-businesses like Amazon.com, Buy.com, and eToys.com were in trouble. Their profits were not very high, and there was a lot of competition. Many of these businesses lost a lot of money, and in 2000, many e-businesses were out of business. In the world of e-commerce , companies are fighting for every dollar and every customer. Will brick and click companies win the war? Only time will tell. Why were Internet companies in a lot of trouble in the late 1990s? A. Competition was heavy. B. Their websites were bad. C. They didn't know what to sell. D. Their profits were high. Answer: A Question: The works of Shakespeare and Wordsworth are "rocket-boosters" to the brain and better therapy than self-help books, researchers will say this week. Scientists, psychologists and English academics at Liverpool University have found that reading the works of the Bard and other classical writers has a beneficial effect on the mind, catches the reader's attention and cause moments of self-reflection. Using scanners, they monitored the brain activity of volunteers as they read works by William Shakespeare, William Wordsworth, T.S Eliot and others. They then "translated" the texts into more "straightforward", modern language and again monitored the readers' brains as they read the words. Scans showed that the more "challenging" prose and poetry set off far more electrical activity in the brain than the more pedestrian versions. Scientists were able to study the brain activity as it responded to each word and record how it "lit up" as the readers encountered unusual words, surprising phrases or difficult sentence structure. This "lighting up" of the mind lasts longer than the initial electrical spark, shifting the brain to a higher gear, encouraging further reading. The research also found that reading poetry, in particular, increases activity in the right hemisphere of the brain, an area concerned with "autobiographical memory", helping the reader to reflect on and reappraise their own experiences in light of what they have read. The academics said this meant the classics were more useful than self-help books. Philip Davis, an English professor who has worked on the study with the university's magnetic resonance centre, will tell a conference this week: "Serious literature acts like a rocket-booster to the brain. "The research shows the power of literature to shift mental pathways, to create new thoughts, shapes and connections in the young and the elderly alike." What can we conclude according to the researchers? A. Self-help books are more valuable than classics. B. Serious literature lights up the mind shorter than ordinary versions. C. The right hemisphere of the brain is related to autobiographical memory. D. Literature has a beneficial effect only on the mind of the young. Answer: C Question: Students are learning about the natural resources in Maryland. One group of students researches information about renewable natural resources in the state. The other group researches information about nonrenewable natural resources in the state. The resources the students investigate include plants, animals, soil, minerals, water, coal, and oil. Aluminum is a nonrenewable natural resource. Which of these methods of aluminum disposal is best for the environment? A. burning it B. recycling it C. burying it in landfills D. crushing it before throwing it away Answer: B Question: Sue and Linda usually go to school by car. They drive past a hospital, a supermarket and a food shop. The food shop is next to the supermarket. . Jack and Michael usually go to school by bus. They go past a bank and a post office. The bank is next to the post office. Mary usually goes to work by bike. She rides a bike past a police office, a park and a swimming pool. The park is between the police office and the swimming pool. How many people are there in this passage? A. Three B. Four C. Five D. six Answer: C Question: Carmen Arace Middle School is situated in the town of Bloomfield,but four years ago it faced many of the same challenges as inner--city schools nearby:low scores in standardized tests and dropping enrollment of students.Then the hard-driving headmaster, Delore Bolton,persuaded her school to shake up the place by buying a laptop computer for each student and teacher to use in school and at home.For good measure,the board provided wireless Internet access at school.Total cost :$5 million. Now an hour before classes start,every seat in the library is taken by students eager to get online.The teacher talks about rocks as students view them at a colorful website,after school students on buses pull laptops from backpacks to get started on homework.Since the computers arrived,scores in state tests are up 35%and the enrollment increases by 20%. Indeed,school systems in rural areas are eager to follow Carmen Arace Middle School's example.Angus King,the state governor, has proposed using$50 million from an unexpected budget to supply computers for students. However, the school is seeking federal grant money to expand the laptop program.In the meantime,most of the problems have been worked out.Some students use computers to visit unauthorized websites,but teachers have the ability to track where students have been and restrict them."That is the worst when they disable you" says a boy.The habit is rubbing off on parents."I taught my mom to use e-mail."says the honorable girl."And now she is taking computer classes.I'm so proud of her!'' From the passage we learn that _ . A. the laptop program also has a positive influence on parents B. the laptop program in urban schools is forbidden by parents C. students only visit the school website in Carmen Arace Middle School D. students generally like the idea of having their online activities tracked Answer: A
In spite of the uncertainty of the economy, the movie industry has been stricken by a box-office outburst. Suddenly it seems as if everyone is going to the movies, with ticket sales this year up 17.5 percent, to $1.7 billion. And it is not just because ticket prices are higher. Attendance has also jumped, by nearly 16 percent. If that pace continues through the year, it would amount to the biggest box-office increase in at least two decades. Americans, for the moment, just want to hide in a very dark place. People want to forget their troubles, and they want to be with other people. Helping feed the outburst is the mix of movies, which have been more audience-friendly in recent months as the studios have tried to adjust after the discouraging sales of more serious films. As she stood in line at the 18-screen Bridge theater complex here on Thursday to buy weekend tickets for _ : The 3D Concert Experience," Angel Hernandez was not thinking much about escaping reality. Instead, Ms. Hernandez, a Los Angeles parking lot attendant and mother of four young girls, was focused on one very specific reality: her wallet. "Spending hundreds of dollars to take them to _ is ridiculous right now," she said. "For $60 and some candy money I can still be a good mom and give them a little fun." A lot of parents may have been thinking the same thing Friday, as "Jonas Brothers" sold out more than 800 theaters, and was expected to sell a powerful $25 million or more in tickets. The film industry appears to have had a hand in its recent good luck. Over the last year or two, studios have released movies that are happier, scarier or just less depressing than what came before. After poor results for a rush of serious dramas built around the Middle East, Hollywood got back to comedies. Ms. Hernandez purchased the movie tickets because _ . she wanted to please her kids Dear Parents, It is almost a week since school began. I hope that you and your child are settled and comfortable in the arrangement of the new school year. I would like to take this opportunity to give you news about the art project that the eighth grade students and I will be working on during this unit. My name is Molly Atkinson and I am a new middle school teacher here at MSAE in Kauai. I feel that it is important for you to know that my approach to classroom management is inspired by Maharishi's Principle of Ideal Teaching. I believe that it is the most positive method for guiding our students' education. I also believe that by keeping the lessons interesting, the classroom will be a creative environment for the students to explore the artistic process. My experience with the class this week makes me believe that the students and I will have a fruitful and caring experience in our time together. The students' first project is a three-part work that begins with the creation of a collage . A pencil drawing of the collage will follow. The third part of the project will be a geometrical three-dimensional drawing of the collage. The students have jumped right into the project with enthusiasm and focus. I can tell that we are going to have a very productive unit. On October 30th, the students will have a showing of their work for you. I look forward to meeting all of you that day. If you would like to get hold of me before _ I will be here after school until 4:30 on Mondays and Wednesdays and can be available on other afternoons by appointment . I may also be reached at my e-mail address: matkinson@kdsi.net. I am very happy to be here and look forward to working with the eighth grade students. Sincerely, Molly Atkinson The letter was most probably written by _ . an art teacher Englishmen speak British English and Americans speak American English. A student is learning to speak British English. He often asks himself, "Can Americans understand me when I speak British English?" Learners often ask "What's the difference between British English and American English?"Certainly there are some differences between British and American English. The Englishmen say "Have you a pen?" While Americans say "Do you have a pen?" The pronunciation is sometimes different. Americans often sound "r" in words like "bird" and "hurt". The British speakers don't sound the "r" in these words. There are differences in spelling. For example, "colour" and "neighbour" are British while "color" and "neighbor" are American. These differences in grammar, pronunciation and spelling are not important, however. For the most part, British and American English are the same language. When Englishmen and Americans are talking with each other, they don't need an interpreter . Maybe some day they need, but not now. Between British and American English, _ . there are differences in many ways There is one word that is on the lips of Americans , day and night , "Sorry". One time as I was walking on the street , a young man ran by hurriedly , brushing against my handbag . Even as he continued on his way , he turned back and said "sorry" to me . Even in a rush , he didn't forget to apologize . One day , after I bought some apples , the salesman was giving me the change , but I wasn't ready for it , and a coin dropped on the ground, "I'm sorry ," he said while bending down to pick it up . I was puzzled --why would he apologize when it was my fault ? Another time , I stepped on a man's foot in an escalator . At the same time , we both said "sorry" . I thought it interesting : was it really necessary for him apologize ? Later on , an American friend explained to me that according to the American ideas, the escalator is public place which everyone should be able to stand in . After someone occupies a position in the escalator , making it difficult for someone else to find a place to stand in , isn't it necessary to express an apology ? During my stay in America , I gradually realized that when friction occurs in daily life , Americans don't care much about who is responsible . If someone is troubled , a "sorry" is always necessary . Even if the other person is hurt , the "sorry" would cool tempers . Perhaps this is why I never saw anyone quarreling on the buses , subways or streets in America . In this passage , the author seems to feel _ the Americans' "sorry". approving of Collecting Barbie Dolls is a favorite hobby of many women and girls throughout the world. Since Barbie first appeared at the American International Toy Fair in 1959, she has become the most popular doll in the world. Many collectors of Barbie Dolls collect the dolls just for fun. They often collect some dolls they like or think are special. However, there are some serious collectors. They have hundreds of dolls, and spend almost thousands of dollars each year. Many Barbie collectors not only collect the dolls, but also collect items of the dolls. Many collections include different items of Barbie's fashion clothes. If you become a serious collector of Barbie Dolls, you will be likely to want to join a Barbie collectors' club. The more you know about Barbie and her history, the more you want to grow your collections. No matter which kind of collector you are, casual or serious, Barbie dolls can be a fun and interesting hobby for girls and women of all ages. What do we know from the passage? Casual collectors may just collect Barbie Dolls for fun.
Generally, the deeper rock layers of Earth are older than shallower rock layers. How can the collision of two tectonic plates change the order of the rock layers? Answer: One day a poor farmer was taking a bag of wheat to town. Suddenly the bag fell off his horse onto the road. He did not know what he could do about it because it was too heavy for him to lift by himself. He only hoped that someone would soon pass by and lend him a hand. Just at his moment, a man riding a horse came up to him. But the farmer felt disappointed when he saw who he was. It was the great man who lived nearby. He thought the great man wouldn't help him, and hoped another farmer would come up. But to his surprise, the great man got off his horse as soon as he came near, "I see you need help," he said, "I'm here just at the right time. " Then he took one end of the bag and the farmer took the other, They lifed it together and put it on the horse. "Sir," asked the farmer, "how can I pay you?" "It's quite easy," the great man answered, "when you see anyone else in trouble, do the same for him. " Why couldn't the poor farmer lift the bag of wheat? Answer: * Cliffs of Moher, Ireland Stretching for five miles along Ireland5s western coast, the Cliffs of Moher are a sight more than 300 million years in the making. At their highest, the cliffs soar an impressive 702 feet above the Atlantic Ocean, offering the million visitors who visit each year incredible views sure to leave hearts racing both from the beauty and the height. * White Cliffs of Dover,UK These famous cliffs along England's south-eastern coast are as rich in history as they are in beauty. They stand tall along the Strait of Dover, separating England from France and continental Europe. During World War I, the first bomb to hit the UK fell in Dover, and it served as a prominent location during WWII as well. And nowadays, the city is the best known for the beauty of its chalky white cliffs. * Mount Thor, Canada The name Mount Thor may inspire fear or respect -- as well it should, considering this is the steepest, tallest cliff in the world. Thor reaches an astonishing 4?101 feet above sea level, and the utter greatness of its vertical incline kept it from being successfully gone up until 1965. Today,it remains a challenging and popular place for rock climbers. ' * Cliffs of Etretat,France Located along France's Alabaster Coast, these cliffs offer more than just steep walls. Climb to the top and you'll have views of arched rock formations, as well as scenery that inspired the famous painter Claude Monet. At various points along the cliffs580-mile stretch, you can spot natural sculptures that are said to resemble an elephant, among other things. The beauty of the chalky white cliffs can be enjoyed by visiting . Answer: While it is common for restaurant owners to connect with their customers, a restaurant owner in the U.S. is taking it to a whole new level. Tim Harries gives out free hugs to every customer at the end of each meal. The atmosphere at his restaurant "Tim's Place" is so positive that customers often call it the "World's friendliest restaurant". "Tim's Hug" is in fact an item on the menu described as a "love" treat. Tim's hugs are doubly special because of everything he has achieved. The 26-year-old is probably the only Down syndrome sufferer in the U.S. to own a restaurant,but he has several other things to be proud of-- he's a skillful special Olympian, an excellent sailor, and all experienced fisherman. He was also chosen as Homecoming King and Student of the Year in high school! So when a man like Tim hugs you,it is sure to be a special and unforgettable experience When Tim expressed interest in opening a restaurant,Keith,a small businessman himself, supported him. Tim hired other people to manage the place and do the cooking, and he introduced the idea of free hugs. He realized that people want to feel at home at a restaurant. That is why he included "love" as all item on the menu. Customers can order the free hug from Tim,and even if they don't, he'll probably hug them anyway. The restaurant has been around since 2010,and Tim has given out over 19,000 hugs in the past five years -- he keeps count using a special Hug Counter.Many customers love visiting "Tim's Place". "I've been coming here once a week." said Michelle Garth-Jones, a regular customer. "I love local restaurants, and this special one has a story that stays with you." Which of the following words can best describe Time Harris? Answer: We can't deny that trees are useful to man in three very important ways: they provide him with wood and other products, they give him shade, and they help to prevent drought and floods. Unfortunately, in many parts of the world man has not realized that the third of these services is the most important. In his eagerness to draw quick profit from the trees, he has cut them down in large numbers, only to find that without them he has lost the best friends he had. Two thousand years ago a rich and powerful country cut down its trees to build warships, with which to gain itself an empire. It gained the empire but, without its trees, its soil became hard and poor. When the empire fell to pieces, the country found itself faced by floods and starvation. Even though a government realizes the importance of a plentiful supply of trees, it is difficult for it to persuade the villager to see this. The villager wants wood to cook his food, and he can earn money by making charcoal or selling wood to the townsman. He is usually too lazy or too careless to plant and look after trees. So unless the government has a good system of control, or can educate the people, the forests will slowly disappear. This does not only mean that the villagers' sons and grandsons have fewer trees. The results are even more serious. For where there are trees ,their roots break the soil up, allowing the rain to sink in and also bind the soil, thus preventing it being washed away easily, but where there are no trees, the soil becomes hard and poor. The rain falls on hard ground and flows away on the surface, causing floods and carrying away the rich topsoil, in which crops grow so well. When all the topsoil is gone, nothing remains but worthless desert. When there is a heavy rain ,trees can help to prevent floods, as they can _ Answer:
Your mom tells you to put on your hat and gloves. But as the cold winter season gets closer, it's so cold that even mom's advice does not work. That means it's time to put on your qiuku! This is a kind of "thermal underwear " or long underpants that keep people warm in the coldest months of the year. In Western countries, qiuku is usually known as long johns, but they aren't popular. Long johns in the US are usually two pieces, a long-sleeved shirt and long pants, worn under other clothing or sometimes even used as pajamas . Long johns first appeared in England during the 17thcentury. We call them long johns because the US boxer John L. Sullivan wore them while he boxed. But this is not a historical fact. In the US, it gets quite cold and snowy in many places. And while parents often push kids to wear more clothes and long underwear, _ Part of the reason might be because it's not very fashionable and another reason might be because people don't spend much time outside during the cold months. So they just deal with the freezing temperatures when they have to leave the warm building. But in their parents' eyes, staying warm is more important than looking nice. People wear qiuku to be _ . Answer: What time of day can you think most quickly? Are you a morning person? Or does it take you a few hours to get your brain going? A lot of recent research suggests that we should pay attention to our body clock. It can tell us what time of day we can perform best at. Many people work best later in the morning. This is because the body's temperature takes time to rise through the day. Taking a warm shower when you wake up can help your body's temperature rise quickly. But everyone's body clock is different and some are special. Morning people will get up early and work better early in the day. Evening people will work later but work better towards the end of the day. Research shows that we're better at some activities at certain times of the day. Physical performance is at its best between 3 pm and 6 pm, so it's better to exercise later in the day. Between noon and 4 pm, people begin to pay less attention. This is because we think less quickly after a big meal. Research also shows we become sleepy around 2 pm. This is why people in Spain take a short sleep in early afternoon. Finally, it is best to eat when we're active. This allows our body to burn calories better and stops our blood sugar levels from getting too high. Why is it best to eat when we're active? Answer: The Round Bird is not like any other birds. He has a big round body but with little wings. He can not fly but he expects to play with other birds in the sky. Every day and in many ways, he tries to fly. And he tries again and again. But nothing works. Then he thinks it will be better use the tree. It is very hard for a little bird to do so, but he climbs up the tree! The Round Bird really wants to learn to fly. A few minutes later, he sits on a branch and gets ready to jump and flap his wings. He practices many times and flap some more, but they don't work! In the end, he climbs down the tree and starts thinking seriously. After thinking for a long time, he knows that although he really wants to fly and tries hard, there are some birds are not able to do. He can't fly because of his body and his little wings. But he knows that there are still some things he is able to. Then the only job for the Round Bird is to find those special things that only special birds like him can do. What can we learn from the passage? Answer: Andrew Carneigie, known as the King of Steel, built the steel industry in the United States, and, in the process, became one of the wealthiest men in America. His success resulted partly from his ability to sell the product and partly from his policy of expanding during periods of economic decline, when most of his competitors were reducing their investments. Carnegie believed that individuals should progress through hard work, but he also felt strongly that the wealthy should use their fortunes for the benefit of society. He opposed charity, preferring instead to provide educational opportunities that would allow others to help themselves. "He who dies rich, dies disgraced", he often said. Among his more noteworthy contributions to society are those that bear his name, including the Carnegie Institute of Pittsburgh, which has a library, a museum of fine arts, and a museum of national history. He also founded a school of technology that is now part of Carnegie-Mellon University. Other philanthropic gifts are the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace to promote understanding between nations, the Carnegie Institute of Washington to fund scientific research, and Carnegie Hall to provide a center for the arts. _ . His contributions of more than five million dollars established 2,500 libraries in small communities throughout the country and formed the nucleus of the public library system that we all enjoy today. Carnegie's success includes following aspects EXCEPT _ . Answer: Jamie was born in a small village in the north of England. He is nine years old. He likes playing basketball very much. When he is free, he always plays basketball with his friends in the open air. Sometimes he walks in the forest and picks some flowers by himself. Last Friday, Jamie finished his homework after the second class in the morning. He hurried to play basketball. The playground was wet. After some time his basketball was dirty and his hands were dirty, too. It was 9: 45 and the third class began. Jamie had no time to wash his hands and ran into his classroom. Mr Black, his English teacher, told Jamie to write some new words on the blackboard. Jamie stood in front of the blackboard and started to write. Mr Black saw his right hand was dirty. "Oh, dear!" said the teacher. "Your right hand is dirty. I'm sure it's the dirtiest in our class." "You are wrong, Mr Black," said Jamie. Then he showed his left hand and it was dirtier. Jamie's hands were dirty last Friday because _ . Answer:
If you see a group of kids hitting and abusing an animal, would you stop them? Would you at least call the police? Again people would walk away. Some people do not believe that animal abuse is a big issue. Every day animals are abused in their homes or on the streets. It seems as if politicians do nothing to stop this issue. Everyone is worried about education and global warming. What about animals? We should not ignore them just because they cannot talk to us. Animals, like us humans, have rights. Every living being has the right to warm shelter and good food, but most importantly, they have the right to be wanted and loved. They have the right to be a special, much loved member of their own family. There are many organizations that deal with abused animals or animals that have no home like ASPCA, PETA, the Humane Society and many more. There are organizations that deal with this issue, but that does not mean that we still shouldn't help. The biggest saying that bothers me is, "I am only one person. I can't make a difference." If everyone thought like that, we wouldn't have the organizations and loving people who help the world every day. By helping one animal, you are making a difference. There are many things you can do right now to help animals around your neighborhood. You can volunteer at your local animal shelter, raise money for animal shelters, inform your community about animal abuse or you can write to your representatives and tell them that animal abuse needs to be taken seriously. As you walk down the street, try to help any animals you see walking around. You can easily buy a cheap box of dry cat or dog food to feed the animals. If we do not help our animals now, we may never have animals again. Always remember that with every step you take, you help save an animal's life and isn't that worth fighting for? Some people won't stop kids from abusing animals because _ . There is one thing that everyone wants more than anything else. Some people try to get it by making money. They think that when they have enough money to buy such things as houses, farms, and cars, they will have the one thing that everyone wants. Other people believe that if they know enough they will find this thing. They study all their lives in search of it. Still others think that if they have power,they will find this thing. They keep telling themselves:When I am a boss,I will no longer have to search for this thing. What is it that everyone wants more than anything else?What is it that all of us keep working and striving for each day?It is happiness.Happiness is a strange thing. It does not mean the same to all men. What _ will _ make _ one _ man _ happy _ may _ not _ make _ another _ man _ happy. Some men say that happiness comes from helping others;other men say that happiness comes from making life more pleasant for everyone. What do you mean when you say: "That makes me happy." Read what different people have said about happiness. Perhaps you will learn something that will bring you peace of mind, comfort, money or it may be what you search for--happiness. When I am a boss,I will no longer have to search for this thing. This sentence means " _ ". A teddy bear from Cumbria is launching into space to raise cash for charity . Terence, an experienced traveller who has been to Iraq, will be the guest of honour on aviation legend Burt Rutan's Spaceship One when it flies above Earth. The mission takes off from California on September 29, and on his return the cuddly toy will be auctioned off in aid of the North Air Ambulance Appeal . Spaceship One is the world's first private spacecraft, and is competing for a prestigious space travel prize. Chief executive of the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS), Graham Pickering, said "flying officer" Terence had been handed over to the RAF six months ago and staff had been receiving postcards from him ever since. He said, "Terence was a fundraising idea that really took off. We have received pictures of him in a U2 craft, trying parachuting and even looking drunk and disorderly. When the RAF finally discharge him he will be a very rare bear indeed--we just hope he does not burn up on re-entry to Earth." GNAAS, which needs charitable donations of more than PS2m a year, has three air ambulances . Peter Bond, spokesman for the Royal Astronomical Society, said Terence's safety was not guaranteed. He said, "This is a new and experimental craft and this will only be the second time it has flown. During its first voyage it developed technical problems but hopefully they have now been resolved." Since May, Terence has spent time with members of 100 Squadron based at RAF Leeming in Basra, Iraq, and at air shows with performing fighter planes. Spaceship One will fly 100km (62 miles) above the Earth's surface, just breaking through the planet's atmosphere. If it repeats the feat inside two weeks, it will claim the $10m Ansari X-Prize set up to encourage the private space flight business. Which of the following is true of Spaceship One? It was early morning. Peter Corbett helped Mark Wellman out of his wheelchair and onto the ground. They stood before El Captain, a huge rock almost 1.2 kilometers high. Mark had long dreamed to climb El Captain when he was a child. At the age of twentyone, he had fallen while climbing mountain, losing his legs. But he never lost his love for life. Mark knew he couldn't finish the climb alone, but his friend Peter would be there to lend a helping hand. They thought it would take seven days to reach the top. Now Peter climbed about 30 meters up and hit a piton into the rock. Fastening one end of a 50meter rope to the piton, he let the other end of the rope fall down. Mark caught the rope and fastened it to his belt. He next reached above his head and fastened a T-bar to the rope. Mark took a deep breath, pushed the Tbar up almost as far as his arms could reach, and began the first pullup. High above, Peter let out a cheer, "You're on your way." For the first four days the two men progressed upward without accident. But on the fifth day, a very strong wind began to blow, making it hard for Mark to hold on to his rope. But Mark kept on pushing up the T-bar and pulling himself up. It took them one day more than they had expected. But as the two heads appeared the group of people waiting on the top went wild with joy. Mark Wellman showed that if you set your heart and mind on something, no wall is too high, no dream impossible. What can we learn from the passage? On June 1, Kravat, a manufacturer of men's neckties, received the following order from Clothier: "Ship 500 two-inch ties, assorted stripes, your catalogue No. V34. Delivery by July l." On June 1, Kravat shipped 500 three-inch ties that arrived at Clothier's place of business on June 3. Clothier immediately telegraphed Kravat: "Reject your shipment. Order was for two-inch ties." Clothier, however, did not ship the ties back to Kravat. Kravat replied by telegram: "Will deliver proper ties before July 1." Clothier received this telegram on June 4, but did not reply to it. On June 30, Kravat tendered 500 two-inch ties in assorted stripes, designated in his catalogue as item No. V34; but Clothier refused to accept them.Did Clothier properly reject the ties delivered on June 3?
Here begins the story of the life of Tim. Tim's father was Frank. Frank's father was Jim. Jim's father was Greg. And Greg's father was Mark. These 5 men had ruled Markton for the last 100 years. For the last 20 years, Tim had been the ruler. When Frank died, Tim became the ruler. In these last 20 years, Tim brought lots of good luck to his people. They had never eaten so well. Most of his people ate 3 meals a day. Recently, Tim had been having trouble with a band of troublemakers led by Horace. Tim chose to do whatever he could to get rid of Horace. So, he got Assassin to get rid of Horace. One night Assassin sneaked into Horace's bedroom and did away with him. With the bad man gone, all the people had a giant party and sang a song about the greatness of their ruler. How many years has Tim ruled? Answer: For many years, no one could communicate with people who had been born without hearing. These deaf people were not able to use a spoken language. But, beginning in the 1700s, the deaf were taught a special language. Using the language, they could share thoughts and ideas with others. The language they used was a language without sound. It was a sign language. How did this sign language work? The deaf were taught to make certain movements using their hands, faces, and bodies. These movements stood for things and ideas. People might move their forefingers across their lips. This meant, "You are not telling the truth." They might tap their chins with three fingers. This meant, "my uncle". The deaf were also taught to use a finger alphabet . They used their fingers to make the letters of the alphabet. In this way, they spelled out words. Some deaf people could spell out words at a speed of 130 words per minute. Sign language and finger spelling are not used as much as they once were. Today the deaf are taught to understand others by watching their lips. They are taught how to speak. Which of these sentences do you think is RIGHT? Answer: Nowadays, many children spend hours a day looking at computer screens or other digital products. Some eye care doctors say all the screen time has caused more children to have what they call computer vision syndrome . Nathan Warford is an optometrist in the US. He says he has seen more children having eye problems. "More children come into my office because their parents have noticed that they have headaches or red eyes, or because their degree of short-sightedness appears to be increasing very fast and they're worried," he said. Dr. Warford says part of the problem is that even if their eyes start to feel uncomfortable or they start to get a headache, some children don't tell their parents, because they don't want their games or the computer to be taken away. Another part of the problem is that people blink less often when they look at the screen.A person who uses a computer or a digital product blinks about a third as much as we normally do in everyday life. If eyes can't stay wet or are too tired, they will not be protected like normal. From the passage, we can learn that _ . Answer: Rivers are one of our most important natural resources . Many of the world's great cities are located on rivers, and almost every country has at least one river running through it that plays an important role in the lives of its people. Since the beginning of the history, people have used rivers for transportation . The longest one in the United States is the Mississippi. The lifeline of Egypt is the Nile. To the people of India, the Gangs is great, but it is also important for transportation; Ships can travel along it for a thousand miles. Other great rivers are the Congo in Africa and the Mekong in southeast Asia. The greatest of all for navigation , however, is the Amazon in Brazil. It is so wide and so deep that large ships can go about two thousand miles upon it. Besides transportation, rivers give food, water to drink, water for crops , and chances for fun and entertainment for the people who live along their banks. In order to increase the supply of crops, engineers sometimes build a dam across a river and let a lake from behind the dam. Then people can use the water not only to irrigate their fields but also to make electricity for their homes and industries. However, large cities and industries that are located upon rivers often make problems. As the cities grow in size and industries increase in number, the water in the rivers becomes polluted with chemicals and other materials. People are learning the importance, however, of doing more to keep their rivers clean if they want to enjoy the benefits of this natural resource. The greatest river for navigation is _ . Answer: Once a man named Grand found a box of old papers in a room at the top of his house. He burned most of them, because he didn't like old things very much, But one of these papers was an old letter. At the bottom of the letter was the name of a well-known writer. "When this letter was written," said Grant, "no one knew about the writer. But now everyone knows him. Some people like to buy letters like this. I may be able to get much money for the letter if I sell it to the right man." But there were a lot of dirty marks all over the letter. "It doesn't look nice," he thought. "No one wants to buy a letter if it's dirty. I'll have to clean it." So he took a piece of cloth and some water and cleaned the letter. He worked hard and gave a lot of care. At last the letter looked better. And he was very pleased with his work. "Now it looks nice," he said to himself. "I'll be able to sell it for a lot of money." He took the letter to a shop in London where old papers of this kind were bought and sold. "I want to sell this letter," Grant said to the man in the shop. "It was written by a well-known writer. You know about these things. How much will you give me for it?" The man looked at him for a long time. "I will give you two pounds for it," he said at last. "Only two pounds!" said Grant. "But people pay ten pounds for a letter like this. And just look! I've even cleaned it to make it look nice." "I can see that," said the man. "That's the trouble. People who buy old papers like them to be dirty." In order to sell it, Grant decided to _ first. Answer:
No satisfactory way exists to explain how to form a good idea. You think about a problem until you're tired, forget it, maybe sleep on it, and then flash! When you aren't thinking about it, suddenly the answer arrives as a gift from the gods. Of course, all ideas don't occur like that but so many do, particularly the most important ones. They burst into the mind, glowing with the heat of creation. How they do it is a mystery but they must come from somewhere. Let's assume they come from the "unconscious." This is reasonable, for psychologists use this term to describe mental processes which are unknown to the individual. Creative thought depends on what was unknown becoming known. All of us have experienced this sudden arrival of a new idea, but it is easiest to examine it in the great creative personalities, many of whom experienced it in an intensified form and have written it down in their life stories and letters. One can draw examples from genius in any field, from religion, philosophy, and literature to art and music, even in mathematics, science, and technical invention, although these are often thought to depend only on logic and experiment. All truly creative activities depend in some degree on these signals from the unconscious, and the more highly insightful the person is, the sharper and more dramatic the signals become. A type of creative experience is illustrated by the dreams which came to Descartes at the age of twenty-three and determined his life path. Descartes had unsuccessfully searched for certainty, first in the world of books, and then in the world of men. Then in a dream on November 10, 1619, he made the significant discovery that he could only find certainty in his own thoughts, cogito ergo sum ("I think; therefore, I exist"). This dream filled him with intense religious enthusiasm. Descartes' experience is representative of countless others in every field of culture. The unconscious is certainly the source of instinctive activity. But in creative thought the unconscious is responsible for the production of new organized forms from ly disorganized elements. The best title for this passage may be _ . Answer: Halloween is the one night of the year where being scared is supposed to be good fun. However, amid all the harmless activities like trick-or-treating, sometimes genuinely frightening and disturbing things can happen. October 31 has been the date of some horrific murders and unexplained disappearances, which are far more terrifying than any ghosts, goblins, or witches. Because they happened to take place on Halloween, the following mysteries have an extra aura of creepiness to them, and they remain unsolved to this day. 1 Hyun Jong was a 21-year-old South Korean student attending Pennsylvania State University. In 2001, after leaving the Halloween party in a club, she was dropped off at her apartment by her friends at 4:00 AM. This was the last anyone ever saw of her. A search was conducted of her apartment. There was no sign of any struggle, but many of her belongings were there, indicating that she had gone inside after being dropped off. But what happened to her afterward? Although some evidence indicated her death, her body has never been found. 2 On Halloween night in 1977, the parents of 19-month-old Nima Louise Carter placed their child inside her crib. The next morning, Nima's parents were shocked to discover that she was missing. Since the windows were locked, it's theorized that someone must have been hiding in the closet and took the child out of the house while her parents were asleep. The police took it as child abduction. A month later, a group of kids were playing in an abandoned house four blocks away. When they opened up the house's refrigerator, they received a horrifying shock when the body of an infant came tumbling out. The child was identified as Nima Louise Carter, who died of suffocation . 3 Chris Jenkins was a 21-year-old student who visited a bar on Halloween night in 2002. After leaving the bar around midnight, Chris disappeared without a trace. He remained a missing person for four months until his body was discovered in the Mississippi River. Since Chris was still wearing his Halloween costume, all indications were that he died shortly after he disappeared. Since his cause of death was determined to be drowning, authorities initially believed it was an accident or suicide. His parents refused to believe _ and appealed for a more careful investigation. Finally, in 2006, the death was reclassified as a murder case. 4 Sometime during the early morning Halloween hours of 1981, a Manhattan couple named Ronald Sisman and Elizabeth Platzman were murdered in their apartment. The couple was severely beaten before being shot in the head, execution-style, and the apartment was in a complete mess. Sisman was rumored to be involved in drugs, so authorities initially believed that to be the motive for the killings. However, the case took a turn when a prisoner claimed that one of his fellow inmates had somehow predicted the crime weeks before it actually happened. The police then questioned the inmate, yet no insightful information was brought out. Of the four cases, at first the police had wrong conclusions except in _ Answer: There is little doubt that house cat first developed naturally from ancient wild cats. The cleverest relative is the America wild cat which still lives in Africa today. This is understandable because the first house cats came from Africa. Cats first started to live around people in Egypt about 6,000~7,000 years ago. From Egypt, cats started to move around the world. This is about the same time that Egyptians began storing grain in buildings. Scientists used to believe that people _ cats to catch mice and protect the grain. However, cats don't like to be told what to do! Now, scientists believed that cats followed the mice and learned to accept people. Finally, some of the cats began to grow comfortable around people, these were smaller cats that needed protection. As these cats and people got used to each other, then they moved in together. Around 5,000 years ago, cats started to live with people. Soon cats were in Greece, then the Middle East and China. They moved along Egyptian business roads keeping away mice and keeping people around them. After the Romans came to Egypt, they also accepted the cats and brought them to Europe. These cat likely bred with other cats to form the many kinds of house cats we have today. Cats are relatively recent house animals. House cats still have a lot in common with their wild relatives. Cats sleep a lot to save energy just like wild cats. They will often get food at night as well. House cats are generally peaceful and friendly, but be careful! If a cat feels it is in danger, it will fight back--just like a wild cat. . Where did the first house cats come from? Answer: Taxes, Taxes and More Taxes Americans often say that there are only two things a person can be sure of in life; death and taxes. Americans do not have a corner on the "death" market, but many people feel that the United States leads the world with the worst taxes. Taxes consist of the money which people pay to support their government. There are generally three levels of government in the United States: federal , state, and city; therefore, there are three types of taxes. Salaried people who earn more than a few thousand dollars must pay a certain percentage of their salaries to the federal government. The percentage varies form person to person. It depends on their salaries. The federal government has a graduated income tax, that is, the percentage of the tax (14 to 70 percent) increases as a person's income increases. With the high cost of taxes people are not very happy on April 15, when the federal taxes are due. The second tax is for the state government: New York, California, North Dakota, or any of the other forty-seven states. Some states have an income tax similar to that of the federal government. Of course, the percentage for the state tax is lower. Other states have a sales tax, which is a percentage charged to any item which you buy in that state. For example, a person might want to buy a packet of cigarettes for twenty-five cents. If there is a sales tax of eight percent in that state, then the cost of the cigarettes is twenty-seven cents. This figure includes the sales tax. Some states use income tax in addition to sales tax to raise their revenues . The state tax laws are various and confusing. The third tax is for the city. This tax comes in two forms: property tax (people who own a home have to pay taxes on it) and excise tax, which is charged on cars in a city. The cities use these funds for education, police and fire departments, public works and municipal buildings. Since Americans pay such high taxes, they often feel that they are working one day each week just to pay their taxes. People always complain about taxes. They often protest that the government uses their tax dollars in the wrong way. They say that it spends too much on useless and impractical programs. Although Americans have different views on many issues, they tend to agree on one subject: taxes are too high. How do you understand the sentence "Americans do not have a corner on the 'death' market"? Answer: Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise. This is an old English saying . It means that we should go to bed early at night and get up early in the morning. If we do, we shall be healthy. We shall also be rich and clever. Is this true? Perhaps it is. The body must have enough sleep. Children of your age need ten hours' sleep every night. If you go to bed late, you can't have enough sleep. Then you can't think carefully and your homework will be wrong. You will not be wise and you may not become wealthy! Some people go to bed late at night and get up late in the morning. This is not good for them. We should sleep at night when it is dark. The dark helps us sleep well. When the daylight comes, we should get up. This is the time for exercise. If the body is not used, it will become weak. Exercise keeps it strong. Exercise helps the blood to move around inside the body. Blood takes nutrition to all parts of our bodies. The brains in our heads also need blood. We think with our brains. If we keep our bodies healthy, and take exercise, we can think better! Our bodies also need air to breathe . Without air we will die. Get up early in the morning and we can have plenty of clean, fresh air. That will keep us healthy and happy. ,. If you want to make your body strong, you should _ . Answer:
KangKang has a good friend. Her name is Han Mei. She is fourteen years old. She has a round face.She has a small mouth,a small nose and big eyes.Her hair is long,and her ears are big. Do you know her? ,. Han Mei has _ ears. Answer: big On the island of New Zealand, there is a grasshopper-like species of insect that is found nowhere else on earth. New Zealanders have given it the nickname weta, which is a native Maori word meaning "god of bad looks". It's easy to see why anyone would call this insect a bad-looking bug. Most people feel disgusted at the sight of these bulky ,slow-moving creatures. Wetas are natural creatures; they come out of their caves and holes only after dark. A gaint weta can grow to over three inches long and weigh as much as 1.5 ounces. Giant wetas can hop up to two feet at a time. Some of them live in trees, and others live in caves. They are very long-lived for insects, and some adult wetas can live as long as two years. Just like their cousins grasshoppers and crickets, wetas are able to "sing" by rubbing their leg parts together, or against their lower bodies. Most people probably don't feel sympathy for these endangered creatures, but they do need protecting. The slow and clumsy wetas have been around on the island since the times of the dinosaurs, and have evolved and survived in an environment where they had no enemies until rats came to the island with European immigrants. Since rats love to hunt and eat wetas, the rat population on the island has grown into a real problem for many of the native species that are unaccustomed to _ presence, and poses a serious threat to the native weta population. Which of the following descriptions of wetas is accurate? Answer: They are decreasing in number. By May,after three months,I had lost22pounds and reached my goal of 115 pounds.My friends would say "Alice,you look great!"or"How did you lose so much weight?"Those _ made me feel good and confident. Soon I dropped to110 pounds.A few of my friends told me that I needed to stop dieting,because I was starting to look sick. They brought me a present---- a bag of chocolates,which I later gave to my sister.My mother would come to my room,with tears in her eyes,and have long chats about how harmful this diet was and begged me to stop.My dad would leave worried messages on my cell phone at school,telling me that it would do serious harm to my body. By mid-June,when school was coming to an end,I was down to an only alive state of 95 pounds.All of a sudden,I knew I had to do something.I guessed the number itself scared me.I recalled my doctor.He told me about a girl who was 95 pounds and was at the risk of dying.I knew I was putting my life at risk,but for what? To make those who love me worried? Was it worthwhile to be thin? Now I realize that models in magazines,TV and movies are not realistic.The price to pay for the"perfect body"is living with a dangerous and sometimes deadly eating disorder.And there are more important things to think about than how thin you are. The author decided to stop dieting _ . Answer: when her weight dropped to 95 pounds I still remember the days when I was a youthful student in an engineering school. I lived a casual life, without caring about the future. I smoked, drank with friends and made girl friends. Little did I realize that casualness would certainly lead to loss. Two years had passed and I was staring down a report card that highlighted FAIL in more than half the subjects. I didn't care, at least not till my dad found out about it. You see, I studied in India and unlike the United States where the students are expected to finance their own education, my dad financed me. Then came the day when my dad found out my habit of smoking. He lost his temper but he just told me, "Son, your allowance is cut in half from this moment on". It hit me like a roundhouse kick from Bruce Lee. I was jolted out of my bones! I couldn't comprehend how to pay off the debts that I had accumulated in college. I owed everybody money: the grocery store, the bars, the restaurants, my friends, etc. I was living a life filled with credit. When I went back to college, I knew that if I don't change the way I live my life I won't be able to pay everybody off. So I decided to make some changes, drastic changes. I quit smoking, cut off from my friends who led me down the wrong road, starting hanging out in libraries and reading my engineering books. One year later, I went from a miserable failure to a magna cum laude . . This incident made me know that anything is possible if you take action and do something about it, however small or large. Even today it still motivates me when I feel that I'm about to lose or give up. It reminds me that I can do it! Which of the following statements is TRUE? Answer: Students tended to earn money for college expenses in America. Islands of Adventure at Universal Orlando in Florida People say that it is the home of the "Harry Potter Theme Park". The Wizarding World is the most popular part of the park. Other popular rides include the Adventures of Spider-Man, Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges and the Jurassic Park River Adventure. It is open from Monday to Saturday. $15.95 for children, 3 to 13 years old; $29.95 for ages 14 and over. PI-O Indoor Theme Park in Longueuil The PI-O Indoor Theme Park features(......) 16 rides, a small sea train, a kid-sized bowling alley , a mirror maze , theme rooms which include the Christmas room on-the-sea, and a private reception room. "I wanted to create a safe environment for kids aged 1 to 10," explains owner Jocelyne Pinard. She noted how many competing amusement parks have sections that can be unsafe for young kids -- such as the "ball rooms" full of loose plastic balls. So this is how it is different from other amusement parks. Open seven days a week. The admission fees are $16.99 for individuals and $64 for families. Legoland Windsor Theme Park in London Legoland Windsor is the best choice for young families. The park is designed for children from 3 to 12. There are over 50 rides as well as live shows, workshops, and other attractions aimed at younger children, and especially those who are already fond of building-block toys. The park is open every single day. Adults: $35; Ages 3-15 and 60+: $26. Buy online and save $3 per person. Wonder La Theme Park in India Wonder La is a world-class amusement park. It's modern, clean and green, and has all kinds of attractions. There are over 50 rides, 12 of which are water based and 9 especially for small children. If you love getting wet, don't miss the Rain Disco -- an indoor dance floor with a rain system that provides showers of warm water to the music. Monday to Friday 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. Saturday, Sunday, Holiday and Festival seasons 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. Single adult / child -- $13.50; Family ticket (for any four people) -- $50.00; Children 3 and under -- Free. Where is the passage most probably taken? Answer: A travel guide.
Mr Smith works in a factory in the middle of the city. The factory is not far from his home. It is about 800 meters away. So Mr Smith doesn't go to work by bus. He usually goes there by bike, sometimes he walks to work. It takes him 10 minutes to get there by bike or 20 minutes on foot. He usually leaves home at ten minutes to eight. Today something is wrong with his bike. He wants to walk there. His work starts at half past eight in the morning and finishes at a quarter to five in the afternoon. ,. What does Mr Smith do? Mr. and Mrs. Gordon were sitting on the sand, reading their magazines. Mr. Gordon was too stingy to rent a chair. Their twelve-year-old daughter,Sandra, was playing at the water's edge. Suddenly a huge wave lifted Sandra up and carried her out to sea. Fortunately, a lifeguard was on duty and he saw the wave carry Sandra away. He ran along the beach and dived into the sea. He swam quickly to where the girl, with her head only just above the water, was shouting for help. She was very frightened. When the lifeguard reached her, she struggled with him, as drowning people often do. However, he was a skilful lifeguard and quickly took hold of her and swam with her back to the beach. By the time he reached it, Mr. and Mrs. Gordon had realized what had happened. They had run down to the water's edge. Neither of them could swim. They just stood in the shallow water, and worried about their daughter. Had the lifeguard reached her in time? Fortunately, he had. "That was quick work,young man,"Mr. Gordon said. He turned to his wife, "Give the lifeguard a dollar." "A dollar!" Sandra cried. "Dad,how can you give him a dollar! He saved my life. I was half dead." "Quite right, girl" Mr. Gordon said, pleased by his daughter's awareness of the value of money. He turned to his wife again and said, "She's right. She was only half dead. Give him fifty cents. " What did Mr. and Mrs. Gordon do when Sandra was carried out to sea by the wave? It's important for us to be healthy.But how can we keep healthy? First,you should eat fruit and vegetables three or four times a week.Then eat sonic tofu every day because it's good for people,both the young and the old Milk is also necessary ,especially for women.So you should have milk twice a day.It can help you to be strong Next,doing more exercises is better.You can do morning exercises or evening exercises.After supper you should take a walk. Tofu is good for _ . Jay Chou is a well-known name both in Taiwan and mainland. He is now one of Asia's hottest pop stars. His catchy tunes have main-streamed rap and R&B in the Mando-pop world. In the past his teacher thought he was dumb . Talent spotters thought he was ugly. But his success proves that the music still _ than looks and image. His musical talent is recognized by fans, fellow-singers and producers. Now, a singing contest was held in Taiwan Chou appeared at the contest with band "Nan Quan Mama", which was discovered by Chou. Their first album the Summer of Nan Quan Mama, composed and produced by Chou was a great success. Chou started his career at a singing contest, attracting the attention of record producers. But the successful singer does not believe in luck. He says it's his passion for music and hard work that are keys to his success. He said, "I didn't know how to sing at the beginning, so I lost the first time. But I was so determined that I never stopped trying. My advice to these young singers is never to give up, and always believe in yourself. " Chou's confidence has strengthened his music. He is a great source of inspiration to youngsters who share his determination to become a superstar. _ make Jay Chou a success according to the passage. Which is a source of raw materials?
Mr. Jones and Mr. Brown worked in the different office . One day Mr. Jones said to Mr. Brown ,"We are going to have a small party at our house next Wednesday evening . Would you and your wife like to join us ?" Mr. Brown said ,"Thank you very much . That is very kind of you . We are free that evening . I think , but I will telephone my wife and ask her . Maybe she wants to go somewhere else that evening ."So Mr. Brown went to the other room and telephoned . When he came back , he looked very sorry . "What is the matter ?"said Mr. Jones ."Did you speak to your wife ?" "No ,"answered Mr. Brown ,"She wasn't there , my small son answered the telephone . I said to him ,'Is your mother there , David ?'and he answered ,'No , she is not in the house ,''Where is she then ?'I asked .'She is somewhere outside .''What is she doing ?''She is looking for me .'" The telephone was _ . A in the same office B in a room next to the office C in the post office D near Mr. Jones' house Answer: B Mary was waiting for the airplane to take off. She was happy to get a seat by herself. Just then,an air hostess came up to her and asked. "Would you mind changing your seat? A man would like to sit with his wife." The only available seat was next to a girl with her arms broke, a black-and-blue face, and a sad expression. "I don't want to sit there," Mary thought immediately. But a soft voice spoke, "She needs help." Finally, Mary moved to that seat. The girl was named Emily. She had been in a car accident and now was on her way for treatment. When the snack and juice arrived, Mary realized that Emily could not feed herself. Mary considered offering to feed her but hesitated , as it seemed too impolite to offer a service to a stranger. But then Mary realized that Emily's need was more important. Mary offered to help her eat. Although Emily was uncomfortable to accept, _ . They became closer and closer in a short time. By the end of the five-hour trip, Mary's heart had warmed, and the time was really better spent than if she had just sat by herself. Mary was very glad that she had sat next to Emily and fed her. Love sometimes goes beyond human borders and removes the fears that keep people away. When we reach our hands to serve another, we grow to live in a larger and more rewarding world. How did Mary feel at first when an air hostess asked her to change her seat? A She felt glad to do so. B She went mad with anger. C She was not willing to do so. D She was afraid of the man and his wife. Answer: C 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. Which of the following is the best title of the passage? A Brief Introduction to San Diego B Tips for Visiting San Diego C Attractions in and around San Diego D Reasons for Visiting San Diego Answer: B High school students are some of the busiest people in the world. To get the most from all you do, you must be in control of your time. Otherwise decision that affect how well you play the game, what position you play and when you get to play will be decided for you. Your success in high school depends on your use of time. Here are some important things to remember. Begin each term by filling in a master plan. First fill in things you must do (classes, work, practice, etc. that you can't change.) Then find the most effective use for these times. Set a regular time and place for study. This will save your time in the long run. If you have a study hall in your school, use it! Use daylight hours to study whenever possible. For most people for every hour of study done in daylight hours, it will take them one and a half hours to do the same task at night. Take breaks. Don't plan marathon study time. Have a short rest before you study again. By using flash cards or summary sheets, you can use odd times to study while you're waiting for class to start or for a friend to pick you up. If possible, plan study time with a partner. Choose your partner wisely however. Make sure you study, not socialize. Do the most difficult tasks for times when you are active. (For example, when you're energetic, it will become easier to solve maths questions; when you're tired, it will be impossible!) Make a daily checklist. Do the most important tasks first. According to the passage, your success in high school mainly lies in _ . A making full use of your time B your hard work C your brainpower D how well you play the game Answer: A Imagine yourself on a boat looking out at the horizon and all you can see is the water meeting the sky with no land in sight and you are sailing straight ahead to meet the world. Jesse Martin does not have to imagine: he is living in it. On Dec. 7, 1998, at 17 years old, Jesse set sail from Melbourne, Australia on his boat, attempting to become the youngest person to sail alone and nonstop around the world. He sailed south of New Zealand, through the South Pacific, around South America, north on the Atlantic, back south past Africa, through the Indian Ocean and back to Melbourne. Even as a young child, Jesse had been an adventurer who traveled all over Europe and Asia with his parents. Born in Munich, Germany in 1981, he moved to Australia with his family when he was only two years old. They moved close to a rainforest in Cow Bay, about 3500kms north of Melbourne, where they built a small house with no electricity or running water. Jesse grew up at the beach enjoying the outdoors to its fullest. At 14, he sailed for the first time with his father and brother, Beau. It was after this trip that he began to dream about sailing around the world. Jesse's family played an important role. "I was made to believe I could do anything." he says. Although, he says, there were others that were not so encouraging or supportive, "People that I looked up to, respected and trusted told me I couldn't. Thankfully, I trusted myself. There were people that said that the boat couldn't be ready by the time I had to leave." However, through perseverance and belief in himself he was able to do what many told him was impossible. On Oct.31, 1999, more than 10 months after he set sail, Jesse Martin went down in history as the youngest person to sail around the world alone, nonstop and unassisted. What's the author's purpose in encouraging the reader to imagine a sailing experience? A To show how difficult it is to be a sailor. B To show how wonderful Jesse's sailing is. C To describe what Jesse's sailing is like. D To describe what a sailor's life is like. Answer: C
When a large oak tree is cut down in a forest, it leaves a gap in the forest canopy which allows smaller trees to quickly grow in the available sunlight. Which interaction is best represented among the smaller trees? Answer: competition On March 5, 2009, Michael Jackson stood in front of crowds of fans. Before screaming fans, he pronounced with pumping arms: "This is it!" A few months later, Jackson was dead. With the late pop star's return to radio, television and the cultural events, Forbes judges that Jackson has made $90 million since his death June 25. This figure is based on his royalties from album sales, radio play, rights to his name and royalties from his stock in the Sony/ATV music catalog . Jackson's music was his most easily-seen source in the last months. "Nothing increases the value of an artist than death ... an untimely death," says Barry Massarsky, a music industry economist. The music's immediate value was clear. Since June, Jackson has sold more than 5.9 million albums in the U.S. and another 4.5 million overseas. In the first weeks after his death, there were 5.6 million single downloads across North America, Europe and Australia. Jackson recently has three of the top 20 best-selling albums of the year in the US, according to Nielsen SoundScan. His 2003 hits album Number Ones is the best seller of the year, beating Taylor Swift's Fearless. More than 500,000 Jackson ringtones and 100,000 music videos were sold. In the week following his death, songs by The Jackson 5, The Jacksons and Michael were played over 100,000 times on the radio, according to Nielsen BDS. Jackson's estate will likely see more money by the end of this year, as it has rights to some of the profits from This Is It as well as the two-disc album of the same name. The estate will share 90% of the film profits with AEG. Ticket sales from an exhibit opening in London will also contribute a likely profit. Hundreds of Jackson's personal belongings-his L.A. Rolls Royce etc-will remain on show for three months at the O2 for fans willing to shell out $25 for a view. The pop singer bought ATV Publishing, for $47.5 million in 1985. Ten years later, he sold the catalog to Sony for $95 million and took a 50% stock in Sony/ATV, which is now worth about $1.7 to $2 billion. So he still owned half the Sony/ATV catalog at his death. Jackson's future earning potential is based on his stock in valuable music and as well as the value of his image . As many musicians, actors and artists before him, Jackson's fame could have a long tail on the market with allowable products, advertising and entertainment events. What can be inferred from the passage? Answer: Taylor Swift's Fearless is the second best seller of music albums of 2009. Football The game is played by two teams. There must be eleven players in each team. The field must be about 100m long and 73m wide. There are two goals , 7.32m long and 2.44m high. To score a goal, a player must put the ball into the other team's goal. They may use their feet, heads or other parts of the body, but they must not touch the ball with their hands. Only one on each team, the goal-keeper , may use his hands. Volleyball This is played on a court 18m long and 9m wide. The net is 2.44m high for men and 2.24m high for women. There are two teams and there are usually six players in each team. The players try to make the ball hit the ground on the other side of the net. They may use their hands, fists or arms, but they must not catch the ball or hold it while(---) playing. Basketball The court must be 26m long and 14m wide. There can be ten players in a team but not more than five players in each team may play at one time. The players must not change until the referee allows them to leave the court. To score a point a player must throw the ball into the other team's basket. Players may throw the ball, but they must not carry it. A player must not touch another player. After 20minutes' play there must be a rest period for ten minutes. Then there is another period of 20 minutes before the game ends. How big is a football field? Answer: 100m long and 73m wide. Dear Mr Rupp, The day I met you was the first day of high school. We liked each other immediately. You gave me a lot of advice over the next four years, like how I should get my ass to Berkeley where I belonged. I'm still there, by the way. I wish you were still around, too. I remember your laugh, which would start with a rough guffaw and end with a hacking smoker's cough that would make even the most rebellious teenager swear to lay off the cigarettes. I remember the way you didn't lower your standards, yet still refused to give up on us. You were tough on us, and we were tough on you. Love is tough sometimes. The last time I wrote you a letter, it was 2005---four years after I graduated. I had just become a teacher, like you, and it had given me a new appreciation for the work you did with countless high school students over the years. It's hard to say what I'll miss the most about you. There are simply too many memories to sort through those four years, and it hurts to think you'll never read this letter. I want to believe that you knew how much you meant to your family, your students, your community, and your colleagues, but that would be a lot of realization to handle, even for you. You changed the lives of everyone around you. Even now, you are reminding me to cherish life and its brevity and beauty, and to tell the people I love how much they mean to me before it is too late. Dear teacher, dear mentor, and dear friend----I miss you and all that is about you. God bless you in Heaven. To infinity and beyond, Teresea Why did the author write a letter to her teacher in 2005? Answer: She wanted to tell her teacher that she had become a teacher. Traveling is very interesting. Many people love traveling. There are many ways to travel: by plane, by train, by ship or by car. Everyone has their favorite way. Greg:My favorite way of traveling is by car. I can bring my pet dog along. I can travel three hundred miles or only fifty miles a day. I can stop at a good restaurant to enjoy a good meal or at a hotel to spend the night. Eliza:I love traveling by train best! It's very exciting. I traveled most of Europe in 5 months by train. It's the best way to talk with the local people and make new friends on the way. Trains make even the longest trip enjoyable. The train ride to me is just like a big moving party. I also like traveling by ship. It is a very great way to spend a vacation. I can go to parties and movies on the ship, and enjoy the blue sky and water. Danny:Planes are my favorite. It's the fastest way of traveling. I can quickly get to another country. Planes have very comfortable seats. I can have something to drink and to eat. I can also read some free magazines and newspapers. . Which is TRUE? Answer: Greg hopes to bring his pet dog along when traveling.
On Sunday , April 22nd , people all over the world take time out to appreciate the earth that we all share .It's Earth Day , a special day to learn about our planet and how to take care of it . On Earth Day , some people listen to speeches about the environment . Others help clean up their offices or save water and electricity at home .Your parents may even decide to take a day off from driving their cars . The idea for Earth Day came from a U.S. Senator . He was worried about pollution and the health of plants and animals . And the idea quickly caught on . In 1970 , the first Earth Day was celebrated . More than 20 million people in cities all over the U.S. took part in it .Since then, Earth Day has been used to educate people about their roles in taking care of our planet . Now , Earth Day has become a worldwide celebration. In 1990, two hundred million people from 140 countries took part in clean-ups , tree planting and other environmental events on Earth Day . The idea for Earth Day was given by a _ from America . senator There are many thoughts on the origins of civilization. One of the major factors involved was the increase in population. The development of techniques, primarily irrigation and flood control, which permitted agriculture in special areas such as the flood plain of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, made possible the support of large population. Once populations reach a certain number, the older pattern of social organization breaks down and new ones develop. Specifically the older system, whereby each individual participated in food production and maintained a similar standard of living and whereby kinship served as the basic method of social organization, was replaced by the occupational division of labor, political and religious hierarchies , public works such as road and public building construction, class systems, codes of law, markets, new forms of warfare, and urban centres. Allied with these important sociological traits are material traits, such as monumental architecture and the development of science and, in many cases, metallurgy and writing systems. The earliest civilization, Sumer, developed in the Middle East. This was the Bronze Age of the Old World, during which people first developed the art of metallurgy, civilization also arose in other parts of the Old World, first in Egypt, China, and India, and later in Europe and Africa. At this time, civilization also developed independently in the New World, in the Mexican area and in Peru and its adjacent areas. In the Old World the Bronze Age was followed by the Iron Age, which saw the rise and fall of great empires and the shift of power from the Middle East to Greece and Rome and then to Western Europe. In the 1700s the Industrial Age began, leading directly to the modern civilization of today. The author of this passage _ . tries to explain how civilization developed in human history Mrs Black is sixty-nine years old. She has only a daughter named Sandra. Mr Black died twelve years ago. She was very sad and lived in her house alone. Two years later her daughter had a baby. The woman was busy all the time and no time to look after her son James. She asked her mother to live with with them. The old woman had to sell her house and moved there. She was strong and could do all the housework. And the family liked her. Last autumn Mrs Black went to do some shopping. A car hit her and her leg was hurt. She had to be in hospital for three months. She couldn't do anything after she came back. At first her daughter was kind to her, but soon she began to tired of her. The old woman wanted to leave, but she had no money to buy a house and nobody could take care of her. She didn't know what to do. One morning Mrs Black broke a plate. It made her daughter angry. She told James to buy a wooden for her grandma. That afternoon James came back with two wooden plates. She was surprised and asked "Why did you buy two plates, son" "One is for my grandma," answered the boy. "The other is for you." She cried for long. She's kind to her mother as she did before. Sandra asked her mother to live with them because _ she needed her help Let's face it: Teenagers spend hours texting, socializing on Facebook and playing video games.And it's driving their parents nuts. Sure, there are real dangers connected with all this screen time--everything from cyberbullying to couch-potato obesity.Not to mention driving while texting, and shortened attention spans . Douglas Gentile, who studies the effects of media on children, says texting, Facebook and video games are not naturally bad.Nor are they naturally better or worse than watching TV, although they do lead to different risks, such as cyberbullying. But research has shown that the more time kids spend in front of screens--whether it's TV or instant-messaging--the worse their school performances are."That doesn't mean it's true for every kid, but it makes sense, that for every hour a kid is playing video games, it's an hour that they're not doing homework or reading or exploring or creating," he said.If screen time is taking the place of doing their homework, that's bad.But if their homework is done, well, so what? The study also found that the more time kids spend with media, the lower their grades and levels of personal satisfaction are.Gentile said the influence of screen time on school work can be reduced by what he calls "protective factors".Those might include good teachers and a high-performing school, love of reading, coming from a family where education is valued."If you had all these protective factors, then that one little risk factor, who cares?" One thing parents should worry about is the way electronic devices encourage multitasking . "As adults, your response speeds up, you're quicker to look over your shoulder and notice little noises or lights.However this is not what the kids need when they get to the classroom.Scanning to see when the next message comes may not be good for kids.The more distractions you have, the worse your performance is." Getting kids to turn off their phones, iPods in order to let them concentrate on homework is a fight worth having. What statement may Gentile agree to? TV or texting affects kids equally. In a world where work-related stress has rocketed, could the most intelligent option be simply to find the least-taxing, most profitable job on offer? Could the smartest choice for a future career be the path that requires the least amount of effort? And what's so wrong with applying yourself to seeking out a low stress option anyway? We looked to question-and-answer site Quora for some suggestions for the best jobs for smart but lazy people. Here's what the masses had to say: If you're unwilling to work far from your home office, Paul Denlinger suggested: "Computer programmer: It is a continuous learning process, but you really don't have to work that hard and gradually you learn that many of the challenges are repetitive ." Even the nature of the work itself lends itself to doing less, he indicated, "Good programmers write as few lines of code as possible, and it is one of those professions which pays well, while at the same time, encouraging laziness, Denlinger wrote. "At the same time, you get to work with other reasonably intelligent, technical people, while the investors throw money at you for their next great idea." However, Chris Leong a programmer in Sydney suggested "working for the government -- most roles have 35-hour weeks in Australia -- unless you become senior." Matthew Kuzma wrote: "My personal opinion is that the best possible job for someone who is intelligent but lazy would be to be a professional 'expert' at something, to get paid to just share your thoughts and opinions about things with people who will do the heavy lifting." He advises the lazy bones to "identify the activities you don't consider work and find a career that will pay you for those. Chances are, the things you consider fun and easy are things someone else finds so hard that they're willing to pay you to do them." As it happens, taking a calm and relaxed approach to dealing with a project is not always a negative either. Arvind Krishnan quotes billionaire Bill Gates as saying "I will always choose a lazy person to do a difficult job, because he will find an easy way to do it." So lazy-but-intelligent people of the world :"Look like you have a shot at Microsoft," wrote Krishnan. What is the author's attitude towards finding a well-paid but less effort requiring job? objective
Retold by Laura E.Richards All day long the little boy had worked hard, in the field and barn and shed, for his parents were poor farmers, and could not pay a workman.But at sunset there came an hour that was all his own, for his father had given it to him.Then the boy would go up to the top of a hill and look across at another hill that rose some miles away.On that far hill stood a house with windows of clear gold and diamonds.They shone so brightly that it made the boy squint at them, but after a while the people in the house put up shutters, as it seemed, and then it looked like any common farmhouse.The boy supposed they did this because it was suppertime; and then he would go into the house and have his supper of bread and milk, and go to bed. One day the boy's father called him and said: "You have been a good boy, and have earned a holiday.Take this day for your own, and try to learn some good things." The boy thanked his father and kissed his mother.Then he put a piece of bread in his pocket, and started off to find the house with the golden windows. It was a pleasant walk.His bare feet made marks in the white dust, and when he looked back, the footprints seemed to be following him, and keeping him company.His shadow, too, kept beside him, and would dance or run with him as he pleased; so it was very cheerful.By and by he felt hungry, and he sat down by a brown stream that ran through the alder hedge by the roadside, ate his bread, and drank the clear water.Then he scattered the small pieces of bread for the birds as his mother had taught him to do, and went on his way. After a long time he came to a high green hill, and when he had climbed the hill, there was the house on the top.But it seemed that the shutters were up, for he could not see the golden windows.He came up to the house, and then he could well have wept, for the windows were of clear glass, like any others, and there was no gold anywhere about them. A woman came to the door, looked kindly at the boy, and asked him what he wanted. "I saw the golden windows from our hilltop," he said, "and I came to see them, but now they are only of clear glass." The woman shook her head and laughed. "We are poor farmers," she said, "and are not likely to have gold about our windows.But glass is better to see through." She let the boy sit down on the broad stone step at the door, and brought him a cup of milk and a cake, and asked him to take a break.Then she called her daughter, a child of his own age, nodded kindly at the two, and went back to her work. The little girl was barefooted like him, and wore a brown cotton dress, but her hair was golden like the windows he had seen, and her eyes were blue like the sky at noon.She showed the boy about the farm, and showed him her black calf with a white star on its forehead, and he told her about his own at home, which was red like a chestnut with four white feet.They became friends after they ate an apple together.However, when the boy asked her about the golden windows, the little girl nodded, and said she knew all about them; only he had mistaken the house. "You have come quite the wrong way!" she said."Come with me, and I will show you the house with the golden windows, and then you will see for yourself." They went to a knoll that rose behind the farmhouse, and the little girl told him that the golden windows could only be seen at a certain hour, about sunset. "Yes, I know that!" said the boy. When they reached the top of the knoll, the girl turned and pointed;there on a hill far away stood a house with windows of clear gold and diamond, just as he had seen them.And when they looked again, the boy saw that it was his own home. Then he told the little girl that he must go.He gave her his best pebble , the white one with the red band, that he had carried for a year in his pocket, and she gave him three horse-chestnuts, one red like satin, one spotted, and one white like milk.He promised to come again, but he did not tell her what he had learned.He went back down the hill, and the little girl stood in the sunset light and watched him away. The way home was long, and it was dark before the boy reached his house, but the lamplight and firelight shone through the windows, making them almost as bright as he had seen them from the hilltop.When he opened the door, his mother came to kiss him, and his little sister ran to throw her arms about his neck, and his father looked up and smiled from his seat by the fire. "Have you had a good day?" asked his mother. Yes, the boy had had a very good day. "And have you learned anything?" asked his father. "Yes!" said the boy."I have learned that our house has windows of gold and diamond." The author's main purpose in including the character of the girl in this story is _ . Answer: Elizabeth jumped right out of bed on Saturday morning. Today was the day her father was going to take her and her sister, Rebecca, to the zoo. Her mother made them biscuits and eggs for breakfast. The two girls were too excited to sit still. They didn't even watch any cartoons before they left for the zoo in the car. The first thing they saw was a zoo worker carrying a pail of fish. He was going to feed the penguins. The penguins looked funny walking on land but were very fast swimmers in the water. Next, the girls ran to where the pandas live. The pandas were playing by rolling down the hill. After watching the pandas, the girls and their father moved to where the lions were. One lion was asleep on his back but the others were in a circle eating some meat. It did not look tasty. The girls didn't want to watch this any more so they walked to where the zebras were eating grass. Rebecca thought it would be fun to ride one like a horse. What did the zoo worker feed the penguins? Answer: Haagen-Dazs from Europe started in 1989 and is 5-10 times more expensive than regular ice cream. There is no real advantage. However, it adopted a unique marketing strategy, and quickly occupied the market as a top ice cream brand. Haagen-Dazs did not set up shops in ordinary supermarkets or grocery stores. Haggen-Dazs leisure fashion shops are located in busy sections of malls. The layout is carefully planned to create an elegant atmosphere, and sometimes, a flagship store will cost several million dollars. Compared to other ice cream brands, Haagen-Dazs consumers are tightly grouped. It is understood that Haagen-Dazs seldom does television advertising. The majority of advertisements are high impact visually in print advertisements. In particular many advertisements target the wealthy consumers. Moreover, if the consumer spends 500 Yuan they can become a member. These members will be regularly sent advertisements by direct mail. Praise of customers is a powerful weapon. There is always much creative ingenuity in Haagen-Dazs advertising, so it is remembered by the people: initial advertisements such as: "Delicious Haagen-Dazs, like 24K gold, Kobe beef from Japan, original palm oil, mushroom truffles and Chinese ceramics...what 'ice cream'was waiting for." "love her, let her eat Haagen-Dazs" This classic advertisement attracted numerous Haagen-Dazs lovers who became regulars. Today, Haggen-Dazs has about 700 stores in 55 countries with annual sales of more than 1 billion US dollars. Haagen-Dazs has become the world's most popular ice cream brand. In the United States, its market share is 6.1%, 1%in France, 4.6% in Japan, 4% in Singapore, and 5% in Hong Kong. Determined to win the majority of wealthy customers they combined positioning in the marketplace with dedicated brand goals. This is the real secret of success. Why does Haagen-Dazs seldom do television advertising? _ Answer: Eye injuries from paintball games have increased among children, even as the protective equipment for the sport has improved, according to a study released yesterday in the journal pediatrics. The Federal Consumer Product Safety Commission estimated the number of emergency room visits for eye injuries caused by paintballs at 545 in 2001 and more than 1,200 in 2003. More than 40 percent of those injuries were believed to involve children, the study said. Paintballs are fired at a speed of up to 300 feet a second, the study said. Being so small, they can fit inside the bones meant to protect the eye. The study's author, Dr. David A. Listman of St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx, said paintball shopping centers had generally switched to full face masks ,which have become more effective at protecting the eyes than earlier _ . But most injuries now occur in backyard play, which is more likely to involve teenagers or children."The injuries being seen are mostly in people who did not wear the proper, or for that matter any, safety equipment,"Dr. Listman said. Those injuries can involve permanent damage to sight, he said. Dr. Listman said he believed that paintball guns should be restricted to regulated places. In the absence of such action, parents should limit children's access to the guns and insist on proper protection. Paintball guns"should be treated with the same respect as any other firearm,"he said"These are the only guns that are made to shoot at your friends." Which of the following might be the proper title for the passage? Answer: Travelling and even living abroad can be great for broadening your horizons and learning about different cultures. However, after returning home from being abroad for a long period, many people can suffer from the problem of reverse culture shock. Reverse culture shock is a condition that happens when you return home and find things have changed greatly from how you have remembered them while you are away. It develops feelings of anxiety, hostility and boredom. One of the biggest change people encounter when returning home after spending a great deal of time abroad is that their relationships with friends and family are not as familiar as they once used to be. While reverse culture shock is a very common condition, there are actually many ways you can deal with and lessen the effects of this condition. Posting a regular blog, or updating your status on Facebook or Twitter, can really help to keep your friendships with people back at home. The best thing about posting regular updates is that your friends and family always know what you are getting up to, so they won't be surprised by the changes they see in you when you do finally return home. You could even ask close family and friends to keep you updated on life at home so you are not left feeling shocked by changes that might happen while you are away. If you are left feeling a bit upset that none of your friends want to hear all about your amazing travel stories when you get home, then why not try sharing the world with them by writing online travel reviews. For those who are considering travelling abroad, your experiences could prove very useful, and may even encourage them to do some of the things you are lucky enough to have experienced while you were away. A person who suffers reverse culture shock may _ . Answer:
Have you lost your marbles ? Don't worry! You can buy more from Harli Jordean. Harli Jordean, the 8-year-old kid, soon to be 9, is just too lovely. He was born in Stoke Newington, London in spring 2003. He started up an Internet marble company where he sells the toys. And recently the 8-year-old student was written into the record books for being the youngest founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of an Internet company. Harli's love for marbles got rolling when he was 6. According to Tina, Harli's mother, he loved the colcorful toys so much that he would go to sleep talking about marbles and the first thing in the morning he did was talking about marbles. And his family started calling him "the Marble King". "I like the patterns and designs of marbles. You can collect hundreds of different color1s, shaps, and sizes. It's fun," Harli told WR News. "And I really enjoy looking at them, touching them, holding them, studying them and playing them with my friends." Harli Jordean's marble company has a long history. After losing his marbles to an older boy, Harli and his mom turned to the Internet for ordering more marbles. However, they couldn't find a Web site that sold the toys. That gave Harli an idea-to start a Web site where people could find different types of marbles. With his family's help, Harli created a Web site that sells marbles and marble accessories. His collection includes tiny and large marbles, along with clear and color1ful ones. Since starting his business, Harli has learned how to work with marble suppliers and fill orders. In the past two years, he's received orders from customers around the world. Some of the countries where he has sold the most marbles are Brazil, Italy, and the United States. Most kids just love marbls! So how does Harli feel about being the world's youngest CEO? "It feels marvelous . I like having my own company. I like being the boss," he says. "It really ...surprised me and probably ... my teachers too. I don't think they believed me when I used to say to them 'I have a marble business'!" What does the author want to tell us by telling the story? A. It's never too late to learn. B. Don't be afraid of making mistakes C. Just do it when you have got an idea. D. Being careful is the key to success. Answer: C Ocean Park Hong Kong is a theme park in the Southern District of Hong Kong Island. The park was built with donations from the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club (now Hong Kong Jockey Club) and opened on 10 January 1977. Today it offers affordable marine animal education and entertainment and is a private organization for commercial purpose. In the early operation of the park, the main sources of income for the park were the ticket prices and the funding from the Jockey Club. Since the ticket price was low, most of the time Ocean Park was operating under deficit . In July 1987, the government established a 200 million trust from the funding of Jockey Club, under the Ocean Park Corporation Ordinance. This separated Ocean Park from Jockey Club and became a non-profit organization; it needs to be responsible for its own income and was allowed to use commercial means to operate the park. Since it was permitted to use commercial means to operate, it gradually raised its ticket price and the deficit turned into profit. In 1992, 3 million visitors visited the park. Since 1998, the East Asian financial crisis , aging attractions, and the passing away of the killer whale, the park recorded a deficit for a couple years. Although it was allowed to host 2 pandas in 1999, the number of visitors did not go up and Ocean Park was forced to close its water attractions and the "Old Village" attraction and turned to bring in more rides in an attempt to capture the youth demand. Together with the opening up of mainland visitors under the Individual Visit Scheme, Ocean Park recorded an astonishing 4 million visitors in the year 2004-2005, the highest since the park opened. In March 2005, Ocean Park made its redevelopment plan. On 23 November 2006, Ocean Park held a groundbreaking ceremony for its redevelopment. Ocean Park Corporation took all of the measures to overcome the deficits except _ . A. raise ticket price B. close some attractions C. try to attract young customers D. host 2 pandas Answer: B What does harming an organism cause? A. change in appearance B. nothing C. population increase D. population decrease Answer: D In James Cameron's fantasy films, such as Avatar and The Abyss, the unexplored is decorated in color and filled with alien danger. But on his dive to the deepest place on Earth, which took place on a Sunday last month, reality proved far different: white, deserted, and dull. "I felt like I literally had gone to another planet and come back," Cameron said after returning from the cold, dark place in the western Pacific Ocean, nearly 7 miles (11km) below the surface. "It was a very fantastic day." Cameron is the first person to explore the deepest valley in the ocean since two men made a 20-minute trip there in 1960. He spent about three hours gliding through the icy darkness, brightened only by lights on the one-man sub . This deepest section of the Mariana Trench is so untouched that at first it appeared dull. But there's something strangely interesting about the first pieces of video that Cameron shot -- a sense of aloneness. "It's really the sense of isolation, realizing how tiny you are down in this big, black and unexplored place," the Titanic director said. The wordless minute-long video, released by sponsor National Geographic, shows Cameron's sub gliding across what he calls "the very soft, almost gelatinous flat plain." To Cameron, the main thing was to appreciate being there. "There had to be a moment where I just stopped, and took it in, and said, ' _ What does that mean?'" Cameron told reporters during a conference call. The trip was only about half as long as planned because Cameron's battery ran low. He said he would return and film it in 3D for later viewing. "I see this as the beginning," Cameron said. "It's not a one-time deal and then moving on. This is the beginning of opening up this new frontier." According to the passage, which of the following words best describes Cameron? A. Generous. B. Diligent. C. Self-centered. D. Adventurous. Answer: D There are many kinds of movies in the world. For example: comedies, scary movies, documentaries , soap operas, action movies... People love movies. Comedies make people laugh because they are funny. Scary movies make people frightened and cry because they are scary. Documentaries bring people knowledge because they are educational. People like soap operas because they are romantic . People also like action movies a lot because they are exciting. Different people like different kinds of movies. Girls always like soap operas. Boys like action movies and scary movies. But all girls and boys like comedies. . What kind of movies make people cry and frightened ? A. Action movies. B. Documentaries. C. Comedies. D. Scary movies. Answer: D
When Pat Jones finished college, she decided to travel around the world and see as many foreign places as she could while she was young. Pat wanted to visit Latin America first, so she got a job as an English teacher in a school in Bolivia. Pat spoke a little Spanish, so she was able to communicate with her students even when they didn't know much English. Once, A sentence she had read somewhere struck her mind: if you dream in a foreign language, you have really mastered it. Pat repeated this sentence to her students and hoped that some day she would dream in Spanish and they would dream in English. One day, one of her worst students came up and explained in Spanish that he had not done his homework. He had gone to bed early and had slept badly. "What does this have to do with your homework?" Pat asked. "I dreamed all night, Miss Jones. And my dream was in English." "In English?" Pat was very surprised, since he was such a bad student. She was even secretly jealous . Her dream was still not in Spanish. But she encouraged her young student, "Well, tell me about your dream." "All the people in my dream spoke English. All the newspapers and magazines and all the TV programs were in English." "But that's wonderful," said Pat. "What did all the people say to you?" "I am sorry, Miss Jones. That's why I slept so badly. I didn't understand a word they said. It was a nightmare ". Pat believed that _ . Answer: dreaming in a foreign language means a good command of it Grandparents Answer a Call As a third generation native of Brownsville, Texas, Mildred Garza never pleased move away. Even when her daughter and son asked her to move to San Antonio to help their children, she politely refused. Only after a year of friendly discussion did Ms Gaf finally say yes. That was four years ago. Today all three generations regard the move to a success, giving them a closer relationship than they would have had in separate cities. No statistics show the number of grandparents like Garza who are moving closer to the children and grandchildren. Yet there is evidence suggesting that the trend is growing. Even President Obama's mother-in-law, Marian Robinson, has agreed to leave Chicago and into the White House to help care for her granddaughters. According to a study grandparents. com, 83 percent of the people said Mrs. Robinson's decision will influence the grandparents in the American family. Two-thirds believe more families will follow the example of Obama's family. "In the 1960s we were all a little wild and couldn't get away from home far enough fast enough to prove we could do it on our own,"says Christine Crosby, publisher of grate magazine for grandparents. "We now realize how important family is and how important to be near them, especially when you're raising children." Moving is not for everyone. Almost every grandparent wants to be with his or her grandchildren and is willing to make sacrifices, but sometimes it is wiser to say no and visit frequently instead. Having your grandchildren far away is hard, especially knowing your adult child is struggling, but giving up the life you know may be harder. What was the reaction of the public to Mrs. Robinson's decision? Answer: The majority thought it was a trend. The Great Plague of London in 1665 was the last in a long senies of plague that first began in London in June 1499.1t killed between 75,000 and 100,000. First suspected in late 1664,it began to spread eastwards in April 1665 from the poor suburb of St. Giles to the crowded and dirty communities on its way to the walled City of London. The Great Plague at Its Peak By September 1665 ,the death rate had reached 8,000 per week. Helpless city authorities began to abandon quarantine measures. Houses containing the dead and dying were no longer locked. London's mournful silence was broken by the noise of carts carrying the dead for burial in churches or public plague pits. Well-off residents soon fled to the countryside, leaving the poor behind in poor old commun/ties. Thousands of dogs and cats were killed to remove a feared source of contagion ,and piles of rotting garbage were burned. Doctors cut swellings and bled black spots in attempts to cure plague victims. Plague Orders prohibited churches from keeping dead bodies in their buildings during public assemblies or services, and camers of the dead had to identify themselves and could not mix with the public. Samuel Pepys: Eyewitness Accounts In his famous diary, Samuel Pepys, a member of Parliament, conveyed the sad image of desperate people wandering the streets in search of relief from the ruins of the plague. His notes during 1665 indicated the severity of London's Great Plague. In July, he mourned " the sad news of the death of so manv in the community, forty last night, the bell always going either for deaths or burials. " A month later, when London's death rate rose sharply, Pepys noted that surviors are forced to carry the dead to be buried by daylight, the nights not enough to do it The Plague Declines and the Government Reacts By February 1666,the Great Plague had nearly run its course.lt died out during the Great Fire that same year and never returned. Central parts of London were rebuilt with wider streets to relieve crowding and better waste water svstems to improve public cleanliness. New Plague Orders were issued in May 1666,which banned the burial of future plague victims in churches and small churchyards, enforced the use of quicklime at chosen burial sites, and strictly prohibited opening graves less than one year after burial as a safeguard against the spread of infection. What's the main purpose of this writing? Answer: To inform readers of what happened in the Great Plague. Frank W. Woolworth was born in Rodman, New York, in 1852. His family was very poor farmers, and there was never enough to eat. Frank decided he did not want to be a farmer. He took a short business course, and went to work as a salesman in a large city. Woolworth realized he had a natural skill for displaying goods to arouse people's interest, but he soon learned something more important. One day his boss told him to sell some odds and ends for as much as he could get. Frank put all these things on one table with a sign which said: FIVE CENTS EACH. People fought and pushed to buy the things and the table was soon cleared. Soon afterwards, Woolworth opened his own store, selling goods at five and ten cents. But he had another lesson to learn before he became successful. That is, if you want to make money by selling low-price goods, you have to buy them in large quantities directly from the factories. Once, for example, Woolworth went to Germany and placed an order for knives. The order was so large that the factory had to keep running 24 hours a day for a whole year. In this way, the price of the knives was cut down by half. By 1919, Woolworth had over 1,000 stores in the USA and Canada, and opened his first store in London. He made many millions and his name became famous throughout the world. He always ran his business according to strict rules, of which the most important was: "THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT." The belief that "The customer is always right" suggests that _ . Answer: stores should do their best to meet the customer's needs if they want to be successful Mike works very long hours every day. He usually gets up at 17:00. He has a shower and makes his breakfast. What a funny time to make breakfast! After breakfast he practices his guitar, then he puts on his jacket and goes to work. To get to work, he takes the number17 bus to the Star Hotel. The bus usually leaves at 19:15. He works all night. People love to listen to him! He gets home at 7:00, and he watches the early morning news on TV. He goes to bed at 8:30, a tired but happy man. Can you think what his job is? He _ and makes his breakfast. Answer: takes a shower
"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. According to the passage, Magnum Photos _ . Answer: only had white employees originally As a child,hopelessly unsporty,Rosie Pope nerve made the hockey team. But at the age of 57,in 2003, she ran around the world. Setting off from home in Tenby,she returned four years, 10 months later,having run 20,000 miles through Europe, Siberia,Alaska,Canada,America,Greenland and Iceland. Moreover,she did it alone with a small cart of food and equipment - running with it through the frozen wastes of Siberia and the streets of New York. Now Pope is at it again: she has just completed 26 marathons in 26 days. "If I can start out again at 63 and feel like 36,then anyone can,because I don't think I'm a superwoman.I'm a very ordinary person,"she said. Pope spent her early childhood in remote County Limerick in Ireland with her grandmother after her mother died when she was two.Her father also died at the age of 47.Pope didn't go to school regularly until she was 13;she was encouraged,instead,to spend her time outside,learning about the natural world.But it was her first husband,Colin Swale,a fearless sailor,who introduced her to the world of extreme adventure.In 1973 they became the first to go around Cape Horn in a catamaran .And in 1983,after they separated,Pope went on to sail across the Atlantic alone.After discovering running at 47,she spent her fifties completing a series of marathons in far-away places. But it was the death of her second husband,Clive,a businessman and photographer,from cancer,that triggered her biggest challenge so far. She had been thinking of running for cancer awareness,when"something broke through my grief as I was liiking at a world map on the wall.I thought I could do this."Pope is now a motivational speaker."Running around the world,or going to the moon or whatever,is only a metaphor ,"she says."The most extraordinary adventure is every day of your life." When did Rosie Pope begin marathon running? Answer: Around the age of 50. On a wholly random basis, a state agency has given a few probationary employees who were not rehired at the end of their probationary periods a statement of reasons and an opportunity for a hearing; but the agency has very rarely done so. No statute or rule of the agency required such a statement of reasons or a hearing. The employment of Masters, a probationary employee, was terminated without a statement of reasons or an opportunity for a hearing. The agency did not even consider whether it should give him either. A suit by Masters requesting a statement of reasons and a hearing will probably be Answer: unsuccessful, because Masters does not have a right to be rehired that is protected by procedural due process. 122 Which is a quick process that can form new land near an ocean? Answer: volcano erupting Disposing of waste has been a problem since humans started producing it. As more and more people choose to live close together in cities,the waste disposal problem becomes increasingly difficult. During the eighteenth century,it was usual for several neighboring towns to get together to select a faraway spot as a dump site. People would transport household rubbish,rotted wood and old possessions to the site. Regularly some of the trash was burned and the rest was buried. The unpleasant sights and smells caused no problem because nobody lived close by. Factories and some other industrial sites also had waste to be disposed of. Those located on rivers often just poured the unwanted remains into the water. Others built huge burners with chimneys to deal with the problem. Several facts make these choices unacceptable to modern society. The first problem is space. Dumps , are most needed in heavily populated areas. Such areas rarely have empty land suitable. Farm areas are refusing to accept rubbish from elsewhere,cheap land in major city areas to dispose wastes is nonexistent . Awareness of pollution dangers has resulted in more strict rules of waste disposal. Pollution of rivers,ground water,land and air is a price people can no longer pay to get rid of waste. The amount of waste,however, continues to grow. Recycling efforts have become commonplace,and many towns require their people to take part. Even the most efficient recycling programs,however,can hope to deal with only about 50 percent of a city's reusable waste,so more people should be involved in recycling programs. During the 18th century, people disposed of waste in many ways except for _ . Answer: recycling it
Sigmund Freud was one of the first scientists to make serious research of the mind. The mind is the collection of activities based in the brain that involve how we act, think, feel and reason. He used long talks with patients and the study of dreams to search for the causes of mental and emotional problems. He also tried hypnosis . He wanted to see whether putting patients into a sleep-like condition would help ease troubled minds. In most cases he found the effects only temporary. Freud worked hard, although what he did might sound easy. His method involved sitting with his patients and listening to them talk. He had them talk about whatever they were thinking. All ideas, thoughts and anything that entered their mind had to be expressed. There could be no holding back because of fear or guilt. Freud believed that all the painful memories of childhood lay buried in the unconscious self. This part of the mind he said contains wishes, desires and experiences too frightening to recognize. He thought that if these memories could somehow be brought into the conscious mind, the patient would again feel the pain. But this time, the person would experience them as an adult. The patient would feel them, be able to examine them and, if successful, finally understand them. Using this way, Freud reasoned, the pain and emotional pressure of the past would be greatly weakened. They would lose their hold over the person's physical health. Soon the patient would get better. Many of Freud's theories about how the mind works also had strong sexual connections. These included what he saw as the repressed feelings of sons toward their mothers and daughters toward their fathers. If nothing else, Freud's ideas were revolutionary. Some people rejected them. Many others came to accept them. But no one disputes his great influence on the science of mental health. If an adult parent feels the memories of childhood painful, the patient would probably _ . Answer: have a healthier and happier life 1The Dream It is everyone's dream to work at home or not work at all. You can plan your own hours and work when you want to. There is no more rush hour and no hours that people waste when they get to and from a job every day. 2The Fact The fact is that this dream can be _ . You can stay at home,work when you want to and make money when you need to. There are plenty of opportunities for you to make money at home,just by using your computer and the Internet. 3Start Today! Educate yourself, look closely into all the opportunities and decide on what works best for you. It will not happen during one night, but you can make the decision today and start to make it happen today. 4How Could You Do It? Do you have a blog or a personal website like millions of other people? Are you using it to make money? Most of these blogs and website owners are not. But you can do that! 5 _ When you have your computer and the Internet working for you, your businesses will be working for you 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You will make money while you sleep, travel or do whatever you want to do all day long. 6Get Going! There are many ways you can make money with your computer. And you can begin your stay - at - home businesses with just a little money. What are you waiting for ? What's the best title for Point 5 ? Answer: Make Money Every Moment An example of an electrical conductor could be Answer: coin In 490 B.C. the Greek messenger, Pheidippides , ran about 40 kilometers from the town of "Marathon"to Athens to announce the victory of Athens over Macedon . Since then ,the 42-kilometer "Marathon"race has become a great test for athletes. However, for many years , only men were allowed to run this race , because the distance was said to be unbearable for women. In 1966, an American women named Roberta Gibb proved that idea wrong. Gibb had always enjoyed running .One day in 1964 , she saw the Boston Marathon happening as she was running in the woods. Since running meant a lot to her, she began training harder , hoping to join the marathon some day. Gibb finally applied to run in the 1966 Boston Marathon, but she was not given entrance because the Boston Marathon Association considered that women were not strong enough to run 42 kilometers . Yet, this was no obstacle to Gibb, for she knew she had the physical and mental strength to complete the race .On the day the 1966 Boston Marathon was held , Gibb hid in the bushes and jumped into the race when it began. She finished the race in 3 hours and 21 minutes, defeating two thirds of the men in the race and proving that women could run the marathon. Although what Gibb did was only to realize her dream, in doing so she showed the world that women could accomplish greater things than many people believed they could. According to the text ,what can we learn from Roberta Gibb's story? Answer: Women may be able to achieve greater things than they're expected. Thank you for agreeing to be a Test Administrator for PISA. The purpose of this manual is to help you to understand how you will assist with the successful implementation of this large-scale student survey. 1.1. What is PISA? PISA stands for the Programme for International Student Assessment, sponsored by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). PISA 2015 is the sixth PISA study that has been conducted since 2000 and involves more than 70 participating countries. PISA has the following characteristics: * It is the world's largest international survey in education. * It surveys students aged about 15 years. * It assesses students' preparedness for adult life. Undertaking PISA is important because the results of the test can be used: * to indicate how well prepared students in a country/economy are for learning once they leave school; * to identify areas for improvement over time by schools, education systems, and governments; and * to allow a comparison of student performance and the learning environment between different countries. 1.2. Components of PISA 2015 * 1.2.1. Cognitive test 42 students from each school will be randomly sampled to complete a 2-hour computer-based test consisting of questions in science, mathematics, reading, and Collaborative Problem Solving. * 1.2.2. Questionnaires These students will also be asked to complete a 30 minutes Student Questionnaire on the computer either directly after the test sections or at a later time. * 1.2.3. Financial Literacy assessment After the cognitive test and questionnaires, a sub-sample of 10-11 students will take a computer-based Financial Literacy(FL) assessment. The 65-minute Financial Literacy assessment tests students' knowledge of personal finances and their ability to apply it to their financial problems. What can we know about PISA from the passage? Answer: Top PISA scorers are more likely to succeed in their adult life than lower score owners.
For several years now, the dollar has fallen lower and lower against other major currencies. Lately, though, the dollar has risen, especially against the Japanese yen and the euro. Some traders think the dollar will continue to rise, but that is not clear. The dollar moved up this week after comments by American officials in support of a strong dollar policy. On Monday, before he left for his last trip as president to Europe, George Bush said: "A strong dollar is in our nation's interests. It is in the interests of the global economy." Also Monday, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said on CNBC television that he would consider intervention to keep the dollar from sliding further. The United States has not intervened in currency markets since two thousand. That year the administration of president Bill Clinton bought euros to support the European currency. But on Tuesday, President Bush said in Slovenia that the "relative value of economies will end up setting the proper valuation of the dollar." A weaker dollar helps American exporters. But it means Americans have to pay more for imports and for travel to other countries. Some experts say dollar weakness is the main reason why oil prices have risen so high. Oil is priced in dollars on the world market. But Treasury Secretary Paulson dismissed any link. He noted that since two thousand two, the dollar has fallen about twenty-four percent. But the price of oil has gone up well over five hundred percent. Adding to pressure on the dollar, European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet suggested that the E.C.B will raise interest rates next month. European officials are increasingly concerned with inflation. But investors can already get higher rates of return on investments in euros than in dollars. High prices for oil, food and other products have raised inflation concerns worldwide. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said the latest increases in energy prices have added to inflation risks. His comments in recent days have suggested that the central bank could stop cutting rates as it has since September. Its rate for overnight loans between banks is currently at two percent. Some market watchers think the Fed could raise rates as early as this month. Finance ministers from nations in the Group of Eight will discuss the dollar and other issues at their meeting this weekend in Osaka, Japan. The passage is mainly concerned about _ A. the history of American currency B. the inflation in America C. the political cases in America D. the price of the oil in the world Answer: B. the inflation in America Pamela sued Driver for damages for the death of Pamela's husband Ronald, resulting from an automobile collision. At trial, Driver calls Ronald's doctor to testify that the day before his death, Ronald, in great pain, said, "It was my own fault; there's nobody to blame but me." The doctor's testimony should be admitted as A. a statement against interest. B. a dying declaration. C. a statement of Ronald's then existing state of mind. D. an excited utterance. Answer: A. a statement against interest. It was Saturday, and every Saturday all the children on the block would have a bicycle race. Juan rode his new red bicycle to the dead end street where the race was held. He knew he would win. His new bicycle would be faster than anyone's. Anita was there on her white bicycle. Todd was riding a blue bicycle, and Jasper soon arrived on a yellow bicycle. The race began, and Juan was in the lead. He heard Anita crying behind him. He turned to see her chain was broken, and she had fallen from her bike into the green grass. Juan stopped and turned around to help Anita. Jasper and Todd rode past them, and it was soon clear that Todd would win the race. Juan walked Anita home, and she thanked him for being a good friend. What color bicycle won the race? A. A blue bicycle. B. A red bicycle. C. A white bicycle. D. A green bicycle. Answer: A. A blue bicycle. What if it isn't a dog-eat-dog world? What if caring for a dog or for a mom with Alzheimer's makes you stronger and allows you to live longer? Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley are challenging our long-held belief that humans are born to be selfish. Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection was misunderstood by his male followers, the researchers say. Rather than "every man for himself", Darwin believed that humans are successful as a species precisely because of our educational, selfless and sympathetic characteristics. Why has it taken so long for Darwin's central revelation to be properly understood? "We've had too many men in social science," Berkeley psychology professor Dacher Keltner told me in an interview. "Female scientists acknowledge that caring for people is part of human nature according to the research, which shows the human ability to care exists in our brains and nerve systems." In my bookPassages in Caregiving, I urge women who take the whole responsibility for taking care of an elderly parent or a sick relative to build a "Circle of Care". Reach out to your brothers and sisters, friends, neighbors and community volunteers to help you care, because no one can perform this overwhelming role alone. You will be as shocked as I to learn how the most selfless caregivers are rewarded with longer life. Sympathy is not a woman's word. In fact it makes all of us stronger under stress and more highly respected by our peers. For so long we have repeated the false saying "Nice guys finish last". But the 40 richest Americans committed to doing good by donating half their fortunes are _ . So here is my new explanation:Nice guys die last. Why does the author mention the 40 richest Americans' commitment in this passage? A. To argue against offering sympathy. B. To use it as an example to support his opinion. C. To show their generosity to society. D. To call on people to learn from them. Answer: B. To use it as an example to support his opinion. JIUQUAN, China--China's Shenzhou-9 spacecraft blasted off at 6:37 pm Saturday, from a remote desert in western China, sending a crew of three, including the country's first female astronaut, into space. The successful launch, powered by a Long March 2F rocket, was shown live on state television Saturday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert in western China. The Chinese astronauts will complete the country's first manned space docking mission , an important step in Beijing's ambitious plan to build a permanent space station by 2020. Possible future missions could include sending a man to the moon. The crew is expected to spend more than 10 days in space and dock with the Tiangong-1 space lab module, which China launched in September 2011. Two of them will live and work inside the module to test its life-support systems, while the third will remain in the capsule to deal with any unexpected emergencies. China first launched a man into space in 2003, followed by a two-man mission in 2005 and a three-man trip in 2008 that featured the country's first spacewalk. In November 2011, the unmanned Shenzhou-8 successfully docked twice with Tiangong-1 by remote control. The manned docking would be considered a milestone for China's space program. China is hoping to join the United States and Russia as the only countries to send independently maintained space stations into orbit . It is already one of just three nations to have launched manned spacecraft on their own. The program is a source of enormous national pride for China, reflecting its rapid economic and technological progress and ambition to rank among the world's leading nations. What's the main idea of the passage? A. China sent its first woman into outer space. B. Shenzhou-9 sent three astronauts, including a female, into space. C. China's advanced space technology amazed the world. D. Three Chinese astronauts began their space voyage. Answer: B. Shenzhou-9 sent three astronauts, including a female, into space.
John likes chocolates very much, but his mother doesn't give him. They are bad for his teeth, she thinks. But John has a very nice grandfather. The old man loves his grandson very much. And sometimes he buys John some chocolates. Then his mother lets him eat them, because she wants to make the old man happy. On Sunday evening, it is John's seventh birthday. He says, "Please, God , make them give me a big box of chocolates for my birthday,"His mother says, " God can't hear you. Don't shout ." " I know, "says the clever boy with a smile . " But my grandfather is in the next room, and he can!" John's mother thinks _ . A. John's teeth are bad B. chocolates are good for her teeth C. chocolates are bad for John's teeth D. John likes cakes Answer: C Which of the following is formed immediately after fertilization? A. egg B. sperm C. zygote D. embryo Answer: C A mother returned home from the store very tiredly.As she put down all of the things on the kitchen table,her 8-year-old son ran up to her.He was waiting for her and wanted to tell her what his younger brother had done. "While I was out playing and Dad was on a call,Tyler took his crayons and wrote on the wall! It's on the new wallpaper you just hung up in the living room.I told him you would be mad at him for doing it again,but I couldn't stop him." She let out a long sound and asked, _ "He is in his room,"the son answered quickly. She walked to the younger son's room.She called his full name as she entered.Then,she found Tyler.He was trying to hide.He knew that the worst moment was corning! For the next 10 minutes,the room was full of her shouting about the expensive wallpaper.She punished the little boy for his bad behavior. Then,she headed for the living room to see what happened.As she saw the wall,her eyes flooded with tears at once.It said"I love Mommy"and was surrounded with a heart. Well, the wallpaper remained,just as she found it,with an empty picture frame hung around it.A reminder to her and to all:Take time to read the handwriting on the wall. So when you are sure that something goes wrong,have you ever had any doubt that there might be a misunderstanding? Take some time to give it a second thought. What is the main idea of the story? A. It's never too late to show love to our families. B. Love from your mother often hides in small things. C. It's important to believe in your family members. D. We'd better take time to learn from others' mistakes. Answer: D French soccer player David Trezeguet holds the record for the fastest shot in a soccer match. It happened during a match between his club Juventus and England's Manchester United in 1998. At that time, he was unknown outside of French soccer. But nine years later, Trezeguet, 29, has become one of the world's most famous strikers . In September, 2007, he scored his 100th goal in the Italian League. "One hundred goals with Juventus, one of the greatest clubs in the world, that is important," he said. Although Trezeguet was born in France, he grew up in Argentina and he says his " _ " helped him become one of the world's best soccer players. "Most people in Argentina have to work hard for everything they want," he explained. "This mentality gave me a hunger and an ambition to become the best." Trezeguet has had a great career. He has won nearly every major competition in soccer - the World Cup, the European Championships, the European Cup, as well as the French and Italian league titles. But Trezeguet knows all about heartache too. In the French World Cup in 1998, after playing every match in the competition, he was not chosen to play in the final when France went on to win. Then in the 2006 World Cup in Germany, his miss in the penalty shoot-out handed victory to Italy. But Trezeguet refuses to let this get him down. "I accept my responsibility. It's part of football," he said. "You just have to move on and start thinking about focusing on the next thing." In 1998, David Trezeguet _ . A. scored with the fastest ever shot B. was a well-known basketball player in France C. became famous around the world D. was a member of Manchester United Answer: A 1"I will think of it." It is easy to say this, but do you know what great things have come from thinking? Though we can not see, or hear, or feel our thoughts, they have great power ! 2Isaac Newton was seated in his garden on a summer evening when he saw an apple fall from a tree. He began to think, and tried to find out why the apple fell. Then he discovered how the earth, sun, moon, and stars are kept in their places. 3James Ferguson once saw the inside of his father's watch, and he wondered, "Why should I not make a watch?" This set him thinking and it led to a wooden clock which kept good time. 4Walt Disney, the famous American film-maker, was often thinking of new ideas. One day, when he was in a meeting, he suddenly stopped talking, deep in thought. He looked and looked at a place high up in the room. This continued for a long time, end then he got an idea for a new cartoon. 5Ideas come at any time, end the important thing is to think. When you meet with any difficulty, don't lose heart. Try to think of it before asking someone to help you. Think and by thinking you will learn how to think creatively. _ made a wooden clock. A. Isaac Newton B. Walt Disney C. James Ferguson D. James' father Answer: C
A student used two long wires to connect a lightbulb to a battery. The student noticed that as soon as the circuit was complete, a nearby compass started to point in a direction other than north. The compass pointed in a different direction because it was reacting to the A heat produced by the lightbulb. B light produced by the lightbulb. C electric field produced by the battery. D magnetic field produced by the electric current. Answer: D If you have no special plans for your holidays, why not spend your time helping others?Don't believe those people who say that young people today often think only of themselves. It's not true at all. More and more young people in the USA volunteer to spend their school holidays working for others. And they don't do it for money. Here are some of their stories. Alice, 17 I'm going to help the Forest Center build new hiking paths in the mountains. It's going to be great fun -- I'll spend the whole summer living in a forest and breathing the clean mountain air. I'm going to sleep under the moon and stars. It will be a nice sport, and I'll be able to do something good at the same time! Jason , 18 This summer, I'm going to volunteer with Special House Program. They build good, less expensive houses and sell them to families that are not very rich. They'll teach me what to do, so I'll help people and also have a chance to learn how to build houses. Trish , 16 I'm going to teach children who have trouble in reading. I'll work for a program called Reading for Life. Every day, I'm going to help them choose and read books that they like. I want to be a teacher, and I love children and reading, so this is going to be a great experience for me. The writer's idea in this passage is _ . A school students should do some hiking in summer. B it's good to do something good for others in vacation. C helping children to choose and read books is a good way. D breathing clean mountain air is good for health. Answer: B I am a boy from the USA. Now I go to school in China. I have Chinese food now, I like it. I usually have porridge and milk for breakfast at home with my parents. Sometimes I have some small cakes, too. But I don't have lunch at home. I have it at school with my classmates . I usually have meat or fish, rice and vegetables for lunch. After lunch I have some fruit. I get home at half past four in the afternoon. So I have supper with my parents again. Sometimes we go out for supper. My mother often cooks supper. Sometimes my sister does it. We usually have rice, fish, meat, vegetables and fruit juice for supper. We sometimes have noodles and dumplings. After supper, I often have some fruit. I like apples very much. ,. When does the boy usually get back home? A 4:45 B 5.30 C 4:30 D 5:15 Answer: C In the late nineteenth century, ^5,000 pianos were sold in the United States each year and, with over half a million youths learning to play the instrument, there was a huge demand for sheet music .Indeed the demand was so huge that publishers rushed to enter the profitable market.During the last fifteen years of the century, many publishers began to set up shops in New York, the center for the production of the musical arts By the turn of the nineteenth century many important publishers had their offices on 28thStreet between Broadway and 5th Avenue, and this Is the area that became known as Tin Pan Alley.It was here that publishers adopted new, aggressive business practices and marketing techniques to achieve great sales. How it became to be known by that name is unclear, but the general opinion is that it is down to a visiting journalist by the name of Monroe Rosenfeld.He described the area as being drowned in the noise coming from the producers' offices, sounding as though hundreds of people were hitting tin pans .He used it several times in his newspaper articles in the early twentieth century and the term stuck.With time this name was popularly embraced and many years later it came to describe the U.S.music publishing industry in general. The start of Tin Pan Alley is usually dated to about 1885,.but the end of Tin Pan Alley is less clear-cut .Some date it to the start of the Great.Depression in the 1930s when the phonograph and radio replaced sheet music, as the driving force of American popular music, while others consider Tin Pan Alley to have continued into thel950s when earlier styles of American popular music were upstaged by the rise of rock & roll. There's a plaque on the sidewalk on 28th Street in honor of the influence of Tin Pan Alley on American popular culture, but the buildings that were home to the legendary Tin Pan Alley publishers and songwriters are up for sale and may be torn down to make room for modern high-rise buildings. In the nineteenth century, the driving force of American popular music was: _ . A rock & roll B sheet music C country music D phonographs and radios Answer: B GUESS what's making 9 millionprefix = st1 /USteenagers scream at the top of their voices this summer? It's not the Hulk or Iron man hitting someone across a room, but the catchy beat of the music in Disney's latest TV movie Camp Rock, which came out in theUSon June 20. The show attracted more than 8.9 million viewers. So how does CampRockattract so many viewers? One reason is that it features the hugely popular boy band the Jonas Brothers, whom all the girls seem to _ But what's the story? Connect Three is a rock group. One member, Shane Gray (Joe Jonas)needs to get rid of his bad boy rocker image, so he's sent by fellow band members Nate (Nick Jonas)and Jason (Kevin Jonas) to a music camp as a guest instructor . The idea is the camp will help him clean up his act. There he meets Mitchie Torres (Demi Lovato), a teenage girl with an extraordinary voice and a driving ambition to be a pop singer. However, she can only afford to be at the expensive camp by helping her mom work in the mess hall between classes. When Shane overhears Mitchie singing from behind closed doors, he sets out to find the girl with the beautiful voice. One group of teenagers was really eager to watch the movie. The kids took their positions on the floor to countdown to show time. One of them, Leah Karrels, 16, even sang the movie's theme , We Rock. She explained that she's seen the trailer so many times she knows the words by heart. The girls cheered when the movie began, and for the next two hours the only time they got up was to run for chocolate ice cream cake from the freezer. "I'm sure this is going to knock High School Musical off the shelves in stores. This is the next big thing," said Leah. What's the best title of the passage? A Jonas Brothers B The Story About Connect Three C The Trailer Of Camp Rock D Summer of 'Rock' Answer: D
I don't think there is anything wrong with your blood. The key to your problem is that long nap after dinner. If you didn't sleep for hours during the early part of the evening, you would be more ready to sleep at bedtime. If you didn't nap after dinner, you would not want to stay up so late, and you would not feel the need to take a sleeping pill. The pill is still working in your system when you get up in the morning. This helps account for the fact that you feel tired all day. You should get out of the habit of sleeping during the early evening. Right after your evening meal, engage in some sort of physical activity-a sport such as bowling, perhaps. Or get together with friends for an evening of cards and conversation. Then go to bed at your usual time or a little earlier, and you should be able to get a good night's rest without taking a pill. If you can get into the habit of spending your evenings this way, I am sure you will feel less tired during the day. At first it may be hard for you to go to sleep without taking a pill. If so, get up and watch television or do some jobs around your house until you feel sleepy. If you fall asleep and then wake up a few hours later, get up but do not take a sleeping pill. Read a while or listen to the radio, and make yourself a few hours' sleep that night, you will feel better in the morning than you usually feel after taking a pill. The next night you will be ready to sleep at an earlier hour. The most important thing is to avoid taking that nap right after dinner and avoid taking pills. Which of the following is NOT TRUE if you want to get out of the habit of sleeping during the evening? Put sunscreen on before going out in the sun. Take it with you. Use it -- after a swim. -- every hour or so while playing outdoors. -- if you get sweaty. Cover up when the sun is overhead -- 10 a.m.--2 p.m.. -- especially at lunch time. Get your suntan gradually and not too much. Controlled exposure to sunshine helps avoid skin cancer. Ask your chemist to recommend a suitable sunscreen. Queensland Cancer Fund P. O. Box Spring Hill, QLD.4000 Phone (07) 8397077 Provided for community awareness by the Queensland Cancer This passage is most likely to be _ . Born in 1983 in Arizona, US, Jessica has learned to live her life with her feet. She was born without arms, and no doctors could figure out why. There were many questions at the time about whether Jessica would be able to live a "normal" life. However, Jessica ' s father said , "I have never shed a tear about her birth condition. " With the support of her parents and family, Jessica became confident in herself as an adult and continued to explore the world with her feet. As a child, Jessica studied dance in her home town. When the first performance arrived, she asked to be put in the back row. Her dance teacher told her there was no back row. Nervously, she took the stage with the other students and performed her routine. When she finished, the applause from the audience gave her encouragement and the confidence to continue dancing for 14 years. After graduating from high school, Jessica attended the University of Arizona, where she earned a bachelor' s degree in Psychology. When talking about her major, she frequently explainsthat psychology has a great effect on her life, helping her out of a physical limitation. During college, Jessica signed up for a club of Taekwondo and learned all of the color1 belt material. The instructors created a course that would be accessible to any future armless students. Jessica became the first armless person to earn a black belt in the club. Jessica' s most famous accomplishment was learning how to fly. It took three states, four airplanes, two flight instructors and a discouraging year to find the right aircraft. She received the Cuinness World Record for being the first person permitted to fly an airplane with only her feet. Now Jessica works as a motivational lecturer. She travels the world sharing her story and encouraging people to be creative with the slogan "Think outside the shoe." What' s the best title of the passage? Disease, poverty, hate, love-Charles Dickens' stories opened his readers eyes to the most important themes of his age. Two hundred years on, his stories still speak volumes across the world, proving that Dickens' legacy was far greater that just "great-literature". February 7 marks the 200thanniversary of the writer's birthday. To mark this date, BBC writer Alex Hudson listed six things Dickens gave the modern world. Let's take a look at two of them. A White Christmas Dickens is described as "the man who invented Christmas" - not the religious festival, but the cultural aspects that we associate with the festive season today. In the early 19thcentury, Christmas was barely worth mentioning, according to critic and writer Leigh Hunt. The committee which ran the Conservative Party even held ordinary business meetings on Christmas Day-unthinkable in the West nowadays, when everyone but the most necessary workers takes at least three days off. Many people believe that Dickens' popular descriptions of the festive period became a blueprint for generations to come. In his classic novel,A Christmas Carol, he not only put forward the idea of snow at Christmas, but also painted a picture of glowing warmth-"home enjoyments, affections and hopes". In his biography of Dickens, Peter Ackroyd wrote: "Dickens can be said to have almost single-handedly created the modern idea of Christmas." "Dickens" poverty Dickens was one of the first to take an honest look at the underclass and the poor of Victorian London. He helped popularize the term " _ " to describe situations where people in power use needless amounts of bureaucracy in a way that particularly hurts the weaker and poorer members of society. "Dickensian" has now become a powerful word for describing an unacceptable level of poverty. In 2009, when the president of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers in the UK wanted to talk about poverty in some areas of Britain, she did not use words like "terrible" or "horrific", but rather described it as "life mirroring the times of Dickens". The article is mainly about _ . Everybody has a home. We people have homes,animals have homes,too. Some animals live under the ground. The woodchuck lives in holes under the ground. His home has two doors. If anybody comes in one door, he goes out from the other door. Some birds live in nests and trees. They come out for food in the day and go back to sleep at night. But many birds just live in the trees. Bees work hard to make their homes. There are many,many little rooms in their house... Cows ,sheep and chicks live in people's homes. And that is called farm. We see all kinds of animals in the zoo. It's a big home for lots of animals. A woodchuck's home has _ doors.
Further education is officially described as the"post-secondary stage of education, comprising all vocational and non-vocational provision made for young people who have left school, or for adults". Further education thus embraces the vast range of university, technical, commercial, and art education and the wide field of adult education. It is this sector of education, which is concerned with education beyond the normal school-leaving ages of 16 or 18, that has experienced the most astonishing growth in the number of students. In the 19th century the dominance of Oxford and Cambridge was challenged by the rise of the civic universities, such as London, Manchester, and Birmingham. Following the lead of the 18th century German universities and responding to a public demand for increased opportunity for higher education, Britain's new civic universities quickly acquired recognition--not only in technological fields but also in the fine and liberal arts. Many new post-school technical colleges were founded in the early 20th century. The Fisher Act of 1918 empowered the local authorities to levy a rate (tax) to finance such colleges. The universities, on the other hand, received funds from the central government through the University Grants Committee, established in 1911 and recognized in 1920, after World War I. A new type of technical college was established in the 1960s--the polytechnic, which provides mainly technological courses of university level as well as courses of a general kind in the arts and sciences. Polytechnics are chartered to award degrees validated by a Council for National Academic Awards. Thus, the third level in the United Kingdom is made up of colleges of further education, technical colleges, polytechnics, and universities. The colleges offer full-time and part-time courses beyond compulsory-school level. Polytechnics and universities are mainly responsible for degrees and research. The innovative Open University, with its flexible admission policy and study arrangements, opened in 1971. It uses various media to provide highly accessible and flexible higher education for working adults and other part-time students. It serves as an organizational model and provides course-materials for similar institutions in other countries. Changes in British education in the second half of the 20th century have, without changing the basic values in the system, extended education by population, level, and content. New areas for expansion include immigrant cultural groups and multicultural content, the accommodation of special needs, and the development of tools and content in the expanding fields of microelectronics. The new civic universities in Britain _ . Answer: met the increased demand of the public for higher education 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. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? Answer: Anne's father Otto survived World War II. Olaf Stapledon wrote a book called First and Last Men, in which he looked millions of years ahead. He told of different men and of strange civilizations, broken up by long 'dark ages' in between. In his view, what is called the present time is no more than a moment in human history and we are just the First Men. In 2,000 million years from now there will be the Eighteenth or Last Men. However, most of our ideas about the future are really very short-sighted. Perhaps we can see some possibilities for the next fifty years. But the next hundred? The next thousand? The next million? That's much more difficult. When men and women lived by hunting 50,000 years ago, how could they even begin to picture modern life? Yet to men of 50,000 years from now, we may seem as primitive in our ideas as the Stone-Age hunters do to us. Perhaps they will spend their days goallocking to make new spundles, or struggling with their ballalators through the cribe. These words, which I have just made up, have to stand for things and ideas that we simply can't think of. So why bother even to try imagining life far in the future? Here are two reasons. First, unless we remember how short our own lives are compared with the whole human history, we are likely to think our own interests are much more important than they really are. If we make the earth a poor place to live on, because we are careless or greedy or quarrelsome, our grandchildren will not bother to think of excuses for us. Second, by trying to escape from present interests and imagine life far in the future, we may arrive at quite fresh ideas that we can use ourselves. For example, if we imagine that in the future men may give up farming, we can think of trying it now. So set your imagination free when you think about the future. Spundles and ballalators are used in the text to refer to _ . Answer: unknown things in the future A baby kit fox grows to become an adult with a mass of over 3.5 kg. What factor will have the greatest influence on this kit fox's survival? Answer: the conditions of the fox's habitat If humans were truly at home under the light of the moon and stars,we would go in darkness happily,the midnight world as visible to us as it is to the vast number of nocturnal species on this planet. Instead,we are diurnal creatures, with eyes adapted to living in the sun's light. This is a basic evolutionary fact, even though most of us don't think of ourselves as diurnal beings. Yet it's the only way to explain what we've done to the night: We've engineered it to receive us by filling _ with light. The benefits of this kind of engineering come with consequences called light pollution whose effects scientists are only now beginning to study. Light pollution is largely the result of bad lighting design,which allows artificial light to shine outward and upward into the sky. III-designed lighting washes out the darkness of night and completely changes the light levels and light rhythms -- to which many forms of life, including, ourselves, have adapted. Wherever human light spills into the natural world, some aspect or life is affected . In most cities the sky looks as though it has been emptied of stars, leaving behind a vacant haze that mirrors our fear of the dark. We've grown so used to this orange haze that the original glory of an unlit nigh, - dark enough for the planet Venus to throw shadow on Earth, is wholly beyond our experience, beyond memory almost. We've lit up the night as if it were an unoccupied country, when nothing could be further form the truth. Among mammals alone, the number of nocturnal species is astonishing, Light is a powerful biological force, and on many species it acts as a magnet . The effect is so powerful that scientists speak of songbirds and seabirds being "captured" by searchlights on land or by the light from gas flares on marine oil platforms. Migrating at night, birds tend to collide with brightly lit tall buildings. Frogs living near brightly lit highways suffer nocturnal light levels that are as much as a million times righter than normal, throwing nearly every aspect of their behavior out of joint including most other creatures ,we do need darkness .Darkness is as essential to our biological welfare, to our internal clockwork, as light itself. Living in a glare of our making,we have cut ourselves off from our evolutionary and cultural heritage--the light of the stars and the rhythms of day and night .In a very real sense light pollution causes us to lose sight of our true place in the universe, to forget the scale of our being, which is best measured against the dimensions of a deep night with the Milky Way--the edge of our galaxy arching overhead. The writer mentions birds and frogs to _ Answer: show how light pollution affects animals
A woman called Julia lived in the countryside, one year she decided to visit the capital city to see the sights. She stayed at a hotel near the central market. She had seldom been to the city before, and was very excited about what she would find. On the first morning of her visit, as she walked from the hotel to the market, she passed a beggar . He was holding up a notice, which said, "Blind from birth. Please give generously ."Julia felt sorry for the beggar and she bent down and put a dollar coin into his bowl. "Thank you." he said. The same thing happened again the following day. On the third day, however, Julia did not have a dollar coin. She had only fifty cents, so she dropped this into the beggar's bowl. "What have I done wrong?" the beggar said, "Why are you so stingy today?" Julia was very surprised at the beggar . "How do you know I haven't given you a dollar?" she said, "If you're blind you can't know what coin I put into your bowl." "Ah," explained the beggar, "The truth is that I'm not blind. I'm just looking after this place for the regular beggar while he's on holiday." "On holiday?" Julia said, "And what exactly does your blind friend do on holiday?" "He goes into the countryside," the man said, "and takes photographs. He's a very good photographer." On the first two days, _ . You can find ferrous metals in The round trip will cost at least $4.800 in all. Some more fees may also need to be spent. I hope you will have a good trip. DAY 1 Leave the USA for China. Your flight will include meals. drinks. and in-flight entertainment for your journey. DAY 2 Arrive and check in at your hotel: Beijing Hotel. You will only need to payY=560 (70% "discounts off) per night for a single room. DAY 3 In the morning we will go by subway to the Olympic Green and see the Bird's Nest. In the afternoon. we will visit the Water Cube. DAY 4 Enjoy a full-day tour to the Forbidden City. the Temple of Heaven and the Confucius Temple. We will begin at Tiananmen Square and then walk to the Forbidden City. In the afternoon. we will visit the Temple of Heaven and the Confucius Temple: DAY 5 We will visit Beijing Zoo and the Summer Palace. First stop: Beijing Zoo. You have a chance to see China's most cherished native animal. panda. After lunch. we will take the bus to the Summer Palace. DAY 6 We will go to the Great Wall and the Ming Tombs. DAY 7 Take off from Beijing Capital International Airport. How long will the trip be? Sometimes children do not do what their parents tell them to do. When this happens, a parent tries to help the child to do the right thing. When this does not work, the parent usually punishes the child. There are many things that a parent can do. One thing that people have done is to spank the child. When a parent spanks a child, they will use their hand or a hard object to hit them on their bottom. This is meant to show the child that they have done something wrong. One parent remembers being spanked when he was a child. His parents used a stick. When he spanked his own children with his hand, he saw that he put a red mark on his child's leg. He never did that again. One problem with spanking is that it teaches the child to hit someone when they do not like what the other person is doing. Another problem with spanking is that the parent is usually angry and can hit the child too hard. Sometimes parents will use spanking for everything and not try other ways to get the child to do the right thing. Many parents are not sure of what to do instead of spanking. Some people think that their religion tells them that spanking is okay. Some think that the law lets them do it. The courts say that parents have the right to teach their children how to do things right. Other things should be tried before a parent decides to spank a child. Telling the child clearly what is wanted from them can be one thing. Giving a child more than one choice is another thing that can be tried. Getting down to the child's level and trying a more child- friendly way can help as well. From this passage, we can know that _ . This is a time of year when we think about giving and receiving presents. Can you find a little extra to give? On this page we suggest a few organizations you might like to help. Littleton Children's Home We DON'T want your money, but children's toys, books and clothes IN GOOD CONDITION would be very welcome. Also, we are looking for friendly families who would take our children into their homes for a few hours or days as guests. You have so much-will you share it? Phone Sister Thomas on 55671 Children's Hospice We look after a small number of very sick children. This important work needs skill and love. We cannot continue without gifts or money to pay for more nursing staff. We also need storybooks and toys suitable for quiet games. Please contact the Secretary, Little Children's Hospice, Newby Road. Street Food In the winter weather, it's no fun being homeless. It's even worse if you're hungry. We give hot food to at least fifty people every night. It's hard work, but necessary. Can you come and help? If not, can you offer a little money? We use a very old kitchen, and we need some new saucepans . Money for new ones would be most welcome indeed. Contact Street Food, c/o Mary's House, Elming Way. Littleton Phone 27713 Littleton Youth Club Have you got an unwanted chair? - a record-player? - a pot of paint ? Because we can use them! We want to get to work on our meeting room! Please phone 66231 and we'll be happy to collect anything you can give us. Thank you! The Night Shelter We offer a warm bed for the night to anyone who has nowhere to go. We rent the former Commercial Hotel on Green Street. Although it is not expensive, we never seem to have quite enough money. Can you let us have a few pounds? Any amount, however small, will be such a help. Send it to us at 15, Green St, Littleton. Please make check payable to Night Shelter. What can be concluded from the passage?
Cities alarmed by deaths and injuries of pedestrians are taking efforts to make crosswalks safer for people on foot, especially seniors and children who need more time to cross streets. A pedestrian is killed in a traffic accident in the USA every 110 minutes;one is injured every nine minutes, according to official data. Crosswalk can be especially dangerous for the elderly. Among people 70 and older, 36% of pedestrian deaths in 2006 occurred in crosswalks, compared with 21% of those younger than 70, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The Federal Highway Administration(FHWA)advises that next year states increase by nearly 15% the amount of time traffic lights provide for pedestrians to cross the street after the flashing orange hand appears . FHWA spokesman Doug Hecox says reasons for the change include an aging population that needs more time to cross, health-conscious Americans walking more, children encouraged to walk to prevent getting overweight and high gas prices pushing people to walk instead of driving. Pedestrian deaths went down by 12% from 5,449 in 1996 to 4,784 in 2006. But among those in 2006, 471 were killed in crosswalks, down slightly from 488 ten years earlier, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says . The report from NHTSA suggests that _ . A fewer people were injured in crosswalks B crosswalk safety has been greatly improved C much has been done to reduce traffic accidents D pedestrian deaths in crosswalk remain a serious problem Answer: D. pedestrian deaths in crosswalk remain a serious problem Which might you find in a zoo? A a Sunda Colugo B a Sneezewort C a sousaphone D a Picasso Answer: A. a Sunda Colugo The national schools' first aid competition is an interesting way for young people to practice their first aid skills in a safe environment. A school may have three teams. The deadline for this competition has now been continued to April 21, 2012. All teams will compete at an elimination round, with the winners going forward to the National Final for the chance to become the winner. A team has three formal members, and a reserve is also needed. All team members, together with the reserve, will take part. There are two age sections: Junior: 7 to11 Senior: 12 to 16 This competition is based on the Young First Aid Course from St. John Ambulance Training Officer. Support will be given to make sure everyone has equal chances to win. The winners of this competition will be invited to take part in the Young Grand Prior Competition. This competition improves the practical first aid skills of young people and tests their knowledge and skills with a series of realistic accidents and injuries. Youth teams are aged between 12 and 16 years old and should have three members. Young adults are aged between 17 and 21 and should have two members. All teams may bring a reserve. The Young Grand Prior Competition will be held at the Spa Complex, Scarborough, on November 28, 2012. Those who want to take part in the national schools' first aid competition will have to complete our application form. The passage is written mainly for _ . A those who want to practice their first aid skills B the young school students in the country C the middle school teachers in the country D the young people throughout the country Answer: B. the young school students in the country A group of students are studying bean plants. All of the following traits are affected by changes in the environment except A leaf color. B seed type. C bean production. D plant height. Answer: B. seed type. What were you doing before you started reading this? Were you fully focused on another article? Or eating breakfast? Organizing your day? Or were you staring out of the window, feeling restless and bored? It is likely to have been the latter. Brief moments of boredom are universal, and are frequently what drives us to stop what we are doing and move to something that we hope will be more exciting. But although boredom is common, it is neither unimportant nor favorable, according to Dr John Eastwood, a psychologist at York University, Toronto. Eastwood is the joint author ofThe Unengaged Mind, a major new paper on the theory of boredom. Boredom, he points out in the paper, has been connected with overeating, depression, anxiety, and an increased risk of making mistakes. Mistakes at work might not be a matter of life and death for most of us, but if you are an air traffic controller, pilot or nuclear power plant operator, they most certainly can be. Commercial polo Sami Franks confirms that boredom can make pilots lose attention. "When you fly a lengthy distance, there are two pilots, one of whom is monitoring all the screens while the other does the paperwork, talks to air traffic control and so on. You need to be alert for landing and takeoff, but once you're 500 ft above the runway, the plane's on autopilot and it can be very quiet and boring. In a study I saw of pilots who woke up after a short sleep. 30% of them reported seeing the other pilot asleep too," said Franks. However, Dr Esther Priyadharshini, a senior lecturer in education at the university of East Anglia, has studied boredom and says it can be seen in a positive light. "We can't prevent boredom--it's an unavoidable human emotion. We have to accept it and find ways to control it. We all need downtime. There's no need to be fully busy with work at all times." she says. Children who complain that they have nothing to do on rainy holidays may try to find other things to focus on. The artist Grayson Perry has reportedly spoken of how long periods of boredom in childhood may have improved his creativity. "We all need vacant time to mull things over," says Priyadharshini. What is the best title for the text? A Why am I so bored? B Is boredom bad for you? C Can I have your attention? D How can I get rid of boredom? Answer: B. Is boredom bad for you?
I've been living in China for a while -- long enough to observe the long-term deterioration of my own native language abilities, as well as those of my fellow English speakers. This deterioration can take different forms, one of which is the non-standard usage of the words. Its source is, specifically, Chinese culture, and its target is native English speakers. Below I give some of the common ways that the Chinese environment strikes down the native speaker's linguistic competence . Net bar: In Chinese, they're called "", This is fine. We generally call them "Internet cafe" in English. The Chinese seem to think that "" should be translated as "net bar" in English, and many careless foreigners have even been misled by this idea. Name card: In the English-speaking world, business people have lots of business meetings to discuss business. On these occasions, business people exchange specially printed pieces of paper known as business cards. In China everyone calls them "name cards", because in Chinese they are called "" and "name card" is a more direct translation . Bean curd. It's called "tofu," OK! This English word comes from Chinese. I know all dictionaries sold in China will tell you "" is "bean curd" in English and that may represent the two characters nicely, but "bean curd" is more a definition than a comfortable translation. And yet some foreigners start saying "bean curd" rather than tofu. Deplorable ! I think you see the pattern. The normal native way of saying something is replaced by a more unnatural way of saying it using other English words. If you've been living in China for a while and find yourself using all of these, you might be on dangerous ground. You're going to start making a fool of yourself back home. Look out! Resist Chinglish attempts at destroying your own command of your mother tongue! What is the main cause of the non-standard usage of the words by native English speakers? A. Chinese culture B. Chinese tradition C. English flexibility D. Chinese polluted environment Answer: A Thanksgiving Day is an American national holiday. It usually lasts four days. Americans celebrate it on the fourth Thursday of November each year. It's a time for people to give thanks to God, and it's also a time for family members to get together. Thanksgiving Day is like a warm family meeting. On the Eve of Thanksgiving, members of the family will drive and even fly home. The next day, they sit around the table, enjoying a traditional dinner together. Turkey ,sweet potatoes and a pudding are always ready for the Thanksgiving dinner. Thanksgiving Day is also a day for students to give thanks to parents and teachers who give them help and who love them very much. How long does Thanksgiving Day usually last in America? A. For three days. B. For four days. C. For five days. D. For six days. Answer: B Sales of crime novel The Cuckoo's Calling have rocketed since its author Robert Galbraith was unmasked as JK Rowling, according to The Bookseller. It said 17,662 hardback copies were sold between 14 and 20 July, up from just 43 copies the previous week, according to Nielsen BookScan data. The Cuckoo's Calling was the week's bestselling hardback novel, despite some booksellers running out of stock. The Harry Potter author was identified in a newspaper article last week. On a website Rowling said 8,500 English language copies had been sold in all forms, including e-books, before her unmasking. The author added that she had received two offers from television production companies. "The situation was becoming increasingly complicated, largely because Robert was doing rather better than we had expected him to," she said. "But we all still hoped to keep the secret a little longer. Robert's success during his first three months as a published writer (discounting sales made after I was found out) actually compares favourably with JK Rowling's success over the similar period of her career." However, the Bookseller reported the hardback had sold fewer than 500 copies in its three-month period on sale before the Sunday Times' expose. The recent sales were not enough to send The Cuckoo's Calling to the top spot in the official UK top 50, instead landing it in third place. The Rowling revelation coincided with the paperback release of The Casual Vacancy -- her first official post-Potter work--which sold 19,548 copies in the same week, making the book number two in the sales chart. Neither title managed to draw John Grisham's The Racketeer from the top of the chart, which shifted 24,222 copies -- a 19% drop on the previous week. Elsewhere on the Robert Galbraith website, Rowling has revealed the reason she chose her pen name. She said she picked Robert because US senator Robert F Kennedy was her "hero" and she had never used the name in one of her earlier books. "I can only hope all the real Robert Galbraiths out there will be as forgiving as the real Harry Potters have been," she wrote. A follow-up to The Cuckoo's Calling has been finished and should be published next year, the author added. What attitude does J.K. Rowling expect her readers to have towards Robert Galbraiths? A. Complimentary. B. Acceptable. C. Sympathetic. D. Skeptical. Answer: B Having put down your pens at the end of the college entrance exam, you have ended 12 years of hard study. Forget your studies for a while. It's time to enjoy yourselves! There are many ways to celebrate this special month of graduation. You can have photos taken with your classmates and teachers, or dine out together and exchange gifts. High school students in Western countries such as the United States and Canada usually have a prom to mark their graduation. It's to mark the time kids turn into young men and women. After the prom, teenagers either go to college or find a job. It means they are no longer as dependent on their parents as they were before. At the prom, boys usually dress in dinner jackets and bow ties, though many different types of formal clothes are worn. Traditionally, girls give boys matching boutonnieres ( ). Girls traditionally wear formal dresses, or dress to shock or be noticed, in shiny or brightly colored materials. Common prom activities include dining, dancing, the crowning of a prom king and queen, and just talking to friends. In some cases, high school students collect funds for their class prom through the four years of their high school. High schools in or near large cities may rent ballrooms at expensive hotels or, to be unusual, in a pleasure cruise boat. But often costs are cut by simply using the school gym. Students make a lot of effort to decorate the gym to make the event special. The music played at the prom will be the most popular kinds, like rock and hip-hop. The students elect the Prom Queen. She is partnered with a Prom King who is elected similarly. These are great honors that the pair take very seriously. The two dance with each other to celebrate their election. How is the prom significant to the students? A. They can be relieved from the study pressure. B. They are going to say goodbye to their friends. C. They have chances to be elected as the Prom King or Queen. D. The prom marks the graduation and after it they will be independent. Answer: D A woman was at the cinema, and she was enjoying the film very much. But there was a man in the next seat, and he began looking on the floor under him. The woman was angry and whispered, "What are you doing there? What are you looking for?" "A piece of hard chocolate ,"the man whispered to her, "I dropped it on the floor." "A piece of chocolate?" the woman said angrily, "It's dirty now! Take this and be quiet, please! I'm listening to the film!" She gave the man a big piece of chocolate."But," the man said, "my teeth are in the piece on the floor!" The word "whisper" means "speak in a _ voice". A. low B. loud C. pleasant D. big Answer: A
Scientists have written a report on the future of trade and industry. They talk about the role robots will play in industry. What is a robot?Basically ,it is a machine which is designed to do the work of a human being. It is usually controlled by a computer. Once it has been given a set of things to do,it will do the job on its own. Nowadays,Britain has 120 robots at work in industry. This compares badly with other industrial countries. In Japan,there are 4,000 robots in use. In the USA there are 2,000 and in Germany there are 500. According to the report,the government must help people understand how robot technology can be used. Also,people must be educated to know how important this new technology is. The designing of new robots will be very important in the future. The report says that special robot centres should be set up where people who design robots and people who will use them work together. The assembly work of the future will be complex . So firms must develop robots to do it. According to the report,the future assembly work will be done by _ . Robots Today, over six billion people live on the planet. This means that there are very few places on Earth with no people. One place that has very few people is at the bottom of the Earth. In Antarctica, the icy continent surrounding the South Pole, you will not find anyone who lives there all the time. First, Antarctica is the coldest place on Earth. For example, it can be -l30degC in the winter. Humans cannot live in this kind of environment. Because it is so cold, very few plants or animals live there. This means there are no farms and no places to find wild plants or animals to eat. Second, Antarctica can be dangerous. Many people think that it is safe to travel to Antarctica in the summer months when it is warmer. However, Antarctica is mostly ice, so when it's summer, the ice melts. When the ice melts, the ice can break. So, people cannot travel around Antarctica during the summer. If the ice breaks, they could fall into the water and die. Another serious problem in Antarctica is the sun. Because Antarctica is mostly ice, there are no trees so there is no shade. Also, the ground is mostly white ice so the sun bounces off it. The light from the sky and the light from the ground can burn people's skin and hurt their eyes. People must be very careful in this situation. For example, they must wear sunglasses to protect their eyes. They must also cover their hands and faces all the time. Although Antarctica is a tough place to live, explorers have discovered coal in Antarctica. This leads them to believe that Antarctica at one time was a land of swam and forests. This text is mainly about _ . why it is difficult to live in Antarctica Which resource is most likely found in large amounts in forest ecosystems? wood When Chato's barking didn't stir Jerrica Seals, the recently adopted dog tried nibbling on the teenager's leg, to get the girl out of her burning house. No one was hurt. prefix = st1 /Fort Myersfirefighters responded at about 7 a.m. Five people lived in the Garcia home. That was neighbor Janice Hamilton's main concern when she looked out of her window Friday and saw the flames. "I just threw my pants on to run outside and make sure _ knew how many people lived there,"Hamiltonsaid. "It was scary." "Seals called me screaming," said Leticia Vega, 36, the sister of Seal's boyfriend, Javier Garcia, 23, who owns the home. "She said the dog woke her up barking, jumped on the bed and bit her on the leg." It is said that Garcia's brother brought Chato home several weeks ago after the animal wandered onto a Lehigh Acres construction site. Since then, Vega said, Chato had been mostly quiet -- until it mattered. "He doesn't usually bark." Vega said. "He's real friendly." According to deputy fire chief Steve Clyatt, possibly the fire started because of an inadequate extension cord used on a window air conditioner. More than half of the home was burned down. There was extensive smoke and water damage in the remainder of the structure. Estimates for repair costs were unavailable. " _ " Clyatt said. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage? Dogs Saves Teen Girl From House Fire Scientists group animals based on physical features. Trout are classified as fish because of what physical feature? Fish have gills.
A TV grab shows anchorman Bai Yansong wearing a green tie on Oct 19, 2011. "I just want the students to know that I'm also wearing a green one. And we are all great people and are as good as those wearing red scarves." Bai Yansong, a famous anchor of China Central Television, voiced his support to students wearing green scarves at a primary school in Xi'an by wearing a green tie on a TV program, Oct 19, 2011. The program focused on a recent controversial issue, triggered by First Experimental Primary School in Northwestern China's Xi'an that made children whose schoolwork and general behavior were not yet good enough to wear green scarves instead of the red scarf of the Chinese Young Pioneers. "The original idea for designing the green scarf was to strengthen education and to encourage the pupils to work harder," said Chen Hong, the school's principal. The practice that divided students into "good" and "bad" has aroused a lot of discussions on Sina Weibo, a Chinese twitter-like microblogging website. The color1 of green in Chinese culture carries an annoying implication particularly because "green hats" are the Chinese symbol of a cuckold. Many Weibo users thought it was inappropriate to make pupils wear green scarves. "It is a violation of dignity to make bad students wear green scarves," said a blogger with the username Suosez. "If bad students have to wear green scarves, then bad teachers should wear green hats," another blogger said. "The Chinese version of Steve Jobs has died in primary school because his pride has been hurt by the green scarf," said another blogger. "It is an discrimination against children," said yet another. "Seeing the students in Xi'an wearing green scarves reminds me of some miserable memories. I cannot forget that I was the second group to wear a red scarf in my class. I cannot forget the scar on my hand left by my Chinese teacher. And I cannot forget that my math teacher threw my test paper on the ground and insisted that it was copied," a blogger with the username Kivalailai recalled. "The green scarves will cast a shadow over the students and bring them inferiority or jealousy, which are quite bad for their mental health," said a blogger. The school has halted the use of green scarves as on Wednesday, parent-teacher meetings were held to explain the situation, according to teachers at the school. What is the purpose of using the green scarf according to the school's principal? A. To divide students into good and bad. B. To cast a shadow over the students and bring them inferiority or jealousy. C. To strengthen education and to encourage the pupils to work harder. D. To make bad pupils drop out of school. Answer: C. To strengthen education and to encourage the pupils to work harder. Having a husband means an extra seven hours of housework each week for women, according to a new study. For men, getting married saves an hour of housework a week. "It's a _ ," said lead researcher Frank Stafford at University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research. "Men usually work more outside the home, while women take on more of the housework." He points out that differences among households exist. But in general, marriage means more housework for women and less for men. "And the situation gets worse for women when they have children." Stafford said. Overall, times are changing in the American home. In 1976, women busied themselves with 26 weekly hours of sweeping-and-dusting work, compared with 17 hours in 2005. Men are taking on more housework, more than doubling their housework hours from six in 1976 to 13 in 2005. Single women in their 20s and 30s did the least housework, about 12 weekly hours, while married women in their 60s and 70s did the most - about 21 hours a week. Men showed a somewhat different pattern, with older men picking up the broom more often than younger men. Single men worked the hardest around the house, more than that of all other age groups of married men. Having children increases housework even further. With more than three, for example, wives took on more of the extra work, clocking about 28 hours a week compared with husbands' 10 hours. What can we conclude from Stafford's research? A. Marriage gives men more freedom. B. Marriage has effects on job choices. C. Housework sharing changes over time. D. Having children means doubled housework. Answer: C. Housework sharing changes over time. Back in the days when I wrote my first songs, I hated my voice. I saw myself as a songwriter and guitarist but never a singer! I continued to write songs, and to search for the perfect singer. After a few years I did discover a singer, so we started a project together. We held a few concerts, and put a lot of work into it. She forces me to sing some songs at concerts myself, so I started going to a bar to practice them. This was my first, small breakthrough. One day she came round to my flat and informed me that she could no longer work with me, and also that the bar owner at the open mic venue had replaced us at short notice because some New York jazz star happened to be in town, and was available that evening to perform. The first bit of news made me sad and disappointed, but the second made me angry. However, that same evening, with as much determination as I could muster , I resolved to play three new songs at the bar, just as I had planned before. I was quite nervous, but I dragged myself down to the bar and sang those songs! I never felt so liberated . That night I couldn't get to sleep. I was simply astonished, hardly believing that I was a person who acted so courageously, and that I'd been able to sing my songs myself. Since then I've begun to encourage others to adopt a similar approach when they aren't able to see their own potential. One example is an amateur fiddler who could barely bring herself to lift her instrument to play in front of people. I forced her to ignore her fear, and simply get on with it. Now, a year or two later, she is a passionate, happy performer in front of any crowd! Once you get the ball rolling in yourself, you can start inspiring those around you. What was the author's first breakthrough? A. She found the perfect singer. B. She started a project with her partner. C. She started to practice songs at a bar. D. She was able to sing all of her songs. Answer: C. She started to practice songs at a bar. Do you get angry when your friends sing loudly while you are trying to work, or when your best friend does not wait for you after school? If you do, you need to take control of your feelings and stop getting angry so easily. Getting angry with people can cause you to lose friends. Gray Gerber, an American high school teacher, has written My Feelings Are Like Wild Animals to help you control your feelings. It tells teens how to stay cool when bad things happen to them. The book says that getting angry only makes problems worse. It can never make them better. Getting angry is not a natural way to act, the book says. It is just a bad habit, like smoking. The book says you can control your anger easily. All you have to do is tell yourself not to be angry. When a baby falls over, he only cries if people are watching him. Like a baby, you should only get angry if you are sure it is the right thing to do. The book gives many tips to help you if you get angry easily. Here are our tips: (1)Keep a record. Every time you get angry, write down why you are angry. (2)Ask your friends to stop talking to you when you get angry. This will teach you not to be angry. (3)Do something different. When you get angry, walk away from the problem and go somewhere else. Try to laugh. How do you control yourself when bad things happen? A. Write down why you are angry. B. Walk away from the problem. C. Try to laugh. D. All of the above. Answer: D. All of the above. Chinese writer Mo Yan has won the 2012 Nobel Prize in Literature, announced Peter, the Secretary of the Swedish Academy in Stockholm on Thursday. The awarding ceremony will be held on December 10. The winner will win a medal, a personal diploma and a cash award of 8 million Swedish Kronor (about 1 million U.S. dollars). Mo Yan was born in 1955 and grew up in Gaomi in Shandong province in eastern China. As a 12-year-old during that very unordinary time, he left school to work, first as a farmer like his parents, later as a worker in a factory. He didn't begin to study literature or write until he joined the People's Liberation Army in 1976. His first short story was published in 1981. In his writing, Mo Yan draws the readers' attention to his youthful experiences and the cultures in the province of his birth. His novel Hong Gaoliang Jiazu (1987, in English Red Sorghum 1993), which consists of five stories was successfully filmed in 1987, directed by famous Chinese director Zhang Yimou. In addition to his novels, Mo Yan has published many short stories and essays on many different topics. his stories have been translated into English, French , Japanese and many other languages. Mo Yan not only brings a great shot to the world but also a great joy to China. Mo Yan wins the Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of _ .. A. 57 B. 67 C. 47 D. 12 Answer: A. 57
If you are like millions of other people in the world, you probably want to live a healthy lifestyle. While many people are able to achieve this lifestyle, there are even more that are looking for ways to improve their health. Here are 5 tips to help you. 1.Healthy diet The food you eat plays a huge role in what type of lifestyle you live. If you eat fast food every day, you clearly don't have the best diet. You should eat vegetables, fruits, bread as well as meat and fish, and even some snack foods once in a while. 2.Water Drink plenty of water every day and it is good for your health. Usually you need to drink 8~10 glasses of water a day. 3.Exercise Take some exercise every day. You can take a walk, play ball games with your friends, or ride a bike. Exercise is a necessary part of a healthy lifestyle. 4.Have fun Getting out and having fun is _ because it helps let out the stresses. Go out for a movie with your friends once in a while. Go to the park and enjoy a nice sunny day. Or just lie down and read a book. 5.Sleep Without enough sleep, our immune system will be weak and it will be difficult to get through the day. Getting a good night's sleep can make the world of a difference in how you feel and how much you can do the next day. Which is WRONG according to the passage? Liu Hong is from China. She is a nice girl. Her eyes are big and her mouth is small. She has a big family . Her father is Liu Jie. And her mother's name is Deng Hua. They are very nice. Liu Hong has a sister and brother(,). Her sister is Liu Hui, and her brother is Liu Bin. Liu Hui has long hair and a round face. But Liu Bin has short curly hair and a long face. They are students. , . How many people are there in Liu Hong's family? Parties, iPods, concerts, movies, TV shows, video games, traffic. All of these things of the modern world make life entertaining and enjoyable. But our 21st-century lifestyle is also loud and, if we don't take notice, it can have an effect on our hearing. Most teenagers don't think about hearing loss. But if you experience any of the followingsymptoms , you may already be hearing damaged: you make efforts to hear normal talk, you have to turn up the TV or radio so high that others complain, you watch other people's expressions to understand what they are saying, you ask people to repeat themselves, you misunderstand what people are saying or you hear ringing in your ears. iPods and other MP3 players are as common as the clothes you wear, and just as fashionable. But if you turn up an iPod to more than 60 percent of itsmaximum volume , and listen to music for more than an hour, you are asking for trouble. And, it does not matter if the music you play is classical, rock or heavy metal. Some researchers find that young people who break the so-called 60-percent/60-minute rule in listening to iPods are at the risk of suffering hearing loss. Why is an iPod dangerous? With ear buds placed directly in the ear canal and high-volume music played over a long period of time, it's like working in a loud factory all day, being amaintenance person under a jet airplane or using ajackhammer on a building site. Similarly, iPod music can cause a short time orpermanent hearing damage. A loud iPod can cause aruptured eardrum and, over time, may cause permanent damage to the tiny hairs in the inner ear. If these tiny hairs are damaged, they cannot effectively send sounds to theauditory nerves that connect to the brain. If this happens, hearing loss becomes permanent. This passage is mainly about _ . Is a mouse that can speak acceptable? How about a dog with human hands or feet? Scientists, the people with the know-how to make such things happen, are now thinking about whether such experiments are morally right or not. On Nov. 10, Britain's Academy of Medical Sciences launched a study on the use of animals with human materials in scientific research. The work is expected to take at least a year, but its leaders hope it will lead to guidelines for scientists in Britain and around the world on how far _ can go mixing human genes into animals in search of ways to fight human diseases. "Do these constructs challenge our idea of what it is to be human?" asked Martin Bobrow, a professor of medical genetics at Cambridge University and chair of a 14-member group looking into the issue. "It is important that we consider these questions now so that appropriate boundaries are recognized." Using human material in animals is not new. Scientists have already created monkeys that have a human form of the Huntingdon's gene so they can study how the disease develops; and mice with livers made from human cells are being used to study the effects of new drugs. However, scientists say the technology to put ever greater amounts of human genetic material into animals is spreading quickly around the world --- raising the possibility that some scientists in some places may want to go further than is morally acceptable. Last year in Britain there was a lively debate over new laws allowing the creation of human-animal embryos for experiments. On one side of the debate were religious groups, who claimed that such science interferes with nature. Opposing them were scientists who pointed out that such experiments were vital to research cures for diseases. The experts will publish reports after the end of the study, in which they will give definitions for animal embryos with human genes or cells, look at safety and animal welfare issues, and consider the right legal framework to work within. Scientists do research of mixing human genes into animals in order to _ . Health and climate scientists have mapped how climate change affects different parts of the world in different ways. The scientists point to the fact that changes in the past thirty years may, have been affecting human health. Possible effects include more deaths from extreme heat or cold, more storms and more crop failures in dry periods. The health and climate scientists recently estimated that climate changes caused by human activity lead to more than one hundred and fifty thousand deaths each year. Cases of sickness are estimated at five million. And the W.H.O. says the numbers could rise quickly by the year of 2003. Jonathan Patz of an environmental institute led the study. Professor Patz points out that climate scientists connected global warming with the heat that killed thousands in Europe in August, 2003. But he says poor countries least responsible(......) for the warming are most in danger from the health effects of higher temperatures. Professor Patz says areas in greatest danger include southern and eastern Africa and coastlines along the Pacific and Indian oceans. Also, large cities experience what scientists call a "heat island"effect that can make conditions worse. Representatives from about two hundred countries hold a meeting in Canada, to discuss climate change. The ten-day meeting ends on December 9th. It is the first such United Nations meeting since the Kyoto Protocol took effect earlier this year. The agreement aims to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases sent off into the air. Possible effects from the climate changes include the following EXCEPT _ .
Here are three girls. They are talking about their favorite clothes and colors. "I like skirts very much. I have many skirts in my wardrobe . Red is my favorite color. I have a red skirt, and it's my favorite skirt. My mother buys it for me. It's$168," Grace says. "My mom often buys new skirts for me. All my skirts are nice. I have skirts in all colors. My favorite one is a yellow skirt. It's nice. And yellow is my favorite color," Emily says. "I don't like skirts. T-shirts and shorts are my favorite. Black and white are my favorite colors. People often say I look like a boy." Kelly says. ,. What are Kelly's favorite clothes? Answer: "Old wives' tales" are beliefs passed down from one generation to another. For example,most of us remember our parents' telling us to eat more of certain foods or not to do certain things. Is there any truth in these teachings? Some of them agree with present medical thinking,but others have not passed the test of time. Did your mother ever tell you to eat your carrots because they are good for your eyes? Scientists now report that eating carrots can help prevent a serious eye disease called macular degeneration. Eating just one carrot a day can reduce the possibility of getting this disease by 40%. Garlic is good for you,too. It can kill the type of virus that causes colds. Unfortunately, not all of Mom's advice passed the test of medical studies. For example, generations of children have been told not to go swimming within an hour after eating. But research suggests that there is no danger in doing so. Do sweets cause tooth problems?Well, yes and no. Sticky sweets made with grains tend to cause more problems than sweets made with simple sugars. Even though science can tell us that some of our traditional beliefs don't _ there is still a lot of truth in the old wives' tales. After all, much of this knowledge has been accumulated from thousands of years of experience in family health care. We should respect this body of knowledge even as we search for clear scientific support to prove it true or false. What is the author's attitude towards"old wives' tales"in the text? Answer: There is an old tiger in the forest . He doesn't want to look for food now. He often lets other animals get him some food to eat. One day, he sees a monkey and says,"I am hungry, monkey. Go and get me something to eat.""I can't do that now, tiger." the monkey says,"There is another tiger over there . He doesn't let me get anything for you to eat. I am afraid of him." "What?" says the old tiger. "Take me to the tiger. I want to talk to him." The monkey and the tiger go to the bridge over the river . "Now look down at the water." says the monkey. "Do you see the tiger?" "Yes, I do." says the old tiger. "Let me eat him." Then the tiger jumps into the river. How many tigers and monkeys are there in the story? Answer: Betty and Harold have been married for years. But one thing still puzzles old Harold. How is it that he can leave Betty and her friend Joan sitting on the sofa, talking, go out to a ball game, come back three and a half hours later, and they're still sitting on the sofa, talking? What in the world, Harold wonders, do they have to talk about? Betty shrugs . Talk? We're friends. Researching this matter called friendship, psychologist Lilian Rubin spent two hundred women and men. No matter what their age, their jobs, their sex, the results were completely clear: women have more friendships than men, and the difference in the content and the quality of those friendships is "marked and unmistakable". More than two-thirds of the single men Rubin interviewed could not name a best friend. Those who could were likely to name a woman. Yet three-quarters of the single women had no problem naming a best friend, most trusted person, or the one they would turn to in time of emotional distress . "Most women," says Rubin, "identified at least one, usually more, trusted friends to whom they could turn in a troubled moment, and they spoke openly about the importance of these relationships in their lives." "In general," writes Rubin in her new book, "women's friendships with each other rest on shared emotions and support, but men's relationships are marked by shared activities. "For the most part, Rubin says, interactions between men are emotionally controlled - a good fit with the social requirements of "manly behavior". "Even when a man is said to be a best friend," Rubin writes, "the two share little about their innermost feelings. Whereas a woman's closest female friend might be the first to tell her to leave a failing marriage, it wasn't unusual to hear a man say he didn't know his friend's marriage was in serious trouble until he appeared on night asking if he could sleep on the sofa." According to the text, which type of behavior is NOT expected of a man by society? Answer: One of my friends Fred did very 1ittle work when he was a student. He spent more time drinking in bars than working in the library. Once, we had to take an important exam. The exam had a hundred questions. To each question, we had to write "Right" or "Wrong". The night before the exam, Fred was watching TV and drinking. He usua1ly worried a lot the night before the exam. But on that night he looked quite relaxed. He told me what he would do." It's very easy," he said to me, "There are a hundred questions and I have to get fifty right answers to pass the exam. I'll bring a coin with me and throw it to decide answers. I' m sure I'll get half the questions right in this way. "During the exam, Fred sat down and really threw the coin for half an hour when he was writing down his answers. Then he 1eft half an hour before the others. The next day he saw the teacher on the playground. "Good morning, Mr. Wu," he said, "Have you checked the papers? Have I passed?" The teacher 1ooked at him and smiled, "Ah, it's you, Fred. One moment, please." Then he put his hand into his pocket and took out a coin. He threw it into the air, caught it in his hand and looked at it , "I'm very sorry, Fred. You _ ." On that night before the important exam, Fred was very quiet because _ . Answer:
A king often felt unhappy and he asked a clever old man how he could be happy. "That's very easy," said the old man. "You just need to put on a happy man's shirt and you'll be happy." The king believed the old man and began to look for a happy man. He visited many countries and met kings, professors and others. But they all said they were not happy. One day he saw a poor farmer working in the field. The farmer was singing all the time and looked very happy. The king came up to him and asked, "Are you happy, my good man?" "Yes, quite happy," the farmer answered. "Can you sell me your shirt?" asked the king. "My shirt?" the farmer answered in surprise. "But I don't have a shirt. In fact, I never have one." ,. The clever old man said the king should _ if he wanted to be happy. In a unique research cooperation between Stratasys, Education, R&D departments and MIT's Self-Assembly Lab, a new process is being developed, known as 4D Printing. The 4D printing concept, which allows materials to "self-assemble " into 3D structures, was initially proposed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology faculty member Skylar Tibbits. Tibbits and his team combined a strand of plastic with a layer made out of "smart" material that could self-assemble in water. They advanced this concept by creating materials that can change into several different complicated shapes, though this kind of material remains the bottleneck of 4D technology. To many people that are just starting to get used to the idea of 3D printers, the name 4D is causing confusion because they cannot understand where this fourth "dimension" coming from. 4D technology shares many of the same principles of 3D printing and is essentially still about creating a new, 3D structure out of certain component; however, Tibbits states the fourth dimension at work here comes from concept of the fourth dimension of time. The difference between these 3D and 4D creations is that these new forms have the ability to transform and adapt over time. 4D printing works through self-assembly -- a system where "disordered elements form an "ordered" structure via an interaction. With these 4D printed materials, these disordered materials are strands or sheets of specially designed materials. Environmental changes then stimulate a response from them so that they form a preprogrammed shape. The idea of having adaptable technology that only relies on energy and non-human interactions raises some interesting questions about where 4D printing can be used and the practical applications in dangerous environments. This could mean improved infrastructures in extreme conditions, leading to a reduced need for workers to put themselves at risk, but the potential goes even further than that. The technology promises exciting new possibilities for a variety of applications. A solar panel or similar product could be produced in a flat shape onto which functional devices can be easily installed. It could then be changed to a compact shape for packing and shipping. After arriving at its destination, the product could be stimulated to form a different shape that serves its function. Also it could be used to build furniture, bikes, cars and even buildings. As with many of the ideas being put forward, it is easy to go a step too far into the extreme, but this just shows the potential of 4D in comparison to 3D. The next stage for the research is to move from printing single strands to sheets and eventually whole structures. And water need not be the process ' s only energy source. What does the passage lead you to believe? When women sit together to watch a movie on TV, they usually talk simultaneously about a variety of subjects, including children, men, careers and what' s happening in their lives. When groups of men and women watch a movie together, the men usually end up telling the women to shut up. Men can either talk or watch the screen -- they can' t do both -- and they don' t understand that women can. Besides, women consider that the point of all getting together is to have a good time and develop relationships -- not just to sit there like couch potatoes staring at the screen. During the ad breaks, a man often asks a woman to explain the plot and tell him where the relationship between the characters is going. He is unable, unlike women, to read the subtle body language signals that reveal how the characters are feeling emotionally. Since women originally spent their days with the other women and children in the group, they developed the ability to communicate successfully in order to maintain relationships. For a woman, speech continues to have such a clear purpose: to build relationships and make friends. For men, to talk is to relate the facts. Men see the telephone as a communication tool for sending facts and information to other people, but a woman sees it as a means of bonding. A woman can spend two weeks on vacation with her girlfriend and, when she returns home, telephone the same girlfriend and talk for another two hours. There is no convincing evidence that social conditioning, the fact that girls' mothers talked them more, is the reason why girls talk more than boys. Psychiatrist Dr Michael Lewis, author of Social Behaviour and Language Acquisition, conducted experiments that found mothers talked to and looked at, baby girls more often than baby boys. Scientific evidence shows parents respond to the brain bias of their children. Since a girl's brain is better organized to send and receive speech,we therefore talk to them more. Consequently, mothers who try to talk to their sons are usually pointed to receive only short grunts in reply. What does the author want to tell us most? Unlike bird eggs, reptile's eggs are Life in the 2100s will be very different from life today. Between then and now many changes will take place. What will the changes be? The population is growing fast. There will be more people in the world and most of them will live longer than people do now. Computers will be much smaller and more useful, and there will be at least one in every home. And computer studies will be one of the important subjects in schools then. People will work fewer hours than they do now and they will have more free time for sports, watching TV and traveling. Traveling will be much easier and cheaper. More people will go to other countries on holiday. There will be changes in our food, too. Maybe no one will eat meat every day. Instead, they eat more fruit and vegetables. Maybe people will be healthier. Work in the future will be different, too. Dangerous and hard work canl be done by robots, because of this, many people will not have work to do. This will be a problem. People will prefer _ to _ in the future.
Matt Haimovitz is 42 and a renowned cellist in the world. He rushed into the classical music scene at the age of 12 after Itzhak Perlman, the famed violinist, heard him play. But nothing in his family history explains where Haimovitz got his extraordinary talent. And that's typical, Ellen Winner, a professor says. "People are fascinated by these children because they don't understand where their talent came from. You will see parents who say, 'I wasn't like this, and my husband wasn't like this.' It seems to sometimes just come out of the blue," Winner says. It's not clear whether a prodigy's brain is any different from the brains of other children, in part because there have been no study comparing the brains of prodigies to those of average people. "But I believe that anything that shows up so early, without training, has got to be either a genetic or some other biological basis," Winner says. "If a child suddenly at the age of 3 goes to the piano and picks out a tune and does it beautifully, that has to be because that child has a different brain." Children who are extremely gifted tend to be socially different, too, Winner says. "They feel like they can't find other kids like themselves, so they feel strange, maybe even like a freak, and feel like they don't have anybody to connect with. On the other hand, they also long to connect with other kids, and they can't find other kids like themselves." As Haimovitz got older, he became frustrated. He wanted to play other kinds of music but felt constricted by the image and the expectations of the boy prodigy who played classical music and filled concert halls. "When you start that early, you suddenly start to grow up in public, and I wanted to experiment," Haimovitz says. So he took his cello into punk rock clubs and coffee houses. He played Bach, Haydn and Hendrix. "My teacher was Leonard Rose, and we never played any 20th-century music. He didn't like it. But once I was exposed to James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix, Miles Dewey Davis El and others, I couldn't really turn back. I wanted to know more," he says. According to some parents, prodigies' extraordinary talent _ . A. comes unexpectedly B. is inherited from parents C. results from hard work D. is trained in early times Answer: A There are three people in Yang Yang's family. They like different kinds of food. Yang Yang likes rice a lot. But she doesn't like chicken at all. Her father is from Shanxi. He doesn't like rice at all. He likes chicken and bread very much. Her mother is from Dalian. She doesn't like rice or bread at all. But she likes fish and vegetables a lot. They love each other and help each other. Who likes chicken? A. Yang Yang. B. Yang Yang's father. C. Yang Yang's mother. D. Yang Yang's parents. Answer: B Last year, my boyfriend suggested that I should run the London marathon, and I laughed. He laughed too, but he laughed too long and too loud. That made me think. I realized that he didn't believe that I could do it. That made me angry, and determined. Now he knows that I can! Training wasn't easy, but I kept going. I didn't need special training but I did need to buy very good shoes. Each day, I went a little further. By the end of three months, I was running five days a week. Sometimes in the evenings I ran 10 km; on Sunday mornings, I sometimes ran about 30 km. I used to come home, have a shower and eat my breakfast. I felt wonderful! On the day of the race in London, I lined up with about 30,000 other runners. The faster runners were at the front, while slower runners like me were placed further back. In that way, the professional runners and club runners were not slowed down by the amateurs. At first, there were so many runners close together that we were almost falling over each other. We could only run very slowly but that was a good thing because it meant that we didn't rush off too quickly. Gradually the runners spread out and there was more space. There were thousands of people watching us along the route and they cheered and clapped everyone, even the slowest runner. It was wonderful! For the first 10 km I felt very happy and my legs felt very comfortable. However, at 15 km I got a pain in my side and running became difficult, but I kept going and the pain disappeared. At the 30 km mark, I felt extremely tired, and wanted to stop, but I kept on going. I covered another 3 km and then I began to feel better again. By the time I reached the 35 km mark, I knew I was going to get to the end of the course. Somehow that confidence made me feel lighter and faster and it seemed as if my legs flew over the last few kilometers. I passed hundreds of slower runners, some of whom had passed me earlier, and I felt wonderful! As I came round the last bend and saw the finishing line, I could see three runners ahead of me. I raced past all of them to finish the race in just under four hours. The winner had completed the race in 2 hours and 10 minutes, but I didn't care! I had run 42 km and completed my first marathon! The passage suggests that it is better to start a long race slowly _ . A. than to run at the same speed all the time B. than to run too fast at the beginning C. than to run slowly at the end D. than to run very fast all the time Answer: B 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! The crook spent a lot of time inventing a machine to _ . A. publish books B. steal words C. write letters D. make alphabetic soup Answer: B If a person is searching for others in a forest at night, they can signal quietly to each other by A. falling down B. making memories C. flicking a lighter D. sleeping quietly Answer: C
Ruben lived in a small village. There was no school there and he had to study in a school in the town. It was nearly five kilometres away from his village. His father couldn't buy a bike for him and he had to go to school on foot. He got up early in the morning. Usually he had to run there in order not to miss the first class. He kept running every day and it was helpful to him. He's strong and tall now and he ran faster than any other man in his village. He took part in several sports meetings and won some medals. The young man is proud of(......)it and always wants to have a race with others. One day his mother was ill and his father told him to buy some medicine for headache in the town. The young man got there soon. There were many people in the chemist's shop while he was waiting there. And when his turn came, he could't find his money. An old woman hinted a young man had stolen it. He saw the thief had already left the shop. He ran towards him quickly. The thief found it and began to run. He was happy and tried to catch up with him. "Let's have a race and see who will run faster, "Ruben called out behind. Soon after that he caught up with the thief. But he didn't stop and went on running. At a crossing one of his friends asked, "What are you running for, Ruben? " "I'm running after a thief. " "Where's the thief, then? " "He wants to show that he'll run faster than me, but he's fallen behind!" Ruben was happy because _ . [ ] A. he could easily catch the thief B. he had a chance to have a race C. he knew who had stolen his money D. he would win another medal that day Answer: B What relationship exists between a dog and its fleas? A. commensalism B. gradualism C. mutualism D. parasitism Answer: D Our education system was invented. There were no public systems of education before the 19th century. They all came into being to meet the needs of industrialism. So the most useful subjects for work are at the top and you were probably driven away from what you did as a kid at school--things you liked--because you would never get a job doing that. Is that right? Don't do music. You're not going to be a musician. Don't do art. You're not going to be an artist. In addition, the whole system of public education around the world is a process of university entrance. And the consequence is that many highly talented, brilliant, creative people think they're not because the thing they were good at wasn't valued at school. I think we can't afford to go on that way. In the next 30 years, more people worldwide will be graduating through education than since the beginning of the history. Suddenly, degrees aren't worth anything. When I was a student, if you had a degree, you had a job. But now you need a Master's degree where the previous job required a Bachelor, and now you need a Ph.D. for the other. It's a process of academic inflation , and it indicates the whole structure of education needs changing. All the great teachers I've ever met and worked with are people who can inspire interest and curiosity and light up people's imaginations with the interests they themselves have for a particular field of work. I mean, teaching is not only a process of giving people direct instructions and information they have to memorize, it is much more than that. I believe our only hope for the future is to rethink the fundamental principles on which we are educating our children. And our task is to educate their whole being so they can face the future. By the way, we may not see this future, but they will. And our job is to help them make something of it. In the author's view, a good teacher should _ . A. be imaginative B. be knowledgeable C. create their own ways of teaching D. encourage people to develop their interests Answer: D At five he was collecting old newspapers to make money.And when he was fifteen he signed his schoolmates up to start a baby-sitting circle . Now 20,third- year Cambridge University student,Peter Blackburn is the managing director of company with a 30,000 pounds plan.And he thinks he will make more than $15,000 by next summer. He set up Peter Blackburn Company last year to bring out a new color term-planner that now students all over the UK are using. "I felt that most of the planners going around were pretty unimaginative,"he says."I believed that I could do a better job and decided to have a go." Blackburn agrees that he is putting far more effort into business than his computer studies course at university.While fellow students are out with their friends,he keeps in touch with his business office in Lancashire by mobile phone.Before he set up the company he spent one holiday preparing a plan that would persuade the bank to lend him money. "Most students work hard for a good degree because they believe that will help them get a job to support themselves,"he says."I work hard at my company,because that is what will support me next year,after I leave college." Friends believe that Blackburn will make one million pounds within five years. He is not quite so sure,however."There is a lot to be done yet,"he says. When he was quite young,Blackburn _ . A. already made a lot of money B. already had a business brain C. was already a managing director of a company D. already set up his own business Answer: B Have you ever hoped a toy balloon? They are very light. But there are much bigger balloons can fly very high up in the sky. They are big enough to carry people. They are called hot-air balloons. To make a hot-air balloon go up, turn on the burner . That will make the air inside the balloon hotter. Then the balloon will go up. To make the balloon go down, turn off the burner. The air inside the balloon will get cooler. Then the balloon will go down. Underneath(....) the balloon there is a large basket. That is where the pilot and the passengers go. The burner is just above the basket. You can stand in the basket and turn the burner on and off. The balloon will go where the wind is blowing the right way! Do you want the balloon to go somewhere special? First make sure the wind is blowing the right way! People have been flying in hot-air balloons for over two hundred years. Before planes it was the only way of flying. Today people fly in hot-air balloon for fun. Some people like to race hot-air balloons. Where will you sit if you want to fly in the balloon? A. Inside the basket B. On top of the balloon C. Under the basket D. Inside the balloon Answer: A
Violent winds swept the ocean, and waves thundered to shore, shaking the lookout tower at Pea Island Rescue Station. Surfman Theodore Meekins was on watch that evening of 11 October 1896. A hurricane had struck the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and the tide was so strong that beach patrols had been canceled. Still, Meekins paid close attention to the horizon. This was the type of weather that could blow ships hundreds of miles off course. Offshore, the ship E.S. Newman was caught in the storm. The captain, whose wife and child were on the ship, feared the Newman would soon break up. He made the decision to beach his ship, then fired a signal, praying that someone onshore would see it. Meekins, whose eyes were trained to cut through rain and surf mists, thought he saw the signal, but so much spray covered the lookout windows that he could hardly make sure. Still, he took no chances. After summoning the station keeper, Captain Richard Etheridge, Meekins set off a coston signal, a signal made by using lamps of different colors. Together, the two men searched the darkness for a reply. A few moments later, they saw a flash of light to the south and knew a shop was in distress . Even before the return signal burned out, Etheridge had summoned his men and begun rescue operations. For the lifesavers, the rescue of the Newman was nothing unusual. Over the years, so many ships had off the Outer Banks that sailors called the region the Graveyard of the Atlantic. Noting the dangerous surf and wind conditions, Captain Etheridge quickly decided the surf boats would be impossible to control. Instead, he decided to use another way to help the survivors. The crew set off on the long journey down the beach to the scene of the wreck . Captain Etheridge hoped to fire a line from a gun to the ship's mast . After the ship's crew dragged the line onboard, the surfmen would fire a second line and carry survivors safely to shore. The surfmen crossed three miles of sand to reach the ship Newman. The water was freezing, and the men often sank up to their knees in sand. Captain Etheridge noted in his diary that "the voice of gladdened hearts greeted the arrival of the station crew," but that "it seemed impossible for them to do anything under such circumstances. The work was often stopped by the sweeping current." Even when the rescue equipment proved useless, Etheridge refused to give up. Choosing two of his strongest surfmen, he tied rope lines around their waists and sent them into the water. The two men, holding a line from shore, walked with huge effort as far as they could before diving through the waves. Nearly worn out while swimming against the tide, they finally made it to the shore. The first to be rescued were the captain's wife and child. With the two passengers tied to their backs, the surfmen fought their way back to shore. Taking turns, Etheridge and his crew made ten trips to the Newman, saving every person onboard. It was 1:00 a.m. when the crew and survivors finally made it back to the station. That night, as the exhausted survivors lay sleeping and his lifesaving crew rested, Captain Etheridge picked up his pen, and in the light of an oil lantern, wrote with satisfaction that all the people onboard had been saved and were "sheltered in this station"--words he would remember for many years to come. What is the main idea of the passage? A. The newman was very dangerous before Richard Etheridge and his team members saw the signal. B. A terrible hurricane took place off the coast of North Carolina and threatened the lives of many sailors. C. At no other time in American history have so many shipwrecked passengers survived such a violent storm. D. All the passengers of a shipwreck were rescued because of heroic the efforts of a special leader and his crew. Answer: D. All the passengers of a shipwreck were rescued because of heroic the efforts of a special leader and his crew. In some ways, the United States has made some progress. Fires no longer destroy 18,000 buildings as they did in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, or kill half a town of 2,400 people, as they did the same night in Peshtigo, Wisconsin. Other than the Beverly Hill Supper Club fire in Kentucky in 1977, it has been four decades since more than 100 Americans died in a fire. But even with such successes, the United States still has one of the worst fire death rates in the world. Safety experts say the problem is neither money nor technology, but the indifference of a country that just will not take fires seriously enough. American fire departments are some of the world's fastest and best-equipped. They have to be. The United States has twice Japan's population, and 40 times as many fires. It spends far less on preventing fires than on fighting them. And American fire-safety lessons are aimed almost entirely at children, who die in large numbers in fires but who, against popular beliefs, start very few of them. Experts say the error is an opinion that fires are not really anyone's fault. That is not so in other countries, where both public education and the law treat fires as either a personal failing or a crime. Japan has many wood houses; of the 48 fires in world history that burned more than 10,000 buildings, Japan has had 27. Punishment for causing a big fire can be as severe as life imprisonment. In the United States, most education dollars are spent in elementary schools. But, the lessons are aimed at too limited a number of people; just 9 percent of all fire deaths are caused by children playing with matches. The United States continues to depend more on technology than laws or social pressure. There are smoke detectors in 85 percent of all homes. Some local building laws now require home sprinklers . New heaters and irons shut themselves off if they are tipped. The reason why so many Americans die in fires is that _ . A. they took no interest in new technology B. they did not pay great attention to preventing fires C. they showed indifference to fighting fires D. they did not spend enough money on fire equipment Answer: B. they did not pay great attention to preventing fires Scotland is a unique place, loaded with history, where you can find aristocratic palaces and castles, as well as the traditional parades in national costumes. In order to see and discover the true soul of Scotland today and what formed the character of this splendid region, we have to go towards the northern regions, to the Grampian Mountains , beautiful and plain. The Scots conquered the environment with simple spades and strong arms, for it was difficult to farm. The history of this ancient struggle, and its people's ancient love with the hard land, can be felt within the walls of the Angus Folk Museum. You are able to get a feel of the typical rural atmosphere of times past from the everyday artifacts displayed here. From coastal Aberdeen in towards the Grampian Mountains there runs the Castle Trail, a road that touches on many fortresses , which are witnesses of continual fights against the control of neighboring England in Scottish history. Perhaps the most exciting moment for Scottish autonomy is _ experienced inside this ancient church of Arbroath, where, in 1320, the Declaration of Independence was celebrated, at the instigation of King Robert the Bruce. He carried out the plan for autonomy drawn up by the great popular hero William Wallace, for whom cinema has designed the wonderful film Brave Heart, the winner of the five Oscars. This is Glamis Castle, where King Macbeth and Queen Elizabeth used to live. Among the most frequent guests here are the predictable ghosts, if not actually created, by ancient popular beliefs. These have been handed down over the centuries by people tending to live with mystery, with the forces of the supernatural. Another attraction here is a legendary monster: the Loch Ness Monster. Whether it's real or imaginary, this monster, which has been nicknamed Nessie, has collected a good 3,000 sightings over the last 50 years. The true flag of Scotland, tartan, is recognizable from the brightly colored plaid patterns which are used to distinguish the various social groups. Bagpipes and dancing open the competitions of local sporting events, which are called Highland Gatherings. The purpose of the writer is to _ . A. advise readers to pay a visit to Scotland B. teach students about the customs of Scotland C. introduce cultural background about Scotland D. analyze the geographic formation of Scotland Answer: C. introduce cultural background about Scotland Finding time to enjoy life is becoming harder and harder. As the average workweek lengthens, leisure time drops. Yet some of the world's busiest people are able to develop rewarding careers and also make time for family and leisure activities. Here is their best advice plus that of time-management experts: 1. Use your peak hours wisely. People tend to be most alert in late morning and midevening. Afternoon brings an increase in sleepiness. Use your high-efficiency hours to handle difficult jobs or engage in creative thinking. For low-efficiency times, concentrate on cleaning up or sorting your mail. By adapting to your mental condition, you can accomplish more in less time. 2. Make a plan. Just 20 minutes of organizing can save an hour of extra effort remembering what must be done. "Don't try to carry your life around in your head," says Lucy Hedrick, author of Five Days to an Organized Life. "Write things down so you can free your brain for more inventive pursuit ." 3. Discourage drop-ins. The person who welcomes every visitor will get plenty of conversation but won't accomplish much. The trick is to develop harmless ways to protect yourself from minute-stealing interruptions. David E. Levy, a public-relations consultant , uses an alternative to the open-door policy by keeping his door half open. The message is clear: he really doesn't want you to come in, but you can if it is important. 4. Tame the telephone. Few devices save more minutes--or waste so many more--than the telephone. Signal the end of your conversation with a phrase such as "Before we hang up..." You can save even more time by not taking every incoming call. Keep a record of when people you call regularly are least busy and call them at those times. Even better, make appointments to call important contacts. To help us gain an extra hour every day, a clockmaker in Dallas has created a timer measuring each minute at 57.6 seconds. The 2.5 seconds borrowed from each minute add up to an extra 60 minutes at the end of each day. According to Lucy Hedrick, you should _ . A. carry out your plans when you are free B. stop occupying your mind with lots of things C. forget everything annoying when taking a walk D. enjoy your life whenever you can Answer: B. stop occupying your mind with lots of things Sometimes I really doubt whether there is love between my parents. Every day they don't act in the romantic ways that I read in books or I see on TV. In their opinion, "I love you" is too luxurious for them to say. Sending flowers on Valentine's Day is even more out of the question. One day, my mother was sewing a quilt . "Mom, I have a question to ask you." "What?" she replied, still doing her work. "Is there love between you and Dad?" My mother stopped her work and raised her head with surprise in her eyes. Then she said, "Susan, look at this thread. Sometimes it appears, but most of it disappears in the quilt. The _ really makes the quilt strong and durable. If life is a quilt, then love should be a thread. Love is inside." I listened carefully but I couldn't understand until the next spring. At that time, my father suddenly got sick seriously. After they were back from the hospital, my mother helped him walk slowly on the beautiful country road every morning. My father had never been so gentle. But after two months he still couldn't walk by himself. All of us were worried about him. "Dad, how are you feeling now?" I asked him one day. "Susan, don't worry about me, "he said gently. "To tell you the truth, I just like walking with your mom. "Reading his eyes, I know he loves my mother deeply. Once I thought love meant flowers, gifts and sweet kisses. But from this experience, I understand that love is just a thread in the quilt of our life. Love is inside, making life strong and warm. ,. Why does the writer NOT make sure whether there is love between her parents? A. They don't act in the romantic ways. B. They never say, "I love you". C. They never send flowers to each other on Valentine's Day. D. All of the above. Answer: D. All of the above.
While car sharing is a concept that's catching on, old-fashioned carpooling where a group of people take turns driving each other to work has always faced a resistance . In a study on traffic problems by ABC News, 84% of those who drive to work say that they still do it alone. More than half those lone riders insist that carpooling is just too inconvenient, and 18% say they simple don't know anyone to share a ride with. Now technology makes carpooling easier and more fun. NuRide, a company provided an online carpooling service last year, offers daily travelers in the Washington area not just a web-based list of would-be carpoolers but also a way to arrange a trip online. Here's how it works: rider seekers enter the positions where their trip will begin and end, the time they want to leave and if they're willing to drive or just ride in someone else's car. The website's search engine then looks for matches and makes lists of the names of traveling companions, along with the car model and the exact time and place to meet for each trip. People who want to share the ride can show their interest in joining in online and then meet their car mates when it's time to go. NuRide users aren't riding with total strangers. They are required to provide the name of their employer and a work e-mail address, both of which need to be checked before being listed on the website. To attract users, NuRide offers a frequent rider prize: anyone who shares a ride gets a $1 credit. So far, 2,300 people have signed up. NuRide CEO Rick Steele said that more than 50,000 rides have been arranged on the website, resulting in 1.4 million fewer miles driven and 650 fewer tons of automobile emissions . What can NuRide do for you when you use the service? A. Decide a car model for you to drive. B. Help you arrange a shared car trip. C. Find your car matestrue names. D. Give you a list of car owners. Answer: B It was Monday. Mrs. Smith's dog was hungry , but there was not any meat in the house. Considering that there was no better way. Mrs. Smith took a piece of paper, and wrote the following words on it:"Give my dog half a pound of meat."Then she gave the paper to her dog and said gently:"Take this to the butcher(* person whose job is selling meat)and he's going to give you your lunch today." Holding the piece of paper in its mouth, the dog ran to the butcher's. It gave the paper to the butcher. The butcher read it carefully, recognized that it was really the lady's handwriting and soon did it as he was asked to. The dog was very happy, and ate the meat up at once. At noon, the dog came to the shop again. It gave the butcher a piece of paper again. After reading it, he gave it half a pound of meat once more. The next day, the dog came again exactly at noon. And as usual, it brought a piece of paper in the mouth. This time, the butcher did not take a look at paper, and gave the dog its meat, for he had regarded the dog as one of his customers. But, the dog came again at four o'clock. And the same thing happened once again. To the butcher's more surprise, it came for the third time at six o'clock, and brought with it a third piece of paper. The butcher felt a bit puzzled . He said to himeself,"This is a small dog. Why does Mrs. Smith give it so much meat to eat today?" Looking at the piece of paper, he found that there were not any words on it! Mrs. Smith treated her little dog quite _ . A. cruelly B. fairly C. kindly D. friendly Answer: C A board game is a game played on a pre-marked surface or "board" according to a set of rules. Board games have been played in most cultures and societies throughout history. Do you think of yourself as a bit of an expert at board games like chess or Go? Maybe you're not quite as good as you think. New research from the University of Manchester and Oxford suggests complex games like these are impossible to learn fully. They may even be too complex for the human mind to understand. Researchers studied two-player games, to try and understand the strategies which people use to make decisions during the game. Some games with two players are simple, with only a small number of possible moves. Players can quickly work out the best strategy but that means the game soon becomes boring. It gets more interesting when there are many possible moves. That's why people are so fascinated by complex board games like chess or Go, or some card games. But what the researchers found was that with difficult games, players find it hard to work out the best strategy and their actions become less reasonable. This research is part of the field called game theory: the study of human strategic decision-making. Much thinking on how people play complex games is based on something called "the balance point", which is when players have a perfect knowledge of what they are going to do and of what their rivals are going to do. When you add more than two players then of course the game becomes even harder to understand. Trading on the stock market is an example of a complex multi-player game. It can be inferred in the passage that _ . A. the simpler the board game is, the better it is B. people dislike board games for the complex moves C. players are easy to lose patience when in difficult games D. it's possible for people to understand complex games thoroughly Answer: C A thirsty bee went to a river to drink. As it was drinking , it was carried away by the running water. A kind bird saw the bee's danger. It picked a leaf and threw it into the water in front of the bee. The bee was able to climb onto the leaf, and it was brought safely to the land. The bee thanked the bird for its kindness and then flew away. Not long after , the bird was sitting on the branch of a tree . It did not see that a man was aimming his gun at it .But the bee saw what the man was doing . So the bee flew into the man's eye, and hurt him. The pain in his eye was so great that he was not able to shoot the bird, and the bird flew away. In this way, the bee, whose life had been saved by the bird, was able to save the life of the bird. ,. (5) The bee was very thirsty , so it _ . A. went to look for the bird B. went home to drink C. went to a river to drink D. went to its house Answer: C Statue of Liberty Basics: Statue of Liberty Phone:212-363-3200 Statue cruise phone:877-LADY-TIX Nearest subways to Statue of Liberty :4/5 to Bowling Green; N/R to Whitehall Street;1 to South Ferry (you must be in the first 5 cars of the train to exit at South Ferry). Follow the signs to Castle Clinton to buy tickets for the ferry to the Statue of Liberty. There is plenty of room for running around and relaxing on Liberty Island. For children 7-12 there is a Junior Ranger Program available. Pick up a free booklet on Liberty Island. Admission to Liberty State Park is free, but you must buy a ferry ticket to get there. Statue Cruises Ferry Ticket Prices: Adult:$13; Senior Citizens (62+) $10; children (4-12)$5; Children 3 and under free. You can buy your tickets for the ferry online at http//:www.statuecruises.come/ferry-service/welcome.aspx. Ferry ticket included with the New York Pass----- present New York Pass in Castle Clinton bookstore for ticket. Statue of Liberty Tour Hours Ferries to the island leave from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. Liberty Island closes at 6 pm and the last ferry returns to Battery Park by 6:30. Schedules are updated and revised frequently, so please check the official ferry schedule. Statue of Liberty Tour Reservation Climb the Crown of the Statue of Liberty with a Crown Ticket, which costs an additional $3 and includes access to the Museum and Pedestal as well. Museum/ Pedestrian Tickets are free (with ferry ticket purchase). Order your tickets in advance: 877-LADY-TIX or online when you purchase your ferry ticket. Tour tickets are time specific. How much is the ferry fee for a family of two adults and two children aged 3 and 6? A. $ 26 B. $ 31 C. $32 D. $36 Answer: B
Do you forget to turn off the lights and heaters when you go out of a room? In 2040 it will not matter. They will turn themselves off--and on again when you return. You will choose the temperature for each room, the lighting and the humidity. A sensor will find the presence of a human (and, with luck, ignore the dog!) and turn the systems on, and when the humans leave it will turn them off again. The sensors will work through the central home computer, and they will do much more than just turn the fires and lights on and off for you. They will find faulty electrical appliances, plugs or switches, separate them so that they cannot harm anyone, and then warn you that they need repair. They will detect fire and if you are out of the house, the computer will call the fire brigade. It will not be too difficult because the locks on the outside doors will be electronic. You will open them using your personal card--the one you use for shopping--maybe using a number known only to you. It will be impossible to lose the key, and a housebreaker will have to tamper with the lock or with a window. It is not very difficult to make such tampering send a signal to the computer. The computer will be more than a fireman-policeman-servant. It will be an entertainer, and most of your entertainment will come right into your home. It does now, of course, but by 2040 "entertainment" will mean much more. For one thing, you will be able to take part actively, rather than just watching. According to the author, in 2040, new technology will _ . A. free us from the keys we use today B. turn everything into sensors C. make the locks out of date D. get rid of all crimes Answer: A. free us from the keys we use today On a hot African morning, Leila was lying on her stomach and an elephant was walking towards her. Leila waited. Then she pushed the button on her camera. "And I got my best photo of an elephant ever, by lying under my car," Leila explained. "I wanted to get close to the elephants, but of course this was dangerous; they had their babies with them. So every morning I used to park my car in the open near the path . They used to take the same path every morning when they left the water hole. After a week, they were used to seeing my car. So the next morning, I lay under it and got my photo!" Many of the best wildlife photos come from good planning. In Africa, photographers set up their hides near water holes. They also set up hides near forest paths, as animals use the same paths every night. For bird-watching, many lakes have hides. Inside the hides, bird-watchers can watch all day in the shade out of the wind and rain. Good wildlife photos are needed for books, postcards, magazines and newspapers. But a success rate of 1 in 20 is good. How can photographers take good photos? A. By making good preparation. B. By going into the forest at night. C. By walking around the holes. D. By going to the nearest lake. Answer: A. By making good preparation. Get a FREE YEAR! Order NOW and get a FREE YEAR of Parents(r) magazine! That's 2 full years (24 issues) for the regular 1-year rate - just $12. But HURRY, this offer won't last! (U.S. orders only, please.) Every issue of PARENTS is filled with practical advice from leading doctors and child experts ... toys and games that develop reader-tested products and more! 100% Money-Back Guarantee: You must be pleased, or you may cancel any time during the life of your subscription and get all your money back - no questions asked. Parents(r) Magazine is published 12 times per year. Savings are based on $12.00 annual subscription rate. State taxes may apply to your order. E-mail address required to access your account and member benefits online. We will not share your e-mail address with anyone. Click here: www.parents.com/privacy to view our privacy policy. Which of the following is true according to the ad? A. Only $12 is to be paid for 24 issues of the magazine B. Readers can get a free offer of the magazine any time of the year C. Readers from all over the world can enjoy the free offer D. Readers can communicate face to face with child experts on the Internet Answer: A. Only $12 is to be paid for 24 issues of the magazine I just finished the household chores for the night and was preparing to go to bed, when I heard a noise in the front of the house. I opened the door to the front room and to my surprise, Santa himself stepped out from behind the Christmas tree. He placed his finger over his mouth so I would not cry out. "What are you doing?" I started to ask. The words choked up in my throat, and I saw he had tears in his eyes. His usual jolly manner was gone. Gone was the eager, boisterous soul we all know. He then answered me with a simple statement"TEACH THE CHILDREN!" I was puzzled; what did he mean? Santa then reached in his bag and pulled out a FIR TREE ."Teach the children that the pure green color of the stately fir tree remains green all year round,describing the everlasting hope of mankind,all the needles point heavenward, making it a symbol of man's thoughts turning toward heaven." He again reached into his bag and pulled out a brilliant STAR. "Teach the children that the star was the heavenly sign of promises long ago. God promised a savior for the world, and the star was the sign of fulfillment of his promise." He then reached into his bag and pulled out a CANDLE. "Teach the children that the candle symbolizes that Christ is the light of the world, and when we see this great light we are reminded of he who displaces the darkness." Suddenly I heard a soft twinkling sound, and from his bag he pulled out a BELL. "Teach the children that as the lost sheep are found by the sound of the bell, it should ring mankind to the fold. The bell symbolizes guidance and return." Santa looked back and was pleased. I saw that the _ was back in his eyes. He said, "Remember, teach the children the true meaning of Christmas and do not put me in the center, for I am but an humble servant of the one that is, and I bow down to worship HIM, our LORD, our GOD." According to Santa, the star was _ . A. a symbol of man's thoughts turning towards heaven B. the sigh of fulfillment of the Santa's promise C. the symbol of the light of the world D. the sound of the bell which ring mankind to the fold Answer: B. the sigh of fulfillment of the Santa's promise Mary was waiting for the airplane to take off. She was happy to get a seat by herself. Just then, an air hostess came up to her and asked. "Would you mind changing your seat? A man would like to sit with his wife." The only available seat was next to a girl with her arms broken, a black-and-blue face, and a sad expression . "I don't want to sit there," Mary thought at once. But then a soft voice inside spoke, "She needs help." Finally, Mary moved to that seat. The girl was named Emily. She had been in a car accident and now was on her way for treatment. When the snacks and juice arrived, Mary realized that Emily could not feed herself. Mary thought about offering to feed her but she hesitated , as it seemed too impolite to offer such a help to a stranger. But then Mary realized that Emily's need was more important. Mary offered to help her eat. Although Emily was uncomfortable to accept, _ . They became closer and closer in a short time. By the end of the five-hour trip, Mary's heart had warmed, and the time was really better spent than if she had just sat by herself. Mary was very glad that she sat next to Emily and fed her. Love sometimes goes beyond human boundaries and removes the fears that keep people away. When we reach our hands to help another, we get to live in a larger and more pleasant world. What is the best title for this passage? A. Flying With Strangers B. Changing Seats C. Learning To Feed D. Passing Your Love On Answer: D. Passing Your Love On
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. We can learn from the passage that _ . Answer: Taiwan police cannot decide whether to treat it as an extremely clever act of stealing or an even cleverer cheat .Either way, it could be a perfect crime , because the criminals are birds----homing pigeons. The crime begins with a telephone message to the owner of a stolen car: if you want the car back, pay some money. Then, the car owner is directed to a park, told where to find a bird cage and how to attach money to the neck of the pigeon inside. Carrying the money in a tiny bag, the pigeon flies off. There have been at least four such pigeon pick-ups in Changwa. What at first seemed like the work of a clever stay-at-home car thief, however, may in fact be the work of an even lazier and more inventive criminal mind---- one that avoids not only collecting money but going out to steal the car in the first place. Police officer Chen says that the criminal probably has pulled a double trick: he gets money for things he cannot possibly return. Instead of stealing cars, he lets someone else do it and then waits for the car owner to place an ad in the newspaper asking for help. The theory is supportd by the fact that, so far,none of the stolen cars have been returned. Also, the amount of money demanded----under 3,000 Taiwanese dollars-----seems too little for a car worth many times more. Demands for pigeon-delivered money stopped as soon as the press reported the story. And even if they start again, Chen holds little hope of catching the criminal. "We have more important things to do,"he said. After the car owner received a phone call, he _ . Answer: Even if you are saying and doing the right things at your job and in your personal life, you could be making a bad impression on everyone with what you don't say. That's because much of our reactions to others are based on body language. If your body language is communicating a negative message, that's the message you could be sending, regardless of what actual words come out of your mouth. What are negative messages sent via body language? Things like having arms folded across your chest can show hostility . Lack of eye contact can indicate shiftiness . An unsmiling face could communicate a variety of things, like anger, disappointment, or sadness, depending upon what other facial expressions are included. Want to know what body language communicates? Watch a TV show or a movie with the sound off, and see how much you can figure out of the plot, or at least you can get a sense of what is going on. However, many of the clues that indicate negativity could also be the result of nervousness or other issues. For example, somebody who doesn't make eye contact could simply be nervous. The same goes with a not-so-warm hand-shake. Or, someone folding his arms could simply be more comfortable with the arms that way, not realizing what the arms' position sends. Someone who doesn't smile could be self-conscious about her teeth. At any rate, the person who sends off bad body language may not even realize that they're doing it. Unfortunately, some people who do recognize what body language communicates are scam artists. They may have the firmest handshake, the shiniest smile, and make the greatest eye contact to convince others of their sincerity, because they know how much this nonverbal communications plays a part in communicating sincerity. Yet people _ it, because their body language seems sincere. But what if you're in the opposite situation? If you're not sure what your body language is communicating, ask a trusted friend for help. You can also concentrate on standing up straight and sitting up straight, if posture is a problem. Practicing in front of a mirror can help you get rid of bad habits. Remember to smile and nod if needed. And try to learn how to relax. Before you know it, you will be sending more positive messages with your body language. Which would be the best title for this passage? Answer: The poverty line is the minimum income that people need for an acceptable standard of living. People with incomes below the poverty line are considered poor. Economists study the causes of poverty in order to find solutions to the problem. As the general standard of living in the country rises, the poverty line does, too. Therefore, even with today's ly high standard of living, about 10 percent of the people in the United States are below the poverty line. However, if these people had stable jobs, they could have an acceptable standard of living. Economists suggest several reasons why poor people do not have jobs. For one thing, more than half of the poor people in the United States are not qualified to work. Over 40 percent of the poor people are children. By law, children less than 16 years old cannot work in many industries. A large number of poor people are old. Many companies do not hire people over 65 years old the normal retirement age. Some poor adults do not look for jobs for a variety of personal reasons: they are sick, they do not have any motivation, they have family problems, or they do not believe that they can find a job. Other poor people look for a job but cannot find one. Many poor adults never went to high school. Therefore, when they look for jobs, they have few skills that they can offer. At the present time, the government thinks it can reduce poverty in the country in the following ways. First, if the national economy grows, businesses and industries hire more workers. Some of the poor who are qualified to look for jobs may find employment. Then they will no longer be below the poverty line. Second, if society invests in the poor, the poor will become more productive. If the government spends money on social programs, education, and training for poor people, the poor will have the skills to offer. Then it is more likely that they can find jobs. Finally, if the government distributes society's income differently, it raises some poor people above the poverty line. The government collects taxes from the non-poor and gives money to the poor. These payments to the poor are called welfare. Since 1975 over 18 million people in the United States have received welfare per year. Some economists are looking for better solutions to the poverty problem. However, at the present time, many people depend on welfare for a minimally acceptable standard of living. The author's main purpose to write this article is _ . Answer: Four most Extreme Travel Destinations in the World Coldest Inhabited Place on Earth: Oymyakon, Russia As the coldest inhabited place on earth, the small Russian town of Oymyakon was once only used as a location for political prisoners. Winter temperature average at about -58 degrees F, the ground is frozen all year long. Popular sports include skiing, ice hockey and ice fishing. Closest Place to Outer Space: Mount Chimborazo, Ecuador Mount Chimborazo stands at over 20,000 feet high. Standing on it will put you closest to outer space that man can ever reach on foot. Its peak is completely covered by glaciers, but this mountain has several routes for climbers. Hottest Place on Earth: Lut Desert, Iran Here, temperatures reach as high as 158 degrees F. Though tourists visit this desert land, it's a destination only for those willing to take on the challenge of surviving the heat and the dry climates. Most Isolated Place on Earth: Tristan da Cunha, United Kingdom Looking for a getaway from the everyday? This is about as far away from it as you can get. The island is home to fewer than 300 inhabitants and has no airport, Tristan da Cunha is accessible only by sea. Where does this text probably come from? Answer:
Question: How You Can Learn a Language in Only 10 Days Most people recognize the many benefits of learning a foreign language: You can travel to foreign countries and feel comfortable, be a more productive and attractive employee in today's competitive job market, and immerse yourself in the vast cultures around the world. In addition, scientific studies have shown that learning a new language helps to keep memories sharp and naturally improves brain function. But do you know that you can learn a new language in as little as 10 days? The Pimsleur Approach to learning new languages help users pick up new languages quickly .Even the FBI and National Security Agency have purchased the Pimsleur Approach. The Pimsleur Languag Programs The entire Pimsleur Approach is what language learning should be : quick, fun and easy. You will learn a new language effortlessly without any reading, writing or computer use. The Pimsleur Approach has a 100 percent guarantee : speak in 10 days or you don't pay. Who is Dr. Pimsleur? Pimsleur Approach is a language educator. He noticed that children have an amazing ability to learn new languages quickly. He spent his life developing this course to let you , as an adult , learn a new language as easily as a child would .You might not realize it , but you have already learned one language using the Pimsleur Approach. Limited availability of special offers The company is currently offering new customers a special offer of 50 % discount on tuition fees.The programs which normally cost $100 are now available for just %50. Better yet ,they are also offering a money-back guarantee. So ,if you find you are not learning as fast as they said , simply return it for a full payment . For more information , please click here. We can know from the passage that Dr.Pimsleur _ A. is the owner of the Pimsleur language programs . B. is a language educator who studies children's languages. C. once worked for the FBI and National Security Agency. D. developed a course helping adults learn a new language easily. Answer: D 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. We now know that penguins seen by the sailors hundreds of years ago were _ . A. fish with the ability to fly B. birds that had learned to swim C. birds that could fly into the sea D. fish with black and white feathers Answer: B Question: Hello! My name's Mary Brown. I'm a girl. I like red. I have a red schoolbag. What's this? It's my red pencil box. Is that my ruler? Yes, it is. It is a red ruler. What's that? It is a watch. Is it my watch? No, it isn't. It's Bob's watch. It's blue. That is _ watch. A. my B. your C. Bob's D. Mary's Answer: C Question: One day when I came home at lunch time the Jonas Brothers, Kevin, Joe, and Nick, were at my door. I jumped out of my Range Rover and started screaming. I ran up to them and just started hugging them and crying. I had no clue what was going on. They were just smiling and laughing. I was speechless and I was just staring at them. We stood there in dead silence for a couple of minutes. I finally picked up courage to say, "Hey, would you all like to come in?" They told me yes and that they had something to tell me. I brought them in and asked them why they came to my house. They told me, "We need you for something. We would like you to join the band; we want you to be our background dancer. You will also be a dancer for Miley Cyrus." Hearing their words, my jaw dropped in amazement. We kept talking for a while. I skipped school for the rest of the day, because it was the Jonas Brothers! We sat and watched television for a while, and then I went to my room and got ready. Then later that day we went and got lunch and went to a movie. We had to go to private places to go to the movie and eat because of all of the fans, but we had a great time! They brought me home that night and told me that they would see me tomorrow. Once I got home and got out of the car, Nick got out too and walked me to the door! He told me goodnight and gave me a hug and went back to the car. That night I could hardly go to sleep, but I finally did. The next morning I woke up and got ready really quickly. Then the Jonas Brothers' driver came and picked me up in their black Range Rover. I got in the back seat and by surprise Nick was there with flowers and chocolate. I asked him, "What is this?" He said, "It's for you! I want to surprise you! Today we are going to go to the studio and you are going to start learning everything for the tour this year. Kevin and Joe are already at the studio, I just want to come here and pick you up. After that I have something special planned for us!" "I don't have any clothes to wear, except for the clothes that I am wearing to practice," I said. He told me, "It's okay, we are going shopping to find outfits for our special date." We went shopping for our clothes and I got to pick anything I wanted and Nick paid for all of it. Then that night we went and ate at a restaurant right by the beach. After dinner, we went and walked on the beach. It was amazing! That night he took me home and walked me to my door and we said goodnight. I then went in and went to bed right away. The next few months I went to the studio with them about every day. It was a lot of hard work, but once the tour started, it paid off. I had the best time of my life. Once the tour was over, I got more into the acting and dancing business, I then became famous. Miley Cyrus and I became best friends and I also was a background dancer for her. Miley, the Jonas Brothers, and I were all best friends and we pretty much grew up together. Now, Miley and I are still best friends, and Nick Jonas and I are married. We are still famous and have the best time of our life. How did the author react to the request as a dancer? A. She explained what she hoped to do in the future. B. She was eager to meet Miley Cyrus very soon. C. She agreed to it without a moment's thought. D. She had a serious talk with the Brothers. Answer: C Question: Part 3 NARRATOR: As soon as Goneril has got all she can from her father, she begins treating _ disrespectfully. When Lear wants to speak to her, Goneril tells her servant, Oswald, to say she is sick. She encourages her staff to be disrespectful towards Lear and begins complaining about the hundred soldiers Lear has brought with him. However, King Lear soon has a friend by his side. The Duke of Kent, who Lear ordered to leave Britain, cannot abandon his king. He therefore comes to Lear disguised as a servant called Caius and asks for a job. (Enter Lear, several of Lear's soldiers and Kent disguised as a servant.) LEAR: OK, Caius. I'll give you a trial. And if you prove to be good at your job, I'll keep you on as my servant. (Oswald enters.) Hey, you there. Where's my daughter? (Oswald ignores the king and hurries out of the room.) Hey. What's going on? Call him back. Is he deaf? (A Soldier rushes out after Oswald.) It's as though the whole world has gone to sleep. (Soldier reenters.) Where's that servant? Why didn't he come back when I called? SOLDIER: Sir, he answered me very rudely and said he would not come back. LEAR: I don't believe it! SOLDIER: Sir, I am sorry, to tell you this, but it seems to me that you are not being treated with the respect due to a king. Everyone here, including your daughter, is behaving very coldly towards you. LEAR: Mmm. I suspected the same, but I kept telling myself it was my imagination. Please tell my daughter I wish to speak with her. (Soldier bows and leaves. Oswald enters.) Ah, come here my man and answer me. Who am I? OSWALD: My lady's father. LEAR: Your lady's father? Is that all I am to you, you dog, you slave! (Lear raises his arm as though to strike Oswald.) OSWALD: I'll not be hit, my Lord. KENT: (Kent kicks Oswald's feet out from under him.) And you won't be laid flat on your back either, I suppose. Now get up and get out of here. (Oswald leaves.) LEAR: My thanks, Caius. I can see you will be a most valuable servant. (Enter Goneril.) What's up, daughter? You always seem to be frowning lately. GONERIL: Is it any wonder that I frown when your soldiers are continually drinking and fighting? I thought when I told you about their behavior you would make them behave, but now I hear you have insulted Oswald. I do believe you are encouraging your soldiers in their bad behavior. LEAR: Is this my daughter scolding me? GONERIL: I have had enough of your soldiers. They are expensive to keep and you don't need them. Besides, their drunken behavior and bad manners are disgusting. You will send half of them away. And unless you want me to get rid of the rest of them too, I suggest you teach them how to behave properly. LEAR: That's a lie. My soldiers are good men who know how to behave properly. I won't stay here to be insulted. I still have one more daughter. She'll scratch out your eyes when she hears how you've treated me. Men! Get my horses ready and collect my baggage. I'll leave immediately. I won't stay where I'm not welcome. (Lear and companions leave.) NARRATOR: Lear sends Kent on ahead to the castle of his other daughter, Regan, to tell her that he will soon be arriving. Goneril sends her servant Oswald to Regan to tell her side of the story. Why did the Duke of Kent disguise himself as a servant? A. To find a chance to meet Goneril. B. To share some of the king's wealth. C. To find a job in the court. D. To serve and help his king-- Lear. Answer: D
One morning there was a massage on the answering machine from an angry customer, complaining about her lack of service----service that had been stopped because her check had bounced. As it is my job to handle payments received, it was my duty to collect the check. As is often the case when a check bounces, I soon found that this woman's phone number was no longer in service. A check of the caller L.D told us the call had come from the manager's office of the apartment building where our customer lived. We left a message with the manager and within the hour our call was returned. I told our customer gently, sympathetically that a check she had written had been returned for lack of funds. I told her I always want to let people know about returned checks quickly because the huge fees the bank charge can cause more checks to be returned and more fees to be charged. I told her I hope she could contact the bank and get things straightened out before her problem got worse. I also told her, gently once more, that I hated to add to her problem but she would owe us a fee because the bank charges us a fee when a check is returned. She told me she had difficulties because of being on a fixed income and being in poor health. She told me she had no children but had raised several that belonged to her husband and after living with him thirty years he had left her for another woman. Finally, after she had promised to pay, I told her not only do I care about her situation, but she taught me something. When a person is angry, there may be reasons you don't know about. If you don't react with anger, you may learn what the real problem is and may in some way be able to help, if only with a little sympathy. Why did the author try to call the woman? A To apologize to her B To solve her problem C To provide better service D To charge for the fees Answer: D. To charge for the fees The transfer of thermal energy from one object to another is known as A heat. B electricity. C magnetism. D temperature. Answer: A. heat. Living in a foreign culture can be exciting, but it can also be confusing . A group of Americans who taught English in other countries recently discussed their experiences. They decided that miscommunications were always possible, even over something as simple as"yes"and"no". On her first day in Micronesia, an island in the Pacific, Lisa thought people weren't paying any attention to her. The day was hot. She went into a store and asked, "Do you have cold drinks? "The woman there didn't say anything. Lisa repeated the question. Still the woman said nothing. She later learned that the woman had answered her: She had raised her eyebrows , which in Micronesia means"yes". Jan remembered an experience she had in Bulgaria, a country in Europe. She went to a restaurant that was known for its cabbage. She asked the waiter, "Do you have cabbage today? "He nodded his head. Jan waited, but the cabbage never came. In that country, a nod means"no". Tom had a similar problem when he arrived in India. After explaining something in class, he asked his students if they understood. They answered with many different nods and shakes of the head. He thought some people had not understood, so he explained again. When he asked again, they did the same thing. He soon found out that his students did understand. In India, people nod and shake their heads in different ways depending on where they come from. You have to know where a person is from to understand whether they mean"yes"or"no". The passage is mainly about _ . A body language in foreign restaurants B class discussion in Indian schools C miscommunication in different cultures D English teaching in other countries Answer: C. miscommunication in different cultures Under the terms of a written contract, Karp agreed to construct for Manor a garage for $10,000. Nothing was said in the parties' negotiations or in the contract about progress payments during the course of the work. For this question only, assume the following facts. After completing 25% of the garage strictly according to Manor's specifications, Karp demanded payment of $2,000 as a "reasonable progress payment." Manor refused, and Karp abandoned the job. If each party sues the other for breach of contract, which of the following will the court decide? A Both parties are in breach, and each is entitled to damages, if any, from the other. B Only Karp is in breach and liable for Manor's damages, if any. C Only Manor is in breach and liable for Karp's damages, if any. D Both parties took reasonable positions, and neither is in breach. Answer: B. Only Karp is in breach and liable for Manor's damages, if any. My name is Amanda LaMunyon. I have Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism . I don't see myself as a person with a disability. I share who I am when I paint, sing and write. I started writing poetry because I wanted to tell people what it was like to have Asperger's syndrome. I don't know how my life would be different without Asperger's, but I know I look at the world differently than most people. I'm also learning that you don't have to be like everybody else. You just have to be confident in who you are. I discovered I could paint when I was 7. My math teacher Mrs. Brock loved one of my paintings so much that she hung it on the wall in her bedroom. I was so encouraged by her and since then my life has changed greatly. Soon after, people asked me to show my art for charity events. I began to donate prints of my work for charity auctions . I was glad that I really made a difference. I learned that when you give, you receive happiness. I think it is very important for teens to express themselves. It's a way to know yourself more clearly. You can turn your thoughts and feelings into a piece of artwork or a poem. For example, when you paint, colors can help you express different emotions. When you write a poem, you have to get really honest with yourself and not be afraid to write down what you feel. Creativity makes you unique and sets you apart from others. Creative ideas also help you make your dreams come true. They help you look at things in a new way. I hope my story helps people to believe they can overcome their challenges and achieve their dreams. I like to encourage others. I know what encouragement has meant to me. The author mentions Mrs. Brock because she _ . A taught the author how to paint B found the author had a gift for painting C influenced the author's later life greatly D encouraged the author to change her life Answer: C. influenced the author's later life greatly
Loss of resources has a negative impact on what in an area? Europe's deadly outbreak of a rare form of E. coli bacteria has brought new attention to food safety issues. One of the problems when people get sick from food is that the simplest question is often difficult or even impossible to answer. Just what did the people eat that made them sick? Of course, one way to avoid these medical mysteries is to keep dangerous organisms out of the food supply. This is easier said than done, but scientists keep looking for new ways. Scientists in the United States have developed an experimental system that uses a high-tech optical scanner. The system is designed to identify the presence of contaminants like soil or animal waste on fresh produce. These can be sources of E. coli. E. coli bacteria naturally live in the intestines of humans and many animals. Most kinds of E. coli are harmless but some can make people sick. The new scanner can also show damage and imperfections that might make the produce unappealing to shoppers. Scientists designed the system at a Department of Agriculture research center in Beltsville, Maryland. Moon Kim of the Agricultural Research Service led the team. MOON KIM: "We were requested, we were asked, to develop a method to detect contamination in produce. So we started with the apple as the model sample." The scanner uses a high-speed camera placed over the conveyer belt that moves the produce along. As the apples move along the belt, the scanner captures images of each piece of fruit. Moon Kim says the team hopes the system will be available before long. MOON KIM: "We are targeting for development in commercial plants for the next several years." The scanner can direct a sorting machine to separate the bad apples from the good ones. The system is currently able to show the surface of only half the apple as it speeds by. The inventers hope to improve the process so it can show the whole surface. The high-tech scanner _ . If you find it, please call Sam at 385-0926 Many thanks. Titanic 3D Saturday and Sunday Showtime Cinema $20(half for children under 12) Call David at 332-5147 BOOK SALE A Christmas Carol --by Charles Diukans A story of Christmas The true meaning of Christmas was $59.60 now $29.60 HOUSE FOR RENT 2 sunny bedrooms with a kitchen $500 a month Call Mary at 591-3127 for more information You need to pay _ if you buy the book A Christmas Carol now . The way we cook is important. In many countries, the two sources of heat used for cooking are natural gas or electric stoves. The World Health Organization(WHO) warns that millions of people are dying every year from indoor air pollution. The WHO finds that poor cooking, heating and lighting technologies are killing millions of people each year. Indoor air pollution results from the use of dangerous fuels and cook stoves in the home. WHO officials say nearly three billion people are unable to use clean fuels and technologies for cooking, heating and lighting. And they say more than seven million people die from exposure to indoor or outdoor air pollution each year. Of that number, the WHO says about 4.3 million people die from household air pollution given off by simple biomass and coal stoves. These findings show that the home use of poisonous fuels is to blame for many of these deaths. These fuels include wood, coal, animal waste and so on. Carlos Dora is Coordinator in the WHO' s Department of Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Health. He says people should not use unprocessed coal and kerosene fuel indoors. He says opening a window or door to let out the harmful air will not correct the situation. It will only pollute the outdoors. "New technologies and clean fuels can rid people of this problem." The United Nations found that more than 95 percent of families in sub-Saharan Africa depend on solid fuels for cooking. It says huge populations in India, China and Latin American countries, such as Guatemala and Peru, are also at risk. Nigel Bruce is a professor of Public Health at the University of Liverpool. He says researchers are developing good stoves and other equipment to burn fuels in a more efficient way."There are already many technologies for clean fuels available now. An effective and reasonably low-cost ethanol stove that is made by Dometic (a Sweden-based company)is now being tested out. Another interesting development is electric induction stoves." In India, you can buy an induction stove for about $8. And in Africa you can buy a solar lamp for less than $1. Which would be the best title for the passage? EDGEWOOD-Every morning at Dixie Heights High school,customers pour into a special experiment:the district's first coffee shop run mostly by students with special learning needs. Well before classes start,students and teachers order Lattes,Cappuccinos and Hot Chocolates.Then,during the first period,teachers call in orders on their room phones,and students make deliveries.By closing time at 9:20a.m.,the shop usually sells 90drinks."Whoever made the chi tea,Ms.Schatzman says it was good,"Christy McKinley,a second year student,announced recently,after hanging up with the teacher. The shop is called the Dixie PIT,which stands for Power in Transition.Although some of the students are not disabled,many are,and the PIT helps them prepare for life after high school.They learn not only how to run a coffee shop but also how to deal with their affairs.They keep a timecard and receive paychecks,which they keep in check registers. Special-education teachers Kim Chevalier and Sue Casey introduced the Dixie PIT from a similar program at Kennesaw Mountain High School in Georgia.Not that it was easy.Chevalier's first problem to overcome was product-related.Should schools be selling coffee?What about sugar content?Kenton County Food Service Director Ginger Gray helped.She made sure all the drinks,which use non-fat milk,fell within nutrition guidelines. The Dixie PIT program was introduced in order to .
As more people use smart phones to pay bills and store personal information, strict password security has become more important than ever. A new study shows that free - form gestures - sweeping fingers in shapes across the screen of a smart phone--can be used to unlock phones. These gestures are less likely to be observed and reproduced by others than traditional typed passwords. "All that it takes to steal a password is a quick eye," said one of the researchers of the study. "With all the personal information we have on our phones today, improving their security is becoming increasingly necessary." In developing a secure solution to this problem, the researchers studied the practicality of using free - form gestures. With the ability to create any shape in any size and location on the screen, the gestures were popular as passwords. Since users create them without following a template, the researchers predicted these gestures would allow for greater complexity. The researchers carried out a create - test - retest experiment where 63 people were asked to create a gesture, recall it, and recall it again 10 days later. The gestures were captured on a recognizer system designed by the team. Using this data, they tested the complexity and accuracy of each gesture using information theory. The result of their analysis is that people are favorable to use free - form gestures as passwords. To put their analysis into practice, the researchers then had seven students in computer science and engineering, each with considerable experience with touchscreens , attempt to steal a free - form gesture password by observing a phone user secretly. None of them were able to copy the gestures with enough accuracy. The gestures appear to be extremely powerful against attacks. Though the testing is in its early stage and widespread adaptation of this technology is not yet clear, the research team plans to continue to analyze the security and management of free - form passwords in the future. They believe this is the first study to explore free - form gestures as passwords. They will soon publish their findings. What can we learn about free - form gestures? Answer: If you ask me to tell how to get along in the United States, I think the following "do's" and "don'ts" would be helpful. Generally speaking, it isn't easy to find anyone to talk to in a busy city, so you should try to do the following. First, get or borrow a dog! Walk him several times a day! Americans love dogs and cats and usually stop to talk to anyone with a dog. Then, try to eat in a restaurant. People generally share the same table and will sometimes talk to you if they see you are new there. Next, take your dirty clothes to a laundry ! It takes about an hour to wash and dry them and people there often pass the time talking with each other. Always ask for information from a woman if you are a man, and from a man, if you are a woman! Learn to say, "Please" "Thank you" and "You're welcome" and use them all the time! There are some things you shouldn't do. Don't tell the truth when people ask, "How are you?" The only answer they want is "Fine". Never ask people their age--especially women! Everyone wants to be young. Don't tell heavy people they are fat. Tell them they are losing weight. Everyone wants to be thin. Don't be late when meeting people! When someone says six o'clock, be sure to be there by six. Americans respect time and want everyone to be "on time". If you visit a friend, you _ . Answer: A a switch turns something with batteies on because: Answer: Mr and Mrs Green live in a big city , and one summer they go to the country for their holiday. They enjoy it very much, because it is a quiet , clean place. One day,they are going for a walk in the morning and they meet an old man. He lives on a farm and he is sitting in the warm sun in front of his house. Mr Green asks him, "Do you like to live in this place?" The old man says, "Yes,I do." Mr Green asks again, "What are the good things about it?" The old man answers, "Well,the people here know each other. They often come and visit me,and I often go and visit them. And there are also lots of children here." Mr Green says, "That's very interesting. But what are the bad things?" The old man thinks and thinks and then says, "Well, the same things, really!" One day when they are walking in the country, they meet _ . Answer: If you're ever apart from your children, a new study says just talking on the phone will help just as much as a hug . If you're a parent who spends long hours on the job, you probably feel sorry for spending so much time away from your kids. But the results of a new study show that a mother's voice alone can be just as comforting to an anxious child as physical contact . In an experiment, researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison asked a group of girls between the age of 7 and 12 to solve math problems in front of judges --- a stressful situation for anyone. Before the girls were set to solve math problems, the researchers measured their levels of two hormones : cortisol, which goes up during stressful periods, and oxytocin, the "love" hormone. After they were finished, some of the girls got to meet up with their mothers right away. The mums came in and hugged the girls. Another group of the girls didn't see their mothers, but received phone calls from them, in which their mothers told them how well they'd done. The final group had no contact with their mothers, but watched an animal movie, March of the Penguins instead. Finally, the girls' hormone levels were measured again. Although the movie was interesting, it did nothing to ease the children's anxiety ---- but, surprisingly, both the physical contact and phone calls from their mothers had the same effect on easing the girls' stress levels. So, no matter how old you are, if you're feeling stressed about something in your life, a phone call to Mom might be just the key to help you feel better. What is the author's attitude towards the study? Answer:
Television will turn 86 years old on September 7, 2013, and it has never looked better. In its youth, television was a piece of furniture with a tiny, round screen showing unclear pictures of lowbudget programs. In spite of its shortcomings, it became well-received. Between 1950 and 1963, the number of American families with a television jumped from 9% to 92% of the population. As the audience got larger, the technology got better. Television sets became more reliable through the 1960s. Both of the reception and the picture improved. The major networks started broadcasting programs in color. Even greater improvements were coming according to Sanford Brown, who wrote an article forthe Postin 1967. Surprisingly, just about every prediction he made in the article became a reality. For example: All sets in the notdistant future will be color instruments. He also predicted that TV sets would become smaller, simpler, more reliable and less expensive and may forever put the TV repairman out of work. Smaller sets do not, of course, mean smaller screens. TV engineers expect screens to get much bigger. However, today's 3D TV is even farther away, if it's coming at all. There is some doubt whether the public would be eager to pay for it, in view of people's cold reception given to 3D movies. But the technology with the greatest potential, according to Brown, was cable television , which was still in its early stages then. As he predicted, the future of cable television was highly interactive. It wasn't cable television that gave Americans their electronic connection to the world, however. It was the Internet. He even foresaw the future office: using picture phones, bigscreen televisions for conferences, and computers providing information, at the touch of a button. Brown ever said, "The future of television is no longer a question of what we can invent. It's a question of what we want." Which of the followings did Sanford Brown fail to predict? Answer: 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. According to the text customers using the bleaching products would also risk _ . Answer: A deer created a rose garden by Answer: Miya volunteered abroad in Costa Rica with World Endeavors assisting at an orphanage and teaching English at a school. As a freshman at Yale University, Miya had plans to go to medical school.Knowing that her next two summers would be occupied doing research, Miya decided to go abroad the summer after her freshman year."I wanted to improve my command of the Spanish language and learn about the culture and history of another country," she explained.In the summer of 2014, Miya volunteered for six weeks in the World Endeavors program in Atenas, Costa Rica, working in an orphanage and teaching English to children in grades one through six. "A long time before I left, I had positive expectations for the trip," said Miya.But as the date grew closer she found herself getting more and more nervous."I thought, what if my host family doesn't like me? What if I get sick?" Her fears, as fears often are, turned out to be unfounded."The people were so supportive and loving," said Miya."I felt like I was part of the family." Miya's host family had a large network of cousins who all lived within shouting distance. The family would cook together, and at night would go dancing, talk or eat ice cream.She noted that the World Endeavors staff on location--Diego and Mercedes, and Mercedes' husband and daughter -were particularly helpful, taking her right to her neighborhood from the airport, and checking up periodically to make sure everything was going well. While her nights were spent dancing, cooking, and talking with her host family, Miya's days were occupied with the children of her host city."I would teach in the morning, and work in the orphanage in the afternoon," said Miya, whose placements were within walking distance from her host family.While the children were a lot of work, Miya felt a strong connection to the kids in the orphanage. Miya noted that Costa Rica is one of the more developed countries in Central America. A nearby Internet cafe, for example, helped her to stay in touch with her family while she was away.And now, back in the United States, the Internet helps her keep in touch with her host family.Their correspondence continues in Spanish.And her host parents, Rosario and Jorge, recently sent Miya a Christmas card through the mail. Back at school, Miya continues to pursue her instinct to improve education through volunteering. She participates in a mentoring group and works on a community health education program for high school students.Her time in Costa Rica, she says, "fits right into my interests in global health." What is the best title for the passage? Answer: What prevents depression:tea,coffee or hot chocolate? Women who drink for or more cups of coffee a day are a fifth less likely to become depressed.Drinking two or three cups reduces the risk by 15 percent. This is the result of a study of 51,000 women over ten years, published in the Journal of the American Medicine Association. One theory is that caffeine reduces the effect of the chemical adenosine in the brain, which can make us feel sleepy by slowing down nerve cell activity. Some anti-depressants also work by blocking the adenosine receptors. Coffee was found to be far more influential on depression levels than hot chocolate or tea due to the high caffeine content. How many eggs can we healthily eat: one a day or two a day? Neither-eat them freely. We've long been warned to stick to two or three eggs a week because of their high cholesterol content. But according to the Food Standards Agency, there is no recommended limit to how many eggs we can healthily eat, unless you have been told to cut down by your doctor. There is no evidence that eating eggs raises cholesterol levels, and researchers found that eggs contain less cholesterol than in the past because hens are no longer given bone meal, which was banned in the 1990s after the BSE cresis. Research by the British Egg Council found that a medium egg gives you around 100 mg of cholesterol, a third of the 300mg recommended daily limit. What is considered to fight depression best? Answer:
I need electrical energy to Answer: cook some bread Cosmo Books Ltd., 14, Woodman Road, Hertford Estate, Two Bridges, Rickmansworth, West Sussex. Middx. 25thFebruary Dear sir, Just over six months ago, I saw an advertisement in the Morning Mail for a set of the complete works of William Shakespeare. Your company, Cosmo books Ltd., offered this set ( eight books of plays and two books of poetry) at what was claimed to be a 'remarkable' price: fifteen pounds and fifty pence, including postage and packing. I had wanted a set of Shakespeare's plays and poems for some time, and these books, in red imitation leather, looked particularly attractive; so I sent for them. Two weeks later, the books arrived, together with a set of the complete works of Charles Dickens which I had not ordered. So I returned the Dickens books to you, with a cheque for fifteen pounds and fifty pence for the works of Shakespeare. Two more weeks passed. Then there arrived on my door step a second set of the works of Shakespeare, the same set of novels by Dickens and a six book set of the plays of Moliere, in French. Since I do not read French, these were of no use to me at all. However, I could not afford to post all these books back to you, so I wrote to you at the end of August of last year, instructing you to come and collect all the books that I did not want, and asking you not to send any other books until further notice. You did not reply to that letter. Instead you sent me a bill for forty two pounds , and a set of the plays of Schiller, in German. Since then, a new set of books has arrived every two weeks, the works of Goethe, the poems of Milton, the plays of Strindberg; I hardly know what I have. The books are still all in their boxes, in the garage, and my car has to stand in the rain outside. I have no room for any more books, and even if I read from now until the Last Judgement, I should not finish reading all the books that you have sent me. Please send no more books, send no more bills, send no more angry letters demanding payment. Just send one large lorry and take all the books away, leaving me only with the one set of the complete works of Shakespeare for which I have paid. Yours faithfully, SIMON WALKER Cosmo Books have _ Answer: continued to send books that Mr. Walker did not order. Imagine when you are sailing an ocean for the first time, you see a big fish swimming near your ship. You might be scared, and worried about whether it will turn over your ship for a meal. In fact, it is not a fish at all, but a gentle giant whale. Whales are not fishes but mammals . Their body temperature stays the same, and does not change with the temperature of their environment. They breathe air, so they have to come out of the water to get oxygen. Thus, they cannot afford to fall into a sleeping state for too long, since they need to be awake in order to breathe. It is thought that only half of their brains sleep at a time, so that whales are never completely asleep. Females give birth to the young. They have hair. Although they are not covered in hair or fur like many mammals, whales have some bristles , usually on their heads. Whales are highly social animals with complex languages and intelligence. They communicate with each other using romantic sounds, called "whale songs". Being so large and powerful, these sounds are also loud. Whales are endangered as a result of whaling from the eleventh century to the twentieth. It has attracted the attention of environmentalists and some measures have been taken to protect whales. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? Answer: Whales are in danger because of being killed by people. Success is often measured by the ability to overcome adversity.But,it is often the belief of others that gives us the courage to try. J.K.Rowling,author of the Harry Potter book series,began writing at the age of 6.In her biography,she remembers with great fondness when her good friend Sean,whom she met in secondary school,became the first person to encourage her and help build the confidence that one day she would be a very good writer "He was the first person with whom I really discussed my serious ambition to be a writer.He was also the only person who thought I was bound to be a success at it,which meant much more to me than I ever told him at the time." Despite many setbacks,Rowling persevered in her writing,particularly fantasy stories.But it wasn't until 1990 that she first conceived the idea about Harry Potter.As she recalls,it was on a long train journey from London to Manchester that the idea of Harry Potter simply fell into her head."To my immense frustration ,I didn't have a functioning pen with me,and I was too shy to ask anybody if I could borrow one.I think,now,that this was probably a good thing,because I simply sat and thought,for four (delayed train) hours,and all the details bubbled up in my brain,and this scrawny,blackhaired,bespectacled boy who didn't know he was a wizard became more and more real to me." That same year,her mother passed away after a tenyear battle with multiple sclerosis,which deeply affected her writing.She went on to marry and had a daughter,but separated from her husband shortly afterwards. During this time,Rowling was diagnosed with clinical depression.Unemployed,she completed her first novel in area cafes,where she could get her daughter to fall asleep.After being rejected by 12 publishing houses,the first Harry Potter novel was sold to a small British publishing house. Now with seven books that have sold nearly 400 million copies in 64 languages,J.K.Rowling is the highest earning novelist in history.And it all began with her commitment to writing that was fostered by the confidence of a friend! The text mainly tells us _ . Answer: encouragement contributes to one's success Poor families in some countries spend as much as eighty percent of their money on food. Rising prices in recent months have created the worst food crisis in more than thirty years. The United Nations World Food Program says high food prices could push one hundred million people into hunger. Nathan Childs is an expert on rice markets. He notes that the harvest for the latest growing season was the largest on record. But India, Vietnam and others have restricted exports to keep prices down at home and protect supplies. Thailand's agriculture minister says his country will never restrict rice exports. He told the Reuters news agency Thursday that Thailand has enough supplies to meet demand at home and for export. Thailand is the world's largest rice exporter. Recent signs of an increase in supplies have helped ease record prices for Thai rice. Prices rose last week above one thousand dollars a ton. Vietnam, the second biggest exporter, has banned exports until June. And Vietnamese officials have now warned that non-food traders who buy rice for speculation will be severely punished. Some experts say speculation is a necessary part of market activity. But the head of the U.N. Environment Program blames it for the high food prices. "We have enough food on this planet today to feed everyone." Achim Steiner told the Associated Press. Earlier, a member of the United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission didn't accept the idea that speculators are the main cause. Bart Chilton blamed reduced harvests and grain supplies and the falling value of the dollar. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called heads of major international agencies to a meeting this week in the Swiss capital, Bern. He says high food prices could harm world trade, economic growth, social progress and political security. What is the reason for the speculation according to the head of the U.N. Environment Program? Answer: High food prices.
"Now!" whispered Suki. "Quick, while the clerk's not looking." Heart pounding, Leah slid two tubes of lipstick into her purse. She looked bored as she followed her friends Suki and Jill out of the store, but inside she felt panicked. "I can't believe you made me do that," Leah cried. ks5u "Relax," said Jill. "Everybody does it sometimes. And we didn't make you do it. " She said nothing, but Leah knew she wouldn't have done that on her own. She was just experiencing huge peer pressure. Sometimes, though, the stresses in your life can actually come from your peers. They may pressure you into doing something you're uncomfortable with, such as shoplifting, doing drugs or drinking, or taking dangerous risks when driving a car. The pressure to conform (to do what others are doing) can be powerful and hard to resist. A person might feel pressure to do something just because others are doing it. Peer pressure can influence a person to do something that is ly harmless -- or something that has more serious consequences. Giving in to the pressure to dress a certain way is one thing -- going along with the crowd to drink or smoke is another. The people who are most easily influenced will follow someone else's lead first. Then others may go along, too -- so it can be easy to think, "It must be OK. Everyone else is doing it. They must know what they're doing. "Before you know it, many people are going along with the crowd -- perhaps on something they might not otherwise do. Responding to peer pressure is part of human nature -- but some people are more likely to give in, and others are better able to resist and stand their ground. People who are low on confidence and those who tend to follow rather than lead could be more likely to seek their peers' approval by giving in to a risky challenge or suggestion. People who are unsure of themselves, new to the group, or inexperienced with peer pressure may also be more likely to give in. The story in the beginning serves as _ . A. a lesson to young people B. an example of peer pressure C. a warning of security in shops D. an introduction to bad behavior in youth Answer: B Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system. It rotates on its axis once about every 10 hours. What time period on Earth would be 10 hours long if Earth rotated on its axis once every 10 hours? A. a day B. a week C. a month D. a year Answer: A Many adults enjoy a cup of coffee to have extra energy on a sleepy morning, and astronauts are no exception. But having a drink in space isn't as easy as it is on the earth. You have to come up with a whole new way to drink, and that' s what scientists are trying to do. "The coffee would be very hard to control in a normal cup," said physics professor Mark Weislogel. "You' d have to shake the cup toward your face and hope that some of the hot liquid floats toward your mouth. When it comes to guessing what liquids will do in new systems, we are often in the dark. " Weislogel believes that creating a big zero - gravity cup would help improve the lives of astronauts in space, so he and other researchers per formed a series of experiments with liquids on the International Space Station (ISS) to see how they move upwards on surfaces in zero gravity. In one of the tests, they placed two surfaces very close together to create a very narrow tunnel. They wanted to see if liquid would easily flow up the tunnel. In another test , the researchers tried to figure out the best angle to place the narrow tunnel at so that the liquids would travel along the corners. The end result is a cup that doesn't look like a normal coffee cup at all. One side of the cup has a very sharp angle and, in zero gravity, the liquid naturally "flows" up that angled side of the cup, right up to the drinker' s lips. The zero-gravity coffee cup is currently being tested on the ISS by astronaut Don Pettit, who worked with the researchers and helped them invent it. " As you sip , more liquid keeps coming , and you can enjoy your coffee in a weightless environment - clear down to the last drop, " said Pettit, who thinks that future humans on Mars will be using this kind of cup to drink during celebrations ! What do we know about Weislogel's cup? A. It looks like a very narrow tunnel. B. Each of its sides has a sharp angle. C. It is the same as the normal cup we are using. D. The liquid in it will flow to the drinkers itself. Answer: D My uncle likes sports very much. He loves soccer ball, basketball, baseball, tennis and more. He plays baseball and basketball very well. He likes to watch the sports games on TV. He plays sports every day. He has a small sports collection. He has 12 tennis rackets, 10 baseballs, 3 basketballs and a soccer ball. He _ every day. A. watches TV B. plays sports C. watch games D. play games Answer: B Why do men die earlier than women? The latest research makes it known that the reason could be that men's hearts go into rapid decline when they reach middle age. The largest study of the effects of aging on the heart has found that women's _ may be linked to the fact that their hearts do not lose their pumping power with age. "We have found that the power of the male heart falls by 20-25 percent between 18 and 70 years of age," said the head of the study, David Goldspink of Liverpool John Moores University in the UK. "Within the heart there are millions of cells that enable it to beat. Between the age of 20 and 70, one-third of those cells die and are not replaced in men," said Goldspink. "This is part of the aging process." What surprises scientists is that the female heart sees very little loss of these cells. A healthy 70-year-old woman's heart could perform almost as well as a 20-year-old one's. "This gender difference might just explain why women live longer than men," said Goldspink. They studied more than 250 healthy men and women between the ages of 18 and 80, focusing on healthy persons to remove the confusing influence of disease. "The team has yet to find why aging takes a greater loss on the male heart," said Goldspink. The good news is that men can improve the health of their heart with regular exercise. Goldspink stressed that women also need regular exercise to prevent their leg muscles becoming smaller and weaker as they age. The text mainly talks about _ . A. men's heart cells B. women's aging process, C. the gender difference D. hearts and long life Answer: D
BALTIMORE. MARYLAND--An old postcard changed the lives of an eleven-year-old boy and a very sick woman. The postcard had a picture of the steamship Titanic. The Titanic was the largest ocean ship in the world. It hit an iceberg and sank on April 14. 1912. More than 1,500 of the 2,200 people on the ship were killed. The postcard was passed from one person to another for more than 80 years. Then it appeared at a card show for people who liked to collect postcards. An eleven-year-old boy, Joey Russell, came to the show with his grandfather. His grandfather knew everything about the Titanic and its trip from England to New York. "Let's buy that postcard." he told Joey. "It will be important someday." Two years later, Joey's grandfather took him on a special trip. They went on a trip to the North Atlantic ocean to watch as workers pulled the Titanic up from the bottom of the ocean. Joey put his special postcard in his bag for the trip. On the ship, Joey met Edith Haisman. This woman was on the Titanic when it sank. She was one of the people who were _ Joey pulled the postcard out of his pocket. "Please sign this, Mrs. Haisman." he said. She was happy to write her name on the back of the postcard. When Joey got home, he put the postcard away and forgot about it, Then Kate Shelley, one of Joey's friends, told him that her mother was very sick. She needed an operation, but there was a problem. The operation was very expensive, and the family needed $80, 000 to pay for it. Friends and relatives tried to help. But where could they get so much money? Then when Joey went to see the new movie "Titanic", he had an idea. "Millions of people are seeing this movie and reading about the Titanic." Joey thought. He remembered the old postcard with Edith Haisman's signature on it. "Maybe I can sell it for some money. Then I can help Kate's mom." Joey told his mother and father about his idea to help Mrs. Shelley. His parents helped him try to sell the postcard to the person who would pay the most money for it. Joey's story was on television and in newspapers. Joey and Kate even went to New York to be on a national TV show. After the show, many people called in to offer money for the Titanic card. Someone bought it for $60. 000. Joey's kind heart and the old Titanic postcard worked together to save a woman's life. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? Alexandra Scott was born to Liz and Jay Scott in Manchester, Connecticut on January 18, 1996, the second of four children. Shortly before her first birthday, Alex was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a type of childhood cancer. On her first birthday, the doctors informed Alex's parents that if she beat her cancer it was doubtful that she would ever walk again. Just two weeks later, Alex slightly moved her leg at her parents' request to kick. This was the first indication that she would turn out to be a courageous and confident child with big dreams and big accomplishments. By her second birthday, Alex was able to stand up with leg braces . She worked hard to gain strength and to learn how to walk. She appeared to be overcoming the difficul-ties, until the shocking discovery within the next year that her tumors had started growing again. In the year 2000, the day after her fourth birthday, Alex received a stem cell transplant and informed her mother, "When I get out of the hospital I want to have a lemonade stand. " She said she wanted to give the money to doctors to allow them to help other kids, like they helped me. True to her word, she held her first lemonade stand later that year with the help of her older brother and raised an amazing $ 2,000 for her hospital. People from all over the world, moved by her story, held their own lemonade stands and donated the earnings to Alex and her cause. In August of 2004, Alex passed away at the age of 8, knowing that, with the help of others, she had raised more than $ 1 million to help find a cure for the disease that took her life. Alex's family--including brothers Patrick, Eddie, and Joey--and supporters around the world are committed to continuing her inspiring cause through Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation. What did the public do to support Alex and her cause? Modern Chinese use the solar calendar as English people do . But at the same time, they use their own lunar calendar. Each lunar year is given the name of one of these animals : the rat , the ox , the tiger , the hare , the dragon , the snake , the horse , the goat , the monkey , the chicken , the dog and the pig . This list lasts for 12 years and then starts again. Each Chinese month starts on the day of the new moon. And the full moon comes on the 15th day of the month. The New Year always starts between January 21 and February 20. On the last day of the lunar year, there is a big family dinner. All members of the family except married daughters try to be present at this meal, even if they have to travel many miles to reach the home of their parents. Old quarrels are forgotten, and everybody is happy. After the dinner, the children keep awake to welcome the New Year. The New Year celebrations last for 15 days, from the new moon to the full moon. On the first day, children and unmarried people go to visit their elder The family usually have their big family dinner at the home of _ . China is a country with a large number of disabled persons. Almost 60 million people have vision, hearing, speech, limb, intellectual or mental disabilities. There is one disabled person in every 20 Chinese, and one out of every five households on average has a disabled family member. According to nationwide surveys of the disabled children under 14 account for 16 percent of the total disabled population, and they display the greatest need for rehabilitative training as they display the highest recovery rates after early treatment. Those disabled between the ages of 15 and 59 account for 44 percent, but often their disabilities are not very serious. Although they are more or less able to work, they require vocational training, cultural education and special employment. The disabled over 60 years of age account for 40 percent. Many of them become disabled due to illness or loss of various functions. Some live alone without any income, and therefore their insurance, rehabilitation, and medical needs have become a social issue. The illiterate and semi-illiterate suffer from limited employment opportunities, and often they become socially disabled as well. These people, often neglected , pose another social problem. The disabled people who are most likely to recover after an early treatment are_. Americans eat breakfast and lunch quickly unless it is a social business or family occasion. The evening meal is usually longer and a time for families to gather together. Rushing through daytime meals is part of the fast pace in America. Another reason for rushing through daytime meals is that many people eat in restaurant that are usually crowded with people waiting for a place so that they can be served and return to work at the proper time. So each one hurried to make room for the next person. As there are busy people everywhere, there is a real difference with meals that are eaten in a hurry and those that can be enjoyed slowly with friends. According to the passage, the least busy time to eat in a restaurant would probably be _
Nobody is sure where and when the expression "apple-pie order" began. Some say that Scottish and English writers used the expression a long time ago. Others say it was first used in the northeastern American states known as New England. The housewives of New England cut their apples in even slices. Then they filled pie pans with them in an organized way, row upon row. As one writer said, the women of New England loved to have everything in its place. This perhaps explains why it generally is believed that the expression "apple-pie order" began in New England. Another old expression, "apple of discord", comes from ancient mythology ,however. The myth says that all the gods and goddesses were sitting around the table tocelebrate the marriage of Thetis and Peleus. One of the goddesses-Discord-was a troublemaker. She threw away a golden apple on the table to be given as a prize to the most beautiful goddess. At one time, the tomato was called a love apple. That was a mistake. This is how the mistake happened: In the sixteenth century, Spain brought the tomato from South America after Spanish explorers had landed there. Spain then sold the tomato to Morocco. Italian traders carried it on to Italy. The Italian name for the tomato was "pomo di Moro"-apple of the Moors. When French growers brought it in from Italy, they thought "di Moro" meant"d'amour"-the French word for love. And so "pomo di Moro" became the apple of love. People believe many things about the apple. One belief is that it has great power of keeping people healthy. A very common expression is "an apple a day keeps the doctor away. " Another belief is based on fact. The expression is "one rotten apple spoils the barrel. "When an apple begins to go bad, it ruins all the other apples around it in the container. The expression has come to mean that one bad person in a group can cause everyone to act bad. Which of the following expressions is about health? An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Electricity causes less damage to the Earth's atmosphere than Gasoline Canada is the second largest country in the world after Russia. It stretches from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and from the high Arctic to the northern border of the continental U.S.A. Although very much a "northern" country, the geography of Canada is very _ . As well as the popular image of Canada as a country of forests, there are also deserts and badlands , rain forests and long and wide beaches. Canada has huge inland lakes, evergreen forests, woodlands and meadows. Canada's coastlines are thousands of miles long, with long, wild rivers leading to the oceans. In contrast to the expanses of open country, Canada also has its share of urban areas. The majority of the population and heavy industry is in the two provinces of Quebec and Ontario, but large and modern cities are spread across the land from the Atlantic to the Pacific, all within a few hours drive, at most, from the border with the United States. Business is active throughout the country, The Prairie Provinces with their vast fields of grain help to feed the world. The fisheries on both the West and the East Coast are widespread. Oil and natural gas have recently been discovered off the East Coast. The Trans-Canada Highway links the country from coast to coast, there is an extensive network of railways, and a widespread network of airline routes serving both major and remote communities. The rural areas are less populated, with more and more people leaving for the larger towns and cities. The lands to the north are much less developed, but as some of these areas are used for their plenty of natural resources, populations are growing. What does the passage mainly tell us about? A general introduction of Canada. Barak Obama(.), a black man, is the president of the United States now. He was born on August 4th, 1961, in Hawaii and has lived in many places. His mother was from Kansas and his father was from Kenya . Obama went to Columbia University in New York and got a law degree at Harvard University in Massachusetts . His wife is Michelle Obama(.). She also worked as a lawyer and later worked for the University of Chicago . They have two young daughters. Obama wrote a book Dreams from My Father. " I always live in the dream of my father and American people, " Obama once said. He was born in a poor family. And his grandparents looked after him very well when Obama was young. He also lived and worked in Africa . Then he got good education in Harvard University. On November 4th, 2008, he became the new president of America for the next four years. ,,. Barack Obama became President at the age of _ 47. I think it's hard for a teenager to live in the modern society. For example, how to go to school is a problem I often worry about. Every afternoon, my father picks me up at the gate of the school. Many parents pick up their children, too. Most of them drive private cars. Of all the cars, Anna's father's car is the best. Anna seems to have a very rich father. She always has beautiful dresses, shoes and bags. Besides these, she is also very beautiful. But she has no friends in school. When other students are playing, she never joins them. I don't like her because she is too perfect. It makes me uncomfortable to make friends with her. She seems to have everything. One afternoon, when I went to my father's car, I saw a small thing fall out of Anna's bag. So I called her quickly. However, she didn't look back and kept going. I felt very angry with her. During the dinner, my father asked me, "Why do you look unhappy?" "Today I saw something fall out of Anna's bag, so called her. But she didn't answer me. She is _ . " said angrily. "Oh, I know that girl. She has no friends and is unhappy because she was born deaf. I'm sure that she didn't hear you. " What my father said suddenly woke me up. Because she is deaf, she does not talk or play with anyone at school. She seems to have everything, but in fact she doesn't. Not everyone is perfect, even the perfect man has his weakness. Why doesn't the writer like Anna? Because Anna seems to be the best in everything.
Bailey and her friend Kara were bored one Saturday. It was a hot summer day. They didn't want to stay inside any longer but they didn't know what to do. They were tired of watching TV inside. Suddenly, Kara had an idea. She said, "Bailey, we could make some money." "How?," asked Bailey. "Well, it is hot outside," said Kara. "People are thirsty out there. We could make money by making some lemonade and iced tea and have people pay for it." "That is a great idea," answered Bailey, "let's do it!" Kara had made some iced tea with her mom earlier that day. She asked her mom permission to use it. Her mom said yes. She and Kara made two pitchers of lemonade. They got a cooler full of ice and made a sign so people knew what was for sale. Kara's mom helped them get a table and chairs and set up out on the corner in their neighborhood. It was so hot out that people who saw their stand came to buy drinks right away. Their first visitors to their stand were their friends, Abby and Molly. In a half hour, they had to close their stand. They were all out of lemonade and iced tea. They had made a lot of money. They split the money and each got ten dollars. It was a great day. Who help them set up their stand? Answer: Wouldn't it be great if you could just look up at the sky and read the weather forecast right away? Well, you can. The forecast is written in clouds. If you can read that writing, you can tell something about the atmosphere. With some practice, you can become a pretty good weather forecaster. Who knows, you might even do as well as meteorologists . Meteorologists use much more information than just the appearance of the clouds to make their forecast. They collect data from all over the world. Then they put it into powerful, high speed computers. This does give the meteorologists an advantage, because they can track weather patterns as they move from west to east across the country. But you have an advantage, too. You can look at the sky and get your data directly. A meteorologist uses a computer forecast that's several hours old to make a local forecast. What are you seeing when you look at a cloud? "A picture of moisture is doing in the atmosphere," says meteorologist Peter Leavitt. There's moisture throughout the atmosphere. Most of the time you don't see it, because it's in the form of an unseeable gas called water vapor. Sometimes, the temperature of the air gets cold enough to cause the waster vapor to change to liquid water. It's called condensation , and we see it happen all the time (for example, when humid air from the shower hits the cold glasses of a mirror). When enough water vapor condenses , droplets come in the air. These droplets scatter light. A cloud is seen. Watching clouds over a day or two tells you a lot more than a single cloud about the weather to come. Changes in clouds show changes in the atmosphere. You should begin to notice patterns. Certain clouds, following each other in order, can signal an approaching storm. But don't take our word for it; see for yourself. According to the passage, your advantage in weather forecast is that _ . Answer: While it is impossible to live completely free of stress,it is possible to prevent stress as well as reduce its effect when it can't be avoided.The US Department of Health and Human Services offers the following suggestions for ways to deal with stress. Try physical activity When you are nervous, angry or upset, try releasing the pressure through exercise or physical activity. Running,walking,playing tennis,and working in your garden are just some of the activities you might try. Take care of yourself You should make every effort to eat well and get enough rest. If you easily get angry and can't sleep well enough, or if you're not eating properly, it will be more likely that you will fall into stressful situations.If stress repeatedly keeps you from sleeping,you should consult a doctor. Make time for yourself Schedule time for both work and entertainment.Don't forget,play can be just as important to your overall well-being as work. You need a break from your daily routine to just relax and have fun.Go window-shopping or work on a hobby.Allow yourself at least a half hour each day to do something you enjoy. Make a list of things to do Stress can result from disorganization and a feeling that "there's so much to do,and not enough time".Trying to take care of everything at once can be too much for you and as a result,you may not achieve anything.Instead,make a list of everything you have to do,then do one thing at a time,checking off each task as it is completed.Set out to do the most important task first. What is the best title for the passage? Answer: There seems never to have been a civilization without toys, but when and how they developed is unknown. They probably came about just to give children something to do. In the ancient world, as is today, most boys play with some kinds of toys and most girls with another. In societies where social roles are strictly determined, boys pattern their play after the activities of their fathers and girls after the tasks of their mothers. This is true because boys and girls are being prepared, even in play, to step into the roles and responsibilities of the adult world. What is remarkable about the history of toys is not so much how they changed over the centuries but how much they have remained the same. It is the universality of toys about their development in all parts of the world and their continuing to the present that is amazing. In Egypt, the Americas, China, Japan and among the Arctic peoples, generally the same kinds of toys appeared. Nearly every civilization had dolls, little weapons, toy soldiers, tiny animals and vehicles. Because toys can be generally regarded as a kind of art form, they have not been subject to technological progress that characterizes inventions for adult use. The progress from the wheel to the oxcart to the automobile is a direct line of advancement. The progress from a rattle used by a baby in 3,000 BC to one used by an infant today, however, is not characterized by inventiveness. Each rattle is the product of the artistic tastes of the times and subject to the limitations of materials then ready for use. (words: 285 ; time : 5ms) The universality of toys lies in the fact that _ . Answer: The elements will over time level Answer:
In some urban centers, workaholism is so common that people do not consider it unusual. They accept the lifestyle as normal. Government workers in Washington D. C, for example, frequently work sixty to seventy hours a week. They don't do this because they have to; they do it because they want to. Workaholicm can be a serious problem. Because true workaholics would rather work than do anything else, they probably don't know how to relax. Is workaholism always dangerous? Perhaps not. There are, certainly, people who work well under stress. Some studies show that many workaholics have great energy and interest in life. Their work is so pleasurable that they are actually very happy. For most workaholics, work and entertainment keep them busy and creative. Why do workaholics enjoy their jobs so much? There are several advantages to work. Of course, it provides people with paychecks, and this is important. But it offers more than financial security. It provides people with self confidence; they have a feeling of satisfaction when they're finishing a challenging piece of work and are able to say, "I made that." Psychologists claim that work gives people an identity through participation in work, they get a sense of self and individualism. In addition, most jobs provide people with a socially acceptable way to meet others. Perhaps some people are compulsive about their work, but their addiction seems to be a safe--even an advantageous-one. The passage indicates that workaholics _ . Answer: find their work provide them more satisfaction and self confidence than how much they are paid On Christmas Eve--the night before Christmas, children are very happy. They put their stockings at the end of their beds before they go to bed. They want Santa Claus to give them some presents. Mr. Green tells his children that Santa Claus is a very kind man. He comes on Christmas Eve. He lands on the top of each house and comes down the chimney into the fireplace and brings them a lot of presents. Christmas Day always begins before breakfast. The children wake up very early. They can't wait to open the presents in their stockings. Then they wake up their parents and shout "Merry Christmas!" Do you know what Christmas means? Christmas Day is the birthday of Jesus Christ. When Christ was born, many people gave him presents. So today, people still do the same thing to each other. Santa Claus often puts the presents _ . Answer: into children's stockings WASHINGTON -- Patients with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, often develop vitamin deficiencies . A new study has found that giving these patients a multivitamin with a mineral supplement helps to fight the disease and slows the disease's progression. Sub-Saharan Africa has always been the center of the AIDS. In Botswana, despite aggressive prevention campaigns, one out of every four adults is infected with HIV. Professor Marianna Baum based her latest research there. Baum recruited almost 900 newly infected adults who had not yet received the anti-AIDS drugs that target the virus. These adults were then divided into groups that randomly received different combinations of vitamins B, C and E, the mineral selenium or a placebo . Most patients with HIV become deficient in these vitamins, which help improve immunity . Baum said she initially thought the multivitamins alone or selenium alone would be effective in strengthening the immune system, but found that incorrect. "We were surprised to find that only the combination was effective," said Baum. Research shows that when people with HIV receive anti-retroviral drugs shortly after infection, they can remain healthy and are less likely to pass the virus to others. For many countries, however, the cost of these anti-AIDS drugs is still prohibitive. Baum said the vitamin and mineral combination treatment should help low income countries better control the virus. "A simple multivitamin supplementation with selenium provided early in HIV disease can actually slow the HIV disease progression and it is safe. It is low cost and it should be provided very early in HIV infection," said Baum. Baum said the supplements are not meant to replace anti-retroviral therapy, but can help those who cannot obtain the drugs. Dr. Anthony Fauci, a world famous expert on AIDS, disagrees. "I haven't read the paper, but having taken care of HIV-infected individuals for three decades, I would doubt that vitamins are going to have a major effect on stopping the virus," said Fauci. Fauci said vitamin and mineral supplements may make a patient generally healthier, but the only thing that truly works to stop HIV is anti-retroviral treatment. Baum's study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Which of the following is effective to fight HIV? Answer: Anti-retroviral treatment I opened my eyes and found the doctors were standing by my bed. They had some welcome news. I had been living in the bone marrow transplant unit of the famous cancer center for a month. The doctors told me that while my immune system was still very weak, my brother Adam's healthy cells were beginning to work in my bone marrow. I was showing signs of progress: I was able to walk around---slowly---without assistance, my blood counts were going in the right direction, and I no longer needed to be connected continuously to an IV machine. It was the"graduation"day. The doctors were sending me to the Hope Room, a halfway house sponsored by the American Cancer Society. I would live there for the next three months and would be cared for by my boyfriend, Seamus, who is again helping me write this column for Internet readers as I regain my strength. Pushed out of the hospital in a wheelchair, I took my first breath of fresh air in weeks. But before I could enjoy this moment, my mother helped me put on a mask. I gave her an annoyed look, but I knew she was right. For the immediate future, I would need to wear gloves and a mask wherever I wanted to go in public. No subways, no crowds. However, I can enjoy my freedom, even if cancer continues to limit my choices. My new freedom means not being waken up every couple of hours by a nurse with pills in her hand, not seeing doctors with their masks and their caring, and not being connected to an IV machine 24 hours a day. Freedom also means being patient with my mother and boyfriend, who try hard to cook for me in the kitchen and make sure I don't fall off my chair in the shower. Freedom is the responsibility to take medicine on time. Freedom also means returning to the hospital several times a week to receive follow-up examinations. But all is well worth. You surely know the reason. I love every one of my family and I love Seamus. What makes the author feel happy now? Answer: She can enjoy more freedom and do more as she likes. Jack rabbits move very fast to avoid Answer: hawks
Question: See a cellphone cover that you like on Taobao? Forget about placing an order, paying the bill online and waiting for days for it to be delivered to you. In the near future, you'll be able to get it in minutes just by hitting "print" on your computer. You might find it hard to believe that you could actually "print" an object like you would a picture. But it is not that hard to understand how it would work. Just as a traditional printer sprays ink onto paper line by line, modern 3D printers spread material onto a surface layer by layer, from the bottom to the top, gradually building up a shape. Instead of ink, the materials the 3D printer uses are mainly plastic, resin and certain metals. The thinner each layer is--from a millimetre to less than the width of a hair--the smoother and finer the object will be. This may sound like a completely new technology, but the truth is that 3D printing has been around since the late 1980s. Back then, it was barely affordable for most people, so few knew about it. Last year, though, saw a big change in the 3D printing industry--printers became much cheaper. For example, 10 years ago a desktop 3D printer might have cost PS20,000, while now they cost only about PS1,000, according to the BBC. Taken out of the factory and introduced to more diverse and common uses, 3D printing can create just about anything you can think of--flutes , bikinis, jewelry, aircraft parts and even human organs. In fact, scientists from Cornell University in New York have just made an artificial ear using a 3D printer, according to Science Daily. The fake ear looks and acts exactly like a natural one. However, as 3D printing becomes more common, it may bring about certain problems--such as piracy. "Once you can download a coffee maker, or print out a new set of kitchen utensils on your personal 3D printer, who will visit a retail store again?" an expert in 3D printing told Forbes News. Even more frightening, what if anyone in the world could use a 3D printer to print out a fully functioning gun? What happened in the 3D printing industry last year? A. The 3D printing technology was taken out of the factory. B. The 3D printing technology began to be used in various fields. C. The 3D printer was used for medical treatment for the first time. D. The 3D printer became more affordable for consumers. Answer: D Question: People shiver when they are cold and animals: A. sleep B. do the same C. pant D. pace Answer: B Question: Do you want to spend a holiday in space? Dennis Tito, a businessman, has become the world's first "space tourist". He went on a 10-day visit to the International Space Station. He paid 14 million pounds for his journey. A year later, Martin, a musician from an American band, wanted to do the same. He was only 22 years old and probably very rich too. He had to go for a lot of training to see whether he was fit enough to travel. He is still waiting for his holiday of a lifetime. Many people believe that this is only the start of something new. We made interviews among teenagers from around the world and the following is what they said about space travel. "It's a great idea. I hope space travel will be common in about 50 years' time. I'd really love to do it and I think Mr. Tito was very lucky." (Kate from Australia) "I would like to see our beautiful Earth from space. There are lots of secrets to explore in space and I would go into space if I could." (Ben from China) "I think space travel is really bad for the environment. Maybe in the future they will make a cleaner way of travelling but until they do, I don't want to go. We should look after our own planet first."(Richard from Canada) "It must be very boring and dangerous to sit in that small space shuttle . I'd rather take a plane and go to another place on earth." (Lisa from the UK) So, as you can see, many of our teenagers had different opinions. Whether you like it or not, space travel is going to become an important thing in the future. We are looking forward to hearing your opinions. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? A. It's an honor for Dennis and his teammates to create a new spaceship. B. The teenagers are having a prediction about the school life in the future. C. Dennis entered the International Space Station and stayed for ten days. D. Martin is busy training hard and getting ready for his space travel now. Answer: D Question: Recently I came in contact with the true meaning of love. That would have been, Kane, a boy. Kane was the two-year-old son of Jolene, my new neighbor. At a glance Kane was a sight. He'd been born with hard sticks for legs. And on that morning I witnessed the effect that Kane's physical shortcomings had on his family. But I also witnessed much more than that. I saw an extraordinary family that embraced this special child. A family that wouldn't allow Kane to know he was different. Jolene had constructed a small cart just a few inches off the floor for his son to get around. Using his hands to move about, Kane moved the cart to "go to" any place just as everyone else was able to do. Kane worked that little cart like a master. Kane was a vital focus of the entire family. He was more than just a member of the family; he was the soul. This child was the driver, the motivator, and the founder of much of the interaction. Much later in my life, I came to realize that God had sent this child to help some of us who just weren't getting what love was all about. Even with my limited capacity for understanding at the time that Kane was a highly developed spirit with great wisdom. Kane demanded attention, but not because of his mobility challenges or other apparent shortcomings. In his mind, he had no challenges or shortcomings. The truth is that he received attention because he was alive and real and had so much to offer. Kane was and still is a lot of warm and powerful energy sent to us all, so we might learn that love surpasses all things. Kane, a fragile yet lovely baby, was here to teach us all an important lesson. And at the age of two he did just that. How did the author think of Kane's family members? A. They were strange because they locked Kane at home. B. It was respectable for them to start their own business. C. It was ridiculous for them to make a cart for Kane. D. They were greatly brave to face all the difficulties. Answer: D Question: Island University has a competition for middle school students. Read about the competition on their website. School Competition Students! Here is your chance to help the physically disabled. Think out a robot or a machine to help them live better. There'll be three prizes. The winning schools each will get $ 15,000. Read the information below: What do you have to do? * Try to know problems faced by the physically disabled in Hong Kong. Write a 200-word article on the difficulties these people have to suffer each day. * Try to know modern inventions that help the physically disabled. Then think out a robot or a machine that will improve the lives of the physically disabled. Draw your invention. You can make as many drawings as you like to show your invention. You can even make a small model of your invention * Write a short description of your invention Who-can join? All middle school students in Hong Kong. So, come on! Join the competition, and get the chance! What will be the award for the winners? A. Souvenirs B. Inventions. C. Pictures. D. Money. Answer: D
It is the so-called city of dreams that counts some of the greatest masters of music and art among its former inhabitants. And it seems Vienna still has plenty to feel proud of, as it has been named the best place to live in the world -- for the third year running. The Austrian capital, which was home to Mozart and Beethoven, and has a population of 1.7million, has the best living standards in the world, according to an annual quality of living survey. European cities represent more than half of the top 25 cities in the rankings, which are based on factors such as crime, food and climate. Zurich was ranked second, followed by Auckland, and Munich and Dusseldorf. But just one UK city makes it into the top fifty, with London coming in at 38th - one place up from last year and ahead of New York in 47th. Other UK cities, including Birmingham, Aberdeen, Glasgow and Belfast, crept into the top 100. This year, the survey included for the first time a list of the safest cities. Luxembourg topped the list, followed by Bern, Switzerland, Helsinki, Finland, and Zurich, Switzerland. London came 68th, joint with New York, highlighting the crime rates in the capital. www.ks5u.com At the bottom of the 221-strong list, for the second year in a row, was Baghdad, in Iraq, which had the lowest standard of living and was ranked the least safe city by the Mercer survey. Slagin Parakatil, senior researcher at Mercer, said: "European cities in general continue to have high standards of living, because they enjoy advanced and modern city services combined with high-class facilities. But London, high levels of unemployment and lack of confidence in political institutions make their future positions hard to predict." Which is NOT mentioned in the passage? Answer: Baghdad was at the bottom of the list for the third year. Afraid that her son would be too tired, Ms. Wendy would sometimes tell the boy to skip school, but each time, Fabian would insist on going to school. "I don't like _ because when I return to school, I don't know what's going on," the 12-year-old boy explained. He suffers for SMA-a neuromuscular disease that leads to weakness in muscles-and gets around in a wheelchair. Fabian's determination to excel in his studies was evident when he was disappointed that he got a total score of 236 yesterday in his Primary School Leaving Examination. He was hoping for a score of at least 240, but his mother was full of pride. "I am happy with his results. He's very motivated," said Ms. Wendy. When Fabian was two months old, he was diagnosed with SMA. Ms. Wendy, who used to go to other homes to teach piano lessons, started teaching lessons at home so she could take care of her son. Fabian proved to be a fighter. Ms. Wendy said, " He would study every day on his own even though he was weak and his spine was already starting to curve quite badly." Fabian is also active in the Singapore Disability Sports Council, where he plays boccia , a ball sport for those who require a wheelchair due to physical disability. At just 133cm tall and weighing 14kg, he knows that he will have to rely on others all his life. "I'm afraid that when my parents grow older, they will not be able to carry me and that there will be nobody to carry me," said Fabian. "But for now, I feel lucky that I get to go out and do a lot of things that I thought I couldn't." His dreams aren't lofty either-all he want to be able to do is work and provide for his parents. "I just want to study hard so that I can be a businessman, like my dad." He is planning to apply to study at Victoria School. What do we know about Ms. Wendy? Answer: She is satisfied with her son's performance at school. Frogs are animals that can live both in water and on land.There are more than 5.000 kinds of frogs on the earth.The earliest known frogs lived about 190 million years ago and the frogs today still look the same.Here are some fun things that you might not know about frogs.Enjoy! The Biggest and the Smallest Frogs Some frogs can be very big.The biggest kind of frog is the Goliath Frog in West Africa.Its body can be nearly 30cm long,about the size of a large cat.The Gold Frog and the Poison Frog are the smallest frogs in the world.They are less than lem long.Though the Poison Frog is very small,it is not weak at all.It is dangerous.Any animal that eats it will die very soon. The Best Jumpers Frogs are very good at jumping.They developed jumping legs so that they would not be eaten by other large animals.Using their big strong legs,most frogs can jump over 20 times their own length.It is like a person jumping over about 30.48m.The Australian Rocket Frog can even jump over 2m,which is 50 times its body length(5.5cm).That might be the reason why frogs are called the best jumpers on the earth. The Cryogenic Animal Some frogs like the Common Wood Frog have a special ability to live in very cold places.When the temperature goes down,they become ice frogs.2/3 of their body water freezes.Their hearts stop,and their breathing stops too.You may think they are dead,but in fact they are not.Maybe we humanscan learn thc way that the frogs do for medical purpose. What will happen to a Common Wood Frog at very low temperatures? Answer: It will be an ice frog. Man-made nighttime lights have appeared everywhere in industrialized countries over the last century.What people are now asking is whether exposure to lightened darkness can affect the brain. To find out,Tracy Bedrosian,a doctoral student in neuroscience at Ohio State University,placed hamsters into two environments.In one,they were exposed to 16 hours of daylight and eight hours of complete darkness each day.In the other,the animals experienced 16 hours of daylight,but at nighttime,a dim light was kept on,at about the intensity of a TV screen lighting a dark room. After eight weeks,the researchers tested the hamsters for behavior that would suggest they were depressed.For example,they looked to see whether the hamsters still engaged in activities they normally enjoy,such as drinking sugar water. In people,loss of enjoyment is a major symptom of depression. Hamsters in both groups were given a choice between drinking tap water or sugar water.The hamsters exposed to light at night drank similar amounts of tap and sugar water----they'd lost their preference for the sweet treat. These changes in behavior were associated with changes in a brain region known as the hippocampus .The hamsters exposed to night light had a reduced number of so-called dendritic spines on the surface of cells in this region.These spines are hair-like things that stick out,and that brain cells use to communicate with one another. The findings match up with studies on humans that have d the hippocampus to be involved in depression. A patient with major depression has a smaller hippocampus. The brain changes in the hamsters might arise from fluctuations in the production of the hormone melatonin . Melatonin signals to the body that it's nighttime,but a light at night dampens its production. The hormone has been shown to affect mood,and so a decrease in melatonin might prompt depression,Bedrosian says. If the same mechanism is at work in people,then "people might want to try to avoid falling asleep with their TVs on at night,or to try to minimize light exposure during the night," she adds. According to the passage, the more light one is exposed to at night, _ . Answer: the more depressed one will feel An aspirin a day keeps the doctor away. Aspirin has long been praised as a wonder drug and has been in your family since you can remember. Not only does it cure pain, it also lowers the risk of heart attack and stroke . But taking the pills daily may not work for everyone. Although taking an occasional aspirin or two is safe for most adults to use for headaches,body aches or fever, daily use of aspirin can have serious side effects. Up to 60 per cent of us,both healthy people and those being treated for all types of heart disease, may have some level of resistance to aspirin' s benefits. Aspirin keeps platelets from sticking, lowering the risk of clotting . People who are aspirin - resistant still get pain relief but not the full blood - thinning effects. How do you know whether you' re resistant? New blood tests can help your doctor decide whether to give you a different medicine, especially if you' re at risk or are being treated for heart disease. The tests aren' t yet widely available, but it doesn' t hurt to ask. People taking aspirin daily should limit the amount of alcohol they drink because of its additional blood - thinning effects and potential to upset your stomach. Thus you should not have more than one drink if you' re a woman or two dr/nks a day if you' re a man. Does daily aspirin treatment differ between men and women? Recent studies have focused on the effects of aspirin in women, finding that its effects differ between the sexes, and for women, between age groups. All in all, aspirin is still an effective, affordable and simple option for many people at risk of heart attack and stroke. Though it is readily available, always check with your doctor before starting daily aspirin treatment. We can/cam from the passage that _ Answer: drinking alcohol could influence the function of aspirin
Question: Books are our best friends. They are very quiet, but we can always find both fun and knowledge once we open them. Here are two good books you can read during the holiday. Book: The Little Prince French writer :Antoine de Saint-Exupery Both adults and children love this classic book. It is about the adventure of a young prince. It shows the importance of innocence ( ) ,imagination and love. The little prince comes from planet B-612. In his eyes ,adults are all very strange. Unlike them, he sees the essence of things .He cares more about a flower and a sheep than the " important" things of adult world. The prince lives on his planet with a rose. He loves the rose very much. But he soon feels tired and leaves his planet. He meets many more strange adults on other planets. On Earth, he discovers interesting things such as a snake, other roses and a fox. The fox tells him a secret :Only the heart can discover the most important things. This helps the prince realize his love for the rose and he goes back to his planet. Book: To Succeed on One's Own( ) American Writer :Liu Yong Writer Liu Yong from Taiwan wrote this book for his daughter .It can help young people succeed. The book teaches you about student-teacher relationship, how to use your free time and even what kind of clothes to wear. It answers many of teenagers' most common questions. Liu uses his daughter's stories as an example to help readers understand the principles . His book is far from boring. There are lively stories and dialogues, with objective analysis ,hope and confidence from a good father. ,. Where does the writer of " The Little Prince"come from? A. England. B. France. C. America. D. China. Answer: B Question: Which two crops would humans likely avoid in a famine? A. tobacco and cocoa B. corn and peas C. wheat and rice D. melon and beans Answer: A Question: Should parents ever hit their children? Research suggests many of us are likely to respond "no", and public support for spanking has been falling over the years.But surveys also show that 75 percent to nearly 90 percent of parents admit to spanking their child at least once. I was raised in a zero-tolerance home for disrespect, and my parents often turned to physical punishment.And, no, I don' t feel I was damaged by it. Nothing is more annoying than watching ill-mannered behavior from children. But there is data to suggest that a return to old-school spanking isn't the answer. Two years ago, Newsweek reported that it had found data suggesting that teens whose parents used physical punishment were more likely to become aggressive. Murray Straus, professor at the University of New Hampshire in America, has studied the topic of children and spanking for decades.He said that children who were physically punished have lower IQs than their peers.It may be that children with lower IQs were more likely to get spanked, but the punishment may have been counterproductive to their mental development, as well. Some researchers make the argument that occasional open-handed smacks on the bottom are not only harmless but can have some benefit. Last year, Marjorie Gunnoe, a psychologist at Calvin College, studied teens who have never spanked.There are a greater number of children growing up without ever having been physically punished.Gunnoe's research suggests they don' t turn out any better than those who were sometimes spanked. There are some parents who simply cannot control their tempers .But I still believe that the best parents are the ones who are able to offer fair and firm discipline without ever turning to physical punishment. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the article? A. 40 percent of children grow up without ever being spanked B. Children who suffer less physical punishment are better students C. Occasional open-handed spanking on the bottom are mentally harmful D. Researchers disagree over whether smacking is mentally harmful to children Answer: D Question: Mum gives little Tom ten yuan. Then little Tom goes shopping. He gets on the bus and sits down next to an old woman. Then he sees the old woman's bag is open. There is ten yuan in it. He quickly looks into his pocket. The money isn't there now! Little Tom is sure that the old woman is a thief . He decides to take back the money from the old woman's bag. So he carefully puts his hand into the old woman's bag,takes the money and says nothing. Suddenly the old woman shouts,"Where is my money? I can't find it. There is a thief in the bus." Little Tom feels strange . Then he sees his own ten yuan under his seat. Little Tom is thinking a question now,"Am I a thief ?" Little Tom sees _ in the old woman's bag. A. a wallet B. a packet C. ten yuan D. ten dollars Answer: C Question: Good morning, boys and girls. Today I'll talk about going online. We know that there are too many net bars around us. The Internet can make our lives interesting and enjoyable. Many of us like going online very much because we can learn how to use the computer and can get more information from the Internet. We can learn English. We can read some good newspapers and magazines. It can make us clever in playing computer games. We can send e-mails to our friends quickly. We can chat freely online with our friends. It can help us to get in touch with people from all over the world. But every coin has two sides. Net bars also bring us a lot of trouble. For example, some students spend too much time in playing computer games and some stay in the net bars all day and all night. Some girls even get to have boyfriends or some boys get to have girlfriends online. They write too many letters to each other. It takes them too much time to chat online, so they do worse and worse in their lessons and they don't study well any more. I think we mustn't get online when it is time for us to study. We can do it in summer or winter holidays or at the weekend. At the same time, if we have lots of free time, we can do some out-of-class activities at school. We usually have activities from4' 50 to 5- 50 in the afternoon. We can play basketball or football on Monday or Thursday afternoon. We can join some interests groups in school, such as drawing or reading on Tuesday afternoon, or singing and dancing on Wednesday afternoon. We can go to the English Corner on Friday afternoon. We hope we can spend more time on our subjects or on such activities. Many of us like going online because it can help us _ . A. learn English and send e-mails B. get more information C. play computer games D. all of the above Answer: D
Men have always believed that they are smarter than women. Now, a study has found that while this is certainly true, men also have to deal with the fact that they are also more stupid than the fairer sex. In the study, scientists measured the IQ of 2500 brothers and sisters and they found an uneven number of men not only in the top two percent, but also in the bottom two percent. The study's participants were tested on science, maths, English and mechanical abilities. Though there were twice as many men as women in the smartest group, there were also twice as many men among the bottom. The aggregate scores of men and women were similar. One of the study's authors, psychology professor Timothy Bates, said that the phenomenon may be because men have always been expected to be high achievers and women have been restricted to spend more time taking care of their homes. "The female developmental program may be tilted more towards ensuring survival and the safety of the middle ground.," the Daily Mail quoted Professor Bates, of Edinburgh University, as saying. The research _ past results that men were more likely than women to receive first class University degrees or thirds and women secured the seconds. It has been said that men are more ready to take risk when it comes to academics. Women have always found to be steadier in their learning. A past study has shown that women are securing more firsts and seconds, while men are continuing to receive more thirds. The argument for the change is that the increase of coursework at the cost of exams favors women's steady approach. According to Timothy Bates, less women are in the smartest group because _ . Answer: All of the following are part of an animal life cycle except Answer: My parents want to take me to visit Beijing this summer holiday. I want to plan a good trip. So I must learn something about Beijing on the Internet. Beijing is a beautiful city. Autumn is the best season. There are many places of interest in Beijing. We want to visit the Great Wall, the Palace Museum and the Summer Palace. Beijing Duck is very famous all over the world. I hope I could have a try. We can get to Beijing by train. I want to buy a gift for my good friend. I also want to send a postcard to my teacher. I think I will have a great holiday. Which sentence is right about the writer? Answer: In high school, "cool" is the rule, so teenagers will do anything to avoid possibly embarrassing situations. But not Samantha Elton, 15. She seeks them out. And if she can make a fool of herself as in the process, well, that's even better. For the past two years, Elton, has been a practitioner of improvisation, doing things that others would be embarrassed to consider. Elton is a member of High School Jesters, a group that teaches improvisation techniques to students. The group was founded two years ago by Nicholas Kopatich, himself a keen improviser. "I was sitting in my dorm room and some friends were having chats about comedy and improvisation," Kopatich recalls. They asked for lessons after Kopatich told them he had improvisation experience. The small group turned out to be pretty good at it, so they did a show for the dorm. And things snowballed. While even her mother marvels at Elton's ability to get up in front of audience without a script to fall back on, the teen enjoys such opportunities. Performing improvisation comes with a certain freedom that theater doesn't provide. "What I like about it the most is that I don't have to be a certain character or a certain way, and because of that I can't get anything wrong," Elton says, "I get to write the story while I'm doing it." Monica Elton, Samantha's mom, thinks the workshops are a valuable outlet that a lot of students may not get in their schools. High school kids don't usually like to act silly or look uncool, she says, but improvisation teaches them that it's OK to have flaws. "I like to think we give kids positively that allows them to gain confidence," says Brent Mukai, a High School Jesters instructor. The great thing about improvisation is that it is an art form that is open to anyone. But there's more to it than getting up in front of audience and telling jokes or acting silly. "You don't need to be the most amazing actress to be an improviser," Samantha Elton says, "It's really a place where I can show people my creativity. I can paint pictures for people and entertain others." It's really free. According to Monica, practicing improvisation made Elton _ . Answer: Sound waves can pass through all of these except Answer:
Many children like to watch TV. It's very interesting. The programs on TV tell us many things about the country and a lot of news about the world, Judy watches TV on Sundays. There is an English program getting to know America. It's her favorite program. It tells about the life of America, such as buildings, traffic, food, houses, movie stars. Why does she love the program? Because she likes English. She likes English best of all the subjects. When she is watching the program, she can remember every word she sees on TV. That helps a lot, because she learns many new words, English really interests her . She likes learning English. On weekdays, she doesn't watch TV, but reads English story books every night before she goes to bed. She can learn a lot from the TV program and the story books. The program is about _ . A English stories B American food C the life of America D American people Answer: C. the life of America It' s 9:00 in the evening. The family are at home. Jim's father sits in a chair. He's watching TV . His mother stands near the window. She feeds the birds--Polly. Polly says, "Thanks! Thanks!" Where is Jim? Oh, he's behind the door. Kate is looking for him. They play games in Kate's room. There are _ people in the family. A three B four C five D Six Answer: B. four Have you ever returned a book late to the library before?If so,you may pay a small fine .How much would you have to pay if the book is returned 65years late? A high school in Washington,Us had to deal with such a problem recently.A copy of Gone with the Wind was finally returned to its library 65years late. However,the school said that it would not ask Wayne to pay the fine,though that would be about 475. The book was borrowed out of the library of the high school in 1949,and disappeared until it was found in Maine,Us by Wayne.Wayne found the book in his father'sbasement and then offered to send it back to the school. "I feel very sorry about that,"Wayne said. "We're very pleased to have the book back.Wayne did the right thing,"LoriWyborney,headmaster of the school said. _ offered to send the book back to the school. A Wayne's father B Wayne C Lori's headmaster D Lori. Answer: B. Wayne When Mary Moore began her high school in 1951, her mother told her, "Be sure and take a typing course so when this show business thing doesn't work out, you'll have something to rely on." Mary responded in typical teenage fashion. From that moment on, "the very last thing I ever thought about doing was taking a typing course," she recalls. The show business thing worked out, of course. In her career, Mary won many awards. Only recently, when she began to write Growing Up Again, did she regret ignoring her mom," I don't know how to use a computer," she admits. Unlike her 1995 autobiography, After All, her second book is less about life as an award-winning actress and more about living with diabetes . All the money from the book is intended for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), an organization she serves as international chairman. "I felt there was a need for a book like this," she says." I didn't want to lecture, but I wanted other diabetics to know that things get better when we're self-controlled and do our part in managing the disease." But she hasn't always practiced what she teaches. In her book, she describes that awful day, almost 40 years ago, when she received two pieces of life-changing news. First, she had lost the baby she was carrying, and second, tests showed that she had diabetes. In a childlike act, she left the hospital and treated herself to a box of doughnuts . Years would pass before she realized she had to grow up ---again---and take control of her diabetes, not let it control her. Only then did she kick her three-pack-a-day cigarette habit, overcome her addiction to alcohol, and begin to follow a balanced diet. Although her disease has affected her eyesight and forced her to the sidelines of the dance floor, she refuses to fall into self-pity. "Everybody on earth can ask, 'why me?' about something or other," she insists. "It doesn't do any good. No one is immune to heartache, pain, and disappointments. Sometimes we can make things better by helping others. I've come to realize the importance of that as I've grown up this second time. I want to speak out and be as helpful as I can be." Mary's second book Growing Up Again is mainly about her _ . A living with diabetes B successful show business C service for an organization D remembrance of her mother Answer: A. living with diabetes Before 1900, many theories existed as to the cause of yellow fever . Some doctors were sure the disease was air-borne; others felt that it was spread from person to person. Dr. Carlos Finlay, a well-known Cuban doctor of that time, had long held the theory that it was caused by the bite of mosquitoes. But neither the public nor the doctors then accepted his idea. Walter Reed,all American doctor sent to study yellow fever in Cuba,went to talk with Finlay.Reed,after reading a lot on the subject,had begun to think that Dr.Finlay might be fight.Then Reed and his comrades set to work at once.Outside Havana,they set up a laboratory and began experiments to test the theory.The experiments were successful.Now we know:A period of about two weeks must pass before a mosquito,after feeding on a sick person,could infect another person.The sick person had to have yellow fever a certain number of days before the mosquito biting him was able to carry the disease. One will come down with yellow fever if he has been bitten by _ . A a mosquito B an infected mosquito C a mosquito that has bitten the patient D a mosquito that has bitten the patient for some days Answer: D. a mosquito that has bitten the patient for some days
My name is Bill. I'm an English boy. I'm in a high school. Sam is my good friend. He comes from Canada. He is 13. I'm 13, too. But we don't look the same. Miss Zhang is my English teacher. We don't know her age, but she looks young. She is not Sam's teacher. Miss Zhou is Sam's English teacher. Now please look at my photo. In the photo, Sam, Miss Zhang and I are all happy. ,. Bill is _ . Answer: thirteen The Firegathering 18-20 May The Firegathering festival returns to an unidentified place somewhere in the Sussex countryside this May.The ticket price is a very agreeable PS40,an amount that the organisers promise covers only the costs of staging the event.As well as the nightclub singers and dancers and circus performers,you can expect live performances from local stars.If this looks like it might be right for you,you'd be well advised to book your ticket soon;the event has sold out every year since its beginning four years ago. Sheep Music 20-22 July Sheep Music started life as a garden party and has developed into a fullscale community event.Even though the advertising has always been limited to word of mouth,the huge number of people in 2005 left organizers worried that the large crowds could ruin the festival's family feel.Luckily July sees the return of this brilliant party.The climax comes in the shape of Saturday night's fullscale parade and fancy dress ball that you just would not expect to happen in the other sleepy Welsh borders. The Big Chill 3-5 August Ten years on and The Big Chill could very well be close to becoming a big pop festival like Glastonbury.That said,the many thousands in attendance are still able to relax in the beautiful Eastnor deer park and listen to plenty of music that would otherwise pass them by.Families have always been given a warm welcome and it's fair to say that The Big Chill is probably the most childfriendly of all the mediumsized festivals.If you've never been,you should certainly go. Summer Sundae 10-12 August Although only a year old this summer,Summer Sundae has quickly inspired the imaginations of Leicesteks music lovers.Last year's event was a success,noted by more than a few mentions at the UK Festival Awards.It is set in the impressive grounds of De Montfort Hall.Although the performers are still to be confirmed,the cabins are sure to be there.These small buildings are made from wood and carpets,storage space,and can fit a family for the night. Which festival will provide accommodation for the audience? Answer: Summer Sundae. Michelle Obama made a daring decision to return to the same designer who created her Inaugural Ball dress four years ago --- and the risk paid off. The First Lady looked extremely attractive in a thin, sweeping, and ruby-colored dress by designer Jason Wu. She teamed the dramatic dress with heels by Jimmy Choo and a diamond ring by Kimberly McDonald. She surprised the fashion establishment by returning to a Wu design which had been the custom made for her. Four years ago at her first Inauguration Ball, Michelle shimmered in an off-white, one-shouldered floor-length dress by the designer. Wu, who was 26 at the time and had only been working in fashion for three years, saw his career take off after the First Lady's surprise decision to wear one of his dresses. He said at the time that he was unaware she had chosen the dress and had been watching at home on his couch and eating pizza when she appeared. After her 2013 decision, Wu told Women's Wear Daily: "Mrs Obama likes to keep her secrets. She fooled me again." Wu released a women's clothing and accessories collection at Target last year and continues to be popular with the First Lady for official engagements. The sleeveless, cross-halter neck dress with low-cut back flattered 49-year-old Michelle's arms and neat waist. It had been created especially for her by Wu and was a departure from the dark and plain colour tone she stuck to at earlier inauguration events. Mrs Obama's new hairstyle -- she had bangs cut on her birthday last week had been loosely tousled for the special night. Vice-President Joe Biden's wife Jill also looked attractive in a blue silk dress by Vera Wang at the Inauguration Ball. Michelle Obama's brave decision proved to be a _ . Answer: success Look closely at ,your hands-are they clean? It doesn't matter how many times you was your hands. They're still crowded with microbes, which are also called "germs" or "bacteria". Microbes are everywhere. But don't worry-most microbes don't harm you. and many actually help you stay alive. Now, scientists say the microbes that live on our hands could be used in a surprising way: fighting crime. When police visit the scene of a crime, they often look for fingerprints to try to identifythe criminal. But according to a recent study, investigators could even use microbes to help break a criminal case. Every person has his or her own set of microbes that live on their hands, according to scientists at,the University of:Colorado. That means the mix of different kinds of microbes on everybody's hand is unique-much like one's fingerprint. The scientists wanted to know whether this microbe mix could be used as a new kind of fingerprint-especially in a crime scene where fingerprints might be hard to find. And policemen use forensics such as studying fingerprints to identify the criminal. "Microbe fingerprints are harder to hide," said Noah Fierer, one of the scientists. "You can't sterilize(......) a surface just by wiping it off. " His team compared the bacteria on the hands of 273 people with the bacteria found on each person's computer keyboard. For the study, the keyboards had been used only by the people who were being tested. The study showed that the mix of microbes from each per- son's hands matched the mix of microbes on that person's keyboard. The scientists were easily able to tell the 273 people apart-just by looking at their keyboards. But there are a lot more than 273 criminals. Other scientists wonder whetherthe microbe fingerprint can really be that useful. Fierer agrees that scientists have a lot more work to do before the microbe fingerprint will be a useful tool. According to the passage, microbes on people's hands _ Answer: might help find crimes Some minerals originated from a material that was Answer: far away
Question: 'Student Voice' is a student-run education conference discussing education in the 21st century. This event aims to gather the views and opinions of students not only in Victoria and Australia, but around the globe. On Sunday 29 July 2012 students will discuss a series of questions regarding the role of education in the 21st century. By the end of the day they will hopefully have comprehensive answers to be shared with schools around the state and maybe even the world. Students from Preshill would like to invite a group of 5-10 students from your school to participate in this free forum . The event is being held on Sunday 29 July 2012 from 10am-2.30pm at the Hawthorn Town Hall, 360 Burwood Rd, Hawthorn. They are inviting students who are enthusiastic on any of our topics of discussion to present a keynote speech on the day. If you can't make the day, they welcome your written or recorded thoughts on our questions, which will be on display at the event. The topics for discussion: Key Question: What is the ideal 21st century education? 1. Is it a school's place to teach ethics, values, morals, confidence, self-esteem? 2. What are the effects of a uniform national curriculum ? 3. How can we make education more engaging? 4. Should students be compared and ranked against each other? 5. What is the place of social networking and new media technology in education? 6. What is the best way to determine student knowledge? Visit their Facebook page (see below) for updates, to communicate with organizers and other participants, and to indicate your interest in making a keynote speech. The Student Voice Organizing Committee Facebook Page URL: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Student-Voice-The-Student-Education-Conference/101834233239391?sk=info How can you communicate with the organizers ? A. By telephone B. By writing letters C. By visiting their Facebook Page D. By email Answer: C Question: Around 200 million years ago, the earth was 18 degrees warmer than it is now. That might be a bit hot for humans, but it was just right for the giant dinosaurs that wandered about the earth during the Mesozoic era. A new study found that planteating dinosaurs may have contributed to the warming of the earthby releasing significant amounts of methane . The study, published in science journal Current Biology, focused on sauropods, longnecked herbivores that munched on the top of trees. They were the largest of the dinosaurs; food broke down in their stomachs for long periods of time. The researchers estimate that a sauropoda released 2,675 liters of methane per day--adding up to a large amount of the greenhouse gas being pumped from dinosaur's gut into the atmosphere. Plant eaters naturally release methane as part of their digestive process. The larger the animal, the more methane it produces. Methane, a greenhouse gas, traps heat and remains in the atmosphere for approximately 915 years, which warms the atmosphere. Today, some animals, such as cattle, goats and sheep, produce large amounts of methane as a byproduct to their food digestion. Methane is also released from human--influenced sources such as landfill, agricultural activities, coal mining and other industrial practices--which all contribute to today's climate change, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The researchers estimate that earth's sauropods would have produced about 520 million tons of methane per year--similar to the total amount of methane produced today by natural and manmade sources. However, the researchers warn that their numbers are estimates based on multiple assumptions about the digestive systems and populations of dinosaurs. The author of the study David Wilkinson says the emission of methane from dinosaurs would have been just one of the causes of warm climate during the Mesozoic era. Other causes include gases produced from volcanoes, swamps, shallow seas and so on. Still, Wilkinson says," The amount of methane from dinosaurs is large enough to have a measurable effect." How does the author make his writing reliable? A. By listing some facts. B. By making predictions. C. By citing figures. D. By using mind pictures. Answer: C Question: Macao, also called Macau, is on the western side of the Pearl River entrance, at the head of which is the Chinese port of Guangdong and it stands opposite Hong Kong which is on the eastern side of the entrance. It is made of a small narrow peninsula sticking out from Guangdong province. The total area of Macao is about 21.45 square kilometers, and it is made up of three parts: Macao Peninsula, Dingbat Isle and Lehman Isle. Between Macao Peninsula and Dingbat Isle there are two bridges which join the two parts together, and there is also a highway between the Dingbat and Lehman Isles. Therefore, two bridges and one highway make the three parts of Macao into an integrated region . Macao faces to the vast sea and its back is the Pearl River Delta. The two big cities, Hong Kong and Guangzhou, and the two special economic zones Hula and Shenzhen are its neighbors. All of this offers much advantage for its economic development. Macao has a population of about 450, 000. This is very large against the size of the area. The average population density reaches 20, 000 per square kilometer. It is one of the densest population regions in the world. The majority of its people are Chinese, who make up 96% of the whole population. In Macao there are only about _ people who are not Chinese. A. 18,000 B. 20,000 C. 21,450 D. 428,000 Answer: A Question: I just finished the household chores for the night and was preparing to go to bed, when I heard a noise in the front of the house. I opened the door to the front room and to my surprise, Santa himself stepped out from behind the Christmas tree. He placed his finger over his mouth so I would not cry out. "What are you doing?" I started to ask. The words choked up in my throat, and I saw he had tears in his eyes. His usual jolly manner was gone. Gone was the eager, boisterous soul we all know. He then answered me with a simple statement"TEACH THE CHILDREN!" I was puzzled; what did he mean? Santa then reached in his bag and pulled out a FIR TREE ."Teach the children that the pure green color of the stately fir tree remains green all year round,describing the everlasting hope of mankind,all the needles point heavenward, making it a symbol of man's thoughts turning toward heaven." He again reached into his bag and pulled out a brilliant STAR. "Teach the children that the star was the heavenly sign of promises long ago. God promised a savior for the world, and the star was the sign of fulfillment of his promise." He then reached into his bag and pulled out a CANDLE. "Teach the children that the candle symbolizes that Christ is the light of the world, and when we see this great light we are reminded of he who displaces the darkness." Suddenly I heard a soft twinkling sound, and from his bag he pulled out a BELL. "Teach the children that as the lost sheep are found by the sound of the bell, it should ring mankind to the fold. The bell symbolizes guidance and return." Santa looked back and was pleased. I saw that the _ was back in his eyes. He said, "Remember, teach the children the true meaning of Christmas and do not put me in the center, for I am but an humble servant of the one that is, and I bow down to worship HIM, our LORD, our GOD." Author opened the door when he was going to sleep because _ . A. he heard something unusual B. he was not sleeping at the moment C. he saw the Santa at the moment D. he wanted to step out of the room Answer: A Question: In times of economic crisis, Americans turn to their families for support. If the Great Depression is any guide, we may see a drop in our sky-high divorce rate. But this won't necessarily represent an increase in happy marriages. In the long run, the Depression weakened American families, and the current crisis will probably do the same. We tend to think of the Depression as a time when families pulled together to survive huge job losses. By 1932, when nearly one-quarter of the work force was unemployed, it had declined by around 25 percent from 1929. But this does not mean that people were suddenly happier with their marriages. Rather, with incomes plummeting and insecure jobs, unhappy couples often couldn't afford to divorce. They feared that neither would be able to manage alone. Today, given the job losses of the past year, fewer unhappy couples will risk starting separate households. Furthermore, the housing market meltdown will make it more difficult for them to finance their separations by selling their homes. After financial disasters family members also tend to do whatever they can to help each other and their communities. A 1940 book, "The Unemployed Man and His Family," described a family in which the husband first reacted to losing his job "with tireless search for work." He was always active, looking for odd jobs to do. The problem is that such an impulse is hard to sustain (continue). For some, the hardships of life without steady work eventually defeated their attempts to keep their families together. The rate rose again during the rest of the decade as the recovery took hold. Millions of American families may now be in the initial (earliest) stage of their responses to the current crisis, working together and supporting one another through the early months of unemployment. Today's economic depression could well generate a similar backlog of couples whose relationships have been irreparably ruined. So it is only when the economy is healthy again that we will begin to see just how many fractured families have been created. In the initial stage, the current economic crisis is likely to _ . A. tear many troubled families apart B. contribute to enduring and strong family ties C. bring about a drop in the divorce rate D. cause a lot of conflicts in the family Answer: C
Question: Email systems at thousands of companies' offices around the world were attacked by a virus called "Mellissa" that _ itself as "an important message" from a friend. "Even though there was a weekend warning, more than 50,000 companies at about 100 places around the world have been attacked by the virus," computer experts said on Monday. The virus began to show up last Friday and spread rapidly the next first workday by making computers send off dozens of email containing the virus. Although the virus had no long-lasting damage to a computer, its effects were far-reaching. Michael Vatis, a senior US official said military and government computers were damaged, along with thousands of the other instructions' systems. The body of email message says "Here is what you ask for..." Once the user opens it, the virus digs into the user's address book and sends out messages to the first 50 addresses. The reason the virus spreads so rapidly is that you're getting it from people you know and trust. So anyone who gets an unexpected email with the "Important Message" subject line is advised not to open it and to delete it immediately. The virus spreads rapidly because _ A. it makes computers work without stop B. it carries words "Important Message" C. it sends out messages to dozens of people who know and trust the sender at one time D. it attacks military and government offices Answer: C. it sends out messages to dozens of people who know and trust the sender at one time Question: Valencia is in the east part of Spain. It has a port on the sea, two miles away on the coast. It is the capital of a province that is also named Valencia. The city is a market centre for what is produced by the land around the city. Most of the city's money is made from farming. It is also a busy business city, with ships, railways, clothes and machine factories. Valencia has an old part with white buildings, coloured roofs, and narrow streets. The modern part has long, wide streets and new buildings. Valencia is well known for its parks and gardens. It has many old churches and museums. The university in the centre of the city was built in the 13th century. The city of Valencia has been known since the 2nd century. In the 8th century it was the capital of Spain. There is also an important city in Venezuela named Valencia. What is the main difference between the two parts of Valencia? A. The colour of the building B. The length of the streets C. The age of the buildings D. The colour of the roofs Answer: C. The age of the buildings Question: The airline lost your baggage. The hotel laundry ruined your favorite shirt. The taxi driver overcharged you. When you're abroad, sometimes things go wrong. Now you can do something about it! Use these tips when you want to express an effective complaint in English. No matter how unfair the situation, it's best to phrase your complaint politely. In English, you'll sound more polite if you use indirect language. Here are some examples: "I'm sorry to bother you..." Starting a complaint like this puts the listener who may have heard many complaints that day at ease. Use this phrase if the situation isn't that serious. For example, "I'm sorry to bother you, but I wanted a baked potato, not fries." "Can you help me with this?" Everyone would much rather be asked to do something than told! So try phrasing your complaint as a request for help: "Can you help me with this? My shirt came back from the laundry without buttons." "I'm afraid there may be a misunderstanding." This is a polite way of saying, "Your information is wrong. Please fix it now." You'll most likely use this phrase if you made reservations for a flight, hotel or restaurant, and when you arrive, it's not what you expected. For example, "I'm afraid there may be a misunderstanding. I requested a non-smoking room." "I understand it's not your fault..." Often when you make a complaint, you deal with a person who was not directly responsible for the problem. But the problem isn't your fault, either! This phrase is helpful when you need swift action. Tell the person you're dealing with you understand they're not at fault and then directly state the problem: "I understand it's not your fault, but the airline promised they would deliver my baggage yesterday." "Excuse me, but I understood that..." Using this phrase lets the person know you're well-informed and are suspicious they might be trying to take advantage of you. Don't say, "Hey! You're trying to cheat me!" Instead, start indirectly by stating what you know to be true: "I understood that the taxi ride to the airport was only 25 dollars." Then give them an opportunity to do the right thing. Why should we start a complaint with polite phrases? A. Because the situation is never serious. B. Because the listener may not speak English. C. Because it can help solve the problem more easily. D. Because we should be always in good manners abroad. Answer: C. Because it can help solve the problem more easily. Question: A characteristic of American culture that has become almost a tradition is to respect the self-made man -- the man who has risen to the top through his own efforts, usually beginning by working with his hands. While the leader in business or industry or the college professor occupies a higher social position and commands greater respect in the community than the common laborer or even the skilled factory worker, he may take pains to point out that his father started life in America as a farmer or laborer of some sort. This attitude toward manual labor is now still seen in many aspects of American life. One is invited to dinner at a home that is not only comfortably but even luxuriously furnished and in which there is every evidence of the fact that the family has been able to afford foreign travel, expensive hobbies, and college education for the children; yet the hostess probably will cook the dinner herself, will serve it herself and will wash dishes afterward, furthermore the dinner will not consist merely of something quickly and easily assembled from contents of various cans and a cake or a pie bought at the nearby bakery. On the contrary, the hostess usually takes pride in careful preparation of special dishes. A professional man may talk about washing the car, digging in his flowerbeds, painting the house. His wife may even help with these things, just as he often helps her with the dishwashing. The son who is away at college may wait on table and wash dishes for his living, or during the summer he may work with a construction gang on a highway in order to pay for his education. According to the passage, the hostess cooks dinner herself mainly because _ . A. servants in American are hard to get B. she takes pride in what she can do herself C. she can hardly afford servants D. It is easy to prepare a meal with canned food Answer: B. she takes pride in what she can do herself Question: Betty and I are best friends. Our birthdays are on the same day, so every year we have a birthday party together. But this year we had a costume party instead. While we were writing the invitations, my mom came in and asked, "Nancy, what about inviting John?" John had been in our class for only a few months, but he was already getting better grades in math than anyone else in our class. "Mom, he wears the same pants to school every day. How could he even afford a costume?" Mom said nothing. The next day, mom gave me an envelope with a shopping card in it. "I thought it would be nice for you to give this to John." Mom said. But how? We didn't want to make John embarrassed. We discussed it for a long time. Finally, Betty and I had a good idea. On the day of our party, John arrived, in an old sheet ,but still in the same brown pants as usual. Before eating the birthday cake, Betty said in a loud voice, "Now it's time for the great prize game." It was a math game. None of us were surprised when John gave the right answer first and walked off with the envelope. Everything went well as we planned. John wore a new pair of pants and a new shirt the next week. He felt happy. So did we. Betty, Nancy and John all felt _ in the end. A. happy B. embarrassed C. surprised D. sad Answer: A. happy
Scientists have long had it in their mind to make a robot lizard . They began with finding out why a lizard can hang on a wall. They noticed the lizard's toes were unique: They have suckers , which enable it to hang on walls. They, therefore, made a robot with suckers on its hands and feet. The robot could hang on the wall but fell off when crawling. So, they went on researching. 6 years ago, scientists discovered that suckers only were not enough. It is the bristles on each foot that adds friction and static adsorption that makes a lizard move on the smooth wall easily without falling down. Then scientists made great efforts to fix thick bristles to the robot's hands and feet. However, the effect was not satisfactory. The robot still couldn't attach itself firmly to the wall. Scientists got puzzled: How on earth can the lizard crawl on an extremely smooth wall or even on a ceiling without dropping off? An accidental finding inspired them: One day a scientist happened to see an animal attack a lizard and bite off its tail. The lizard broke away from the animal's teeth and threw itself on a wall to escape, only to fall off heavily on the ground. The scientist wondered: Is it the tail that plays an important role in its travelling on the wall? He caught some lizards for an experiment. The result proved his assumption: A tailless lizard has no trouble walking on an ordinary wall but can't on a smooth one. A further study showed the lizard's tail can prevent it falling over backward and, what's more, that the tail acts as an additional leg while one of the lizard's legs leaves the wall, which is always the case while it is walking on the wall. Thus, Tailbot, a super tailed robot, is born. The biggest importance of a lizard's tail lies in _ . A helping support the body B serving as another leg C sticking to the wall D stopping slipping Answer: B Hello! My name is Jane. I usually get up at seven o'clock and then have a cup of coffee and some bread for breakfast. After breakfast, I take a shower and then I go to work by bus. I get to work at nine o'clock. I work till one o'clock and then I have my lunch. I start again at two o'clock and finish at five o'clock. I do some shopping before I go home. I get home at about a quarter to six. I have supper at about seven o'clock. After super, I sometimes go out for a walk, but I usually just stay at home and watch TV. I go to bed before eleven o'clock. What time does Jane get home? A At five o'clock. B At about six. C At about eight. D We don't know. Answer: B Last Thursday, a young woman saved an elderly man from a burning house on Garden Road. The young woman's name is Kitty and she works in a clothes shop. The elderly man, Daniel, lives just opposite the clothes shop. On Thursday afternoon, Kitty looked out of the window. She saw some smoke coming from Daniel's house and rushed over to see what was happening. The house was on fire and Daniel was inside. Kitty quickly called the fireman on 999. Then, she ran into the house to save Daniel. She found Daniel in his bedroom and he was frightened. Kitty helped Daniel out to a safe place. Five minutes later the fireman arrived and they put out the fire. No one was hurt. The next day, Daniel said,"I am so grateful to Kitty. She saved my life."Daniel also said,"In the future, I will be more careful. I don't want another fire in my house." . In the future, Daniel will be more _ . A grateful B carefully C careful D frightened Answer: C One day an Indian went to see his doctor. The doctor looked him over and said, "Medicine won't help you. You must have a good rest. Go to a quiet country place for a month, go to bed early, drink milk, walk a lot, and smoke only one cigar a day." A month later, the Indian came to see the doctor again. "How are you?" said the doctor. "I'm glad to see you again. You look much younger." "Oh, doctor, I feel quite well now," said the Indian, "I had a good rest. I went to bed early. I drank a lot of milk. I walked a lot. You certainly helped me. But you told me to smoke one cigar a day, and that almost killed me at first. It was not easy to begin smoking at my age." The Indian told the doctor, _ . . A he liked doing all those things B he almost killed him C to smoke one cigar a day D one cigar a day was very difficult at the beginning Answer: D A student put 200 milliliters (mL) of water into a pot, sets the pot on a burner, and heats the water to boil. When the pot is taken off the burner, it contains only 180 milliliters (mL) of water. What happened to the rest of the water? A It was used up. B It condensed. C It was absorbed by the heat. D It turned into water vapor. Answer: D
Question: Computers can injure you. Most other injuries happen suddenly. For example, if you fall off a bike and break your arms, it happens very quickly. But computer injuries slowly. You probably know how to ride a bike safely. Now learn to use a computer safely. Your eyes Too much light can injure your eyes, so never sit too close to a computer screen. Your eyes should be at least 50 centimeters from the screen. Remember to look away from it sometimes. This gives your eyes a rest. When you use a computer, the window should be on your left or your right. If it is behind you, the light will reflect on the screen. If the window is in front of you, the sun and the screen will both shine into your eyes. Your hands and wrists Hand and wrist injuries can happen because the hands and wrists are moved in the same way hundreds of times. If you use a keyboard for a long time, follow these three rules: 1) Rest your wrists on something. 2) Keep your elbows at the same height as the keyboard. 3) Stop something and exercise your hands, wrists and fingers in a different way. Your back Some people sit for many hours in front of a computer. If you sit in the wrong way, you can injure your back or your neck. So you should sit with your back straight. The top part of the screen should all be in front of your eyes. Your forearms, wrists, hands and the upper part of your legs should all be parallel to the floor. If you are sitting for a long time, get up every 30 minutes and exercise your arms, legs and necks. Enjoy your computer, but use it safely. What would be the best title for the passage? A. How to protect your eyes. B. How to protect your hands and wrists. C. How to use a computer safely. D. How to protect your back. Answer: C Question: On a Friday night,a poor young violinist was playing his violin at the entrance of the subway station. The music was so great that people slowed down to listen and put some money into his hat. The next day,the violinist came to the entrance again. He put down his hat as usual. Beside the hat was a piece of paper with some words on it. It said,"A George Sang has put an important thing into my hat by mistake. Welcome to claim it."Soon the people were all attracted by the words and wondered what it could be. After a while a man rushed through the crowd,took the violinist's shoulders and said,"I knew you would certainly come here."The violinist asked,"Did you lose something?""Lottery ."The violinist took out a lottery ticket with Sang's name on it. Sang took it and danced happily. Sang was an office worker. He bought the lottery and won a prize of$500,000.But when he gave$50 to the violinist for his wonderful music,the lottery ticket was thrown in, too. The violinist was a college student. That morning,he was going to fly to Vienna for high education. However,when he found the ticket,he cancelled the flight and returned to the entrance. Later someone asked the violinist why he didn't take the lottery ticket to pay the tuition fee .He said"Although I don't have much money,I live happily. If I lose honesty ,I won't be happy forever." George Sang was very _ to see the young violinist the next day. A. worried B. sorry C. exciting D. happy Answer: D Question: If a snail is heated to the point of being burned, the snail will A. be discomforted B. be energized C. be hungry D. be sad Answer: A Question: QINGDAO--Water and power supplies have been _ in the East Chinese city of Qingdao, the site of an oil pipeline explosion on Friday, the local government said on Monday. Crude oil began leaking from the pipeline at 3:00 an Friday in Qingdao in Shandong province. The valves of the Huangdao oil warehouse were shut about 15 minutes later. The oil spill then flowed into the city's rainwater pipe network, which empties into Jiaozhou Bay. Explosions occurred at two locations around 10:30 am Friday when workers were clearing the spill. According to the local government, about 85 percent of public heating and 90 percent of the gas supply were also brought back to normal as of Monday. Residents who have been taken to the temporary settlements are receiving bottled water and bread. Many schools and kindergartens have reopened classes after Friday's oil pipeline explosion. No injures and deaths of students or teachers have been reported following the explosions at an underground pipeline operated by Sinopec. The school buildings of one middle school in the district were seriously damaged during the explosions. Education authorities have arranged psychological help for students and teaching staff. All other 18 schools and kindergartens in the district reopened classes on Monday. As of Monday noon, the death toll from the explosion had risen to 55, with 9 people still missing and 136 hospitalized. According to local police, 49 bodied have been identified so far, and 42 of them were male victims. As of Monday morning, the blood supply in Qingdao was enough for the injured after more than 950 people in the city donated more than 340,000 ml of blood in the wake of the incident. Explosions happened when _ . A. workers were cleaning the spill B. valves of the oil warehouse were shut C. the oil spill flowed into the city's water network D. crude oil began to leak from an underground pipeline Answer: A Question: which of these could be measured in mL? A. circumference of a head B. the contents of a wine jar C. the length of a pen D. the width of a window Answer: B
Having Breakfast Or Not Will it matter if you don't take your breakfast? A short time ago, a test was given in the United States. People of different ages, from 12 to 83, were asked to have a test. During the test, these people were given all kinds of breakfast, and sometimes they got no breakfast at all. Scientists wanted to see how well their bodies worked when they had eaten different kinds of breakfast. The results show that if a person eats a right breakfast, he or she will work better than if he or she has no breakfast. If a student has fruit, eggs, bread and milk before going to school, he or she will learn more quickly and listen more carefully in class. The result is opposite to what some people think. Having no breakfast will not help you lose weight . This is because people become so hungry at noon that they eat too much for lunch. They will gain weight instead of losing it. You will lose more weight if you reduce your other meals. During the test, the people were given _ . Answer: different foods or sometimes none Salt plays an important role in our daily diet. Even a small reduction in salt in the diet can be a big help to the heart. A new study used a computer model to predict -how just three grams less a day would affect heart disease in the United States. The result: Thirteen percent fewer heart attacks. Eight percent fewer strokes. Four percent fewer deaths. Eleven percent fewer new cases of heart disease. And two hundred forty billion dollars in health care savings. Researchers found it could prevent one hundred thousand heart attacks and ninety-two thousand deaths every year. The study is in the New England Journal of Medicine. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo at the University of California San Francisco was the lead author. She says people would not even notice a difference in taste with three grams,or one-half teaspoon, less salt per day. The team also included researchers at Stanford and Columbia University. Each gram of salt contains four hundred milligrams of sodiu , which is how foods may list their salt content. The government says the average American man eats ten grams of salt a day. The American Heart Association advises no more than three grams for healthy people. It says salt in the American diet has increased fifty percent since the nineteen seventies, while blood pressures have also risen. Less salt can mean a lower blood pressure. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is leading an effort called the National Salt Reduction Initiative.The idea is to put pressure on food companies and restaurants. Critics call it government interference. Mayor Bloomberg has already succeeded in other areas, like requiring fast food places in the city to list calorie information. Now a study by the Seattle Children's Research Institute shows that the calorie information on the menu can influence what parents order for their children. Ninety-nine parents of three to six year olds took part. Half had calories between the two groups for foods that the parents would have chosen for themselves. McDonald's menus clearly showing how many calories were in each food. Parents given the counts chose an average of one hundred two fewer calories when asked what they would order for their children. Yet there was no difference in calories between the two groups for foods that the parents would have chosen for themselves. Study leader Pooja Tandon says even small calorie reductions on a regular basis can prevent weight gain over time.The study was published in the journal Pediatrics. It can be inferred from the passage that _ . Answer: Americans ate no more than 5 grams of salt per day in the 1970s Poor Alice was very unhappy. "What a wonderful garden!" she said to herself. "I'd like to be out there - not in this dark room. Why can't I get smaller?" It was already a very strange day. and Alice was beginning to think that anything was possible. After a while she locked the door again, got up and went back to the glass table. She put the key down and she saw a little bottle on the table. Round the neck of the bottle was a piece of paper with the words DRINK ME in large letters. But Alice was a careful girl. "It can be dangerous to drink out of strange bottles," she said. "What will it do to me?" She drank a little bit very slowly. The taste was very nice. like chocolate and oranges and hot sweet coffee. and very soon Alice finished the bottle. "What a strange feeling!" said Alice. "I think I' m getting smaller and smaller every second." And she was. A few minutes later she was only 25 centimeters high. "And now," she said happily, "I can get through the little door into that beautiful garden." She ran at once to the door. When she got there. she remembered that the little gold key was back on the glass table. She ran back to the table for it, but of course, she was now much too small! There was the key, high above her, on top of the table. She tried very hard to climb up the table leg, but she could not do it. At last, tired and unhappy, Alice sat down on the floor and cried. But after a while she spoke to herself angrily. "Come now," she said, "Stop crying at once. What's the use of crying?" She was a strange child, and often talked to herself like this. Soon she saw a little glass box near her on the floor. She opened it and found a very small cake with the words EAT ME on it.[:. . ] Nothing could surprise Alice now. "Well, I'II eat it," she said. "If I get taller, I can take the key off the table. And if I get smaller, I can get under the door. _ I'll get into the garden. So it doesn't matter what happens!" She went on eating, but nothing happened. Why couldn't Alice get into the beautiful garden? Answer: She was too small to get the key to the door. Once upon a time there were a zebra and a monkey in a zoo. The zebra and the monkey had many napkins. What did the zebra and the monkey do with all the napkins? They didn't know. They ate the napkins. The zebra felt good. The monkey got a stomach ache. Why did the monkey get a stomach ache? The napkins were make out of straw. Straw is good for zebras. Straw is not good for monkeys. The monkey did not like eating the napkins. The zoo worker came and gave the monkey a pill. The pill made the monkey feel better. Now the monkey does not eat napkins. The monkey eats bananas instead of napkins. Now the monkey is always happy and feels good. The zebra does not like to eat bananas. The zebra eats all the napkins and feels good. The zebra and the monkey are both very happy. Why did the monkey get a stomach ache? Answer: the napkin was made from straw which is not good for monkeys. Mary's mother waited for her in the car. Mary knew that she would be late if she didn't hurry , but she didn't care. It is her birthday today. Ten minutes later, Mary opened the car door. Her mother said, "Don't forget to go home with Cindy today." Mary felt a little disappointed . She really hoped to have a party today, but her mother had to work late tonight. She promised Mary that they could have a party next week. "I won't forget," replied Mary. When she arrived at school, she got out of the car and said goodbye to her mother. It seemed that her mother didn't care. Mary walked into the school. She hoped her friends would remember that she turned eight today. "Hi, Mary. Happy birthday," said Julie. Mary smiled and asked, "Julie, can you come to my party next week?" Julie said, "I am sorry Mary, but I can't." During the day, things didn't go much better. All of her friends said they could not go to her party next week. At the end of the school day, Mary felt very sad. Evening came and Cindy's mother drove Mary home. When Mary opened the door, the house was dark. Her mother didn't even get home yet! She felt very sad. "Surprise!" All the lights in Mary's house came on. Her mother and all of her friends were there! There were many gifts in the living room. Then, she ran into the kitchen. Her mother prepared her favorite meal and a big chocolate cake. "Thank you, Mom!" Mary said, happily. Mary invited Julie to her party _ . Answer: next week
Question: The history of the computer keyboard started way back in 1714, when the first typewriters were manufactured. Then, they looked more like sewing machines, since they were designed by Remington, which also used to manufacture sewing machines. They were not used for commercial purposes but to produce legal documents that were neat. 1868 was the year when Christoper Latham Scholes created the typewriter that is common today and was later mass marketed in 1877. Before the typewriter advanced to become the modern-day keyboard, there were a few developments that led to it. First there was the combination of the typewriter with the telegraph to create a teletype. Key punches were also created by the combination of the typewriter with punch card systems. The teletype was used to input data in the very first computers, and this is where the development of the computer keyboard started. How the teletype worked with the computer is that a card was inserted into the teletype. The keys would then be pressed in the teletype and a series of holes would be punched in the card. These were known as key punches, which would then be put into a card reader which analyzed the cards as data. This was in 1946, and in 1948 an electromagnetically controlled teletype was brought into operation for the binary automatic computer . There later came the video display terminal and electronic keyboards. When people typed, they would immediately see the results on the screen. This was in the 1970s, and people accepted the technology because it was user-friendly. There was no long process involved in getting something typed. The very first designs of these keyboards were big and heavy, and most did not come with the computer. This was later modified to a smaller size and different colours and designs, and that is the keyboard we use today. For what purpose were the first typewriters manufactured? A. To produce legal documents. B. To replace sewing machines. C. To record the results of research. D. To create the first computer keyboards. Answer: A Question: "Life is speeding up. Everyone is getting unwell." This may sound like something someone would say today. But in fact, an unknown person who lived in Rome in AD 53 wrote it. We all love new inventions. They are exciting, amazing and can even change our lives. But have all these developments really improved the quality of our lives? Picture this. You're rushing to finish your homework on the computer. Your mobile phone rings, a QQ message from your friend appears on the screen, the noise from the television is getting louder and louder. Suddenly the computer goes blank and you lose all your work. Now you have to stay up all night to get it done. How happy do you feel? Inventions have speeded up our lives so much that they often leave up feeling stressed and tired. Why do you think people who live far away from noisy cities, who have no telephones, no cars, not even any electricity often seem to be happier? Perhaps because they live simpler lives. One family in the UK went "back in time" to see what life was like without all the inventions we have today. The grandparents, with their daughter, and grandsons Benjamin, 10 and Thomas, 7, spent nine weeks in a 1940s house. They had no washing machine, microwave , computer or mobile phones. The grandmother, Lyn, said, "The more things you have, the more difficult life becomes." The boys said they fought less. Probably, they said, because there was less to fight over, such as their computer. Benjamin also noticed that his grandmother had changed from being a "trendy , beer-drinking granny", to one who cooked things. According to the passage, which id NOT right? A. People who live far away from noisy cities often seem to be happier. B. An unknown Roman was sure that the quality of life would get better. C. The family had some changes when they lived in a 1940s house. D. With the improvement of our lives, we often feel stressed and tired. Answer: B Question: If a thing is being drawn to another thing of the same material, they are probably A. quartz B. plastic C. diamond D. iron Answer: D Question: Imagine you're in a dark room, running your fingers over a smooth surface in search of a single dot the size of this period, How high do you think the dot must be for your finger to feel it? Scientists have determined that the human finger is so sensitive it can detect a surface bump just one micron(l0-6m)"high. The human eye, by contrast, can't tell anything much smaller than100 microns.No wonder we rely on touch rather than eyesight when faced with a new roll of toilet paper. Biologically, touch is the mother of all sensory systems.It is an ancient sense in evolution: even the simplest single-celled living things can feel when something brushes up against them and will respond by moving closer or pulling away. It is the first sense aroused during a baby's development and the last to weaken at life's peak. Patients in a deep coma who seem otherwise lost to the world will show skin reaction when touched by a nurse. "Touch ,is so central to what we are that we almost cannot imagine ourselves without it," said Chris Dijkerman."It's 'not like eyesight, where you close your eyes and you don't see anything. _ .It's always there." Long ignored in favor of the sensory heavyweights of eyesight and hearing, the study of touch lately:: has been gaining new concern among scientists.They're exploring the effects of recently reported false touch impressions, of people being made to feel as though they had three arms, for example, with the hope of gaining the true understanding of how the mind works. Others are turning to touch for more practical purposes: to build better touch screen instruments and robot hands, a more well-rounded virtual life.. "There's a fair amount of research into new ways of offloading information onto our sense of touch," said Lynette Jones. "To have your cell phone buzzing (making a low sound) as opposed to ringing turned out to have a lot of advantages in.some situations." Touch is our most active sense, our means of seizing the world and experiencing it 'first hand. Dr.Susan Lederman pointed out that while we can become aware of something by seeing or hear,ing7;-.from a distance and without really trying, if we want to learn about something by means of touch, we must make a move.We must rub the cloth, or pet the cat. Touching is a two-way street, and that's not true for seeing or hearing. If you have a soft object and you squeeze it, you change its shape. The physical world reacts back." Our hands are smart and can do many tasks automatically - button a shirt, fit a key in a lock, play the; piano for others.Dr.Lederman and her colleagues have shown that blindfolded subjects can easily recognize a wide range of common -objects placed.in their hands.But on some feeling tasks, touch is all thumbs (very clumsy). When people are given a raised line drawing of a common object, they're puzzled."If all we've got is outline information;" Dr.Lederman said,."no weight, no texture, no temperature information, well, we're very, very bad with that." Touch also turns out to be easy to fool, Among the sensory tricks now being investigated is something called the Pinocchio illusion. Researchers have found that if they shake the band of the biceps , many people report feeling that their forearm is getting 'longer, their hand floating ever further from their elbow . And if they are told to touch the forefinger of the shaken arm to the tip of their nose, they feel as though their nose was lengthening, too. The sense that is firstly awaked during a child's development is the sense of _ . A. sight B. taste C. hearing D. touch Answer: D Question: On March 19, Malala Yousafzai, a 15-year-old Pakistani student and women's education activist, returned to the classroom for the first time since being violently attacked by a member of the Taliban--a terrorist organization-- on October 9, 2012. Malala was shot on her way home from school in Mingora, Pakistan. A Taliban group took responsibility for the attack, saying the attack should serve as a warning to others. Members of the group follow a strict version of the local religion and believe girls should not go to school. Malala was targeted because she is appealing for girls' rights to education in Swat Valley, Pakistan. Malala recovers from the attack at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, England. After a long period of recovery, Malala is starting as a ninth-year student at Edgbaston High School. It is the oldest independent girl school in Birmingham, England. Though she has no concrete plans to return to Pakistan, Malala still speaks out as a voice for change in her country, and everywhere. "I am excited that today I have achieved my dream of going back to school. I want all girls in the world to have this basic opportunity," Malala said in a statement. "I miss my classmates from Pakistan very much but I am looking forward to meeting my teachers and making new friends here in Birmingham." Malala has been an Internet blogger, or writer, since she was 11 years old. In 2011 she was awarded Pakistan's National Peace Award for her bravery in writing about the difficulties of life and education in the shadow of the Taliban. She has spoken publicly about children's rights and been nominated for an international children's peace prize. After the attack in 2012, support for Malala poured in from around the world. The United Nations declared November 10 Malala Day. Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the day honors Malala and shows the world that people of all sexes, all backgrounds and all countries stand behind the heroine . Malala was shot for the reason that _ . A. she didn't obey the school rules B. she planned to study in England C. she called on girls to go to school D. she fought against the Taliban Answer: C
Many people say dolphins are very intelligent. They seem to be able think, understand, and learn things quickly. But they are smart like humans or more like cats or dogs? Dolphins use their brains differently from people. But scientists say dolphin intelligence and human intelligence are alike in some ways. How? FACT 1: Talk to Me Like humans, every dolphin has its own "name". The name is a special whistle . Each dolphin chooses a specific whistle for itself, usually by its first birthday. Actually, scientists think dolphins, like people, "talk" to each other about a lot of things, such as their age, their feelings, or finding food. And, like humans dolphins use a system of sounds and body language to communicate. But understanding their conversations is not easy for humans. No one "speaks dolphin" yet, but some scientists are trying to learn. FACT 2: Let's Play Dolphins are also social animals. They live in groups called pods, and they often join others from different pods to play games and have fun ---just like people. In fact, playing together is something only intelligent animals do. FACT 3: Fishermen's Helpers Dolphins and humans are similar in another way: both make plans to get something they want. In the sea of southern Brazil, for example, dolphins use a interesting strategy to get food. When fish are near a boat, dolphins signal to the fishermen to put their nets in the water. Using this method, the men can catch a lot of fish. What is the advantage for the dolphins? Why do they assist the men? The dolphins get to eat some of the fish. The text is most probably taken from a_. science magazine Are you unsure of the future? Do you feel as if you have put in a lot of effort, yet you still haven't gotten anywhere? Are your relationships getting sour? If the answer to all these questions is yes, then you're in for some serious reflection.ks5u A negative perspective on life will definitely not do you any good.It will only stop you from achieving your goals, and will make you feel more and more unhappy.When you lack self-confidence, you tend to play safe and do just what is needed instead of exploring your full potentials .Your fears and self doubt are in fact the main _ that stop you from achieving success and keep you from living the life that you truly want.Understand this: the barrier to your happiness is your own insecurity and cowardly manner. How do you escape your self-bondage ? With the help of individuals who have gone through life's tragedies without being affected, such as Rebecca Richmond, a widely admired life coach, you can take hold of your life and transform yourself from being afraid into a person with a positive outlook who is ready to get hold of the bright future that awaits you.The most important thing that you need to realize is that you have the power to change your life.You can reach unimaginable heights if you only believe in your ability to do so.See the unlimited opportunities that are set before you.Take challenges as lessons that make you strong and mature. Do not let your painful past dictate the person that you would become.Open your eyes and see the beautiful person that you are.You deserve to live a better life -- one that is full of love, peace of mind, and prosperity. When you lack self-confidence, you _ . are short of the spirit of exploration CANBERRA (Reuters Life!) - Think twice before eating those dropped crumbs off your computer keyboard -- you might as well be eating off a toilet seat, according to a new study on the amount of germs on keyboards. A study by British "Which? Computing" asked a microbiologist to examine for bugs on 33 keyboards in a typical London office, a toilet seat and a toilet door handle. Four keyboards were judged potential health hazards and the microbiologist recommended the removal of one keyboard as it had 150 times the pass limit of bacteria -- five times filthier than the swabbed toilet seat. "Most people don't give much thought to the grime that builds up on their PC, but if you don't clean your computer, you might as well eat your lunch off the toilet," said Sarah Kidner, the consumer magazine editor of "Which? Computing" in a statement. The study found that eating lunch at desks is the main cause of a bug-infested keyboard. Dropped crumbs and food encourages the growth of millions of bacteria. Poor personal hygiene, such as not washing hands after going to the toilet, may also add to the dirtiness of keyboards. But despite the health hazard of a dirty keyboard, a survey of 4,000 people by the magazine found one in 10 people ever cleaned their keyboard while another two in 10 never cleaned their mouse. Almost half -- or 46 per cent -- cleaned their keyboard less than once a month. To clear out bugs, the magazine recommends users unplug keyboards, turn them upside down and shake them. What do you think the expression "Think twice before eating those dropped crumbs off your computer keyboard" stands for? Don't eat foods dropped onto the computer keyboard. Englishmen speak British English and Americans speak American English. A student is learning to speak British English. He often asks himself, "Can Americans understand me when I speak British English?" Learners often ask "What's the difference between British English and American English?"Certainly there are some differences between British and American English. The Englishmen say "Have you a pen?" While Americans say "Do you have a pen?" The pronunciation is sometimes different. Americans often sound "r" in words like "bird" and "hurt". The British speakers don't sound the "r" in these words. There are differences in spelling. For example, "colour" and "neighbour" are British while "color" and "neighbor" are American. These differences in grammar, pronunciation and spelling are not important, however. For the most part, British and American English are the same language. When Englishmen and Americans are talking with each other, they don't need an interpreter . Maybe some day they need, but not now. Have you a pen and "Do you have a pen?" show a difference in _ grammar I do not need a calendar to tell me when it is winter. All I need is my nose. When I wake up in the morning and smell the tasty treats my mom is cooking downstairs, I know winter has arrived. The first one is the smell of chocolate. During the holiday season (from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day) my mother makes her special hot chocolate. She always adds a peppermint candy cane to the drink and tops it with cream. The hot chocolate gets me out of bed, but it is my mother's chocolate fudge that makes me run downstairs. It is a thick chunk of chocolate that tastes like heaven. My mother adds nuts. That gives it more texture . But my mother isn't done yet. She also makes a treat she calls "window panes ". She takes a few different colored marshmallows and melts them together with chocolate. The final product looks like a colorful church window, so we call it "window panes". These tasty holiday treats are usually eaten after a meal as a dessert. But don't tell Santa Claus because I secretly eat them all day long. In the author's eyes, the taste of the chocolate fudge is _ . wonderful
There is a time when Karyn Bosnak couldn't pay a $59 bill at the grocery store. She was officially broke. She didn't have enough money to get on the subway, but she looked rich. She was a television producer, earned $900 a week, and had a closetful of designer labels like Gucci and Louis Vuitton. But she also had a $20,221.40 credit card bill and an empty bank account. Karyn decided that it was time for a change. She built a website and simply asked people to help her out by sending her a dollar or two. On the site, Karyn honestly explained her situation. "If 20,000 people gave me just $1, I'd be home free." Amazingly, it worked. Her website was visited by more than a million people. Although most donors just gave a few dollars, one generous donor sent $1,000. She was on TV and in newspapers and magazines. She was offered a book deal and a movie contract. And of course, she was able to pay off her credit card debt. She also sold her designer clothes on eBay. In her closet, where the Gucci purse once sat, Karyn keeps all the letters that people have sent her. It's hard to understand why so many people helped a total stranger pay off her huge credit card bill. Karyn explains, "I was just honest about what happened; I didn't make up some sob story about saving the world." Her donors think it's funny and original, and view it less as a charity than as an entertainment site. Imitators have appeared all over the Internet, some with extremely selfish requests for things like a BMW or a house. Actually, Karyn was not the first person to put up a website asking strangers for money. The practice has a name: "cyber-begging." Most sites receive little traffic and even less cash. Karyn also had thousands of enemies and critics. People sent her hate mail and scolded her on websites. Karyn says she never let this anger bother her. "They are probably jealous they didn't think of it." She explains. What can we learn about cyber-begging? Answer: Eighteen-year-old Kenneth and his 14year-old girlfriend, Emma, made plans to meet in Kenneth's apartment to have sexual intercourse, and they did so. Emma later told her mother about the incident. Kenneth was charged with statutory rape and conspiracy to commit statutory rape. In the jurisdiction, the age of consent is 15, and the law of conspiracy is the same as at common law. Kenneth was convicted of both charges and given consecutive sentences. On appeal, he contends that his conspiracy conviction should be reversed. That conviction should be Answer: Dear iPhone 4 Users, The iPhone 4 has been the most successful product in Apple's history. It is the best smartphone ever, and most users have told that they love it. So we were surprised when reading reports of reception problems, and we immediately began researching them. To start with, holding tightly almost any mobile phone in certain ways will reduce its reception by 1 or more bars of signal strength. This is true of iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, as well as many other phones. But some users have reported that iPhone 4 can drop 4 or 5 bars when tightly held in a way. This is a far bigger drop than normal, and as a result some have said the iPhone 4 has a faulty antenna design. Upon research, we find that the formula we use to calculate how many bars of signal strength to display is totally wrong. Our formula usually mistakenly displays 2 more bars than it should for a given signal strength. The big drop in bars is because the high bars were never real in the beginning. We will give a free software update to correct the formula. This software update will also be available for iPhone 3GS. If you are not fully satisfied, you can return your undamaged iPhone to any Apple Retail Store or the online Apple Store within 30 days of buying and get all your money back. Thank you for your patience and support. Apple How many more bars does the iPhone 4 show than it should for a given signal strength? Answer: David Moore taught science at the City School. He needed some expensive books, and so he bought them. He put the books in his car in a quiet street. Then he went to other shops to buy something else. At six he came back to the car. One door was open - and the books were not there! David drove home to Fry Road. On Friday people read this in the newspaper: Books: Have you any old books? I buy old and modern books. Open all day on Saturdays. David Moore, 26 Fry Road. David stayed at home on Saturday. The first man came at eight. David took him to the kitchen. At half past nine another man arrived. He had a bag under his arm. "Mr Moore?" the man asked. "That's right," David said. "Can I help you?" "I've got some good books. You buy books, don't you?" "Yes. Bring them in. Let me have a look." Soon the books were on the dining-table. "Come in now," David called, "and bring the list." A policeman came into the dining-room. He read the names on the books and the names on the list in his hand. They were the same. "Come with me, sir," the policeman said to the man. Mr Moore was a _ . Answer: Ryo Desmidt is in his first year at a kindergarten in Hong Kong and seems like an especially gifted child.He is three years old.Since he was ten months old,his mother,Momoe,has been taking him to a language center five times a week where he is taught to listen, speak and interact in English, Mandarin and Japanese.He attends a language school in the city that offers courses for children as young as a few months old. Some parents will even pay a tutor to speak in a particular language for an hour in the belief their baby will absorb this.This is just one of the many examples of how parents in Hong Kong are trying to get ahead of the game by giving their children a competitive edge in the race for limited school places. With a large expatriate community and an increase in mainland Chinese parents wishing to send their kids across the homer to school.Hong Kong's world class educational system is undere siege with applications.And this pressure is being felt by parents,many of whom are starting early and going to extraordinary lengths to outshine thousands of other applicants for limited pre--school opportunities,believing it will give them an advantage when it comes to securing a primary school place. At this time of the year,parents go into a crazy queuing for application forms at schools acroos Hong Kong.According to Fung Kai Kindergarten in the city's Sheung Shui district,around 2,000 people camped out overnight to apply for only 240 available spaces on October 7--police were even called in to deal with complaints about people cutting the queue. In Hong Kong,where formal pre--school education begins at the age of three,many prospective parents begin mapping out education plans before their children are born.Desmidt,an expat mother living in Hong Kong,revealed she started looking for potential kindergartens and playgroups during her pregnancy. From Ryo Desmidt we can know that parents in Hong Kong_. Answer:
Christian Eijkman, a Dutch doctor, left the Netherlands for the island of Java. Many people on the island had a disease called beri-beri. He was going there to try and find a _ . At first, Eijkman thought some kind of germ caused beri-beri. He raised some chickens. He didn't eat them, but made experiments on them. The local people were quite surprised at that. One day he noticed that his chickens became sick when they were fed the food most Javanese ate -- refined white rice . When he fed them with unrefined rice, also known as brown rice, they recovered. Eijkman realized that he had made an important discovery -- that some things in food could prevent disease. These things were named vitamins . The Javanese were not getting enough vitamins because they had actually removed the part that contains vitamins. Later, other diseases were also found to be caused by the lack of vitamins in a person's food. Today many people know the importance of vitamins and they make sure they have enough vitamins from the food they eat. If they don't, they can also take vitamin pills. If a person doesn't get enough vitamins in his diet, he'd better _ . Answer: Once an old man went to see a doctor. The doctor looked him over carefully and said, "Medicine won't help you. You must have a good rest. Go to bed early, drink milk, walk a lot and smoke one cigar a day. Go to the country place for a month." After a month the man came to see the doctor again. "How are you?" said the doctor. "I'm glad to see you again. You look much younger." "Oh, doctor, I feel quite well now,"said the man. "I had a good rest. I went to bed early, drank a lot of milk and walked a lot. Your advice certainly helped me, but that you told me to smoke one cigar a day almost killed me first. It's no joke to start smoking at my age." The doctor wanted the old man _ . Answer: Hunters and bears are often put in fairy tales and often provide a lot for us to think about life and human nature. Two hunters, Ali and Hagan, went hunting for bears. For four days they saw nothing. Each night they slept in a nearby village, pledging to make part of the bear's skin against the cost of their lodging . On the fifth day a huge bear appeared, and Ali said nervously to his friend, "I don't mind admitting that I'm afraid to take this bear." Hagan laughed, "Just leave it to me, little coward." So Ali _ like lightning up the nearest tree at once, and Hagan stood with his gun at the ready. The huge creature came, moving on in a slow and awkward way, and Hagan began to grow more and more scared. At last he raised his gun to his shoulder, but by now he was trembling so much that, before he could take proper aim, his gun went off and missed the target . Hagan, remembering that bears never touch a dead body, threw himself flat on the ground and held his breath. The bear came up, sniffed all around him and moved off in the end. Ali, who had been watching the whole thing from the tree, now came down and, congratulating Hagan on his escape, asked him, "What did the bear whisper in your ear just now?" "Don't sell the bear's skin before you have caught the bear," Hagan announced. What did Ali and Hagan do before they came across the huge bear? Answer: Which season is it for Australians in July? Answer: When I was in the eighth grade, my teacher asked us to write an article about what we would like to do when we grew up. All I could think of was one sentence I want to help other people! During the years, I met many problems. But I never gave up. I know that to help other people I have to help myself first. I encouraged myself after I experienced failures . Finally .my dream really came true. I found a part-time job in a charity. I began to spend my days doing things for people. I have a happy life. That doesn't mean that this kind of life is easy, or that my work is always enjoyable. I an happy because I an doing what I want to do. What do you want to do? Write it down now. If you don't know, you can ask yourself, "What would I do if this was the last day of my life ?" Then write down the first thing that comes to your mind, no matter how silly or impossible it is. If you have an answer, you will know what your dream is. The best title for the passage is _ . Answer:
Japanese students work very hard, but many are unhappy. They feel heavy pressure from their parents to do well in school. Most students are always being told by their parents to study harder so that they can have a wonderful life. Though this may be a good idea for those very smart students, it can have terrible results for many students because they are not talented enough. As it is reported, a number of students killed themselves. Others try to get the feelings of taking drugs . Some join the groups of troublemakers and turn to crime . Many of them have tried very hard at school but have failed in the exams and have their parents lose hopes. Such students felt that they are hated by everyone else they meet and they don't want to go to school any longer. It is surprising that though most Japanese parents are worried about their children, they do not help them in any ways .Many parents feel that they are not able to help their children and it is the teachers' work to help their children. To make matter worse, a lot of parents send their children to those school opening in the evenings and on weekends-- they only help students to pass exams and never teach students any real sense of the world. It is a great surprise that almost three quarters of middle school students have been to such kind of schools. Many Japanese schools usually have rules about everything from the students' hair to their clothes and the things in their bags. Child psychologists now think that such strict rules are harmful to the feelings of the students. Almost 40% of the students said that no one had taught them how to get on with others, how to tell right from wrong, how to show love for others, even for their parents. Who do the parents think should help the kids when they can't do well in school work? A. Teachers. B. Parents. C. Someone else. D. Their classmates. Answer: A. Teachers. I was reading these interesting stories behind a group of great logos in the world. Personally Nike is my favorite one--it's so simple. And I liked the stories behind them, which made me forget all other things. McDonald's, Apple, Mercedes Benz and Adidas own great logos as well, and they are among my favorites. Nike In the Greek myth, Nike is the goddess of victory and the source of inspiration for soldiers. This logo represents the wing in the famous statue of the Greek goddess. Nike's logo was designed by Carolyn Davidson in 1971 for $ 35, and was registered as a trademark in 1995. McDonald's The logo was designed in 1962 by Jim Schindler to resemble the archshaped signs on the side of the company's then walk-up hamburger stand. Later on, the two golden arches were combined together to form the M. The McDonald's name was added to the logo in 1968. Apple There are different stories behind Apple's logo. The first logo was a reference to the religious story of Adam and Eve, in which the apple represented the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. One year later, the second logo was designed in 1977 by Steven Jobs and Ronald Wayne, and it described Sir Isaac Newton sitting under an apple tree. This logo didn't stay long. One year later it was replaced almost immediately by graphic designer Rob Janoff's " rainbow apple", a rainbow- colored silhouette of an apple with a bite taken out of it. And then the rainbow- colored apple was replaced by the one- colored logo in 1998. It has not been changed so far. Mercedes Benz The Mercedes Benz logo, which was originally created by Gottlieb Daimler in 1909, consists of a simple description of a three- pointed star that represents its rule of the land, the sea and the air. The company was founded by Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach. Marcedes is the name of Maybach's elder daughter, while Benz came as a result of a combination with Benz, Cie.and DMG in 1926. Adidas The Adidas logo, which was created by the founder of the company Adi Dassler, represents mountains, pointing towards the challenges that are seen ahead and goals that can be achieved. The logo was used for the first time in 1976. Which of the following time orders describes the births of the great logos? A. Mercedes Benz - McDonald's - Nike - Apple. B. Nike - McDonald's - Apple - Mercedes Benz. C. McDonald's - Apple - Nike - Mercedes Benz. D. Nike -Mercedes Benz -McDonald's - Apple, Answer: A. Mercedes Benz - McDonald's - Nike - Apple. Philip likes to play football. He often plays football after school with his friends. Sandy likes to play basketball. She teaches her friends how to play it every Sunday afternoon. Han Mei is very good at the computer. She always uses it to draw pictures three times a week, and she uses it to surf the Internet. She has a good friend in America. Her name is Mary. Lin Tao is also good at drawing pictures. But he never uses computer to draw. Who's Mary? A. She's an English girl. B. She's Sandy's friend. C. She's Han Mei's friend. D. She's Lin Tao's classmate. Answer: C. She's Han Mei's friend. City officials in South Jakarta must now cycle when performing their duties.in a move to help _ pollution and global warming."They can own a car and drive to work,but they must cycle when traveling to do their work",South Jakarta city spokesman Ahmad Sotar said,"This is compulsory.Cycling will not only reduce pollution and global warming,but also promote good health."He added,"The official can also get to know their residents better since now they call cycle through the narrow alleyways to reach their home.They can't do so if they drive". South Jakarta, the second--largest of five cities making up greater Jakarta, covers an area of 145 square kilometers and has 2.5 million residents.Over 200 officials in 10 sub.districts and 65 villages have been told about the new rule.Supporting the move,Meruyuny Village chief Selamat Aryadi said cycling would keep officials fit."I don't mind buying a bike.But there must be some exceptions. What will happen if there is a big fire or landslide which I need to attend urgently? I may be late for everything,"he said with a quiet laugh."I think if it,s raining heavily it makes more sense for me to drive.I just hope 1 won't get caught,"he added. Sotar said the officials do not have to cycle to attend to emergency calls."But it is no excuse to say they are too old and sick to cycle.That means they are also too old and sick to perform their duties so they should be replaced,"he said:"We will ask the residents to be our eyes and ears and tell us if the officials cycle or drive."Sotar said. we can learn from what Selamat Aryadi said that_. A. the rule should be followed flexibly B. he supports the rule completely C. to keep fit is the most important thing D. anyone who breaks the rule should be caught Answer: A. the rule should be followed flexibly Hello, I'm Tommy Smith. This is my room. Look! My schoolbag is on the desk. My Chinese book is on the bed. My baseball is under the sofa. And my CDs are in the bookcase. My name is Sally Hand. I'm a schoolgirl. English is my favorite subject. I like it because it's interesting. Anna is our English teacher. We all like her very much. I'm a schoolboy. I'm Dave Clark. I like basketball. My friends and I play basketball after school. It's relaxing. Hi, my name is Bill Hall. Where is my jacket? Please call me if you find it. My phone number is 5283595. Thanks. Which of the following is TRUE? A. Tommy's CDs are on the desk. B. Sally likes Anna, her English teacher. C. Dave plays baseball after school. D. Bill finds his jacket. Answer: B. Sally likes Anna, her English teacher.
Singles' Day, also called Double Eleven, began as a day for unmarried or uncoupled people to celebrate their lives on November 11, 1993. In China, however, Singles' Day has become the biggest online shopping day in the world, which was created in 2009 by Alibaba's CEO Daniel Zhang to increase online sales. Since then, it has grown into a cultural phenomenon. China Singles' Day, as a shopping day, takes place on November 11 each year. There are sharp _ and other promotions designed by Alibaba to attract online customers. In 2015, E-commerce giant Alibaba broke records with sales of $14.3 billion on China Singles' Day, with online sales increasing 60 percent from last year, according to Alibaba. "Most people shop on mobile phones or ipads and online shopping has become a comfortable channel for most consumers", said Kitty Fok, China manager for market research. "China is a big market with close to one billion smart, connected device users. It is good news for both Alibaba and their competitors," she said. The company is focusing on international e-commerce for future Singles' Days, reported Reuters. "Within the next five years, we expect China will become the world's largest e-commerce market for imported products," President Michael Evans told reporters on Wednesday. Alibaba Chief Executive Daniel Zhang said in a statement that Singles' Day would mean that "the whole world will see the power of Chinese consumption." Over 130 million users visited Alibaba's marketplace app, Taobao, reported the BBC. What will make Singles' Days more popular according to Kitty Fok? Most Chinese people these days know what it is like to have an "English teacher", since almost all pupils study English from their third year. Usually that first English teacher will be a young and lovely lady in primary school. But my first English teacher is _ . Looking back, I can see that, when I was only a little girl, he created an English environment by providing me with flashcards,fun English- language toys and even dolls which can sing English songs! My interest in English had certainly been awakened when I began to learn English at school. Just imagine, he went a step further and asked me to learn New Concept English by myself! I was puzzled and even angry. I could not understand why a father could be so strict with his little girl. All the same, he never gave up and he gently insisted that I follow through with his idea. At first, I read stories with tears and I actually hated them because they were too difficult for me. In the end, I came to love the funny stories and, to be honest, my father was always there with a helping hand. I am sure that my English would never have got so far without his support. And that's why my father is not only my first English teacher but also my lifelong teacher. He is one who awoke my interest, and who gave me much confidence . What would be the best title for the passage? The family cooked most of their food using a stove and On November 15, Joiner in a signed writing contracted with Galley for an agreed price to personally remodel Galley's kitchen according to specifications provided by Galley, and to start work on December 1. Joiner agreed to provide all materials for the job in addition to all of the labor required. For this question only, assume the following facts. On November 26, Galley without legal excuse repudiated the contract. Notwithstanding Galley's repudiation, however, Joiner subsequently purchased for $5,000 materials that could only be used in remodeling Galley's kitchen, and promptly notified Galley, "I will hold you to our contract." If allowed to perform, Joiner would have made a profit of $3,000 on the job. If Galley refuses to retract his repudiation, and Joiner sues him for damages, what is the maximum that Joiner is entitled to recover? The easiest way for the English to deal with their social discomfort is to avoid social interaction altogether, by choosing either leisure activities that can be performed in the privacy of one's own house, or outdoor activities that follow their interest without direct contact with anyone other than one's own family members, such as going for a walk, or to the cinema, or shopping. In recent survey, over half of all the leisure activities were of this private _ type, and of the top ten pastimes, only two--having friends round for a meal or drink, and going to the pub--could be described as 'sociable'. The most domestic activities are the most popular: watching TV, listening to the radio, reading, DIY (Do It Yourself) and gardening. Even when the English are being sociable, the survey findings show that most of them would much rather entertain a few close friends or s in the safety of their own homes than venture out among strangers. In the latest rational census survey , over half of the entire adult male population had been DIYing in the four weeks before the census date. Nearly a third of the female population had also been busily improving their homes, and their work with their gardens was equally obvious: 52 percent of all English males and 45 percent of females had been out there, cutting branches and weeding grass. Even among people claiming to belong to a particular religion, only two percent attend services every week. The rest of the population can be found every Sunday at their local garden center or DIY superstore. And when they want a break from caring about their own homes and gardens, they go on trips to visit bigger and better houses and gardens, such as the stately homes and gardens opened to the public by the National Trust and the Royal Horticulture Society. Visiting grand country houses always ranks as one of the most popular national pastimes. The passage mainly tells us about _ .
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At the checkout, enter your voucher code for your discount! Special activity time: 24/09/2013-04/01/2014. You can learn about the credit of an online store by _ . A. the speed of delivering goods B. the length of running online stores C. the independent tick rating D. the varieties of goods Answer: C. the independent tick rating My name is Tom.I want to join a club in my school.I'm not famous now,but maybe I can be famous someday.I can't sing or dance or act,but I can do many other things.I can play three kinds of instruments:the guitar,the violin and the drums.I think I can be in the music club.Maybe I can be a famous musician.I like to read storybooks and I can write stories.Maybe I can be a famous writer.I like sports,too,but I am not good at it,so I don't join the sports club. Why doesn't Tom join the sports club? A. He doesn't like sports. B. He can't do sports. C. He isn't good at sports. D. He is not strong enough. Answer: C. He isn't good at sports. Anxiety is the appropriate emotion when the immediate personal terror--of a volcano, an arrow, a stab in the back and other disasters, all directed against one's self--disappears. The kind of world that produces anxiety is actually a world of safety, a world in which no one feels that he himself is facing sudden death. The anxiety exists as an uneasy state of mind, in which one has a feeling that something unspecified and indeterminable may go wrong. If the world seems to be going well, this produces anxiety--for good times may end.If the world is going badly--it may get worse. Anxiety tends to be without focus; the anxious person doesn't know whether to blame himself or other people. He isn't sure whether it is the current year of the administration or a change in climate or the atom bomb that is to blame for this undefined sense of unease. It is clear that we have developed a society which depends on having the right amount of anxiety to make it work...While we agree that too much anxiety is harmful to mental health, we have come to rely on anxiety to push us into seeing a doctor about a symptom which may indicate cancer, into checking up on that old life-insurance policy which may have out-of-date provisions in it, into having a conference with Billy's teacher even though his report card looks all right. People who are anxious enough keep their car insurance up, have the brakes checked, don't take a second drink when they have to drive. People who are too anxious either refuse to go into cars at all--and so complicate the ordinary course of life--or drive so tensely and carefully that they help cause accidents. People who aren't anxious enough take chance after chance, which increases the terrible accidents of the roads. According to the author, accidents of the road tend to be caused by_. A. all those who are too anxious B. all those who have anxiety C. those who have no anxiety D. those who are not anxious enough Answer: D. those who are not anxious enough It is a finding which is certain to be hotly discussed. According to the latest research, women are brighter than men. For the first time in IQ testing, psychologists have found that female scores have risen above those of men. Since IQ testing began a century ago, women have been as much as five points behind. But that gap has been narrowing in recent years and this year women have moved ahead, according to James Flynn, leader of the research. "In the last 100 years the IQ scores of both men and women have risen but women's have risen faster," said Mr. Flynn. "This is a result of modernity, which is making our brains adapt and raising our IQ." One possible explanation is that women's lives have become more demanding as they multitask between raising a family and doing a job. Another is that women have a slightly higher potential intelligence than men and are only now realizing it. Mr. Flynn, who will publish his findings in a book, said more data was needed to explain the trend. "The full effect of modernity on women is only just starting," he added. He compared IQ result from countries in western Europe and from the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Argentina and Estonia. These showed that in westernized countries the gap in scores between men and women had become minimal . The data for making comparison was limited and could be carried out for only a few countries. It included Australia, where male and female IQs were found to be almost the same. In New Zealand, Estonia and Argentina, women scored slightly more than men. Mr. Flynn said, "As the world gets more complex, people are adapting." He added, "I suspect that the same trends are happening in Britain, although the data is too limited to be true." On IQ tests in the past _ . A. women were as bright as men B. women were brighter than men C. men had been five points behind D. men were brighter than women Answer: D. men were brighter than women There are all kinds of food in the world. Some people like the Chinese food. Firstly, the Chinese food has a lot of fruit and green vegetables. It has little sugar and fat. Secondly, the Chinese food is very delicious and has many dishes. So Chinese people can keep fit and have white teeth. However, some people enjoy the western food. Now many people, especially the workers in companies , are too busy to have lunch slowly so the western food meets their need and they can eat quickly. And the food is not too bad, too. It is a great pleasure to try eating a different style of food. In my opinion, I like the Chinese food more than the western food. First of all I'm a Chinese and used to Chinese food, it can keep us healthy. On the other hand, the western food is high in fat, sugar and salt. If you eat too much these food and don't take enough exercise, you'll get fat easily. The western food is too expensive and "not good value for money". Now many young people like to eat western food because _ . A. the western food is very delicious B. the western food is very bad C. they are too busy to have lunch slowly and the western food meets their need D. they love western countries Answer: C. they are too busy to have lunch slowly and the western food meets their need
Question: "Be home by dinnertime", Eric's mother said as he left for school that morning. Eric was excited. Today was show and tell, and he planned to do his magic tricks for the whole class. Once he got to school, he couldn't wait until it was his turn. First up was Angie, who brought her pet lizard. It could change colors to match whatever it was sitting on. The second to be called was John, who showed the class a flower he had grown from seeds. Finally Eric's name was called. He went to the front of the class. "For my first trick" he said, "I'll pull a hamster out of a hat". He had borrowed his sister Candice's pet hamster in order to do his trick. He showed the class his that the hat was empty, then he reached inside, into the secret space where the hamster was hidden. The hamster was gone. He heard a scream. Two girls were standing on their chairs, and the hamster was crawling toward the back of the class. The teacher made him stay after school as punishment, but at least he made it home by dinnertime. What was Eric's magic trick? A. Making a flower grow. B. Making Angie disappear. C. Making a lizard change color. D. Pulling a hamster out of a hat. Answer: D Question: Alexander the Great was a mighty king and conqueror . He was one of the greatest military geniuses the world has ever known. He was born in Pella, Macedonia. Alexander grew to be a handsome, brilliant man. Aristotle, the famous philosopher , came from Greece to teach him---geography, politics, literature, medicine and science. Alexander's father, King Philip II of Macedon, taught him to plan and win battles. The young prince became King when he was 20. He then began the series of marches that continued until he ruled almost all of the then-known world. On his great war horse, Bucephalus, he first took over Greece. He went on to conquer southeastern Europe, Asia Minor, Egypt and India. On his way he crushed the Persian Empire, and was made King of Egypt and Asia. He and his troops traveled over 11,000 miles(17,700 km). He spread Greek customs and ideas wherever he went. In India his men refused to go further. They were tired and frightened, and wanted to go home. Worn out, Alexander agreed to turn back. He died of fever in Babylon, at the early age of 33. Alexander and his troops traveled and fought probably _ then. A. by ship B. by simple truck C. on their horses D. on foot Answer: C Question: Blue Ocean Aquarium is a great place for families to take a holiday. Children love to see the sea animals and watch films about sharks in it. Last Saturday morning, Mr Jackson took his wife and two little sons to the aquarium. At the ticket office, he asked, "How much shall I pay to get in?" The woman at the ticket office answered, "The price is 20 dollars for each adult or any kid older than five. We let kids in free if they are five or younger. How old are your kids?" Mr Jackson said, "The older one is six and the younger one is three. I think I must buy three tickets. " The woman was surprised. She said, "Sir, don't you want to save 20 dollars? If you tell me your older son is five, I won't know the difference. " Mr Jackson said with a smile, "Yes, that sounds right, but my kids will know the difference. " From Mr Jackson' s story, we know _ is very important in the modern society . We should tell the truth to the people around us, especially to the kids. Children can see _ in Blue Ocean Aquarium. A. dolphins B. lions C. giraffes D. tigers Answer: A Question: Not long ago, the only time you could see a robot was when you were reading a novel or watching a movie such asStar Wars . Today, however, a lot of things in science stories have been science facts. Robots are starting to appear in our everyday lives. These robots have different sizes, shapes, and colors. But they all have the same type of man-made "brain". Leading the robot revolution are industrial robots that work in factories. Industrial robots can do different kinds of jobs that are often boring and sometimes dangerous. Robots are also coming to American homes, though not as quickly as they are entering factories. These robots aren't as friendly and bright as those you saw in Star Wars.But, their makers say, today's home robots "walk", sense objects in their way (and sometimes knock into them), and even carry objects (which they sometimes drop). Well, nobody is perfect. We may laugh at home robot today, but some day they may see and hear better than humans do. We humans can only see certain wavelengths of light, and hear certain sounds. That's because the abilities of our eyes and ears are limited. Robots, however, need not have the same limits as we have. Robot may also be equipped with devices that pick up information humans can't. To understand what their sensing devices pick up is a hard job. Remember, man--made brains handle information, including all kinds of data, as zeroes and ones. Imagine the difficulty in trying to explain to a robot what a football looks like--using only zeroes and ones. From the passage, we can see that factory robots _ . A. help to improve other types of robots B. are most active in industrial revolution C. are playing a more important role than other types of robots D. are the tallest type among robots Answer: C Question: It was 1963, in Paris. While walking through the fruit and vegetable market Alice Waters was struck by the display of brilliant color1s, the music of farmers selling their produce, and in the middle of a great city. She felt "directly connected to the land." Chez Panisse, a Berkeley restaurant, which was founded upon Waters' ecological philosophy, has been named "The Best Restaurant in America" by both the James Beard Foundation and by Gourmet magazine, many times in the past. Only the food grown in accordance with the principles of sustainable agriculture was used in the restaurant. Menus offered nightly at Chez Panisse have consisted only of fresh ingredients, harvested in season, and purchased from local farmers. Alice Waters has successfully demonstrated how a restaurant can develop successfully while contributing to the general welfare of the farming community. Sharing a meal between the people was one of the wishes of Alice Waters as she would love her customers to know each other. In 1996, inspired by the Garden Project at the San Francisco County Jail , Waters decided to apply her principles to education. The project was first started at the Martin Luther King Middle School in Berkeley with the idea to transform some land near the school into a garden and, in the process, to teach local school children about food and agriculture. In 1999, over 120 people came to help plant the first cover crop, which prepared the field for farming by adding nutrients to the soil. The student garden staff has had several years' worth of harvest, and has started growing gardens like herb and tea. Here, agricultural practices are continually being revised and updated and every year the Schoolyard staff attends the Ecological Farming Conference in Monterey. A kitchen classroom has also been created, where students learn about main foods eaten in other parts of the world. "I believe that every child in this world needs to have a relationship with the land...to know how to nourish themselves...and to know how to connect with the community around them," says Waters. The middle school has become a model in itself. The students work the land and harvest the crops, while the cafeteria buys and prepares the produce for school lunches. This program will go a long way in teaching kids to value fresh food and their own contributions. This project is sure to inspire a national change in school curricula . In fact, many middle and high schools in California and Ohio have launched similar projects. In 1997, Alice Waters received the Humanitarian Award from the James Beard Foundation in recognition of her dedication and contribution towards environment. In 1999, the U.S. Department of Education Secretary, Richard Riley, honored her with a John H. Stanford "Education Hero" award. Which of the following best explains why Waters was awarded the title"Education Hero"? A. She had helped popularize healthy eating. B. She had made great contributions to the environment. C. Her principles had brought great benefits to farmers. D. She had brought school children into a new relationship with land and food. Answer: D
People usually hate mice, but one mouse has won the hearts of the people all over the world---the famous Mickey Mouse. Fifty years ago most movies were silent. A man called Walt Disney made a cartoon mouse that could talk his movies. He named his mouse Mickey Mouse. People, both young and old, were very excited at the talking mouse. Children loved to see their friend, because he brought joy and laughter to them. Mickey was a clean mouse right from the beginning. Perhaps this is one reason why people hate real mice and love Mickey Mouse. In his early life Mickey made some mistakes. People were angry. They wrote to Disney and said that they did not want Mickey to do silly things. So Disney made a new animal named Donald Duck. He also made a dog called Pluto. This dog does stupid things and makes mistakes wherever he goes. Now our Mickey Mouse is not only clean but also important. He appears as a beautiful and clever star. He has his friends in almost every country. Children loved to see Mickey Mouse because _ . he brought them joy and laughter Have you ever seen any students whose trousers hang so low that you can see their underwear? What do you think of that? Fashionable? Some of today's teenagers are big fans of such a look. But recently this trend has been at the center of an argument in Italian middle schools. The headmaster of a school in central Italy has asked students to stop wearing low-rise jeans that expose underwear and parts of the body. His request came after a class trip, when he saw one boy's baggy trousers slide to his feet. He pointed out that this way of dressing is not suitable for school. But in Italy, a nation that takes fashion very seriously, the suggestion caused a debate among parents, teachers and students. The issue is whether the headmaster's request will limit students' freedom-- or whether dress in Italian schools is too casual. A parents' group praised the move in favor of good taste, while others advised schools to stop worrying about fashion and fix up old school buildings. "We do not want to kick fashion out," the headmaster explained, "but extremes of fashion like this are not right in school." Many other schools have now requested that their students also stop wearing such trousers. Most students have simply ignored the request. Ludovica Gaudio, 14, wore extremely low trousers exposing orange underwear in class. It was cold, so she wore a matching orange scarf. Another 14-year-old said she would probably respect the request, simply for practical reasons. "I don't really feel comfortable in those sort of jeans," said Sarah Lattanzi, "in winter, when dressed like that, it's quite cold and I am afraid my stomach will ache." The argument against the headmaster's request is that _ . schools should pay attention to things more important than students' clothes "It takes an entire village to raise a child." That's an old proverb that is being quoted more and more often these days. And I'm pleased about that. Today, more and more schools are reaching out to involve parents, community members and businesses to help shape a child's future. Parents need to be involved in their children's education in many ways. Helping children with homework and studying, going on a field trip, teaching a craft or coaching a child's sports team are all great ways to be involved with your child's education. And don't forget to communicate with teachers ---- they need and respect your input. Studies show that children learn more and schools function better when parents and schools work together. It's important to stay in touch with your child's education all through his or her school career. Communities can help children create and achieve new goals. Help with homework, read to a child, coach a children's team, or provide emotional support. Help solve problems and build self-esteem . Kids need role models and advisers can be role models by sharing their experiences and wisdom. Businesses can also help shape our children's future. Invite a class from your local school to visit your workplace. You may be providing a glimpse that opens a new world of possibilities. Show students what goes on during a typical day. Give a mini course for students: how to use a computer; how products are made; how machinery works. You may have a developing electrician, teacher, nurse, or even a newspaper reporter on your hands. It really does take an entire village to raise a child.So share the responsibility -- and the joy -- of bringing a child to his or her full potential . The implied advice in the proverb "It takes an entire village to raise a child." is that _ . Schools, parents, and other organizations should share the responsibility of shaping a child's future. Violent winds swept the ocean, and waves thundered to shore, shaking the lookout tower at Pea Island Rescue Station. Surfman Theodore Meekins was on watch that evening of 11 October 1896. A hurricane had struck the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and the tide was so strong that beach patrols had been canceled. Still, Meekins paid close attention to the horizon. This was the type of weather that could blow ships hundreds of miles off course. Offshore, the ship E.S. Newman was caught in the storm. The captain, whose wife and child were on the ship, feared the Newman would soon break up. He made the decision to beach his ship, then fired a signal, praying that someone onshore would see it. Meekins, whose eyes were trained to cut through rain and surf mists, thought he saw the signal, but so much spray covered the lookout windows that he could hardly make sure. Still, he took no chances. After summoning the station keeper, Captain Richard Etheridge, Meekins set off a coston signal, a signal made by using lamps of different colors. Together, the two men searched the darkness for a reply. A few moments later, they saw a flash of light to the south and knew a shop was in distress . Even before the return signal burned out, Etheridge had summoned his men and begun rescue operations. For the lifesavers, the rescue of the Newman was nothing unusual. Over the years, so many ships had off the Outer Banks that sailors called the region the Graveyard of the Atlantic. Noting the dangerous surf and wind conditions, Captain Etheridge quickly decided the surf boats would be impossible to control. Instead, he decided to use another way to help the survivors. The crew set off on the long journey down the beach to the scene of the wreck . Captain Etheridge hoped to fire a line from a gun to the ship's mast . After the ship's crew dragged the line onboard, the surfmen would fire a second line and carry survivors safely to shore. The surfmen crossed three miles of sand to reach the ship Newman. The water was freezing, and the men often sank up to their knees in sand. Captain Etheridge noted in his diary that "the voice of gladdened hearts greeted the arrival of the station crew," but that "it seemed impossible for them to do anything under such circumstances. The work was often stopped by the sweeping current." Even when the rescue equipment proved useless, Etheridge refused to give up. Choosing two of his strongest surfmen, he tied rope lines around their waists and sent them into the water. The two men, holding a line from shore, walked with huge effort as far as they could before diving through the waves. Nearly worn out while swimming against the tide, they finally made it to the shore. The first to be rescued were the captain's wife and child. With the two passengers tied to their backs, the surfmen fought their way back to shore. Taking turns, Etheridge and his crew made ten trips to the Newman, saving every person onboard. It was 1:00 a.m. when the crew and survivors finally made it back to the station. That night, as the exhausted survivors lay sleeping and his lifesaving crew rested, Captain Etheridge picked up his pen, and in the light of an oil lantern, wrote with satisfaction that all the people onboard had been saved and were "sheltered in this station"--words he would remember for many years to come. The beach patrols were canceled because _ . the winds and tide were too strong How many things can you do at the same time? Eating and reading are easy. Reading and playing the violin are difficult. But some people can do many things at the same time. Bob is a one-man _ . In this picture Bob is playing the drums and the guitar with his feet. He is playing the drums and the guitar with his feet. He is playing the cymbals between his knees and the accordion with his hands. He's also playing the bells with his hands. What a talented man Bob is! This story is talking about _ . a musician
Beethoven was born in a small city near the Rhine in Germany. His father always drank and his mother was a maid . They lived a poor life. Beethoven was a talented child in music. People at that time thought he was as clever as Mozart. His father wanted to make money from his talent, so he told him to practice and play all the time. If he didn't do that, his father would be angry with him and beat him. Beethoven was very short and ugly. He couldn't hear well from the age of 22 and later he heard nothing, but all these unhappy things didn't make him dislike music. He began to write sonatas at 12, and later he became a great musician. His life was so short that he didn't leave many works. But people think he was one of the best musicians in the world. ,A, B, C, D,. What did people think of Beethoven at that time ? A He wasn't a rich boy. B He did as well as Mozart in music. C He didn't love his parents. D He would be a great singer. Answer: B. He did as well as Mozart in music. Rose has four cousins.They are Ann, Betty, Peter and Bill.Pose is the oldest of them.Betty is thirteen years old.She is two years younger than Pose and one year older than Peter.Bill is nine.Ann, the youngest is seven. Betty and Peter are good at running.But Peter runs faster.Pose and Ann like to play basketball.Rose plays better than Ann.Bill is the best singer of them five.Rose an Betty study in a middle school.Ann, Peter and Bill study in a primary school.These five children all work hard at their lessons.But Betty works the hardest. Who runs the fastest of them? A Ann B Rose C Peter D All of them Answer: C. Peter AmericanMalinois We have extra large,strong and healthy puppies born on May 29,2014 and raised on 2.5 acres fenced in Williston Highlands by American Malinois Foundation. They are not caged or home-raised Malinois.They have taken swimming training and full exercise routine with their parents to make sure they know how to guard themselves and other things this breed can do.I work specifically on the ones which have service dog qualities. My ideal buyer would be a disabled person in need of a mobile or medical alert service dog.The American Malinois is a working dog and is most content to bond with one person and only follow this person' s orders.Potential owners should be familiar or experienced with this breed. My fee represents the cost of feeding,grooming,boarding,training,medical and registration with the CKC(Continental Kennel Club).Puppies will have health certificates from vets. To see videos of the puppies and their parents, go to YouTube and search: American Malinois Foundation. MiniSchnauzers We have 4 males and 4 females.Our puppies come with a health guarantee.They are trained and all of them have great personalities and would be a great addition to any home.These puppies are for pets only.To keep our bloodlines pure, we do not allow our puppies to be bred. We have been breeding for over 13 years and we only breed Mini Schnauzers. They are the best dogs. They are very smart. We will not ship our puppies. We have had people drive over 1500 miles to purchase our babies. What is the author' s purpose in writing this passage? A To show two kinds of dogs he loves. B To advertise two kinds of dogs on sale. C To show that dogs are our best friends. D To prove that dogs are well-trained. Answer: B. To advertise two kinds of dogs on sale. STOCKHOLM---William Campbell, Satoshi Omura and Tu Youyou jointly won the 2015 Nbel Prize for medicine for their work against diseases caused by parasites , the award-giving body said on Monday. Irish-born Campbell and Japanese Omura won half of the prize for discovering a new drug, avermectin, that has helped the battle against river blindness and lymphatic filariasis, as well as showing effectiveness against other parasitic diseases. The Chinese scientist Tu Youyou was awarded the other half of the prize for discovering artemisinin, a drug that has significantly reduced the mortality rates for patients suffering from malaria. "These two discoveries have provided humankind with powerful new means to combat these debilitating diseases that affect hundreds of millions of people annually," the Nobel Assembly at Sweden's Karolinska Institute said in a statement in awarding the prize of 8 million Swedish crowns ($960,000)." "The consequences in terms of improved human health and reduced suffering are immeasurable. " In an interview after the announcement, Juleen R. ZAierath, chairman of the Nobel Committee told Xinhua that Tu's "inspiration from traditional Chinese medicine" was important. "But what was really important was that Tu Youyou identified the active agent in that plant extract ," said Zierath, adding " there was a lot of modern chemistry, bi0-chemistry attached to this to bring forward this new drug." Despite rapid progress in controlling malaria in the past decade, the mosquito-borne disease still kills more than half a million people a year, the vast majority of them babies and young children in the poorest parts of Africa. Why was Tu Youyou awarded the Nobel Prize? A She was working together with two foreign scientists B Her work has inspired traditional Chinese medicine C She discovered a drug that has helped fight against river blindness D Her discovery has greatly reduced the death rate caused by malaria Answer: D. Her discovery has greatly reduced the death rate caused by malaria Quick and Quack were two brave little ducks who lived with their mother. Both were really fast and were always competing against each other. One day, after visiting their uncle Ducklass, Quack shouted, "Last one home is a goose!" and both ducks swam quickly down the river. They both knew the way well, but Quack had been preparing a trick for some time. He had realized that the current in the middle of the river was stronger, and would help him. So, even though Mother Duck had told them never to swim in the middle of the river, Quack paddled over to it. "I'm old enough now to swim here," he thought to himself. It wasn't long before he realized his mother had been right. He was going much faster than Quick, and was developing a big lead. Quick was not amused. He never disobeyed his mother, and now he was going to lose the race! As they went on, the current got stronger. Quack proudly crossed the finishing line, without realizing he headed straight for a big whirlpool in the middle of the river. Before he could react, he was turning around in it, unable to escape. No duck was strong enough to swim in those waters, and poor Quack kept swallowing water. The fact that he was struggling hard didn't help matters much either. Fortunately, a cow from a nearby farm came by, and seeing Quack, he jumped in and rescued him. When he was on dry ground, he remained uncomfortable for quite some time. That provided quite a laugh for different animals that had been watching. Before the race in the river began, _ . A Quick had been well prepared for it B Quack was quite sure of his success C Quick decided to teach Quack a lesson D Quick and Quack planned a trick for each other Answer: B. Quack was quite sure of his success
One of the most popular and enduring myths about depression is that depressed people are sad all the time--and that by extension, people who are happy can't be experiencing depression, even if they say they are. It is a mistaken version of depression. Depression doesn't make you sad all the time. When I'm having a depressive feeling, I'm not walking around in black clothes, and weeping. I go out with friends. I play jokes. I keep working, and have friendly chats with the people I work with. I read books. Above all, I experience moments of happiness. Yet I feel a strange conflicting pressure. On the one hand, I feel like I need to engage in a sort of sadness for people to understand that I really am depressed and that each day is a struggle for me. Because that way I will appear suitably sad, and thus, depressed--and then maybe people will recognize that I'm depressed and perhaps they'll even offer support and assistance. On the other hand, I feel an extreme pressure to perform just the opposite, because sad depressed people are boring and no fun, as I am continually reminded every time I speak openly about depression or express feelings of sadness and frustration. I'm caught in a trap where if I don't perform sadness, I'm not really depressed, but if I express sadness at all to any degree, I'm annoying and boring and should stop being so self-centered. Depression can become your master, but you can slip out from under it occasionally. And many depressed people don't actually spend it fainting dramatically on the couch and talking about how miserable they are. In the passage, the writer advises depressed people to _ . be optimistic and become the master of depression If you haven't heard or seen anything about Road Rage in the last few months, you've probably been avoiding the media. There have been countless stories about this new and scary phenomenon, considered a type of aggressive driving. You have most likely encountered aggressive driving or Road Rage recently if you drive at all. While drunk driving remains a critical problem, the facts about aggressive driving are surely as disturbing. For instance, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Association, 41,907 people died on the highway last year. Of those deaths, the agency estimates that about two-thirds were caused at least in part by aggressive driving behavior. Why is this phenomenon occurring more than ever now, and why is it something that seemed almost nonexistent a few short years ago? Experts have several theories, and all are probably partially correct. One suggestion is sheer overcrowding. In the last decade, the number of cars on the roads has increased by more than 11 percent, and the number of miles driven has increased by 35 percent. However, the number of new road miles has only increased by 1 percent. That means more cars in the same amount of space; and the problem is magnified in urban areas. Also, people have less time and more things to do. With people working and trying to fit extra chores and activities into the day, stress levels have never been higher. Stress creates anxiety, which leads to short tempers. These factors, when combined in certain situations, can _ Road Rage. You may think you are the last person who would drive aggressively, but you might be surprised. For instance, have you ever yelled out loud at a slower driver, sounded the horn long and hard an another car, or sped up to keep another driver from passing? If you recognize yourself in any of these situations, watch out! Whether you are getting angry at other drivers, or another driver is visibly upset with you, there are things you can do to avoid any major conflict. If you are easily influenced by Road Rage, the key is to discharge your emotion in a healthy way. If you are the target of another driver's rage, do everything possible to get away from the other driver safely, including avoiding eye contact and getting out of their way. Which of the following characterizes aggressive driving? Shouting at another driver. C Last year my summer holiday was spoiled by my bringing along a modern convenience that was too convenient for my own good: the iPad.Instead of looking at nature, I checked my e-mail.Instead of paddling a small boat, I followed my Twitter feed .Instead of reading great novels, I stuck to reading four newspapers each morning.I was behaving as if I were still in the office.My body was on vacation, but my head wasn't. So this year I made up my mind to try something different: withdrawal from the Internet.I knew it wouldn't be easy, since I'm bad at self-control.But I was determined.I started by giving the iPad to my wife. The cellphone signal at our house was worse than in the past, making my attempts at cheating an experience in frustration .I was trapped, forced to go through with my plan.Largely breaking away from e-mail, Twitter and my favorite newspaper websites, I had few ways to connect to the world except for the radio--and how much radio can one listen to, really? I had to do what I had planned to do all along: read books. This experience has had a happy ending.With determination and the strong support of my wife, I won in my vacation struggle against the Internet, realizing finally that it was I, not the iPad, that was the problem.I knew I had won when we passed a Starbucks and my wife asked if I wanted to stop to use the Wi-Fi."I don't need it," I said. However, as we return to post-vacation life, a harder test begins: Can I continue when I'm back at work? There are times when the need to know what's being said right now is great.I have no intention of giving up my convenience completely.But I hope to resist the temptation to check my e-mail every five minutes, which leads to checking my Twitter feed and a website or two. I think a vacation is supposed to help you rest your brain to become more productive.Here I hope this one worked. What do we know about the author's last summer vacation? He hated himself for acting as if he were working on vacation. Imagine living locked inside a closet. You can't choose when and what to eat or how you will spend your time. You can't even decide when the lights go on and off. Think about spending your whole life like this. This is the life of lab animals. Now consider the needs of these animals. Chimpanzees ,in their natural homes, are never separated from their families. They spend hours together every day. But in a lab, chimpanzees are put in cages alone. There are no families, only cold, hard cages, and loneliness that goes on for so many years that most of them lose their minds at last. Worse yet are the experiments. Animals are given diseases they would never normally get. Experimenters force-feed(......) chemicals to them, conduct repeated surgeries ,and much more, Think of what it would be like to put up with these and then be thrown back into a cage, usually without any painkillers. Often animals see other animals being killed right in front of them. Hundreds of thousands of animals are poisoned, blinded, and killed every year in product tests for shampoos, skin creams and new cancer drugs. Although more than 500 companies have stopped testing on animals, some of them still force chemicals into monkeys' stomachs and rabbits' eyes. Although some facilities are better than others at caring for animals--not every lab worker kills a mouse by cutting off its head with scissors--there are no happy animals inside laboratories. Will the lab life end? When will it end? We can infer from the passage that _ . some companies have found ways to replace animal tests Earthquakes happen without warning .They can happen any time of a day,at any point during the year.But don't worry because most are so weak that they cannot be felt. Only a few big ones hurt people. However,it's important to know what to do when an earthquake is happening. Do NOT go outside.You could get injured from falling glass or parts of buildings.If you are outside,stay away from buildings and power lines . Stay under a desk,table,or other strong furniture .Hold on to it.Or stay in a corner of the building.Cover your face and head with your arms and cover your mouth with a towel or clothing.Stay inside until shaking stops and it is safe to go outside. Keep away from windows,pictures or advertisements on the wall or the building,and anything else that could fall and hurt you.Most people get injured by falling things during an earthquake,not by the shaking itself. Also keep away from a fire.You could fall down and burn yourself on the fire. If you are driving when an earthquake happens,stop the car if it's safe.Stay inside your car until the earthquake stops,and don't drive near bridges. Try not to stop by power lines or trees.These could fall and hurt you. This passage tells us . how to be safe in an earthquake.
Question: I had a terrible accident and was transferred via a helicopter to the Pittsburgh Hospital. I was conscious of my accident and friends, and family passing out at the sight of me. It was no picnic! Late one evening ,I could hear the nurses in the next room repeatedly talking to a new patient. "Sandy, your mom is here. Open your eyes. " This had gone on throughout the night. "Sandy ,your dad has some flowers for you. Open your eyes and look at them. " I asked the nurse as she checked in on me what had happened to Sandy. The nurse said that Sandy was about 17 and had been involved in a car wreck. She was in a deep coma , not in good shape. Over the next few nights ,I started talking to Sandy. Although, it was said silently, I started to urge her to open her eyes or say something. Her parents visited with me one evening, and they seemed to be from an important family but in much grief, much like the faces of those that had visited me. And there I was speechless, immobile and had no real way of easing their pain. It became very important to me to pray for her recovery, not my own. In some strange way, I believed that if Sandy would just open her eyes ,my own situation would get better. Sandy never came out of the coma as far as I know. During my stay in hospital, there were many times I felt like I was in an emotional coma. But I still could hear "just open your eyes. " Even now I think of her quite often. I remember the long nights in the hospital, the smell of the hospital environment and the helplessness we all felt. Even though Sandy's situation was bad, I am thankful for understanding what it means to let go of your own problems and concentrate on others. The author prayed for Sandy's recovery because he felt that _ . A. he could help the nurses in the hospital B. Sandy's parents were sad and helpless C. he would recover if Sandy recovered D. Sandy was in a very bad situation Answer: C Question: All you have is what you bring with you I've always felt a need to be prepared for whatever situation I've found myself in. My mother once took me to a store when I was seven years old. She and I got to the checkout counter, and she realized she had forgotten a couple of things on her shopping list. She left me with the cart and ran off to get what she needed. "I'll be right back." she said. She was gone just a few minutes, but in that time, I had loaded all the things on the belt and everything was rung up. I was left staring at the cashier, who was staring at me." Do you have money for me, son?" she said. "I'll need to be paid." I didn't realize she was just trying to amuse herself. So I stood there, ashamed and embarrassed. By the time my mom returned, I was angry. "You left me here with no money! This lady asked me for the money, and I had nothing to give her!" Now that I'm an adult, you'll never catch me with less than $200 in my wallet. I want to be prepared in case I need it. I've always admired people who are over-prepared. In college, I had a classmate named Norman. One day he was giving a presentation on an overhead projector and in the middle of his talk, the light bulb on the projector blew out. We would have to wait ten minutes until someone found a new' projector. "It's Okay." he announced. "There's nothing to worry about." We watched him walk over to his bag and pull something out. He had brought along a spare bulb for the Overhead projector. Who could even think of that? I often told my students, "When you go into the wilderness, the only thing you can depend on is what you take with you." And essentially, the wilderness is anywhere but your home or office. So take money. Pack a light bulb. Be prepared. Why did Norman bring a spare bulb with him? A. He was always well-prepared. B. His presentation was about bulbs. C. He knew the classroom equipment was of poor quality. D. He predicted the bulb on the projector would blow out. Answer: A Question: Many American women are earning money outside their homes today. Among women who are eighteen to sixty-four years old, more than fifty per cent have jobs. In general, working women have had more education then those who stay at home. Of those who work, thirty-two per cent have attended college, compared with twenty per cent of those who do not have jobs. Among women with jobs, eight out of ten drive a car to work, and eight per cent took a vacation a way from home during the past year. Much of their traveling was by air. These figures come from a report which was written for advertisers. The report gives advertisers a new picture of women today. For instance, it tells advertisers that fifty-one per cent of all American women have traveled by air--along with fifty-nine per cent of all American men. The lesson for American business is that many women now have other interests in addition to their homes. They like advertisements which show women in office, planes, and cars. The writer's personal opinion of American women _ . A. is very favorable B. is unfavorable C. is not stated in this selection D. is approving Answer: C Question: It is winter in many parts of the world. For some areas, that means snow. Maybe even lots of snow. If you don't have to drive in it or remove it, snow can be very beautiful. When snow covers everything around you, the world looks like a "winter wonderland". That is the name of a very popular song about winter. Richard Smith and Felix Bernard wrote the song back in 1934. There are hundreds of recordings of this happy song. But winter is not always such a beautiful and happy time. It's cold outside. You try hard to keep warm. The days are darker and shorter. The sun rarely shines. The leaves on the trees are brown. It isn't surprising that some people are sad in winter. And some people dream about being somewhere else where it's warm and pretty--like the state of California. The Mamas and the Papas recorded this famous song "California Dreaming". During the 1960s, many other famous rock groups released songs about winter. Here is a poetic song by Simon and Garfunkel called "A Hazy Shade of Winter". They sing about life and hope and possibilities. In 1968, the group Blood, Sweat and Tears recorded this gentle, sad song about winter. They sing about a lost love and forgotten memories in "Sometimes in Winter". In the early 1990s, Tori Amos wrote and recorded the beautiful song called "Winter". She enjoyed singing about winter when she was a child. Finally, on a happier note comes this song written and recorded by Fountains of Wayne in 2003. They sing about a snowstorm in a New England town. Nothing unusual there. But instead of being sad or tense about the snow, they write a song about it. Which of the songs can bring us hope of life? A. Winter Wonderland. B. California Dreaming. C. A Hazy Shade of Winter. D. Sometimes in Winter. Answer: C Question: A young British sailor was missing at sea yesterday in similar circumstances to the way his father died five years ago. The dinghy ,used to take Richard Smith,21,to his yacht ,was discovered empty, floating in seas off the Caribbean island.An air and sea search was carried out but he has still not been discovered . Richard's mother, Bicknell,said from her home in Hampshire,"It's so much coincidence.Richard always carried a photograph of his father attached to a poem,which included the date of his disappearance." "Now, it's very strange because all they have found is Richard's dinghy.We need to know this time what has happened one way or another.If you know at least you can go through the grieving process ." In November 1996,Mr. Smith's father, Charlie,was sailing in the Tasmen sea between the Australian mainland and the island of Tasmen with his new wife.They lost radio contact with the shore and they, together with their yacht were never seen again,and their disappearance remains a mystery. Richard is described a talented and experienced sailor who has crewed for the champion ocean racer.He had sailed to the. Caribbean in November to crew ocean racing yachts for entertainment.He ended the evening drinking in the Abracbabra bar but left after local police closed it for being too noisy. About 2 am the following day Richard headed back for his dinghy.He started its outboard motor before giving all elderly woman a lift to her yacht after her dinghy had gone missing.It was the last time he was seen. People searched for Richard using _ . A. ship only B. ship and radio C. ship and plane D. yacht and car Answer: C
Best-selling horror writer Stephen has another hit on his hands - but don't go looking for it at our bookstore. King's new ghost story, Riding the Bullet is only available on the Internet. The story - which King wrote while he was recovering from serious injuries which happened to him in a hit - and - run accident near his summer home in Maine last year - produced instant traffic blocks on the Web the moment it became published and availed online at 12:01 a. m. Tuesday. King gave out a statement saying "he is curious to see what sort of reaction there is and whether or not this is the future of publishing." He is not the first author to make his work available wholly online, but he is the first among the top ranks of writers to take that step. King told Time magazine that his experiment with putting his story Riding the Bullet on the Internet has been so successful that he is considering putting a fulllength book online. "The new way of publishing", said King, "could exactly change the way people regard reading." The story was put out fully over the Web and it will only be available on the Internet, as an "e - book". It was given away for free the first 24 hours. After that readers could download it for $ 2.50. As of Sunday, more than 5,000,000 people had downloaded the piece. Simon & Schuster, which is electronically publishing the e - book, says 4,000,000 readers ordered it in the first 24 hours during which it was available. The company is now in talks with other authors about publishing more e - books. Publishers say King's decision to publish the story fully online shows that the e - book format is here to stay. King himself says the Internet has great promise as a way to share our literature, but he doesn't think "anything will take the place of the printed word and the book with a cover." Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage? A King's e - mail was an instant success. B King was interviewed by Time magazine for his new book. C The publisher of the book Riding the Bullet is willing to work with King in a larger size. D King is going to change the way people read. Answer: C. The publisher of the book Riding the Bullet is willing to work with King in a larger size. Thousands of people have been killed in a massive earthquake in Japan. The quake -- the most powerful to hit Japan in more than 100 years -- caused massive _ and many people are missing and feared dead. The 8.9 magnitude quake struck Friday(March 11) off Japan's eastern coast, and prompted tsunami warnings across the Pacific as far away as South America and the U.S. West Coast. Several days after a 8.9-magnitude earthquake and resulting 10-meter-high tsunami devastated the coastline. The United States Geological Survey says it was the fifth largest earthquake since 1900. The largest, with a 9.5 magnitude, shook Chile in 1960. In Japan, the tsunami swept away boats, cars and hundreds of houses in coastal areas north of Tokyo. The quake shook buildings in the Japanese capital and caused several fires. All train and subway traffic in Tokyo has been stopped, and thousands of people there were unable to get back home. People are just trying to find clean water. Food supplies are running out. In the convenience stores, there are no rice balls left. There is no bottled water left. People are facing a really serious situation in the days ahead for these people that are living in areas that were only moderately damaged. The final death toll could range from the thousands to tens of thousands, depending on how many of these communities are gone. Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said the government would do everything it can to minimize the effects of the disaster. And in Washington, President Obama said the United States is ready to help the people of Japan. According to the passage, which earthquake is the largest one since 1990 ? A the one happened in Japan on March 11, 2011 B the one in Chile in 1960 C the fifth largest earthquake since 1900 D We don't know. Answer: B. the one in Chile in 1960 Mei Lun and Mei Huan have been the first giant twin pandas born in the US since 1987. The names of these twin male giant panda cubs were announced at Atlanta Zoo last year. Lun Lun, a 15-year-old giant panda, gave birth to the cubs on July 15, 2013. Zoo officials followed Chinese custom and named the brothers after waiting 100 days. Until then, they were simply known as "Cub A" and " Cub B". Mei Lun and Mei Huan are the first twin panda cubs to survive in the Unite States. "We're delighted to finally be able to place two youngsters with names. They have not only made a mark on the history of Atlanta Zoo, but also have made history in the US," Raymond B. King , the zoo's president and CEO, said in a statement. Atlanta Zoo teamed up with Good Morning America that month to put the pandas' names to a public vote. China's Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding provided the choices of names. In just 13 days, 51,000 votes poured in on the show's website. Under a deal between China and the US, giant pandas originally from China are only lent to foreign zoos for scientific study for several years. Zookeepers at Atlanta Zoo are giving regular updates on the twins' progress in an online blog. Mei Lun and Mei Huan are the fourth and fifth offspring of Lun Lun and a male giant panda named Yang Yang. The pandas made their first public appearance in a US exhibit last fall. For the three months before their appearance, the online world had watched the twins grow strong and healthy. "We share this joy with our colleagues in China and with the cub's fans around the world," King said. What's the main idea of the passage? A The twin panda cubs were born in the US. B The twin pandas grew strong and healthy. C The names of the twin pandas were announced. D The names of the twin pandas were given by the public. Answer: C. The names of the twin pandas were announced. Welcome to London! Now let me tell you something about this wonderful city. London, the capital of the United Kingdom, is the biggest city in Western Europe with over 7 million people. It sits by the River Thames. London has a history of more than 2,000 years. Because of its long history and different cultures, London is a very famous city in the world. People all over the world are familiar with the city's red double-decker buses and black taxis. People The British Empire used to rule around the world, so many people from around the world moved to London. They have brought with them their own languages and cultures. More than 300 different languages are spoken in London. Culture London is known for its many museums. One important museum is the British Museum. It is the oldest public museum in the world. There are two main art museums in London: the National Gallery and the Tate Gallery . Besides, London is also home to arts, such as theatre and music. The Globe Theatre, which was popular in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, was opened for performances of William Shakespeare's plays. Tourist attractions London has many wonderful places to visit. For example, the well-known Clock Tower, a 320-foot high tower, was called the Big Ben. Another famous London building is Buckingham Palace. The members of royal family of England live there. Besides, Hyde Park is the largest open area in central London. The members of royal family of England live in _ . A the Big Ben B Buckingham Palace C Hyde Park D British Museum Answer: B. Buckingham Palace 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, which of the following statements is TRUE? A No stress should be avoided. B The only solution to stress is to take control. C Now the city is as noisy as what it was five years ago. D Too much pressure is bad for our health. Answer: D. Too much pressure is bad for our health.
Who are the top students in the world, do you know? Last week the Organization for Economic Co-operation Development picked the best students in the world. They are Finnish . The OECD gave a test to 280 000 15-year-old students from more than 40 countries and regions last year. The OECD wanted to know how well students were doing at school. Finnish students were No. 1 in the reading test and second in maths after Hong Kong students. Those from Japan and Finland were top in science. In the problem solving, Finnish students came second to those from South Korea. The test also showed Finland had more top students than the other countries. Finns of your age have done a really good job but don't have a sense of envy. You can learn from them. Most Finnish students make good use of the Internet. Of course not for computer games, but for doing more exercises and finding out more information. Libraries are also important. Finland spends a lot of money on them. Many students have a free card. They read for at least one or two hours a day. What do you usually do on the Internet? How often do you go to libraries? Which of the following is NOT true? A Hong Kong students were No. 1 in maths. B Finnish students were the first of all the tests. C Finnish students did well in the problem solving. D Japanese students were top in science. Answer: B. Finnish students were the first of all the tests. How can you hear your friends' voices when they are far away and you can't make a long--distance call? Besides the web camera system with your computer, we have a new high-tech way to solve the problem and ease your pain of missing them. The Japanese company Combiwith created a system-- . It makes people in pictures speak! The "talking picture" has a special pen. It is actually a pen-shaped scanner. It can scan information in special--made pictures. A connected player will then play the information out loud. First, you need to take a picture and record what you want to say with the company. The company will then make special barcodes onto your picture(you can't see those codes). Those codes are your voice and your words. When you hold up the pen to scan your picture with barcodes, a player connected to the pen will start to play. It plays things you've recorded. That way the invention makes the "you" in the picture speak! Do you want your friends and families talking out of pictures? Have them make pictures like that, and you can hear them whenever you want, only with the "talking picture" system. The system can play messages for up to 12 minutes. "The pictures would be useful for those who hope to hear the voice of someone living far away," said Mayumi Fuji, a spokeswoman for the company. "Grandparents, for example, longing to know about their grandchildren, would be happy to hear their voice when they see the picture," Fuji said. But it is troublesome to go to the company for taking a special picture first. And, it is much more expensive than using a telephone. The photo with barcodes costs between 17,040 and 17,990 yen (160 and 169 dollars). The larger picture you want, the more you pay. Now, just raise a finger, lonely people can have their loved ones speak out of pictures. But, whether the "talking picture" is practical or not, let's wait and see. If you want to make a talking picture, you need to _ . A take a picture and record what you want to say with the company B make special barcodes onto your picture C a pen--shaped scanner to go with the picture D All of the above Answer: D. All of the above When someone says, "Well, I guess I'll have to face the music," it doesn't mean he is planning to go to a concert. It is something far less pleasant, like being called in by your boss to explain why you did this and did that, and why you did not do this or that. Terrible music indeed, but it has to be faced. At sometime or another, every one of us has had to "face the music", especially as children. We can remember father's angry voice, "I want to talk to you!" And only because we did not obey him. What an unpleasant business it was! The phrase "face the music" is known to every American, old and young. It is at least one hundred years old. Where did the expression come from? The first explanation came from the American novelist, James Fenimore Cooper. He said, in 1851, that expression was first used by actors while waiting in the wings to go on the stage. After they got their clue to go on, they often said. "It's time to face the music." And that was exactly what they did - facing the orchestra which was just below the stage. An actor might be frightened or nervous as he moved on to the stage in front of the audience that might be friendly, or perhaps unfriendly, especially if he forgot his lines. But he had to go out. If he did not, there would be no play. So the expression "face the music" came to mean "having to go through something, no matter how unpleasant the experience might be, because you knew you had no choice." What's the main idea of this passage? A Actors' behavior as they moved on to the stage. B The meaning and the origin of the phrase "face the music". C A personal idea expressed by an American novelist, James Fenimore Cooper. D The feelings when we have to face the music. Answer: B. The meaning and the origin of the phrase "face the music". Which action may be seen an action that benefits the environment A redeeming aluminum cans B burning trash C hunting deer D Building inground pool Answer: A. redeeming aluminum cans The hole in the Earth's ozone layer has until now protected Antarctica from the worst effects of global warming. But scientists have warned that as the hole closes up in the next few decades, temperatures on the continent could rise by around 3oC on average, with melting ice contributing to a global sea level increase of up to 1.4 metres. In the past decades the western Antarctic has seen rapid ice loss as the world has warmed, but the other parts of the continent have, _ , been cooling, resulting in a 10% increase in ice in the seas around the region. This is because the hole in the ozone layer has increased cold winds in Antarctica, making much of the continent surface colder than usual. But now that the gasses that cause the ozone hole have been banned, scientists expect the hole to repair itself within the next 50 to 60 years. By then the cooling effect will have faded out and the Antarctic will face the full impact of global warming. This means an increase in average air temperatures of around 3OC and a reduction in sea ice by around a third. The biggest threat to the continent comes from warming seas. Robert Johnson, a scientist who monitors Antarctica ice sheets, said, "The ice sheets in Antarctica are hundreds of metres thick. But once warm ocean waters start flowing underneath, the ice will begin thinning and could break up very quickly. "Thinning ice sheets cause ice to break away from the continent and to melt even faster. Escaping ice from western Antarctica has already resulted in a 10% rise in global sea level in recent decades. Johnson believes that international action to reduce global warming is required immediately or it may be too late. "Everything is connected - Antarctica may be a long way away but it is an important part of the Earth's system," said Johnson. "It contains 90% of the world's ice, 70% of the world's fresh water and that is enough, if it melts completely, to raise sea levels by 63 metres." Even in a worse-case situation scientists don't expect the ice to entirely disappear, but predict that, because of the melting ice sheets, average sea level rise will be around 1.4 metres higher by the end of the century. The best title for the passage is _ . A Our planet in danger B Antarctica melting away C Action plan to save Antarctica D Let's save the ozone layer Answer: B. Antarctica melting away
In England, people don't often talk much. You can get on a bus or a train,and everyone sits looking out of the window. Often they read books and papers, but they don't talk much. When you meet English people they often talk about one thing--weather . So when you meet somebody in England, you can say, "Nice weather for the time of year!" "But it is a little cold today," somebody may answer. "But it will be a little warmer later,"you can say. Talk like this, and the English people will think," How friendly you are !" On the bus, the English people often _ . Paula Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday get up 7:10a.m. 7:10a.m. 7:10a.m. 7:10a.m. 7:10a.m. morning school school school school school lunch pizza rice rice rice rice afternoon Yo--yo Table tennis Table tennis Table tennis football evening homework homework television homework clothes Go to sleep 10:15p.m. 10:15p.m. 10:15p.m. 10:15p.m. 10:15p.m. On _ ,Paula usually gets up at 7:10a.m. I'm Leo. There is a great artist in my family. She is Lisa. Lisa likes drawing a lot. Here are her three drawings. There is an animal in the first drawing. It has two big eyes, a big mouth and two small ears. It has long arms and long legs. It is black and white. There are some apples in its hands. It looks very happy. What is it? I don't know, but Lisa says it is a panda. There is a woman in the second drawing. She is thin. She has straight blonde hair, a small mouth, a big nose and two big eyes. She looks angry. Who is she? Lisa says she is our mom. But Mom has curly blonde hair, small eyes and a small nose. There is an animal in the third drawing, too. Its head is an apple. Its hair and tail are leaves. It has a long mouth, and _ is a banana. Its two legs are carrots. What is it? Lisa says it is a horse, but it doesn't look like a horse. Lisa is really a great artist, isn't she? . The animal in the first drawing _ . On Nov.18,1995,Itzhak Perlman,the violinist,came on stage to give a concert at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City. If you have ever been to a Perlman concert, _ him.He was stricken with polio as a child,and so he has braces on both legs and walks with the aid of two crutches . He walks painfully, yet majestically, until he reaches his chair.Then he sits down,slowly, puts his crutches on the floor, undoes the clasps on his legs,tucks one foot back and extends the other foot forward.Then he bends down and picks up the violin, puts it under his chin,nods to the conductor and proceeds to play. But this time,something went wrong.Just as he fmished the first few bars ,one of the strings on his violin broke.You could hear it snap ---it went off like gunfire across the room.There was no mistaking what that meant.There was no mistaking what he had to do. We figured that he would have to get up,put on the clasps again,pick up the crutches and limp his way off stage-to either find another violin or else find another string for this one.But he didn't.Instead.he waited a moment,closed his eyes and then signaled the conductor to begin again. The orchestra began,and he played from where he had left off.And he played with such passion and such power and such purity as they had never heard before. When he finished, there was an awesome silence in the room.And then people rose and cheered.He smiled,wiped the sweat from this brow, raised his bow to quit us,and then he said in a quiet tone."You know, sometimes it is the artist's task to find out how much music you can still make with what you have left.'' By saying "getting on stage is no small achievement for him", the author really means _ . One of the most important things in the world is friendship. In order to have friends, you have to be a friend. But how can you be a good friend at school? Listen----Listen when they are talking. Don't say anything unless they ask you a question. Sometimes it's not necessary for you to have anything to say; they just need someone to talk to about their feelings. Help them----If your friend is ever in need of something, be there to help them. You should try to put them first, but make sure you don't do everything they want you to do. Try to take an extra pencil or pen with you to classes in case they forget one. Have a little extra money in your pocket in case they forget something they need. Be there for them----Be there for your friends to help make them feel better in hard times. Marilyn Monroe, a famous US actor, once said, "I often make mistakes. Sometimes I am out of control, but if you can't stay with me at my worst, you are sure not to deserve(, ) to be with me at my best." Always remember this! If you don't want to stay with your friends when they're in hard times, then you don't deserve to be with them when they're having a good time! _ ----Try to make plans with your friends. Go shopping, go for ice cream, have a party, go to a movie and so on. Take time to know each other even better by doing something you both enjoy. By planning things together, you both can have a good time. And you'll remember these things when you're all old! The passage is mainly about _ .
Tommy:Hello, Tina. Tina: Hello, Tommy. Tommy: I can't find my cat . Tina, do you see it? Tina: No, I don't. Is it under the chair? Tommy: No. Tina: Is it behind(......)the door? Tommy: Let me see. My schoolbag is here. Where is my cat? Tina: Hey, Tommy. Look,it's on your bed. Tommy: Yes. Thank you,Tina. Mimi,come here. What is the name of the cat? A. Tina B. Tommy C. Mimi D. Mike Answer: C Hand in a drawing of your favorite place in school and get a chance to win PRIZES! Your drawing may be a picure of the gate,the dining hall,the field,the classroom or even the toilet! Along with your picture,include a short description(3--5sentences)explaining why that place is special for you! All winning picture will be on show outside the school hall for the whole month of June! 1stprize--$100 2ndprize --$70 3ndprize -$50 5 Comfort prizes of $30 each Your picture can be either or black-and-white.All drawings must be handed in to your Art teacher by May 30,2015. All LCPS students are encouraged to join! Organized by: Lion City Primary School (LCPS) Prizes sponsored by: (Art Department) Lucky Books and Stationery The competition is organized by _ . A. an Artteacher B. LCPS ArtDepartment C. theheadmaster D. Lucky Books &Stationery Answer: B Which factor would have the greatest influence on the southern migration of animals living in the Northern Hemisphere? A. strong storms B. long periods of drought C. cold air temperatures D. increasing daylight hours Answer: C You may get a cold sometimes. It often starts with a sore throat. You sneeze and your nose runs. You usually have a headache, too. Often you have a cough later. It's not a serious illness, but you may feel quite bad. _ For example, you can take aspirin to get rid of your headache. It is good to rest and drink a lot of water, too. A doctor once told me, "With the right medicine, the cold will last for seven days. With no medicine, it will go on for a week!" Where does our medicine come from? A long time ago, people knew that some plants made them feel better. For example, the juice of lemons makes a sore throat better. Now, scientists find some parts of plants can make some medicine. Because of these medicines, people now live longer than their grandparents. If you catch a cold, you may have _ at first. A. a sore throat B. a headache C. a cough D. a stomachache Answer: A Close your eyes for a minute and imagine what life would be like if you couldn't see. Imagine having to read this page, not with your eyes but with your fingers. How do you feel, then? With medical knowledge and skills today, two-thirds of the world's 42 million blind people should not have to suffer. Unluckily, rich countries have this knowledge, but developing countries do not. ORBIS is an international charitable organization. Its goal is to help fight blindness all over the world. Inside a DC-8 airplane, there is a teaching hospital with television room and classroom. Doctors are taught the latest technology of helping the blind get sight again here. ORBIS is always trying to keep a closer relation among countries. ORBIS helps those developing countries by providing sight-saving training. It has taught over 35,000 doctors and nurses. They continue to treat thousands of blind people every year. They have traveled around the earth 3 times, visited 76 countries and treated over 20,000 blind people. They need your help to continue their work and free people from blindness. For just $ 38, you can help one person see; for $ 380 10 people can see; $ 1,300 helps train a doctor new skills; and for $ 13,000 you can provide a training program for a group of doctors who can make thousands of blind people see again. Your love can help them open their eyes to the world. How many blind people should not have to suffer with medical knowledge and skills today? A. 14 million. B. 42 million. C. 28 million. D. 200 million. Answer: C
Some people were eating and drinking in a coffee house. A young woman was sitting alone at a table. She was wearing a beautiful diamond necklace. There was an ugly man at a table not far from her. He was looking at her necklace all the time. Suddenly the lights went out. The coffee house was in darkness. The woman started to shout. She was very frightened. A few minutes later the lights came on again. The woman was crying. Her necklace was missing. The manager quickly closed all the doors. He telephoned the police. No one could get out of the coffee house. The policemen soon came. The police inspector told his men to search everyone. The necklace was not on anyone. They then searched the whole coffee house. The necklace couldn't be found. The police inspector then looked at the faces of all the people in the coffee house. He saw the ugly man and looked at the man carefully. He went up to the man and picked up the bowl of soup that was on his table. He then poured the soup into a glass. The necklace fell out. The policemen caught hold of the man and took him away. The young woman was happy to get back her necklace. The necklace was stolen by _ . Answer: Because I am extremely vulnerable to both slick advertising and peer pressure, I've been thinking about getting an iPad. But here's the problem: I'm cheap, and the iPad's not. If I'm going to fork over at least $499 for a new device, I want to try it out and make sure it's not just a larger, shinier version of my iPhone. But if I went to my local Apple Store, I'd get to spend only a few minutes testing out the machine. I wanted more time than that, so I rented one for $15 a day from a guy on SnapGoods. The Internet start-up in Brooklyn runs on simple reasoning: there are people who want to borrow stuff - camping equipment, food processors, robot vacuums, etc. - and there are people who have stuff they want to lend. SnapGoods helps these two groups connect over the Web. SnapGoods is one of many sites that have sprung up to facilitate offline sharing. Some sites have a narrow, obvious focus (like SwapBabyGoods.com) while others are more obscure (Neighborhood Fruit helps people share what's growing in their yards or find fruit trees on public land). But regardless of whether the sharing is free or involves a fee, these transactions often come with a stick-it-to-the-man attitude. "Borrow these things from your neighbors," reads one earnest request on neighborrow.com, "The owner-ship has SAILED!" All of these sites are encouraging something academics call collaborative consumption - in other words, peer-to-peer sharing or renting. Renting something you don't need to use very often makes a lot more sense than buying it and letting it collect dust in your garage. There's a green aspect as well, since sharing helps cut down on overall use of resources. But one of collaborative consumption's most surprising benefits turns out to be social. In an era when families are scattered around the country and we may not know the people down the street from us, sharing things - even with strangers we've just met online - allows us to make meaningful connections. "This isn't just about saving the environment or saving a dollar," says SnapGoods CEO Ron Williams, who came up with the idea after renting a stranger's motorcycle via Craigslist. "This is about saving yourself by making informed consumer decisions." I'm not sure if I got a thrill when I borrowed Goodwin's iPad, but it did feel good to make a connection. In the end, though, I decided not to purchase an iPad. Sorry, Steve Jobs. I'm just not that into owning things anymore. What is Ron Williams' attitude towards collaborative consumption? Answer: In a recent study, researchers have estimated the energy required to produce bottled water, including the energy required to manufacture plastic, make the plastic into bottles, process the water, fill and seal the bottles, transport the bottles, and chill the bottles for use. Combining all the energy input totals for treatment and distribution, researchers found that producing bottled water requires between 5.6 and 10.2 million joules of energy per liter, depending on transportation factors. That's up to 2, 000 times the energy required to produce tap water. To break down the energy requirements, researchers found that producing the plastic bottles and transporting the bottles greatly dominated the energy input. Although some companies are experimenting with producing lightweight bottles or using recycled materials, the researchers calculated that the manufacturing cost is about 4 million joules of energy per plastic bottle weighing 38 grams, and the cap weighing 2 grams. "Our previous work had suggested that bottled water production was an energy intensive process, but we were surprised to see the results, " the researchers said. Transportation costs vary depending on the distance and mode of transport and both factors depend on the type of bottled water. There are two main kinds of bottled water in the US:"spring water" which comes from an underground spring and "purified water",which is city tap water that has received further treatment. For purified water distributed locally by truck within Los Angeles, the total transportation energy is about 1.4 million joules per liter. In the second situation, spring water shipped from Fiji (such as Fiji Spring Water) across the Pacific to Los Angeles, and then delivered locally by truck requires about 4 million joules per liter for transportation. For the spring water, the transportation energy equaled (in the case of Fiji) the energy required to produce the bottle. With this data, the researchers hope that future studies will have the ability to make specific estimates for different situations, and possibly find ways to cut energy costs. We can infer from the passage that _ . Answer: Do you like children? Do you have free time in the afternoon? We need a babysitter for our son. He's five years old. The working time is Monday to Friday, 3:00 pm to 6:pm. ( $ 5 an hour) We need help with: Looking after our son; Reading to him; Playing with him. You must work at our house. We live in Changchun, near the Culture Square . Please call Mr. Green at 5638--2949. . From Monday to Friday, the babysitter can work _ every day. Answer: The story happened during the Second World War. An old man lived in a small town of Germany. He had three sons and they all worked in the same factory where he had worked. After the war had begun, his sons were all made to join the army one after another and they all died in the fights. The old man was very sad. He didn't have enough food and was often hungry. And nobody helped him and he didn't know how to go on living. It was a very cold winter night. The old man couldn't go to sleep. He had been hungry for two days and it was so cold in his room that ice could be seen. He had to get up and began to run in the room until he lay down on the floor. The next morning he had to beg from door to door. He had been to a lot of cities and knew a lot. Once he came to a village, but the villagers were all poor and couldn't give him anything. He was too hungry to go to another village. He thought hard and found a way. He came to a police station and called out, "Hitler is a foolish pig!" Out came an old policeman at once. He took the old man into a room, gave him some bread and a cup of tea. Then he said, "Don't say so in our village, sir!" "I'm sorry, sir," said the old man. "I don't know it's Hitler's hometown." "No, no, sir," the policeman said in a hurry. "It's pigs' hometown!" The old man's sons joined the army because _ . Answer:
An electron microscope can look at Answer: Do you want to have a trip? Hope Farm can give you a nice experience this autumn. On the farm, you can meet animals and take a walk through the garden and greenhouse. How about making friends with the plants there? Our teachers will tell you the differences or _ of all the plants. You can also take a look at the honeybees, learn more about then and maybe even taste some honey! There is a hill beside the farm. Picking apples at the foot of the hill is an interesting activity. After that, how about climbing it with your friends? You are able to see the fantastic view at the top of the hill. The price of each trip is $50 for a group of ten students. You can visit the traveling club in our school to order a trip. This passage introduces a trip for _ . Answer: Mr. and Mrs. Brown were going abroad for their holiday. They had a lovely dog called Blackie, but they could not take it abroad with them, so they had to look for a good place to leave it while they were away, and at last they found a place which looked after dogs very well while their owners were away. They left Blackie there just before they started for their holiday. At the end of their holiday, they came back to Sydney very late at night, and as they thought that the place where Blackie was staying might be closed at that late hour, they decided to wait until the next morning. So the next morning Mr. Brown got into his car and drove off happily to meet Blackie. When he got home with the dog, he said to his wife, "Do you know, dear, I don't think Blackie enjoyed his stay at that place very much. He barked(,) all the way home in the car as if he wanted to tell me something." Mrs. Brown looked at the dog carefully and then answered, "You are quite right, dear. He was certainly trying to tell you something. But he wasn't trying to tell you that he hadn't enjoyed his stay at that place. He was only trying to tell you that you were bringing the wrong dog home." Mr. and Mrs. Brown came back _ at the end of their holiday. Answer: The vast jungles of the Amazon rainforest are home to tribes mostly isolated from the outside world, whose way of life, largely unchanged for hundreds of years, is now increasingly threatened by modern civilization. Now, scientists discover they can monitor these "uncontacted tribes" using satellites, which would allow inexpensive and safe tracking of these tribes in order to protect them from outside threats. In order to help preserve these uncontacted Indians, researchers need accurate estimates of their populations. One way to collect this data involves flying over their villages, but such over-flights are both expensive and could fill these native peoples with fear. Another strategy involves meeting individuals on the ground, but among other risks, scientists could accidentally spread disease to members of the tribes. Instead, scientists investigated whether satellite images could monitor uncontacted tribes. The result was inspiring. They confirmed their locations and measured the sizes of their village, houses and gardens. "We can find isolated villages with remote sensing and study them over time." Walker told Live Science. "We can ask: Are they growing? Do they move?" Surprisingly, based on the sizes of the houses and villages, the scientists find the population densities of these isolated villages are about 10 times greater, on average, than other villages of native Brazilian peoples. This may be due to the fact that they have to live closer together because they are not as good at clearing the forest, since they lack modern devices like chainsaws and tractors, the researchers said. The tribes may also be afraid of spreading out due to fear of being attacked by outsiders, Walker said. The researchers now plan to focus on 29 more isolated villages to "look at their ecology-- that is, distance from rivers and roads--and use this to model where else we can find more isolated villages," Walker said. According to the passage, which of the following about the Indian tribes is NOT true? Answer: As you grow rapidly through your teenage years you will experience a lot of changes. The changes may seem monumental and they may seem to happen quickly. Don't panic! You will deal successfully with this time! The changes may seem difficult and your new-found responsibilities may seem daunting but you're not alone. Everyone that you've grown up with is going through the same things! With more responsibilities you will find more freedom to make your own choices. This is a time to be well informed about your choices so that you can make healthy balanced decisions that will help shape your future. You may already know your career path or you may have no idea at all of what you want to do. Both situations are fine! If you are diligent, the right opportunity will be ready for you. Young adulthood means greater freedom and more choices. You will probably begin to want to do things independently of your family/ care-givers. Try not to shut your family out of your life and remember to be considerate even though you are older and are capable of looking after yourself. Your family have been with you since you came into this world and they will be around you when you leave this world. It is also perfectly natural in this time of transition to want to spend more time with your friends than your family. Choose your friends wisely. Real friends are rarer than hen's teeth. A true friend will stand with you, whatever the circumstances are. This period of transition is a part of the circle of life. There are some people who will be with you throughout the life's journey and there will be some people with whom you part and go separate ways. Leaving school/college can be hard. The reality is that you may not ever see all of your classmates again. Sure, there may be reunions and you will keep in touch with some of them. But the fact is you will need to leave some of them behind as you move forwards on the path that you feel is right for you. Facing the changes, some teenagers may feel frightened because _ . Answer:
The Internet has revolutionized our lives to such an extent that for most people, the global network has become more than just a tool but rather an indispensable aid in everyday life. More and more people go online as wireless networks have brought the Internet closer and closer: it's on our mobile phones, in our cars and TV sets, in hospital surgery rooms and in fishing boats that battle the waves of the Atlantic. And this revolution has brought along with it a new way of shopping. Both big and small, e-commerce websites have literally flooded the Internet by the hundreds of thousands. Anything you can buy from a brick and mortar store you can also buy online: from food and clothes to guns and bombs, no matter what you're looking for, you're bound to find the right online store with just a few clicks of the mouse. This revolution has sent cold trembles down the backbones of brick and mortar business owners. And what was their reaction? They've opened online stores to go hand in hand with their conventional businesses. Nowadays, every "Mom and Pop's" cheesecake store also has a website. In a recent survey, 68% of small business owners have stated that they are scared of being put out of business by the powerful flood that e-commerce has become. So it's no wonder many of them have decided to join the revolution and establish some kind of an online presence even though most of them have stated that they dislike the Internet. But do the big players have reasons to be afraid? Are we going to start seeing ghostly, deserted Wal-Marts across the country? Probably not in the near future but the day will come when most people will just stop shopping offline anymore. A trip to Wal-Marts wastes time, burns gas and sometimes adds a few extra dots on the stress counter. The recent advancements in mobile technology and the introduction of mobile phones with improved web capabilities has even made some people order their groceries when they get out from work and have them delivered at their doorstep by the time they get home. And as "Time is money", this practice is lifesaving for people who work two jobs. Technology will continue to advance and e-commerce will follow closely in its footsteps. Everything will become easier and less time consuming, leaving us more time to enjoy the things that really matter in life: the ones we love, our friends and hobbies. What is Para. 1 mainly about? Answer: The great impact of the Internet. Last Friday a storm swept through two villages in the New Territories, destroying fourteen homes. Seven others were so badly damaged that their owners had to leave them, and fifteen others had broken windows or broken roofs. One person was killed, several were badly hurt and taken to the hospital, and a number of other people received light hurt. In total, over two hundred people were homeless. Mr Tan said that the storm began early in the morning and lasted for over an hour. "I was eating with my wife and children when we heard a loud noise," he said. "Several minutes later, our house fell down on top of us. We tried our best to climb out but then I saw that one of my children was missing. I went back inside and found him safe but very frightened." Mrs Woo said that her husband had just left for work when she felt that her house was moving. She ran outside at once with her children. "There was no time to take anything," she said. "A few minutes later, the roof came down." Soldiers helped to take people out of the flooded area and the welfare department brought them food, clothes and shelter. How many homes were damaged in the storm in total? Answer: Thirty-six. As we all know, the ocean moves. But waves breaking on the beach make the ocean fun. When you stand on the shore and look at the waves, it seems like the water is moving towards you. But the water is not really moving forward. The moving you see is wave energy. And wave energy comes from the wind. Let's think about how this works. As wave energy passes through the water, the energy makes particles of water move up and down. Just give you an example of a wave passing under a basketball. We put a basketball on the sea. When the wind blows, a wave comes from behind the basketball. The basketball moves up to the top with the wave. Then the wave continues and leaves the basketball behind. The basketball looks lower, but it doesn't move forward. That's because the wave energy just moves the water which is under the basketball. So why can you see a wave knock you down on the shore?When a wave moves toward the shore, the bottom of the wave slows down because _ meets the ocean floor. But the top, which is called crest , keeps moving. The different action causes the wave to fall over or break onto the shore. If a wave is very large, it carries a lot of energy when it hits the land. As time goes by, waves can break up and carry away the rocks and other things on the shore. Shorelines are changing all the time because of wave action. The main idea of this passage is _ . Answer: how wave energy causes wave action In China, more and more middle school students are getting shorter sleeping time than before. Most students sleep less than nine hours every night, because they have much homework to do. Some homework is given by their teachers, and some by their parents. Also, some students don't know how to save time. They are not careful enough while they do their homework, so it takes them a lot of time. Some students spend too much time watching TV or playing computer games. They stay up very late. Some students have to get up early every morning on weekdays to go to school in time by bus or by bike. It may be a long way from home to school. Schools and parents should cut down some of the homework so that our children can enjoy more than nine hours of sleep every night for their health. For children, we should make best use of our time. When we have enough time for sleeping, we will find it much better for both our study and health. How many hours of sleep is good for students' health? Answer: More than 9 hours. A rocket's movement is most like a Answer: bag of gas
Question: An expensive car speeding down the main street of a small town was soon caught up with by a young motorcycle policeman. As he started to make out the ticket, the woman behind the wheel said proudly, "Before you go any further, young man, I think you should know that the mayor of this city is a good friend of mine."The officer did not say a word, but kept writing. "I am also a friend of chief of police Barens,"continued the woman, getting more angrier each moment. Still he kept on writing. "Young man ,"she persisted, "I know Judge Lawson and State Senator Patton." Handing the ticket to the woman, the officer asked pleasantly, "Tell me, do you know Bill Bronson." "Why, no,"She answered. "Well, that is the man you should have known,"he said, heading back to his motorcycle, "I am Bill Bronson." The policeman _ . A. had no sense of humor B. had s sense of humor C. had no sense of duty D. was senseless Answer: B Question: According to the National Retail Federation, we spend a record of $18.6 billion on Mother's Day gifts every year that works out to about $152 per mom. If you're looking to step up your gift-giving game, here are a few fun ideas. Of course, your mom will love you no matter what, but a nice gift wouldn't hurt! J. Crew's Poppy King Lipstick, $18.00 Bright color1s are the trend for summer. But if your mom isn't ready for a head-to-toe Technicolor1 look, she can still be on trend with J. Crew's Poppy King lipstick. Called as the "perfect shade" for all skin types, the bright coral is sure to bring a smile to her lips. Standard Phone Case, $ 30. 00 A color1ful case for mom's phone is in fashion and practical. Boutiqueme. net offers a variety of styles and color1s including several ones which can be "mom-o-grammed" with her initials . NOOK Simple Touch With GlowLight, $139.00 In recognition of all the bedtime stories she read to you, why not give mom the perfect e-reader for reading in bed? The NOOK Simple Touch With GlowLight is the first and only e-reader designed specifically for reading in bed. Then Again, by Diane Keaton, published by Random House, $ 26. 00 hardcover/$16. 00 paperback Then Again, a memoir from actress Diane Keaton, is her version of I Remember Mama. One reviewer says that it is a "far-reaching, heartbreaking, ly easily understandable book about mothers, daughters, childhood, aging, joyfulness, love, work.., and show business, too." Whom is the text mainly intended for? A. Kids. B. Parents. C. Adults. D. Daughters. Answer: A Question: Natural processes shape the surface of Earth. Most canyons are formed by ___. A. ice B. plants C. steady winds D. moving water Answer: D Question: James knew the decision was not going to be an easy one to make as he sat on the hill near the small town that he lived in. There was no one he could turn to for advice. His only sister lived away and he hardly ever saw her and when his sister came over, they always ended up in an argument. It had been a hot day and James's clothes seemed to stick to his body. He had felt terrible for weeks and he was just tired of feeling sick. He had started vomiting after he would eat anything and he knew that something would have to be done. After going to the doctor, he was told to come back in a few days. The next three days had gone by slowly and it was time for his visit to the doctor. He had been shown into the doctor's office and James knew it was bad news. The end result was he had stomach cancer. James sat on the hill looking down at the town and wonder what he would do. Taking out his phone, he dialed his sister's number and told her the bad news. She started to cry and said, "If anything happens to you, I will be alone in this world." Marie, his sister said, "You are moving up here and you will live with me until you get back on your feet, so go home, pack up and I will be there to get you in two days." He smiled and said, " _ sounds wonderful, but I still haven't decided if I am going to have the surgery or not?" Hearing this, she softly whispered, "Of course you are having the surgery. I will pick you up in two days. I love you." James knew the final word was still up to him and he would think about it because this was a decision that wouldn't come easy to him. James decided to go to his doctor when _ . A. he felt it had been too hot for him B. he vomited anything he ate C. he felt sick for several weeks D. he got a call from his sister Answer: B Question: Different countries and different people have different manners. We must find out their customs, so that they will not think us ill-mannered. Here are some examples of the things that a well-mannered person does or does not do. If you visit a Chinese family you should knock at the door first. When the door opens, you'll not move before the host says "Come in, please." After you enter the room, you wouldn't sit down until the host asks you to take a seat. When a cup of tea is put on a tea-table before you or sent to your hand, you'll say "Thank you" and receive it with your two hands, not one hand, or they'll think you are ill-mannered. Before entering a house in Japan, it is good manners to take off your shoes.In European countries, even though shoes sometimes become very dirty, this is not done.In a Malay house, a guest never finishes the food on the table. He leaves a little to show that he has had enough. In England, a guest always finishes a drink or the food to show that he has enjoyed it. This will make the host, especially the hostess pleased. In European countries, _ when you get into a house. A. you needn't take off your shoes B. you must take off your dirty shoes C. you are not allowed to wear dirty shoes D. you should put on clean shoes Answer: A
Last week my youngest son and I visited my father at his new house in Arizona.He moved there a few years ago,and I wanted very much to see his new place and meet his friends. In my earliest memories my father was a tall,handsome and successful man.He loved his work and family,but was uncomfortable with his children.As a child I loved him;as a school girl and young adult I was afraid of him.He seemed unhappy with me unless I got _ in my study and unhappy with my boyfriends if their fathers were not as"successful"as he was.Whenever I went out with him on week ends,I used to try hard to think up things to say to protect myself. On the first day of my visit,we went out with one of my father's friends for lunch.We walked along that afternoon,did some shopping,ate on the street table,and laughed over my son's funny talks.My father's critical air and strict rules were gone.He seemed so friendly and interesting to be with us. The next day my dad pulled out his childhood pictures and told me many stories about his own childhood.Although our times together became easier over the years,I never felt closer to him at that moment.After so many years,I'm at last seeing another side of my father.And in so doing,I'm happy with _ .My dad,in this new home in Arizona,is back to me from where he was. What does the writer think of her father after visiting him in Arizona? A. Strict and hard-working. B. More critical. C. Friendly and interesting. D. More successful. Answer: C "In the old days," as one wife said. " The husband was the husband and the wife was the wife." In the past husbands each had their own way of going on. The wives' jobs were to look after them. "The wives wouldn't stand for it nowadays. Husbands help with the children now. They stay more, as well as have more interest, at home." We shall give some examples of what husbands do, firstly in sharing work with their wives; and secondly, in their largely independent domain of house repairs. "Some husbands, as well as doing much of the heavy work in the home, carrying the coals, and emptying the rubbish, act as assistants to their wives for at least part of the day." Mr. Hammond washes up the dishes every night and lays the breakfast for the morning. Mr. Clark said that on Sunday mornings he usually hovered around and read plays aloud for his wife while she did a bit of washing. Mr. Davis polishes the floors and helps to make the beds at weekend, and during weekdays, takes the dog out for one of his twice-daily walks. So it goes on.... In the past, the woman's main job was to _ . A. take the children to school. B. take care of their husband. C. do the washing up. D. dig the garden. Answer: B Carly Zalenski's eyes filled with tears as the dusty bus ran down a dirt road in southern Vietnam. The 14-year-old and her family had traveled by plane from Canton, Ohio. Now, as they approached the village, hundreds of cheering schoolchildren lined the entrance to the Hoa Lac School, a two-story concrete building that Carly had raised money for. Carly started helping others at eight, handing out Thanksgiving baskets at church to families in need. It was a snowy day, and she saw many girls didn't have warm coats. The next November, she went door to door asking for used coats, hats, gloves and scarves, and then handed them out with the baskets. But Carly wanted to do more. She remembered her grandmother's Rotarv Club ("") had, years earlier, raised money to build a school in Vietnam. That was what she now wanted to do. At 12, she began to raise money for Vietnamese children with a PowerPoint presentation. "The kids in rural Vietnam don't have decent schools. I want to give them a place to make their lives better," she told a room of 200 Rotarians. That summer, Carly set off with her family across Ohio, visiting three or four Rotarv Clubs a week. "We traveled like crazy people to all these meetings," recalls her mother, Kris. At first they got no donations. But one night, Carly and her dad, Fred, pulled up to a building in Minerva, Ohio. Carrying a laptop, a projector and a screen, they walked into a bar where 15 people were sitting around a long table. There was dead silence after Carly finished her presentation. Fred thought that was never going to work. Then someone made a motion: "Let's give this girl check right now." Minutes later, Carly walked out with her first donation: $500. Not everyone was _ about the idea of helping Vietnam. "Why should we help it?" asked one veteran . Carly replied simply, "They're kids. And I'm just a kid who wants to help out." As word spread, individual donors sent checks for as little as $5. A restaurant chain contributed $1,000. Carly's coach organized a tournament that netted $4,000. A bible camp bought 500 backpacks for the children. In two years, Carly raised $50,000. What made Carly think of building a school in Vietnam? A. Her grandmother donated money to Rotary Clubs. B. Her grandmother once built a school in Vietnam. C. A charity had raised money to build a school in Vietnam. D. Vietnamese children wrote to her asking for help. Answer: C What looks like an angry old man and lives at the bottom of the ocean? It's the world's ugliest animal---the blobfish . Its strange skin is shaped by its habitat. It lives 800 meters below the ocean's surface, a depth where very few other creatures can survive. Most fishes have a swim bladder , which is filled with gas and helps them stay afloat. At the depth that the blobfish live, water pressure is 80 times higher than that at higher sea levels and any swim bladder wouldn't be able to serve its purpose. The blobfish don't have a swim bladder because their skin works the same way. It helps them stay afloat without having to use any energy. The blobfish have a pretty relaxed attitude towards eating. All they do is stay and wait for crabs or lobsters to come by. Since the blobfish like to eat crabs and lobsters, they often get caught in nets that are used to catch lobsters or crabs and end up dying or being killed. They are not suitable for eating so they are useless for fishermen. There's a purpose behind the blobfish's new title; it has become the new mascot for the Ugly Animal Preservation Society, an organization whose purpose is to preserve endangered ugly animals. "We've needed an ugly face for endangered ugly animals for a long time and I've been amazed by the public reaction," said the Society's Simon Watt. "For too long cute animals have taken the limelight but now the blobfish will be a voice for those who always get forgotten."They hope this new face will help the world know that we need to help preserve the populations of ugly animals too. What is the purpose of the passage? A. To discuss the importance of preserving animals. B. To give the reason for starting an organization. C. To present the results of a survey. D. To introduce a special animal. Answer: D Not all think laughter is the best medicine, but it seems to help.So scientists carried on a new study of diabetes patients who were given a good dose of humor for a year to prove it. Researchers divide 20 high-risk diabetic patients into two groups.Both groups were given standard diabetes medicine.Group L viewed 30 minutes of humor of their choice, while Group C, the control group, did not.This went on for a year of treatments. By two months into the study, the patients in the laughter group had lower level of the hormones epinephrine , considered to cause stress, which is known to be deadly.After the 12 months, _ rises 26 percent in Group L but only 3 percent in Group C.In another measure, C-reactive proteins, a maker of heart disease, drop 66 percent in the laughter group but only 26 percent in the control group. "The best doctors believe that there is a physical good brought about by the positive emotion, happy laughter," said study leader Lee Berk of Loma Linda University.And other research has found that humor makes us more hopeful.Still, more study is needed, Berk said.The research by Berk found that humor can bring about similar changes in body chemistry, which was proved in the new study.The research result will be presented this month at the meeting in the US.Research at the University of Maryland School of Medicine shows that laughter causes the inner lining of blood vessels to expand, increasing blood flow in a way thought to be healthy. "Lifestyle choices have an important effect on health and these are choices which we and patients should pay attention to, rather than prevention and treatment," Berk said in a statement this week. Why did the scientists carry on the new research? A. To find out if laughter was good to health. B. To discover the best medicine to cure diabetes. C. Because the number of diabetic patients is the largest in the world. D. Because diabetic patients need more laughter than other patients. Answer: A
Dear Jane, I have to go to work now. I prepare these things for you. Your schoolbag is on the desk. Your pen ,books,keys and your school card are in your schoolbag. Your clothes and hat are on the dresser . The shoes are under the bed. Don't _ your breakfast . It's in the microwave oven . Love you. Mom Where are the shoes?They're _ . During these past few days I have been reflecting a lot on everything that happened this past year and thinking of what I can do differently so that the coming year will be much better! Here I want to share some tips so you can also do your resolution and you can achieve them all! Be realistic: You should always try to reach for the skies with your goals, but things like "I want to win the lottery " or "I want to lose 80 pounds in 1 month" are things you shouldn't have on your list because they will only become frustrations. Be detailed: It's a lot easier to accomplish more specific plans than general ones. Instead of writing "I want to lose weight," put things like "I will start my Yes You Can! Diet Plan the first Monday of the year" or "I will start a movement routine 3 times a week for 35 minutes." When we put down concrete activities, we _ ourselves to them and it becomes a lot harder to come up with excuses. Think of alternatives: At the beginning of this past year, you put that you were going to start going to the gym as one of your annual plans. During the whole year you intended to take action but you always said that you couldn't because you came home so tired from work. If this is one of your plans for this year, you should write down how you're going to achieve it. For example, "I will start going to the gym in the mornings, before work." That way you prevent what stopped you from achieving your goal last year. Focus on goals which depend on YOU: It is very important that all of your plans are for YOU to accomplish, and it is important that you write them down that way. If one of your goals this coming year is to improve a relationship with one of your family members, make sure that you clearly put down what you are going to do for this to succeed. For example, "I will call my sister at least three times a week and I will visit her in the middle of the year." Well, I hope that you use these tips so that this year you will accomplish everything you want, and make it the best year ever! Thank you for being with me during everything this past year, and I hope that you keep showing me all of this love and support during the next. Happy new year! According to the passage, which of the following is the best plan? Britain's most popular lie has been disclosed, with one in four people admitting using "Sorry I had no signal" when returning a missed mobile phone call, a survey found. Researchers found the average Briton tells on average four lies every day or almost 1500 every year. Almost one in six men admitted they were most likely to lie to their wife or girlfriend, on average at least twice a day. The most popular lie was saying you had no mobile phone signal, with one in four people admitting regularly using the little white lie. It usually came after they hit the "ignore" button when their mobile rang. Three quarters of people think women are better liars. The research found 46 per cent of girls have been caught lying, compared to 58 of men. The second most common fib is "I haven't got any cash on me" when asked for money by tramps , beggars and Big Issue sellers. "Nothing's wrong - I'm fine" came third followed by "You look lovely" and "Nice to see you". Modern technology turned out to have contributed to many lies with "I didn't get your text" in 18th, "Our server was down" in 20th and "My battery died" in 26th place. Other lies to make the top ten included "I'll give you a ring", "We're just good friends" and "We'll have to meet up soon". "I'm on my way" and "No, your bum doesn't look big in that" completed the top ten. Men tell the most fibs, coming out with five every day compared to women who lie just three times. In many cases perhaps it is better to flatter with a fib than destroy someone with the truth, according to a spokesman for OnePoll, which carried out the research of 4,300 adults. You look lovely and "I'm on my way" rank _ on the popular-lie list. Dr. Glenn Tisman, a cancer specialist, knew his young neighbor, Ray Bateman, had an unusual mind. But he had no idea at the time that 12 - year - old Ray had the ability to become his partner in cancer research. Ray's parents remembered that at age four, Ray surprised them by fixing a broken vacuum cleaner . When he was ten, he speedily constructed the family color television from a kit. Later, he succeeded in assembling a complex stereo system after two experts had failed to do the job. When Ray was ten, he convinced his parents to buy him a computer. In a short time, Ray was able to do amazing things with the computer. Ray shared his enthusiasm for computers with Dr. Tisman, who used a computer for his research. The two discussed computers and medicine frequently. Amazingly, Ray understood the biology and chemistry related to Dr. Tisman's medical research without any previous instruction. Ray then worked with Dr. Tisman after school. He helped conduct research with the equipment and kept it in working order. The purpose of the research was to test the effectiveness of mixing an old cancer drug with certain vitamins. Ray analyzed patient test results by computer, while Dr. Tisman handled all patient contact. Together, they came up with solid research that helped advance cancer treatment. In 1988, 14 - year - old Ray went with Dr. Tisman to a meeting of the American Federation for Clinical Research(AFCR), where Ray presented their initial research findings. Using terminology beyond the grasp of most kids his age, Ray told the scientists how the new drug mixture caused fewer and milder side effects for cancer patients. A year later, Ray returned to the meeting to update the findings of his and Dr. Tisman's research. By then, he had become well - known for his devotion to finding cures for sick patients. Stories about him appeared in hundred of newspapers around the world. He appeared on television newscasts and talk shows. Ray continued to spend most free hours working with Dr. Tisman. The two began studying the effects of vitamins on babies inside the womb . However, Ray's main interest remained cancer treatment, and he continues his research today. What made Ray first known to the medical world? This July, Wang Chen, a student from Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, won the International University WEICHI Tournament 2013 in Shanghai, which saw competitors from 54 universities around the world, including Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Compared with the busy sports ground, it seems a bit dull, but Wang and his peers enjoy an intense brain workout . Wang is an amateur seventh-degree master player -- the highest degree amateur players can attain. "I had hoped to win first place, but when it came true, I couldn't believe it," says Wang. Wang began studying weichi when he was 7 years old. "I was a quiet boy and my parents thought weichi would help develop my logical thinking ability," he says. He began to attend the Chinese Rank Promotion from the age of 10. "I failed for nine years, and them I gave up. I entered university and became an amateur player," says Wang. What this hobby brings Wang is not only a sense of achievement, but also independence. He has won 10 national and international championships, which have brought the young student a handsome sum of money. When he won the national amateur competition in 2011, he received 100,000 yuan in prize money. With awards from contests, Wang covers his expenses and tuition fees all by himself. Wang is busier than most of his peers. A look at his calendar shows that he will attend competitions in Guizhou and Taiwan at the end of August, after attending an international competition only this July. But Wang admits he has little in common with his classmates. "I feel a bit lonely sometimes," he says. On campus Wang spends more time on exploring his skills. Wang now regards playing weichi as a hobby. He is the captain of the weichi team on campus, which has five members. He organizes them to research the latest formations once a week. Wang says his next project is to promote weichi among his peers on campus. "Many young people in China don't understand this kind of sports and I want to promote it," says Wang. What's the best title of the passage?
Hilton Universal City Outdoor swimming pool; rooms with two double beds (sleep 4); mini-fridges in rooms; on-site restaurants and 24-hour room service with children's menu and snack cafe; fee car parking; the hotel is walking distance to Universal Studios and City Walk with lots of restaurants. Holiday Inn Universal Studios Hollywood Rooms with two queen beds (sleep 4), a mini-fridge, a microwave and a game table; on-site restaurants serving breakfast, lunch and dinner with family-friendly food; outdoor swimming pool; fee car parking. Holiday Inn Express Universal City Indoor swimming pool; rooms with two queen beds (sleep 4); breakfast is included in the room rate; free car parking; coin-operated laundry. Magic Castle Hotel Breakfast is included in the room rate; snacks (such as cookies and ice cream); one or two bedroom suites (sleep 4); suites have fully-equipped kitchen, living and dining areas; restaurants in the neighborhood; fee car parking; outdoor swimming pool. If you like to swim indoors, you can choose _ . Paula determines a property of a marble using a balance and a graduated cylinder. What property is Paula most likely determining by using both tools? There are records of fingerprints taken many centuries ago. The ancient Babylonians pressed the tips of their fingerprints into clay to record business trade. The Chinese used ink-on-paper finger impressions for business. However, fingerprinting wasn't used as a method for identifying criminals until the 19th century. In 1858, Sir William Herschel was working as an official of the Hooghly district in Jungipoor, India.In order to reduce fraud , he had people living in the district record their fingerprints when signing business documents. A few years later, Scottish doctor Henry Faulds was working in Japan when he discovered fingerprints left by artists on ancient pieces of clay.This finding inspired him to begin investigating fingerprints.In 1880, Faulds wrote to his cousin, the famous naturalist Charles Darwin, and asked for help with developing a fingerprint classification system.Darwin refused, but sent the letter to his cousin, Sir Francis Gallon, who was an eugenicist . Gallon began collecting fingerprints and eventually gathered some 8, 000 different samples to analyze. In 1892, he published a book called "Fingerprints", in which he outlined a fingerprint classification system--the first existence. Around the same time, Juan Vucetich, a police officer in Buenos Aires, Argentina, was developing his own version of a fingerprinting system.In 1892, Vucetich was called in to assist with the investigation of the two boys murdered in Necoche, a village near Buenos Aires. Their mother, Francisca Rojas, accused a neighbour named Velasquez. But when Vucetich compared the fingerprints found at the murder scene to those of both Velasquez and Rojas, _ matched Rojas' exactly.She admitted her crime. This was the first time fingerprints had been used in a criminal investigation.Vucetich called his system comparative dactyloscopy . It's still used in many Spanish-speaking countries. Sir Edward Henry, in charge of the Metropolitan Police of London, soon became interested in using fingerprints to catch criminals. In 1896, he added to Gallon's technique, creating his own classification system, the Henry Classification System. It is the primary method of fingerprint classification throughout most of the world. Herschel had people record their fingerprints so as to _ . I was in a strange city and I didn't know the city at all and what is more,I could not speak a word of the language. After having spent my first day in the town-centre,I decided to lose my way on my second day, since I believed that this was the simplest way of getting to know the strange city. I got on the first bus that passed, rode on it for several stops then got it off and walked on. The first two hours passed pleasantly enough. Then I decided to turn back to my hotel for lunch. After walking about for some time, I decided I had better ask the way. The trouble was that the only word I knew of the language was the name of the street in which I lived and even then I pronounced it badly. I stopped to ask a friendly-looking newspaper-seller. He smiled and handed me a paper. I shook my head and repeated the name of the street and he put the paper into my hands. I had to give him some money and went on my way. The next person I asked was a policeman. The policeman listened to me carefully, smiled and gently took me by the arm. There was a strange look in his eyes as he pointed left and right and left again. I thanked him politely and began walking in the direction he pointed. About an hour passed and I noticed that the houses were getting fewer and fewer and green fields were appearing on either side of me. I had come all the way into the countryside. The only thing left for me to do was to find the nearest railway station, The writer's real trouble was that _ . Mary Cassatt is one of the first great women American painters. At first her father did not want her to become an artist. But she followed her dreams and became an artist.She was born on May 22, 1844, and lived in Europe for several years as a child. Her family returned to the United States and, at age 16, Mary attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Four years later she decided she couldn't learn anything fresh and practical in Philadelphia, so she returned to Europe. There she studied the skills of the masters in Rome, Seville, Antwerp, and Paris. Mary received the chance of a lifetime at the age of 33 when the famous French painter, Edgar Degas, asked her to join a group of painters that included now-famous artists like Manet and Renoir. Their style of painting is called Impressionism. They used primary colors and short brush strokes in their work. They recognized Mary 's spirit and powerful talent and invited her to exhibit in the Impressionist art shows. Mary painted what she saw: gardens, and paintings of persons , especially of mothers and children involved in everyday living. One of her paintings, "Young Mother and Two Children," was given to the White House in 1954 where it hangs today. Mary never married and, in 1877, her parents and sister moved to Europe to join her. Mary devoted much of her time to them for the next 18 years to their care. Mary painted until 1914 when her failing eyesight made it impossible to continue. She spent the later years of her life in Paris. She died in 1926 at the age of 82. Unfortunately,all her life, she refused to accept students. Which year was the most critical to her career and life?
There is a river at the base of Mount Tom. In the spring the water level is usually very high. In the summer it is lower. The higher level of water during the spring comes from A. hurricanes. B. melting snow. C. tornadoes. D. evaporating water. Answer: B. melting snow. A shallow container of salt water is placed in sunlight for a day. Which is the most likely result? A. All of the mixture will evaporate. B. The salt will keep the water from evaporating. C. The salt will separate from the water and float at the top of the container. D. Only the water will evaporate and the salt will remain in the container. Answer: D. Only the water will evaporate and the salt will remain in the container. Sam Berns wasn't like any other boy. He was 17 and he had an aging disease known as progeria. "Even though I have many difficulties in my life, I don't want people to feel bad for me," Sam said during a TED talk. Progeria affects approximately one in every 4 million to 8 million newborns. Right now, there are only about 200 children living with it worldwide. The genetic change tied to _ causes those with the disease to produce the protein progerin, which blocks normal cell function. His view on life is extremely inspiring. He had to face challenges no one else could even dream of. As children with progeria age rapidly, they suffer from a loss of body fat and hair and an inability to gain weight. That didn't keep Sam down, though. "All in all, I don't waste energy feeling bad for myself," Sam said. "I surround myself with people that I want to be with. And I keep moving forward." This boy from Boston was so amazing, famous people and athletes wanted to take him under their own. Last Saturday night could have been an amazing moment for Sam. One of his favorite teams, the New England Patriots, wanted to make him their honorary captain during a playoff game. Instead, it just was't meant to be. Sam passed away before he had a chance to stand next to his team, so they held a moment of silence before the game for him. Sam's unbelievable view on life, and his deep effect on others, is hard to forget. He was presented with so many challenges in life but he wasn't afraid to face them. Be more like Sam, this wonderful teen. Surround yourself with positive people, love them and move forward. According to the passage, Sam Berns was a boy _ . A. of great intelligence B. of complete failure C. with an optimistic view on life D. with a passive view on life Answer: C. with an optimistic view on life Mobile communications and the IP phone business have gradually replaced traditional long-distance calls. Mobile communications account for 28.5 percent of the total long-distance communications business. IP phones have 41.4 percent, while traditional long-distance calls are down to 30.1 percent. China Mobile, the country's largest mobile communication operator, has accounted for nearly 40 percent of taxes in the domestic telecom market. That puts it at the top of the six major telecom operators in the nation, according to the latest official statistics. The other five are: China Telecom, 31.1 percent; China Netcom, 16.6 percent; China Unicom, 13.4 percent; China Satellite Communications Corp and China Railcom, 1.5 percent. China Mobile is being chased by smaller rivals China Unicom and China Telecom, both of which are making significant 3G subscriber gains. That's aided in no small part by deals to offer the iPhone. However, as of March, China Mobile did have 15 million iPhone users on its network. In another ranking, Xiaomi, Huawei, Lenovo, vivo and OPPO came in as the top five mobile phone sellers in China by April, 2015, according to IHS Technology. The report also says that during this period, China produced 82 million handsets. (including GSM, GPRS and CDMA phones) and sold 80 million. Of the phones sold, 37 million were exported to other countries. Analysts point out that China's lack of core technologies and its heavy reliance on overseas technologies have proved to be an obstacle for development of domestic phone makers. Nowadays, mobile communications have gradually taken the place of _ . A. IP phone service B. telecom operators C. traditional telephones D. traditional long-distance calls Answer: D. traditional long-distance calls Beverage Service We serve a variety of soft drinks, coffee, tea and free of charge. However, as flying has a dehydrating effect, water and non-alcoholic beverages are recommended. Electronic Equipment Cellphones, FM/AM radios, portable television sets and electronic toys with remote controls must not be used in the cabin, as their signals may interfere with the aircrafts navigational instruments. Laptop computers and CD (MD, MP3) players may be used during cruising portions of the flight but not during the takeoff and landing. Inflight Entertainment A wide selection of international publications are available for your reading pleasure. You may keep this free copy of Morning Calm magazine, but kindly return all other reading materials after you have finished with them for the benefit of fellow passengers. A selection of music is available on eight channels, from channel 3 to 10. The channel changer is on your armrest. We also offer a selection of popular films; you may listen in English on channel 2. Paduk (go) and chess are available on request, and we have free postcards and stationery. Medical Needs We keep a selection of nonprescription medicine for any passenger suffering from mild sicknesses. An emergency medical kit is also available for more serious illnesses. Travelling with Infants and Children Baby bassinets are provided on a first come first serve basis and should be requested at the time of booking. Special meals for children and infants can be served if the request is made 24 hours before departure. Selected giveaways for children aged 2 to 12 are available on all international flights. When should a passenger request special meals for children and babies? A. 24 hours before departure. B. At the time of booking. C. Soon after the takeoff. D. At the time of landing. Answer: A. 24 hours before departure.
Peter Jackson, currently one of the world's most well-known directors and the unofficial face of the entire nation of New Zealand, was born on October 31, 1961 in Pukerua Bay, New Zealand. He liked to take photographs, so a family friend bought the young Jackson a super 8mm camera. He has been a filmmaker even since. At age nine he even attempted to remake his favorite film, King Kong, using his own stop-motion effect. Unlike many of the filmmakers working today, Jackson never went to film school. Instead he created his own short films with the help of family and friends. He was turned down for a job at the National Film Unit, New Zealand's government agency that produces tourist films about the country. With that avenue closed, Jackson began working other jobs to support himself, while shooting shorts on the weekend. One of these weekend films, expanded from its original ten minutes length into a feature film. The project took four years to complete (1983-1987)and was called Bad Taste. After the success of Bad Taste, Jackson became recognized as a director and the door to fame and fortune was opened. He gave up his job at a local photographer's shop and became a well-known director of horror-movies. The Lord of the Rings trilogy is obviously a huge landmark in Jackson's career, not only did the films become some of the most commercially successful of all time, _ His digital effects company, WETA Digital, became one of, if not the most respected effects company in the world; similarly, Jackson has also expressed an interest in returning to his roots and directing some lower-budget splatter films again. Peter Jackson was born _ . Microwaves may be great at warming up food, but what about warming people? Using microwaves to directly heat owners of a room would save much of the energy wasted by heating walls and furniture. And despite popular ideas about microwaves, this technique would be safe, according to Charles R. Burlier of the Microwave Research Center in Marlborough, New Hampshire. Low-power microwaves only penetrate the skin (low-power microwave penetration in a ham is about 0.2 inches, for example) and with no negative effects. To test this idea, Buffler subjected himself to microwaves in a special room using a standard 500-watt, 2459 MHz magnetron . He found that a person will start to feel warmth at about 20 milliwatts per square centimeter (mw. / sq. cm. ) ; a satisfactory feeling of warmth occurs between 35 and 50mw. / sq. cm. By comparison, a person standing in noonday summer sun feels the amount of 85 mw. / sq. cm. And a frozen meat pie in your microwave oven receives about 1000 mw. / sq. cm. In houses of the future, each room could be provided with its own magnetron, says Buffler. When you stepped into the living room, for example, a motion detector would turn on the magnetron, filling the room with low-power microwaves. In the same way that a microwave oven heats up a hamburger, but not the plate it's on, you would feel warmth from the microwaves without changing the temperature of your coffee table. (You could, however, make your favorite easy chair even more comfortable by treating it with a radiation-absorbing chemical.) While it might be some time before homeowners are comfortable enough with the idea to set up whole-body microwave heaters in houses, Buffler says microwaves may attract livestock farmers. Lambs that are born outdoors in winter, for example, are frequently lost to cold. Microwaves could warm the lambs safely and quickly. Which of the following statements about microwave heaters would Buffler most probably agree with? British men are couch potatoes. They spend nearly half their freetime watching TV. They watch more TV than women, do less housework, less charity work and less childcare--but spend more time shopping, a poll suggests. Analysts from Eurostat, the EU's statistical office, interviewed working men and women in 10 countries. Britain, where men devoted 49% of their freetime to the box, came a narrow second to the Hungarians with 51%.German and Norwegian men watched the least TV--just over one third of their spare time. The analysts took the average of the figures for the whole year including holidays and weekends. They broke down the "average day" into five categories --free-time, sleep, meals and personal care, travel, domestic chores and work or study. It shows that British men have four hours and 41 minutes free time each day--20 minutes more than women. But women spend nearly double the amount of time on domestic chores than men. Almost three-and-a-half hours of a woman's day is taken up with domestic work, compared to less than two hours for men. Food preparation makes up the bulk of the chores, with leaning and shopping the next most time-consuming. They further broke down the free-time and domestic categories to show that men spend 137 minutes each day in front of the TV, compared to women's 114 minutes. Women spend slightly more time socializing resting and reading than men, but slightly less time on hobbies, sport and exercise. Universally unpopular with both sexes is culture--accounting for just 2% of both men and women's leisure time. According to the passage, couch potatoes refer to _ . Around every Lunar New Year holiday, China becomes a country on the move. The holiday crush this year is estimated to be even heavier than before. Government officials suggest that Chinese people will take to the air, roads and railways 3.62 billion times over a 40-day period around the nation's most important holiday this year as people push their way home for family gatherings or to satisfy their new-found passion for travel. Getting tickets to all those would-be travelers is a _ challenge that tries your patience annually. And the pressure for the railway system is always the greatest. Railways are the transport of choice for low-cost long-distance travel, and that's where the ticketing system regularly falls down. Much of the criticism has focused on the railway's online purchasing system, which has been unable to keep pace with the huge demand and also failed to stop scalpers from easily getting many of the hard-to-find tickets. Railway officials believed that online sales were the fairest way to get tickets for travelers, and told reporters that the public need to be patient. While by now the railway service is far from satisfying, efforts are being made to provide online identity checks that would reduce the ticket scalping problems, and the situation is expected to get better in a few years. Meanwhile, for those traveling by car, good news is that the country's extremely expensive highway tolls will be removed for the period of the official holiday. We can learn from the text that around the New Year holiday, _ . People in the UK often talk about their homes: their mortgages , the interest rates, and rising prices. Here's a guide to some of the words and phrases you might come across. It's a good idea in the UK to arrange a mortgage with a bank before you start looking. This is when the bank tells you how much money they will lend you so you have a good idea of how much you can afford. The next step is to go to an estate agent and see what sort of properties they have available in your budget range and in your area. If you see something you like, the estate agent will arrange for you to view the property, so that you can see the house or flat for yourself. If you see something that takes your eye, you put in an offer. The vendor can accept or decline this offer, and if the vendor accepts it, you can move forward with the sale. However, as you don't pay any money at this point, the offer isn't legally binding , and in theory, you can pull out of the offer at any time that you like. Your next step will probably be to get a structural survey done. A qualified surveyor will inspect the house and write a report that illustrates any structural problems, like damp or drainage problems. If you still want to go ahead with the sale, you need to appoint a lawyer to do the legal paperwork.. If you already own a house, you might also be busy trying to sell it. Many house owners prefer to sell to first-time buyers (those people who don't already own a home), as they are not in a chain (waiting for other people to buy the house before they can buy their next house). Finally, once the contracts are signed and exchanged, you complete on your house. You get the keys and you can move in whenever you want. Then you might want to throw a house-warming party. Congratulations! The passage is maybe one that _ .
Question: Once the egg has hatched a swan has given birth to A. a chick B. a rock C. a human baby D. an egg Answer: A Question: Have you ever thought about developing your kids'interests in a positive manner? Have you thought about using music to help them focus their energies on a wonderful pursuit ? Do you realize that by doing so, you will better equip them in life? Your little child will love you all his or her life for the first music lessons that you may give. Most kids have an interest in music. The only thing to do for you is to give direction to their interests so that they can focus on learning the fine art. Music teaches children to be persistent and disciplined. It also teaches them to try towards perfection and be a good team player. All this helps them not only in their studies but also in facing the challenges of life. Thus music at home and home recording are the first lessons you can present to your children. How to maintain the interests of kids in various kinds of music and instruments? To solve this problem, it is important that at the beginning you bring home something that can hold the child's interest for quite some time. This would include instruments such as electric guitar or drums. Encourage them to download music which is free over the Internet. Another thing to remember is that no one becomes an expert overnight. Have patience with your child. _ . A few words of appreciation will mean the world to them. Ask for their opinions and stick to the choice for quite some time. Be generous in praise. Music is the perfect gift you can present to your kids. It is never too late and the sooner you start, the better. The author uses three questions at the beginning of the passage to _ . A. test readers' knowledge of music B. show the effect of music on children C. draw readers' attention to the topic D. ask readers to answer them Answer: C Question: Ladybirds didn't have black spots on their backs at first. Then a storm broke out, and their famous guide, Caius Insectus, disappeared into the flood , and the few ladybirds who survived had to choose a new leader to guide them out of trouble. They decided that their new leader would be the first ladybird to successfully travel south to the Great Lake and return to describe it. Many young ladybirds moved off immediately into this adventure. One by one they returned and told of how beautiful the southern lake was at that time of year, with its clear waters and flowers. However, the last of the ladybirds was late in getting back. He hadn't managed to reach the lake. Everyone criticized him, and they prepared to continue their journey the next day. Following their new guide, they spent a morning walking northwards until they reached some tall thick grassland, where they stopped. There were no clear waters or flowers in front of them. The heavy rain had turned the place into a huge green puddle . Everyone understood what had happened. When the ladybirds had gone out looking for the lake, they had gone in the wrong direction. Now they could see that, except that one late ladybird, they had lied in order to get what they wanted. And so, the late little ladybird was made the Great Guide. They also decided that every time one of them was discovered lying they would paint a black spot on that ladybird's back. From then on, when a ladybird looks at another's back, it can tell whether that ladybird can be trusted. Many young ladybirds lied because they _ . A. didn't want to be in danger B. wanted to be the new guide C. wanted to make others happy D. didn't want to get spots on their backs Answer: B Question: Recently a Beijing father asked what "PK' meant at an Internet forum. "My family has been watching the ' Super Girl' singing competition TV programme . My little daughter asked me what'PK'meant. but I had no idea. "explained the puzzled father. To a lot of Chinese young people who have been playing games online. it is impossible not to know this term. In such Internet games, "PK" is short for -Player Kill", in which two players fight until one ends the life of the other. In the case of the -Super Girl" singing competition, "PK" was used to refer to the stage where two singers have to compete with each other for only one chance to go up in competition ranking. Like this father, Chinese teachers at high schools have also been finding their students' compositions using Internet jargons which are difficult to understand. A high school teacher from Tianjin asked her students to write compositions with simple language, but they came up with a lot of Internet jargons that she didn't understand. "My 'GG' came back this summer from college. He told me I've grown up to be a 'PLMM' . I loved to 'FB' with him together ; he always took me to the 'KPM' . " went one composition. "GG" means Ge Ge (Chinese pinyin for brother) . "PLMM" refers to Piao Liang Mei Hei (beautiful girl). "FB" means Fu Bai (corruption). "KPM" is short for KFC. Pizza Hut and McDonald's. Some specialists welcome Internet jargons as a new development in language. If you do not even know what a Kong Long (dinosaur. referring to an ugly looking female) or a Qing Wa (frog. referring to an ugly looking male) is, you will possibly be regarded as a Cai Niao! What does the writer think about the term "PK'? A. Fathers can' t possibly know it. B. The daughter should understand it. C. Online game players may know it. D. "Super Girl" shouldn't have used it. Answer: C Question: David is a twelve-year-old boy. He is tall and strong with short blond hair. He likes sports and reading. Every week David gets ten dollars from his parents. This money is his weekly pocket money. It's not a present. David must work for the family to get the money. On Monday, David must sweep the floor and walk the dog after he finishes his homework. On Tuesday, David must take out the rubbish bags in the morning and clean the garden after school. On Wednesday, he should wash the dishes and clean the kitchen after dinner. On Thursday, he helps his mother do some cooking. Sometimes he has to go to the supermarket to buy some food and drinks. On Friday, he should water (...... ) the flowers in the garden after school. On Saturday and Sunday, David doesn't need to do the housework, so he goes to the cinema with his classmates or does some shopping in the shopping mall. David wants to buy a new football, but he doesn't have enough money. He is looking forward to getting more pocket money. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? A. David makes money by sending letters. B. David never cooks food for his family. C. David wants to have more money to buy a football. D. David always goes shopping after school. Answer: C
China Daily, the national English-language newspaper of China, keeps you in touch with China and the world with our mobile solutions. Now anyone can read our exclusive reports anywhere. Download your favorites! China Daily iPaper Want to read China Daily with your iPhone or iPad? Then look no further than China Daily iPaper. With China Daily iPaper, all sections are presented as full-content digital replicas , in their original layout . The application is free, and you can download your favourite news reports wherever you are. China Daily Digest Since the China Daily Digest application is now available on the iPad App Store, iPad users can read and download China Daily Digest's in-depth news reports, website exclusives and analysis , which will give you unique views on China's economy, society and culture. China Daily News A bridge connecting China and the world, the China Daily iPhone application lets you get the latest information and photos of China wherever you go. Specifically designed to use the characteristics and navigation of the iPhone, this application downloads the latest news of China directly to the device. China Daily Video China Daily Video iPhone application is a window to China, letting you get video products covering all of China's cultural heritages , natural wonders, interviews with famous people and major news events. If you want to enjoy full-content papers, you should choose _ . A China Daily iPaper B China Daily Digest C China Daily News D China Daily Video Answer: A Forks trace their origins back to the ancient Greeks. Forks at that time were fairly large with two tines that aided in the cutting of meat in the kitchen. The tines prevented meat from twisting or moving during cutting and allowed food to slide off more easily than it would with a knife. By the 7th century A.D., royal courts of the Middle East began to use forks at the table for dining. From the 10th through the 13th centuries, forks were fairly common among the wealthy in Byzantium. In the 11th century, a Byzantine wife brought forks to Italy; however, they were not widely adopted there until the 16th century. Then in 1533, forks were brought from Italy to France. The French were also slow to accept forks, for using them was thought to be awkward. In 1608, forks were brought to England by Thomas Coryate, who saw them during his travels in Italy. The English first ridiculed forks as being unnecessary. "Why should a person need a fork when God had given him hands?" they asked. Slowly, however, forks came to be adopted by the wealthy as a symbol of their social status. They were prized possessions made of expensive materials intended to impress guests. By the mid 1600s, eating with forks was considered fashionable among the wealthy British. Early table forks were modeled after kitchen forks, but small pieces of food often fell through the two tines or slipped off easily. In late 17th century France, larger forks with four curved tines were developed. The additional tines made diners less likely to drop food, and the curved tines served as a scoop so people did not have to constantly switch to a spoon while eating. By the early 19th century, four-tined forks had also been developed in Germany and England and slowly began to spread to America. What is the passage mainly about? A The different designs of forks. B The spread of fork-aided cooking. C The history of using forks for dining. D The development of fork-related table manners. Answer: C One thing that British and Chinese cultures share is a love for tea. Today, when we think of western tea culture, we often think of the English and beautiful china tea cups. Afternoon tea: People believe that an English lady, Anna, first introduced the idea of afternoon tea. In the 18thand 19thcenturies, the English ate only two main meals each day, breakfast and a heavy supper that would last for several hours in the evening. As a result, people often got very hungry during the long wait between these two meals. To solve this problem, Anna came up with the clever idea of inviting some friends to join her for an afternoon meal between four and five o'clock. This meal included cakes, sandwiches, and tea was served to wash down the food. In order to make this afternoon meal important, fine china cups, plates, and silver teapots, knives, forks and spoons were used. Soon, afternoon tea parties became popular _ . Today, afternoon tea parties continue to play an important part in the social life in modern Britain. Will you come for coffee: Coffee also has an important role in British culture. People often use words "Will you come for coffee?" to mean "Would you like to come to my home for a chat?" Normally, several different drinks such as tea, hot chocolate or a soft drink like orange juice will be served as well as coffee, and you will be asked what you would like. However, you will not normally be offered wine at a "coffee" party. Coffeehouses and the London Stock Exchange: In the 17thcentury London coffeehouses were busy and noisy places. Businessmen and bankers went to coffeehouses to do their business, as well as to drink coffee. In fact, the London Stock Exchange is believed to be started from these coffeehouses. Which is the best title for this article? A British and Chinese Culture B The Beginning of Tea and Coffee C Coffeehouses and Business D English Tea and Coffee Culture Answer: D There was a guy that was born with cancer.He could die at any moment.So he was always at home, under his mother's care.One day he decided to go out, even if it was just for once! He asked his mother for permission and she agreed. Walking down his block he saw many stores.Stopping at a music store he saw a very pretty girl of his own age. He walked up to the counter.She smiled at him and asked, "Can I help you with anything?" The guy could only think that it was the most beautiful smile he had ever seen and stuttered , "'Well, I'd like to buy a CD." He grabbed the first one he saw."Do you want me to wrap it?" the girl asked. The guy said yes and then took the wrapped CD home. From that day on he visited the music store every day, and each day he bought a CD, and each day the girl wrapped it up and the guy stored it unopened in his closet. He was too shy to find the nerve to ask the girl out.His mother noticed this and encouraged him. The next day the guy set out for the store with a determined mind. He bought a CD and the girl wrapped it as usual.While she was busy , he left his telephone number on the counter and rushed out of the store. The following day the guy didn't visit the store.When the girl called him, his mother answered the phone and started crying.The girl asked her what was the matter."He died yesterday," the mother said. There was a long silence. Later that afternoon the guy' s mother entered his room and opened his closet.To her surprise, she saw a big pile of unopened CDs wrapped in festive paper.With curiosity she tore open the package and noticed a slip of paper "Hi! You're cute; I would love to meet you.Let's go out some time.Sophie." The mother started crying as she opened another, and another.Every single CD contained a slip of paper that said the same. That's the way life is.Don't wait to show those special people the way you feel.Tomorrow would be too late. Which of the following statements is the writer's opinion of the story? A Don't wait to show your feelings. B Life always goes like that. C There is only one chance for everyone. D Show your feelings in a proper way. Answer: A Encouragement and praise can come in many forms, and some ways are better for child development than others. Researchers at the University of Chicago who studied mother-child interactions found that the type of praise children receive affects their attitudes towards challenges later in life. Specifically, praise that focused on their behavior and the choices that kids made helped them deal with difficult experiences better five years later, compared with praise that focused more on the child himself, like "You're a good boy." The study, which appears in the journal Child Development, is the first major study of praise and child development done outside of a lab setting. "It's exciting to see _ play out in the real world," said Elizabeth Gunderson who led the study. "Praising the efforts, actions and work of kids is going to be more beneficial in their long-term persistence and desire to be challenged and work hard in the future." Such "process praise" includes comments such as "You worked really hard", which emphasize a child's actions. "Person praise" includes comments like "You're so smart", which focus on a child's personal qualities. These distinctions aren't new in the field of psychology, but exactly how they affect children's development over the years hasn't always been clear. As part of the study, the researchers visited the homes of more than 50 kids between the ages of 1 and 3, and filmed their daily interactions with their parents during 90-minute sessions. Five years later, the researchers followed up with the families, measuring the children's attitudes towards challenges and problem solving. The children who grew up with more process praise were more open to challenges. Though person praise didn't seem to have any negative effect on the children, the study suggests that process praise teaches children that their talents and abilities can be developed and improved, while person praise sends the message that their abilities are fixed and therefore not easily changed. Which of the following can be the best title for the text? A Praise is good for children's development. B Praise is more beneficial than punishment. C Person praise is better than process praise. D Process praise is more beneficial in the long run. Answer: D
Question: Imperial College London Tanaka Business School 10 New Professors, Readers, Senior Lecturers or Lecturers Imperial College is among the top ten universities of the world, according to the 2008 Times Higher Education. Having doubled its size in the last 4 years and hired world--class scholars during that period, Imperial's Tanaka Business School wishes to make a further 10 academic appointments in its drive to become a leading research--led business school.Only applicants who have published in top international magazines will be considered.Excellent ones from any field of management are welcome, but the school particularly wishes to appoint in the fields of marketing, technology management and healthcare. International salaries will be offered. An application form and further details may be downloaded from www.imperial.ac.uk/tanaka (About Us, job opportunities). An application form, 2 of your best papers should be sent to tbs.applications@imperial.ac.uk. First review of application will be on 2 April 2009. According to the passage, if one wants to apply for a job in Imperial College, he/she should _ . A. post all the material before 2 April 2009 B. prepare enough personal material in ink C. first visit www.imperial.ac.uk/tanka D. write 2 essays Answer: C Question: In Greek mythology , fire is a gift form God, stolen from Zeus by Prometheus and handed over to humans suffering from cold. What could be more natural than sitting around a beautiful fire on a winter night, at a campsite in the Berkshires? Hard as it may be to believe, the fireplace--long considered a trophy , particularly in a city like New York--is acquiring a social shame. Among those who desire to be environmentally responsible, it is joining the ranks of bottled water and big houses. Sally Treadwell, a 51-year-old public relations executive in Boone, N.C., said nothing makes her happier than building a fire on a cold winter night. But most of the time she doesn't, because she feels too guilty about the damage it may do to the environment. Every time she builds a fire, it causes " _ ," she said. "It's a guilty pleasure". "The smoke from a fire smells very nice," said Diane Bailey, a senior scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council in San Francisco. "But it can cause a lot of harm. The tiny particles can cause illness, and can cross into the bloodstream, causing heart attacks as well as worsening other conditions." Growing concerns about the air pollution and health problems caused by smoke from wood fires are urging a number of areas across the country to pass laws regulating them. Idaho offers a tax cut to people who replace uncertified wood stoves with "greener" ones; San Joaquin County in California forbids selling a home unless its wood stove is replaced with an E.P.A. certified one;and Palo Alto and other governments in California forbid wood-burning fireplaces in new construction. Certainly, many think otherwise. In any case, most fireplaces are used far too infrequently to cause any real damage to the environment, said Stephen Sears, the vice president of the Brick Industry Association, voicing an opinion shared by some. Perhaps not coincidentally, sales of wood-burning equipment dropped to 235,000 in 2009 from 800,000 in 1999, according to the Brick Industry Association. It also reports that approximately 35,000 fireplaces were installed in the United States in 2009, compared to 80,000 in 2005. Certainly those numbers reflect the economic slowdown, but the may also be affected by growing mixed feelings to wood fries. In terms of the regulations about wood fires we can learn from the passage that _ . A. uncertified fireplaces are forbidden in Idaho B. some people are against the woodfire controlling regulations C. only energy-efficient wood stoves can be used in the US D. all the people support measures taken to control the use of fireplaces Answer: B Question: Sydney has a huge bus system. No buses accept cash, and a ticket needs to be bought ahead of time. The buses often run at busy hours and regularly during the day. The Sydney Explorer bus provides air-conditioned service and stops at 27 tourist attractions. Its partner, the Bondi Explorer, stops at 19 attractions. _ It's an easy way to see the city and the surroundings. Sydney's train service runs throughout the central city area and the surroundings. Tickets can be bought from machines that operate 24 hours a day or from ticket offices. The monorail travels through central Sydney. It is the most excellent way to gain a good view of the whole city. The monorail runs every three to five minutes, and it takes 15 minutes to complete its journey. Sydney is built around a harbor, and the Parramatta River has a large ferry system. It serves the area around the harbor. These include Taronga Zoo, Darling Harbor, Rose Bay, the North Shore, Cockatoo Island and Sydney Olympic Park. The ferries have operated for more than 135 years and 14 million passengers take the ferries each year. Water taxis can offer special services that some visitors enjoy, such as transporting passengers to specific locations, offering guided tours of waterways and so on. The tickets sell for 20 Australian dollars for a day or 57 Australian dollars for a week. It is strange,isn't it? Which of the following is the best way to view the whole Sydney? A. By monorail B. By bus C. By train D. By ferry Answer: A Question: Forty years ago, Finland was a small country with mediocre public schools. Today, Finland is still small but no one calls Finland's public schools mediocre any more. In 2000, the Finns surprised the world when their 15-year-olds scored at the top of a closely watched international exam called the PISA. Finland has stayed near the top ever since, while the U.S. scores around the middle. Pasi Sahlberg, an official with Finland's Ministry of Education and Culture, is in Seattle this week to share the story of Finland's success, and what states like Washington can learn from it. Sahlberg's message, although he is too polite to put it so bluntly : Stop testing so much, trust teachers more; give less homework; shorten the school day. On Tuesday, in a room filled with teachers, principals, professors, school-board members and policy makers, Sahlberg joked about the Finns' reputation for being a quiet, humble people. "When Finland hit the top of the PISA," he said, "the biggest disbelievers were Finns." More seriously, Finland never set out to create the world's top school system. Instead, he said, the country decided in the 1970s that it wanted to ensure that a student's success didn't depend on family background. "Finland relied on cooperation among teachers and schools, rather than on competition. Rather than judging teachers and schools based on test scores," he said, "Finland puts trust in its teachers and principals. Teachers develop the curriculum in Finland, and design their own tests. There are no national tests, except one at the end of high school." That's just the start. Along with a shorter school day, Finnish students don't even start school until they are 7 years old. Many primary schools have a policy against giving homework. "But Finland,"he said,"succeeded in part by adopting ideas from the U.S. and other countries. And those countries, "he said, "can learn from Finland, too." People first learned Finland's success in education from _ . A. its students' performance in an international exam. B. its international exchange programs. C. lectures given by Pasi Sahlberg. D. its small-sized public schools. Answer: A Question: Singapore: A City Singapore welcomes tourists. When you come to visit Singapore, please keep the laws of this country. Here are some points that you must remember. SMOKING: Cigarette smoking is a danger to health. It is not allowed in lifts, cinemas, theaters, all government offices and on buses. If you break it, you have to pay fines of up to $ 1,000. LITTER: Singapore is the Garden City of Asia---clean and green. Dropping litter in public places is not allowed. You can be fined up to $ 500 for dropping litter ---even if it only a piece of waste paper or a cigarette end. EATING OR DRINKING: In Singapore, when you take a subway or a bus, you are not supposed to eat or drink anything, or you'll be fined up to $ 500. RIDING: When you ride a bike across an underpass , please push your bike across the underpass, or you have to pay $ 1,000 for riding your bike. JAYWALKING*: You must always use the pedestrian(, )crossing. You can be fined $ 50 for crossing the street less than 50 meters from a crossing. These laws are also for children who are old enough to be in the street on their own. When you come to visit Singapore,you should remember to _ . A. go shopping B. keep the law of this country C. go sightseeing D. visit some fantastic sights Answer: B
Tales From Animal Hospital David Grant David Grant has become a familiar face to millions of fans of Animal Hospital. Here Dr Grant tells us the very best of his personal stories about the animals he has treated, including familiar patients such as the dogs Snowy and Duchess, the delightful cat Marigold Serendipity Diamond. He also takes the reader behind the scenes at Harmsworth Memorial Animal Hospital as he describes his day, from ordinary medical check-ups to surgery . Tales From Animal Hospital will delight all fans of the program and anyone who has a lively interest in their pet, whether it be cat, dog or snake I ! $ 14.99 Hardback 272 pp Simon Schuster ISBN 0751304417 Isaac Newton: The Last Sorcerer Michael White From the author of Stephen Hawking: A Life in Science, comes this color1ful description of the life of the world's first modern scientist. Interesting yet based on fact, Michael White's learned yet readable new book offers a true picture of Newton completely different from what people commonly know about him. Newton is shown as a gifted scientist with very human weaknesses who stood at the point in history where magic ended and science began. PS8.99 Hardback 320 pp Fourth Estate ISBN 1857024168 Fermat's Last Theorem Simon Singh In 1963 a schoolboy called Andrew Wiles reading in his school library came across the world's greatest mathematical problem: Fermat's Last Theorem . First put forward by the French mathematician Pierre de Fermat in the seventeenth century, the theorem had baffled and beaten the finest mathematical minds, including a French woman scientist who made a major advance in working out the problem, and who had to dress like a man in order to be able to study at the Ecole Polytechnique. Through unbelievable determination Andrew Wiles finally worked out the problem in 1995. An unusual story of human effort over three centuries, Fermat's Last Theorem will delight specialists and general readers alike. PS12.99 Hardback 384 pp Fourth Estate ISBN 1857025210 In Michael White's book, Newton is described as_. A a person who did not look the same as in many pictures B a person who lived a color1ful and meaningful life C a great but not perfect man D an old-time magician Answer: C. a great but not perfect man There has never been a better time than now to buy a new piece of technology, such as a computer. Technology usually starts out at a high price, but as time goes by it goes down in price. Now I've found that many new products are at good prices from the st art.There is no question about it This is a buyers' market for sure.! Also, as shopping on the Internet gets saf er , more people are trying to buy things in that way.The Net is where buyers can save money if they know of a few money-saving sites. The first things that a person should do is to compare the prices online stores.Sites such as pricesgrabber.com, techbargains.com, nextag.com and street prices.com will help you decide which store has the lowest price.The differences can be $500-$1000. Remember that many stores also have large discounts on many things at certain times of the year. But I'd rather sit in front of my computer in my comfortable chair of going shopping in crowded places Which of the following does the writer agree to ? _ A Shopping online is comfortable. B The buyers'market is growing worse. C The Internet is really bad D shopping in malls is not good for him Answer: A. Shopping online is comfortable. Louis Braille, Alphabet Maker Blind people can read. They do so by running their fingers along a line of raised points or dots on paper. Of course, they first have to learn the code. Here are some examples of it. One dot stands for the letter "A." Two dots side by side mean "C." Four dots arranged to look like a box (: :) stand for the letter "G." By placing the dots in special patterns, all the letters of the alphabet can be formed. This code was made up by a Frenchman called Louis Braille. Though he could see at birth, he became sightless when he was only three. Braille was cutting leather in his father's shop. His knife slipped and cut his eye. Infection spread to both eyes, and he became blind. At 10, he was placed in a home for the blind. But young Louis had great talent. He became a skilled musician and soon got a job as a church organist in Paris. Because he had talent and was quick, he became a teacher at a school for the blind. While there, he heard that an army captain had sent messages to his gun crews so they could read them at night without light. His messages were in the simple form of raised dots and dashes. This was the clue Louis needed. At the age of 15, he worked out his own six-dot code. Each group of dots is called a cell. The cells are three dots high and two dots wide. For the rest of his life, Braille taught his young flock to read both written and musical works using his code. For the last 17 years of his life, Braille was ill with tuberculosis . He died at the age of 43. France honored him by placing his remains in the famous Pantheon in Paris. What is the passage mainly concerned with? A Louis Braille developed a reading method for blind people. B Louis Braille became blind as he was a child. C Blind people can read any books they like. D Louis Braille's remains were buried in the famous Pantheon in Paris Answer: A. Louis Braille developed a reading method for blind people. A girl became a volunteer in the activities of Deathbed Care, which meant visiting and taking care of a patient suffering from an incurable disease with days numbered. The girl was assigned to look after an old man suffering from cancer whose children lived abroad. Their living conditions were not satisfactory while the old man had a lot of savings. She was expected to comfort him and keep up his spirits. Every Saturday the girl came on time to keep him company, telling him stories. When he was having an intravenous drip , she would help massage his arms. The doctor found the patient much improved mentally. The old man began to involve himself actively in the medical treatment and he seldom shouted at others. But something that happened made the doctor uneasy and puzzled. Each time the girl left, the old man would give her some money. The doctor did nothing to interfere , unwilling to offend the old man. A month later the old man showed evident signs of decline after suffering coma a few times. When rescued from the latest coma, the old man told the doctor his last wish, "I have deep sympathy for the girl. Will you be kind enough to help her finish her studies?" But the doctor knew that her family was welloff and she had no difficulty pursuing her studies. Sometimes she even came to the hospital in her father's car. When the girl came at the weekend after the death of the old man, the doctor told her the bad news. She was very sad and burst into tears. Then she handed $ 500 to the doctor, saying, "The old man had all along thought I came to do the job because of poverty. He gave me money so that I could continue my schooling." Now he got the answer to the puzzle. In the last period of his life, the old man found it a real pleasure to be able to help a girl badly in need. What is the real reason resulting in the old man's mental improvement? A The girl's love and great care. B The pleasure of helping people in need. C The doctor's medical treatment. D His children's progress in life. Answer: B. The pleasure of helping people in need. An independent college claimed to have become the first school in England to make Chinese a compulsory subject for its pupils. Richard Cairns, the headmaster of Brighton College, said the move aims to recognize the importance of China as the world's fastest growing economy. Chinese will become one of the core subjects at the 1,200-pupil college from September. At present the school has only a "handful" of native Chinese students, but it hopes to attract more in the future. Mr Cairns, who made the announcement in his first week as head of the high-achieving college, said, "One of my key tasks is to make sure that the pupils at Brighton College are equipped for the realities of the 21st century, and one of those realities is that China has the fastest growing economy in the world. "China has replaced Britain as the world's fourth-largest economy. We in Britain need to face up to this challenge, see it for the trading opportunity that it is, and ensure that our nation's children are well-placed to thrive in this new global reality. "A better understanding of the language and culture of China will be hugely important to the advantage of the children of Brighton College." Mr Cairns said he hoped the Chinese children already at the college would help and encourage their fellow pupils to learn their language. In order to lead the way, Mr Cairns, a historian from Oxford, plans to take part in the first Chinese class as a pupil. "I have agreed to join the first Chinese class as a pupil. I think it is the best way for me to show the pupils here how important I regard this new addition to our core subjects." What is Mr Cairns' attitude towards the development of China? A He sees it to be a threat. B He thinks of it as a danger. C He considers it to be an opportunity. D He regards it as an encouragement. Answer: C. He considers it to be an opportunity.
Sonar is used to find an objects what? A locale B elements C minerals D mass Answer: A. locale When I was about 12, I had an enemy, a girl who liked to point out my shortcomings . Sometimes she said I was thin. Sometimes she said I was lazy. Sometimes she said I wasn't a good student. Sometimes she said I talked too much, and so on. I tried to put up with her as long as I could. At last, I became very angry. I ran to my father with tears in my eyes. He listened to me quietly, and then he asked, "Are the things she said true or not? Mary, didn't you ever wonder what you're really like? Go and make a list of everything she said and mark the points that are true. Pay no attention to the other things she said." I did as he told me and to my surprise, I discovered that about half the things were true. I brought the list back to my dad. He refused to take it. "That's just for you," he said. "You know better than anyone else the truth about yourself. When something said about you is true, you'll find it will be helpful to you. Don't shut your ears. Listen to them all, but hear the truth and do what you think is right." Many years have passed. The situation often appears in my mind. In our life we often meet with some trouble and we often go to someone and ask for advice. For some advice you will treasure all your life! What did the writer's father do after he heard her complaints? A He agreed with her "enemy". B He let her continue to put up with her "enemy". C He told her to write down all her "enemy" had said about her. D He told her not to pay attention to what her "enemy" had said. Answer: C. He told her to write down all her "enemy" had said about her. I was very sympathetic with world leaders burdened with resolving conflicts between nations. When my three children were young, in most days it was hard to keep my house from becoming a war zone. It got worse as they grew older. Three years ago, Zack, then 16, couldn't make it through a day without playing tricks on his sisters, Alex and Taryn, then 11 and 9. My husband and I tried to understand his adolescent moodiness. We begged, reasoned, punished, and left heartfelt notes on his bed about how his behavior was hurting our family. His response was a shrug and "I say it because it's true". I even tried telling the girls to fight back. But it was a bad idea. Now I had three kids at war. At wit's end, I poured my heart out to my sister in an e-mail. She wrote back, "Don't e-mail me. E-mail him." Our son was online every day, mailing and instantly messaging his friends. So what if I was within shouting distance? Maybe he would actually hear me this way. There'd be no yelling or door slamming . Zack wouldn't feel under attack. And with a few simple keystrokes, he could respond. Or not. Zack didn't reply for days. When he finally did, his entire message was four words. I expected the worst, but then smiled when I read them, "You are right. I'm sorry." The kids still fought, of course, but Zack scaled back the abuse . Best of all, I now have an effective way to communicate with not one but three easily annoyed teens. They don't tune me out as much. They don't like to listen to me nag .Or as Alex says, "You're so much nicer online." All I know is that the house is quiet, and we're talking. In fact, Taryn just instantly messaged me from upstairs. It's time to take her to softball practice. The purpose of this passage is to tell us _ . A how to solve family problems B how a mother shows her love to her children C how to treat kids in a more sensible way D the value of understanding between parents and children Answer: C. how to treat kids in a more sensible way Eating 40 percent less food could extend a person`s life by 20 years, according to scientists. Researchers at the Institute of Health Ageing at University College London are developing a treatment that they hope will fight the `disease` of getting older. They are looking into how genetics and lifestyle can affect ageing and add years, possibly decades, to a person`s life. Age-related diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and neuro degeneration can also be treated, it is claimed. They want to find out how the life of a rat can be increased by up to 30 percent simply by reducing its food intake. Researcher Dr. Piper told the Independent : `If you reduce the diet of a rat by 40 percent it will live for 20 or 30 percent longer. So we would be talking 20 years of human life. This has shown on all sorts of animals, even Labradors(a kind of dog).`The scientists are also studying fruit flies, which share 60 percent of human genes and age in a similar manner, and mice. They have already made the healthy lifespan longer in both flies and mice by using drug treatments and a balanced diet. It is hoped that this combination will also work to extend human life. Dr. Piper said: `If we discover the genes involved with ageing, we should be able to delay ageing itself. This is what we`ve found.` He added that the field of research into extending life is only a decade old, so remains `in theory . It is their special approach to treating all age-related diseases caused by the `disease` of ageing itself that sets their research apart. The author writes this text in order to _ . A encourage people to eat as little as possible B tell people how harmful food is to their health C introduce an on-going research on delaying ageing D show how similar mice and humans are to each other Answer: C. introduce an on-going research on delaying ageing Molly likes animals. She has a cat. She has a dog. She has a bird. She has a hamster. She has a bunny. Her cat's name is Kitty. Her dog's name is Spike. Her bird's name is Polly. Her hamster's name is Barry. Her bunny's name is Snowball. Kitty plays with yarn. Spike plays with a ball. Polly plays in her cage. Barry runs on his wheel. Snowball eats carrots. What does Molly's dog play with? A ball B fish C mouse D paper Answer: A. ball
Sue is a middle school student.Here are her holiday's diaries. Tuesday July 15 Sunny I can't believe my trip is over.I arrived in Egypt two weeks ago!I was with a group from a university .We went to the desert and learned a lot.I was tired,but I loved every minute of my trip. Saturday August 5 Windy My Hawaiian vacation just ended,and I was very relaxed!I spent five days on traveling there.Every day I took a walk,played basketball and ate good food.I also went swimming and snorkeling .I felt fantastic! Sunday August 14 Sunny Alaska is terrific!I was on a trip in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.There were six people on the trip.We hiked for six days.Then we took rafts to the Arctic Ocean.I saw a lot of wildlife .After ten days,I went home. Did Sue get a lot of exercise in Hawaii? Answer: Yes,she did. For eighty four days old Santiago had not caught a single fish. At first a young boy, Manolin, had shared his bad fortune, but after the fortieth luckless day the boy's father told his son to go in another boat. From that time on, Santiago worked alone. The boy loved the old fisherman and always helped him with money and food. Usually, they would talk about the fish they had taken in luckier times or about American baseball after supper, while at night, alone in his cottage, Santiago dreamed of lions on the beaches of Africa, where he had gone years before. _ On the eighty-fifth day, Santiago set off to fish before dawn. Two of his baits were fresh tunas the boy had given him, as well as sardines to cover his hooks. Then he set his lines which went straight down into deep dark water. As the sun rose he saw other boats in toward shore. A bird showed him where dolphins were chasing some flying fish. This time Santiago saw tuna jumping in the sunlight. A small one took the hook on his line. Pulling the fish aboard, the old man thought it a good fortune. Toward noon a marlin, a common fish in the sea, started eating the bait which was one hundred meters down. Gently the old man played the fish, a big one, as he knew from the weight on the line. At last he struck to settle the hook. The fish did not come out of the surface. Instead, it began to pull the boat to the northwest. The old man followed it. _ It was cold after the sunset. When something took one of his remaining baits, he cut the line with his knife. Once the marlin leaned suddenly, pulling Santiago forward on his face and cutting his cheek. By dawn his left hand was cramped . The fish had headed northward; there was no land in sight. Hungry, he cut pieces from the tuna and chewed them slowly. That morning the fish jumped. Seeing it, Santiago knew he had hooked the biggest marlin he had ever seen. Then the fish went down and turned toward the east. Santiago drank a little water from the bottle during the hot afternoon. Close to nightfall a dolphin took the small hook he had rebaited. He lifted it aboard, careful. After he had rested, he cut meat from the dolphin and kept also the two flying fish he found in its stomach. That night he slept. He awoke to feel the line running through his fingers as the fish jumped. Feeding line slowly, he tried to tire the marlin. After the fish slowed its run, he washed his cut hands in sea water and ate one of the flying fish. At sunrise the marlin began to circle. Faint, he worked to bring the big fish nearer with each turn. _ The fish was two feet longer than the boat. No fish like it had ever been seen in Havana harbor. An hour later, he sighted the first shark, a fierce Mako, and it came in fast to chase after the dead marlin. The old man struck the shark with his harpoon. The Mako rolled and sank, carrying the harpoon with it and leaving the marlin bloody. He knew the smell would spread. Watching, he saw two sharks closing in. He struck at one with his knife and watched it sliding down into deep water. The other he killed while it tore at the flesh of the marlin. When the third appeared, he thrust it with the knife. The other sharks came at sunset. At first he tried to beat them with the tiller from the boat, but his hands were bleeding and there were too many in the sea. In the darkness, as he steered toward the harbor of Havana, he heard them hitting the boat again and again. But the old man thought only of his steering and his great tiredness. He had gone out too far and the sharks had beaten him. He knew they would leave him nothing but the stripped skeleton of the big marlin. All lights were out when he sailed into the little harbor and beached his boat. He could just make out the white backbone and the upstanding tail of the fish. _ In his cottage he fell on his bed and went to sleep. The above story is adapted from _ . Answer: The Old Man And The Sea How did people in ancient China change their luck? Most of them would take the exam, Keju, which began during the Sui Dynasty and lasted for 1,300 years before it was ended in the Qing Dynasty. Keju, the early "gaokao", played a very important role in choosing qualified persons to work for the king. The Keju exams were mainly based on classical literature and philo- sophy. Poetry was very important in earlier Keju exams, and later Keju focused more on writing. All _ had to write an article explaining ideas from those books, which was called Eight Part Essay. Two sentences were required at the start of the article, about the main idea of the title, which was called "to clear the topic". The exams also focused on more practical matters. Most candidates in ancient China had to go a long way to the capital city for the exam. As transportation in ancient times was not developed, they usually went to the capital on foot, and some took several months to reach the capital. The exam was held once every three years and it was made up of four levels: the county examination, provincial examination, academy examination and palace examination. Candidates had to first pass one level in order to take part in the next level. Each examination would take from one to three days to finish, and they were locked in a small room and received cold meals. On the exam day, candidates had to first go through safety check. They had to let their hair loose so that it could be checked and their trouser legs, shoes and socks, even bottoms were also checked. Candidates used to walk to the capital because _ . Answer: they didn't have developed transportation (PARIS) ----An English tourist who was highly praised for rescuing a three-year-old boy in Paris said he didn't think twice before diving into the freezing river. Tuesday's news said 25-year-old John Smith from England was the man who left the spot quickly after the rescue last Saturday. He lifted the little boy out of the water after he fell off the bank. He handed the child to his father, David Anderson, who had dived in after him. "I didn't think at all," John told the News. "It happened very fast. I reacted very fast." John, an engineer on vacation, was walking with his girlfriend along the pier when he saw something falling into the water. He thought it was a doll, but realized it was a child when he approached the river. Immediately, he took off his coat and jumped into the water. When he reached the child, he appeared lifeless, he said. Fortunately, when he was out of the water, he opened his eyes. Anderson said his son slipped off the bank when he was adjusting his camera. An ambulance came later for him, said John, who was handed dry clothes from onlookers. John caught a taxi with his girlfriend shortly after. The rescue happened on the day before he left for England. John said he didn't realize his story had greatly moved Paris until he was leaving the city the next morning. "I don't really think I'm a hero," said John. "Anyone would do the same thing." What is the probable reason why John was in Paris? Answer: To spend his vacation. Unusual incidents are being reported across the Arctic. Inuit families going off on snowmobiles to prepare their summer hunting camps have found themselves cut off from home by a sea of mud. There are also reports of sea ice breaking up earlier than usual, carrying seals beyond the reach of hunters. Climate change may still be a rather abstract idea to most of us, but in the Arctic it is already having great effect--if summertime ice continues to shrink at its present rate, the Arctic Ocean could soon become almost ice-free in summer. The knock-on effects are likely to include more warming, cloudier skies and higher sea levels. Scientists are increasingly eager to find out what's going on in the Arctic. For the Inuit the problem is urgent. They live in unsteady balance with one of the toughest environments on earth. Climate change, whatever its causes, is a direct danger to their way of life. Nobody knows the Arctic as well as the locals, which is why they are not content simply to stand back and let outsider experts tell them what's happening. In Canada, where the Inuit people are trying hard to guard their hard-won autonomy in the country's newest land, Nunavut, they believe their best hope of survival in this changing environment lies in combining their ancestral knowledge with the best of modern science. This is a challenge in itself. The Canadian Arctic is a vast, treeless polar desert that's covered with snow for most of the year. Adventure into this area and you get some idea of the hardships facing anyone who calls this home. Farming is out of the question and nature offers few pickings. Humans first settled in the Arctic a mere 4,500 years ago, surviving by taking advantage of sea first. The environment tested them to the limits: sometimes the settlers were successful; sometimes they failed and disappeared. But around a thousand years ago, one group appeared that was uniquely well adapted to deal with the Arctic environment. These Thule people moved in from Alaska, bringing dogs, iron tools and the like. They are the ancestors of today's Inuit people. Which of the following is the best title for this text? Answer: Climate Change and the Inuit
Question: Genzeb Tibeb is very bright. At only 11 years old, her future is looking promising. She is ranked 2nd Out of 56 students at her govemment school in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where she has been seleeted for a special program because of her talent. She knows she is special and proudly shows off her certificate and book signifying her accomplishments in this special program. But her future hasn't always looked so bright. While her mother, Bekelech, sacrificed immensely for Genzeb, she would not have been able to continue sending her to school. When her husband died, Bekelech was the sole provider for their five children. In order for them to survive, she began the daily routine of walking approximately 8-10 miles a day collecting sticks to sell near her 8' x 10' home in Kichene. It wouldn't have been long before Genzeb would have been, forced to quit school in order to help her mom. But Bright Future changed all that. Genzeb has been at Bright Future for 3 years. Since Ethiopian schools let out early, Genzeb walks to the facility right after lunch. Because of her high ability, she even helps teach the younger children there, building confidence and locking in important foundational academic skills. There's also other meaningful opportunities Genzeb experiences which allow her eyes to be opened to the different opportunities that are available to her if she completes her studies. Field trips are one of her most favorite activities of all. She especially loved the one to Addis Ababa University. She knows it goes beyond fun trips, though. "I am happy because I get extra help for school from Bright Future," Genzeb shares. At so many levels, her involvement with Bright Future allows her to receive a better education, which she values. For one day she wants to help people in need by becoming a doctor. And now she knows, that with a lot of hard work, that dream might just become a reality. According to the taxt, what is Bright Future probably? A. A student training center B. A scholarship organization C. A government school D. An orphanage organization Answer: B. A scholarship organization Question: Finally, the long-awaited flying car is almost here. AeroMobil, a Slovakian company, plans to start selling its creation, the AeroMobil3. 0, in 2017. The company claims on its site that the vehicle "transforms in seconds from an automobile to an airplane" by using "existing infrastructure created for automobiles and planes."The vehicle is petrol-powered and has wings that fold, which allows it to be parked like a car, though it is nearly 20 feet long. The company's website features a video where the AeroMobil 3. 0 drives out of a hangar ( )and goes down a highway, sharing the road with ordinary cars until it arrives at an airstrip. The car then unfolds its wings and takes off from a stretch of grass, rather than a paved tarmac , and flies through the air like any other small airplane. AeroMobil spokesman Stefan Vadocz said his company hasn't decided on an exact price because it's not ready yet."The prototype is a work in progress," he said in an email. But he said the price would be several hundreds of thousands of euros---somewhere in between a sports car and a light sports aircraft. The vehicle seats two people---the pilot and a passenger---and its single propeller is located at the rear of the plane. The company said the car's top speed on the road is at least 99 mph and while flying it is at least 124 mph. It can fly for 435 miles before running out of fuel. It has a steel framework and carbon coating and is powered by a Rotax 912, a four-cylinder aircraft engine from BRP of Austria. Flying cars aren't exactly new. The concept has been around since long before The Jetsons popularized the idea in the 1960s. It has been a regular topic in Popular Science ever since World War I ace, Eddie Rickenbacker, wrote about it in 1924. But getting a practical, reliable flying car off the ground has been a serious challenge. Glenn Curtiss discovered this in 1918 when he developed the Curtiss Autoplane. It turned out to be more of a hopper than a flyer, so it failed to become popular with the public. What is the biggest difference between the AeroMobil 3. 0 and other airplanes? A. It is powered by aircraft fuel. B. It can fly as fast as airplanes. C. It has a propeller. D. It can take off from a stretch of grass. Answer: D. It can take off from a stretch of grass. Question: Farquart had made a legally binding promise to furnish his son Junior and the latter's fiancÃ©e a house on their wedding day, planned for June 10, 1972. Pursuant to that promise, Farquart telephoned his old contractor-friend Sawtooth on May 1, 1971, and made the following oral agreement each making full and accurate written notes thereof: Sawtooth was to cut 30 trees into fireplace logs from a specified portion of a certain oneacre plot owned by Farquart, and Farquart was to pay therefor $20 per tree. Sawtooth agreed further to build a house on the plot conforming to the specifications of Plan OP5 published by Builders, Inc., for a construction price of $18,000. Farquart agreed to make payments of $2,000 on the first of every month for nine months beginning August 1, 1971, upon monthly presentation of a certificate by Builders, Inc., that the specifications of Plan OP5 were being met. Sawtooth delivered the cut logs to Farquart in July 1971, when he also began building the house. Farquart made three $2,000 payments for the work done in July, August, and September 1971, without requiring a certificate. Sawtooth worked through October, but no work was done from November 1, 1971, to the end of February 1972, because of bad weather, and Farquart made no payments during that period. Sawtooth did not object. On March 1, 1972, Sawtooth demanded payment of $2,000; but Farquart refused on the grounds that no construction work had been done for four months and Builders had issued no certificate. Sawtooth thereupon abandoned work and repudiated the agreement. "Assuming that Sawtooth committed a total breach on March 1, 1972, what would be the probable measure of Farquart's damages in an action against Sawtooth for breach of contract? A. Restitution of the three monthly installments paid in August, September, and October. B. What it would cost to get the house completed by another contractor, minus installments not yet paid to Sawtooth. C. The difference between the market value of the partly built house, as of the time of Sawtooth's breach, and the market value of the house if completed according to specifications. D. In addition to other legally allowable damages, an allowance for Farquart's mental distress if the house cannot be completed in time for Junior's wedding on June 10, 1972. Answer: B. What it would cost to get the house completed by another contractor, minus installments not yet paid to Sawtooth. Question: I was walking along the deserted main street of a small seaside town in the north of England looking somewhere to make a phone call. My car had broken down outside the town and I wanted to get in touch with the Automobile Association .Low gray clouds were drifting across the sky and there was a cold damp wind blowing off the sea. It had rained in the night and water was dripping from the bare trees that lined the street. I was glad that I was wearing a thick coat. I could see no call box, nor was there anyone at that early hour I could ask. I had thought I might find a shop selling the Sunday papers or a milkman doing his job, but the town was completely dead. Then suddenly I found what I was looking for. There was a small post office, and almost hidden from sight in a dark narrow street next to it was the town's only public call box, which badly needed a coat of paint, I hurried forward but stopped in astonishment when I saw through the dirty glass that there was a man inside. He was very fat, and was wearing a cheap blue plastic raincoat and rubber boots. I could not see his face - he was bending forward over the phone with his back pressed against the glass and didn't even raise his head at the sound of my coming nearer and nearer. Carefully and surprisedly, I remained standing a few feet away and lit a cigarette to wait my turn. It was when I threw the dead match on the ground that I noticed something bright red trickling from under the call box door. The author waited, standing a few feet away from the box because _ . A. it was bad manners to overhear other's phone calls B. the man didn't notice his coming C. he wanted to have a cigarette to calm himself down D. it was not safe to be close to the box Answer: A. it was bad manners to overhear other's phone calls Question: Over three million people will do their Christmas shopping entirely online this year without once visiting an actual shop, a poll has found. Overcrowding and long queues in shops are forcing people away from the high street as the hassle of Christmas shopping becomes too much. The number of people turning their backs on the high street is almost one million higher than it was last year, according to the poll by YouGov. Last Christmas 2.4 million shoppers did not do any of their shopping in actual shops. The figure this year is predicted to be around 3.4 million, equal to around 7 percent of the adult population. Over a third of people said that the main turn-off about shopping on the high street is 0ver-crow-ding. Meanwhile almost a quarter said that long queues at the cheek-out are the worst thing about it. Of the 2.065 people pored, even those who are stir taking to the shops plan to spend less time in them this Christmas. Around 31 percent of shoppers who plan to spend at least some time on the high street will spend less than half of their shopping time in actual shops, using the rest of the time to shop remotely via the internet. This compares to 28 percent of people last year. Meanwhile the proportion of people spending over half of their shopping time in high street shops has dropped from 41 percent last year to 39 percent this year. Just 2 percent of people said that they are looking forward to dealing wi.th store staff this festival season. Guy Boxall, senior product marketing manager at Casio Business Solutions Division, which commissioned the research from YouGov, said that despite the fall in people visiting the high street,humans are "social creatures" who actually like spending time together. "Although the high street is facing a big challenge Christmas, retailers should see this research as a challenge to improve the in-store shopping experience, rather than the nail in the coffin. We are social creatures, and the desire to spend time with each other, particularly at Christmas, is never going to go away," said Mr. Boxall. What's the meaning of "turn-off" in Para.5? A. Something that makes people lose heart B. Something that makes people lose face C. Something that makes people lose interest D. Something that makes people lose courage Answer: C. Something that makes people lose interest
When I was growing up in America, I was ashamed of my mother's Chinese English. Because of her English, she was often treated unfairly. People in department stores, at banks, and at restaurants did not take her seriously ,did not give her good service ,pretended not to understand her ,or even acted as if they did not hear her .W _ w w.ks5 u.c@o m My mother has realized the limitations of her English as well. When I was fifteen, she used to have me call people on phone to pretend I was she . I was forced to ask for information or even to yell at people who had been rude to her. One time I had to call her stockbroker .I said in an adolescent voice that was not very convincing, "This is Mrs.Tan.." And my mother was standing beside me ,whispering loudly, "Why he don't send me cheek already two week late." And then , in perfect English I said : "I'm getting rather concerned .You agreed to send the check two weeks ago, but it hasn't arrived." Then she talked more loudly. "What he want? I come to New York tell him front of his boss." And so I turned to the stockbroker again, "I can't tolerate any more excuse. If I don't receive the check immediately , I am going to have to speak to your manager when I am in New York next week." The next week we ended up in New York. While I was sitting there red-faced, my mother, the real Mrs.Tan, was shouting to his boss in her broken English. When I was a teenager, my mother's broken English embarrassed me. But now, I see it differently. To me, my mother's English is perfectly clear, perfectly natural. It is my mother tongue. Her language, as I hear it, is vivid, direct, and full of observation and wisdom. It was the language that helped shape the way I saw things, expressed ideas, and made sense of the world. After the author made the phone call, _ . A they forgave the stockbroker B they went to New York immediately C they failed to get the check D they spoke to their boss at once Answer: C. they failed to get the check For most caffeine consumers, its chief benefit is that it helps you get more done. This is what makes it unusual, says Stephen Braun, author of Buzz: The Science and Lore of Alcohol and Caffeine. "Its appeal is that it helps us earn more money," he adds. "What makes it different from other drugs is that it's used as a productivity tool -- not for pleasure." Many of history's creative minds have also been associated with a large amount of caffeine consumption. According to one biographer, the French novelist and playwright Balzac drank as many as 50 cups of coffee a day. "Were it not for coffee one could not write, which is to say one could not live," he once insisted. For seven years, the film-maker David Lynch ate at the same Los Angeles diner every day, drinking up to seven sweetened cups of coffee "with lots of sugar" in one sitting, which he said would guarantee that "lots of ideas" arrived. Ludwig van Beethoven was said to have painstakingly counted out exactly 60 coffee beans per cup when he brewed coffee. Perhaps recent tales of caffeine excess featured the singer Robbie Williams, who reportedly consumed 36 cups of black coffee and 20 cans of Red Bull a day. It is the routine task itself, as much as the stimulating effects of caffeine, that makes the process so important, says Mason Currey, author of Daily Rituals: How Artists Work. "A lot of artists use the process of making coffee as a gateway to the creative process," he adds. "You need to get into the right mindset to do that sort of work, and the preparation process provides a focus." One problem with attempting to control caffeine, says Braun, is that it affects everyone differently -- it is impossible to work out a "safe" limit that works for everyone. "Eventually, you have to become your own scientist -- there isn't an alternative to careful self-experimentation," he says. Stephen Braun mainly stresses caffeine's _ . A creating ideas B improving work efficiency C helping people to relax D stimulating people Answer: B. improving work efficiency Our town has a big zoo. There are a lot of animals in it. There are some tiger and two lions. They eat a lot of meat everyday. There are also two big elephants and a baby one. I want to ride one of them, the elephants are tame and kind, They eat a lot of grass every day. The elephants like children, because sometimes Children give them bread and bananas, elephants like bananas very much. In our zoo there are also brown bears and white bears. They stand on their hind legs. Hold up, their arms and ask for food. They like cakes very much. There is a good place for children. They can ride horses and donkeys and watch the monkeys there. The monkeys are very funny. They climb up ropes again and again and play with each other like small children. They love apples, bananas and bread. . How many elephants are there in the zoo? A one B Two C Three D we don't know Answer: C. Three Colleges taking another look at value of merit-based aid Good grades and high tests scores still matter--a lot--to many colleges as they award financial aid. But with low-income students projected to make up an ever-larger share of the college-bound population in coming years, some schools are re-examining whether that aid, typically known as "merit aid", is the most effective use of precious institutional dollars. George Washington University in Washington, D.C., for example, said last week that it would cut the value of its average merit scholarships by about one-third and reduce the number of recipients , pouring the savings, about $2.5 million, into need-based aid. Allegheny College in Meadville, Pa., made a similar decision three years ago. Now, Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., says it will phase out merit scholarships altogether. No current merit-aid recipients will lose their scholarships, but need-based aid alone will be awarded beginning with students entering in fall 2008. Not all colleges offer merit aid; generally, the more selective a school, the less likely it is to do so. Harvard and Princeton, for example, offer generous need-based packages, but many families who don't meet need eligibility have been willing to pay whatever they must for a big-name school. For small regional colleges that struggle just to fill seats, merit aid can be an important revenue-builder because many recipients still pay enough tuition dollars over and above the scholarship amount to keep the institution running. But for rankings-conscious schools in between, merit aid has served primarily as a tool to recruit top students and to improve their academic profits. "They're trying to buy students," says Skidmore College economist Sandy Baum. Studies show merit aid also tends to benefit disproportionately students who could afford to enroll without it. "As we look to the future, we see a more pressing need to invest in need-based aid," says Monica Inzer, dean of admission and financial aid at Hamilton, which has offered merit scholarships for 10 years. During that time, it rose in US News & World Report's ranking of the best liberal arts colleges, from 25 to 17. Merit aid, which benefited about 75 students a year, or about 4% of its student body, at a cost of about $ 1 million a year, "served us well," Inzer says, but "to be discounting the price for families that don't need financial aid doesn't feel right any more." Need-based aid remains by far the largest share of all student aid, which includes state, federal and institutional grants. But merit aid, offered primarily by schools and states, is growing faster, both overall and at the institutional level. Between 1995-96 and 2003-04, institutional merit aid alone increased 212%, compared with 47% for need-based grants. At least 15 states also offer merit aid, typically in a bid to enroll top students in the state's public institutions. But in recent years, a growing chorus of critics has begun pressuring schools to drop the practice. Recent decisions by Hamilton and others may be "a sign that people are starting to realize that there's this destructive competition going on," says Baum, co-author of a recent College Report that raises concerns about the role of institutional aid not based on need. David Laird, president of the Minnesota Private College Council, says many of his schools would like to reduce their merit aid but fear that in doing so, they would lose top students to their competitors. "No one can take one-sided action," says Laird, who is exploring whether to seek an exemption from federal anti-trust laws so member colleges can discuss how they could jointly reduce merit aid, "This is a merry-go-round that's going very fast, and none of the institutions believe they can sustain the risks of trying to break away by themselves." A complicating factor is that merit aid has become so popular with middle-income families, who don't qualify for need-based aid, that many have come to depend on it. And, as tuitions continue to increase, the line between merit and need blurs. That's one reason Allegheny College doesn't plan to drop merit aid entirely. "We still believe in rewarding superior achievements and know that these top students truly value the scholarship," says Scott Friedhoff, Allegheny's vice president for enrollment. Emory University in Atlanta, which boasts a $4.7 billion endowment , meanwhile, is taking another approach. This year, it announced it would eliminate loans for needy students and cap them for middle-income families. At the same time, it would expand its 28-year-old merit program. "Yeah, we're playing the merit game," acknowledges Tom Lancaster, associate dean for undergraduate education. But it has its strong point, too, he says. "The fact of the matter is, it's not just about the lowest-income people. It's the average American middle-class family who's being priced out of the market." A few words about merit-based aid: Merit-based aid is aid offered to students who achieve excellence in a given area, and is generally known as academic, athletic and artistic merit scholarships. Academic merit scholarships are based on students' grades, GPA and overall academic performance during high school. They are typically meant for students going straight to college right after high school. However, there are scholarships for current college students with exceptional grades as well. These merit scholarships usually help students pay tuition bills, and they can be renewed each year as long as the recipients continue to qualify. In some cases, students may need to be recommended by their school or a teacher as part of the qualification process. Athletic merit scholarships are meant for students that excel in sports of any kind, from football to track and field events. Recommendation for these scholarships is required, since exceptional athletic performance has to be recognized by a coach or a referee . Applicants need to send in a tape containing their best performance. Artistic merit scholarships require that applicants excel in a given artistic area. This generally includes any creative field such as art, design, fashion, music, dance or writing. Applying for artistic merit scholarships usually requires that students submit a portfolio of some sort, whether that includes a collection of artwork, a recording of a musical performance or a video of them dancing. The chief purpose of rankings-conscious colleges in offering merit aid is to _ . A improve teaching quality B boost their enrollments C attract good students D increase their revenues Answer: C. attract good students Take Action for a Better World: Volunteers Needed Six months' preparation in Denmark: Africa studies, team work combined with social work risk group teenagers. Six months' community work in Malawi in people to people projects: Child Aid, HIV/AIDS Fights and Teacher Training. Qualifications:18 years, hard-working and social engagement. Please contact us by email:takeaction@betterworld.com Part-time Work with Exchange Students YOUTH International is a non-profit high school foreign exchange student organization. We welcome teenagers from over 80 countries worldwide and provide host families. The Community Representative is a part-time position designed for people with a strong desire to do something rewarding in the community and earn some extra money. Applicants best suited for this work should enjoy teenagers, have a strong interest in cross-cultural communication, and feel comfortable networking. Full training and support will be provided through branch offices throughout the U.S Positions available in most states. If interested, please email staff@youth.org or call 888-123-9872. International Summer Job Hi, I'm an ESL student in China. I'm 20, quiet and polite, and I speak reasonable English. I am looking for a summer job in an English-speaking country. I can teach Chinese or do house and garden work, and cook Chinese dishes. Can anybody offer me a Job? I don't need to earn much, just enough in 2 months (July-August) to pay for my return ticket to China. My goal is to improve my English and see a bit more of the world. My email is : ram3462@hotmail.com Call for Native Speakers of English I am looking for native speakers of English to join in an experiment. This experiment is carried out over the Internet. You don't need any specific knowledge other than understanding and speaking English at a native level. The first task will take you around 15 minutes. After this task, you can decide whether you want to continue the experiment. The tasks involve reading texts and designing questions and answers. If you are willing to help me , then please email me : club3864@hotmail.com What are volunteers for an experiment over the Internet supposed to do? A To interview people online. B To do some housework C To offer advice on child Aid D To provide language exercises Answer: D. To provide language exercises
Question: In June 2008,Benita Grist was driving in her hometown of Mississauga as a passenger in the car ahead threw a paper cup out of the window.When Grist horned to express her displeasure, the passenger responded by throwing out a bag. Instead of annoyed, she decided to do something about it.She organized a one woman litterawareness campaign.She started small,chatting with her neighbors about litter--and asking them to be more conscious of any tendencies they might have to litter.Soon,she noticed local families, kids and all--picking up litter around their homes."I thought,that's all it took--for me to open my mouth?" she says."So I decided to knock on more doors." And she didn't stop there.She approached people on the street,in malls,even in the waiting room before getting an X ray. Grist often started her appeal with something such as,"I hope you don't think I'm crazy,but..." Yet she was _ by the positive response--so much so that in August 2008, she began to contact officials in various levels of government, companies and other institutions in an effort to reach a wider audience. Through a local Mac's Convenience Store,Grist managed to contact the company that produces content displayed on their in store monitors.That led to a public service announcement about litter that ran in almost 600 Mac's stores in Ontario from November 2008 to June 2009. Grist continues to explore every opportunity she has to get the message out.Her grassroots campaign may be different,but she has begun to open people's eyes about the problem of litter.And thanks to her efforts,in Mississauga,at least,they have begun to do just that. What's the main idea of the passage? A. Introduction to a one woman litter awareness campaign. B. How Benita Started the one woman litter awareness campaign. C. Why Benita Started the one woman litter awareness campaign. D. Benita and the one woman litter awareness campaign. Answer: B. How Benita Started the one woman litter awareness campaign. Question: Chinese people around the world are celebrating their most important holiday, Chinese New Year. But for one man in Taiwan, it's all about business as he washes dirty banknotes for gifts. According to Chinese tradition, parents give their children clean, fresh banknotes at the start of the new year. But such notes are in high demand during the time just before the holiday period, and Yao Guancheng noticed _ . Yao Guancheng said, " When we first started this business it was for family members who liked to collect antique banknotes. But later on , it suddenly occurred to me that this service would come in handy for the Chinese New Year. It is one of our customs to put banknotes inside little red envelopes in order to bring our children good luck." "To do that , people change old notes for new ones at the banks. But here in Taiwan, there are all sorts of restrictions as to how much you can change, what days you can do that and which banks you can go to . That's inconvenient. So I thought: why not give people an alternative ?" He doesn't just leave the money in water for quite a long time. He uses special chemicals that are a closely guarded secret. His services don't come cheap; he charges about$10 for washing twenty banknotes. But during the time just before the new year holiday, he's been in demand , cleaning people's banknotes and in the process, giving a new , cleaner image to the term "money laundering -an illegal process by which criminals attempt to hide money from government officials because it has been earned illegally or taxes should be paid on it" It can be inferred that Yao Guancheng's service is _ . A. very cheap B. in demand all the year round C. convenient D. equal to money laundering Answer: C. convenient Question: I often write about the bad state of television these days, but recently my mom told me about a story she saw on 60 Minutesthat was inspiring, educational, and entertaining for the whole family. I went to the show's website to see for myself. My mom was right. At a time when even Barbara Walters says she's really bored with celebrities interviews, this one will not disappoint. It's the story of Derek Paravicini, a 30-year-old who was born three months early, physically disabled (he can't button his own shirt), blind, and severely autistic . Yet, through total luck and coincidence, his family discovered that Derek had a remarkable musical talent when he was three. Derek can hear any musical composition one time and play it perfectly on the piano. That's right. He only has to hear it once. Even more unbelievable, his brain, like a computer, can keep many songs that he can immediately repeat when asked. But his talent isn't limited to just learning things by heart. Derek is a true musical genius and artist who plays beautifully in a wide range of styles and can make his own music. With his talent, Derek has raised millions of dollars putting on charity concerts. He also donates his time to senior centers where he acts as a human jukebox machine, taking requests from senior citizens who haven't heard their favorite songs for decades. As it turns out, Derek loves people and his extraordinary talent has been the key to unlocking his personality and social development. If you want to inspire your family, pop some popcorn and sit everyone down to watch this excellent piece of journalism. If your kids are like mine, it will cause a great family discussion about the definition of "disability" and the extraordinary ability of the human brain and spirit. It may even give you the perfect answer the next time your child says he or she "can't" do something. Now that's priceless. Who says there's nothing good on TV? In the opinion of the author, Derek can _ . A. attract the whole family to watch TV together B. cause family members to help the disabled C. help kids understand the ability of their brains D. encourage kids to accept challenges in life Answer: D. encourage kids to accept challenges in life Question: A new argument has been put forward as to whether penguins are disturbed by the presence of tourists in Antarctica. Previous research by scientists from Keil University in Germany monitored Adelie penguins and noted that the birds' heart rates increased dramatically at the sight of a human as far as 30 meters away. But new research using an artificial egg, which is equipped to measure heart rates, disputes this. Scientists from the Scott Polar Research Institute at Cambridge say that a slow moving human who does not approach the nest too closely, is not viewed as a threat by penguins. The earlier findings have been used to partly explain the 20 per cent drop in populations of certain types of penguins near tourist sites. However, tour operators have continued to insist that their activities do not adversely affect wildlife in Antarctica, saying they encourage non-disruptive behavior in tourists, and that the decline in penguin numbers is caused by other factors. Amanda Nimon of the Scott Polar Research Institute spent three southern hemisphere summers at Cuverville Island in Antarctica studying penguin behavior towards humans. "A nesting penguin will react very differently to a person rapidly and closely approaching the nest," says Nimon. "First they exhibit large and prolonged heart rate changes and then they often flee the nest leaving it open for predators to fly in and remove eggs or chicks." The artificial egg, specially for the project, monitored both the parent who had been 'disturbed' when the egg was placed in the nest and the other parent as they both took it in turns to guard the nest. However, Boris Culik, who monitored the Adelie penguins, believes that Nimon's findings do not invalidate his own research. He points out that species behave differently - and Nimon's work was with Gentoo penguins. Nimon and her colleagues believe that Culik's research was methodologically flawed because the monitoring of penguins' responses needed capturing and restraining the birds and fitting them with beart-rate transmitters. Therefore, argues Nimon, it would not be surprising if they became stressed on seeing a human _ . Which ONE argument of the following is stated in the passage? A. Penguins are harder to research when they have young. B. Tour operators should encourage tourists to avoid Antarctica. C. Not all penguins behave in the same way. D. Penguins need better protection from tourists. Answer: C. Not all penguins behave in the same way. Question: Green invaders are taking over America. Not invaders from space, but plants! You might not think of plants as dangerous, but in this case they are threatening nature's delicate food chain. The invaders are plants brought here from other countries to make gardens and yards look pretty. Ever since people started to arrive on America's shores, they have carried along trees, flowers, and vegetables from other places. Now there are so many of those plants, they are crowding out the native plants that have lived here since before human settlers arrived. And that's a problem, says Dr. Doug Tallamy. He's insect expert at the University of Delaware. He explains that almost all the plant-eating insects in the United States are specialized, which means they eat only certain plants. Monarch butterfly caterpillars ,for example, dine on milkweed. If people cut down milkweed and replace it with another plant, the butterflies will not have the food source that they need to survive. But the trouble doesn't stop there. When insects can't get the right plants to eat and they die off, then the birds don't have enough bugs for their meals. Tallamy points out that almost all migrating birds depend on insets to feed their young. "We cannot let the plants and animals around us disappear." says Tallamy, "The way to preserve them is to give them food to eat. But when we plant non-native plants, we are _ the food chain, because then we don't have the insects the birds need to live." Fewer of the right plants mean fewer bugs, and fewer bugs mean fewer birds. And that's bad for the Earth, because we need a variety of living things to keep the planet healthy and beautiful. The good news is, garden centers sell native plants. "Just Google 'native plants' and your location, and you can find out which plants really belong where you live," says Tallamy How did green invades arrive at America? A. They fell down from space. B. They floated to the America's shores. C. They were brought in from foreign countries D. They has lived here since human settlers arrived Answer: C. They were brought in from foreign countries
Miss Green is very fat. She weighs 100 kg and she is getting heavier and heavier every day. So one day she goes to see the doctor. The doctor says,"You need a diet, Miss Green, and I have a good one here." He gives her a small book and says, "Read this carefully and eat the things on Page 11 every day. Then come back and see me in two weeks' time." Miss Green comes back again two weeks later. She isn't thinner. She is fatter instead. The doctor is surprised and says, "Are you eating the things on Page 11 of the small book?" "Yes, doctor." she answers. The next day the doctor visits Miss Green during her dinner. She is surprised to see the doctor. "Miss Green," he says, "why are you eating potatoes and bread? They aren't on your diet." "But, doctor," Miss Green answers, "I ate my diet at lunchtime. This is my dinner." Two weeks later Miss Green becomes _ . A thinner than before B fatter than before C younger than before D the same as before Answer: B The Blacks are English . Now they are in Beijing . This is their first visit to China. They are going to stay in China for three weeks . They want to learn some Chinese ,too. He likes driving in Beijing very much .Mrs Blacks is a teacher .She often visits a middle school in Beijing ,and she likes to speak with students. They take a lot of photos in China .When they are back to English ,They're going to show the photos to their friends. They want the English People to know more about China. Mrs Blach likes talking with the Chinese in _ A Chinese B English C Japanese D French . Answer: B A weather map is an important tool for geographers. A succession of three or four maps presents a continuous picture of weather changes. Weather forecasters are able to determine the speed of air masses and fronts to determine whether an individual pressure area is deepening or becoming shallow and whether a front is increasing or decreasing in intensity. They are also able to determine whether an air mass is retaining its original characteristics or taking on those of the surface over which it is moving. Thus, a most significant function of the map is to reveal a synoptic picture of conditions in the atmosphere at a given time. All students of geography should be able to interpret a weather map accurately. Weather maps contain an enormous amount of information about weather conditions existing at the time of observation over a large geographical area. They reveal in a few minutes what otherwise would take hours to describe. The United States Weather Bureau issues information about approaching storms, floods, frosts, droughts, and all climatic conditions in general. Twice a month it issues a 30-day "outlook" which is a rough guide to weather conditions likely to occur over broad areas of the United States. These 30-day outlooks are based upon an analysis of the upper air levels which often set the stage for the development of air masses, fronts, and storms. Considerable effort is being exerted today to achieve more accurate weather predictions. With the use of electronic instruments and earth satellites, enormous gains have taken place recently in identifying and tracking storms over regions which have but few meteorological stations . Extensive experiments are also in progress for weather modification studies. But the limitations of modification have prevented meteorological results except in the seeding of super-cooled, upslope mountainous winds which have produced additional orographic precipitation on the windward side of mountain ranges. Nevertheless, they have provided a clearer understanding of the fundamentals of weather elements. The observation of weather conditions by satellites is advantageous because _ . A electronic instruments are used B it enables man to alter the weather C it makes weather prediction more time-consuming D information not obtained readily otherwise can be gained Answer: D Museum of Transport at Boylet St , Cheetham, Manchester Enjoy a trip to the Museum of Transport, a working museum showing the development of road public transport in Manchester. There are over 80 buses from 1890 to 1980. Over 100 shows, from hours-bus to modern train. The museum has small shows describing the history of bus, coach and train. If you are interested in it, welcome to click here and you can see some pictures of them on the screen and get more information about them. Opening hours and ticket prices Wednesdays, Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays 9:00 a.m. ~ 4:00 p.m. (Nov. ~ Feb. ) 10:00 a.m. ~ 5:00 p.m. (Mar. ~ Oct.) Adults $3. 00, Students $1.75, Children under 5 free. Family ticket ( up to two adults and three children) $ 9.00 E-mail : www. gmts. co. uk If you would like to visit the Museum of Transport , when will it be possible? A At 9:30 a.m. on October 26th B At 2:00 p.m. on Tuesdays C At 4:30 p.m. on May Day D At 4:10 p.m. on New Year's Day Answer: C Dear Customers, I love slipping into a comfortable chair for a long read, as I relax into the chair. I also relax into the author's words, stories, and ideas. The physical book is so elegant that it disappears into the background, and what remains is the author's world. Today, we at Amazon are excited to announce Kindle, a wireless, portable reading device with instant access to more than 90,000 books, magazines, and newspapers. We've been working on Kindle for more than three years. Our top design objective was for Kindle to disappear in your hands --to get out of the way --so you can enjoy your reading. We also wanted to go beyond the physical book. Kindle is wireless, so whether you're lying in bed or riding a train, you can think of a book, and have it in less than 60 seconds. No computer is needed--you do your reading directly from the device. We chose the same wireless technology used in advanced mobile phones. But unlike mobile phones, there are no monthly wireless bills, no service or data plans, and no yearly contracts. There is no software to install(,). We want you to get lost in your reading and not in the technology. Kindle uses a new kind of display called electronic paper. Sharp and natural with no strong light, reading on Kindle is nothing like reading from a computer screen. Kindle weighs only 10.3 ounces --less than a paperback --but can carry two hundred books. Enjoy learning about Kindle and many thanks! With the device, the reader is able to _ . A get rid of heavy books made of paper B improve reading skills C gain access to free software D enjoy reading when driving a car Answer: A
The soldiers had just moved to the desert, and as they had never been in such a place before, they had a lot to learn. As there were no trees or buildings in the desert, it was, of course, very hard to hide their trucks from enemy planes. The soldiers were, therefore, given training in camouflage. They were shown how to paint their trucks in irregular patterns with pale green, yellow, and brown paints, and then to cover them with nets to which they had tied small pieces of cloth. The driver of the biggest truck had a lot of trouble camouflaging it. He spent several hours painting it, preparing a net and searching for some heavy rocks with which to hold the net down. When it was all finished, he went for lunch. When he came back from his meal, he was surprised and worried to see that his camouflage was completely spoilt by the truck's shadow, which was growing longer and longer as the afternoon advanced. He stood looking at it, not knowing what to do. Soon an officer arrived, and he, too, saw the shadow, of course. "Well," he shouted to the poor driver, "What are you going to do about it? If an enemy plane comes over, the pilot will at once know that there is a truck there." "I know, sir," answered the soldier. "Well, don't just stand there doing nothing!" said the officer. "What shall I do, sir?" asked the poor driver. "Get your spade and throw some sand over the shadow, of course!" answered the officer. From this passage you can know _ . There is a problem each of us faces in following advice on emotional healing: apologizing is difficult. We are trapped in what we think of ourselves by holding onto our pride. We can be selfish and not willing to admit our most obvious mistakes. Pride eats away at us as we argue or ignore the mistake. It's happened to me. I have had too much pride and selfishness to apologize to a loved one I hurt. When I did want to apologize, I couldn't bring myself to face the other person. This is the pride I'm talking about. Maybe apologies come difficult for men because they're expected to be dominant. It's like the joke that a man never asks for directions when lost. Ladies are more emotionally open than guys and are willing to express it. Still, both genders wonder how to correctly apologize. In shifting the focus on apologizing away from you, what does not apologizing do to other people? They feel hurt that you are not willing to communicate your mistake. They lose trust in you as you hide behind your mistake avoiding reality. They become angry with you, wondering why you do not tell them the truth. They may begin to counter your lack of apologies by not apologizing themselves and from this the relationship goes downhill as the two of you get caught in a power struggle. You need to communicate your mistakes. A mistake you made is like a scratch and by not apologizing you are making the scratch a deeper wound and rubbing salt into it. You need to stop hurting the other person and yourself by learning to apologize. There is real power in apologizing and emotional healing. What bad effect will there be if you refuse to apologize for your mistakes? A few years after World II finished, Scientists spoke with great eagerness about the use of nuclear as source of energy. Within twenty years, they said, nuclear would take the place of coal, gas and oil as a source of power at home and in industry. This promise has never been carried out and there are serious doubts that it ever will be. Nuclear power plants are used to produce energy in some wealthier countries, but the cost is high. Although safety measures have been taken, radiation leaks have taken place and workers have been killed or affected. The problem of getting rid of the nuclear waste has proved most difficult. There is a limit to the mount of waste materials which can be buried in the ground or poured in the seabed. These methods may also cause more problems. Waste materials polluted by radiation may remain dangerous for 200 years or more. It has no surprise that scientists have turned to the sun and the sea as sources of power. The sun shines day after day almost wastefully, providing us with energy far beyond all our earth. Which of the following statements is true? The house was quiet at 5 am and Tim's mother was asleep. Only the sound of the big freezer broke the quiet. He'd dreamt of the cave last night. The purring of the freezer had been the sea . Tim pulled on a sweater and put some apples into his schoolbag. It was too early for breakfast. He'd eat after he'd been through the cave, sitting on the rocks and staring at the sea. He wished he had a proper pack. His schoolbag would have to do. What else? Sandwiches--but his mother might wake up if he started pulling out bread for sandwiches, she'd want to know why he had to leave so early. , and left a note stuck to the table: Gone to Michael's. Back tonight. Tim. The sky was high and soft and light outside, though the sun still wasn't up. Even the highway up the hill was quiet as he made his way down the street. The wind from the sea was fresh and sweet. The sandhills still breathed heat from yesterday's sun, though the top of the sand was cool. He ran down to the beach impatiently, but there was no one, just dry sand dancing in the early wind and seabirds marching up and down watching the waves. The light changed suddenly. The first rays of sunlight stretched across the sea . The sun was pushing its way over the edge of the world. Over the first rocks, along to the point. Tim glanced back. The beach was still empty. The sun sailed higher in the sky. He could see the cave now, even darker in the morning light. The sand turned silver then dark gold as the water flowed away from it. He had to force himself to go closer. Why was it so much more mysterious now ? But it would be silly to go back now after so much trouble. He needn't go in all the way ... What made it possible for Tim to see the entry to the cave? It was near Christmas during my first term teaching at a new school. I loved my small special class more than any group I had taught in the past. They were hungry for knowledge and I was enjoying teaching. Other teachers had told me that our children were from poor families and not to expect any child to bring a Christmas gift. In fact, I wasn't expecting any gifts. Imagine my surprise when every child brought me a gift on the day before our holiday break. First, I got a much-loved toy monkey from a shy girl. I was told, "He is my favorite, but I love you and I want him to be with you, Miss Taylor." How thrilled I was! Next came a new set of Christmas tree lights that was "missing" from a mother's cupboard . Finally, I came to one little boy's gift which I had never received. It was an old, dirty and broken Christmas storybook. Just when I wanted to show my happiness, I was interrupted by the giver, "And see, it is new! It still has the price tag ." When other children laughed at him, I stopped them and said, "Oh, books are good in that way. The story is always new if you have not read it before. Now, Let's read one together." Everyone listened quietly as I read the most wonderful Christmas story of my life. I still keep those Christmas gifts. They always remind me of my lovely kids. Miss Taylor loved her small special class so much because _ .
Zhang Lili, a 29-year-old middle school teacher at the No 19 middle school in the city of Jiamusi in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province was crossing the road just outside the school's gate when a school bus suddenly came rushing toward nearby students at 8:38 pm on May 8, 2012. "There were three buses at the school gate ready to pick up students, but the one in the back suddenly crashed into the second bus and pushed it into the first one. There were several students standing between the first and the second buses and they were about to be crushed," said Liu Ye, a student of No. 19 middle school. "We were waiting to board the bus when suddenly _ began moving toward the teachers and students. Zhang Lili immediately pushed the students out of the way, but unfortunately she didn't escape. The bus crushed her legs. " added Liu. Zhang Lili was sent to hospital at about 9 pm and she was critically injured and her blood pressure was low. The situation was quite serious when rushed to hospital. After consulting specialists, the doctors decided that the only way to save her life was cut off both of her legs. Upon learning about the accident, the deputy mayor of the city, Sun Zhe, asked the hospital to "save the young teacher regardless of the cost" "If necessary, we will invite more specialists from the capital city, even from whole nation," said Sun. Fortunately, after 58 hours of emergency medical attention after being transferred to the First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Zhang finally regained consciousness on May 15. " _ , and the doctors are still working full out to save the heroic teacher," said Zhao Mingyan, ICU director at the hospital, where Zhang is now receiving treatment. "Her courage moved all of our staff, and we will try our best to help the brave teacher in her future life. " said Wang Jianwei, the director of center. The Ministry of Education has also named her "National Outstanding Teacher" and called on the country's educators to learn from her. What can be inferred from the remark of the deputy Mayor Sun Zhe? Every possible means is being carried out to save the brave teacher. I became a teacher at 55 years of age. Things were going on so well during my first two periods. Then came my 3rdperiod class - the 8thgraders with only one girl in the class. I thought the class was bad until the intercom came on and the office was asking if I was in my classroom. "Of course," I responded. A student who knew he was going to be late for class had informed the office I was not in my classroom - 10 minutes after class began. When the student came in and I walked over to greet him, he said, "Don't touch me." He then put his head on his desk and did not seem to listen to a word I said. I did not comfront him with the "lie" to the office. The next day he came into class on time. This time instead of listening or following instructions on keyboarding software, he played Internet games. I walked over to him. He looked at me ready to snap back at anything I said. I asked him, "Where did you learn to use a computer like that?" he looked at me surprised. I repeated, "You are really good at that. Where did you learn so much?" He began to tell me his father "used to" buy him games to play, but not anymore. I could feel the pain. Instead of blaming him for being off task, I surprised him and praised him for his skills. Then, I asked him to show me what he could do in our software. He was amazed. On a Friday night at a high school football game, I really got my breakthrough . From about five feet away, in front of his friends he came over to me and gave me a big hug saying, "Hi, Ms. Marie." We talked for a while and before he walked away, he had hugged me two more times. This was a long way from "don't touch me" on that first day. How did the boy react towards Ms. Marie's greeting on the first day? Coldly. When I was seven, my father gave me a Timex, my first watch. I loved it, wore it for years, and haven't had another one since it stopped ticking a decade ago. Why? Because I don't need one. I have a mobile phone and I'm always near someone with an iPod or something like that. All these tell the time -- which is why, if you look around, you'll see lots of empty wrists ; sales of watches to young adults have been going down since 2007. But while these wise people have realized that they don't need them, others -- including some distinguished ones of our time -- are spending total fortunes on them. Brands such as Rolex, Patek Philippe and Breitling command shocking prices, up to PS 250.000 for a piece. This is ridiculous. Expensive cars go faster than cheap cars. Expensive clothes hang better than cheap clothes. But these days, all watches tell the time as well as all other watches. Yes, you may say expensive watches will come with some extra functions -- but who needs them? How often do you dive to 300 metres into the sea to test its function of waterproof, or need to find your direction in the area around the South Pole by using its compass? So why pay that much of five years' school fees for watches that allow you to do these things? If justice were done, the Swiss watch industry should have closed down when the Japanese discovered how to make accurate watches for a five-pound note. Instead, the Swiss re-invented the watch, with the aid of millions of pounds' worth of advertising, as a message about the man ---- usually a famous star, wearing it. Rolexes are for those who spend their weekends climbing icy mountains; a Patek Philippe is for one from a rich or noble family; a Breitling suggests you like to pilot planes across the world. Watches are classified as "investment items" now. A 1994 Philippe recently sold for nearly PS 350, 000, while 1960s Rolexes have gone from 15, 000 to 30, 000 plus in a year. But, to some wealthy people, a watch is more than an investment. It's a valuable toy for self-satisfaction, a matter of fashion. Prices may keep going up -- they've been rising for fifteen years. But when fashion moves on, the owner of that PS 350, 000 treasured object will suddenly find his pride and joy is no more a good investment than my childhood Times. Which would be the best title for the passage? Super-level Watches? Not for Me! A new study shows students who write notes by hand during lectures perform better on exams than those who use laptops . Students are increasingly using laptops for note-taking because of speed and legibility . But the research has found laptop users are less able to remember and apply the concepts they have been taught. Researchers performed experiments that aimed to find out whether using a laptop increased the tendency to make notes "mindlessly" by taking down word for word what the professors said. In the first experiment, students were given either a laptop or pen and paper. They listened to the same lectures and were told to use their usual note-taking skills. Thirty minutes after the talk, they were examined on their ability to remember facts and on how well they understood concepts. The researchers found that laptop users took twice as many notes as those who wrote by hand. However, the typists performed worse at remembering and applying the concepts. Both groups scored similarly when it came to memorizing facts. The researchers' report said, "While more notes are beneficial, if the notes are taken mindlessly, as is more likely the case on a laptop, the benefit disappears." In another experiment aimed at testing long-term memory, students took notes as before but were tested a week after the lecture. This time, the students who wrote notes by hand performed significantly better on the exam. These two experiments suggest that handwritten notes are not only better for immediate learning and understanding, but that they also lead to superior revision in the future. The author of the passage aims to _ . stress the benefit of taking notes by hand It's not much, but it's home. Francis Chan, an engineer, lives in Hampstead, north London, in a flat that's just 4ft wide by 21ft long. He loves it. Tiny though it is, it has got all the comforts. Peter Baynes, Chan's architect ,has achieved a clever piece of design, according to architectural experts. The Chan mini-house was built on what was once a path down the side of a big Victarian house. Not an inch of space is wasted. When you step in through the front door, you're standing in the shower, on Britain' s only self-cleansing doormat . A door opens on to an equally tiny toilet with washbasin. Two steps further in comes the kitchen, complete with full-sized cooker and fridge, and washer/ drier. A worktop folds down from the wall. Another step and you're into the dining/ office area. Four people can sit here for dinner, says Chan as he sets the table-top into place. He even has a fold-down drawing-board for when he's working at home. The bed is hidden under a cover board right at the back. "I don't even have to make the bed," Chan says." I just put the cover down. " Chan's business suits hang neatly on the wall over the bed. Daylight comes in through the skylight. The house feels like a very small boat and Chan admits he toyed with the idea of naming it the "boat-house". "It cost around PS4,700 to build last year. Now it's been valued at PS30,000. It proves that good design doesn't need to cost more. It just needs a lot of care." says Chan. Which of the following is the right order of things described in the text? Shower, toilet, kitchen, dining table and bed

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