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This was the first day of Katie Daglish's new job as the new manager of the Glasgow Underground Lost Property Department. She was really nervous. There were already hundreds of items in the room, including umbrellas, coats, shopping bags, toys and bears. At 9:30 a.m., a worker came in with a box full of new lost property . Katie heard a mobile phone ring and jumped. She looked over to the box. There were over 20 phones there. She found the phone that was ringing but it stopped just when she picked it up. Ten seconds later, it rang again. " Hello." " Hello, who is this?" said a man. It wasn't easy to hear him. " This is Katie Daglish. I work for the Glasgow Underground Lost Property Department." " Do you have my bag?" " What does it look like?" " It has green and white stripes . It says'Celtic'on both sides." " Let me see. Yes! Yes! I've got it." ks5u " Great! My sister will come to your office in the afternoon to get it. Thanks." Katie gave the address to the man. She hoped it would always be this simple. At 2p.m., a lady came into her office. She described the green and white bag and said her cousin had lost it. " I thought it was your brother," said Katie. " No, it's my cousin." Katie thought that there couldn't be many bags like this and the man wasn't easy to hear. He probably said cousin. Katie gave the lady the bag. One hour later, another lady came in. " Hello. You spoke to my brother this morning. You have his Celtic bag. He's so happy because it has PS10,000 in it. He was worried because there are hundreds of Celtic bags in Glasgow." " Ten thousand pounds..." said Katie nervously. She quickly looked in the bag again. She found another Celtic bag with some clothes but nothing else. Katie told the lady what had happened. She was very angry and called the police. Katie thought she would only have this job for one day. A policeman came quickly. She told Katie, who didn't come from Glasgow, that, because Celtic is a popular football team in Glasgow, many people have green and white bags. Katie was just about to describe the first lady to the policeman when the first lady stepped in. she had looked in the bag and found the money. The second lady thanked the first lady and gave her PS500. The policeman told Katie to be more careful and keep the names of people who took lost property. The next day, the man came to thank Katie. He told her to find out more about Glasgow. He then gave her two tickets to the next Celtic football game. Which of the following is right? A. The second lady was to blame. B. Katie was not a native of Glasgow. C. Two ladies just played a joke on Katie. D. Katie was at last fired due to her carelessness. Answer: B. Katie was not a native of Glasgow. Many people who work in London prefer to live outside it, and to go in to their offices or schools every day by train, car or bus, even though this means they have to get up early in the morning and reach home late in the evening. One advantage of living outside London is that houses are cheaper. Even a small flat in London without a garden costs quite a lot to rent. With the same money, one can get a little house in the country with a garden of one's own. Then, in the country one can rest from the noise and hurry of the town. Even though one has to get up earlier and spend more time in trains or buses, one can sleep better at night and during weekends and on summer evenings, one can enjoy the fresh, clean air of the country. If one likes gardens, one can spend one's free time digging, planting, watering and doing other jobs which are needed in a garden. Then, when the flowers and vegetables come up, one has the reward of one who has shared the secret of Nature. Some people, however, take no interest in country things: for them, happiness lies in the town, with its cinemas and theatres, beautiful shops and busy streets, dance-halls and restaurants. Such people would feel that their life was not worth living if they had to live it outside London. An occasional walk in one of the parks and a fortnight's (two weeks) visit to the sea every summer is all the country they want: the rest they are quite prepared to leave to those who are glad to get away from London every night. One can use the same money for _ to buy a little house with a garden in the country. A. getting a small flat with a garden B. having a small flat with a garden C. renting a small flat without a garden D. buying a small flat without a garden Answer: C. renting a small flat without a garden Our magazine is presenting to you the top five i-phone(the best seller of Apple Company) applications for more fun on hiking or camping trips recommended by our A-list field hikers and travelers. 1.GPS Kit by Garafa - Get un-lost (for $10) What it does: Download before you leave or use your phone's data connection to view maps from Google (satellite, landscape, cycling, and street), or Bing (shaded relief, street, or image).Record your movements, drop notes or photo makers on previously-downloaded Google Earth. 2.Photosynth _ - Perfect the view (for free!) What it does: Make interactive 360 x360 panoramas to your own taste.It saves the panorama as a single image to your camera roll after combining images.Once you get to know how to hold the iPhone and move to take the photos, you can have pretty simple, fast panoramas! 3.Soundcloud by Soundcloud - Share the sounds (for free!) What it does: Basic sound recorder with on-board editing (cutting) functions.Upload your recordings to the internet, share on social networks and listen to and follow others! It allows for super-simple recording and uploading to the internet.You can upload all the sounds as "non-shared' files so you can download them to your computer for continued storage and editing.In addition, with this function, you will never fear your dirty laundries are to put you to shame.There is a growing community of users, including Paul Salopek who is walking around the world. 4.Postagram _ - Send moments (App is free!/$1 per card) What it does: The app allows personalized production of e-postcards right from your iPhone.Even photos pop out from the card for sweet fridge posting! There aren't many post offices out in the mountains, so this can be critical to send a gift home.And even if there are post offices where you are traveling, sometimes it's easier, cheaper, and more fun to send your own DIY messages home. 5.Planets by Q Continuum - Love the night sky (for free!) What it does: With automatic location detection , this basic App offers 2D maps and 3D maps of the sky for identifying planets and stars, gives you the rise/set visibility information for the sun and planets, and even has a few facts and visualizations of the moon and planets.Don't forget to download it into your i-phone. Through which application can you receive greetings from a faraway place instantly? A. GPS Kit B. Photosynth C. Postagram D. Planets Answer: C. Postagram For some students, especially those from poor families, taking a job is not a matter of choice, but necessity. They need to work to save for college, or even to supplement family income. Counselors should help students who have a real need to work improve time management skills and seek employment that helps their educational goals. "College costs are high, and young adults also want the amenities that extra money brings," according to John B. Boshoven, counselor for continuing education at Community High School in Michigan. However, he warns, "School is my students' full-time job." Studies show that students who work are more confident and possess better time management skills than students who are not employed. In addition to offering a paycheck, some independence, and satisfaction, a part-time job can provide teenagers with both training and experience. Working teaches students about responsibility and can also reinforce what they are learning in school. "Colleges want to find candidates who demonstrate maturity, responsibility, independence, and initiative, and good workers certainly demonstrate those important character traits," Boshoven says. "Employers can write excellent recommendation letters for the students who have worked for them." On the other hand, experts agree that students who work more than 15 to 20 hours per week often experience lessened school success, which can lead to dropping out entirely. Working long hours can also limit opportunities to build friendships and explore interests that enhance a teenager's intellectual and emotional development. The major point that students should keep in mind is the importance of balance. Dan Crabtree, college and career counselor at Wheaton Academy in Illinois, explains, "We want our students to establish a healthy balance in life and work to maintain it throughout their lives." If working will interfere with completing school work, participating in extracurricular activities, spending time with family and friends, or getting enough rest, it may not be a wise decision. What can be concluded from the passage? A. Students should balance part-time work well with other things. B. Part-time work is important for most students at college. C. Experts' advice is the key to finding a good part-time job. D. All in all, students had better not spend time on part-time work Answer: A. Students should balance part-time work well with other things. People taking the stairs instead of lifts at work can expect to live longer, according to a Swiss study . Regularly walking from floor to floor in an office building decreased death risk by 15 percent, said Dr. Philippe Meyer, the main author of the study, which was done at the University Hospital of Geneva. Stopping the use of lifts led to better fitness, less body fat, thinner waistlines and a drop in blood pressure, the study found. "Using the stairs improves fitness, body shape, blood pressure" Meyer said to the fitness website Swissinfo . "The challenge remains to increase the people's awareness," he said. For the study, 77 employees who don't enjoy sports and exercise from prefix = st1 /GenevaUniversitywere asked to take only the stairs over a three-month period, Swissinfo reported. Results showed an increase in a _ in waist , weight, fat , blood pressure and cholesterol . "This suggests that stair climbing can have major public health effects." Meyer said. Professor Adam Timmis, at The London NHS Trust, said: "It's a small study but valuable because it provides a practical way for busy working people to increase their exercise. Although the amount of exercise appears small, the benefits were clear in improving physical fitness and reducing body fat and blood pressure. " What might be the best title of the passage? A. People loving stair climbing. B. Climbing stairs, climbing to health. C. A Swiss health study. D. How to keep fit nowadays. Answer: B. Climbing stairs, climbing to health.
Many of us believe that a person's mind becomes less active as he grows older.But this is not true,according to Dr.Lissy F.Jarvik,professor of psychiatry at the University of California,Los Angeles,and a board member of the New Center for Aging at the Veterans Hospital.She has studied the mental functioning of aging persons for several years.For example,one of her studies concerns 136 pairs of twins, who were first examined when they were already 60 years old.As Dr.Jarvik continued the study of the twins into their 70s and 80s,their minds did not generally decline as was expected. However,there was some decline in their psycho-motor speed. This means that it took them longer to accomplish mental tasks than it used to.But when speed was not a factor,they lost very little intellectual ability over the years.In general,Dr.Jarvik's studies have shown that there is no decline in knowledge or reasoning ability.This is true not only into the 30s and 40s,but into the 60s and 70s as well. As for learning new things,and ability to remember,studies by Dr.Jarvik and others show that the old are equal to the young.It is true that older people themselves often complain that their memory is not as good as it once was.However,much of what we call"loss of memory"is not that at a11. In the cases where the older person's mind really seems to decline,it is not necessarilv a sign of a decay due to becoming old or"senility".Often it is simply a sign of a depressed emotional state.This depression usually can be got rid of by counseling with a psychologist,or medicine which fights depression. In American society,when an older person loses something,we tend to call him or her"senile".But notice that when a younger person loses something,he does not blame it on senility or loss of memory.He finds some other excuse! A long-term study of 136 pairs of twins showed that the only factor that declined over the years was . psycho-motor speed I have happy memories of trips to Europe, but my trip to Romania was unique. When I was there as recalled, it was like being in a "James Bond" movie. My husband was born there, but his family sent him to study in Italy. Before he left, his mother told him, "As long as I write in pencil, don't come back. When I write to you in pen, it's safe to return." But she never wrote in pen. My husband lived a poor life in Italy. He applied to go to America, but there was a limit in number and he was rejected. He was accepted by Canada, though, and from Calgary he jumped onto a train to San Francisco. There he stayed --illegally. He became a US citizen when we got married. By then he was a charming European with a Romanian accent and the manners of a prince. With seven years' experience in America, a US passport, and two children later, he felt it was safe to visit Romania. He hadn't seen his mother, two sisters, and two brothers since he was sixteen. We flew to Munich, Germany; picked up the German-made car we had purchased in the States; and drove to Romania via Austria and Hungary. When we reached Bucharest, the capital city of Romania, his family was waiting outside his sister's house to greet us. After a long time of hugging, kissing, and crying, his family also hugged me, the American wife with two young children. They had great interest in me. Few Americans visited Romania at that time, and most Romanians had little chance to travel. I had brought an English-Romanian dictionary with me and managed to communicate, using only nouns, with no verbs. My Romanian improved, and the family's stock of English words increased, but mostly I spoke in broken, New York-accented Romanian. The sisters loved their gifts of skirts and purses, the brothers loved the radios, and the children loved the candy. We made side trips to the Black Sea and enjoyed sightseeing in beautiful mountains. Dining at outdoor cafes to the music of violins was fantastic with fancy flavor, but nothing was as special as family dinners. Romania didn't have many dry cleaners. Most homes had old-fashioned washing machines but no dryers, and it was a hot summer. My husband's relatives didn't want to risk dirtying their clothes. Their solution was as simple as it was shocking: the women only wore their bras and slips at dinner table. The men were eating without shirts. They all had jobs, so time was precious. Having dinner without proper clothes was a small inconvenience compared with the effort of washing clothes --at least in my husband's home, perhaps all across Romania. I, of course, having just met them, ate fully clothed. I washed my clothes by hand and hung them outdoors to dry. On the last night of our three-week stay, we had a large family dinner. I was tired of washing my clothes. So I pulled my dress over my head and placed it on the chair behind me. All men and women applauded for my action. Even with my poor Romanian, I understood that they were saying, "She's part of our family now." My children were 4 and 5 at the time, but they still have memories of that trip. They know how to say, "Good morning." and "There are apricots on the tree." I can still say, "Do you speak Romanian?"and "I swim in the Black Sea." But most of all, I remember sitting at a long dining-room table in my bra, enjoying meatballs with fresh garlic . The writer's husband became an American citizen through _ . marriage Some foods that humans eat, such as corn and peas, are actually seeds from plants. What best describes the role of humans in a food web containing these plants? a consumer Now, more and more cities are facing problems, such as high housing costs, pollution and crime. Let's see what people in Hyderabad, India and in Sao Paulo, Brazil do to solve the problems. Hyderabad, India To improve people's lives, Hyderabad is planting more and more trees. The city is even creating _ buildings that use less water and less electricity for power. Adding green to a city has a number of advantages. For example, trees make the air cleaner. In Hyderabad, streets were grey and dirty in the past. However, today they are filled with trees and flowers, making the city cleaner and more colourful. Green areas also give people places to relax or exercise. A study in the USA shows an interesting thing: the greener a neighborhood is, the less crime there is. Sao Paulo, Brazil Many people work in the centre of Sao Paulo, but they don't live there. They've spread out to neighborhoods outside the city because housing is cheaper. Every day, these people travel into the city, and traffic is very heavy. City planners are using different ways to deal with the problem. First, they are building better subways. Another goal is to make it cheaper for people to live in the downtown area . Doing this will reduce traffic and pollution in the city. Which advantage of making Hyderabad greener is NOT talked about in the passage? It helps people work better. I was in the park with my elder sister, Cathy, on Friday. My sister left her jacket on a chair while we talked to some friends. When we went back to the chair, a girl in a red T-shirt was sitting there. She had some money in her hand. When she saw us, she stood up and walked away. I asked my sister, "Did you have any money in your jacket?" She said, "Yes, Anna, I did." I said, "Look in your jacket quickly." Cathy looked in her jacket, but her money was not there. "That girl stole it!" I said, and we both ran after her. We caught her quickly. My sister was very angry and she said, "Give me the money." The girl gave the money to Cathy and ran away. We both ran after her, but we lost her. Then we went home. But before we could tell our parents, my mother said to Cathy, "You left your money at home. It's on the table in the sitting room. You must be more careful with money." So the girl in the red T-shirt was not a thief! She probably thought we were thieves! We felt terrible. Please telephone us if you know this girl! We are very sorry for our mistake. We would like to say sorry to her and give the money back to her. Our number is 512667. My name is Anna. The writer writes the passage to _ . return the money to the girl
Do you know Su Bingtian? He is a Chinese runner. He was born in Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province on August 20th, 1989. When he was a child, he liked running in the school running team. His parents supported him in practicing running and they often encouraged him to run. Though it's very hard for him to win every race, he never gives up. He tries his best to run well every day. He took part in the regular match in November, 2004 for the first time. After that, he won many first prizes in all kinds of matches. On May 31st, 2015, in Saturday's Eugene Grand Prix, the 1.72 meters-tall runner finished third in 9.99 seconds, behind American Tyson Gay in 9.88 seconds and Mike Rodgers in 9.90 seconds. Su Bingtian becomes beats 10-second barrier as the first Asian-born. China's Zhang Peimeng, who raced to his personal best of 10.00 seconds in 2013, is considered the closest to beating the barrier. Now Su Bingtian broke his record. "I am so proud of my result. I can write my name into history now and I will work harder and run faster," said Su Bingtian. Now let's congratulate to Su Bingtian! We hope Su Bingtian will have a better future and good luck to him! Who becomes beats 10-second barrier as the first Asian-born? The son of a Lutheran pastor, Albert Schweitzer was born in a small village in Alsace, then part of Germany.By age 29, Schweitzer had already authored three books and made landmark scholarly contributions in the fields of music, religion, and philosophy.He was an acclaimed organist, a world authority on Bach, a church pastor, a head of a theological seminary , and a university professor with two doctoral degrees. At the age of 30, aware of the desperate medical needs of Africans, he decided to become a doctor and devote the rest of his life to direct service in Africa. In 1913, at the age of 38, Dr.Schweitzer and his wife, Helene, opened a hospital in Lambarene, Gabon- then a province of French Equatorial Africa.Not even serious setbacks of World War I, part of which he and Helene spent as prisoners of war in France, _ him from continuing commitment to his job. In 1915,troubled daily by the vast numbers of suffering patients coming to his hospital for help, he experienced as a revelation the idea of "Reverence for Life" as the elementary and universal principle of ethics that he had been seeking for so long. By stressing the interdependence and unity of all life, he was a forerunner of the environmental and animal welfare movements - Rachel Carson dedicated Silent Spring to him. In 1952, at the age of 77, Schweitzer was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. During the last twelve years of his life, his speeches and writings emphasized the dangers of atmospheric nuclear test explosions and the suicidal nuclear arms race between the superpowers. After retiring as a practicing doctor, Albert Schweitzer continued to oversee the hospital until his death at the age of 90. To the end, his one frustration was that he had not succeeded in convincing the world to abolish nuclear weapons. He and his wife are buried on the Hospital grounds in Lambarene. Which following statement about Albert Schweitzeris TRUE? These days, it seems that almost all of us are too serious.My older daughter often says to me, "Daddy, you've got that serious look again." Even those of us who are committed to non-seriousness are probably too serious.People are frustrated and anxious about almost everything -- being five minutes late, witnessing someone look at us wrong or say the wrong thing, paying bills, waiting in line, overcooking a meal, making an honest mistake -- you name it, and we all lose perspective over it. The root of being anxious is our unwillingness to accept life as being different, in any way, from our expectation.Very simply, we want things to be a certain way but they're not a certain way.Life is simply as it is.Perhaps Benjamin Franklin said it best: "Our limited perspective, our hopes and fears become our measure of life, and when circumstances don't fit our ideas, they become our difficulties." We spend our lives wanting things, people, and events to be just as we want them to be -- and when they're not, we fight and we suffer. The first step in recovering from over-seriousness is to admit that you have a problem.You have to want to change, to become more easygoing.You have to see that your own anxiety is largely of your own creation -- it's made up of the way you have set up your life and the way you react to it. The next step is to understand the link between your expectations and your frustration level.Whenever you expect something to be a certain way and it isn't, you're upset and you suffer.On the other hand, when you let go of your expectations, when you accept life as it is, you're free. A good exercise is to try to approach a single day without expectation.Don't expect people to be friendly.When they're not, you won't be surprised or bothered; if they are, you'll be delighted.Don't expect your day to be problem-free.Instead, as problems come up, say to yourself, "Ah, another barrier to overcome." As you approach your day in this manner you'll notice how elegant life can be.Rather than fighting against life, you'll be dancing with it.Pretty soon, with practice, you'll lighten up your entire life.And when you lighten up, life is a lot more fun. What might be the best title for the passage? One example of matter is According to a recent article in The Wall Street Journal, we might all be braggarts in this competitive society addicted to social networking. Take a close look at your socialnetworking sites. Do you like to post photos of yourself in restaurants to show others what an exciting life you have? Or do you like to write about how happily in love you are? Or perhaps you are of the subtle type who constantly complain about jobs but really just want to impress others with your important position. According to the results of a series of experiments conducted by Harvard University neuroscientists , the reward areas of our brain----the same areas that respond to "primary rewards" such as food ----are activated when we talk about ourselves. We devote between 30 to 40 percent of our conversation time to doing just that. Unfortunately, Bernstein says, some people can't tell the difference between sharing positive information that others might actually want to know and direct bragging. She suggests that bragging involves comparison, whether stated or implied. "We are expected to be perfect all the time. The result is that more and more people are carefully managing their online images". says Elizabeth Bernstein, a columnist with the Wall Street Journal. But the issue is not limited to the Internet. In a fiercely competitive job market we must sell ourselves on multiple platforms and show that we are better than others. In fact, we have become so accustomed to bragging that we don't even realize we are doing it, says Bernstein. This is harmful to our relationships and puts people off. Bernstein talked to some experts who said that people brag for all sorts of reasons: to appear worthy of attention; to prove to ourselves we are doing fine and that people who said we would fail are wrong; or simply because we're excited when good things happen to us. "Feel sorry for them, because they're doing this unconscious, destructive thing that won't help them in the long run," said Professor Simian Valier, a research psychologist at Washington University. What can we infer from the passage?
When I was in junior high school, I was really a bad boy. My history teacher--Mr. Oven criticized me a lot because I was naughty in his class. By the end of the first semester, I'd had enough of his words and had decided that I would get my revenge on him. The opportunity arose one morning when Mr. Oven was called to the office for a certain reason. While Mr. Oven left, my company Billy and I grabbed Mr. Oven's lunch bag from under his desk. I opened his sandwich and placed a bug in between the two slices of bread. We put it back and closed it. To keep it in memory, Billy took photos of the whole process. We laughed for weeks over this. _ Billy's mother found the pictures in his room, and demanded that he should tell her where these pictures were from. Billy told his mother the whole story, and Mr. Oven was informed. Not only was I punished from school for two weeks, but also I was kicked off the football and basketball team. Before I could return to school, I had to turn in a 1000-word essay on what I did and why I did that. I really felt embarrassed every time I saw Mr. Oven in the hallway for the rest of the school year. I felt a little regret that Mr. Oven left our school the next year. How can you imagine Mr. Oven when he had his lunch? A He would be glad to eat his delicious sandwich with the bug. B He would eat it as usual when he had his sandwich. C He would cry because he was afraid of the bug in his sandwich. D He would be very angry when he found the bug in his sandwich. Answer: D. He would be very angry when he found the bug in his sandwich. An electric signal can trick a monkey's brain into believing the animal's finger has been touched. Touch something, and your brain knows. The hand sends signals to the brain to announce contact was made. But that feeling of touch may not require making actual contact, tests on monkeys now show. Zapping brain cells can fool the animal into thinking its finger has touched something. A person who has lost a limb or become paralyzed may need an artificial limb to complete everyday tasks. But such patients may not truly feel any objects they hold. The new findings point toward one day creating a sense of touch in those who use such artificial limbs. Psychologist Sliman Bensmaia of University of Chicago worked on the new tests. His team's findings appeared on October 14 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. The sense of touch is crucial to everyday tasks: People without _ may have difficulty cracking an egg, lifting a cup or even turning a doorknob. That's why restoring it is a major goal for designers of artificial limbs. In their new study, Bensmaia and his co-workers worked with rhesus monkeys . The scientists implanted electrodes --- small devices that can detect and relay an electrical signal--into the animals' brains. The scientists used the electrode data to identify which neurons had become active. Then the scientists used the implanted electrodes to zap those same neurons. And the monkeys reacted as though their fingers had been touched. In fact, they hadn't. The monkeys couldn't use words to tell the scientists what they had felt. Instead, they communicated by looking in a particular direction--just as when they had really been touched. The new findings show how touch-sensitive devices could be built. The new study also offers " a nice clear pathway" for figuring out how to restore a sense of touch to an amputee or someone with a injury of spinal cord. The study shows how artificial limbs might be connected to the brain so that a person can "feel" with such a prosthesis . But such a supersensory device doesn't exist yet and scientists have a lot of work to do before people will benefit from it. Researchers must first figure out whether the electrodes would work in people in the same way they do in monkeys. " I think the foundation is laid for human trials," Bensmaia said. The passage is mainly about _ . A restoring a sense of touch B fooling a clever monkey C making new artificial limbs D sending a signal with a touch Answer: A. restoring a sense of touch Gants Hill, London We are looking for a few volunteers to work with us in the creation of a new events group which is needing help to expand and may lead to part-time or full-time work. Hours are flexible, and successful candidates will be working on social media and liaising phone calls with organizations and groups. Candidates must speak excellent fluent English. VOLUNTEER EVENTS ADMINISTRATION Westminster, London We would like an enthusiastic and outgoing administration volunteer for our Events Team at our London Head Office. This opportunity would suit a well-organized person with an eye for detail and good computer skills. You will support our Events by sending thank-you letters, answering the telephone, and assisting with all aspects of event organization for 2 days a week. LOVE MUSIC? WANT EVENTS EXPERIENCE? Notting Hill, London Oxfam Notting Hill Takeover are looking for volunteers for our music festival on 19th October 2013. The festival takes place in 5 places in Notting Hill. This charity event will be showcasing over 30 bands and DJs and playing all forms of music. We need a team of volunteers to assist us on the day in order to make sure everybody has a good time. If you want to be a part of a great event to help us raise money for Oxfam then please come along to our open recruitment session . VOLUNTEERS WANTED! Hillingdon, London Royal Voluntary Service is a national charity which delivers services through volunteers to help older people remain active and independent in their communities. We are growing our new Dementia Support Service in Hillingdon and need help from you! You will be required to have good communication skills. If you want to work with the new events team, you should _ . A be confident B work full-time C speak English very well D have enough experience Answer: C. speak English very well We have two very good TEEL (Teach English as a Foreign Language) teaching opportunities available in Tetouan,, northern Morocco with a privately owned English language school which was founded in 2011 and follows British courses. The new teachers needed by the school will begin to work on October 1st, 2016. Overview Teach children from the ages of 7 or even younger to adults. Teach all levels of English from beginner to the advanced. Teach conversation classes. Teaching hours will be 6 to 40 hours a week depending on student enrollment . Salary & Benefits Provide accommodation: a small furnished apartment near to the school, which is close to the center of the city and transport links. Share an apartment with another teacher. Each teacher will have their own bedroom but has to share a bathroom with another teacher. Electricity and water bills to be paid by the teacher. Receive weekly salary based on Moroccan standards of living of 600 dirhams a week. Class for children All students are local Moroccan student who live in the surrounding area. Our school uses Macmillan books. We have three terms in a year and each term consists of 15 weeks. Classes are mostly in the evening from 5 pm to 9:30 pm; however, some morning classes are also available, which are usually classes for housewives. There are no classes on Saturday. Requirements Bachelor's degrees (any field). Native English speaker. Teaching experience preferred. To apply, please email us with a copy of your information: jobs@eslstarter. com We can learn from the passage that a teacher _ . A will not give lessons on Saturday B will have to teach 50 hours a week C can use electricity and water for free D will share a bedroom with another teacher Answer: A. will not give lessons on Saturday A few minutes ago , walking back from lunch , I started to cross the street when I heard the sound of a coin dropping . It wasn't much but , as I turned , my eyes caught the heads of several other people turning too . A woman had dropped what appeared to be a dime . The tinkling sound of a coin dropping on sidewalk is an attention-getter . It can be nothing more than a penny . Whatever the coin is , no one ignores the sound of it . It got me thinking about sounds again . We are surrounded by so many sounds that attract the most attention . People in prefix = st1 /New York Cityseldom turn to look when a fire engine, a police car or an ambulance comes screaming along the street . When I'm in New York, I'm a New Yorker . I don't turn either . Like the natives . I hardly hear a siren there . At home in my little town in Connecticut, it's different . The distant loud noise of a police car , an emergency vehicle or a fire siren brings me to my feet if I'm seated and brings me to the window if I'm in bed . It's the quietest sounds that have most effect on us , not the loudest . In the middle of the night , I can hear a dripping tap a hundred yards away through three closed doors . I've been hearing little creaking noises and sounds which my imagination turns into footsteps in the middle of the night for twenty-five years in our house . How come I never hear those sounds in the daytime ? I'm quite clear in my mind what the good sounds are and what the bad sounds are . I've turned against whistling , for instance . I used to think of it as the mark of a happy worker but lately I've been connecting the whistler with a nervous person making noises . The tapping , tapping ,tapping of my typewriter as the keys hit the paper is a lovely sound to me . I often like the sound of what I write better than the looks of it . How does the writer feel about sounds in general ? A They make him feel at home . B He thinks they should be ignored . C He believes they are part of our lives . D He prefers silence to loud noises . Answer: C. He believes they are part of our lives .
When I worked as a waitress in Chicago, US, my coworkers and I would sigh whenever we heard someone with a foreign accent coming into our restaurant. We knew what it meant to serve a non-American: no tip. We would work just as hard as we always did, but we might not get paid. Americans have an unspoken rule about tipping: they give tips to almost everyone who offers them a service of some kind. Americans tip their waiters, barbers and taxi drivers. An appropriate tip is between 15 and 20 percent of the amount charged for the service (But the charge for the tip doesn't appear on the bill. The customer is expected to add it himself/herself.) Tipping less than this sends a message to your waiters that you think they've done a bad job serving you. And to leave no tip at all is simply unacceptable. It's not that American waiters are greedy. In many countries, waiters are paid a salary for their work. They'll earn money even if no one comes into the restaurant. This system offers much more safety for waiters than the American version. In the US, waiters know that a night without customers means a night without pay. Some countries include a tip for waiters - a "service charge" - on the bill itself. Since the tip is included with the other charges, waiters don't need to worry about people forgetting to tip. But in the US, waiters do not receive a salary, and service charges only appear on bills when there are six or more customers at the table. Since almost all American customers are familiar with the system, they know to add a tip without being told. But visitors to the US may expect waiters to be paid a salary, or think that the tip is included on the bill. So much as we waiters loved hearing stories about other places from our foreign customers, we were always nervous when they got ready to leave the restaurant. We were never sure what to expect. If you order $200 worth of food, which of the following is a proper total payment? Answer: $230 The round--the --lock availability that cell phones have brought to people's lives may be _ amily life, a new study suggests.The study, which followed more than 1300 adults over 2 years, found that those who consistently used a mobile phone through out the study period were more likely to report negative "spillover" between work and home life - and, in turn, less satisfaction with their family life. Spillover actually means that the line between work and home began to become unclear, Work life may invade home life-when a parent is taking job--related calls at home, for instance - or family issues may start to take up work time.For example, a child may call Mom at work, telling her "the microwave exploded" , explained Noelle Chesley, an assistant professor of society at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee and the author of the study. The problem with cell phones seems to be they are allowing for ever more spillover between work and home. This may be especially true for working women, the study found.Among men, consistent use of mobile phones seemed not to allow more work issues to creep into family time.But for women, the spillover tended to go in both directions - being "connected" means that work cuts into home time, and family issues come into work life. Cell phones seem to be opening more lines for stressful exchange among family members.But there may be ways to control the spillover, according to Chesley. Employers, she said, should look at their policies on contacting employees after working hours to make sure their expectations are"reasonable".For their part, employees can decide that cell phones go off during family time, Chesley said, What is the main idea of this passage? Answer: Cell phones get life and work mixed. A professor I have worked pretty closely with has been diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. It has been devastating for his family and heartbreaking for his students. What made him extraordinary was not only that he was a rising star. He had only recently collected the highest honors for young researchers at the White House. We truly admire him--as someone put it, 'He always has a smile and a kind word for everyone." It is very hard to find someone who is extremely intelligent should be so nice a human being. I decided that we needed him to know _ and also how we are all praying for his recovery. I bought him a simple card which read, 'Healing thoughts and wishes coming your way." I met all the students he worked closely with and got them to sign on it. Each student in his laboratory signed and also added a message. 'We love you so much", 'We miss you! We need you back here--recover soon"... These were some of the messages that were written. Most of the students were really glad we were doing this and said it was a very good idea to give it to him. He is still undergoing intense treatment, and along with his family is trying his best to stay optimistic and hopeful. I didn't see a trace of self-pity or sadness when I met him last week. Instead, he paid attention to every word of my presentation and asked me several questions related to my work. I was amazed at how much he gave his 100% on that day in spite of being in pain because of chemotherapy( ),he did not know if he even had another month to live. "I am trying to focus on staying positive, hoping to be back this summer," he said. Needless to say, I saw an expression of joy and hope on his face as he opened the card. He said he was truly touched to see the messages from the students he worked closely with. There is one thing I learnt from last week: It is so important to tell people how much they mean to us and what an inspiration they are before it becomes too late. My professor, in spite of being too sick to teach classes, has managed to continue being a great teacher, introducing his last valuable message to us. Of the following statements, the writer may agree that _ . Answer: the professor loves his job very much Wikipedia: The Online Know-It-All If you want to find out a piece of information about anything, the best place to search for it is Wikipedia. The name "Wikipedia" is from the Hawaiian word wiki, meaning "quick". This online encyclopedia is written by thousands of people around the world. Anyone with Internet access can write, add or make changes to Wikipedia articles if he or she finds it incorrect or not well written. In this way, people who know a lot about a certain subject can write about it even if they are not university professors. But contributions cannot damage Wikipedia because many experienced editors are watching pages and techies can write editing programs to keep track of or correct bad edits. Where there are disagreements on how to present facts, editors work together to arrive at an article that fairly represents current expert opinion on the subject. Wikipedia is quite different from paper-based reference sources in important ways. Unlike printed encyclopedias, it is continually created and updated, with articles on historic events appearing within minutes, rather than months or years. What's more, Wikipedia includes articles written in about 285 languages. This fact makes it one of the few websites on the Internet that are truly international. It was started in 2001 by Larry Sanger and Jimmy Wales, as a free online English-language encyclopedia project. Since its creation, it has grown rapidly into one of the largest reference websites, attracting nearly 500 million unique visitors monthly. There are more than 77,000 active contributors working on more than 22,000,000 articles in different languages. As of today, there are 4,396,866 articles in English. So, if you are looking for some information, why not try Wikipedia? It's free, multilingual,and informative. Where can we probably read the passage? Answer: In a science magazine. Rachel purchased a kit for making a skateboard ramp. Which of the following is most important to have for putting the ramp together? Answer: a set of instructions for the kit materials
Like most people, I was brought up to look upon life as a process of getting. It was not until in my late thirties that I made this important discovery: giving-away makes life so much more exciting. You need not worry if you lack money. This is how I experimented with giving-away. If an idea for improving the window display of a neighborhood store flashes to me, I step in and make the suggestion to the storekeeper. One discovery I made about giving-away is that it is almost impossible to give away anything in this world without getting something back, though the return often comes in all unexpected form. One Sunday morning, the local post office delivered an important special delivery letter to my home, though it was addressed to me at my office. I wrote the postmaster a note of appreciation. More than a year later I needed a post-office box for a new business I was starting. I was told at the window that there were no boxes left, and that my name would have to go on a long waiting list. As I was about to leave, the postmaster appeared in the doorway. He had overheard our conversation. "Wasn't it you that wrote us that letter a year ago about delivering a special delivery to your home?" I said yes. "Well, you certainly are going to have a box in this post office if we have to make one for you. You don't know what a letter like that means to us. We usually get nothing but complaints." From the passage, we understand that _ . A. the author did not understand the importance of giving until he was in late thirties B. the author was like most people who were mostly receivers rather than givers C. the author received the same education as most people during his childhood D. the author liked most people as they looked upon life as a process of getting Answer: A I believe in leaving work at five o'clock. In a nation with such a strict work ethic , this is considered strange. Working only 40 hours a week? I just don't know many people who punch out at five o'clock anymore. My father tried to teach me the importance of hard work, long hours and devotion to a career. But then there are the things he taught me unintentionally, like when he arrived home from work for the last time and crawled up the stairs. My father, a self-employed sales trainer, was that sick, that tired. His body was wracked with liver cancer, and he suffered the effects of a diabetic ulcer . Despite all this, he insisted on traveling a long way to give a lecture. He probably earned a lot of money that day, but he paid the price. He returned to the hospital soon afterwards and was dead within three months, aged just 58. It's been 10 years since I saw my father come home that night and since then, I've thought a lot about work. I've decided something: I will never crawl up the stairs exhausted. As much as I love my job as a newspaper reporter, I will never work myself into the ground, physically or emotionally. _ After all, I am my father's daughter. In college, I was the girl who sat on the library steps each morning, waiting for the doors to open. I even dreamt about schoolwork. My dad once told me he was unable to just gaze at a sunset; he had to be doing something as he looked at it--writing, reading, playing chess. You could say he was a success: He was a published author, an accomplished musician, fluent in many languages. That's an impressive list, but the thing is I want to gaze at sunsets. I don't want to meet a deadline during them or be writing a column at the same time, or glance at them over the top of a book. This raises the question: If I leave work at five o' clock to watch the sunset, what are the consequences? Do I risk not reaching the top of my profession? Maybe, because honestly, knocking off after eight hours probably won't earn me the best promotion. But hey, leaving work at five o' clock means I eat dinner with my family. I get to hop on my bike and cycle through the streets of my hometown when there is no traffic. And I get to take in a lot of sunsets. That's got to be worth something. What's the author's attitude toward promotion? A. She doesn't care about it at all. B. She is eager to get promoted C. She thinks it's for the ambitious people D. Getting promoted at all costs is not worthwhile Answer: D The smell of fresh air is becoming something of a distant memory, thanks to our increasing use of fragrance . From air fresheners to scented candles, we live in a world of scent. Recent figures show seven in ten people use air fresheners or scented candles to keep our homes smelling sweet. Yet recent records suggest that perfumed products could affect our health, causing problems including allergies , headaches and asthma . One leading expert believes nearly a third of people suffer health effects from being exposed to scents. A major problem is so-called "contact" allergy--where perfumes and scented products cause eczema when they come into contact with the skin. About one in 20 is thought to be affected by fragrance allergy. "Often it may not be immediately obvious that you have developed a fragrance allergy," says Dr. Baron. "You don't react immediately. Gradually, as you are exposed more and more, the body increases its reaction, until it becomes noticeable to you." People with pre-existing eczema are particularly vulnerable . "The eczema worsens in areas in contact with perfumes," says Dr. Baron. "But even those without allergies can be at risk of fragrance allergy." You can become suddenly allergic to perfumes and personal care products that you have been using for years. "Even if you know which fragrance causes a problem, it can be difficult to avoid, as most personal care products -soap, shampoo, sun cream and washing powder--contain fragrances," says Dr. Baron. And strong scents can also cause headaches. Fragrances activate the nose's nerve cells, stimulating the nerve system associated with head pain. To minimize risk, sufferers are advised to minimize the contact. "Fragrance suggest cleanliness - yet people are smelling a potentially dangerous chemical mixture," says Anne Steinemann, professor of the University of Washington. "We often use them to mask one problem - as with air fresheners - but create a greater one - adding poisonous chemicals to the air." According to Dr. Baron, _ . A. our bodies have an immediate reaction to fragrance. B. seven in ten have suffered fragrance allergy. C. fragrance can affect people who don't have allergy D. people can avoid contacting with fragrance easily Answer: C The rhino population is smaller than before because A. cars crashed into rhinos B. lions have become more effective at hunting rhinos C. global warming has increased temperatures D. people use parts for health remedies Answer: D Parent fans, both dads and mums, are shaming British football with their bad behaviour. Hundreds of junior soccer matches had to be abandoned last season because parent fans were swearing or even fighting on the touchline. At schools and clubs across the UK, hundreds of more matches also had to be called off for the same reason. Reports tell of abuse at referees , players and coaches and fight breaking out on the touchline. Enough is enough Peter Wright, a keen referee of junior soccer, finally hung up his boots last season. He decided to walk away for good. He said "Every week I have had to take abuse and I've had enough of it." "Parents' behaviour is reducing many school teachers, referees, coaches and volunteers to despair." The kids are suffering Jim Peter, a referee, said, "We are getting desperate and the kids are suffering." He described the way spectators behave as and getting worse year by year. The big question is why so many parents shame their children in this way. Aggressive Behavior Contracts may have to be introduced to stop the violence and abuse. If not, the game will suffer. Sign up to good conduct Last season players and parents were made to sign a new good behavior contract. "If a parent breaks the contract, I take his or her child off the pitch and get him or her to explain why I have done so to the child," said Marc Nash, Wallsend's assistant leader. "The next step is to ban both the parent and the child, but happily, so far this has not been necessary." Who's an assistant leader in the passage? A. Marc Nash. B. Jim Peter. C. Peter Wright. D. Wallsend. Answer: A
Question: The English expect each other to observe the rules of queuing, feel highly offended when these rules are broken, but lack the confidence or social skills to express their annoyance in a straightforward manner. In other countries, this is not a problem: in America, where a queue-jumper has committed a kind of rudeness rather than a sin, the response is a loud warning: the offender is simply told "Hey, you, get back in line!" or words to that effect. On the European continent, the reaction tends to be loud and argumentative; in some other parts of the world, queue-jumpers may simply be pushed back into line. Ironically , it is only in England, where queue-jumping is regarded as deeply immoral, that the queue-jumper is likely to get away with the offence. Only rarely do the English actually speak up and tell the jumper to go to the back of the queue. Queuing is almost a national pastime for the English, who automatically arrange themselves into orderly lines at bus stops, shop counters, ice-cream vans, entrances, exits, and lifts. In 1946, a Hungarian humorist described queuing as English "national passion". "On the continent," he said. "if people are waiting at a bus stop they walk around in a seemingly relaxed fashion. When the bus arrives they make a dash for it...An Englishman, even if he is alone, forms orderly queue of one." In an update over thirty years later in 1977 he confirmed that this was still the case. After nearly another thirty years nothing much seems to have changed. In many cases, queue-jumping is effectively prevented by non-verbal signals alone. When someone is considering jumping a queue, the queuers will start glancing at him sideways, through narrowed, suspicious eyes. Then they move a bit closer to the person in front of them, just in case the jumper might try to insert himself in the gap. Frowns, glares, and raised eyebrows -- accompanied by heavy sighs, pointed coughs -- are usually the worst that the person will suffer if he jumps a queue. Faced with all this, the jumper will think better of it and withdraw to the back of the queue. What is the best title of this passage? A. A social skill to improve your life: queuing B. Bad manners around the world: queue-jumping C. A culture of European countries: queuing D. An English aspect of life: queuing Answer: D. An English aspect of life: queuing Question: A man living absolutely alone in a desert or forest is free from other people; but he is not absolutely free. His freedom is limited in several ways. Firstly, by the things around him, such as wild animals or cliffs too steep to climb. Secondly, by his own needs: he must have sleep, water, food and shelter from extreme heat or cold. Lastly, by his own nature as a man: disease may attack him, and death will certainly come to him sooner or later. When men live together, on the other hand, protection against wild animals is easier and they can work together to get food and build shelters; but each man has to give up some of his freedom so that he can live happily with the others. When men become organized into very large groups, and civilization develops, it is possible to get freedom from hunger, thirst, cold, heat and many diseases, so that each person can live a happier life than he could if he were living alone; but such a society can not work successfully unless the freedom of each human being is to some extent limited so that he is kept from hurting others. I am not free to kill others, nor to steal someone else's property, nor to behave in a way that offends against the moral sense of the society in which I live. I have to limit my own freedom myself so that others will not limit it too much: I agree to respect the rights of others, and in return they agree to respect mine. The advantages of such an agreement are great: one man can become a doctor, knowing that others will grow food, make clothes and build a house for him, in return for the work he does to keep them healthy. If each man had to grow his own food, make his own clothes, build his own house and learn to be his own doctor, he would find it impossible to do any one of these jobs really well. By working together, we make it possible for society to provide us all with food, clothes, shelter and medical care, while leaving each of us with as much freedom as it can. We may infer from the passage that the author _ . A. is against separation from a civilized society. B. is in favor of a well-organized society. C. is against freedom gained at others. D. denies the existence of many-sided people Answer: B. is in favor of a well-organized society. Question: Everything has a name.All people,places,and things have names.For example,Jenny is the name of a student from England.England is the name of a country.Cities and towns have names,too.Schools and office buildings also have names.For example,tomato,potato and bean are names of vegetables.Apple,orange,and banana are names of fruit.Names are important.We use names every day.When we meet a new person,we usually ask,"What's your name?"It's important to learn a person's name.Most people have two names.Some people have more names.Names are different all over the world.In Jenny's class.Jenny must learn the names of the students from all over the world.This is very difficult because the names are very different. In the United States,most people have a first name,a middle name and a last name.Parents choose the first and middle names for their babies.There are names for boys and names for girls.The last name is the family name.Usually it is the father's family name.In a family,the mother, the father, and the children usually have the same last name. Sometimes a person has a _ ,too.A nickname is a special name.It's not a person's real name.Abraham Lincoln's nickname was"Honest Abe".An honest person always tells the truth,and Abe is short for Abraham.Because he was an honest person.his nickname was Honest Abe.Pele is a nickname,too.The football player's real name is Edison Aeraesde Nascimento,but everyone calls him Pele.Do you have a nickname? Names are different all over the world.They can be long or short.but they are always very important What is Pele's real name? A. Honest Abe. B. Abraham Lincoln. C. Edison Aeraesde Nascimento. D. We don't know. Answer: C. Edison Aeraesde Nascimento. Question: Do you want to see the effects of global warming? Then head north. Will Steger is going to take all of us there. Steger, 64, the first person to make a dogsled trip to the North Pole, is a very famous and admired polar explorer. He's at home in frozen parts of the world where few humans ever step on. Steger is also a devoted environmentalist who was early to ring the alarm bell on global warming. He saw its effects firsthand in frequent polar expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctica. Now Steger is about to lead a team of six young adventurers on a 1,400-mile, 60-day-long dogsled trip across Ellesmere Island, in the Canadian Arctic. The sea ice in that region should still be frozen. "We want to take our audience to the front lines of global warming," says Steger. The team will be uploading videos, stories and photos to the website globalwarming101.com as they march along, allowing armchair adventurers and kids in classrooms to follow their progress day to day. "We can actually bring the audience up there," Steger says. Steger's team will include some already-famous young explorers. Sam Branson, the 22-year-old son of British airline tycoon Richard Branson, is an experienced Arctic traveler. Also on the journey will be 27-year-old Norwegian Sigrid Ekran. Last year, Ekran became only the second woman in history to win Rookie of the Year for the Iditarod Sled Dog Race. What they will see may be very surprising. Even Steger doesn't know exactly what to expect. Climate change has already reshaped the geography of the Arctic. "Within a decade or less, it's going to be impossible to reach the North Pole by dog team without flotation ," says Steger. Climate change is happening, but people can change too. Their willingness to change will determine the shape of the Earth's future. According to Steger, people can save the earth by _ . A. changing their harmful way of life B. learning more about the environment C. willingly giving up their comfortable life D. getting used to the present changes of the earth Answer: A. changing their harmful way of life Question: A proverb says "Time is money." But in my opinion , time is even more precious than money. Why? Because when money is spent, we can earn it back. However, when time is gone, it will never return. This is the reason why we must value time. The time we can use is limited . Therefore, even an hour is extremely precious. We should _ our time to do useful things. As students we must put more efforts into our lessons so as to serve society and our nation in the future. But it is a pity that there are a lot of people who do not know the importance of time. They spend their precious time smoking, drinking and chatting. They do not realize that wasting time is equal , we should form the good habit of saving time. Do not put off what can be done today until tomorrow. Which of the following is a good habit of saving time? A. Spending time chatting and playing cards. B. Often asking some friends to drink together. C. Playing computer games all day. D. Never leaving today's work for tomorrow. Answer: D. Never leaving today's work for tomorrow.
Many people have never heard of Mesothelioma and are unaware of its symptoms. Although considered a rare form of cancer, each year the number of cases grows. With the prevalence of this disease on the rise, it is critical to understand why and how Mesothelioma develops and what courses of action can be taken in the event of diagnosis. The following is a list of frequently asked questions and answers that will provide you with some information on Mesothelioma, and the legal issues surrounding it. What is Mesothelioma? Mesothelioma is the term used to describe a cancerous tumor found in the mesothelial cells of an organ. The organs where this form of cancer is most commonly found are the lungs, heart and abdominal organs. Pleural Mesothelioma is cancer of the lung lining(,)and is the most common form of Mesothelioma. What causes Mesothelioma? Mesothelioma is almost always caused by exposure to asbestos . Asbestos is often found in building materials used before the mid 1970's. In addition, materials such as pipes, boiler insulation, floor, ceiling and roof tiles may contain asbestos. How much asbestos exposure will cause Mesothelioma? Generally, the probability of developing this form of cancer is in accordance with the length of time you are exposed to asbestos. Also, your health is at risk if your exposure to asbestos is intense. It should be noted that Mesothelioma has a latency period of 20 to 50 years. This means that you may develop the disease long after your exposure to asbestos. On average, people tend to develop Mesothelioma somewhere between 35 and 40 years after exposure. How quickly does Mesothelioma progress? The onset of Mesothelioma is quite slow. Patients will begin to experience symptoms such as lower back pain and chest pain. These symptoms may also be accompanied by weight loss, fever and difficulty breathing. Unfortunately, once Mesothelioma develops, it quickly becomes aggressive and treatment must be sought immediately. Can Mesothelioma be treated? Doctors are able to use several traditional methods of cancer treatment for Mesothelioma, including surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. Like all forms of cancer, detecting the disease at the earliest stage possible greatly increases the patient's chances for survival. If you have worked in an industry such as construction or suspect that you may have been exposed to asbestos, be alert for symptoms and contact your doctor immediately. What legal courses of action can be taken? Anyone suffering from Mesothelioma is entitled to compensation from asbestos manufacturers. Additionally, if you are the spouse or child of someone who has died from Mesothelioma, you are entitled to file a claim and seek compensation. Which of the following would be the best title for the text? A. Terrible Mesothelioma B. Mesothelioma is around us C. Frequently Asked Questions About Mesothelioma D. Mesothelioma in on the rise Answer: C We live in a sweet world. The average American kid consumes more than 20 teaspoons of sugar per day, and adults eat 50% more sugar today than they did in the 1970s. We all know that too much sugar isn't good for you. But did we know it could be dangerous? A team of researchers at the University of Utah used mice to conduct a study on the negative effects of sugar. They found it could have serious effects on people's health. Sugar is found not only in sweets and candies, but also in many household items like pasta and crackers. During the 58-week-long study, mice were fed a diet containing 25% more sugar. This percentage equals a healthy human diet along with three cans of soda daily. The team found that these mice were twice as likely to die as mice fed a similar diet without the sugar. Though the mice did not show signs of obesity or high blood pressure, male mice were 26% less territorial and produced 25% fewer offspring than the other mice. Scientists often use mice for research because they have a similar genetic structure to humans. "Since most substances that are dangerous in mice are also dangerous in people, it's likely that those physical problems that cause those mice to have increased deaths also work in people," says study author James Ruff of the University of Utah. Findings from this study reveal negative effects that are not as noticeable as weight gain or heart problems. Sugar can contribute to long-term changes in the body that can change development and even shorten lives. Cutting sugar out of the American diet altogether may be difficult. But making the effort to control our nation's sugar desire will provide for a truly sweeter future. The study conducted by researchers aimed at learning about _ A. the advantages and disadvantages of sugar B. the negative effects of sugar on people's health C. the genetic structure of mice D. American's diet Answer: B When the plane was waiting at the airport,a big snake climbed up the steps and into the plane. It went to sleep under the pilot's seat. Nobody noticed. Soon the passengers get on the plane and it took off. A little girl called Mary took out a whistle and began playing. But none of the passengers liked the music. They got the stewardess to ask the girl to stop. The sound of the plane's engines woke up the snake. It put its head out and looked around the captain's room. When the captain saw the snake, he was so frightened that he could hardly breath. He was so afraid that he could not control the plane. The plane began to swing from side to side. The stewardess told the passengers what was happening and ask them to calm down. Mary was not afraid. She ran to the captain's room with her whistle and began to play the slow tune . At once the snake followed her. The girl returned to her seat and the snake lay on the floor beside her. Dancing to the music. When the plane landed the airport the snake was taken in a net to a zoo near Mary's house. She often went to visit the snake. Mary _ playing her whistle after the stewardess asked her to stop. A. didn't stop B. went on C. was still D. stopped Answer: D Many of the stories written by Mark Twain take place in Hannibal, Missouri. The small wooden house where he lived as a boy still stands there. Next to the house is a wooden fence. It is the kind described in Twain's book, "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," published in1876. In that story, Tom has been told to paint the fence. He does not want to do it. But he acts as if the job is great fun. He tricks other boys into believing this. His trick is so successful that they agree to pay him money to let them finish his work. "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" is considered one of the best books about an American boy's life in THE the1800s. Tom Sawyer's good friend is Huckleberry, or "Huck," Finn. Mark Twain tells this boy's story in "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." Huck is a poor child, without a mother or home. His father drinks too much alcohol and beats him. Huck's situation has freed him from the restrictions of society. He explores in the woods and goes fishing. He stays out all night and does not go to school. He smokes tobacco. Huck runs away from home. He meets Jim, a black man who has escaped from slavery. They travel together on a raft made of wood down the Mississippi River. Huck describes the trip: "It was lovely to live on the raft. Other places seem so cramped up and smothery, but a raft don't. You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft... Sometimes we'd have that whole river to ourselves for the longest time... We had the sky up there, all speckled with stars, and we used to lay on our backs and look up at them---. " The reason why Huck runs away from home is that _ . A. his family is poor B. he wants to find a friend live with C. there's no warn in his home D. he loves nature and likes to adventure Answer: C "Heaven is where the police are English, the cooks are French, the mechanics are German, the lovers are Italian and everything is organized by the Swiss. Hell is where the police are German, the cooks are English, the mechanics are French, the lovers are Swiss, and everything is organized by the Italians." Obviously the national stereotypes in this old joke are generalizations , but such stereotypes are often said to "exist for a reason". Is there actually a sliver of truth in them? Not likely, an international research team now says. "National and cultural stereotypes do play an important role in how people see themselves and others, and being aware that these are not dependable is a useful thing," said study author Robert McCrae of the National Institute on Aging. "These are in fact unfounded stereotypes. They don't come from looking around you," McCrae said. If national stereotypes aren't rooted in real experiences, then where do they come from? One possibility is that they reflect national values, which may become known from historical events. For example, many historians have argued that the spirit of American individualism has its origins in the experiences of the pioneers on the Old West. Social scientists such as psychologist Richard Robins have given several other possible explanations for stereotypes and why they may be incorrect. Robins notes that some stereotypes may have been correct at one point in history and then remained unchanged while the culture changed. We may be _ , to some degree, to keep incorrect stereotypes, since we are less likely to notice and remember information that is different from our stereotypes. Generally, according to Robins, when we meet people who are different from our stereotypes, we see them as unique individuals rather than typical national or cultural groups. According to the research team led by McCrae, national stereotypes are _ . A. interesting B. harmful C. humorous D. unreliable Answer: D
A cow eats some hay, an apple and a piece of bread. In its tummy Answer: the food dissolves Your brain isn't a muscle, but you can treat it like one Many people focus on physical fitness, but few know that brain fitness is also something you can work on. In fact, you can exercise your brain as often as you do to your arms or legs-and the results can be positive and empowering. To improve your brain, you can't simply repeat the same exercises over and over. Just as lifting a two-pound weight will stop challenging you, so will repetitive exercises such as crosswords or Sudoku. Once you master easy exercises, you must move on to harder ones in order to push your brain-like your muscles-to a new level. The science behind brain training Scientists once believed that your mental abilities were fixed in adulthood. Since studies have shown just the opposite, millions of people around the world have adopted the new practice of brain training. The most popular of these brain training products is made by the San Francisco-based Lumosity. Lumosity's scientists with an experienced team of game designers have developed a fun,effective online brain training program that measures, tracks, and adapts to your progress, so you'll always be challenged. Promising studies on the effects of brain training In a 2013 Stanford study, a treatment group of 21 breast cancer survivors used 12 weeks of Lumosity training to work on processing speed, mental flexibility, and working memory tasks. On average, those who trained improved on tests of these abilities, compared to a group that did not train with Lumosity. There is even some evidence suggesting that Lumosity may be beneficial to normal, healthy adults. In a 2011 study by Lumosity and San Francisco State University researchers. 13 people who trained over 5 weeks improved working memory scores by 10%and attention scores by 20%. Brain training is designed to meet real-life needs The design of brain train ing is targeted at real-life benefits instead of improving game scores. Better attention, for example, can mean greater focus in the classroom or at an important business meeting. With improved processing speed, you might react and adapt faster to the demands of a busy life. And a better memory could mean stronger, longer relationships with the people closest to you. We can learn from the passage that _ . Answer: Lumosity can measure, track and suit your level as you improve A good teacher is many things to many people. In my own experience, the people I respect the most and think about the most are the teachers who demanded the most discipline from their students. I miss one teacher in particular that I had in high school. I think she was a good teacher because she was a very strict person. I remember very vividly a sign over her classroom door. It was a simple sign that said, "Laboratory--in this room the first five letters of the word was emphasized , not the last seven." In other words, I guess, labor for her was more important than oratory, which means making speeches. She prepared her work very carefully and demanded us to do the same. We got lots of homework from her. Once she had broken her arm, and everybody in the class thought that maybe the homework load would be reduced, but it continued just the same. She checked our work by stamping her name at the bottom of the papers to show that she had read them. I think sometimes teachers who demand the most are liked the least. But as time goes by, this discipline really seems to benefit the students. Which of the following is considered a good teacher by the writer? Answer: A strict teacher. University -- the best days of my life! I made lots of friends in my student dorm, went to great parties, joined the debating society...and, well, I did some work too -- but I must admit my lecturers were very patient with my tardiness . It's easy to look back at our university days through rose-tinted spectacles but the truth is that when we first arrived on campus, most of us were out of our comfort zone. In fact, a survey of students at Imperial College London has revealed that 3 out of 4 students experience high levels of stress, or a mental health condition, during their time at college. The survey, completed by over a thousand students, also found that 70% of those that experience stress do so at least once a week, and 9% of students feel stressed constantly. Kirsty, a student at Exeter University, didn't enjoy her first days in college. She says: "When I first got to university I don't think I'd realized that I'd forgotten how to make friends. I'd been with the same school friends for seven years, and so I was trying to balance social success with academic success while learning how to look after myself at quite a young age." Dr Ruth Caleb of the counseling service at Brunel University in London has some tips that should make life easier for students before they set off for university. She says: "Certain things that I think it would be very helpful for students to have put in place are an ability to do the practical things of life - to do the washing, to do the cleaning and so on -- being able to cook. Budgeting is extremely important in university life." And Caleb adds: "You should learn how to spend time on your own comfortably." I graduated and learnt how to take care of myself the hard way. I hope that new students these days remember to acquire some life skills before they make the big jump. What does the author probably mean by saying "I graduated and learnt how to take care of myself the hard way"? Answer: It might have taken him some time to get used to college life. Recently Cathy Hagner sadly finds that life for her and her three children is set to permanent fast-forward. Their full school day and her job as a lawyer's assistant are busy enough. But Hanger also has to take the two boys to soccer or hockey or basketball while dropping off her daughter at piano lessons or Girl Scout Club. Often, the exhausted family doesn't get home until 7 pm. There is just time for a quick supper before homework. In today's world, middle-class American and British parents treat their children as if they are competitors racing for some finishing line. Parents take their children from activity to activity in order to make their future bright. It seems that raising a genius has become a more important goal than raising a happy and well-balanced child. "Doctors across the country are reporting a growing number of children suffering from stomachaches and headaches due to exhaustion and stress," says child expert William Doherty of the University of Minnesota. Teachers are dealing with exhausted kids in the classroom. It's a very serious problem. Many children attend after-school clubs by necessity. But competitive pressures also create an explosion of activities. They include sports, language, music and math classes for children as young as four. "There is a new parenting trend under way which says that you have to tap all your child's potential at a young age; otherwise you will let him down," says Terry Apter, a Cambridge-based child and adolescent psychiatrist . "It isn't entirely new: there have always been pushy parents. But what was previously seen as strange behavior is now well accepted." The writer's opinion about after-school clubs is that _ . Answer: some clubs result in competitive pressures
Most airlines go all out to ensure their passengers have the best possible flight experience. Now, Europe's low-budget airline, easyJet, wants to extend the positive experience beyond the plane ride with "Sneakairs"--smart shoes that allow visitors to explore new cities and towns without ever looking at a map. To transform Sneakairs from an ordinary shoe to a tour guide, all the wearer has to do is enter his or her desired destination into the easyJet smartphone app. A built-in GPS will determine the wearer's starting location while the Google Maps navigation tool will help chart the best route. Whenever a change of direction is necessary, the app will communicate with the appropriate shoe via the Bluetooth and cause it to vibrate . For example, if the wearer needs to turn right, he/she will feel the sensation in the right shoe. Should the user miss the turn, the smart shoes will both vibrate at the same time, reminding him/her to change course. Visitors that wander off the suggested path or decide to take a break for a cup of coffee or a meal have nothing to worry about. The smart app will automatically determine the new location and chart out a new route, once the desired destination is reached. Sneakairs will vibrate three times to inform the user of the arrival and then go back to being ordinary shoes--until their navigation services are needed again! Sneakairs is certainly not the first navigation shoe in the market. However, easyJet is the first airline to offer them to passengers just as they are about to land in an unknown city. However, before Sneakairs can go mainstream, the easyJet team still needs to make some adjustments. Among the challenges that need to be addressed is the smart shoe's three-hour battery life, which is hardly enough for a tourist to catch all the delights a new or town has to offer! The airline easyJet designed Sneakairs in order to _ . provide passengers with further pleasant experience beside their flight Who is the most powerful woman in the world? According to the US media, it's Janet Yellen, or at least she's about to be. On Oct 9, 2013,US President Barack Obama nominated Yellen to serve as the next US Federal Reserve (the Fed, )chair. If confirmed by the Senate, Yellen will become the first woman to serve in the top spot. Aged 67, silver-haired and tiny, Yellen is said to be the most qualified nominee ever. She chaired President Bill Clinton's Council of Economic Advisers, taught at Harvard and Berkeley, and was president of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. She is currently the Fed's vice chair. Many think Yellen is the right choice to deal with the challenges the Fed now faces:First, to bring interest rates back to more normal levels without triggering a new recession .Second, to reduce the US unemployment rate, which remains at historically high levels. A CNN opinion piece says Yellen is unusual for an economist of her caliber ."She has kept her eyes on what's critical-the people. Her research has centered on unemployment, on the best way to modulate government policies to benefit the people." Past records also show that Yellen is exceptionally good at predicting where the economy is headed. An article in The Washington Post points out that she was one of the few voices at the Fed inDecember 2009 warning about the subprime crisis and the following recession. The reason why Yellen will be the most powerful woman in the world has to do with the unique position of the Federal Reserve, explains an article on Quartz, a US news outlet for business people in the new global economy, First of all, the Fed is independent. Unlike US Secretaries of State Madeleine Albright and Hilary Clinton, the decisions made by the organization Yellen will lead next year are not subject to approval by anyone in the government. Within the Fed, the chair alone sets the agenda. The Fed chairperson has huge influence on monetary policy and financial regulation. And don't forget how powerful the Fed itself is. It controls the money supply in the world's largest economy. The Fed's interest rate decisions don't just set the course for the US economy, its decisions set the course for the world economy, too. Because of globalization, Yellen's decisions will affect everyone around the world, says an article in The Atlantic, making her even more powerful than some great women rulers in history, including Elizabeth I of England and China's Wu Zetian. For example, the article continues: "If Yellen even just talks about slowing down the Fed's bond-buying, Europe's troubled economies are likely to see their interest rates rise, and emerging markets, some of which, like India and Indonesia, used foreign capital to fund their current account deficits ,are likely to see their currencies collapse." Janet Yelien will be the most powerful woman in the world because _ * the Fed possesses great power and influence Many people will remember the flight of the space shuttle Challenger, in June, 1983. The achievement of Sally Ride, America's first woman astronaut to fly into space, made this flight especially memorable. Students from two Camden, New Jersey, high schools, however, are probably to remember Norma rather than Sally whenever they think about the flight. Norma didn't travel alone. She brought about 100 companions along with her. Norma was an ant, a queen ant who, with her subject, made up the first ant colony to travel into space. The ants were part of a science experiment designed by students to test the effects of weightlessness on insects. The equipment designed by the students for their colony functioned perfectly throughout the long space trip. The young scientists and their teachers were very sad to find that their insect astronauts had all died at some point before the container was returned to the school and opened. The problem didn't occur in space, but on the ground after challenger had landed. The container remained in the desert for nearly a week before the ant colony was moved. The hot, dry desert air dried out the colony's container and the ants died from lack of moisture . The project was tested success because it did provide useful information. Students will continue their efforts to pinpoint what went wrong. They will try to prevent the same difficulties from recurring on future missions. They don't want to be discouraged either by the demise of the ants or by the $10,000 shuttle fare they will have to pay to send the next colony of ants into space. Ks5u What does the passage mainly tell us? An experiment with ants in space. The police suspected that Yancey, a 16-year-old high school student, had committed a series of burglaries. Two officers went to Yancey's high school and asked the principal to call Yancey out of class and to search his backpack. While the officers waited, the principal took Yancey into the hall where she asked to look in his backpack. When Yancey refused, the principal grabbed it from him, injuring Yancey's shoulder in the process. In the backpack, she found jewelry that she turned over to the officers. The officers believed that the jewelry had been taken in one of the burglaries. They arrested Yancey, took him to the station, and gave him Miranda warnings. Yancey asked to see a lawyer. The police called Yancey's parents to the station. When Yancey's parents arrived, the police asked them to speak with Yancey. They put them in a room and secretly recorded their conversation with a concealed electronic device. Yancey broke down and confessed to his parents that he had committed the burglaries. Yancey was charged with the burglaries. Yancey moves to suppress the use of the jewelry. The court should grant the motion on the ground that the search was conducted without probable cause or a warrant. People use money to buy food, furniture, books, bicycles and hundreds of other things they need or want. Most of the money today is made of metal or paper. But people used to use all kinds of things as money. One of the first kinds of money was shells. Shells were not the only things used as money. In China, cloth and knives were used. In the Philippine Islands, rice was used as money for a long time. Elephant tusks, monkey tails, and salt were used as money in parts of Africa. Some animals were used as money too. The first metal coins were made in China. They were round and had a square hole in the center. People _ them together and carried them from place to place. The first coins in England were made of tin . Sweden and Russia used copper to make their money. Later countries began to make coins of gold and silver. Later the Chinese thought of a way to improve money. They began to use paper money. Money has had an interesting history from the days of shell money until today. Tin was first made as money in_. England
A great French writer has said that we should help everyone as much as we can because we often need help ourselves. The small even can help the great. About this, he told the following story. An ant was drinking at a small river and fell in. she tried her best to reach the side, but she couldn't move at all. The poor ant got too tired but was still doing her best when a big bird saw her. With a pity, the bird threw a piece of wood. With it the ant reached the bank again. While she was resting and drying herself in grass she heard a man coming up. He was walking without shoes on his feet and carrying a gun in his hand. As soon as he saw the bird, he wished to kill her, and he would certainly do so, but the ant bit him in one of his feet and at that moment the bird flew away at once. It was an animal much weaker and smaller than the bird herself that had saved her life. The writer tells this story to show _ . Answer: even the small can help the great The story of Voytek the bear in the Iranian mountains, where his mother was killed by hunters when he was only eight weeks old, is very interesting. A young Iranian boy saved the young cub, putting him into his backpack. When a group of Polish soldiers drove up, the boy gave them the cub in exchange for some beef, a chocolate bar, and a few coins. The cub was near death, and the soldiers didn't think he would survive the night but they slowly nursed him back to health, feeding him out of a bottle filled with milk. During the months that followed, the cub grew larger and stronger. He learned to march in formation with the soldiers. One of his favorite hobbies was wrestling with his Polish friends --- occasionally, he even let them win. "He was just like a dog --- nobody was scared of him," a soldier, Augustyn Karolewski, told The Scotsman. Though Voytek loved to play, the Polish troops soon realized they could put him to work, too. Who could be better at loading heavy ammunition into their trucks than a bear? During the Battle of Monte Cassino, Voytek helped out his fellow men by loading shells into truck beds for hours and hours without stopping, paving the way for a victory. After the war ended, Voytek lived the rest of his life at the Edinburgh Zoo, where he was very famous. He died in 1963, and ever since, his remarkable story has gradually been forgotten. But that may be about to change --- a Scottish woman, Alieen Orr, is campaigning for a monument to this military hero. Orr first heard the legend of Voytek from her grandfather. "I thought he had made it up, to be quite honest," she told The Scotsman. "The story is totally amazing and it would be good if we could have a memorial in Scotland to celebrate the bear's life." The boy gave the cub to the soldiers to _ . Answer: get some food and money Katy Marsh is seventy years old now. She stopped working five years ago. Last year she decided to make her dream come true. When she was young, she hoped to travel along a river of Scotland in a small boat. She took her small CD player, her hot water bottle and a bag of books to make her life in the boat wasn't too uncomfortable. We asked her if she was afraid of being on the river for so long. She said, "Well, I'm going to take a good _ . When I'm losing my way during my trip, it can help me a lot. Anyway I'm not afraid of death because I love rivers-I just hope it loves me too. " Katy certainly had lots of energy . In her free time, she enjoyed playing the piano, swimming, hiking, and dancing. She had a wonderful trip in the small boat last year. She is seventy, but she doesn't want to have a quiet and peaceful life. She hopes to have fun in the rest of her life. Katy Marsh stopped working at the age of _ . Answer: 65 TV Shows and Long Bus Trips Long bus rides are like television shows. They have a beginning, a middle, and an end-- with ads thrown in every three or four minutes. The ads are unavoidable. They happen whether you want them or not. Every couple of minutes a billboard appears outside the bus window."Buy Super Clean Toothpaste.""Drink Good'n Wet Root Beer.""Fill up with Pacific Gas." Only if you sleep, which is equal to turning the television set off, are you spared the unending cry of "You Need It! Buy It Now!" The beginning of the ride is comfortable and somewhat exciting, even if you've traveled that way before. Usually some things have changed--new houses, new buildings, sometimes even a new road. The bus driver has a style of driving and it's fun to try to figure it out the first hour or so. If the driver is particularly daring, the ride can be as exciting as a suspense story. Will the driver pass the truck in time? Will the driver move into the right or the left-hand lane?After a while, of course, the excitement dies down. Sleeping for a while helps pass the middle hours of the ride. Food always makes bus rides more interesting. But you've got to be careful of what kind of food you eat. Too much salty food can make you very thirsty between stops. The end of the ride is somewhat like the beginning. You know it will soon be over and there's a kind of expectation and excitement in that. The seat, of course, has become harder as the hours have passed. By now you've sat with your legs crossed, with your hands in your lap, with your hands on the arm rests--even with your hands crossed behind your head. The end comes just at the right time. There are just no more ways to sit. The writer of this passage would probably favor _ Answer: no billboards along the road. The earth moves round the sun ,and the moon goes round the earth .When our part of the earth turns to the sun ,it is day ,When our part of the earth turns away from the sun ,it is night. The sun is much bigger than the moon .But sometimes the moon looks bigger than the sun, because it's much nearer to the earth. The sun is very bright .It gives a very strong light .The moon looks quite bright, too .But it doesn't give any light at all. The moon looks much bigger and brighter than the stars .But actually , the stars are much bigger and brighter than the moon .They look smaller than the moon because they're much farther away from us. When it is day, _ . Answer: we can't see any stars in the sky.
What will you be doing when you are 26 years old? Studying at university or working for a living? Take a look at what Albert Einstein was doing at the age of 26. 100 years ago, Einstein was working in Switzerland. His hobby was physics. Without much money or help, he wrote five papers for a physics magazine. Three of these greatly changed the study of physics and our understanding of space, time, light and matter . His most famous work is on the Theory of Relativity . Einstein was given the Nobel Prize for his discoveries. Although he also did many other things later, the years 1905 has been called Einstein's "Year of Wonders". It has been 100 years since then. Because of this, the UN has named 05 the World Year of Physics. Today, over fifty years after Einstein's death, a question is asked, " Will there ever be another Einstein?" It may take a long time. After all, Einstein was born more than 200 years after Sir Isaac Newton, another great scientist. Besides, physics is a different field now, and education is different, too. Even if you can't be the next great scientist, it is still helpful to remember some of the things that made Einstein great. He thought independently and read widely. He left with us a formula for life: If A is a success in life, then A="X+Y+Z." X is work, Y is play, and Z is keeping your mouth shut. What does Einstein's formula for life mean? Answer: Which scientist studied biology by traveling by ship to different islands observing animal life, and developed a hypothesis about how species change? Answer: John woke up. It was Tuesday, and he was at home. He was still sleepy, but his alarm clock was ringing and he knew he had to be on time for school. He wished it were Saturday or Sunday. He yawned, got out of bed, and put on his slippers. Then, he walked to the bathroom, where he brushed his teeth and washed his face. Still in his pajamas, he went down to the kitchen. His mother, Sylvia, greeted him with a glass of orange juice and a big bowl of cereal. He was still kind of sleepy, but he drank his juice and ate his cereal. When John was done with his breakfast, he went upstairs and got his school clothes on. Then it was time to catch the bus to school. John hated the bus, because he was quiet and the bus was always loud. Plus there was always some kid who thought it was funny to make gross jokes or say bad words. Today, John was ready for the bus. With the sandwich and potato chips in his lunchbox, he had some cake he had made yesterday. He had used salt to make the cake instead of sugar. He knew it tasted horrible, and he was going to give a piece of cake to the first person who was bad on the bus, and he didn't even care if he got in trouble. His friends Anne, Margaret, and Charlotte were in on it, too. He sat in the house, a little excited, eating an apple and waiting until it was time to leave the house. It was time! He put on his shoes and left. Where was John taking the bus? Answer: A few years ago I asked my children's governess, Julia Vassilyevna, to come into my study. " Sit down, Julia Vassilyevna," I said."Let's settle our accounts. Although you most likely need some money, you stand on ceremony and won't ask for it yourself. Now then, we agree on thirty rubles a month..." " Forty." " No, thirty. I made a note of it. I always pay the governess thirty. Now then, you've been here two months, so..." " Two months and five days." " Exactly two months. I made a specific note of it. That means you have sixty rubles coming to you. Subtract nine Sundays... you know you didn't work with Kolya on Sundays, you only took walks. And three holidays..." Julia Vassilyevna flushed a deep red and picked at the flounce of her dress, but--- not a word. " Three holidays, therefore take off twelve rubles. Four days Kolya was sick and there were no lessons, as you were occupied only with Vanya. Three days you had a toothache and my wife gave you permission not to work after lunch. Twelve and seven---nineteen. Subtract...that leaves...hmm...forty-one rubles. Correct?" Julia Vassilyena's left eye reddened and filled with moisture. Her chin trembled; she coughed nervously and blew her nose, but---not a word. " Around New Year's you broke a teacup and saucer: take off two rubles. The cup cost more, it was an heirloom, but---let it go. When didn't I take a loss? Then, due to your neglect, Kolya climbed a tree and tore his jacket: take off ten. Also due to your heedlessness the maid stole Vanya's shoes. You ought to watch everything! You get paid for it. So, that means five more rubles off. The tenth of January I gave you ten rubles..." " You didn't " whispered Julia Vassilyevna. " But I made a note of it." " Well...all right." " Take twenty-seven from forty-one ---that leaves fourteen." Both eyes filled with tears. Perspiration appeared on the thin, pretty little nose. Poor girl! " Only once was I given any money," she said in a trembling voice, " and that was by your wife. Three rubles, nothing more." " Really? You see now, and I didn't make a note of it! Take three from fourteen... leaves eleven. Here's your money, my dear. Three , three, three, one and one. Here it is!" I handed her eleven rubles. She took them and with trembling fingers stuffed them into her pocket. " Merci," she whispered. I jumped up and started pacing the room. I was overcome with anger. " For what, this ---'merci'?" I asked. " For the money." " But you know I've cheated you, God's sake---robbed you! I have actually stolen from you! Why this 'merci'?" " In my other places they didn't give me anything at all." " They didn't give you anything? No wonder! I played a little joke on you, a cruel lesson, just to teach you ... I'm going to give you the entire eighty rubles! Here they are in an envelope all ready for you... Is it really possible to be so spineless? Why don't you protest? Why be silent? Is it possible in this world to be without teeth and claws--- to be such a nincompoop?" She smiled crookedly and I read in her expression: " It is possible." I asked her pardon for the cruel lesson and , to her great surprise, gave her the eighty rubles. She murmured her litter "merci" several times and went out. I looked after her and thought: "How easy it is to crush the weak in this world!" The employer made all those criticisms about Julia Vassiliyevna's work because _ Answer: There once was a beautiful princess named Lizzie who lived in a castle in the woods. One day she went for a walk to see if any of the spring flowers had started to bloom. Her mother's birthday was the next day. If there were flowers blooming she would pick some for her mother. Her mother's name was Queen Alice. As she got deeper into the woods she came to a place that had a lot of flowers. There were beautiful lilies growing around the edge of a pond. There were some deer drinking water from the pond. She picked some lilies for her mother, the queen. The lilies were white and yellow and red. She picked 12 lilies for her mother. Lizzie also saw mushrooms growing in the woods. There were birds building a nest in the bushes. Under the bush she saw a paper cup that someone had left. There were beautiful butterflies on the bush, too. The sun was warm so she lay down to rest under the shade of a tree. She fell asleep and as she was sleeping she had a bad dream. She dreamed that as she was walking through the woods. In her dream she tripped over a log and hurt her ankle. She started to cry because she was afraid that nobody would miss her and she would have to sleep in the woods. She heard someone calling her name and was very happy to see her father standing near her. When she opened her eyes she also could see her brother Henry standing near her. She could hear their dog, Daisy, rushing to meet them, too. What did Lizzie pick for her mother? Answer:
Sydney is a young city. Its history goes back just over 200 years. But in Australia, it is the oldest city. It is also the country' s largest city. Sydney is the capital of New South Wales and the most popular city of Australia. The climate of Sydney is very good. It' s not too cold during the winter and not too hot during the summer. The sky is blue, the air is fresh, and birds sing in the garden. People who live in Sydney seem to have an easy life style. They will tell you, "Don't worry. " Many people think that Sydney is one of the most attractive cities in the world. It has many tall and modern buildings. Among them, Center point Tower is the tallest. Standing on the 305-metre(80 storeys)tower, you will have a great view of the city. Sydney is famous for its deep harbor . The harbor has many bays and beautiful surf beaches. Among them, Bondi beach is the most popular. Sydney Harbor is not only beautiful, it also serves as a large port. Ships carry wool, wheat and meat from Sydney to other countries. People living in Sydney like to call themselves Sydneysiders. They are mostly friendly and easygoing. When they are not working, they love to have a good time at the beach, swimming and sailing. It seems that people in Sydney have easy life because _ . A the climate is very good B the sea is very beautiful C they are very rich D they always tell you, "Don't worry. " Answer: D. they always tell you, "Don't worry. " Nancy would like to take part in a fancy-dress party . She had to go to the party with her friends because her husband has been to another city to go on a business trip. Later that night, she was busy in dressing up herself as a ghost, including putting on masks and some special costumes. After finishing it, she went downstairs to look at herself in the mirror. Suddenly, there was a knock on the front door. She knew that it must be the baker . She had told him to come straight in if ever she failed to open the door and to leave the bread on the kitchen table. Not wanting to frighten the poor man, Nancy quickly hid in the storeroom under the stairs. To her surprise, it was her husband who changed his plan and came back home 2 days earlier. The husband called his wife's name happily and looked for her all around. Nancy was so excited that she ran to her husband without realizing she was a ghost at that moment. But it was too late. Her husband let out a cry and jumped back several steps. Then he lost his sense and lay on the ground. What can be the best title for this passage? A A happy husband. B A poor baker. C A short business trip. D A ghost at home. Answer: D. A ghost at home. Until recently, women in advertisements wore one of three things -- an apron, an attractive dress or a frown. Although that is now changing, many women still feel angry about offending advertisements. "This ad degrades women." they protested .Why does this sort of advertising exist? How can advertisers and ad agencies still produce, sometimes, after months of research, advertising that offends the consumer? The ASA, the body which deals with complaints about print media, is carrying out research into how women feel about the way they are pictured in advertisements. Its conclusions are likely to be what the advertising industry already knows: although women are often annoyed by the ads, few feel strong enough to complain. Women are not the only victims of poor and boring stereotypes -- in many TV commercials men are seen either as useless, childish fools who are unable to perform the simplest household tasks, or as inconsiderate fellows, always on the lookout for an escape to the pub. But it is women who seem to suffer more from the industry's inability to put people into an authentic present-day situation. Yet according to Emma Bennett, director of a London advertising agency, women are not aggressive or extremely angry about those stereotypes and sexist advertising. "They just find it annoying or tiresome." She says that it is not advertising's use of the housewife role that bothers women, but the way in which it is handled. "The most important thing is the advertisement's tone of voice. Women hate being insincerely praised or given desperately down-to-earth common-sense advice." In the end, the responsibility for good advertising must be shared between the advertiser, the advertising agency and the consumer. Advertising does not set trends but it reflects them. It is up to the consumer to tell advertisers where they fail, and the process of change will remain slow until people on the receiving end take the business seriously and make their -feelings known. We can learn from the passage that advertising industry should _ . A take its job more eagerly B do more pioneering work C take notice of the public opinion D concentrate on the products advertised Answer: C. take notice of the public opinion One day King Solomon decided to _ Benaiah Ben Yehoyada, his most trusted minister. He said to him, "Benaiah, there is a certain ring that I want you to bring to me. I wish to wear it for Sukkot which gives you six months to find it." "If it exists anywhere on earth, your majesty," replied Benaiah, "I will find it and bring it to you, but what makes the ring so special?" "It has magic powers," answered the king. "If a happy man looks at it, he becomes sad, and if a sad man looks at it, he becomes happy." Solomon knew that no such ring existed in the world, but he wished to give his minister a little taste of modesty. Spring passed and then summer, and still Benaiah had no idea where he could find the ring. On the night before Sukkot, he decided to take a walk in one of the poorest quarters of Jerusalem. He passed by a merchant who had begun to set out the day's goods on a shabby carpet. "Have you by any chance heard of a magic ring that makes the happy wearer forget his joy and the broken-hearted wearer forget his sorrows?" asked Benaiah. He watched the grandfather take a plain gold ring from his carpet and carve something on it. When Benaiah read the words on the ring, his face broke out in a wide smile. That night the entire city welcomed in the holiday of Sukkot with great festivity. "Well, my friend," said Solomon, "have you found what I sent you after?" All the ministers laughed and Solomon himself smiled. To everyone's surprise, Benaiah held up a small gold ring and declared, "Here it is, your majesty!" As soon as Solomon read the inscription, the smile disappeared from his face. The jeweler had written three Hebrew letters on the gold band: "gimel, zayin, yod", which began the words "Gam zeh ya'avor" -- _ At that moment Solomon realized that all his wisdom and wealth and great power were but fleeting things, for one day he would be nothing but dust. From the passage, we learn that the minister Benaiah was _ . A devoted B ambitious C stupid D brave Answer: A. devoted Computers are very important to modern life.Many people think that in the future computers will be used in lots of everyday life.It is thought that we won't have to go shopping because we will be able to get most things which are sold in shops on the Internet.There will be no more books because we will be able to get all texts from computers.The Internet will be used to play games, see films and buy food.Most telephone calls will be made by computers, too. Some people are glad about those new ways of shopping and communicating .Others do not think that computers will replace our old ways. Some people think that one day we will not read books made of paper. Instead, we will buy and read books using computers, which will keep many different books in them at the same time.We won't need to turn lots of pages and paper will be saved.Computerized books will be used more and more. While many people say it is a pleasure to go into shops and look at things you want to buy.It is also unlikely that many people will want to read large texts on our computers. Because paper books will perhaps be more friendly.Maybe computers won't change these two habits. Which of the following is mentioned in the passage? A Computers can help us e-mail our friends. B We can chat by using computers. C Computers can help us make telephone calls. D We can listen to the music by computers. Answer: C. Computers can help us make telephone calls.
A kind of little cars may take the place of today's big ones many years later. If everyone drives such cars in the future, there will be less pollution in the air. There will also be more space for parking in cities, and the streets will be less crowded. The little cars of the future will cost less. Driving will be safer, too, since these little cars can go only 65 kilometers an hour. The cars of the future will be fine for going around a city, but they will not be useful for a long way. Little cars will go 450 kilometers before they need to stop for more gasoline . If big cars are still used with the small ones, two kinds of roads will be needed in the future. Some roads will be needed for the big, faster cars and other roads will be needed for the small, slower ones. ,. Two kinds of roads will be needed in the future because _ . big cars run faster and little cars run slower Certain fossils can be used to help determine the age of the rock layer in which the fossils are found. Which type of fossil is best to use when making this determination? index fossil There is just one four-legged animal that can walk two hundred miles without stopping once to rest. It would take a person two days and two nights to walk this far, and only one man has ever done it without stopping. What amazing animal has such endurance ? The camel! The camel is well known for something else, too. It can cross an entire desert without a single drink of water. Its body is built in a special way to help it store water and food. A person has just one stomach, but a camel has quite a few. Within each stomach are layers and layers of cells. These cells are like tiny water balloons, storing liquids until the camel needs them. When the camel drinks, the cells grow larger and larger. For a whole week, they can keep the animal's thirst away by sending water to all parts of its body. Have you ever wondered why the camel has a hump ? The hump is a storage place for fat. Because it has this storage area, the camel does not need to eat very often. When the animal needs energy, the layers of fat serve as fuel to keep it going on the long, hot days in the burning sun. The camel has another gift that makes it well suited to arid regions. This gift is its amazing nose. A camel can smell a water hole from miles away! When a camel moves, it sways from side to side like a ship on a wavy ocean. Because of this swaying motion, the camel has been called the "ship of the desert". Which sentence is the topic sentence of this passage? The last sentence in the first paragraph. Bob is a middle school student. He is 13years old. He lives in Shanghai with his parents and his twin brother, Jack. They are in the same( ) school, but in different classes. Bob is good at Maths, but not good at English. He thinks it's a little difficult for him. But he plans to spend more time on it. Every morning, Bob gets up early. He usually reads English for half an hour. And then he has breakfast with his family. He usually has two eggs and a glass of milk. After breakfast, he walks to school with his brother. It takes them about twenty minutes to get to school. They get to school at about 7:40. Bob begins his classes at 8:00. After four lessons in the morning, he has a hamburger, some fish and vegetables for lunch at school. Then he has three classes in the afternoon. His last class is over at 4:50p.m. After school, he usually plays football or basketball from 5:00 p. m. to 6:00 p.m. He says it is good for his health to play sports every day. He gets home at 6:20 p.m. He usually eats some rice and vegetables for dinner. Sometimes, he eats some noodles. After dinner, he does his homework from 7:30to 9:30. Then he listens to music or reads books for a while( ). He doesn't watch TV or play computer games on weekdays. He goes to bed at 10:30 p.m. His friends say his lifestyle is very healthy. Do you think so? Bob _ for half an hour after he gets up in the morning. reads English Centuries ago, man discovered that removing moisture from food helps to store it, and that the easiest way to do this is to expose the food to sun and wind. In this way the North American Indians produce pemmican(dried meat ground into powder and made into cakes), the Scandinavians make stockfish and the Arabs dried dates. All foods include water--cabbage and other leaf vegetables contains as much as 93% water, potatoes and other root vegetables 80%, lean meat 75% and fish, anything from 80% to 60%, depending on how fatty it is. If this water is removed, the activity of the bacteria which cause food to go bad is checked. Fruit is sun-dried in Asia Minor, Greece, Spain and other Mediterranean countries, and also in California, South Africa and Australia. Various methods are used, but in general, the fruit is spread out on trays in drying yards in the hot sun. Nowadays most foods are dried mechanically. The method of such dehydration is to put food in chambers through which hot air is blown at temperatures of about 110degC at entry to about 43degC at exit. This is the usual method for drying such things as vegetables, minced meat, and fish. Dried foods take up less room and weigh less than the same food packed in cans or frozen, and they do not need to be stored in special conditions. For these reasons they are invaluable to the climbers, explorers and soldiers in battle, who have little storage space. They are also popular with housewives because it takes so little time to cook them. Usually it is just a case of replacing the dried-out moisture with boiling water. Housewives like dried foods because they _ . are quick to prepare
Question: How to avoid common life mistakes? 1. Don't do things you don't like Whenever you do things you don't like, you will start to hate yourself a bit more. You will hate yourself for not being consistent. For doing things you know that you don't want to do, another stress is right there. 2. Do less This is one of the hardest things, especially for me. I'm doing too many things at the same time. In itself, doing many different things to figure out what works and what doesn't isn't that had. It's actually quite good. But at some point you need to let go of the things that don't work and focus on the things that work. And that's the hardest part, at least for me. I always try to make everything work. And if you always try to make everything work, you'll usually end up with nothing working at all. 3. Get rid of complicated things There are many complicated things in life. Complicated relationships, complicated jobs, complicated whatever. What all of these things do is that they steal our focus. They add an additional stress layer to our lives and take over some of our brain's bandwidth(;). We desperately need to navigate bandwidth in this crazy and complex world. 4. Read books, not blogs Blogs consist of too much information for our brains to process. Blogs usually leave out the story our brains need. Our brains need a story to remember things. Don't believe me? Try it. What parts of this blog post do you remember? Probably none. All that blogs do is that they clutter our brains with useless information we forget immediately after we read them. A waste of time. There are a number of personal traits which all of us should develop in our earlier life. What is the writer's viewpoint on complicated things? A. They cause little stress to young people's lives. B. Young people can't focus on their business without them. C. They have a great influence on young people's lives. D. Young people needn't do what they want to do. Answer: C Question: A crowd-source worker wants to track when a certain task drops. They would A. use a notebook B. randomly play tracks C. buy expensive sneakers D. run for miles Answer: A Question: From Avatar to Lord of the Rings, plants are no strangers to playing big movie roles. However, no one has ever shot a film that plants themselves can watch until now. In a New York art gallery, seven house plants have spent the last seven weeks watching Strange Skies, the first travel documentary for a vegetable audience. All the plants sat in the cinema in rows, enjoying themselves in Italian sunshine. The movie was made by American artist Jonathon Keats. It consists of Italian skies recorded over two months and made into a six-minute-long movie. The film shows the clear dawn , high clouds, amazing dusk and then beautiful night. The movie has no sound and the plants, of course, do not applaud. But Stephen Squibb, a professor from Harvard University, said these plants could benefit from it--the light of the movie keeps them alive because they can continue the process of turning light into energy. "I realized there was a much larger audience--plants--that were not being serviced, "Keats said. "I wanted to provide plants with entertainment that companies such as Disney provide for humans. "Meanwhile, Keats also wants to explore plants' sensibilities further. He plans to open a"restaurant for plants"at a Californian museum. One visitor, photographer Abbas Ebrahimi, admired the green audience, "Plants are better than us. We die and go, while in spring they come back each time. "But when talking about the movie, he said after thinking for a few minutes, "It doesn't mean anything to me at all. It's just about light. For some people, it might mean something. " What did Stephen Squibb think of Strange Skies? A. He thought it had explored plants' sensibilities. B. He thought it meant nothing to him. C. He thought it could keep plants growing. D. He thought it offered entertainment to plants. Answer: C Question: Humans have launched themselves into the outer space. They've landed on the moon. They've built habitable space stations that orbit the Earth. The next giant leap for mankind is to reach another planet - specifically, Mars. The problem is that it's no easy task. The planet is 586 times further away from the Earth than the moon, and it'll take around 180 to 220 days to reach Mars, depending on where each planet is in its orbit. Such long periods in space have suggested many potential health problems, including hormonal changes, skin conditions, and muscle and bone deterioration . Here's where some furry friends come in. A wide range of animals have been in space, from fruit flies and spiders to cats, and dogs. Such experiments began as far back as the late 1940s in first tests to see if living things could _ the extreme g-force of a rocket launch. Mice continue to play a very important part in space experiments, mainly because the animals make excellent test subjects. They're small, which makes them inexpensive and easy to care for. In addition, their size and short life span make it possible to do the equivalent of several human years of tests in a much shorter time. Finally, because mice are mammals, they share many common characteristics with humans in terms of genetics, biology and behavior. Astromice have hit the headlines recently, as a team of scientists led by Betty Nusgens, professor of biology at the University of Liege in Belgium, found that the mice suffered a 15 percent thinning of their skin after 91 days aboard the International Space Station (ISS). This experiment was part of a wider NASA mission called the Mice Drawer System (MDS). The Italian Space Agency developed the facility, which allows six mice to be housed, monitored, and automatically fed and watered aboard the ISS, among which three survived during the mission. The mice have participated in 20 separate experiments, to study such effects as osteoporosis , anemia and heart health. Results for the 20 experiments are coming in gradually. But it's clear that mice continue to play an important role in the ongoing quest to conquer the final frontier. The main purpose of the article is to _ . A. describe the role mice play in scientific research B. report on the results of the Mice Drawer System C. analyze how mice could pave the way to Mars D. change people's traditional attitudes toward mice Answer: C Question: At a primary school in a small town in the east of South Carolina, second-grade teachers Garneau and Lynne are convinced that separating elementary-age boys and girls produces immediate academic improvement in both genders . David Chadwell, South Carolina's expert of single gender education says, "Boys and girls learn, hear and respond to their surroundings differently.We can teach boys and girls based on what we now know." Male and female eyes are not organized in the same way, he explains.The organization of the male eye makes it sensitive to motion and direction."Boys understand the world as objects moving through space," he says. The male eye is also drawn to cooler colors like silver and black.It's no accident that boys tend to create pictures of moving objects instead of drawing the happy colorful family, like girls do in their class. The female eye, on the other hand, is drawn to warmer colors like red, yellow and orange.To attract girls, Chadwell says, the teacher doesn't need to move as much as in boy's class.Using descriptive phrases and lots of colors in presentations or on the blackboard gets their attention. Boys and girls also hear differently."When someone speaks in a loud tone, girls understand it as yelling," Chadwell says."They think you're mad and can shut down." Girls are more sensitive to sounds.He advises girls' teachers to watch the tone of their voices.Boys' teachers should sound more forceful, even excited. A boy's nervous system causes him to be more cautious when he is standing, moving, and the room temperature is around 69 degrees Fahrenheit.Stress in boys, he says, tends to increase blood flow to their brains, a process that helps them stay focused.Girls are more focused when seated in a warmer room around 75 degrees Fahrenheit.Girls also respond to stress differently.When exposed to threat and conflict, blood goes to their guts , leaving them feeling nervous or anxious. These differences can be applied in the classroom, Chadwell adds."Single gender programs are about making the best use of the learning." Which of the following students is most likely to be focused? A. A boy sitting in a warm room B. A standing boy who is faced with stress C. A girl standing in a cold room D. A girl who is facing a lot of pressure Answer: B
A young man went to a car shop. He was wearing rubber boots and a dirty jacket. He needed a haircut very much. The young man looked at an expensive car carefully and then asked the shop owner , "How much is this car?" "Nine thousand two hundred and eighteen," the owner answered. "I want sixteen of them," the young man said. The shop owner smiled coldly. He showed the door to the young man. In another shop on the other side of the street the business was done . The young man took money out of his pocket and paid for the cars. He said the cars were for himself and his friends were. Each of them wanted to get one. He said that he and his friends were working on a fishing-boat. "We have got much money this season," the young man said, "and we want to buy cars. " The story tries to tell us _ . A we can't tell if a man is rich by his clothes B cars are expensive C people wearing rubber boots are rich D we can't show the door to others Answer: A About a year ago, a couple with three children moved into the apartment next door to mine. I never heard any noise from the children, but the parents were always yelling at the kids. We often met in the hallway when we were coming or going. I always spoke, but the only answer I got was a "Hello" from the four-year-old girl. One afternoon when I returned, they were just coming out of their apartment and the little girl was holding the door open for the others. I remained in the car doing unnecessary things. But when I looked up I saw the little girl was still holding the door open, waiting for me. I hurried as much as I could and thanked her. I was really touched by her act of kindness. That afternoon I was at the K-Mart and I bought a white Teddy bear for her. The next day, there was a knock on the door and it was the little girl and her father. She was very proud of the bear and thanked me like I had never been thanked before. Now when we meet in the hall, we all speak in a friendly manner. As time passes, I don't hear that yelling as often as before. Last night we had about four inches of snow. I looked out at my car and wondered how I was going to keep my doctor's appointment. I went out to remove the snow. But when I opened my front door, I found my car was there with all the snow removed. You couldn't imagine how I felt at that moment. I thanked that family in my heart. Isn't it amazing that a small kind act of a four-year-old girl could change so many things for the better? My guardian angel says that good things come from small acts. Which of the following is CORRECT according to the passage? A The children were very naughty and often made their parents angry. B Life must be very hard for the parents next door as they had a large family to support. C The writer put off the appointment with his doctor because of the heavy snow. D The little girl's kind act changed the relationship between the writer and her family. Answer: D Television is a central part of many people's lives. There are very few places in the world where one cannot find a television set. Some sporting events, such as the Olympic Games or the football World Cup, can attract audiences of many millions. But is television a good or bad influence on young people in the modern world? Thomas Murray, president of the British Parents Against Television Society, believes that it has not improved young people's lives. "Television damages family life," he argues. "At mealtime, families no longer talk to each other. In the evenings, youngsters do not spend good quality time with family members. Instead, they watch television." Murray says that this lack of communication leads to social problems. Murray also believes that the content of television programmes provides young people with poor role models. "There is so much violence on TV--guns, kung fu fighting, and so on. Young people think that all problems should be solved by aggression." It is not just young people's mental health that worries Murray. "Teenagers don't get enough exercise because they spend so many hours watching television. They also develop back problems from sitting down for so long, and _ from the effort of watching." Murray would like to see changes to television habits. "Programmes should be educational. Their contents should be nonviolent and healthy. There should be no programmes after ten o'clock in the evening. Parents should teach their children to enjoy their spare time by playing sports or games. And certainly, the television should be switched off during mealtime. Susan Taylor is a television producer. She believes that television is a good influence on young people. "Television brings the outside world to youngsters. It even brought us pictures from the moon! And look what happens after the Olympic Games or the World Cup matches have been shown on TV. People start to take more exercise. Also, there are a lot of programmes about healthy eating and keeping fit." However, Taylor agrees with Murray's point of view concerning parents. "Of course parents have a role to play in educating their kids. They should turn the TV off during mealtime and they should talk with their children as often as possible." Which of the following statements is True? A Teenagers will get backache for sitting down for a long time. B Murray only worries about young people's mental health. C TV programmes are nonviolent and educational. D Teenagers don't like doing exercise at all. Answer: A At a certain time in our lives we consider every place as the possible site for a house.I have thus searched the country within a dozen miles of where I live.In imagination I have bought all the farms, one after another, and I knew their prices. The nearest thing that I came to actual ownership was when I bought the Hollowell place.But before the owner completed the sale with me, his wife changed her mind and wished to keep it, and he offered me additional dollars to return the farm to him.However, I let him.keep the additional dollars and sold him the farm for just what I gave for it. The real attraction of' the Hollowell farm to me was its position, being about two miles from the village, half a mile from the nearest neighbor, bounded on one side by the river, and separated from highway by a wide field. The poor condition if the house and fences showed that it hadn't been used for some time.I remembered from my earliest trip up the river that the house used to be hidden behind a forest area, and I was in a hurry to buy it before the owner finished getting out some rocks, cutting down the apple trees, and clearing away some young trees which had grown up in the fields.I wanted to buy it before he made any more of his improvements.But it turned out as I have said. I was not really troubled by _ .I had always had a.garden, but I don't think I was ready for a large farm. I believe that as long as possible it is better to live free and uncommitted .It makes but little difference you own a farm or not. Why did the author want to buy the farm in a hurry? A He was afraid the owner might changes his mind. B He hoped to enlarge the forest on the farm. C He wanted to keep the farm as it was. D He was eager to become a farm owner. Answer: C Jim wanted to make a fun meal one day. After thinking about it for a long time, he chose to make a chicken dish. Jim made a trip to the store to collect all of the different things he would need to make this meal. He drove his blue truck to the store. On the way he passed a green car, a red van, and a yellow bus. When he got to the store, he met his friends Bob & Mark. He asked if they had seen his friend Joe, but they said no. At the store, Jim bought two pieces of chicken, tomato sauce, cheese, and bread. He drove back to the house, but he saw that something was missing. He had forgotten to grab the bag with the bread in it. He drove back to the store, apologized to the clerk, and grabbed his bag with the bread inside. When he got home, he began to get the food ready. It took him an hour to get the chicken ready to cook and the oven heated up. After that, it took him another hour to cook the food. He had to wait another hour after it was done cooking for his dinner guests to arrive. When they finally arrived, everyone told Jim how wonderful the food tasted, and everyone at the table asked for seconds. Jim smiled, glad that everyone loved this meal that he had worked so hard to make. Who wanted to cook a fun meal? A Bob B Mark C Joe D Jim Answer: D
Item 78431 The Video Camera Pen $129. 95 ;Available for Immediate Shipment; Order by Phone :1-800-321-1484 This is the pen that has a built-in video camera, capturing(,)videos or still images with a click of its button. Ideal for use while secured in a pocket, it can capture up to five hours of video. Its battery provides up to two hours of power before requiring a recharge. Item 78098 The Wristwatch Camcorder $149. 95; Available for 3-day Shipment; Order by Phone :1-800-321-1484 This is the men's watch with an unnoticeable camera located at the two-o'clock position, yet the watch's hands never make it covered. So you'll be always ready to capture a famous person or a pet's ridiculous actions. The camera's rechargeable battery provides up to two hours of use from a four-hour charge. Item 77918 The only 55 Inch Widescreen Personal Movie Theater $ 249. 95 ;Available for Immediate Shipment; Order by Phone:l-800-321-1484 This is the only personal media viewer that provides a private viewing experience just like watching a widescreen 55 inch television from 10 meters away. It connects to a video iPod, iPhone, portable DVD player with two AA batteries providing up to six hours of continuous operation. Item 77281 The Digital Phone Album Watch $ 99. 95 ;Available for Immediate Shipment; Order by Phone :1-800-321-1484 This is the watch that vividly displays 120 of your favorite digital photographs. You can download digital photographs to the watch. The watch can be viewed in the Photo Album mode or digital mode( time and date view). A six-hour charge provides up to 10 days of use. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? A In fact, Item 78098 cannot tell time. B Item 77918 works as a DVD player. C In a way, Item 77281 is user-friendly D All the items include rechargeable batteries. Answer: C Impossible cases are not forever. While it is impossible for one person, it is possible for another. In a word, everything is possible. Someone says, "Success belongs to those who can look at the complex challenges offered by the world as inspiration." So your challenges are golden opportunities for success. How can there be miracles if there are no obstacles? How will you chase the storm if there is no storm? You need challenges to reveal your ability. Success doesn't come out' of nothing; success comes from the problems you face. Those who refuse to give in come out smiling. Robert X. Perez says, "The seeds of success spring from failure's ashes. "Failure is not defeat; it is the pointer to do better than what you just did. You have to know that you are in a constant study of life. What you face is for your training. Samuel Aidoo says, "Each failure is simply another chapter in the story of our lives. To fail is to understand what not to do. Remember it and don't give up until your goal is achieved." What do you do when you face difficulty? Yeah, life is difficult, but you do not give up. Have a positive and calm outlook on your circumstances and make the best of them. You may learn something new. You can develop mental toughness. Mental toughness means to be able to see the long-term gains rather than be put off by short-term pains. Once you have this toughness, you have the winning edge . The only things in life you ever really regret are the chances you didn't take. You will regret when you see the consequences of not seizing the opportunities when they arose. Take chances every day! Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage? A We can perform miracles by overcoming difficulty. B We will become greater after overcoming difficulty. C Most of us can't show our ability because of difficulty. D Everyone will fail far numerous times because of difficulty. Answer: A Florence Nightingale was born in a rich family. When she was young, she took lessons in music and drawing, and read great books. She also travelled a great deal with her mother and father. As a child, she felt that visiting sick people was both a duty and a pleasure. She enjoyed helping them. At last, her mind was made up. "I'm going to be a nurse," she decided. "Nursing isn't the right work for a lady," her father told her. "Then I will make it so," she smiled. And she went to learn nursing in Germany and France. When she returned to England, Florence started a nursing home for women. During the Crimean War in 1854, she went with a group of thirty-eight nurses to the front hospital. What they saw there was terrible. Dirt and death were everywhere to be seen and smelled. The officer there did not want any woman to tell him how to run a hospital, either. But the brave nurses went to work. Florence used her own money and some from friends to buy clothes, beds, medicines and food for the men. Her only pay was the smiles from the lips of dying soldiers. But they were more than enough for this kind woman. After war, she returned to England and was honoured for her service by Queen Victoria. But Florence said that her work had just begun. She raised money to build the Nightingale Home for Nurses in London. She also wrote a book on public health, which was printed in several countries. Florence Nightingale died at the age of ninety, still trying to serve others through her work as a nurse. Indeed, it is because of her that we honour nurses today. The passage can be best described as_. A the life story of a famous woman B a description of the nursing work C an example of successful education D the history of nursing in England Answer: A Generations of Americans have been brought up to believe that a good breakfast is essential to one's life. Eating breakfast at the start of the day, we have been told, and told again, is as necessary as putting gasoline in the family car before starting a trip. But for many people, the thought of food as the first thing in the morning is never a pleasure. So in spite of all the efforts, they still take no breakfast. Between 1977 and 1983, the latest year for which figures could be obtained, the number of people who didn't have breakfast increased by 33%--from 8.8 million to 11.7 million--according to the Chicago-based Market Research Corporation of America. For those who dislike eating breakfast, however, there is some good news. Several studies in the last few years have shown that, for grown-ups especially, there may be nothing wrong with omitting breakfast. "Going without breakfast does not affect work," said Arnold E. Bender, former professor of nutrition at Queen Elizabeth College in London, "nor does giving people breakfast improve work." Scientific evidence linking breakfast to better health or better work is surprisingly inadequate, and most of the recent work involves children, not grown-ups. "The literature," says one researcher, Dr Earnest Polite at the University of Texas, "is poor." The word "literature" in the last sentence refers to _ . A stories, poems, play, etc B written works on a particular subject C newspaper articles D the modern literature of America Answer: B Nowadays,the Internet,with its ability to connect people throughout the world,is changing the way people learn languages.There is still no way to avoid the hard work through vocabulary lists and grammar rules,but the books,tapes and even CDs are being replaced by email, video chat and social networks. Livemocha, a Seattle company, has created a website devoted to helping people learn more than 38 languages by exchanging messages over the Internet and then correcting each other's messages. The lessons,whether they are flashcards,quizzes,audio recordings or written and spoken essays,are delivered through the Intemet. Michael Schutzler, Livemocha's chief executive , says the website's advantage is the ability to practicel with a real person. "The great irony is that even if you have learned a foreign language in the classroom for years,you don't have confidefice to go into a restaurant and have a conversation with a foreigner,"he said.The casual connection with real people throughout the world, however brief, are not just fun and surprising but show more about how the language is really used. Livemocha is now experimenting with a variety of ways that resemble the games on other social websites to motivate people.The flashcard exercises,for instance,are scored, and the totals earned by studying and teaching appear on the users'front page. Besides,each person can set up a profile which includes a short description of his age,location and what language he would like to learn.Therefore,if you want to study one language,you will easily find many people who are fluent in it.Andl an email or two is all it takes to find a study partner. There are more and more companies like Livemocha offeritig online language learning to students throughout the world. And instead of merely helping people practice different languages,they also enable people to share interests and make new friends. For what purpose did Livemocha create the website? A To offer new ways of language learning. B To make an advertisement for their company. C To share interests and make new friends. D To tell his inspiring story to more people. Answer: A
Shopping for clothes is not the same experience for a man as it is for a woman. A man goes shopping because he needs something. All men simply walk into a shop and ask for what they want If the shop has it, the salesman quickly finds it, and the business of trying it on continues at once. All being well, the deal can be and often is completed in less than five minutes. For a man, small problems may begin when the shop does not have what he wants. Then, the salesman tries to sell the customer something else. "I know this jacket is not the style you want, sir, but would you like to try it for size? It happens to be the color you mentioned." Few men have patience with this treatment, and the usual reply is, "This is the right color and maybe the right size, but I should be wasting my time and yours by trying it on." However, a woman does so in the opposite way. Her shopping is not often based on(... ) need, and she is only "having a look around". She is always open to persuasion, really she believes in what the saleswoman tells her. She will try on any number of things. Most women have an excellent sense of value when they buy clothes. They are always on the lookout for the unexpected sale. Faced with a roomful of dresses, a woman may easily spend an hour going from one room to another, often going back over again, before choosing the dresses she wants to try on. It is always tiring, but obviously enjoyable. Most dress shops provide chairs for the waiting husbands. ,. According to the passage, we can learn that Answer: It is hard to imagine that such a small country,the size of Indiana with the population of Alaska,tucked in the Himalaya Mountains,accessible only by two airplanes,is the "Happiest Country'' in the world and has one of the fastest growing GDP'S in the world.This country is Bhutan,"Land of the Thunder Dragon",which is located in South Asia and is _ by India,China,and Nepal. Bhutan is the last standing Buddhist Kingdom in the World and,until recently,has preserved much of their culture since the l7th century by avoiding globalization and staying isolated from the world.Internet,television,and western dress were banned from the country up until ten years ago.Over the past ten years globalization has begun to change in Bhutan,but things remain perfectly balanced. Bhutan is the only country in the world that has a 'GNH',which refers to "Gross National Happiness.''The process of measuring GNH began when Bhutan opened up to globalization.It measures people's quality of life,and makes sure that "material and spiritual development happen together."Bhutan has done an amazing job of finding this balance.Bhutan has continually been ranked as the happiest country in all of Asia,and the eighth Happiest Country in the world according to Business Week.In 2007,Bhutan had the second fastest growing GDP in the world,at the same time as maintaining their environment and cultural identity. In 2008,in Bhutan's first democratic election,28-year-old Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wang Chuck was elected president of Bhutan.He promises to "maintain a stance of protection against the worst aspects of globalization,maintaining the 'Gross National Happiness'."But Jigme himself is no stranger to globalization.He attended high school at Phillips Academy and university at Wheaton College and then graduated from Oxford. Why is Bhutan regarded as "the happiest country"? Answer: Every year, more than four million babies are born in the United States. Some parents named their children based on family, cultural or religious traditions. Girls are often named after a family member but rarely their mothers. Sons, though, are often named after their fathers. Every year the Social Security Administration releases a list of the most popular baby names in America. Last year, Jacob was the most popular boy name and Emma the number one name for girls. These days, the choice of a baby name seems to be guided as much by individual desires as by tradition. This is shown in the fact that the most popular baby names are not as popular as they used to be. Researchers at San Diego State University in California did a study. They found that thirty-two percent of boys received one of the ten most popular names in 1955. The same was true for twenty-two percent of girls. By 2007, however, the numbers were down to less than ten percent of boys and only eight percent of girls. "People are more and more interested in finding unusual names. And now since we have the information on the Internet of what the most popular names are, the percentage of kids who get them actually is going down because people are able to avoid them much more successfully than they did before," said Cleveland Evans, a professor of psychology at Bellevue University. Parents can find plenty of advice on the Web and in bookstores about choosing a baby name. A lot has also been written about the possible effects that a name might have on a child's future. There are studies that suggest children with unusual names are more likely to be teased. Other studies suggest that as adults, they might be less likely to get called for a job interview. Yet other research suggests that giving a child an unusual name might help build character. What all this adds up to is a big responsibility for parents to consider what's really in a name. What can be inferred from the study of San Diego State University? Answer: If you're a male and you're reading this, congratulations: you're a survivor. According to a survey, you're more than twice as likely to die of skin cancer than a woman, than nine times more likely to die of AIDS. Assuming you make it to the end of your natural term, about 78 years for men in Australia, you'll die on average five years before a woman. There're many reasons for this -- typically, men take more risks than women and are more likely to drink and smoke--but perhaps more importantly, men don't go to the doctor. "Men aren't seeing doctors as often as they should," says Dr. Gullotta. "This is particularly so for the over-40s, when diseases tend to strike." Gullotta says a healthy man should visit the doctor every year or two. For those over45, it should be at least once a year. Two months ago Gullotta saw a 50-year-old man who had delayed doing anything about his smoker's cough for a year. "When I finally saw him it had already spread and he finally died from lung cancer," he says. "Earlier detection and treatment may not have cured him, but it would have prolonged his life." According to a recent survey, 95% of women aged between 15 and early 40s see a doctor once a year, compared to 70% of men in the same age group. "A lot of men think they can never defeated," Gullotta says. "They only come in when a friend drops dead on the golf course and they think, 'Geez, if it could happen to him, ...'" Then there's the ostrich approach. "Some men are scared of what might be there and would rather not know," says Dr, Ross Cartmill. "Most men get their cars serviced more regularly than they service their bodies," Cartmill says. He believes most diseases that commonly affect men could be addressed by preventive check-ups. Regular check-ups for men would inevitable place strain on the public purse, Cartmill says. "But prevention is cheaper in the long run than having to treat the diseases. Besides, the ultimate cost far greater; it's called premature death." Why does the author congratulate his male readers at the beginning of the passage? Answer: YOU might go to a museum to look at old cars or something about an ancient civilization . Would you like to see ice cream? Believe it or not, there is a museum of ice cream in Iowa in the United States. Visitors can see a video that tells all about the history of the delicious snack. It seems that ice cream goes back to about 2000 years ago , when the Chinese mixed together ice, milk and sugar. Spending an afternoon looking at how to make ice cream can make you a little hungry. No problem, the museum has its own ice cream store, where you can taste some of them. In Edinburgh, Scotland, there is a museum of childhood. The museum shows objects about the lives of children in Scotland, past and present. You can expect toys, dolls, teddy bears and train sets. But there are also videos which tell you what it was like to be a kid in Scotland in old times. You can hear children reading their multiplication tables : "Seven sevens are 49, eight sevens are 56." You can also watch documentary movies of the games kids played in Edinburgh in the 1950s, look at the clothes they wore and get to know what their schools were like. It will be wonderful to visit the Children's Discovery Museum in Bangkok , Thailand. The museum has parts of nature, environment, technology and kids' activities. In this museum, you get to take part in the kids' activities. You can dress up to be a fireman in a fire truck. It is interesting. We can't know about _ in the museum of childhood. Answer:
Allen : I've never been a big fan of the bears , especially the vacation show . On my last trip to Disneyland (1999) we passed it by , because we didn't want to spend the time on something we didn't really enjoy. If we'd known it would be closed by our next visit , I'm sure we would have watched it one more time . I was just making the point that it wasn't until Disney announced the closing that this feeling suddenly sprang up for the Country Bear show at Disneyland . But I think the idea of keeping some attractions open forever regardless of the number of visitors it gets is a mistake . We all have great memories of the Bears , but clearly very few kids today (or I should say families today ) are making those same memories from this show . That may be a sad fact , but it's a fact . For whatever reason , the show doesn't pull in the numbers . Isn't it right to use the Country Bear space to bring in a more popular attraction so that more kids today can make those magic memories of an attraction THEY like ? Otherwise aren't we just telling kids today that they "have to" make great memories of the Bears , when it's obvious that the kids themselves are not enjoying the Bears like we did ? Roger : I am very disappointed that they have decided to retire the Country Bear Playhouse . I remember going to the show as a child , and still enjoyed it as a teenager , and now young adult . It is true that there aren't a lot of shows left at DL and with this one closing even less . Being at DL does require a lot of walking , and it is nice to have a few attractions that are a place to sit and enjoy a good show . I understand that DL has to develop , but there has to be some history to the Disneyland that Walt Disney first designed . There should be some parts of DL that just never go away , and this is one of them . By the time I have children it looks like there won't be any attractions that I can say I went to as a child at the rate they are going . Now the Bears are leaving . What I want to say is: stop trying to compete with everyone ! DL is the best , because of attractions like the Country Bears . If DL insists on destroying all of its magic to make way for the latest , well , then it might as well be just another theme park . Which of the following is not in the same group as the other three ? Answer: 6 June ,Saturday I read an article about people living in the e-age yesterday .It talks about different ways of communicating like chatting online ,sending e-mails ,sending different kinds of messages and keeping an online diary . The article says that people nowadays send e-mails at least once a day .I do not agree with this because I send e-mails only twice a week .However ,I do check my e-mails once a day .I like receiving e-mails. About chatting online ,the article says that it is becoming more and more popular among teenagers .I think this is true .Whenever I arrive at home ,I turn on my computer and log on to chat online with my friends .I prefer chatting online to calling a friend .because I can chat with many friends at the same time .But I like using mobile phones. When I don't have my computer with me ,I can send short messages to my friends . I also like keeping in touch with them in this way . I keep an online diary four times a week .I like telling others what has happened to me .I think I am one of the people living in the e-age . I can't live without computers or mobile phones . How often does the writer send e-mails? Answer: One night in February 1962, John H. Glenn. Jr., flew over Australia. The man in the Mercury capsule was alone, but friendly voices reached him by radio. On the dark land 100 miles below, he saw a sprinkling of light. They marked the city of Perth, where people had turned on their lights as a greeting to him. In Friendship7, Glenn radioed, " The lights show up very well. Thank for everybody for turning them on." His capsule raced on to the east. During his three orbits(......) of the earth, Glenn could always reach one of eighteen tracking stations. Some of them were on ship at sea. Others were in the United States. Many of the stations had been built with the help of other countries. These countries allowed Americans to bring in radio equipment and set it up. Without the help of such lands as Nigeria , Zanzibar(,), and Mexico, there would have been breaks in the worldwide radio network. John H. Glenn. Jr., was the first America to orbit the earth. For his flight, the tracking network covered 60,000 route miles. Five hundred men worked in the stations along the route. Since his flight, the network has grown. Today, it covers more than 100,000 route miles and has about one hundred stations. One-third of these stations are outside of the United States. During his flight Glenn could always _ . Answer: French writer Le Clezio won the 2008 Nobel Prize in Literature, the Swedish Academy announced Thursday. The Academy _ Le Clezio as "author of new departures and poetic adventure, explorer of humanity beyond civilization." Le Clezio, 48, received much attention with his first novel The Interrogationin 1963 and made the breakthrough as a novelist withDesertin 1980, for which he was rewarded a prize from the French Academy. This novel Desertcontains magnificent images of a lost culture in the North African desert, contrast with a description of Europe seen through the eyes of unwanted immigrants, the Swedish Academy said in the statement. The emphasis in Le Clezio's work has increasingly moved in the direction of an exploration of the world of childhood and of his own family history, the academy added. Le Clezio was born 1940 in Nice of France, but both parents had strong family connections with the former French colony Mauritius.At the age of eight, he moved to Nigeria with his family. During the month-long voyage to Nigeria, he began his literary career with two books Un long voyageandOradi noir. He has taught at universities in Bangkok, Mexico City, Boston, Austin and Albuquerque among other places. Since the 1990s, Le Clezio and his wife share their time between Albuquerque in New Mexico, the island of Mauritius and Nice. This was the fourth of the prestigious Nobel Prizes handed out this year, with awards in chemistry, physics and medicine made in the past three days. The Nobel Prizes have been awarded annually since 1901 to those who "conferred the greatest benefit on mankind during the preceding year." The annual Nobel Prizes are usually announced in October and are handed out on Dec. 10, the anniversary of the 1896 death of Alfred Nobel, a Swedish industrialist and the inventor of dynamite . Each prize consists of a medal, a personal diploma and a cash award of 10 million Swedish kronor (1.4 million U.S. dollars). Which of Le Clezio's works won him the 2008 Nobel Prize in Literature? Answer: A recent research shows that most people while attending their very first or second interview face the problem of interview nerves. This interview nerves simply make them nervous and depressed. This mainly happens due to lack of confidence and belief in oneself. Most of them even suffer from sleepless nights. They feel as if interviews are nothing but a questioning by an unknown person who will judge them by their answers. They simply can't understand or _ that the interviews are as beneficial for them as for the company. To overcome these problems, people need to make their mind set for facing the interview full of confidence. This can be done by building up confidence that this job is for me only. They need to make preparations for the estimated questions to be asked in the interview. They also need to be familiar with a few details of the company like its products, vision, recent achievement, etc. This is just to have an upper hand in the interview so that you can explain that you are the right candidate for the company. One must be completely relaxed before the interview. Because stress is one of the major reasons which reduces one's performance ability. Another way of getting over with your nerves is by a well known therapy called as hypnosis. Hypnosis is a very effective therapy which is generally used for curing nerves of Examinations, Interviews, Meetings, etc. Hypnosis mainly activates your subconscious mind so that you are extra alert and attentive what you are doing. Thus this gives you a lot more confidence to deal with. Now here are some of the tips you must follow for your interview. * You must be fully prepared for the interview and you must possess everything required. * You must maintain a complete eye contact with the interviewer, because it will show your confidence. * You must not do any nervous acts like being fidgety, fixing your tie or touching your clothes dress again and again. * Be positive while talking and use your hands to express yourself. * With hypnosis you can come in terms with such a situation and will be well prepared to face a barrage of questions that come your way. How many ways does the author mention to overcome nerves _ ? Answer:
A man stopped his car at the door of a flower shop. He planned to order flowers and asked the shopkeeper to deliver them to his mother, who was far away in the man's hometown. The man saw a little girl crying on the road when he was about to enter the shop. The man asked her: "Why are you crying?" "I want to buy a rose for my mother, but I haven't got enough money," said the girl. The man took the girl's hand and entered the flower shop. He first ordered the bouquet for his mother and bought a rose for the girl. Walking out of the shop, the man asked the girl if she would like a ride home. "Will you really drive me home?" she asked. "Of course," the man replied. "Then drive me to my mother. But the place where my mother lives is very far." The man drove along the mountain road and finally came to the cemetery . The little girl put the flower onto a new grave. In order to present a rose to her mother who had passed away a month before, she had gone on a very long journey. The man drove the girl to her home and then returned to the flower shop. He cancelled the bouquet and bought a big bunch of fresh flowers instead. He drove directly to his mother's home, a five-hour drive from where he was. He would present the flowers to his mother in person. Whom did the man go to a flower shop to order flowers for? His mother. The Atacama Desert is located just west of the Andes, a 1000-km strip of land next to the Pacific Ocean. In spite of its location beside the sea, several studies have shown that this region is the driest place in the world. In the Antofagasta Region of the desert, the average annual rainfall is just 1 mm and some weather stations have never received rain at all. Atacama is so _ that the surrounding mountains that reach up to 6885 m, have ly no glaciers! In the region, the river beds have been dry for over 120,000 years. However, unlike the Sahara Desert,Atacama is surprisingly not that hot. It has an average daily temperature between 0'C and 25degC! If you find that surprising, you'd be shocked to find out that this desert has lakes! When there was rainfall in the region (many year ago), this accumulated water created what we now know as the Salt Lakes. The name of these lakes was given as a result of the effect of the Atacama environment: the long dry period makes the water evaporate ,resulting in the higher concentrations of salt in the remaining water. This region has been tested by scientists to see if life is present in the Atacama soil with the same instruments that would be used to detect life in the soil on Mars! As a result of the soil's similarites to that of Mars,the Atacama land is used to test instruments for future Mars missions. In addition, the region has been used in movies as a set for filming Mars scenes, most famously in the television show Space Odyssey: Voyage to the Planets. The Atacama Desert is truly a unique place, due to its lack of rain as well as its similarities to Mars. You would think that this place would be a bare ghost town , but think again! Many people have lived here for centuries, giving this desert its own culture and economic significance. According to the author, the Atacama Desert _ . is somehow livable Which structure of a bird is correctly paired with its function? claws for obtaining food 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. The biggest advantage of your posting regular updates is that _ . your family and friends can know about your changes A city without cars would be very strange , right ? But Venice is such a city . Venice is in the northeast of Italy. It wasn't built on land, like Beijing or Shanghai, but on more than 110 islands. Seawater is everywhere around the city. Even so, travel isn't that difficult. The waterways have always been the best way to get around. There are 117 waterways and more than 400 bridges that can guide you where you want to go. People in Venice move from place to place by boat. Water makes the city special, but it is also a big problem. Sometimes tourists will have such strange experiences . One moment they walk across the Rialto Bridge , and there's nothing special . But when they come back to the bridge an hour later , it's underwater and everyone is wearing rain shoes . Once, people used too much underground water. This made the city get lower little by little. Now the city has gone down by 23 centimeters. Another problem is the rising seawater. The temperature has risen over the years. This has made ice of the Arctic Ocean melt . Every year, high waters hit the city in autumn and winter. When a lot of water comes, more than half of the city is underwater. Scientists are trying different ways to stop the city from getting even lower. The Italian government has asked some of Italy's biggest companies to build the MOST project , which was planned to be built under the seawater to stop the rising water . Anyway , this project is helping solve the problem . _ have always been the best way to go here and there in the city . The waterways
Gordon Ramsay is one of prefix = st1 /Britain's best-known chefs. He is one of the only three chefs in the country to maintain three Michelin stars for their restaurant. Gordon was born in Scotlandbut was brought up inEnglandafter his family moved toStratford. He played football as a teenager for Oxford United Football Club's youth side and was spotted by a scout for Rangers. He became a professional player at the age of 15. After a knee injury that left him unable to regain full fitness, he was released from the club. At the age of 19 Ramsay now turned his hand to cookery. He worked under Marco Pierre White and Albert Roux in London and Guy Savoy and Joel Robuchon in Parisbefore becoming head chef of the newly-opened Aubergine restaurant in 1993. By 1996, the restaurant had been awarded two Michelin stars. In 1998 Ramsay opened his first own restaurant inChelsea. The restaurant gained three Michelin stars in 1999, making Ramsay the first Scot to gain the achievement. From there his empire has expanded rapidly, opening a lot of restaurants. Ramsay has published six books on cooking and also appeared in two documentaries --Boiling Pointin 1998 andBeyond Boiling Pointin 2000. The series showed that Ramsay is a hot-tempered man in the kitchen; he was seen yelling dirty words at his staff and throwing equipment around. Food critic Gill, who was famously fired from Ramsay'sChelsearestaurant, has said that Ramsay is "a wonderful chef, just a really second-rate human being". Ramsay had to leave the club because _ . I am a middle school student. I like fashionable clothes. I like wearing a scarf . I like red shirts and I have curly hair. They all look cool. My parents and teachers sometimes ask me not to do so, but I don't mind. These are my own( )things. Don't you think so? ---------Sally My uncle is 40 years old He works for a magazine . He writes articles for children. He visits many places and talks with many children. He thinks children should not watch TV too much and some TV shows are not good for them. --------Barry I study in a middle school. I have many rules at school. I can't be late for school,l have to wear a school uniform at school. I can't eat or sing in the classroom. Miss Yang,our English teacher,is very strict with us. ---------- Mona ,. From the information above ,we can know _ . Some families live quite far in the UK.Visiting them can either be an adventure or a chore .It depends on how much family members like each other. If all goes well,kids have an exciting time.Your relatives will plan different fun activities and make you happy.Taking you to visit relatives gives your parents a chance to rest.It gives older relatives a good chance to _ when they had young kids.If they do not have children of their own,they get to play parent for a while. I remember that Blackpool Pleasure Beach was the place I liked to go with my grandparents It is an amusement park on the northwest coast.It is packed with roller coasters and candy stalls .You could race small boats on a lake or scare yourself into death riding the ghost train.I had good memories of my time there. As you get older,you suddenly become the one who must help your relatives with their kids.I have four COUSINS aged between one and eleven.They are fantastic and I really enjoy seeing them.However,it is very tiring,as they get so excited and energetic .I fall asleep hoping they will remember our good times when they get older. The best title for this passage is _ As I walked along the Edgware Road, I felt as though the world was closing in on me. All the sounds I take for granted, had gone. I had entered a world of silence. This unsettling experience occurred a few weeks ago when I agreed to go deaf for the day to support the work of the charity Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, for which I am an ambassador. When I managed to take a cab to the office of my manager, Gavin, I couldn't hear what the taxi driver was saying to me. Conversation was impossible. Then, when I reached the office, I had to ring the intercom five times as I couldn't hear a response. Everybody said I was shouting at them--- I simply wasn't aware of how loudly I was speaking as I couldn't hear my own voice. Gavin kept telling me my phone was ringing, but I didn't realize. I was too busy trying to concentrate on reading his lips. And when he tried to tell me a code to put into my phone, I had to keep asking him to repeat it, more slowly. Eventually he lost his patience and snapped at me: "Just give me the phone!" I was shocked. People couldn't be bothered to repeat themselves, so they kept trying to do things for me that I was perfectly capable of doing myself. I felt I'd lost control. Being deaf for the day was extraordinarily tiring. I had to work so hard to "listen" with my eyes, get people's attention and use my other senses to make up for my lack of hearing. It was a huge, exhausting effort. Until that experience I didn't realize how much I took my own hearing for granted, or the sorts of emotions and experiences deaf people go through. If a deaf person asks you to repeat something, never think: "It doesn't matter." It does matter. Why did the author focus on reading Gavin's lips? Street art is very popular around the world. You can find it on buildings, street signs and trash cans from Tokyo to Paris, from Moscow to Cape Town. Street art has become a global culture and even art museums are collecting the works of street artists. People have different opinions about street art. Some think it is bad, but others think it is a very beautiful new culture. Street art began in New York in the 1960s. This style of drawing and writing became know as graffiti. Graffiti art showed that young people wanted to rebel against the rules. They traveled around cities to make paintings that everyone could see. One well-known New York street artist is Swoon. She cuts paper pictures of people and puts them on walls. Swoon didn't start as street artist. She studied art but, later, got bored with the works she saw in museums. Then she fell in love with graffiti. The people in New York enjoy Swoon's style. Some museums have already bought some of her works. Street artists do their work for some reasons. A number of them choose street art because it is closer to the everyday life. Nowadays the Internet has a big influence on street art. Artists can show their pictures to people around the world. Many people in the city, however, say that seeing a picture on the Internet is never as good as seeing it live . Swoon studied _ in the past.
Hans said to his friend Kurt, "I'm going to take my car to drive to London." Kurt said, "Driving to London is very hard. You aren't going to find your hotel." But Hans was not afraid. He drove to Calais, put his car on the ship, took it off at Dover, and drove to London. He stopped near the city and looked at his map. Then he drove into London, but he did not find his hotel. He drove round and round for an hour, and then he stopped and got out of his car. A taxi came, and Hans stopped it. "Take me to the Brussels Hotel," he said. But he did not get into the taxi: he got back into his car. The taxi man laughed, but then he drove to the Brussels Hotel, and Hans followed him in his car. They reached the hotel in two minutes. ,. Hans lost his way in _ . A. Calais B. London C. Dover D. Brussels Answer: B. London Ever since Canadian psychiatrist Michael R. Phillips, who works in China, released his report saying China's suicide rate from 1995 to 1999 reached 0.023 percent, the country has been ranked among those with the highest suicide rates in the world. But Jing Jun, a professor of sociology in Tsinghua University, challenges that view and presents the true picture through his nationwide research. Jing and his students took one year to set up the first national database on suicide rate to grasp the overall trend of suicides in China. They collected data from the Health Statistics Annuals of the World Health Organization (sample size 10 million), and the country's Health Statistics Annuals (which cover 100 million people). The database covers 23 years, from 1987 to 2009. Jing calculates the suicide rate in China based on these data. Though the suicide rate was comparatively high in the early years, his study shows it has dropped in recent years, as opposed to the ascending trend in the rest of the world. According to Jing's calculation, China's suicide rate had dropped to about 0.01 percent in 2004. In 2009, the figure dropped further to 0.007 percent, which is rather low compared with the global rate of 0.016 percent. Even if the "missing" suicides were added, China's suicide rate in 2009 would still be below 0.008 percent.[:Zxxk.Com] Jing has found that one of the main reasons why the suicide rate has dropped was the steady and big decline in the number of suicides committed by rural women. In the early years, researchers generally agreed that the suicide rate among Chinese women was higher than among men, which is pretty rare in the rest the world. But the suicide rate among Chinese women, especially in rural areas, has declined remarkably in recent years. In fact, it is almost equal to that of Chinese men. As a sociologist, Jing regards suicide as a social issue, and believes improvement of social policies will reduce the suicide rate even further. More people's lives can be saved if the authorities adjust to social environment for the better, he concludes. We can infer that the text is _ . A. a news report B. a research report C. a description of suicides D. an introduction to a professor Answer: B. a research report Not only did the students ask for changes in the list of required subjects,but they also demanded the right to choose their courses according to their own taste and future needs.No more fixed programs,no guidance from educators and professors.All they wanted was to get their degree as fast as possible and go to work. Although the educators didn't all agree;a majority recognized that time had indeed changed and that education should perhaps adapt itself to the realities of modern society.Colleges and universities revised their programs to include a large number of specialized courses in business,nursing,engineering,and other professional fields.In the 1960s they also added courses requested by the students because they considered them"relevant "(Women Studies,Revolution,or Black History)or useful(glass blowing,infant care,slow running,or family life).The students were granted the right to choose their courses as they wished.Many traditional subjects had to be dropped,including history and foreign languages;the liberal education courses that were still useful were often neglected by the students,who didn't feel like working hard to learn something that was not required for graduation. Whether the revised programs have helped college graduates to find employment quickly is not clear.But after fifteen or twenty years of experimentation,they have raised a lot of criticism.Some of it comes from the graduates themselves,who discover that their practical knowledge is neither deep nor flexible .As soon as they progress to higher positions,they find that they need management training and more study in their own field.Besides,they feel disabled by their lack of general knowledge,for example,by their ignorance of the language and culture of the foreigners with whom they are doing business. Most of all they suffer from their inability to use English,their own language,easily and properly. The students also demanded_,besides a change of program. A. the right to choose their university B. the right to choose their professors C. the right to choose their degree D. the right to choose their courses Answer: D. the right to choose their courses Audrey Hepburn was born on May 4, 1929 in Brussels, Belgium. She really was blue-blood from the beginning with her father, a wealthy English banker, and her mother, a Dutch baroness . After her parents divorced, Audrey went to London with her mother where she went to a private girls school. In World War II she fell on hard times during the Nazi occupation, and Audrey suffered from depression and malnutrition. After the liberation she headed to America to try her luck there. Audrey gained immediate prominence in the US with her role in Roman Holiday in 1953. This film turned out to be a smashing success as she won an Oscar as Best Actress. This gained her enormous popularity and more roles. Roman Holiday was followed by another similarly wonderful performance in the 1957 classic Funny Face. Sabrina, in 1954, for which she received another Academy nomination, and Love in the Afternoon, in 1957, also garnered rave reviews . One of Audrey's most radiant roles was in the fine production of My Fair Lady, in 1964. Her co-star Rex Harrison once was asked to identify his favorite leading lady. Without hesitation, he replied, "Audrey Hepburn in MY FAIR LADY". After a couple of other movies, she gained another nomination in 1967's Wait Until Dark. By the end of the sixties, after her divorce from actor Mel Ferrer, Audrey decided to retire while she was on top. Later she married Dr. Andrea Dotti. From time to time, she would appear on the silver screen. In 1988, Audrey became a special ambassador to the United Nations UNICEF(United Nations Children's Fund)fund helping children in Latin America and Africa, a position she retained until 1993. She was named to People's magazine as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world. Her last film was Always in 1989. Audrey Hepburn died on January 20, 1993 in Tolochnaz, Switzerland. She had made a total of 31 high quality movies. Her elegance and style will always be remembered in film history as evidenced by her being named to Empire magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time". Which one is NOT true in the following statements about Audrey Hepburn? A. Before she headed to America to try her luck there, she had spent some bitter days in Europe. B. She received another Academy nomination in the movie Sabrina (1954), in 1954. C. In 1988, Audrey ended her acting career and became a special ambassador to the United Nations UNICEF fund. D. She was selected as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world and the top 100 movie stars of all time. Answer: C. In 1988, Audrey ended her acting career and became a special ambassador to the United Nations UNICEF fund. My tears run down from my cheeks when I talk to my parents on the phone. What are they doing when I call them? Dad works from seven o'clock in the morning to nine o'clock in the evening. My mum does all the housework, she also has to work in the field. But I can't do anything for them. Every day she gets up at around 4 o'clock in the morning. When I sometimes call her at 7:30 in the evening, she tells me that she is still in the field and doesn't have supper. I tell her I'll study hard in the school. I also ask her to take care of herself and dad because I can't live without them. Mum says that the happiest time for dad and her is when my sister and I come back home. We play cards in the room, watch TV, or do anything we like, with dad and mum making delicious food in the kitchen. It is also the happiest time for me. Love, sometimes, doesn't need many words. Love your parents like they love you. Give them a call, tell them you miss them. Which of the following is the best title? A. Mum and Dad B. I love you, Mum and Dad C. My Family D. I Love My Family Answer: B. I love you, Mum and Dad
Erik wants to climb Mount Everest. He loves to climb, and there is no place greater for climbers than the top of 29,035 feet, the world's highest mountain. Erik is blind. He has been blind since age 13, when an eye disease robbed him of his sight. His new book, Touch the Top of the World: A blind Man's Journey to Climb Farther than the Eye Can See, describes his blindness and climbing. He is the first blind man to attempt Everest. The team reached the base camp at 17,800 feet last Wednesday and began its climb Saturday. If all goes well, Erik will reach the top on about May 15. "I'm not just some broken blind guy," Erik, aged 32,said for hours before he left Los Angeles on Friday for Katmandu, Nepal. "1 put my life in my fellow climbers'hands, and they put their lives in my hands. It's an honor to reach that state. " "I want to experience the sense of adventure. Blindness has nothing to do with that. But a message of the climb is that a blind person can join a team and climb the highest mountain in the world. " Erik has climbed the highest tops on four continents: North America's Mount McKmley, South America's Aconcagua, Africa's Kilimanjaro and Antarctica's Vinson Massif. He is an expert rock and ice climber, having scaled El Captain in Yosemite National Park. When he was 16, he attended a school that taught blind people to be independent. One day, a group went rock-climbing. "1 really liked it," Erik said, "You can solve problems. It is sense in your inner mind. People didn't think blind people could go out and become expert rock climbers. The distance between the top of Mount Everest and the base camp was probably _ . Dear Tom How are you? I'm at a new school this term. And I'm writing to you about my school now. My new school is big and nice. There are one thousand and four hundred students and one hundred and forty teachers at my school. I like the teachers. They are very kind to me. My classmates are very friendly, too. They teach me Chinese and I teach them English. There are trees, flowers and green grass at my school. They are very beautiful. Behind my school there is a small river. The water in it is quite clean. We can swim in it. We have no classes on Saturdays or Sundays. Sometimes I go to play football or basketball with my classmates. Sometimes I stay at home and watch TV. Sometimes I go to shops with my father and mother. We all like China. Please write to me soon! Yours Jack Jack _ his new classmates. Einstein's connection with the politics of the nuclear bomb is well known: He signed the letter to President Franklin Roosevelt that persuaded the United States to take the idea seriously, and he engaged in postwar efforts to prevent nuclear war. But these were not just the isolated actions of a scientist dragged into the world of politics. Einstein's life was, in fact, "divided between politics and equations ." Sickened by what he saw as the waste of human lives during the First World War, he became involved in antiwar demonstrations. His support of civil disobedience did little to endear him to his colleagues. Then, following the war, he directed his efforts toward reconciliation and improving international relations. And soon his politics were making it difficult for him to visit the United States, even to give lectures. Einstein's second great cause was Zionism . Although he was Jewish, Einstein rejected the idea of God. However, a growing awareness of anti-Semitism , both before and during the War, led him gradually to identify with the Jewish community, and later to become an outspoken supporter of Zionism. His theories came under attack. One man was accused of motivating others to murder Einstein and fined a mere six dollars. When a book was published entitled 100 Authors Against Einstein, he retorted, "If I were wrong, then one would have been enough!" When Hitler came to power, Einstein then in America declared he would not return to Germany. While Nazi attacked his house and confiscated his bank account, a Berlin newspaper displayed the headline "Good News from Einstein--He's Not Coming Back." Fearing that German scientists would build a nuclear bomb, Einstein proposed that the United States should develop its own. But he was publicly warning of the dangers of nuclear war and proposing international control of nuclear weaponry. Throughout his life, Einstein's efforts toward peace probably achieved little and won him few friends. His support of the Zionist cause, however, was recognized in 1952, when he was offered the presidency of Israel. He declined, saying he was too naive in politics. But perhaps his real reason was different:" Equations are more important to me, because politics is for the present, but an equation is something for eternity." We can learn from the passage that Einstein _ The Sweetest Sight I was in the most beautiful city in the world, yet I only wanted home. It was an amazing week for my husband and me--the trip of a lifetime. Months ago, when my husband told me that he would have a meeting in London, I told him my wish to go to Europe together with him. Then we asked his mother to look after our two children and started off. During the week's time, we visited London and Paris--as much as we could, Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower and so on. All these were beautiful places we expected to see before. We really had a fantastic time. On our last night in Paris, after we enjoyed the night sight of the Eiffel Tower, my husband called home. His mother answered the phone. In a second, my husband's face fell and looked so worried. I could feel there was something bad. "What's wrong?" I asked. He didn't answer and went on to listen. A few minutes later, he said sadly to me that Tony, our seven-year-old son, fell down from his bike and broke his leg. He must be sent to hospital at once. At that moment, Paris suddenly lost its charm . "I don't want to be here! I shouldn't be here! I should be home with my kids!" We hurried back to our hotel and then to the airport... Finally, we got home. We rushed into our children's bedroom. Seeing our two children, I suddenly understood the truth: There is no sweeter sight in the world than our children's faces that greet us at home. What happened to her family during their stay in Europe? The following is the information about plays which will be on these days. Big and Little It is a play written by Botho Strauss and directed by Laurence Strangio, featuring (......) second-year Performing Arts students. It is about a lonely woman living in a big city. From the play, we can learn how to get along well with our friends, our family, our lovers, ... and with ourselves. A dreamlike journey in search of identity ... When:15-17 March, 7:30 pm Where: Drama Theatre, Centre for the Performing Arts, Building 68, Clayton campus Tickets: Adults $10, Concessions $5 You can get the tickets at the door. Love Play It is written by Moira Buffini and directed by Trent Baker, featuring Performing Arts students. First-year Performing Arts students present Love Play. It follows a series of unexpected meetings that have taken place in the same place in London across 2,000 years, through the centuries from the Romans to the Elizabethans to the present day. Love Play is a comedy that challenges the reasons and ways we want love. When:17-19 April, 8 pm Where: Drama Theatre, Centre for the Performing Arts, Building 68, Clayton campus Tickets: Adults $10, Concessions $5 You can get the tickets at the door. Smashed It is a play written by Lally Katz and directed by Suzanne Chaundy, featuring second-year Performing Arts students. Smashed is about friendship, time travel and death. Writing for TheAge, Helen Thomson calls the play "a wonderful memory of childhood on the edge of adulthood."Smashedp raises invention, imagination and girl power. When: 24-26 April, 8 pm Where: Drama Theatre, Centre for the Performing Arts, Building 68, Clayton campus Tickets: Adults $10, Concessions $5 You can get the tickets at the door. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A young woman was walking through a supermarket to pick up a few things when she noticed an old man following her around.Thinking nothing of it,she _ him and went on shopping.After she got what she wanted,she went to checkout line,but the old man got in front of her. "Pardon me!" he said,"I'm sorry if my staring at you has made you feel uncomfortable ,it's just because you look like my granddaughter,who just died recently.And I miss her very much." "I'm very sorry,"said the young woman."Is there anything I can do for you?" "Yes." the old man said."As I'm leaving,can you say 'Good-bye,grandpa' to me? It would make me feel so much better." "Sure,"answered the young woman. As the old man was leaving,she called out."Bye-bye,grandpa!" When she stepped up to the checkout counter ,she saw that her total was $178.50. "How can that be?" she asked."I only bought a few things!" "Your grandpa said you would pay for him," said the clerk. How much did it cost that the young woman bought? Answer: Self-employed private physicians who charge a fee for each patient visit are the foundation of medical practice in the United States. Most physicians have a contract relationship with one or more hospitals in the community. They send their patients to this hospital, which usually charges patients according to the number of days they stay and the facilities(operating room, tests, medicines that they use). Some hospitals belong to a city, a state or, in the case of veteran's hospitals, a federal government agency. Others are operated by religious orders or other non-profit groups. Some medical doctors are on salary. Salaried physicians may work as hospital staff members, or residents, who are often still in training. They may teach in medical schools, be hired by corporations to care for their workers or work for the federal government's Public Health Service. Physicians are among the best paid professionals in the United States. In the 1980s, it was not uncommon for medical doctors to earn incomes of more than $ 100 000 a year. Specialists, particularly surgeons, might earn several times that amount. Physicians list many reasons why they deserve to be so well rewarded for their work. One reason is the long and expensive preparation required to become a physician in the United States. Most would be physicians first attend college for four years, which can cost nearly $ 20 000 a year at one of the best private institutions. Prospective physicians then attend medical school for four years. Tuition alone can exceed $ 10 000 a year. By the time they have obtained their medical degrees, many young physicians are deeply in debt. They still face three to five years of residency in a hospital, the first year as an apprentice physician. The hours are long and the pay is relatively low. Setting up a medical practice is expensive, too. Sometimes several physicians will decide to establish a group practice, so they can share the expense of maintaining an office and buying equipment. These physicians also take care of each other's patients in emergencies. Physicians work long hours and must accept a great deal of responsibility. Many medical procedures, even quite routine ones, involve risk. It is understandable that physicians want to be well rewarded for making decisions which can mean the difference between life and death. According to the passage, how long does it take for a would-be physician to become an independent physician in the USA? Answer: China plans to make new rules to give more controls over the growing number of blogs and webcasts. Nowadays, advanced network technologies, such as blogging and webcasting, are being improved to challenge the government's ability to watch over the Internet. Chinese government is in the middle of making new rules over Internet publishing, and blogs and websites publishing webcasts will fall under these rules. Government officials hope the new rules will ensure a more healthy and active Internet environment and will fully respect and protect Chinese citizens' freedom of speech. Specific details on what kind of rules will be carried out are still unknown to the public. Despite the growing popularity, bloggers and webcasters have been unpopular with publication institutions. In 2006, a series of cases involving bloggers who had dived into other people's privacy and written materials ruining other's fame urged the government to consider whether to require bloggers to use their real names when they _ Webcasting without copyright and illegally "copying" products from copyrighted materials have also led government officials to consider starting a nationwide check of online video broadcasting, and allow only qualified websites to offer webcasts. What can be the best title of the passage? Answer: April 27 is Take Our Daughters to Work Day in Britain. Started at first in the United States and brought to Britain in 1994, Take Our Daughters to Work Day has become a special day for girls between 11 and 15. On that day thousands of girls take a day off school and go together with one of their parents to their work places. The purpose of this day is to broaden girls' horizons and raise their self-confidence. For many years people have thought that boys can do better than girls in society. But actually, "girls can be whatever they want to be just like boys, whether it is a pilot, a nurse or a chief executive ."says the chairman of the Our Sons and Daughters Charitable Trust, an organization which supported the activity of the Day. "Now the girls have a close look at what their parents are doing and this may help them to be more self-confident when they are faced with a choice of work." Schools and many companies support the activity too. Palmers Green High School for girls in north of London, has made the day a necessary part of careers education. Zarina Bart, 15, from Palmers Green, went with her mother Gwen to her Lawyer's office this year's Take Our Daughters to Work Day. "I learned how to fill in a legal aid form and I read details of a case. Then I went to see the actual trial." she said. Zarina found it interesting to see her mother at work. "It's really strange seeing Mum at work--running around, getting serious and telling people what to do." She has always liked this idea of going into law and thinks it likely that she will follow in her mother's footsteps. Having a chance to see how her mother works has given her more self-confidence. Experts believe that girls with higher self-confidence aim higher and are more likely to be successful in life. Parents have important effect on the confidence of teenage girls. If parents believe in their daughters and show examples both at work as well as at home for them, this will give a lot of help to girls. Take Our Daughters to Work Day is surely a step in the right direction. A particular mention of Zarina's story _ . Answer: According to a survey, which was based on the responses of over 188,000 students, today's traditional age college freshmen are "more materialistic and less altruistic " than at any time in the 17 years of the poll. Not surprising in these hard times, the student's major objective "is to be financially well off. Less important than ever is developing a meaningful philosophy of life." It follows then that today the most popular course is not literature or history but accounting. Interest in teaching, social service and the "altruistic" fields is at a low. On the other hand, enrollment in business programs, engineering and computer science is way up. While it's true that we all need a career, it is equally true that our civilization has accumulated an incredible amount of knowledge in scientific or artistic fields. It is equally true that, in studying the diverse wisdom of others, we learn how to think. More important, perhaps, education teaches us to see the connections between things, as well as to see beyond our immediate needs. The most important argument for a broad education is that in studying the accumulated wisdom of the ages, we improve our moral sense. I saw a cartoon recently which shows a group of businessmen looking puzzled as they sit around a conference table; one of them is talking on the intercom :"Miss Baxter," he says, "could you please send in someone who can distinguish right from wrong?" From the long term point of view, that's what education really ought to be about. The students' criteria for electing majors today have much to do with _ . Answer:
Attention STARBUCKS Owners of Stainless Steel Travel Mug Mug lid Recall---16 oz Stainless Steel Travel Mug We've recognized a fault at the cup. The fault might cause some lids to lift slightly from the body of the mug, and could possibly result in injury from hot liquid leaking. So, we have given a lid recall notice immediately. The notice is only related to STARBUCKS 16 oz Stainless Steel Travel Mugs which were sold between November 2012 and February 2013. The bottom of the mug is stamped with "ThermoSServ", the distributor's name. There is not any printing on the mug handle. At STARBUCKS, customers' safety is valued above anything else. Therefore, no matter whether your lid is leaking , in the interest of your safety, we request you bring your mug to your nearest STARBUCKS (excluding Esso STARBUCKS), where they are sure exchange the lid for a new lid that fits well and safely. The new lids are going to be available March 1, 2013. Don't use your mug until you exchange the lid, please. Here's what you do: * Please do not use your mug until you have exchanged the lid for a new one. * New lids will be available March 1, 2013. * Return your travel mug to a STARBUCKS store. * Your lid will be exchanged for a new lid. If you'd like to return the entire mug, bring it back at any time for a full repayment. If you have any questions regarding this recall, please don't hesitate to us at: Toll Free Number: 1-999-701-1717 9:30 am - 6:00 pm Eastern Standard Time STARBUCKS The passage is most likely taken from a(n) _ . A news report B advertisement C tour-guide book D novel Answer: B When you walk along a street in a big city in the United States, you may see clocks in most stores. Radio announcers give the correct time during the day. People there think that it is important to know the time. Most Americans have watches. They want to do certain things at certain times. They do not want to be late. Not all people all over the world value time. Suppose you visit a certain country in South America. You would find that people living there do not like to rush. If you had an appointment with someone, he would probably be late. He would not care for arriving on time. In some countries in South America, even the radio programs may not begin right on time, nor do the radio announcers think it important to announce the right time. Many people regard a clock as a machine. It seems to them that a person who does everything on time is controlled by a machine. They do not want a clock or any machine to have that much power over their lives. There are clocks in most stores in the US cities because _ . A people in the stores want to sell these clocks B people think it important to know the time C bosses want to make their stores beautiful D they needn't wear watches when they are away from home Answer: B Parents on South Australia's Aboriginal lands may lose some of their financial aid if they do not send their children to school. The new rules draw wide concern. Mundine is Prime Minister Tony Abbott's top advisor on issues concerning Aboriginals, native Australians. "Now, I know the government needs some necessary measures but I think punishing the parents is really the last choice." Mr. Mundine says the situation can be changed if the tribal leaders support education. "We need to work with parents and communities because we are making a huge cultural change here." But other officials say they believe the threat of stopping aid will force families to take education more seriously. The State of South Australia says it has special programs for Aboriginal children. The students work with their parents and teachers first to develop a personal learning plan and the public schools provide special workers to work individually with Aboriginal students. At the age of seven, Aboriginal students can join a program called Enter for Success designed to attract students to school. The students can choose which high school to attend and receive support in reaching the goals on their individual learning plans. The State of Western Australia also has special programs for Aboriginal and other ethnic groups. The state operates a program called Focus Schools which centers on basic skills like reading, writing and counting. 67% of these public focus schools serve the students in 79 very rural areas. Most of them are primary schools. The Focus Schools program also includes 118 coaches working with students in 134 schools. To change the situation, Mr. Mundine may not agree with _ . A cooperating with the parents B limiting the economic aid of the families C winning the favor of the communities D making a cultural change in the communities Answer: B Mary picked up a pencil and a piece of paper,saying,"Now,you want to earn money for the autumn camping trip,right?" Tom,her brother,nodded.He wasn't able to go last year because he hadn't earned enough money during the summer.This year he came up with a plan. He made a necklace for his mother that everyone admired.They were surprised to learn that Tom had made it for her.Why not make more necklaces and sell them? "OK," said Mary,"The first thing you need to do is to figure out how much you have now.'' "I have $20.00 in the bank,and $7.25 in my room," explained Tom. "That gives you a total of $27.25," said Mary,"That is called your capital.The next thing you need to know is how much it will cost you to make each necklace." "Well,the pet shop will give me all the feathers the birds lose.I'll have to buy the beads and string," said Tom. Mary wrote on the piece of paper: CAPITAL $27.25 EXPENSES Feathers no cost String for 10 necklaces $ 2.50 Beads for 10 necklaces _ Total $ 17.50 "How much do you think you can sell such a necklace for?" asked Mary. "Hmm," Tom looked thoughtful and said,"There's a shop in town that sells almost the same kind of necklace for $ 7.50.If I charge $ 6.00,people will think that's a _ ." "OK.If you sell each necklace for $ 6.00,you'll make a good profit on each then," said Mary. "Hurray!" Tom cried,"If I sell 20 necklaces,I'll have enough from the profit for the camping trip and $10.00 left over." How much would Tom have to spend on the camping trip? A $ 47.45. B $ 75. C $ 85. D $102.25. Answer: B Situated in the Northeast region of Vietnam, Halong Bay is made up of 1,969 islands of various sizes, 989 of which have been given names. The concentrated zone of stone islands is famous for its spectacular scenery of caves, and forms the central zone of Halong Bay. Seen from above, Halong Bay looks like a geographic work of art. While exploring the bay, you feel lost in a wonderful world. There is Man's Head Island, which resembles a man standing and looking towards the mainland. Dragon Island looks like a dragon winding above the blue water. La Vong Island resembles an old man fishing. There are also the islands of the Sail, the Pair of Roosters, and the Incense Burner, which are all astonishingly like their names. It has been proven by scientists that Halong Bay was one of the first places of human existence. It is also a region of highly-concentrated biological diversity with many ecosystems of coral reefs, and tropical forests, which are home to thousands of species of animals and rare plants. The beach located along the coast of Halong Bay has a year-round average temperature of 20degC. Among the palm trees are large hotels. Visitors are seen on white sand and under the green trees are small family-run restaurants. After swimming, tourists can enjoy cold drinks. No wonder the 18h meeting of the Committee of the World Heritages of UNESCO officially recognized Halong Bay as a natural heritage site of worldwide importance. We can infer that the names of most islands _ . A have something to do with theirs shapes. B were given by the visitors in Halong Bay C were given by the geologists of Vietnam D are related to their history Answer: A
There were four brothers that lived together in a small house on the east side of town. The brothers' names were Bob, Billy, Bryan and Baker. Each brother was one year in age. The oldest brother Bob was nine, the second eight, the third seven and the youngest was only six. Each boy also had something that they were good at that no one else could do. Baker, the youngest boy was good at magic tricks. Bob was the basketball star, Billy was great at football and Bryan was good at baseball. Each boy liked to watch the others show off their skills. One afternoon Baker put on a magic show. For this trick he would need three things. First, he needed four cups each a different color. The cups colors were green, yellow, blue, and white. He would need one white ball and two helpers which the parents happily volunteered for. He started by showing his brothers the inside of each cup as well as the normal white ball. He then placed the white ball inside the white cups and moved them around really fast. Next his parents covered the four cups with a magic blanket. Baker said some magic words and then his helpers removed the blanket. To his brothers amazement there were only the three colored cups left. Each brother got to look under a cup. After flipping up each cup they saw that there was no white ball. Just a single green ball inside the green cup! How did you do that they yelled! A magician never gives up his secrets. How old was Baker? A nine B eight C six D seven Answer: C Fire Instructions The person who finds a fire should: A. Open the nearest fire alarm. B. If it is safe and the fire is small, try to put out the fire. On Hearing The Fire Alarm : C. Those in class: will go to the playground under the direction(,) from the teacher. D. Those not in class: will go to the playground by the nearest way. How to leave: E. Move quickly. F. Do not stop to find your own things.There is no time for you to do that. G. Do not try to pass other people on your way to the playground. H. Do not use the lift .It's dangerous when there is a fire. When you find a fire, you should try to _ the fire if it is safe A open the fire alarm B put out C run away D ask for help Answer: B We are all busy talking about and using the Internet. But how many of us know the history of the Internet? Many people are surprised when they find that the Internet was set up in the 1960s. At that time, computers were large and expensive. Computer networks didn't work well. If one computer in the network broke down, then the whole network stopped. So a new network system had to be set up. It should be good enough to be used by many different computers. If part of the network was not working, information could be sent through another part. In this way computer network system would keep on working all the time . At first the Internet was only used by the government , but in the early 1970s; universities, hospitals and banks were allowed to use it, too. However, computers were still very expensive and yet Internet was difficult to use. By the start of the 1990s, computers became cheaper and easier to use. Scientists had also developed software that made "surfing" the Internet easier. Today it is easy to get online and it is said that millions of people use the Internet every day. Sending e-mail is more and more popular among young people. The Internet has become one of the most important parts of people s life. Which is true about computers in the 1990s? A They became cheaper and easier to use. B They became larger and larger C People couldn't buy them anywhere. D People could get information only from them. Answer: A You stare at waterfall for a minute or two, and then shift your gaze to its surroundings. What you now see appears to drift upward. These optical illusions occur because the brain is constantly matching its model of reality to signals from the body's sensors and interpreting what must be happening--that your brain must have moved, not the other; that downward motions is now normal, so a change from it must now be perceived as upward motion. The sensors that make this magic are of two kinds. Each eye contains about 120 million rods , which provide somewhat blurry black and white vision. These are the windows of night vision; once adapted to the dark, they can detect a candle burning ten miles away. Color vision in each eye comes from six to seven million structures called cones . Under ideal conditions, every cone can "see" the entire rainbow spectrum of visible color1s, but one type of cone is most sensitive to red, another to green, a third to blue. Rods and cones send their messages pulsing an average 20 to 25 times per second along the optic nerve. We see an image for a fraction of a second longer than it actually appears. In movies, reels of still photographs are projected onto screens at 24 frames per second, tricking our eyes into seeing a continuous moving picture. Like apparent motion, color1 vision is also subject to unusual effects. When day gives way to night, twilight brings what the poet T.S. Eliot called "the violet hour." A light levels fall, the rods become progressively less responsive. Rods are most sensitive to the shorter wavelengths of blue and green, and they impart a strange vividness to the garden's blue flowers. However, look at a white shirt during the reddish light of sunset, and you'll still see it in its "true" color1--white, not red. Our eyes are constantly comparing an object against its surroundings. They therefore observe the effect of a shift in the color1 of illuminating on both, and adjust accordingly. The eyes can distinguish several million graduations of light and shade of color1. Each waking second they flash tens of millions of pieces of information to the brain, which weaves them incessantly into a picture of the world around us. Yet all this is done at the back of each eye by a fabric of sensors, called the retina , about as wide and as thick as a postage stamp. As the Renaissance inventor and artist Leonardo da Vinci wrote in wonder, "Who would believe that so small a space could contain the images of all the universe?" The retina send pulses to the brain _ . A in short wavelengths B as color1 pictures C by a ganglion cell D along the optic nerve. Answer: D In China, people usually set off firecrackers to celebrate Spring Festival. But this year seemed very quiet. It was really different. A man called Zhang Wei was asked by a reporter in an interview. He said that his friends and he hadn't set off a single firecracker. "We all suffered from last month's smog . If we don't call an end to the firecracker, the environment will get worse and worse during the holiday." said Zhang Wei. He put up a notice in his community in Jinan, the capital of Shandong Province. In the notice, he called on more people to set off fewer firecrackers during this year's Spring Festival holiday. Lots of parents agreed with Zhang Wei's idea. They said that they hated the noise of firecrackers. The noise used to wake up their babies too early. The babies really needed quiet mornings, More Chinese looked forward to celebrating the holiday in a greener way. They decided not to set off firecrackers. They also decided not to waste food. They said that the new celebrations sounded fashionable. "My family didn't buy any fireworks this year. Instead, we donated the money to charity. It's good for the environment and charity as well." Internet user "Fighter" wrote on Sina Weibo. ,A, B, C, D,. (10) .How do people usually celebrate Spring Festival in China? A By putting up a notice. B By setting off firecrackers. C By not wasting food. D By donating the money to charity. Answer: B
Why are the rocks and pebbles found on riverbeds usually smooth? A The rocks and pebbles in riverbeds are not very old. B The rocks and pebbles rub against each other as water flows over them. C Rivers can only flow over smooth rocks and pebbles. D Organisms in the rivers break down the rocks and pebbles. Answer: B. The rocks and pebbles rub against each other as water flows over them. We were talking about engagement when my boyfriend, Jack, had to go to war. I was so afraid of losing him; the only way I could stay sane was to dance. I became very good and critics praised me, but I could feel was the ache in my heart, no knowing whether the love of my life would ever return. And then one day a letter from him came:"I have lost my leg. I am no longer a whole man and now give you back your freedom. It is best you forget me." I made my decision there and then I left the city. When I returned I had bought myself a cane and learned to limp convincingly. I told everyone I had been in a car crash and that my leg would never completely heal again. My dancing days were over. No one suspected the story. And I made sure the first person to hear of my accident was a reporter. Then I travelled to the hospital. They had pushed him outside in his wheelchair. I leaned on my cane and limped to him. I told him he was not the only one who had lost a leg, even if mine were still attached to me. I showed him newspaper clippings of my accident. " There is a whole life waiting for us out there! And I am not going to carry you--you are going to walk yourself." I limped a few steps towards him and showed him what I'd taken out of my pocket." Now show me you are still a man," I said. He bent to take his cane and struggled out of that wheelchair. I could see he had not done it before, because he almost fell on his face. But I was not going to help. Finally he managed it on his own and walked to me and never sat in a wheelchair again in his life. What I showed to him was engagement rings. And I would limp with him for the rest of life. What decision did the author make after she received Jack's letter? A To see Jack in the battlefield. B To leave the city for travel. C To give up dancing. D To see a reporter. Answer: C. To give up dancing. This tour takes you back in history to a moment that "will live in infamy . " Explore the historic artifacts at the Arizona Memorial Visitor Center commemorating the attack on Pearl Harbor, then travel around beautiful Oahu on a Circle Island guided bus tour. The Arizona Memorial Visitor Center is Hawaii's number one visitor attraction. View the film of the attack on Pearl Harbor and browse the historic artifacts on display. Then ride the Navy launch across Pearl Harbor to visit the Arizona Memorial. Then, board a tour bus for a scenic trip around the island of Oahu. Get your cameras ready for the beautiful view over Windward Oahu at Nu'uanu Pali Lookout. Visit Byodo-In Temple, which is set against a picturesque mountain backdrop. You'll also see the famous North Shore surfing beaches of Sunset, Banzai Pipeline, and Waimea Bay and drive through rustic Haleiwa Town. Visit Dole Plantation and discover the history of Hawaii's pineapple industry before enjoying a no host lunch at the Polynesian Cultural Center (lunch is not included in the listed-price). Inclusions: Scenic bus tour of Oahu island Film viewing at Arizona Memorial Visitor Center. Pearl Harbor Visit of Byodo-In Temple and Dole Plantation Available: Mon. --Fri. Hours of operation: 7 AM to 5 PM Note: Strict security measures forbid purses, handbags, fanny packs, backpacks, camera bags, diaper bags, luggage and/or other items. Visitors may bring a camera and cam-recorder. A storage facility, operated by a private vendor, is available for visitors coming to the USS Arizona Memorial, USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park, the Battleship Missouri and the Pacific Aviation Museum. A tourist will see everything below at Pearl Harbor except _ . A the Arizona Memorial B some historic artifacts C a film D Windward Oahu Answer: D. Windward Oahu I was never tired of heating their story.As a little girl,I'd sit beside my mom with their wedding album spread across my lap,slowly turning the pages of 8 x l 0 glossy black and white photographs.I'd trace my fingers along their faces,along that white wedding dress. "Tell me again,"I said . "Tell me again about you and dad." And she'd smile and her eyes would crinkle and she'd get that loving look and then she'd repeat once more Their Love Story. I'd smile too and stare at that photo of my non looking SO beautiful and my dad so tall and handsome. "Your dad was tall and really good--looking as he stood by his classroom door greeting his students.Besides coaching,he taught history and social studies.I often stole a few looks since my classes were nearby.That year I had many conversations with ' Mr.Kehoe',sometimes when he had lunch duty,sometimes when I had cheerleading practice.He was appointed cheerleader sponsor and I'd been a cheerleader for four years. We were married that November during the Thanksgiving holiday.1 went from a graduate one year to a teacher's wife the next! But part of the story that I loved most,that all my life I thought was magical and wonderful and amazing and exciting and oh--so romantic. So,what do you think ?Did God speak to me?" I'd catch and hold my breath,then exclaim,"Oh,yes !God told you that you'd marry Dad!" Now can you see why I loved heating Their Love Story ?And SO their wedding.Then their marriage.Then their family.Three babies in three years,then a fourth. Then,what else would you expect after heating the Voice of God--years and years and years of Happy Moments! Now it's come to this:60 years of marriage ! According to the passage,we know the girl'S dad was a A coach B student C cheerleader D photographer Answer: A. coach When Abraham Lincoln was young, he worked in a store. One day a woman came into the store and bought some things. They added up to two dollars and six and a quarter cents. The bill was paid, and the woman was satisfied. But the young storekeeper, not feeling quite sure about his calculations , added up the things again. To his surprise he found that it should have been but two dollars. "I've made her pay six and a quarter cents more," said young Abe, upset. It was an unimportant thing, and many salespersons would forget it, but Abe was too careful for that. "The money must be paid back," he decided. At night, he closed the store and walked to the home of his customer. He explained the matter, paid over the six and a quarter cents, and returned satisfied. Here is another story of young Lincoln's strict honesty. A woman entered the store and asked for half a pound of tea. The young man weighed it out. This was the last sale of the day. The next morning, when beginning his duties, Abe discovered a four-ounce weight on the scales . It flashed upon him at once that he had used this in the sale last night, and so, of course, given his customer short weight. Many people would not have been much worried by this discovery. But Abe weighed out the balance of the half pound, shut up the store, and carried it to the customer. I think that the name, so often given in late times to President Lincoln, of "Honest Old Abe", was well deserved . We can know from the passage that Abe was _ . A easy to get worried B confident but careless C honest and responsible D funny but well behaved Answer: C. honest and responsible
Which of these is a function of a leaf? A. Carrying nutrients throughout the plant B. Converting solar energy into sugar C. Creating shade for the plant D. Absorbing water from the ground Answer: B In a jurisdiction that has abolished the felony-murder rule, but otherwise follows the common law of murder, Sally and Ralph, both armed with automatic weapons, went into a bank to rob it. Ralph ordered all the persons in the bank to lie on the floor. When some were slow to obey, Sally, not intending to hit anyone, fired about 15 rounds into the air. One of these ricocheted off a stone column and struck and killed a customer in the bank. Sally and Ralph were charged with murder of the customer. Which of the following is correct? A. Sally can be convicted of murder, because she did the act of killing, but Ralph cannot be convicted of either murder or manslaughter. B. Neither can be guilty of murder, but both can be convicted of manslaughter based upon an unintentional homicide. C. Sally can be convicted only of manslaughter, but Ralph cannot be convicted of murder or manslaughter. D. Both can be convicted of murder. Answer: D Wilderness activity week, Finland Set off on a really wild adventure to Finland, where night is a distant memory during the endless days of summer. From your cottage, set high in the hills above Koli National Park, you can explore a perfect wilderness, and pull over at a lakeside beach whenever you like a dip . Horseriding in the Tarn France Learn to ride, or perfect your horse-riding skills at Les Juliannes in the Tarn Valley. Activities include everything from show-jumping to hacking through the rolling hills and medieval villages. Between sessions, you can relax by the pool, cycle along the country lanes or roam the grounds. Guests stay at a rural 17th-century farmhouse. Learn to sail in Greece Sunvil Sailing has live-aboard learn-to-sail breaks off the island of Lefkas that are designed for both the complete novice as well as those with a degree of sailing. If you join in Wilderness activity week, Finland, the most unusual thing you will see is _ . A. a national park B. a cottage high in the hills C. a perfect wilderness D. summer days without night Answer: D It would be interesting to discover how many young people go to university without any clear idea of what they are going to do afterwards. If one considers the enormous variety of courses offered, it is not hard to see how difficult it is to select the course most suited to his interests and abilities. If a student goes to acquire a broader perspective of life, to enlarge his ideas and to learn to think for himself, he will undoubtedly benefit, since school often has too restricting an atmosphere, with its timetables and disciplines, to allow him much time for independent assessment of the work he is asked to do. Most students would, I believe, profit by a year or so's exploration of different academic studies, especially those "all-rounders" with no particular bent. They should have longer time to decide in what subject they want to take their degree, so that in later life they do not look back and say, "I should like to have been an archaeologist. If I hadn't taken a degree in Modern Languages, I shouldn't have ended up as an interpreter, but it's too late now. I couldn't go back and begin all over again, even if I had the chance." There is, of course, another side to the question of how to make the best use of one's time at university. This is the case of the student who excels in a particular branch of learning, is a first-rate mathematician, scientist, linguist and what you have. He is immediately accepted by the university of his choice, and spends his three or four years becoming a specialist, emerging with a first-class Honors Degree and very little knowledge of what the rest of the world is all about. It therefore becomes more and more important that, if students are not to waste their opportunities and, incidentally, the taxpayers' money, there will have to be much more detailed information about courses, more advice from Career Masters and Course Tutors if _ are not to bring up, on one hand, a band of specialists ignorant of anything outside their own subject, and on the other hand, an ever-increasing number of graduates qualified in subjects for which there is little or no demand in the working world. At the end of the passage, the word "we" can best be replaced by . A. people in the working world B. university graduates C. career Masters and Course Tutors D. university people Answer: D People like to say:"The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world."Or theysay:"Behind every successful man,there is a woman." Now some women still like making their husbands and sons successful.But some women want more for themselves.They want to be successful as men. Today the best jobs are still given to men.Even when women do the same work,they are often paid less than men.Some women want these things changed.They want to stand beside the men,with the same chances for success. Now many American women are earning money outside their homes.More than half of the women at the age of eighteen to sixty-five have good jobs.In general,working women have more education than those who stay at home. Among women with jobs,eight out of ten drive a car to work,and most of them often spend their holidays away from home.They like traveling by air.Women's work has made several changes in women's lives and in men's lives,too. But things are quite different from those in the Middle East countries. In the Middle East countries,women have to stay at home.They look after their families and do all the housework.They can't find work outside.When they go out in public.they cover their faces with something and walk behind their husbands. For the past few years the women's life has been changing in those countries.Many women want to play an active role in the society.Though working gives them few chances of getting married,many men still want to marry them in the old ways. If women have got higher education _ . A. they can get better jobs more easily B. they don't have to do any housework C. they can travel by plane D. they can be paid better than men Answer: A
Children don't come with an instruction manual ,but now their grades in school do! Finally,parents can stop worrying about what their child's next school year will bring and get a glimpse of what's coming. Education.com,an easy-to-use,one-stop online destination with over 4,000 articles,that helps parents and educators take an ever more active role in their children's education,unveiled Grade Specific Cheat Sheets for grades pre-school through grade 5.From academic expectations,developmental milestones,and typical social issues,to fun learning activities that literally bring it all home,parents can now find it all in one place. "As the school year approaches,parents struggle to find time to adequately prepare themselves and their children for what's ahead," said Ron Fortune,CEO of Education.com."Every grade is different.Whether it's helping parents understand what their third grader should be reading or how they should be talking to their teen about peer pressure,our goal is to provide parents with a grade and developmental stage-specific user manual that helps parents find authoritative information as quickly as possible." The start of a new grade means many new questions.Now,a parent with a child about to embark on a new school year can go to Education.com's new Grade Specific Cheat Sheets and find age-specific information and content including what their child should be learning in math,reading,writing,and science,as well as physical and language milestones.Parents can find over forty articles per grade,on everything from peer relationships to self-esteem,how gender affects development,to ideas for using goldfish crackers for math practice or making a homemade fossil. Education.com's new Grade Specific Cheat Sheets provide parents with articles and content from trusted sources such as teachers,child psychologists,parents,and guidance counselors. The passage wants to tell us _ . A something about Education.com B how to cheat in the exam C new studying method for children D cheating is a good thing in the school Answer: A Yao Ming was born in China in 1980. In his last season with the Shanghai Sharks, he scored 32.4 points per game. Now the big man from China is helping the Houston Rockets in the NBA. He is the son of two great basketball players and learnt how to play basketball when he was young. Now, as one of the stars in the NBA, he is working hard to make his dream come true and show the world that Chinese basketball players love this game too! Pele was a football player that everyone knew. He was born in Brazil in 1940. He started playing for Santos when he was only 16 and he didn't retire(v)until 1977. He played for Brazil 111 timesand he scored 97 internationalgoals. Pele came from a poor family. He started playing football in thestreet, like many people around the world do. He was soon picked to play for Santos and quickly became an international person. Steffi Graf was born in Germany in 1969. She won the tennis semi-final(n)at Wimbledon in 1985 when she was only 16, but she lost the final to another great tennis player, Martina Navratilova. People were surprised by the strength and power of her game. She soon became a famous tennis player and she has won most of the main matches several times. In the passage, _ is the youngest player. A Pele B Yao Ming C Steffi Graf D Martina Navratilova Answer: B Which two objects are likely to be magnetic? A a cell phone and a coffee mug B a credit card and the register C a cat and a dog D a tree and a power line Answer: B U.S.President Barack Obama said on Friday he can make the case for a second term, and voters will come to see him as the candidate best prepared to serve as president by next year's elections, according to an interview he gave to the U.S. media. In an interview he gave the Associated Press, Obama admitted that the state of the economy could be his biggest obstacle to win reelection . "I think the economy's going to continue to improve, and I think I'm going to be able to make an effective case that... I am the person who is best prepared to finish the job so that we are on track to succeed in the 21st century." Obama said in the video interview conducted in Chicago, where he attended money-raising events the previous night. "I think I can make that case, and I think that, in the debates that take place over the next 18 months, the American people will feel that I deserve a second term," he said. He made the reelection announcement on April 4. According to a survey on Friday, Only 41 percent of people support him, lower than his competitor. Someone said the figure was influenced by economic dissatisfaction. What's the main message from the interview? A Obama is determined to win his reelection. B Obama plays an active part in raising money for the poor. C The economy of the United States has taken a turn for the better. D It's almost impossible for Obama to be president for a second term. Answer: A Think of life as a game in which you are playing with five balls in the air. You name them work, family, health, friends and spirit and you keep all of them in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce( )back. But the other four balls, family, health, friends and spirit, are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be broken. They will never be the same. You must understand that and try to have balance in your life. How? Don't look down on your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different and each of us is special. Don't let other people set goals for you. Only you know what is best to yourself. Don't give up when you still have something to give. _ Don't be afraid of difficulties. Be brave! Don't run through life so fast that you forget not only where you have been, but also where you are going. Don't be afraid to learn. Knowledge is a treasure you can always carry easily. Don't use time or words carelessly. You can't get them back. Yesterday is history, tomorrow is mystery , and today is a gift; that's why we call it " the present". Life is not a competition, but a trip ,step by step. Why can't we use time carelessly? A Because time is expensive. B Because time will get back. C Because we are too poor. D Because time never returns. Answer: D
It's wrong to Answer: stomp a puppy Mr and Mrs Davies had left their Christmas shopping very late. There were only a few days more before Christmas, and of course the shops and streets were terribly crowded, but they had to get presents for their family and friends, so they started out early one morning for the big city, and spent several tiring hours buying the things they wanted in the big shops. By lunch-time, Mr Davies was carrying parcels of all shaps and sizes. He could hardly see where he was going as he and his wife left the last shop on their way to the railway station and home. Outside the shop they had to cross a busy street, made even busier than usual by the thousands of people who had come by car to do their last-minute Christmas shopping. Mr and Mrs Davies had to wait for the traffic lights to turn green, but as Mr Davies could not see very well in front of him, he gradually moved forward into the road without realizing it. Mrs Davies saw this and became worried. Several times she told her husband to come back off the road, but without success. He could not hear her because of the noise of the traffic. Finally she shouted in a voice that could be heard clearly above all the noise, "Henry! If you want to stand in that dangerous position a moment longer, give me the parcels!" When the parcels were taken away, the old man would _ . Answer: hear his wife clearly For some people, it's easy to get dressed for work. Pilots and police officers, for example, don't have to make decisions about their work clothes. They wear uniforms to work every day. For many office workers, however, it is more difficult to choose clothes for work. They do not wear uniforms to the office. Also, many organizations are changing their _ . They are allowing their employees to wear casual clothes to work. The change to casual work clothes began in the 1990s. At first, many companies in the United States allowed employees to wear casual clothes on one day of the week--Friday. Friday became "Casual Friday" or "Dress-down Friday". Today, however, many companies are allowing their employees to wear casual clothes every day of the week. Some studies show that people are producing and achieving more when they are wearing comfortable clothes. Some companies also like the casual dress code because they don't need to buy special clothes for work. They can save money this way. Unfortunately, a casual dress code can also cause problems. Sometimes employees think they can wear anything. Many companies have rules about casual clothes. They list the kinds of clothes that are not "business-casual" clothes. Blue jeans, sandals, and sportswear are examples of clothes that are usually too casual for the office. Dress-down Friday is a day when employees are allowed to _ . Answer: wear casual clothes to work A coal miner would is most likely to get Answer: dirty "Now, children," she said. "Do any of you ever make someone else glad?" "Yes, teacher," said a small boy. "I made someone glad yesterday." "Well done. Who was that?" "My granny." "Good boy. Now tell us how you made your grandmother glad. " "Yes, teacher. I went to see her yesterday, and stayed with her for three hours. Then, I said to her: "Granny, I' m going home," and she said: "Well, I' m glad!" We can infer from the end of the story that _ . Answer: the boy was very naughty
Question: Do you know the Eiffel Tower when you see a picture of it? Of course you do! So do a lot of other people. In fact, I believe more people recognize the Eiffel Tower than any other famous structure in the whole world. That long, long capital A is easy to remember. The Eiffel Tower is the famous symbol of the city of Paris. It also stands for France just as the Statue of Liberty stands for the United States. The Eiffel Tower was not very well liked at first, even though the design had been chosen out of seven hundred designs. A contest had been held to find a design for a tower to be built in Paris by 1889.That year would be one hundred years after the war known as the French Revolution. The French Revolution marked the time when the French people broke away from the rule of kings. It was a very important thing to all Frenchmen, and they wanted a special tower to be built to mark the 100 years. When his design was chosen, Eiffel was fifty-four, rich, and well-known for his fine work. He had already designed dams, churches, railroad stations, bridges, harbors and, of course, the framework of the Statue of Liberty. But it was the Eiffel Tower that made him really famous. At first, the French hated the tower. When it was begun in 1887, people called it ugly and useless. They also said that it couldn't be built safely, and that it would fall down. As the tower gets close to her nineties, she is still in great shape. And the French people have changed their minds. Now they are very proud of their Eiffel Tower. They even think she is beautiful! The writer believes that the Eiffel Tower is _ than any other famous structure in the world. A. taller B. older C. better designed D. better known Answer: D Question: When an animal helps another animal, it usually gets something valuable in return. For a long time, many scientists thought that only people could act generously just because it feels good. However, a new study in Germany suggests that chimpanzees also do good things for no real reason. And so do children who are as young as 18 months of age. Maybe it is because humans and chimpanzees share an ancestor about 6 million years ago. People and chimpanzees appear to develop such features without any other training, says Warneken, a scientist in Germany. Warneken and his partners worked on adult chimpanzees that live on an island in the African country of Uganda. They also worked with 18-month-old children in Germany. The researchers performed three experiments on the adult chimpanzees and two experiments on the kids. In the first animal experiment,a person tried to reach his arm into a cage to get a stick,but he couldn't reach it. A chimpanzee was in the cage,and it could reach the stick if it wanted to. Thirty-six chimpanzees took part in this experiment one by one, and no chimpanzee saw what the other chimpanzees had done. Even though the animals hadn't met the person before, they usually took the stick and gave it to the person. What's more, they did this whether or not the person offered them bananas as a reward. In a similar experiment, 36 children acted in a similar way. They helped the person reach the stick, whether or not they were offered toys for their help. Researchers did other experiments on chimpanzees and babies. No rewards were offered in either experiment. And still, both the chimpanzees and children went out of their way to help. Still, the new study is different from earlier findings. Researchers have found that chimpanzees don't give rewards of food to other chimpanzees, even if it costs them nothing to be generous. Warneken and his partners worked with _ . A. young chimpanzee that live on an island B. 18-month-old children who live in Germany C. kids who are living with adult chimpanzees D. adult chimpanzees that live on the African mountain Answer: B Question: Going green seems to be a fad for a lot of people these days.Whether that is good or bad,we can't really say,but for the two of us,going green is not a fad but a lifestyle. On April 22,2011,we decided to go green every single day for an entire year.This meant doing 365 different green things,and it also meant challenging ourselves to go green beyond the easy things.Rather than recycle and reduce our energy,we had to think of 365 different green things to do and this was no easy task. With the idea of going green every single day for a year,Our Green Year started.My wife and I decided to educate people about how they could go green in their lives and hoped we could show people all the green things that could be done to help the environment.We wanted to push the message that every little bit helps. Over the course of Our Green Year,we completely changed our lifestyles.We now shop at organic stores.We consume less meat,choosing green food.We have greatly reduced our buying we don't need.We have given away half of what we owned through websites.Our home is kept clean by vinegar and lemon juice,with no chemical cleaners.We make our own butter,enjoying the smell of homemade fresh bread.In our home office anyone caught doing something ungreen might be punished. Our minds have been changed by Our Green Year.We are grateful for the chance to have been able to go green and educate others.We believe that we do have the power to change things and help our planet. (2013*,B) It was difficult for the couple to live a green life for the whole year because _ . A. they were expected to follow the green fad B. they didn't know how to educate other people C. they were unwilling to reduce their energy D. they needed to perform unusual green tasks Answer: D Question: Dear Victor, I am a college student. Nowadays games on the net are very popular with college students. Some of my roommates are very interested in them. They not only play games in their free time, but also keep talking about them at night when lights are off, and they regard games as a part of their life. I've asked them to give it up, but they wouldn't listen to me. It has become a rather big problem. Should I report it to our teachers or do something else? Ted Dear Ted, Drop it. Your roommates, as grown--ups, can do whatever they want with their time so long as it doesn't break school rules or violate other people's interests. Playing perhaps gives these students relaxation from hard study. If they play too often and have little time to study, they will reap what they have sown , but you will not. Reporting to the teachers would only harm your good name in your dormitory . However, you have rights to ask your roommates to be quiet when you need sleep. If they aren't angry with you, they will stop talking. But be polite and friendly. Perhaps, in return, join them in a game or two. Victor Victor asks Ted to _ . A. report to the teachers B. harm his good name in the dormitory C. stop talking with his roommates D. learn how to get on well with others Answer: D Question: Restoring the quake-hit ecosystems is a question of balancing the interests of the local people and the environment.Rural methane projects can reduce the number of locals taking fire-wood from the mountainsides.The use of straw as food for animals will ensure that vegetation can grow.In Sihai township and Dazhuangke village, in Beijing, they now have a forestry coverage of 85% or more, compared to the 30% they had 15 years ago.Back then, land was used very inefficiently: one person would use 20 mu of forest just for firewood.With those pressures on the ecosystem, no amount of spending on reforestation will succeed.Then the government relocated the population and paid those who remained to tend the forest and provide coal.This reduced the pressures on the ecosystem and it was able to recover naturally. When an ecosystem has not been pushed past certain limits, it is able to recover on its own.Human involvement should only play a minor role, including after an earthquake.This is particularly the case for sandy grasslands, grasslands deserts, the mountains of the south and the northern sides of mountains in the north.In these areas soil remains and the water, light, heat and nutrients needed are available.Less human involvement is even more appropriate in areas with a small population, where it can avoid money being wasted on ineffective efforts, such as creating forests in dry areas. The creation of nature reserves should be a model to allow damaged ecosystems to recover.Funding can start at the national level; centrally-funded nature reserves can enforce environmental protection laws and help to promote the local economy.This will solve the problems of reserves being run to make money.When national reserves are funded, local governments will be able to adopt the same model and provide the funds for nature reserves from their own budgets.The first project should be established in nature reserves hit by the quake; these can then become models for other areas. To restore the quake-hit ecosystem, government should _ . A. forbid locals from taking firewood from the mountainside B. encourage local people to feed their animals just with straw C. spend large amounts of money relocating the population D. protect the environment without harming locals' interests Answer: D
More than 12 300 people were killed and tens of thousands left homeless after a powerful undersea earthquake unleashed giant _ waves that crashed into the coasts of south and southeast Asia. The 8.9 magnitude earthquake that struck off the Indonesian island of Sumatra early on Sunday was the biggest in 40 years.It triggered waves that reared up into walls of water as high as 10 meters(30 feet) as they hit coastlines in Indonesia,Sri Lanka,India and Thailand. Aid agencies rushed staff,equipment and money to the region,warning that bodies rotting in the water were already beginning to threaten the water supply for survivors. Rescue workers also spoke of bodies still caught up on trees after being flung inland by the waves. "I just couldn't believe what was happening before my eyes,"Boree Carlson said from a hotel in the Thai resort of Phuket. "As I was standing there,a car actually floated into the lobby and overturned because the current was so strong,"said the 45-year-old Swede. "I heard an eerie sound that I have never heard before.It was a high pitched sound followed by a deafening roar,"said a 55-year-old Indian fisherman who gave his name as Chellappa. "I told everyone to run for their life." In Indonesia,an archipelago of 17 000 islands,one official said nearly 4500 people had died.The worst affected area was Bands Aceh,the capital of Aceh Province,where 3000 were killed.More than 200 prisoners escaped from a jail when the tsunami knocked down its walls.In Sri Lanka ,the death toll also reached 4500 and 1 million people,or 5 percent of its population,were affected.It was the worst natural disaster to hit Sri Lanka.Hundreds of thousands of Sri Lankans sheltered in schools and temples overnight,and officials expected the death toll to rise further once rescuers resumed searches after daybreak.In southern India,where at least 3000 were estimated to have died,beaches were littered with submerged cars and wrecked boats.Shanties on the coast were under water. Thai government officials said at least 392 bodies had been retrieved and they expected the final toll to approach 1000. The earthquake,of magnitude 8.9 as measured by the U.S. Geological Survery (news-web sites),struck at 7:59 a.m.(1959EST).It was the world's biggest since 1964,said Julie Martinez at the USGS(news-web sites). The tsunami was so powerful it smashed boast and flooded areas along the east African coast,3728 miles away. What does the passage mainly talk about? Asian tsunami kills many people,and many more become homeless. Mass transportation revised the social and economic fabric of the American city in three fundamental ways.It catalyzed physical expansion, it sorted out people and land uses, and it accelerated the inherent instability of urban life.By opening vast areas of unoccupied land for residential expansion, the omnibuses, horse railways, commuter trains, and electric trolleys pulled settled regions outward two to four times more distant form city centers than they were in the premodern era.In 1850, for example, the borders of Boston lay scarcely two miles from the old business district; by the turn of the century the radius extended ten miles.Now those who could afford it could live far removed from the old city center and still commute there for work, shopping, and entertainment.The new accessibility of land around the periphery of almost every major city sparked an explosion of real estate development and fueled what we now know as urban sprawl.Between 1890 and 1920, for example, some 250,000 new residential lots were recorded within the borders of Chicago, most of them located in outlying areas.Over the same period, another 550,000 were plotted outside the city limits but within the metropolitan area.Anxious to take advantage of the possibilities of commuting, real estate developers added 800,000 potential building sites to the Chicago region in just thirty years - lots that could have housed five to six million people. Of course, many were never occupied; there was always a huge surplus of subdivided, but vacant, land around Chicago and other cities.These excesses underscore a feature of residential expansion related to the growth of mass transportation: urban sprawl was essentially unplanned.It was carried out by thousands of small investors who paid little heed to coordinated land use or to future land users.Those who purchased and prepared land for residential purposes, particularly land near or outside city borders where transit lines and middle-class inhabitants were anticipated, did so to create demand as much as to respond to it.Chicago is a prime example of this process.Real estate subdivision there proceeded much faster than population growth. Why does the author mention both Boston and Chicago? To show mass transportation changed many cities. If your dog is getting noticeably skinnier, you need to increase its food intake We let ourselves believe that life will be better once we are married, have a baby, then another. Then we get frustrated because our children are not old enough and that all will be well when they are older. Then we are frustrated because they reach teenage years and we must deal with them. Surely we'll be happier when they grow out of the teen years. We tell ourselves our life will be better when our spouse gets his/her act together, when we have a nicer car, when we can take a vacation, when we finally retire. The truth is that there is no better time to be happy than right now. If not, then when? Your life will always be full of challenges. It is better to admit as much and to decide to be happy in spite of it all. For the longest time, it seemed that life was about to start--real life. But there were always some obstacles along the way, an ordeal to get through, some work to be finished, some time to be given, a bill to be paid. Then life would start. I finally realized that those obstacles were part of life. Little by little, that point of view also helped me see that there isn't any road to happiness. Happiness is the road. So, enjoy every moment. And keep in mind that _ . So stop waiting for school to end, for a return to school, to lose ten pounds, to gain ten pounds, for work to begin, to get married, for Friday evening, for Sunday morning, waiting for a new car, for your mortgage to be paid off, for spring, for summer, for fall, for winter, for the first or the fifteenth of the month, for your song to be played on the radio, to die, to be reborn... before deciding to be happy. Happiness is a voyage, not a destination. There is no better time to be happy than... NOW! Live and enjoy the moment. The writer thinks _ is a real happiness enjoying our present life Linda was kind of late. Linda, 25, had a lot to do at work, plus visitors on the way: her parents were coming in for Thanksgiving from her hometown. But as she hurried down the subway stairs, she started to feel uncomfortably warm. By the time she got to the platform, Linda felt weak and tired -- maybe it hadn't been a good idea to give blood the night before, she thought. She rested herself against a post close to the tracks. Several yards away, Frank, 43, and his girlfriend, Jennifer, found a spot close to where the front of the train would stop. They were deep in discussion about a house they were thinking of buying. But when he heard the scream, followed by someone yelling, "Oh, my God, she fell in!"Frank didn't hesitate. He jumped down to the tracks and ran some 40 feet toward the body lying on the rails. "No ! Not you ! "his girlfriend screamed after him. She was right to be alarmed. By the time Frank reached Linda, he could feel the tracks shaking and see the light coming. The train was about 20 seconds from the station. It was hard to lift her. She was just out. But he managed to raise her the four feet to the platform so that bystanders could hold her by the arms and drag her away from the edge. That was where Linda briefly regained consciousness, felt herself being pulled along the ground, and saw someone else holding her purse. Linda thought she'd been robbed. A woman held her hand and a man gave his shirt to help stop the blood pouring from her head. And she tried to talk but she couldn't, and that was when she realized how much pain she was in. Police and fire officials soon arrived, and Frank told the story to an officer. Jennifer said her boyfriend was calm on their 40minute train ride downtown--just as he had been seconds after the rescue, which made her think about her reaction at the time. "I saw the train coming and I was thinking he was going to die, " she explained. The passage is intended to _ . tell us about a subway rescue
Forty years ago, I was in Grade One. One day,I was asked to go to the principal's office . I was really nervous. When I pushed the heavy door open. I found my parents were sitting in the office,too. My father walked to me,with some of my drawings in his hand. "Why do you only use a black crayon when you draw?" he asked. I said nothing. "Show me to your desk," said my father. So we returned to my classroom. My father pulled out my crayon box. There was only one black crayon in it. "Where are the rest of your crayons?" I quietly explained that I'd given all the other crayons to my friends. I shared my things with others as my parents had taught me. Then I looked at my father, then at the principal--both their faces were red. Years later, I learned that my father's face was red because of anger and the principal was red because he was embarrassed . When the principal saw all my pictures, he thought that I had a deep emotional problem. So he had called my parents in to discuss "my problem". In fact, I was too shy to ask for my "shared" crayons back. I didn't stand up for myself! That night, my father told me about the difference between sharing and giving. He also gave me a new box of crayons. He said, "These crayons are for you. I don't want you to share or give these crayons to anyone else. " Which of the following is NOT true according to the text? A The principal was not careful enough. B The girl wouldn't give her new crayons to others. C The girl lost all her crayons except the black crayon. D The story happened when the author was very young. Answer: C Tired of Working in Your Country ? With over 500 instructors and 20 years of experience , we are the leader in the field of teaching foreign language . We now have positions open in Osaka for instructors of English ,German ,Spanish and French . Teach many different kinds of classes using the latest technology in small classes of up 3 students Accommodation and other necessary document will be ready before you leave. Excellent teacher training programs. If you are young with a university degree and are willing to experience different culture , apply now . Experience in teaching is an advantage but not specially required . Knowledge of the Japanese language is not necessary but good English skills and computer knowledge are basic requirements. Apply with C.V. and send letters to NOVA France , Mr, Sampy (IHT 3/2) 34,BD. Haussmannn, 75009 Paris ,France Fax: 33348034804 Or visit our website :www.teachjp.com The manager expects to meet and talk successful applicant in Paris in June and July. What is the purpose of the text? A To introduce a language school in Japan. B To hire language teachers to work in Japan C To describe working conditions in Japan. D To make clear the requirements for Japanese teachers Answer: B Not drying your hands thoroughly after washing them could increase the spread of bacteria, and rubbing your hands while using a traditional hand dryer could be a contributing factor, according to new research. The research looked at different methods of hand drying, and their effects on transfer of bacteria from the hands to other surfaces. The different methods included paper towels, traditional hand dryer, and a new model of hand dryer, which rapidly blows water from the hands. Our bodies naturally have bacteria all over them. However, bacteria from other sources, such as raw meat, can also survive on hands. They can be easily transferred to other surfaces, increasing the risk of cross-contamination . When the hands are washed, the number of the bacteria on the surface of the skin decreases, but they are not necessarily _ . If the hands are still damp then these bacteria are more readily transferred to other surfaces. The researchers quantified the effects of hand drying by measuring the number of bacteria on the hands before and after different drying methods. Volunteers were asked to wash their hands and palce them onto contact plates, which were then incubated to measure bacteria growth. The volunteers were then asked to dry their hands using either hand towels or one of the two hand dryers, with or without rubbing their hands together, and levels of bacteria were re-measured. The researchers found that rubbing the hands together while using traditional hand dryers could cancel out the reduction in bacteria numbers following hand washing. When hands are rubbed together during drying, bacteria that live within the skin can be brought to the surface and transferred to other surfaces, along with surface bacteria that were not removed by hand washing. A resaecher says, "Good hand hygiene should include drying your hands thoroughly and not just washing . The best method of drying your hands id using paper towels or using a hand dryer which doesn't require you to rub your hands together." The levels of bacteria were re-measured in the research because _ . A the first measurement was not accurate B the second measurement involved ways of hand drying C different parts of the hands were measured D The two measurements involved different times Answer: B Believe it or not, the ability to choose is the power to change. If you can choose to live your life differently, will you be the same person? Well, choosing to do the following few "simple" things will help to change your life. Review your life. Take time to go through your life and ask yourself, "If I do the same thing I do every day, will there be a change? If I want to change, where will my first step be?" Make careful choices. Choose exactly what you wish to get to live your life; describe and think what you really want. Keep up with chances. Find out about the possibilities and ways that can make you move toward your goals, write them down and see which one suits you most. Get down to business. Start working on your goals. People may bring you down; you may have difficulties; you will fail and want to give up. But the most important thing is never to give up. If you try these "simple" things, you will find that success is something for everyone, and you will finally become what you want to be. Remember, success is more than what you hold in your hands; _ is something from the heart. This passage mainly discussed the relationship between _ . A power and life B choice and change C power and success D choice and difficulty Answer: B When you are traveling in Thailand,which means of transport is the best choice? You can rent a variety of motorbikes or bikes in Thailand.It seems to be very popular in most of the beaches and islands along the places in the north.The most popular bikes are the little 125 cc Honda Dream which you can get for about 150 baht a day or as little as 3,000 baht per month,making it the cheapest way to tour Thailand for the people from other countries. Sometimes you will have to go somewhere by taxi.When you are in cities in Thailand,especially in Bangkok,always remember to get a taxi that is going on the roads.Some drivers outside hotels refuse to use the milometer .They will ask a price which is several times the price when they use the meter! The quality of the roads in Thailand is generally pretty good,so renting cars is another way to get around.The big car rental companies may offer you slightly older cars at a very reasonable price.It is a little surprising considering that the cost of buying a car in Thailand is more than that in the West.Petrol is also reasonably priced in Thailand,more expensive than American prices,but much cheaper than what is paid in Europe.In the past,Bangkok could be a difficult place to drive in--signs were generally in Thai only,making it a hard job to find exactly where you were by looking around.But now,the situation is improved.In a lot of places,even the farthest corners of the country,street signs are in both Thai and English. In which part of a magazine can this passage be found? A Entertainment. B Tourism. C Market. D Advertisement. Answer: B
A tiger named Timmy and Bear named Buster were going for a walk in the park by the river and were going to go swim later. As Timmy was running through a field in the park he came upon a small hamster with a broken leg. The hamster looked like it had somewhere to go but couldn't make it because of its leg. Timmy called Buster over to come talk to the hamster and see if there was anything they could do to help. As they talked, Timmy and Buster started to become good friends with the hamster. They found out his name was Henry. Henry was on his way to the river for a drink of water when a mean horse ran by and without looking at where he was going stepped on his leg and broke it. Luckily for Henry Busters mom was a nurse and after watching her work for many years Buster knew how to set a broken bone and fix it. After Buster fixed Henry's leg he picked him up and put him on Timmy's back and they all went to the river to get some water. They all were best friends for the rest of their lives and played together. What did Henry need from the river? Answer: Water What will it be harder to see as light pollution increases? Answer: stars King's College Summer School King's College Summer School is an annual training program for high school students at all levels who want to improve their English. Courses are given by the teachers of King's College and other colleges in New York. Trips to museums and culture centers are also organized. This year's summer school will be from July 25 to August 15. More information is as follows: If you are to live with your relatives in New York, you will have to pay the school _ . Answer: $500 Mother's Day is a holiday for mothers. People celebrate it in the United States, England,India and some other countries. Little by little, people in many other countries also celebrate it. Mother's Day is on the 2nd Sunday in May. On that day, many people give presents of love to their mothers. If their mothers are alive ,they often wear a pink or red rose or carnation .If their mothers are dead ,they wear a white one. The celebration of the first American Mother's Day was held in Philadelphia on May 10, 1908. Soon the holiday became popular all over the country and around the world. In China, people do the same on the day for mothers. And in some cities, people sometimes ask a song to be broadcast for his or her mother only. On that day, people give _ to their mothers. Answer: presents of love Shopping in Singapore is really a pleasure for tourists. The Great Singapore Sale is held every year, usually during the summer months. Singapore's famous shopping stores welcome a great number of visitors from all over the world. Their shopping hours last till midnight. During this time, nice and cheap goods are on sale for tourists to choose from. Tourists can also try delicious foods there and experience the Singaporean nightlife. Certain stores offer discounts of up to 70 percent or even higher if people use their credit cards. For tourists that hold a special Tourist Card, they can enjoy a lot of benefits , such as discounts on watches, jewellery and cosmetics . The card also gives discounts when you visit local attractions such as Singapore Zoo. It is well worth checking out in the different shopping districts of Singapore during this 8-week Shopping Marathon. Orchard Road is surely the best place for shopping in the city. A large number of restaurants and clubs can be found in this area. Marina Bay includes both big department stores as well as small shops, so everything you would want to buy can be found here. Advice for tourists planning to enjoy this festival of shopping: travel light and take a comfortable pair of shoes with you, for you are sure to do a lot of walking and return with your bags much heavier. We can learn from the passage that _ . Answer: Orchard Road is Singapore's best shopping street
In Europe, many people make friends across the borders between their countries through town twinning. Town or city twinning means two towns in different countries agree and decide to become "twins" with sister city relationship. Their citizens find pen friends in the twin town. They exchange newspapers and stamps. The school teachers discuss teaching methods with the teachers in the twin town. Officials visit the twin town for celebrations. Ordinary citizens travel to the twin town, too, but not very often if it is far away. Sometimes, schools even exchange their classes for two or three weeks! For example, German middle school students study for a while at the school in their twin town in Britain, staying with British families. A few months later, their British friends come to study in Germany. Some towns even arrange exchange visits for theatre groups, choirs and orchestras ( ). Others send lecturers to the twin town who tell the people there all about their own town , and show photos and slides. Town twining can help make friends and motivate people to learn from each other. It helps students to improve their language skills, and it contributes to strengthening peace and understanding between different nations. Twin towns develop _ . Answer: Running Man is a variety show which is aired in SBS, a famous South Korean TV channel. The show broadcasts on Sunday every week. The translation can be watched on the Internet every Monday. It's very interesting and funny. In the program, everyone should keep running. Here are some information of its hosts and hostess. Liu Zaishi, the main host of the show, is known as National Moderator(,). His friendly, witty and lovely hosting style makes him become one of the most popular hosts and comedians in South Korean. Jin Zhongguo, the strongest man on the show, is known as Sparta-kooks . During the race, he can capture others quickly. But sometimes, he can be very cute. Song Zhixiao, the beautiful actress who is also called Mong Zhi, where "mong" means "confused", because of her facial expressions which makes her seem confused. During the race mission, she is ace because of her superior ability to capture. Young people in Korea love the program very much. Why? Because some South Korean stars will be invited to take part in the race every week . They are divided into several teams with MCs. Many stars have participated in the program, for example, Li Minhao, Girls'Generation , Jin Xiuxian etc. What's more, the program is not only relaxing but also educational--- It teaches people the importance of team spirit. Where is the Running Man aired? Answer: The English are often described as unfriendly people who don't talk to strangers . But not London taxi drivers. I once asked one cabby to describe his life to me and he didn't stop talking until I arrived home half an hour later. He told me many interesting stories and this is one of them."Some strange things happen late at night. The other day I was taking a woman home from a party. She had her little dog with her. When we got to her house, she found that she'd lost her key. So, I waited in the cab with her dog while she climbed in through the window." "I waited and waited. After half an hour of ringing the bell I decided to find out what was going on. I tied the dog to a tree and started to climb in through the window. The next thing I knew was that the police came. They thought I was to rob the house! Luckily, the woman came downstairs. She'd gone to sleep and forgotten about me and the dog. I was in such a hurry to get away that I forgot to ask her for the fare." Why do you think the woman didn't go out of the house again. Answer: There are two kinds of people in the world. Those of the first kind are born idlers , taking interest in nothing. It seems what they live for is to pass time idly. They simply don't know why they have to do so, nor will they bother to ask. The other kind are those who take things seriously and never wish to idle away their life. But only a part of the second group are eager enough to make success. All the others fail to make enough effort to make their dreams come true. Why do things so happen to them? What are the reasons? I later find out that some people are determined. They are "igniters" that catch fire of their own, giving light and heat. But that's not the case with others. They may be fuels but not igniters. As pieces of wood or coal, they need a match or a lighter to make them burn so that their energy can be released to give off light and heat. The majority of people need some igniter to light them. Thus igniter becomes a must for those people to succeed. Unless a suitable igniter comes their way, they will always remain idle like cold unused firewood or coal. Fortunately, such an igniter is not difficult to meet. One may find it in an instructive book, a film story, a few words of a close friend, some advice of a good teacher, a pleasant journey, or an unexpected love. Any of these, coming at the right time, can serve as an igniter to start one's enthusiasm for learning or for a better career, to turn him from a passive state of waiting to an active state of pursuing, to lend him strength to go ahead bravely. In that case, what he has prepared for years will be quickly turned into fruitful reality. Such an igniter may turn up of itself, but most likely we have to find it ourselves. Never let a chance slide away, for it is the key to your success. According to the text, " _ " are the persons that can light many people so that their energy can be released to give off light and heat. Answer: A strawberry farmer finds that, after a hard freeze, some of his strawberries are still alive. Which best explains why these strawberries were able to survive? Answer:
Penguins are lovely animals. Most people like them. But now as many as 10 of the 17 kinds of penguins are in danger of disappearing. The number of penguins has decreased by ( ) 30% since 1987. Penguins are black and white birds that live in the southern part of the world. They are common in the Antarctic Continent ,New Zealand, Australia and South America. Many live near cold waters . But some live near warm waters in Galapagos Islands. Penguins cannot fly, but they are fine swimmers. The shape of their body helps them to survive. Penguins eat fish and krill . They have short wings that help them to dive up to 900 feet to catch larger fish. They can swim 10-15 kilometers an hour which lets them protect themselves. They also have lots of body oil that helps in keeping them dry in the water. The warming of the earth is the reason for the decrease in the number of penguins. The hotter and hotter air has caused ocean waters to become warmer. Higher water temperature has decreased the fish and krill. Some years later these birds are completely unable toreproduce. And many adult penguins die of hunger. Too much fishing, exploration for oil and oil leaks also make penguins be in danger. Poisonous things in ocean waters are another danger. Penguins also have their enemies, including sharks, seals and sea lions. What's the passage mainly about? A. Fish and krill have decreased. B. Ocean waters are polluted. C. Sharks and seals are the enemies of penguins. D. The decrease in the number of penguins. Answer: D. The decrease in the number of penguins. How important can a fifteen-year-old boy's work be? Well, Louis Braille's work changed the world. Born in a small town near Paris in 1809, shortly after his third birthday Louis blinded himself in one eye while playing with a sharp pointed tool in his father's workshop. He soon lost the sight in his other eye when the infection spread. He wanted to go to school, but in his small town there was no school for him. At that time, blind people did not get any school education. Braille went to Paris to study, but there were few books for the blind. Louis knew that books were the key to learning. He struggled with ideas for three years. Finally, at fifteen, he invented an alphabet made with raised dots . Blind people could "read" by feeling the patterns of the dots. Being able to read Braille allows blind children to learn together with the sighted at school, and go on to get jobs. It allows people who lose their eyesight to continue to read, learn and get information. The Braille alphabet _ . A. was of no use for the blind people. B. helped Louis make much money. C. allowed people to get information directly. D. made the blind read and learn more easily. Answer: C. allowed people to get information directly. Read the following three passages.Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements.For each of them there are 4 choices marked A, B, C and D.Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage. The River Thames was once described as "biologically dead". A waterway polluted with so much industrial waste that no wildlife could survive in it. But today it has become a thriving natural habitat and a team of conservationists restoring the famous river have been offered a top environment award for their work. Ncarly 40 miles of the river have been improved in the last five years through almost 400 Environment Agency restoration projects. As a result, the river is now home to some 125 species of fish, while many others are returning. The river mouth supports shellfisheries and is a nursery ground for bass stocks, and the water quality of the Thames has improved. Alastair Driver, the Environment Agency's national conservation manager, said that in the last 150 years, the Thames had been polluted seriously and that it had taken thousands of people decades to restore it to its current condition. "Strict regulations for polluting industries and our work with farmers, businesses and water companies to reduce pollution and improve water quality have helped to make the Thames a living river once again." But he warned that the river's recovery was still " _ ", since it was under the pressure from a growing population and climate change. He said advanced projects and cooperation with various people and organizations aim at dealing with the problems the Thames faces and ensuring it still a famous river for many centuries to come. Actor, David Suchet, a skillful boater and chairman of the River Thames Alliance, said, "I am fortunate in my life to have traveled widely and enjoyed many other rivers worldwide. But the River Thames is priceless and it is one of the most glittering jewels in the crown of our English heritage." Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, said, "The Thames is one of our most precious resources, so I am excited to see that efforts to improve and preserve its good health are being praised on the world stage." The PS 220,000 prize, awarded at the International Rive Symposium in Australia, will go to the Thames Rivers Restoration Trust. What can we learn about David Suchet? A. He said some factories have been regulated to reduce pollutants. B. He is an actor who is good at boating. C. He has traveled to al rivers in the world. D. He is a manager of the Environment Agency. Answer: B. He is an actor who is good at boating. 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. What is the best time for physical performance? A. Between 3 pm and 6 pm B. Between 7 pm and 10 pm. C. Between noon and 4 pm D. Between 5 pm and 8 pm. Answer: A. Between 3 pm and 6 pm A father and his little son are going home. The boy is five years old. He is interested in(---) all kinds of things and he is always asking questions. "What's the meaning of the word 'drunk '?" asks the boy. "Well, my son," his father answers. "Look, there are two policemen. To a drunk man's eyes, there are four." "But, Dad, there is only one policeman." The father and his little son are _ . A. watching TV B. having supper C. going home D. going to the market Answer: C. going home
Hello. I'm Jan from Mrs. Lake's class. My class wants to work together to help the public. We think we have found a great way to do this. Last month we did a class project on the highways near our town. We learned about the Adopt-a-Highway Program. This program brings people together to pick up litter along the roads. We think it would be a great idea for all students in our school to join the program and adopt a highway. Adopting a highway is not like adopting a pet. When a highway is adopted, only part of the highway is cared for by a group of people. The group agrees to work every week to keep its part of the highway clean. Each group gets its own sign that has the name of the group printed on it. The sign is put up at the side of the road. This sign lets drivers know who is keeping that area of the road clean. The Adopt-a-Highway Program is a great way for people to help their environment look nicer. Also, the government does not have to send out as many road workers. This saves money. Finally, people may try harder to keep roads clean if they see people, especially teenagers like us, cleaning them up. We will need helpers to care for our adopted highway. If you want to feel great and keep our roads clean,please come with your parents to the meeting next week. We will meet in Mrs. Lake' room on Wednesday at 6:00 P.M. At the meeting, we will talk about which roads are the dirtiest as a result of people's unkind acts. Then we' ll try to pick an area to adopt and clean. I look forward to seeing you at the meeting. Remember to keep our roads clean! What is the Adopt-a-Highway Program about? Answer: Picking up litter along the roads. Mr. Green worked in an office in London, but he lived in the country and came to work by train every day. The station was not very far from his office, and he always went on foot from the station to his office and back from his office to the station. Every evening he walked past a poor man near a bridge. The man sat at the road and sold matches, and there was a dog near him. There was a piece of wood round the dog's neck, and the words "I AM BLIND" were on the piece of wood. Mr.Green was a kind man. He always stopped and gave a penny to the man, but he did not take any of his matches. One day, Mr.Green had a lot of work in his office and left the office very late. He came to the man and his dog, but he did not stop. The poor man stood up quickly, ran after him and said, "You're always very kind to me. Give me a penny today. I'm a poor man." Mr.Green stopped and he was surprised. Then he said, "You're a blind man. How did you see me?" The poor man said, "No, I'm not blind. My dog is." Mr.Green went to his office _ . Answer: first by train and then on foot "One of my actors is sick! He has just one line and you're the only one who fits his clothes!" One afternoon, the school drama director suddenly shouted to me. She seemed so nervous and worried that I felt sorry for her and said, "Ok". "You will be fine. It's easy!" She said. But it wasn't easy at all. On the stage, four other actors and actresses spoke their lines, and I opened my mouth. Nothing came out. I couldn't even breathe. I just wanted to leave. The next thing I knew, I was running off the stage. As I was running off the stage, I accidentally knocked over a glass of grape juice that was on a table. The purple juice hit the girl next to me --- Andrea, the leading actress of the drama. She gave me a nasty look. I thought she was going to kill me! But then, Andrea quickly said, "Darling, you're so silly! Let's toast to my darling's silliness! Cheers!" She grabbed another glass of grape juice and drank it. The other actor quickly followed Andrea's lead and saved the scene. The audience thought my mistake was part of the play! I apologized to everyone after the play. To my surprise, they were not angry with me. They told me, "It's all a part of being on stage." I could be wrong, but I think I liked being on stage. I think I will try again. Which of the following is NOT true? Answer: The audience knew something was wrong. (Warsaw)? . Long long ago,there was a young man.His name was Wars.He lived in a little house near the River Vistula.He went there fishing every day for a living. One day he saw a beautiful girl in the river.The girl's name was Sawa.From then on,the young man and the beautiful girl met every day.They fell in love with each other.When Wars asked Sawa to marry him.Sawa was very sad.She told him that she was mermaid and she couldn't marry man.But she said she would give him something when they met again. The next day,Wars went to the river and met Sawa. Sawa was waiting for him with a sword in her right hand and a shield in her left hand.She told Wars that they wouldn't meet again.She gave the sword and the shield to him.She said he would be successful with the sword and the shield and become a great hero.Then she went away. Wars missed Sawa very much.He always remembered his first love.What the mermaid had told him came true.Wars became a great hero.He got the land by the River Vistula.There he set up a city. He called it Warsaw. The name of Poland's capital came from _ Answer: the names of Wars and Sawa Do you know there are many kinds of grass? Some are tall. The kind that grows around your house is short grass. But field grass often grows as tall as a man. Some food that we eat comes from plants of the grass family. Wheat and rice are two of them. We use wheat to make bread. We use both wheat and rice to make breakfast. At some places, people eat more rice than any other food. Animals as well as people get food from the grass family. Cows eat hay . Do you know the kind of grass that horses like to eat? Which of the following doesn't get food from the grass family? Answer: Dogs.
A 15-year-old boy was injured in a car accident when the car he was traveling in was hit by a truck at a street corner. The boy was taken to a nearby hospital. The doctors said it appeared that the boy had nothing more serious than a broken left leg, but there was a possibility that the boy might have some inside injuries. The boy was conscious when he was sent to the hospital. Luckily, his mother, who was driving, was uninjured. She said that the truck appeared so suddenly that she thought she was going to die. She turned her car sharply to the left, and the truck hit it on the passenger side. [:] The driver of the truck was a 50-year-old man who was unemployed and it was clear that he had been drinking because the police found 18 empty beer cans inside his truck. However, the man _ drinking even if he had failed the police test for drinking, saying, "No, I haven't drunk anything." When asked to touch his nose , ears, and mouth with his eyes closed, he was unable to touch any part of his head. So the police put him into the back seat of a police car. But the man kept crying, "Mabel, where is my Mabel? I can't find her now. I want my Mabel." The police asked him if Mabel was his wife. He said, "She's my dog, my dog! Where's my baby?" Later in the day, the police found a dog with a ring around her neck, on which was written "Mabel" half a block away from where the accident happened. Perhaps the man was looking for his pet dog after drinking when the accident happened. As a result, the man was taken to the city jail for driving after drinking and it seemed that Mabel would be left alone. What did the doctors think of the boy ? The brain, spinal cord, and nerves are organs that perform which primary function? University is generally regarded as one of the most important times in a person's life, yet the function of this institution continues to arouse debate. Many believe that arts subjects are too easy, that practical skills are more useful and that a chosen subject for study should be clearly linked to a career. However, this view is far too simplistic. Arts subjects are very difficult. They can prepare students for any number of careers as well as allowing the student to take time to make a decision. The function of the modern university is to cater to different types of student. Arts subjects are not easy. For example, a degree in Literature is not an easy option. No question in a Literature class has a single, simple answer. Debate is conducted in a spirit of openness, texts are very closely analyzed and skills in close reading are developed. Literature is about language, our primary means of communication. Arts subjects require the same concentrated study as any other subject. Arts subjects can prepare students for any number of careers. A degree in an arts subject teaches skills in well organized debates and defence of a position through the provision of evidence. These are applicable to many types of career. Law, for example. The point is that an undergraduate degree in any Arts subject trains the student in analysis and structure. Therefore, Arts graduates can pursue any number of careers. Arts subjects allow the student to take time to choose a career. Love of the subject for its own sake may well be the initial motivation for the Arts undergraduate but because the subject they have chosen is not so clearly linked to a career they have time to reflect, making a decision only when they are absolutely certain. Students who pursue Arts subjects therefore have the leisure to make a carefully considered choice. In conclusion, it is clear that Arts subjects are not a waste of time. They are flexible when it comes to relating them to a career and they allow the student to discover an appropriate career path. Many industries now acknowledge that a degree in Literature can be just as valuable as any other subject, especially when it is evident that Arts graduates tend to think more creatively. Not all undergraduates have clearly defined goals and not all subjects can be simply matched to a career. Acknowledging this difference should be the main function of a modern university What does the author mainly argue in this article? Confucius (551BC~479BC), a Chinese philosopher,one of the most influential men in the history of China. Confucius was born in a noble family in the state of Lu. However,his parents were poor. His father died when Confucius was only three years old. In 527 BC he began his life as a teacher,usually traveling about and teaching the followers that were around him. Confucius worked as an official of the state of Lu. However,he soon left office to travel and teach. In 484 BC he returned to Lu,where he lived until his death. Living in the turbulent period,Confucius believed that people must go back to the principles of the ancient wise men. He therefore lectured to his pupils on the classics and taught them how to behave properly in society. Confucius did not write down the principles of his philosophy. The Analects (<<>> ),a work written by some of his followers,is considered the most faithful source of information about his life and teachings. The teachings of Confucius were practical and moral,rather than religious. He said that man's behavior should be based on five virtues:kindness, uprightness ,decorum ,wisdom and faithfulness .He asked everyone to fulfill their duties carefully toward the state. In the centuries after his death,his teachings,known as Confucianism,had a more powerful influence on the Chinese nation. At about what age did Confucius begin his teaching? _ Mrs. Green is going to give a birthday party for Mary. Mary is her daughter. She is going to be ten years old. A lot of friends of Mary's are going to come to the party. There are twenty girls of them. Mrs. Green is getting ready for the party. Mrs. White is helping her. "That's a big nice cake," Mrs. White says to Mrs. Green. "Thank you very much." Mrs. Green is going shopping now. She is going to buy fruit for the party. She buys lots of pears, apples, oranges and bananas. Then she goes home. It's five o'clock in the afternoon. Everything is ready. Now the first girl is arriving. The party is going to begin in thirty minutes. What kind of party is Mrs. Green holding?
Scientists know of more than 1,000 volcanoes on the surface of Venus, Earth's "sister" planet. A big question has been: Are they still active? The scientists say yes. Their evidence for recent volcanic activity on Venus comes from a lava flow in the planet's northern hemisphere. The flow is hotter than the rocks around, which means the lava might still be cooling off. "The flow we studied seems to be very young---it is still warm inside," Nataliya Bondarenko said. Venus is a difficult planet to study from Earth because it is surrounded by thick clouds. Telescopes on Earth can't see through these clouds, so the best information about Venus comes from spacecraft orbiting it. Bondarenko and her colleagues studied the lava flow using data from NASA's Magellan mission. That spacecraft spent four years in orbit around Venus and used radar to make a map of 98 percent of the planet's surface. On October 11th, 1994, the mission ended, and the spacecraft plunged through Venus' heavy cloud cover and crashed onto the planet below. While in orbit, the Magellan craft sent microwaves, which can go through Venus' clouds, to the surface. Microwaves are invisible and can be as long as three feet. These waves are a kind of energy, like light. And like light, they bounce off surfaces. The way the waves bounced off the Venus' surface and back to the craft supplied information that the scientists used to estimate the temperature of various parts of the planet's surface. Bondarenko's team found that the lava flow was hotter than its surroundings---which may mean the lava flow is in the process of cooling. The scientists say the lava flow can't be very old because if it were, it would have cooled off enough that Magellan wouldn't have noticed the difference in microwaves. She adds that the flow appears in a 1978 view of the surface that a craft called the Pioneer Venus Orbiter captured. The best title for the passage may be " _ ". There are some new drivers going back to school. Teens who have recently gotten their driver's licenses may be taking the wheel to school this fall. However, parents fear when their teen starts driving. And it turns out that such parental fears are justified, so it's worth reviewing how to keep your teen safe while he or she is behind the wheel. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among US teens. Drivers 16 to 19 years old are at the greatest risk of crashes. In fact, their risk is 4 times greater than that of older drivers. The teens at the greatest risk are those who are male, those carrying other teenage passengers in the car, and those still in their first year of driving. Nearly 50 percent of teen deaths related to automobile crashes happen on Fridays, Saturdays, or Sundays between the hours of 3 pm and midnight. Why are teens at higher risk of motor vehicle crashes? Development. Teens haven't completely matured mentally and have greater risktaking behaviors, possibly because they tend to underestimate the risk associated with a particular behavior. Teens also have a greater tendency to speed and to drive too close to the cars in front of them. No seatbelts. Teens have the lowest rate of seatbelt use among all driving groups. Alcohol. A least 25 percent of motor vehicle deaths in teens are related to drinking alcohol. Technological distractions .Cellphones,texting,MP3 players,and the like can all distract drivers greatly--and who more than teenagers? Be aware of your teen's driving practices and discuss safe driving habits when opportunities present themselves. Check out the applications and devices now available for restricting your teen's use of technology while driving. Some applications alert you to the danger when your teen is texting while the vehicle is moving. Another device blocks incoming and outgoing texts when the car is running--incoming messages get an automatic reply (eg. "I'm driving right now"), and phone calls go directly to voicemail. You can also get notifications if your teen tries to shut off the program. There are also GPS programs that let you know your new driver's whereabouts at all times. All in all, you can't be too cautious when teaching your teen how to be safe on the road. According to the passage, which should be prevented during teens' driving? Hello, Listeners. Welcome to Henton Hospital Radio. Before our music programme at four, I'm going to repeat some of our hospital rules. The hospital can sleep 800 patients. There're 8 beds in each ward . The visiting hours are in the afternoon from 2:30 to 3:30 and in the evening from 7:00 to 8:00. But remember only two people can see you at the same time. Sorry about that, but you can see what would happen if we didn't have these rules. The other rules are about our hours. We start quite early---you might not be used to that. We wake you at 6 o'clock, and breakfast is at 8 o'clock, lunch is at noon. There's tea at 3:30 and supper is at 6 o'clock. You can see the non-smoking sign---we don't allow smoking in the wards. I'm sure you understand why. However, if you do need to smoke, there are some smoking rooms where it is allowed. You will find the radio switch on the wall near your bed, with your own headphones, if you want to listen. It's our own hospital radio wishing you a quick recovery. Which is Not allowed in the hospital? Helen Thomas, born on August 4, 1920, is a famous news reporter, a Hearst Newspapers columnist, and member of the White House Press Corps. She served for fifty-seven years as a correspondent and White House bureau chief for United Press International (UPI). She is called "First Lady of the Press". Born in Kentucky, Helen Thomas was raised in Detroit, Michigan where she attended public schools and later graduated from Wayne State University. Upon leaving college, Helen served as a copy girl in an old company in Washington. In 1943, Ms. Thomas joined United Press International and the Washington Press Corps. Thomas served as president of the Women's National Press Club from 1959 to 1960. In November, Helen began covering then President-elect John F. Kennedy, following him to the White House in January 1961 as a UPI correspondent. She later became White House Bureau Chief for UPI, where she was employed until her resignation on May 17, 2000. Thomas then became a White House correspondent and columnist. Thomas was the only woman journalist traveling with then President Nixon to China in January, 1972. She has traveled around the world several times with Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, and Clinton, during the course of which she covered every Economic Summit.The World Almanachas cited her as one of the 25 Most Influential Women in America. On March 21, 2006, Thomas was called upon directly by President Bush for the first time in three years. Thomas asked Bush about Iraq. Helen Thomas has written four books and she is also a popular speaker at events nationwide. Which of the following is NOT true? Although they may not die from lack of love ,adults also need a great amount of affection and companionship . In the past , many people spent their entire lives in the communities in which they were born and raised .Many more people continued to live with their parents ,brothers and sisters after they were married and had children of their own . By remaining in familiar communities with s nearby, families had enough opportunities for friendly contact and for support in time of trouble. Recent studies suggest that family arrangements in Western societies have not changed as much in the last few centuries as is generally believed .Yet most sociologists agree that in modern societies ,there are fewer opportunities for friendship and support from s outside the immediate family .Parents and children often live apart from other s ,and seldom visit them .Also ,the family moves when a parent accepts a job in another place or when it decides to live in a better neighborhood. Together , loneliness and mobility force immediate family members to depend heavily on one another for affection and companionship. Because the family is one of the few ongoing sources of affection and companionship in modern societies, a high percentage of people continue to marry ,even though it is possible for a single man and woman to live together without marrying. On the other hand, because affection and companionship have become so important, families are more likely to break up if the husband's or wife's emotional needs are not met within the family circle--even if all other family functions are being satisfactorily performed ,and in this sense ,affection and companionship have become the touchstone of the modern family. It is generally believed that_.
People like to give gifts to others on _ days. Do you know how to choose gifts? You should choose gifts that your family or friends like. Different gifts are for different people. For example, boys often like to play with robots ,toy guns and balls. And girls may like something lovely, like flowers, dolls and beautiful clothes. Of course, you don't need to choose something expensive. Your feeling is much more important than money. There is a Chinese saying, " _ Michael wants to buy a birthday gift for his sister, he may choose a _ . A. teddy bear B. basketball C. water gun D. robot Answer: A. teddy bear A person needing to last a long time in an arid space with limited water sources will A. drink sparingly B. drink frequently C. drink greedily D. drink liberally Answer: A. drink sparingly The Dragon Boat festival is very popular in China, it usually comes in May or June. On that day, people eat a special food--- rice dumplings. It is known as dragon-boat racing. Dragon-boat racing is the most popular activity during the festival. A dragon boat looks like a dragon, and is painted in red, white, yellow or black. Usually, a dragon boat is 20 to 40 metres long, and needs 20 people to row. Boatmen row the boat in cadence with the drumbeats , and a man in the front of the boat waves a small flag to help coordinate the rowing. Dragon-boat racing becomes a popular activity in South China. International dragon-boat racing is held in Guangzhou and Hong Kong every year. This passage is about _ . A. South China B. Dragon-boat racing C. how to row the boat D. the Dragon Boat Festival Answer: D. the Dragon Boat Festival Growers around the world are using new methods to grow grapes to make wine. They use natural and organic methods to control harmful insects and weeds instead of using chemicals. Now, a winery in Canada has adopted a natural way to control its grapevines .The Featherstone Winery is in southern Ontario. The grapevines, like other plants, need to be cut every year. Cutting grapevines must be done very carefully. Only a targeted area of leaves is removed from the lower part of the vines to help the grapes grow better. But at the Featherstone Winery, no man or machine does the cutting. Instead, the job is done by 40 little wooly lambs.www.zxxk.com David Johnson owns the vineyard. He says he learned about using lambs while visiting wineries in New Zealand. The young lambs are perfectly designed to do the job. They eat the grape leaves on the lower parts of the vine. But they are not tall enough to reach the grapes. They only weigh about 22 kilograms, so they do not beat down the soil. And their waste makes good organic fertilizer. In addition, using the lambs costs much less than hiring workers to cut the vines for seven weeks in summer. And when the cutting is done in August, the lambs become tasty dishes. Mr Johnson says he had a difficult time finding enough lambs to do the job. There are about 50 million lambs in New Zealand. But there are not nearly as many in Ontario. Also, some organic pesticides are harmful to lambs. And the lambs must be watched to make sure they do not eat too much of the grapevines. David Johnson says the lambs help him carry out his environmental ideas about farming. They are lovely and peaceful and he likes having them in his vineyard. People visiting the vineyard also enjoy watching the lambs do their job. In order to help the grapes grow better, growers _ . A. only have to remove the dead leaves B. need to remove a specific area of leaves C. shouldn't remove any part of the plants D. should let little lambs do the cutting Answer: B. need to remove a specific area of leaves Americans have developed an olive oil habit. Out to dinner recently, I saw a man dipping his white bread in olive oil and then pouring it all over his salad, saying, "Wow, this is so good for me!" But is olive oil the healthiest fat? No, it's not. You might ask, doesn't it lower cholesterol ? Well, only when you substitute olive oil in equivalent amounts for butter or oils that are higher in saturated fat. Olive oil doesn't lower cholesterol; it just doesn't raise it as much. You may be better off with canola oil. The 1999 Lyon Diet Heart Study found that a Mediterranean diet significantly reduced heart attacks and premature deaths. Many people attributed this to eating a lot of olive oil. But it was increased consumption of canola oil that accounted for these improvements. Also, study participants ate more whole-grain bread, vegetables, fish and fruit, and less meat. Butter and cream were replaced with man-made butter made from canola oil, which has more healthy omega-3 fatty acids than olive oil does. Another study found that olive oil reduced blood flow by 31%. Canola oil and fish oil don't. (You want to increase blood flow to all body parts.) I like the taste of olive oil, and I use it sometimes. It's a healthier fat than many others, but it's not nearly as healthy as canola oil -- or fish oil and flaxseed oil, for that matter, which also have lots of omega-3s. And a tablespoon of any oil has 126 calories. Think about that before you pour it on. A Mediterranean diet reduced heart attacks and premature deaths thanks to _ . A. olive oil B. butter C. canola oil D. Bread Answer: C. canola oil
Chinese scientists have found a new way to use cells found in human urine that could aid in the treatment of a range of nerve disorders.That is a new technique for reprogramming cells in human urine into nerve progenitor cells that can grow into multi-functional nerve and brain cells. The technique is expected to be used in the study and treatment of nerve disorders such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and other nerve disorders. Pei Duanqing, a professor at Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, said his research team has combined an episomal system to deliver reprogramming factors with a chemically defined culture medium to reprogram kidney epithelial cells in urine into NPCs. These NPCs, normally only found in the human brain, were later proven to be transgene-free and self-renewing, he said. "These nerve and brain cells can survive for up to one month when transplanted into the brain of a newborn rat," said Pei. "My team is working hard to understand why our experimental condition allowed the urine cells to become NPCs, because we want to improve the technique and make it more efficient". Scientists have long searched to treat and study neural disorders by obtaining and transplanting neural stem cells. However, the previous method of getting and using cells from either fetal or adult human tissue remains challenging due to ethical concerns and immune system rejections, he said. Pei hopes the discovery will be used to generate NPCs from patients with nerve disorders such as Parkinson's disease. "These NPCs from patients may help us discover new drugs for these diseases." "It is a remarkable advance in the stem cell field. The results and methods obtained from this study will be of great value and significance to the field, " said Fred Gage,a professor with the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. Pei and his tean try their best to work hard in order to _ . A. make more contributions to medical study B. discover another new technique C. make the technique more perfect D. treat more patients suffering from bad diseases Answer: C Across Britain,burnt toast will be served to mothers in bed this morning as older sons and daughters rush to deliver their supermarket bunches of flowers.But,according to a new study,we should be placing a higher value on motherhood all year. Mothers have long known that their home workload was just as heavy as paid work.Now,the new study has shown that if they were paid for their parental labours,they would earn as much asPS172,000 a year. The study looked at the range of jobs mothers do,as well as the hours they are working,to determine the figure.This would make their yearly incomePS30,000 more than the Prime Minister earns. By analysing the numbers,it found the average mother works 119 hours a week,40 of which would usually be paid at a standard rate and 79 hours as overtime.After questioning 1,000 mothers with children under 18,it found that,on most days,mums started their routine work at 7 am and finished at around 11 pm. To calculate just how much mothers would earn from that labour,it suggested some of the roles that mums could take on,including housekeeper,part-time lawyer,personal trainer and entertainer.Being a part-time lawyer,atPS48.98 an hour,would prove to be the most profitable of the"mum jobs",with psychologist a close second. It also asked mothers about the challenges they face,with 80 percent making emotional demand as the hardest thing about motherhood. Over a third of mums felt they needed more training and around half said they missed going out with friends. The study shows mothers matter all year long and not just on Mother's Day.The emotional,physical and mental energy mothers devote to their children can be never-ending,but children are also sources of great joy and happiness.Investing in time for parenting and raising relationships is money well spent. What can we conclude from the study? A. Mothers'working hours should be largely reduced. B. Mothers should balance their time for work and rest. C. Mothers'labour is of a higher value than it is realized. D. Mothers should be freed from housework for social life. Answer: C Most people want to work, but it has become more difficult in today's world to find work for everyone. The economy of the world needs to grow by 4% each year just to keep the old number of jobs for people. Often this is not possible, and so more people are out of work. Some people have no jobs now because new machines can do the work of many people in short time. Also, machines do not ask for more money and longer holiday. In all of the countries of the world, machines are taking work from people, not only in factories but also on the farms. One machine can often do the work from forty people. About 75,000 people are moving to the cities a day to look for jobs, but only 70% of them can find jobs. How many people outside cities go into to look for jobs each day? A. 70% of the people. B. 4% of the people in the world. C. More than 75,000. D. About 75,000 people. Answer: D Difficult times often bring out the best in people. And this was the case for basketball star Yao Ming, who hosted a television show in Shanghai that raised US $ 300, 000 to help researchers find a cure for SARS. Fund-raising, or charity, is an act of goodwill towards others. Charities in the West have more ways. Look at a typical day for Ruth, a wealthy woman in the UK, for example. Ruth wakes up in the morning and collects her post. There's a letter addressed to her with a picture of a half-dead, beaten horse. It's from a charity asking Ruth to donate money to save the animals. The door bell rings and there, on Ruth's doorstep, is an old woman asking for money to help the aged. She turns on the television, hears sad music and sees a picture of a wide-eyed child dying of hunger in Africa with an appeal for money to help the child. Ruth then goes shopping for a dress to wear to that evening's large party for the rich and famous. The tickets for charity shows often cost her a large sum of money, but she doesn't mind because most of the money is going to a charity that fights AIDS. She feels good about going because she's helping the sick. Edna, a little old lady, looks after an old secondhand shop. Any profit it has made goes to a cancer charity. Now that she has retired, she has plenty of spare time to offer her services for free. www.ks5u.com For people like Yao Ming, Ruth and Edna, charity is a virtue that holds the same importance in life as faith and hope. "As you look back on your life, the moments that stand out are the moments when you have done things for others," said Scottish author Henry Drummond. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage? A. Only Yao Ming, Ruth and Edna try their best to do things for charity. B. Ruth has given a lot of support to charity although she is not very rich. C. The writer hopes that more people can do something for charity. D. Edna is very rich because she has her own shop. Answer: C Passage 4 From the world's heaviest apple, the oldest lady to the world's smallest dog, these are all parts of a group of the world's strangest people and things. And they are all in the Guinness Book of Records(<<>> ). The book is going to celebrate its birthday this August. It began exactly half a century ago. And it's always one of the best selling books in the world. People now can break over 1000 records every week! Why do so many people want to break the records? Do they want their names in the book or meet more people around the world? "It gives people a chance to show they're the best in the world." said one of the record keepers Stewart Newport. The book was started by Hugh Beaver from Britain. In 1951, he went shooting birds and talked with his friends about the fastest bird in Europe. Three years later, they were still talking about it. So Beaver believed that people must have different ideas. So, he decided to start a book to record the world's truly greatest people and things in it! The newest book came out last Tuesday. This book has a lot of interesting records. Here are two: A British dog, Whitney, is the world's smallest dog. It's only 76mm tall. An American woman Lee Redmond has the longest fingernails .They grew as long as 600 mm! She made the record in 1971. The writer of this passage wants to _ . A. tell us the strangest records in the world B. show us the beginning of the Guinness Book of Records C. give us an introduction to the Guinness Book of Records D. let us know the most interesting things in the world Answer: C
Most of the movies show our relationships and our society. What's more important is that people love to watch highs and lows of the relationships in movies. Friendship has been the favorite subject of movie makers for a long time. Many movies are based on lovely relationships like friendship. Friendship can be between two persons or among more than two persons. Movies based on friendship make us remember that the relationship among friends is delicate . These movies also show how important it is to have a true friend in life and to own the friendship. Friendship is described in different ways in movies. These movies show different faces of this lovely relationship including the pleasant and interesting faces .Let us discuss how friendship is described in movies. Friends share common interests:In most of the movies, it is shown that two people become friends easily when they share some common interests. For example, two friends may be in love with the same sports, studying in the same school or living in the same neighborhood.You can see such friendship in movies such as "Harry Potter" and "Lord of Rings". Harry Potter has two friends. All of them are interested in the use of magic. Friends make sacrifices : In most of the movies,friends make sacrifices for each other. A good example is "Sholay". In this movie,there are two friends Jay and Veeru who are there for each other till death. Jay sacrifices his life to save his friend. Friends never run away from difficulties: In movies,it is always shown that true friends always stand up for their friends in times of difficulties. Understanding: In movies,friends understand each other without even saying a word. A single smile can brighten up the faces of all the friends. Which of the following may the author accept? A Most movies are about relationships between friends. B Most movies describe stories that happen in our life. C Movies about friendship are popular with young men. D Movies always show relationships in the same way. Answer: B Gone are the days when being a celebrity meant reaching the top of the social ladder. With the Internet, people now no longer need to be actors, sports stars or politicians to be famous. You may still remember the time when Furong Jiejie, or Fengjie, appeared online. All of a sudden they were the talk of the town because of their crazy clothes and abnormal values. But when the word wanghong, or "Internet celebrity", was named one of Yaowen Jiaozi magazine's "popular cyber words" in 2015, its meaning had changed. Those who are popular in the world of wanghong are largely famous for their heavily Photoshopped selfies and the special lifestyles they advertise on social media. The same thing is happening overseas as well. There are many women addicted to posting photos. This has led to the rise of "Instagram Husbands", men who are willing-or most likely forced-to take photos of their wives or girlfriends for their Instagram accounts. But what wanghong offer their fans is much more than many pretty pictures. "There is a longing for the effortless of life," commented China Youth Daily. Though their lifestyle may seem "effortless", some wanghong take great pains to run their Taobao stores, communicate with their fans and think of ways to keep their viewership , for example. Zhang Dayi, a famous wanghong with over 4 million followers on Sina Weibo, revealed some of her secrets for attracting fans. "Usually people look up to celebrities at a 45-degree angle. But I reduced that angle to 15 degrees, because no one likes to strain their necks too much," she said. Her social media strategies include being very kind to fans. "As soon as you let down your guard, people will start to approach," she said. What is the author's attitude toward Furong Jiejie? A Negative B Concerned C Favorable D Doubtful Answer: A energy is required for survival, and this is primarily delivered by A the moon shining at night B the fifth planet from the sun C the closest star to our planet D the vast ocean body Answer: C Reporters collect information and write news stories. These stories appear in newspapers and magazines. Some reporters appear on television and radio. To get information, reporters should look at documents, observe the _ and interview people. To get the latest news, radio and television reporters often reporter "live" from the scene. Some reporters work long hours. They might work strange schedules. At morning newspapers, reporters might work from late afternoon until midnight. At evening or afternoon papers, they may work from early morning until afternoon. Radio and television reporters work during the day or in the evening. Magazine reporters generally work during the day. Reporters may have to change their work hours to follow a story. If someone wants to be a reporter, a bachelor's degree in journalism is preferred. Some employers like graduates with other majors . Working at school newspapers or broadcasting stations is good experience. Internship with news organizations also help when looking for a job as a reporter. Reporters must write clearly and effectively. They need word processing ,computer graphics , and desktop publishing skills. Speaking a second language is necessary for some jobs. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage? A Magazine reporters usually work during the day. B Only the person majoring in journalism can be a reporter. C We can get the latest news from the live report. D Sometimes reporters have to change work hours in order to follow a story. Answer: B Some years went by. Then Father Boone called the family together. "Pack your things," he told them. "We are leaving here. Our farmland isn't good to live on. We can buy rich, cheap land in he southwest." Sixteen-year-old Daniel was happy. "I'm glad we are going," he said. "I feel crowded here. There are too many houses and too many people." Father Boone made ready for the journey. He pushed out the big wagon and tied two horses to it. Mother Boone packed clothes, dishes, pots and pans. She would make food for the family along the way. The family said goodbye to the neighbors and to their old home, and started. Mother, the girls, and the little children rode in the wagon. Father and the boys took turns riding the horses. Sometimes all of the Boones walked so that the horses could rest. Father and the boys had guns to kill birds and small animals for food along the way. The Boones traveled across Pennsylvania. At last the family came to the green Yadkin Valley in North Carolina. There were a few houses there already, but the farmland was much broader than that in Pennsylvania. Father Boone said, "This is good farmland. We will stop here." Which of the following is NOT true about their new home? A It was in North Carolina. B It was good farmland. C It was close to their old home. D There were a few houses near it. Answer: C
I still remember my college days after I was initiallygiven my assignments of writing different papers. I enjoyed my first week with new friends and teachers as they were quite friendly and sociable. But I didn't realize that there was a dark era in my life, which was the horrifying day after I found that my term papers with empty pages. I had no way out. I was not alone. All the new students were feeling exactly the same way. I gathered some courage and started thinking to find methods to help me write my term papers. I went to my history teacher. She was very kind and always prepared to help new students. She told me that I should act like a professional student and not take my work lightly. She also provided some encouraging tips which really improved my confidence. I was instructed to go to the library and gather books that have relevant material or topics about the term papers. The next step was to find related chapters in those books. I did as I was ordered. Throughout the whole process of term papers there was something quite interesting and pleasing. She didn't assist me in doing any practical thing, but gave instructions one by one. With a large pile of reference books, we left the library and she told me to review those chapters. I got a lot of information and data. I had been feeling proud and happy as I got a good idea about the topics. She told me to create a 2000-word essay in my own words. I had been happy that it took only two days to finish my task. She did further editing and told me to make a bibliography , which was not a hard task. I felt quite lucky to see the term papers had a professional appearance. I also felt lucky to have such a good teacher as her. The author's history teacher advised him to _ . search the library for some books related to the papers (Reuters) --- A stampede killed at least 36 people during New Year's Eve celebrations in Shanghai, authorities said, but the police denied reports that it was caused by people rushing to pick up fake money thrown from a building overlooking the city's famous waterfront. It was the worst disaster in the modern city since 58 died in an apartment building fire in 2010. The cause of the crush has still to be confirmed, though state media and some witnesses have said it was at least partly aroused when people rushed to pick up coupons that looked like bank notes. A man named Wu said the fake money had been thrown down from a bar above the street as part of the celebrations. "This incident happened after the stampede," police said in a brief statement, without saying what the real cause was. Another witness said there had been a problem away from the area where the fake bills were thrown, with people trying to get on to a raised platform overlooking the river. Xinhua news agency said that people had been trampled on after falling down on the steps up to the platform. Authorities had shown some concern about crowd control in the days leading up to New Year's Eve. They recently canceled an annual 3D laser show on the Bund, which last year attracted as many as 300,000 people. On New Year's Eve, Beijing also canceled a countdown event in the central business district, Chinese media said, due to police fears about overcrowding. The Shanghai government said on its official microblog that an inquiry had begun, and that all other New Year events had been canceled. In 2004, 37 people died in a stampede in northern Beijing, on a bridge at a scenic spot, during the Lunar New Year holiday. According to the passage, why did people go to the Bund? To celebrate the New Year's Eve. Earthquake waves are recorded by seismograph machines. What does an earthquake wave transmit? energy An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. The employer was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He did a bad job and used low quality materials. It was an unfortunate way to end his career. When the carpenter finished his work, the employer came to inspect the house. The employer handed the front-door key to the carpenter. "This is your house," he said, "my gift to you." What a shock! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. Now he had to live in the home he had built, none too well. So it is with us. We build our lives in a distracted way, reacting rather than acting, willing to put up less than the best. At important points we do not give the job our best effort. Then with a shock we look at the situation we have created and find that we are now living in the house we have built. If we had realized it, we would have done it differently. Think of yourself as the carpenter. Think about your house. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or build a wall. Build wisely. It is the only life you will ever build. Even if you live it for only one day more, that day deserves to be lived wonderfully and with dignity. The motto on the wall says, "Life is a do-it-yourself project." Who could say it more clearly? Your life today is the result of your attitudes and choices in the past. Your life tomorrow will be the result of your attitudes and choices you make today. According to the author, what is important for a person's future development? Attitude. Write a winning story! You could win PS1,000 in this year's Fiction Prize and have your story printed in Keep Writing magazine. Ten other lucky people will win a cheque for PS100. Once again, we need people who can write good stories. The judges, who include Mary Littlejohn, the novelist, Michael Brown, the television reporter, and Susan Hitchins, the editor of Keep Writing, are looking for interesting and original stories. Detective fiction was extremely popular last year, although the competition winner produced a love story. You can write down about whatever you want but here's some advice to start your thinking: Write about what you know This is the advice which every writer should pay attention to and, last year, nearly everyone who wrote for us did exactly that. Love, family, problems with friends ---- these were the main subjects of the stories. However, you need to turn ordinary situations into something interesting that people will want to read about. Make the reader want to continue reading by writing about ordinary things in a new and surprising way. Get your facts right It's no good giving a description of a town or explaining how a jet engine works if you get it wrong. So avoid writing anything unless you're certain about it. Hold the reader's attention Make the beginning interesting and the ending a surprise. There is nothing worse than a poor ending. Develop the story carefully and try to think of something unusual happening at the end. Think about the characters Try to bring the people in your story alive for the reader by using well-chosen words to make them seem real. Your story must be your own work, between 2,000 and 2,5000 words and typed, double-spaced, on one side only of each sheet of paper. Even if you're in danger of missing the closing date, we are unable to accept stories by fax or email. You must include the application form with your story. Unfortunately your story cannot be returned, nor can we discuss our decisions. You should not have had any fiction printed in any magazine or book in this country ---- a change in the rules by popular request ---- and the story must not have happened in print or in recorded form, for example on radio or TV, anywhere in the world. Your fee of PS5 will go to the Writers' Association. Make your cheque payable to Keep Writing and send it with the application form and your story to: Keep Writing 75 Broad Street Birmingham B12 4TG The closing date is 30 July and we will inform the winner within one month of this date. Please note that if you win, you must agree to have your story printed in our magazine. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? All stories should be presented by mail.
With fuel costs rising and airlines finding more fees to impose on travelers every day, airfare isn't getting any cheaper. Since you can't drive to all your dream destinations, flying is the only way to go sometimes and, undeniably, the fastest. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to find the most affordable fares and also avoid paying as many extra charges as possible when you plan ahead. Getting the best fare. Airlines put out their fare sales on Tuesday morning, making this day the best day to book a flight for less. Fly during the least popular times. Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday are the slowest days to fly, which means cheaper deals than the rest of the week. You can also find reduced rates on early morning flights, since many people don't like to get up before the sun to get to the airport. Earlier boarding times can also considerably cut down your chances of getting bumped on an overbooked flight or delayed because of other delayed flights or mechanical issues. Choose your seat later. Some airlines charge you to pick your seat when you book online, adding even more to the bottom line of your ticket cost. If you show up early on your travel day, you can still get suitable seats. Some of the best seats get held back until flight day, unless others are willing to pay extra for them ahead of time, so you still have the chance at one of those. Fly on holidays. You already know that summer is the most expensive time to fly, and even though most other times are more affordable, the days surrounding holidays can be crazy. Save big if you're willing to travel on major holidays, such as Thanksgiving and Christmas. Don't wait until the last-minute to book. Many travelers don't know that there's a sweet spot for booking and getting the best price on your tickets. Book too early or too late and you could end up paying more than you need to. The best time to book is between three months and six weeks from when you want to travel. Avoiding extra fees Airlines will charge for just about anything these days. Some have even toyed around with charging customers for using the restroom. All those extra fees can certainly add up, but there's no reason to pay them if you don't have to. Here are some tips to keep money in your wallet once you get to the airport. Avoid the upgrade it's not necessary. Sometimes upgrades are free, but mostly you will be charged for seeking a last-minute bump to first class, and the cost can be _ . Fly carry-on only. Baggage fees vary wildly, but almost all airlines charge them and charge big. Why pay for your clothes to fly with you? If everyone in your travel party checks a bag, your bill can be astronomical before you ever even get to your destination. It's easy to reduce the amount of stuff you pack: Make sure all your clothing coordinates, so you can take less and still make more outfit combinations, take only two pair of shoes, plan to do a bit of laundry on your trip and bring only travel-sized toiletries. Pack your own snacks. Unless you're flying internationally, it's rare your flight comes with a free meal. Snacks on the plane are not cheap and almost never healthy. Don't rely on what's on the small menu and instead tuck some of your own snacks -- granola bars, homemade muffins, fruit and trail mix all make fantastic travel foods -- into your bag and eat a lot better, and cheaper, than other passengers. Do you have a tried and true method of getting the best deal on your flights? Let us know. Tuesday is the best to book a ticket at a lower cost for _ . Answer: fare sales are usually announced on Tuesday. People have different ways of greeting each other. They might shake hands , kiss or hug . But do you ever wonder how dogs say hello? If you are a dog lover, you already know the answer to this question. When you arrive home, your dog jumps up into your lap . It wags its tail, and sometimes gives you wet kisses. Like humans, dogs have five senses : smell, touch, sight, hearing and taste. Humans use sight as the main sense for recognizing one another. But dogs have poor eyesight. They use smell to recognize others. A dog's sense of smell is much better than a human's. It is through its sense of smell that tells the differences between different people. Dogs use smell to recognize other dogs, too. They tell the differences by the smell of pee and pooh . When two dogs meet, they smell each other's noses. Then they go side to side, and smell each other's butts . By smelling its friend's behind, a dog knows who it is with. That is also why dogs smell everything they can on the road. By smelling grass, trees and signposts , dogs know which other neighborhood dogs have been around. People have different ways of greeting each other except _ . Answer: jump Air pollution, such as haze, has become a serious problem around the world. Besides wearing a mask, what else can we do to protect ourselves from the dirty air? Scientists have developed a new inhaler that can reduce the effect air pollution has on people. It could help millions of people who are suffering from air pollution,the Guardianreports. This inhaler is developed by German company Bitop and contains a molecule named Ectoine. The molecule creates a layer that protects lungs from polluted air. It's reported that the inhaler will be affordable to most people when it comes to the market. Air pollution kills more than three million people a year worldwide and leads to health problems like lung and heart disease and strokes, according to a 2016 research project in the journalNature. It is also linked to brain disease, mental illness and diabetes . Andreas Bilstein at Bitop believed that the inhaler could be useful around the world, because air pollution is not just a European problem: "Especially in Asia - China in particular - the demand for such a product is even higher." Many Chinese cities have been suffering from haze. According to World Health Organization, two of the 10 most polluted cities in the world in 2015 were in China. About 800,000 deaths that are linked to air pollution take place in the country every year. However, such inhalers should never be an excuse for not trying to stop air pollution, said Professor Jean Krutmann at the Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine. "The best thing is that we have clean air and we don't need any prophylactic treatment," he said. Which is Professor Jean Krutmann's opinion? Answer: We should take action to control air pollution. Facing fear is one of the most important things you can do. Some people have a fear of failure and others a fear of success. It may seem strange but neither one is a good fear. You might think the fear of failure could be a good thing but it's not, particularly if the fear of failure keeps you from accomplishing anything. For myself, I have a huge fear of failure but I am good at facing that fear and overcoming it. I don't let my fear of failure cause me to delay my decision or get me off the track. I use the fear to make sure I'm doing my absolute best at all times because I know if I don't do my best I will fail. That frightens me. I'm not afraid of trying at all. I started a business when I was married to my first wife. The business became successful and I was getting ready to make some huge money. However, my wife just wanted us to stay small because she was comfortable there. She feared what success might bring and did every little thing she could to make sure we didn't grow any bigger. I'm sure you can see the problem. I had a fear of failure and she had an even bigger fear of success. Finally I couldn't stand any more of her fear and we got a divorce. Facing fear and overcoming fear is very important. People even have a fear of fear. I'm sure that it is normal. People fear change more than anything else and fight that change with fear. They fear what they don't know or understand. They fear anything new to them. But we need to keep in mind that the world is changing all the time and that change is inevitable . You can live a life free of fear by learning to face your fears. What's the writer's purpose of telling his own experience with his first wife? Answer: To explain two kinds of fears. Self-confidence is an attitude which allows individuals to have positive yet realistic views of themselves and their situations. Self-confident people trust their own abilities, have a general sense of control in their lives, and believe that,within reason, they will be able to do what they wish., plan., and expect. Having self-confidence does not mean that individuals will be able to do everything. Self-confident people have expectations that are realistic. Even when some of their expectations are not met,they continue to be positive and to accept themselves. People who are not self-confident depend too much on the approval of others in order to feel good about themselves. They tend to avoid taking risks because they fear failure. They generally do not expect to be successful. They often put themselves down and tend to ignore compliments paid to them By contrast,self-confident people are willing to risk the disapproval of others because they generally trust their own abilities. They tend to accept themselves;they don't feel they have to conform in order to be accepted. Many factors affect the development of self-confidence. Parents' attitudes are crucial to children's feelings about themselves,particularly in children's early years. When parents pro- vide acceptance, children receive a solid foundation for good feelings about themselves. If one or both parents are much to critical or demanding, or if they are overprotective and discourage children's moves toward independence, children may come to believe they are unqualified or inadequate. Surprisingly, lack of self-confidence is not necessarily related to lack of ability. Instead it is often the result of focusing too much on the unrealistic expectations or standards of others, especially parents and society. Friends' influences can be as powerful or more powerful than those of parents and society in shaping feelings of one's self. Students in their college years reexamine values and develop their own identities and thus are particularly sensitive to the influence of friends. Which of the following can we learn about self-confidence according to the passage? Answer: Parents and friends matter in building one's self-confidence.
When a dog loses a leg, the animal eventually figures out the best way to get around on three legs. In a short time, the dog learns to deal with its physical disability. Now, scientists have developed robots that behave in much the same way. We can find robots everywhere. Robots build cars, play chess and can clean your house. They may someday drive your car, too. Two robots, named Spirit and Opportunity, were sent to Mars on a mission to explore the red planet. Jeff Clune is a computer scientist with the University of Wyoming. He says robots also help people in natural disasters. Robots are deployed in search and rescue operations following an earthquake. They may someday also be used to examine the wreckage of a nuclear accident, like the one in Fukushima, Japan. Mr. Clune says robots can be sent to a lot of places said to be unsafe. "The problem is that all of those types of situations and environment are extremely unpredictable and dangerous. And it is very likely that robots and humans in those situations become damaged." He and other scientists are developing technology so that robots will continue operating after the first sign of injury. They want the machines to have the ability to make changes and continue performing until they can be repaired. Mr. Clune and researchers in France have added one more operation to the skill set of robots working under difficult conditions. They say they programmed a hexapod robot, one with six legs, and a robotic arm to learn how to deal with injury. Their findings were reported in the journal "Nature". Mr. Clune said that once the robots become damaged, they use their intuition and knowledge of how their body works to find a way to deal with the damage. He says the robots are also programmed with child-like curiosity. In other words, they are always asking questions and looking for answers. The whole process takes about a minute for the robots to find a way to overcome damage. Why are Mr.Clune and other scientists devoted to developing the technology? A. They want to succeed in programming robots with child-like curiosity. B. They expect to enable robots to continue working despite injury under difficult conditions. C. They intend to make robots which can be sent to a lot of places said to be unsafe. D. They are determined to design a more powerful robot for Mars exploration. Answer: B. They expect to enable robots to continue working despite injury under difficult conditions. JIUQUAN, Gansu Province, Sept. 6(Xinhua) ---- China's manned spacecraft Shenzhou-7 will be launched at an appropriate time between Sept. 25 and 30 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern Gansu Province, a spokesman said here on Saturday. The mission will accomplish the first spacewalk by Chinese astronauts. "All the major systems involved in the launching are now in the final preparation. The main tests for the spacecraft, the Long-March II-F rocket, suits for the space walk and a satellite accompanying the fly have also been finished, " said the spokesman. In addition, the ground control system is fully prepared, including the launch site, the landing site, and the communication for observation and control. When Shenzhou-7 enters its orbit, one of the three taikonauts will conduct a space walk, said Zhao Changxi, a senior scientist with the project, earlier. According to Zhao, cameras would be fixed outside and inside of the ship for live broadcasting of the space walk. While the last mission of Shenzhou-6, with a crew of two, was aimed at several days of manned flight, this time the task might be more stringent as one of its main goals is the space walk. Earlier reports said a crew of six astronauts had been chosen for the mission, with three manning the spacecraft and three substitutes. China successfully put two manned spacecrafts into orbit in 2003 and 2005 respectively, becoming the third country to send an astronaut into space after the United States and the former Soviet Union(now Russia). We can learn from the passage _ . A. This will be the third time for Chinese astronauts to have a space walk. B. Three of the six astronauts chosen for the mission will walk in space C. The space walk will be live broadcast on TV D. Everything has been prepared except communication system Answer: C. The space walk will be live broadcast on TV Robert Spring, a 19th century forger , was as good at his profession that he was able to make his living for 15 years by selling false signatures of famous Americans. Spring was born in England in 1813 and arrived in Philadelphia in 1858 to open a bookstore. At first he make some money by selling his small but genuine of early U.S. autographs . Discovering his ability at copying handwriting, he began imitating signatures of George Washington and Ban Franklin and writing them on the title pages of old books. To make less the chance of detection , he sent his forgeries to England and Canada for sale and circulation . Forgers have a hard time selling their products. A forger can't approach a respectable buyer but must deal with people who don't have much knowledge in the field. Forgers have many ways to make their work look real. For example, they buy old books to use the aged paper of the title page, and they can treat paper and ink with chemicals. In Spring's time, right after the Civil War, Britain was still fond of the Southern states, so Spring invented a respectable maiden lady known as Miss Fanny Jackson, the only daughter of General "Stonewall" Jackson. For several years Miss Fanny's economic problems forced her to sell a great number of letters and manuscripts belonging to her famous father. Spring had to work very hard to satisfy the demand. All this activity did not prevent Spring from dying in poverty, leaving sharp-eye experts the difficult task of separating this forgeries from the originals. Who was Miss Fanny Jackson? A. The only daughter of General "Stonewall" Jackson. B. A little-known girl who sold her father's papers to Robert Spring. C. Robert Spring's daughter. D. An imaginary person created by Spring. Answer: D. An imaginary person created by Spring. What is the main source of energy that drives all weather patterns? A. the Sun B. oceans C. the Moon D. mountains Answer: A. the Sun On New Year's Eve At midnight on New Year's Eve, people in Rome, Italy, throw out all the things they no longer want. The streets are filled with old chairs, beds, clothes and dishes. In Madrid, Spain, the new year comes in more quietly. People flock to the main square. Each holds a bag of grapes. As the clock strikes twelve, the people eat the grapes-- one for each stroke. In Tokyo people eat noodles on New Year's Eve. This food is said to bring long life. Early the next morning, some Japanese families climb Mount Fuji. There they watch the first sunrise of the new year. People in both Spain and Japan bring in the new year by _ . A. throwing things away B. eating a special food C. climbing a mountain D. watching the first sunrise Answer: A. throwing things away
My mother loves flowers. As soon as warm weather comes around, you will find her planting, watering and weeding over everything .For many years we lived next door to each other, and she spent as much time in my garden as she did her own. After the flowers became plentiful each summer, she would cut colorful bouquets to enjoy inside the house--both hers and mine . I would often come home from work and find a beautiful arrangement of fresh flowers on my coffee table. Shortly before Christmas one year, a local flower shop offered a bouquet-a-month special. It seemed to be a great way to thank her for all of the flowers she had given me through the years. After the holidays, in early January, I drove her to the flower shop to pick up her first month's bouquet. the small fresh colorful bouquet would hardly fill a small vase . I was so embarrassed .However, after we returned home, she began to arrange the flowers she had received."Mom, I'm sorry, "I told her."I can't believe how _ that bouquet is."She looked at me and smiled."It's okay,"she said"It allows me to better enjoy the beauty of each one." Mom's words helped me to realize something bigger and more important--when we have too many good things, we often fail to enjoy the beauty of each one. Thanks, Mom ,for helping me understand that less is sometimes more. What did the author learn from her mother? A. How to grow flowers. B. How to arrange flowers C. Enjoying life if possible D. Considering things in other ways. Answer: D Many grown-ups worry that spending too much time playing video games isn't good for a kid's health. But some doctors have noticed that kids who bring their game players to the hospital seem less worried about being there. They also seem to feel less pain when they are giving all their attention on a car race or other games. At a children's center in Baltimore, Maryland, young kids are finding hospital visits easier to deal with, thanks to a test program called HOPE. Patients in HOPE have a life-threatening condition where their kidneys no longer get rid of wastes from their blood. To get their blood cleaned, these kids must use the dialysis machines at the hospital three times a week, for at least three hours each time. HOPE allows kids to play Internet sports, racing, and other games with each other. They will be able to connect with kids in other hospitals who have the same problem. "We want to use the Internet to bring together kids who are ill, and let them know they are not alone," said Arun Mathews, the doctor of the program. He loved video games himself and got the idea to connect kids all over the country. Many researchers elsewhere are testing video programs that might help young patients. For example, nine-year-old Ben Duskin of San Francisco, California, who was struggling with cancer helped to design a video game where players got rid of cancer cells. That's all great news, because doctors already know that reducing pain and worry helps patients heal faster. HOPE allows the sick kids to play Internet games in order to _ . A. encourage them to fight against the illness B. get rid of their pain and worry C. let the kids make more friends D. bring the kids in the country together Answer: A This is an open letter to the three people who stole my handbag from the department store where I am employed as a shop assistant. When you took my bag, I don't know what you thought you were going to get. With my wages, there's not much left on a Tuesday. I hope the PS5 was useful to you. If you really need a couple of pounds, I suppose you could always cash one of the two checks left in my check book. Of course, I phoned the bank right away and the check-cashing card is no longer valid, so it won't be of much use to you. Actually I don't care about the money too much. We single parents who work to support our families understand only too well what it means to be short of cash. However, I don't suppose it went very far among the three of you. Sorry about that! I wish you had left the bag behind and just taken the wallet and check book. There were all kinds of papers and notes that I really need. I really think that was very inconsiderate of you. I mean, how would you like something like that to happen to you? Well, perhaps the bag will turn up. It wasn't even an expensive one, just a plain, old brown leather shoulder bag. You probably threw it in the nearest rubbish bin or threw it into the bushes. We've looked around, of course, but no one saw which way you went after you left the shop. I'm not really angry with you. I know how the pressures of modern life can affect us, but I am sad at the loss of my personal things. I feel helpless. The police were very icy, and they just shrugged their shoulders. "It happens all the time," they told me. Some small comfort, I suppose. But I've lost just a little more faith in human nature. And as my young son said when I told him what had happened, "Why? Mummy, why us?" I couldn't answer that question. I wonder if you can. What can we conclude about the police? A. They are unable to find the thieves. B. They show sympathy to the woman. C. They have doubts about human nature. D. They think the case quite common. Answer: D Surfing the Internet for fun will make you a better employee, according to an Australian study. The University of Melbourne study shows that people who use the Internet for their own reasons at work are about 9 percent more productive than those who do not. Study author Brent Coker said, "Surfing the Internet at times helps increase workers' attention." "People need to relax for a bit to get back their attention," Coker said on the university's website. "Having a short break, such as a quick surfing of the Internet, helps the mind to rest itself, leading to a higher total Internet attention for a day's work, and as a result, increases productivity ," he said. According to the study of 300 workers, 70 percent of people who use the Internet at work surf the Internet for their own reasons during office hours. Among the most popular surfing activities are searching for information about products, reading online news, playing online games and watching videos. "Firms spend a lot of money on software to _ their workers from watching videos, using social networking sites or shopping online," said Coker. "That's not always a good idea." However, Coker said the study looked at people who surfed the Internet in moderation , or were on the Internet for less than 20 percent of their total time in the office. "Those who spend too much time surfing the Internet will have a lower productivity than those without." he said. What does the University of Melbourne study mainly show? A. People who surf the Internet are good workers. B. Not everyone surfs the Internet for fun during office hours. C. Surfing the Internet for fun during office hours increases productivity. D. The Internet is becoming more and more important in people's life. Answer: C Sydney--A shark _ a schoolboy's leg while he was surfing with his father at a beach in Sydney on February 23. It was the third shark attack along the coast of Australia's largest city in a month. The 15yearold boy and his father were in the water off Avalon, on Sydney's northern beaches, around dawn when he was attacked. The city's beaches are packed with locals and tourists during the summer months. "The father heard a scream and turned to see his son thrashing about in the water," police said. "Fortunately, the shark swam away and the boy was helped to the shore by his father." Lifesaving Club spokesman Nick Miller said, "It got him around the top of his left leg and the father came and dragged him out of water." He said the boy was bleeding heavily when he was brought to the shore. "There was a lot of pain, as you can imagine." The teenager was airlifted to hospital for treatment for leg injuries. Police said the bites "cut through to the bone", but the boy did not appear to have sustained any fractures . He was in a stable condition now. Several beaches were closed after the attack. Water police and lifeguards were searching for the shark, while police hoped to identify its species by the shape of the bite marks. But they said it was too early to say what type of shark attacked the boy. "I don't even know if he saw it," Miller said. Many shark species live in the waters off Sydney's beaches, but attacks on humans are still relatively rare. However, there were two attacks on successive days earlier this month, one on a navy diver in Sydney harbor,not far from the famous Opera House, and the other on a surfer at the city's worldfamous Bondi beach. Fishermen say shark numbers are on the rise. There is a ban on commercial fishing in the harbor, which has increased fish stocks. Marine experts also claim environmental protection has created a cleaner environment, attracting sharks closer to the shore as they chase fish. Many shark species, including the Great White--the maneaters made famous in Steven Spielberg's Jaws--are protected in Australian waters. The report mainly tells us _ . A. shark attacks on humans are on the rise B. sharks attacked humans three times in one month C. a boy was attacked by a shark at a Sydney beach D. shark numbers are increasing in the waters off Sydney's beaches Answer: C
$2,000/1-bedroom Furnished Apartment with Parking An employed, non-smoking professional male looks for 1-bedroom well-furnished apartment with parking in the Newport area for one month and possibly longer, starting as soon as possible, but it must be available by January 2nd. No pets, no drugs and no parties. The Internet access should be included. I am willing to pay security deposit. Reply to: hous-tf7ew-2108157286@ craigslist.org Room/Apartment Share for Use as Art Studio I am looking for a space to rent as a painting studio. It can be a stand-alone apartment or a room in a house or an apartment. I do not need to use a kitchen, but need access to the bathroom. Just need lots of light. I am a responsible, neat adult female. The following towns are convenient: Edgewater, Fort Lee, Englewood, West New York, Cliffside Park, Ridgefield, Palisades Park and Fairview. Reply to: hous-pax4c-2107692675@craigslist.org $1,900/3-bedroom Apartment I have a nice 1,500-square foot apartment for rent. With 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a big parking area and a nice backyard. It is close to East Orange General Hospital and VA Hospital. Major supermarkets and stores are just a short walk away. Hot water is included! Small dogs and cats are OK. Please just call Tony at 973-886-9094. Thanks. $1,200/2-bedroom Lovely Newly-Renovated Apartment A lovely newly-renovated apartment. Clean and tidy! Living room, dining room, and eat-in kitchen. New appliances: air conditioners and ceiling fans. It is one of Irvington's best neighborhoods, situated near Union, Hillside and Maple-wood border. It is convenient to major highways. HURRY! Call Louvenia at 908-313-3007 Which requirement is mentioned in Advertisement 2? Answer: A woman repeated a bit of gossip about a neighbour. Within a few days the whole neighbourhood knew the story. The neighbour was deeply hurt. Later the woman responsible for spreading the gossip learned that it was completely untrue. She was very sorry and went to a wise old man to find out what she could do to repair the harm. "Go to the marketplace," he said. "and buy a chicken, and have it killed, then on your way home, pluck its feathers and drop them one by one along the road. " Although surprised by this advice, the woman did what she was told. The next day the wise man said, " Now, go and collect all those feathers you dropped yesterday and bring them back to me. " The woman followed the same road, but she was so discouraged when she found the wind had blown all the feathers away. After searching for hours, she returned with only three in her hand. " You see, " said the old man, "it's easy to drop them, but it's impossible to get them back . So it is with gossip. It doesn't take much to spread a gossip, but once you do, you can never completely undo the wrong." Which of the following statements is TURE? Answer: There was once a boy in a village. Whenever he asked people to do things, no one would listen to him. He was sad. So he asked a wizard to solve the problem by using magic. The old wizard tried a lot of spells , but it didn't work. A young man heard about the problem. He went to the boy and said that he knew the solution. He gave the boy two small pieces of paper. "These are two spells, my boy. Use the first before you ask others to do something, and use the second when they have done it. A smile is also necessary, "the young man said. The boy was happy and tried to use the spells. When he asked people to do something, he said "Please" before his words and "Thank you"after they had done it. People were very surprised that the boy could be polite. Soon, they became happy to do what the boy asked them to do. The wizard was surprised, and asked the young man about the spells. "It's not magic. When I was a child, my teacher told me that with good _ you could get anything you want. And he was right. The boy only needed good manners to get what he wanted." Who taught the young man to be polite? Answer: In 1859,during the Gold Rush,a twenty- year-old immigrant from Bavaria named Levi Strauss stepped off the boat in San Francisco. He had with him a special cloth called Serge de Nimes that was later called denim in America. Levi Strauss hoped to sell the denim as material to make tents and covers for wagons to the men who were going to the goldfields to look for gold. "You should have brought trousers to sell. In the goldfields we need strong trousers that don't wear out,"one young miner advised Strauss. So Levi Strauss took some of his denim to the nearest tailor and had him make the miner a pair of trousers. The miner was so pleased that he told other miners about the wonderful newcomer,Levi,and soon Levi Strauss had to open a shop,producing enough trousers for the miners. The miners wanted trousers that were comfortable to ride in and were low cut so that they could bend over easily to pick up the gold from under their feet. Besides they wanted the trousers to have big useful pockets. One miner complained that the gold in his pockets kept tearing them. So Levi put metal corners in the pockets to make them stronger. Very soon,miners and cowboys from all over came to get fitted up with Levi's trousers. Today more than a hundred years later, Levi's trousers walk the world a Levi's blue jeans . What kind of material do you think is denim? Answer: Some people are lucky enough to be born with a good sense of direction and even if they have only visited a place once, they will be able to find it again years later. I am one of those unfortunate people who have poor sense of direction and I may have visited a place time after time but I still get lost on my way there. When I was young I was so shy that I never dared ask complete strangers the way and so I used to wander round in circles and hope that by some chance I would get to the spot I was heading for. I am no longer too shy to ask people for direction, but I often receive replies that puzzle me. Often people do not like to admit that they didn't know their hometown and will insist on telling you the way, even if they do not know it; others, who are anxious to prove that they know their hometown very well, will give you a long list of directions which you can not possibly hope to remember, and still others do not seem to be able to tell between their left and their right and you find in the end that you are going in the opposite direction to that in which you should be going. If anyone ever asks me the way to somewhere, I always tell them I am a stranger to the town in order to avoid giving them wrong direction but even this can have embarrassing results. Once I was on my way to work when I was stopped by a man who asked me if I would direct him the way to the Sunlight Building. I gave my usual reply, but I had not walked on a few steps when I realized that he had asked for directions to my office building. However, at this point, I decide it was too late to turn back and search for him out of the crowd behind me as I was going to meet with someone at the office and I did not want to keep him waiting. Imagine my embarrassment when my secretary showed in the very man who had asked for directions of my office and his astonishment when he recognized me as the person he had asked. What is the writer going to do when someone asks him for direction? Answer:
Question: The rise in smartphones among young people may be having a direct effect on how successful they become as adults. Research from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has discovered the average university student checks their phones 11 times per lesson, and more than 80 percent believe this tech addiction is interfering with their learning. A quarter of students across five U.S states also blamed poor grades in exams specifically on the fact they used mobile devices when they should have been concentrating and revising - and these grades could determine the jobs they end up going into. Barney McCoy, an associate professor of broadcasting at the university, surveyed 777 students at six universities across five states about how they used digital devices in the classroom. The students were from UNL and the University of Nebraska at Omaha in Nebraska, Morningside College in Iowa, the University of North Carolina, the University of Kansas and the University of Mississippi. Around two thirds said they used phones, tablets and laptops for "non-classroom purposes" up to ten times during a typical university day, while 15 percent admitted this figure was closer to 30 times. Among the top reasons why students checked their devices so regularly were staying connected and fighting boredom, at 55 percent. Less than half said the devices were used for classwork. Texting was the most popular distraction technique at 86 percent, while 68 percent said they used their phones to check personal emails. Two thirds used social networks, 38 percent surfed the web and eight percent admitted to playing games when they should have been studying. Despite eight out of ten students admitting their devices were distracting, fewer than five percent considered it to be a "very big" distraction. "I don't think students necessarily think it's a big problem," said McCoy said. "They think it's part of their lives." "It's become automatic behavior on the part of so many people - they do it without even thinking about it." He continued, "They've got their laptops open, but they're not always taking notes. Some might have two screens open -- Facebook and their notes." How many students surveyed used digital devices for "non-classroom purposes" about 30 times during a day? A. About 518 B. About 116 C. About 427 D. Less than 388 Answer: B Question: There is a nice girl in our class. She is twelve. She is not tall and is not short. She is a little fat . She has a round face like an apple. She has big black eyes and a small nose. Her mouth is small, but her ears are big. Her hair is short and black. She likes red. She is often in a red skirt. But today she is in a yellow T-shirt, blue pants and brown shoes. She has a toy dog. It's her friend. ,. The girl is _ years old. A. 12 B. 13 C. 14 D. 15 Answer: A Question: A smile will tell people around you that you are a kind and friendly person. However,many people don't smile because they think they ugly teeth. For example, one of my classmates, Mile, doesn't have very nice teeth,so thatis why he seldom opens his mouth.he even says that he has lost cofidence because of his teeth.So it is very important for us to look after our teeth. In fact, a lot of people have this problem.Some people inherit teeth problems from their parents,while others'teeth are damaged because of bad habits,like heavy smoking,eating too much sugar or not brush-ing teeth often.If your teeth are in bad shape, you should see a dentist and ask for help. They can help improve your teeth and tell you how to take care of then. Smiling can help you to feel more confident and make other people think of you as a more friendly person. If you want to keep healthy,you should not only smile but also laugh. An Indian doctor called Kataria said that young children should laugh about 300 times a day, wile adults should laugh between 7 and 15 times a day. So please take this chance to smile and laugh now! ,. How many times should a child laugh every day in doctor Kataria's opinion? A. Either 300 or 30 times a day. B. Between 7 and 15 times a day. C. Around 300 times a day. D. Only 30 times a day. Answer: C Question: For high school leavers starting out in the working world,it is very important to learn particular skills and practice how to behave in an interview or how to find all internship .In some countries,schools have programs to help students onto the path to work.In the Unites States,however,such programs are still few and far between. Research shows that if high schools provide career-related courses,students are likely to get higher earnings in later years.The students are more likely to stay in school,graduate and go on to higher education. In Germany,students as young as 13 and 14 are expected to do internships.German companies work with schools to make sure that young people get the education they need for future employment. But in America, education reform programs focus on how well students do in exams instead of bringing them into contact with the working world.Harvard Education school professor Robert Schwartz has criticized education reformers for trying to place all graduates directly on the four-year college track.Schwartz argued that this approach leaves the country's most vulnerable kids with no jobs and no skills. Schwartz believed that the best career programs encourage kids to go for higher education while also teaching them valuable practical skills at high sch001.James Madison High School in New York,for example,encourages students to choose classes on career--based courses.The school then helps them gain on--the-job experience in those fields while they're still at high school. However,even for teens whose schools encourage them to connect with work,the job market is daunting.In the US,unemployment rates for 16-to 19-year-olds are above 20 percent for the third summer in a row. "The risk is that if teenagers miss out on the Summer job experience,they become part of this generation of teens who had trouble in landing a job,"said Michael,a researcher in the US. In the author's opinion.American high school leavers _ . A. have enough career-related courses B. need more career advice from their schools C. perform better in exams than German students D. can get higher earnings in later years Answer: B Question: It is not often realized that women held a high place in southern European societies in the 10 th and 11 th centuries. As wife, the woman was protected by the setting up of a dowry or decimum. Admittedly, the purpose of this was to protect her against the risk of desertion ,but in reality its function in the social and family life of the time was much more important. The decimum was the wife's right to receive a tenth of all her husband's property. The wife had the right to withhold consent, in all transactions the husband would make, And more than just a right: the documents showed that she enjoyed a real power of decision, equal to that of her husband. In no case did the documents indicate any degree of difference in the legal status of husband and wife. The wife shared in the management of her husband's personal property, but the opposite was not always true. Women seemed perfectly prepared to defend their own inheritance(,)against husbands who tried to exceed their rights, and on occasion they showed a fine fighting spirit. A case in point is that of Maria, Vivas, a Catalan woman of Barcelona. Having agreed with her husband Miro to sell a field she had inherited, for the needs of the household, she insisted on compensation. None being offered, she succeeded in dragging her husband to the scribe to have a contract duly drawn up assigning her a piece of land from Miro's personal inheritance. The unfortunate husband was obliged to agree, as the contract says, "for the sake of peace." Either through the dowry or through being hot-tempered, the Catalan wife knew how to win herself, within the context of the family, a powerful economic position. What compensation did Maria Vivas get for the field? A. Some of the land Miro had inherited. B. A tenth of Miro's land. C. Money for household expenses. D. Money from Miro's inheritance. Answer: A
One day an American called Simon went to London to visit his friend, Rick. Rick told him that his flat was on the first floor. When he arrived, Simon went straight to the first floor of the building. But he was told that there was no Rick on that floor. Do you know why? In fact, the British call the first floor of a building the ground floor. The floor above the ground floor is the first floor, while Americans would call it the second floor. The story shows that there are a few culture differences between Britain and America, though the British and Americans both speak English. The British usually hide their feelings. They seldom start a conversation with strangers. For example, on the train the British often spend their time reading newspapers or books. But Americans are quite different. They're more active and easier to talk with. The British and Americans may use different _ for many things. The British usually use "football", "eraser" and "mail" while Americans prefer to use "soccer", "rubber" and "post". According to the passage, the British usually spend their time _ on the train. Answer: doing some reading Sharon,Aged 22 The most important thing to keep in mind when going into high school is to be yourself.Besides, I don't know what your middle school was like, but high school teachers will not care about things such as how much homework you already have in one night.It's best to just learn to deal with things and manage your time wisely so you can achieve everything you need to. Frank, Aged 21 I think almost every kid feels both nervous and excited before their first day.You will probably love it.I know I did.You should join some sports or activities that will make your high school experience more enjoyable.Good luck! Eddie,Aged 20 When I started high school I was really nervous too,especially since I had been homeschooled all through middle school and didn't really know anyone.I suppose the best advice would be to just relax.The first couple of days can be a little bit hard,but things will become easier before you know it. David,Aged 19 I'm not going to lie.The first day is kind of frightening .But you'll get used to it.Don't be afraid of anyone;upperclassmen will pick on you more if you let them know you're afraid.Just take it easy.Making some friends and staying with them will greatly help you get used to high school quickly.After the first week it's really not bad at all.Don't worry. What can we infer from Sharon about high school? Answer: Students should make good use of their time. Will the sky ever fall? The answer is no. But if it happens there's no need to be afraid! The American film Chicken Little opened about two years ago. Its story tells us:don't worry too much in your life. One day Chicken Little is in the woods when an acorn falls on his head!This makes him afraid. He thinks a piece of sky is falling!He can't wait to tell everyone about it. They run for their lives!When everyone learns the truth ,no one likes Chicken Little. They laugh at him. He gets a bad name in the town,Oakey Oaks. It's time for him to change others' minds. Chicken Little begins to play baseball. He is not bigger than a ball,but he plays very well!He helps his team win. Now they think he's great. Just then,a spaceship really does fall from the sky!The aliens abroad have bad plans. Once again he must tell people about _ !Will he get help from his friends in the town?Can he show himself a different person?You have to watch the film to find it out! What's the best title for the passage? Answer: Is the Sky Really Falling? The end of my sophomore year was approaching.Mom called me at the dorm one evening during the last week of May.My summer break would be spent with grandma and grandpa, helping out around their farm.The arrangement made good sense to all the family.I wasn't fully convinced of that myself but guessed it was just one summer.Next year would be my little brother's turn. I arrived late that afternoon.Grandma had fixed more food than the three of us could possibly eat.She loved me entirely too much.The next morning, Grandpa fixed breakfast for the two of us. He told me Grandma had tired herself out yesterday and was going to rest in bed a little longer.I made a mental note to myself to not ask her to do things for me while I was there.I was there to help, not be a burden. Weeks passed.I gradually settled into a routine of daily work with Grandpa.In the evenings I usually read or talked with Grandma.She never grew tired of hearing about college or anything I was involved in.She told me stories about her childhood, family and the early years after she and Grandpa had married. The last Saturday in June, Grandpa suggested going fishing.We hadn't expected what we saw when we got to the pond that morning: One of the swans was dead.Grandpa had given the pair of swans to Grandma on their 50th anniversary."Why don't we see about buying another one," I suggested, hoping the situation could somehow be righted.Grandpa thought for a few moments before answering. He finally said, "no...it's not that easy, Bruce.You see, swans mate for life." He raised his finger to point, holding the fishing pole in his other hand."There's nothing we can do for the one that's left.He has to work it out for himself." A few days later, we drove by the pond while doing our morning check on the cows.We found the other swan lying near the same spot we had found the first one.It, too, was dead. The month of July started with me and Grandpa putting up a new stretch of fence.Then July 12 came.That was the day Grandma passed away.Grandma had died suddenly that morning of a stroke.By the afternoon, my parents were there.The old house was soon crowded with s and Grandpa's friends. The funeral was held the next day.Grandpa had insisted on having it as soon as possible.On the second day after the funeral, Grandpa announced at the breakfast table, "This is a working farm. We have a lot of things to do.The rest of you should get back to your own lives." Most of the family had already left, but this was Grandpa's way of telling the rest it was time for them to go home.My parents were the last to leave after lunch. Grandpa was not a man who could outwardly express his grief around others, and we all worried about him.The rest of the summer flowed by.We stayed busy working.I thought there was something different about Grandpa but couldn't quite put my finger on it. September was nearing, and part of me did not want to leave.I thought of skipping the fall semester and staying around a few more months.When I mentioned it, grandpa quickly told me that my place was back at college. The day finally came for me to pack my car and leave. I shock his hand and chanced a hug. As I drove down the driveway, I saw him in the rear view mirror.He waved to me and then walked to the pasture gate to start the morning livestock check. Mom called me at school on a stormy October day to tell me Grandpa had died.A neighbor had stopped by that morning for coffee and found him in the kitchen.He died of a stroke, the same as Grandma.At that moment, I understood what he'd clumsily tried to explain to me about the swan on that morning we fished together by the pond. Which of the following best describes Grandpa's character? Answer: Loyal, considerate and independent. A strong wind can be a dangerous thing-sometimes it is powerful enough to knock you off your feet.But to plants,the wind is a source of new life,carrying them or their spores thousands of miles. A NASA satellite called QuikSCAT has discovered highways of wind over the Earth's oceans.Scientists believe these invisible roads may explain why many nonflowering plants,such as mosses and lichens ,grow where they do. The satellite is able to send microwaves from space to the surface of the ocean.The pattern of signals that come back shows which way the winds are blowing. Using this _ , the scientists studied a group of islands in the southern hemisphere ,near Antarctica.Winds tend to blow anticlockwise in this region,but there are lots of local differences. When the researchers compared these local patterns to botanical data,they found that the wind had an important effect on where species of mosses,lichens,and other nonflowering plants grow. For example,Bouvet Island and Heard Island,share 30 percent of their moss species,29 percent of liverworts ,and 32 percent of lichens-even though they are 4,430 kilometers apart.In contrast,Gough Island and Bouvet Island,separated by just 1,860 kilometers of sea,share only 16 percent of mosses and 17 percent of liverworts.They have no lichens in common. Ferns and flowering plants don't travel as well in the wind,so they don't show the same kinds of distribution patterns. This story is about_. Answer: one of the wind
It was a village in India.The people were poor.However,they were not unhappy.After all,their forefathers had lived in the same way for centuries. Then one day,some visitors from the city arrived.They told the villagers there were some people elsewhere who liked to eat frog's legs.However,they did not have enough frogs of their own,and so they wanted to buy frogs from other places. This seemed like money for nothing.There were millions of frogs in the fields around,and they were no use to the villagers.All they had to do was catch them.Agreement was reached,and the children were sent into the fields to catch frogs.Every week a truck arrived to collect the catch and hand over the money.For the first time,the people were able to dream of a better future.But the dream didn't last long. The change was hardly noticed at first,but it seemed as if the crops were not doing so well.More worrying was that the children fell ill more often,and,there seemed to be more insects around lately. The villagers decided that they couldn't just wait to see the crops failing and the children getting weak.They would have to use the money earned to buy pesticides and medicines.Soon there was no money left. Then the people realized what was happening.It was the frog.They hadn't been useless.They had been doing an important job--eating insects.Now with so many frogs killed,the insects were increasing more rapidly.They were damaging the crops and spreading diseases. Now,the people are still poor.But in the evenings they sit in the village square and listen to sounds of insects and frogs.These sounds of the night now have a much deeper meaning. (2010*,A) What can we infer from the last sentence of the text? A Happiness comes from peaceful life in the country. B Health is more important than money. C The harmony between man and nature is important. D Good old days will never be forgotten. Answer: C. The harmony between man and nature is important. OK, I admit it: emoticons are popular. Some people even think they are fun. Many seem unable to get through an e-mail or Instant Message chat sentence without using one. Some feel that they add feeling and character to otherwise cold digital communications. Some, however, such as editor and Hollywood scriptwriter John Blumenthal, blast the use of emoticons as "infantile just like the people who use them" He believes that words themselves should be enough. "If you're being funny, happy or sad, that should be apparent from the comment that goes before the emoticon," he argues. In the eyes of Blumenthal, the use of emoticons is a gender issue. "Men don't use emoticons very much. Maybe not at all," he said. "Teenage girls and women seem to use them a lot. Maybe there' s an emoticon gene." It's an interesting opinion, but it is not shared by all. In an interview with The New York Times, Dacher Keltner, professor of psychology at the University of California, said that emoticons are popular because our brains are programmed "to seek out representations of humanity". He believes that they appeal not because they are shortcuts for the lazy, but because they tap into something beyond language. They reach to our need to be with and communicate with people. All of these arguments may be somehow valid . Each one of us will choose to communicate in our own way. I do not have much time for emoticons. I tried to use one once and felt like I was stealing into a primary school class that I had no place being in. I'd rather let my words do the talking. Friends, however, send me messages and e-mails full of emoticons. I have no problem with this. I don't regard any of my friends as lazy or immature . It's just a question of individuality. :) What is the main point of the article? A Advice on language used over the Internet. B The history of emoticons. C Arguments over the use of emoticons. D Reasons for the popularity of emoticons. Answer: C. Arguments over the use of emoticons. Around the World in Eighty Daysis a classic Adventure novel by Jules Verne. The story starts in London in 1872. One day in the Reform Club, Phileas Fogg, a wealthy gentleman, accepts a wager for PS20,000, which he will receive if he travels around the world in 80 days. Phileas Fogg sets off immediately, with his servant Passepartout. They reach Suez quickly. While landing in Egypt, he is watched by a British detective named Fix, who is in search of a bank robber. Because Fix mistakes Fogg for the criminal, he follows secretly, as they are getting on a ship to Bombay. After more than 20-days of travelling, they arrive in San Francisco, and then get on the train to New York. During that trip, the train is attacked by Indians, who take Passepartout away. With some soldiers' help, Fogg succeeds in freeing his companion. To make up for the lost time, Fogg and his companion hasten on to New York, and catch the steamer for the crossing of the Atlantics. They arrive in Ireland in time to reach London before the deadline. However, once on British soil again, Fix arrests Fogg. Although the misunderstanding is quickly cleared up--the actual bank robber had been caught several days earlier. Fogg has missed the train and returns to London five minutes late, sure that he has lost the wager. However, the next day Fogg learns from the priest that he is mistaken in the date, which he thinks Sunday but which actually is Saturday, due to the fact that they gained a full day on their journey around the globe, by crossing the International Date Line. Fogg immediately sets off for the Reform Club, where he arrives just in time to win the wager. The reason that Fix wants to arrest Phileas Fogg is that _ . A Phileas Fogg is the bank robber whom Fix is trying to catch B Phileas Fogg doesn't have a passport for his travels C Fix mistakenly takes Phileas Fogg for the bank robber D Fix intends to prevent Fogg from winning the wager Answer: C. Fix mistakenly takes Phileas Fogg for the bank robber A dog can't speak words, but it can "talk". It has feelings just as you do. At times it may feel angry or afraid. Watch a dog closely. You can see what it is trying to tell you. When you are afraid, you may look down shyly. A fearful dog looks away from you. It may run away too. When you are angry with people, you stare at them and press your lips together. An angry dog also stares. Sometimes the hair along its back stands up. Do you feel _ when you have done something you shouldn't? Dogs can feel guilty, too. At times when I come home, my dog gives me a guilty look. Then I know he's done something wrong. Dogs need love and attention. Some dogs are very unhappy when they are left alone for a long time. Some dogs even snap if they don't get enough attention. You may have a dog or you may know a dog. Treat it well if you want to have fun with it. Play with it. Take it for a walk. Don't order it round too much. Try not to punish it one time and not the next for doing the same thing. Always remember, a dog has needs and feelings just as you do. Talk to a dog, it'll talk to you, too. If a dog snaps at things, it is because it may _ . A feel lonely B feel shy C be fearful D be disappointed Answer: A. feel lonely What's onOscar Film Themes Symphony Concert Film highlights accompanied by live performances of movie theme music by the China Opera and Dance Drama Theatre Symphony Orchestra, which has recorded the music for many films. Familiar tunes will come from such flicks as Titanic, Jurassic Park and Waterloo Bridge. Where: Nationality Cultural Palace Theatre When: March 8, 7:30 pm Admission:80-380 yuan Tel:6528 7674 ext 508 Fantastic View All the Way The mountains in this area are not very high, but the vistas are excellent. This walk is gentle and very interesting, going through valleys, over passes, along a ridge and through a few little tranquil villages that are located in amazing places. Many sites along the walk offer panoramic view of the surrounding mountains. Where: Pinggu, northeast of Beijing When: March 9, meet 8:30 a.m. outside Starbucks at Lido Hotel, or 9 am at Capital Paradise front gate, return 5 p.m. Admission: adults 150 yuan, children 100 yuan Tel: 13701003694 Email: fjhikers @ yahoo. com..uk Spring Greetings Paintings in bold colors in a traditional Chinese style by young artist Tian Xifeng are displayed to welcome the spring. Tian is a student of famous bird-and-flower painting artist Wang Qing. He has won several prizes at various national painting exhibitions and developed a style emphasizing vivid close-ups of natural scenes. Where: Melodic Gallery, 14 Jianwai Dajie, opposite Friendship Store When:till March 31, 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. Admission: free Tel: 65188123 Cala, My Dog Directed by Lu Xuechang, starring Ge You. The story is about a middle- aged working man, known as Lao Er, whose chief source of stability and comfort in life is his dog, Cala . One day, when his wife is out walking Cala, a policeman confiscates the unregistered canine. As Lao Er endeavors to recover his dog , the difficult circumstances of his life are revealed. Chinese with English subtitle . Where: Dongchuang Theatre, 3 Xinzhongjie, Dongzhimenwai When: March 13 and 20, 8: 30 p.m. Admission: 20 yuan Tel: 64169253 Which of the following statements is NOT true? A Both adults and children can take part in the walk in Pinggu. B Even you don't know English you can enjoy Cala, My Dog. C You'll have to dial 65188123 to book a ticket for the film. D You'll have a choice of two meeting places on March 9th. Answer: C. You'll have to dial 65188123 to book a ticket for the film.
Question: Which likely needs the least food? A. a cat B. a snake C. a shark D. a dog Answer: B. a snake Question: The future is coming! All over the world there are many new ideas for new places to live and work in. Some of them will be in the sea! They will be very big and lots of people will live and work in them. The Americans are planning to build a town called Atlantis City. It will be in the sea, about five miles away from the land. But the most exciting idea comes from Japan. It is Aeropolis. Aeropolis will be a _ sea city, with parks, schools, a hospital and an airport ... And it will move ! It will travel slowly around the world. There are just two problems. Aeropolis will cost a lot of money to make. And for people who get seasick, it won't be much fun. Which country will plan to build a town in the sea? A. America. B. England. C. China. D. Japan. Answer: A. America. Question: Regrowth Poetry Competition is open to all published and unpublished, UK and non-UK based male and female writers over 16 years of age. This competition is open to poetry submissions. Poems must be based around the theme of "regrowth, birth, survival, and new life" and in any genre. The poem should be between 5 and 30 lines in length (including title). Entry details, rules and regulations to the competition are listed below: 1. All entries must be sent using the form online. 2. Entry will cost PS4.00. You can pay online via PayPal or credit card. You can also pay by cheque, making it payable to Susan Cawte. The postal address is 412 Thorold Road, Ilford, Essex, IG1 4HF. Multiple entries are allowed. 3. Entries will not be returned. 4. All entries submitted must be work which has not been published elsewhere or submitted to another competition which is currently still open. 5. All entries must be your own work. Any entry found to be _ or printed elsewhere will be disqualified. 6. All entries submitted must clearly state the author's name, address, email address and contact telephone number on the submission. 7. The winner will be notified within one month of the closing date. 8. The closing date for entries is midnight (BST) 30th April 2016. Prizes: 1st: PS50, published story in the magazine, and a feature article about the winning author. 2nd: PS25, story published in the magazine. The 20 shortlisted authors will be listed online in May. Winners will be announced on 1st June 2016. If you want to take part in the competition, _ . A. you can only submit one entry B. you must be a British boy of 16 C. you have to pay the entry fee by cheque D. you must send the entries before 30th April 2016 Answer: D. you must send the entries before 30th April 2016 Question: As a result of decreased water, what will happen to tree rings? A. Lose shape B. Become narrow C. Become wider D. Disappear Completely Answer: B. Become narrow Question: URBANA, ILL. (AP)--Mike dropped out of college to support his pregnant girlfriend and now works as a manager of a trucking company, Lynn graduated with honors from Harvard University and was hired as a lawyer with a top law firm in a major city. What do these two people have in common? Ten years ago they were both high school valedictorians . A University of Illinois study follows the lives of 81 valedictorians and salutatorians who graduated a decade ago from public and private high schools in the state. Tales of Success and Failure The study found tales of success and failure. The research on 46 women and 35 men found that some were doctors and scientists, one was a drug addict, another was a waitress with emotional problems. "There is a popular idea about people who do well in school doing well in life," said Terry Denny, professor of education. Denny conducted the study with Karen Arnold, a former graduate student of Denny' s who is now a professor at Boston College. Denny and Arnold contacted the 81 students before graduation, and then followed up with interviews nearly every other year. They also sent them questionnaires in the mail. Varied Careers One-third of the students are lawyers, or have a doctorate. Nineteen are in business and 15 are engineers or computer scientists. Others include a farmer, a stock broker, and an aerobics instructor. Arnold says many of the students have only average positions in the work world and that "most are not headed for greatness in their careers." Denny, however, says that it is too early to make such predictions. "Who expects someone to be on the Supreme Court at the age of 28 or to be the discoverer of an important scientific invention right after college?" he said. "These students are just getting started in life. They are just beginning to find out what life is all about." According to the article Denny is probably older than Arnold because _ . A. Denny was her professor B. Arnold did well at school. C. Denny interviewed some students D. Arnold helped Denny in the research Answer: A. Denny was her professor
Online Degrees Today, you can earn a degree from a major university without ever having sat in one of their classrooms. Many colleges and universities are offering online courses and degree programs now. Online Learning Programs With a computer and an Internet connection, you can earn a degree from home, work, or anywhere else for that matter. Online degree programs follow much the same routines as traditional learning, with a few twists. There are lectures, but they won't be in person. There are assignments , but you won't hand them to your instructor. In most situations, you are free to "go to class" when it fits your"schedule. If you get a phone call during class, you don't have to miss anything. If you get sick, you don't have to ask for someone's notes, and you just visit the lecture later. You'll communicate with your instructor by e-mail, chat room and instant messaging. Your classroom will live in a special software program. Contrary to popular belief, you will have close contact with other students and the instructor. Evaluating the Program There are a lot of questions to ask before you make your selection, such as: How do students interact with each other? Online programs can use chat rooms, instant messaging, teleconferencing, and video conferencing to communicate. The key is to find a program that has this interaction built into it and even requires it. What kind of reputation does the school have? It may seem simple-a good school will have a good online program. This reputation,however, may not be as straightforward as you think. It's not uncommon for a great school to have a weak program or two. So you'd better look at the overall quality of the school and make a judgment. The Employers' View As more and more employees get online degrees and use them in the workforce , hiring managers will begin to feel more secure about the quality of education these people have. What is the most important part of online communication? A To use e-mails. B To look for a program with interaction. C To use chat rooms and instant messaging. D To use teleconferencing and video conferencing. Answer: B Have you ever had travel problems because your airplane was late? It is a common problem and it is getting worse. Airport delays make people angry and cost the country billions in lost work time. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the government agency that oversees air travel. They studied the problem of airline delays. They found eleven major problems and suggested eleven ways to fix them. Some of the problems are caused because different regions of the country do things differently. The regions don't talk to each other enough. Some of them need new computers. Also, more planes are flying. A strong economy has more people using airplanes to get around. Airplanes are a form of mass transportation now, like trains and buses were in the past. More planes in the airport cause delays. The airport in San Francisco is a good example. It is growing fast. Many people go through San Francisco to get to other places around the world. Ron Wilson of the San Francisco International Airport says, "If you've got 18 flights that all want to take off at 8:00 am and you're on the 18thplane in line, you're going to be 40 minutes late." Weather is another main reason for delays. Weather causes about 70% of delays. Fog or freezing rain can cause delays. The first thing the FAA wants to do is take control away from the regions during heavy traffic times and bad weather. A national center would make decisions on things that affect the whole country. The FAA also wants to put more distance between planes in the sky when the weather is bad. This rule could cause even more delays. The FAA knows that their solutions will not solve the problems with airport delays. But, they hope to make things better. There are just too many planes, too few traffic controllers, and not enough new technology. Which of the statements best gives the idea of the passage? A FAA should make decisions to stop airport delays. B Airport delays are on the rise. C Travel problems cost billions in lost work time. D FAA has taken control of air traffic nationwide. Answer: B There's nothing like having a child to remind you that you are no longer the center of your own universe. But every now and then, I need to relax with some"me"time. I booked an overnight trip to Dover, Delaware. We arrived in Delaware right after sunset. Mom and I settled into our hotel room and went downstairs to the restaurant, and then I ordered myself a drink. I had just taken two sips when my husband called me. "I'm so sorry to bother you,"Craig said."The baby is burning up and we are on the way to the hospital."I didn't know how to reply. I was so desperate to get away to take a break. My baby was sick but I couldn't do a thing for him. The situation made me feel so helpless."I don't know what to do,"I told him."I'm five hours from home!""I know,"my husband said."You can't help that. I'll call you when I know what's wrong."My husband and my father took the baby to the emergency room. Meanwhile, I searched the restaurant for my mom. Once I found her, we went to our hotel room and waited for a phone call. Over an hour later, Craig called to tell me that the baby had bronchitis . He seemed to be feeling better. The next morning, when I returned home, the baby was already back to his happy self. Ever since this incident, I have really struggled with the concept of"me"time. I try to figure out why I need a break from the child who I love very much. However, sometimes I need to feel like a person and not just a mommy machine. In recent months, I have taken some"me"time. My mom helped keep the baby so I could go shopping, take a nap, and clean my house. On a couple of occasions, Craig and I went to dinner with friends. And this summer, I even managed to read an entire novel while the baby rested. Now I've decided not to leave the baby overnight again or travel a long distance without him. I remember when I first announced my pregnancy , a friend told me there was no 'me' in mommy. Maybe there's not. But for me, I'm taking"me"time when I can. The author's husband called her again to _ . A tell her to look after his mother B inform her of the baby's condition C advise her to buy some medicine D complain about their child's bad behavior Answer: B Everyone wants to be healthy. Food is very important. There are a lot of healthy food. You can eat more apples, bananas, oranges and tomatoes because fruits and vegetables are good for your health. But don't eat too much chocolate. It's not healthy food. Healthy food can make you grow and make you strong and happy. Remember there is a saying, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away". Sports can also keep you healthy. Get up early and play sports every day. Don't be lazy! You will be healthy and happy. Which is right? A No person wants to be healthy. B We want to be healthy C We are important D Eat more chocolate. Answer: B If you don't keep yourself warm enough, winter can be a time of illness. During the winter months, people easily get colds and flu . Many think they are the same, but these two illnesses are different. Colds can stay with you for up to a week. You will have a running nose, sore throat, headache, cough and a fever. Flu is more serious. You will feel sick very quickly. You will have a fever and a headache. Your body will hurt and become weak. This could last for up to four weeks. Is there any way to keep yourself away from colds and flu? Staying clear of people with colds or flu may work. Try not to touch your nose or eyes if you have been close to someone who has a cold. Wash your hands, especially after cleaning your nose. Going out with wet hair can also give you a cold! If you catch a cold or flu, go to bed and rest. Doing this will help you get better. Drink lots of water. Stay in a warm, well-aired room. If you have a headache, or your muscles hurt, take some medicine. In _ , people get colds and flu easily. A Spring B Summer C Autumn D Winter Answer: D
Question: Which would an ecologically minded individual most support? A. windmills B. oil C. fracking D. gas Answer: A Question: Perhaps Joe Cheng has become popular with thousands of fans and has been chased by girls and middles students. But do you know his resume ? Yes. Joe Cheng, who plays the most popular boy in high school in the popular Taiwanese drama "It Started with a Kiss." Although thousands of girls have fallen in love with him for his cute smile and strong body, Cheng, 27, doesn't want to rest on his good looks. He made the move from modeling to acting six years ago, and now he is trying another career-this time, to be a singer. Cheng worked on his first album, "Joe Cheng's Day", for a year. It came out on September 7. Apart from recording his CD, Cheng has been practicing dance moves for his music video. Given his height, 188cm, this was not an easy job. "I had bad dreams about dancing," he said. Cheng's life has had many ups and downs. His parents divorced when he was in primary school and he has lived with his father ever since. After dropping out of high school, he took on all kinds of jobs before being spotted by a scout for a modeling agency. Cheng said his key to life is "keeping a positive _ and making the most out of life." Cheng admitted that he got bad grades when he was in high school. But he was still very popular at school. "Being very active in the students union, I was elected president. I liked to organize parties and field trips, so many teachers and students knew me," he said. Cheng once dreamed of becoming a cartoonist, and he regrets that he never did it. Now he hopes his teenage fans can learn from his life. "When you are in school, just focus on studies," Cheng said. "Every young heart is eager to explore the world outside. But take your time. Finish your studies first." What career didn't Joe Cheng try? A. Acting in some dramas. B. Dancing for an agency. C. Modeling for an agency. D. Recording his own CDs. Answer: B Question: In prefix = st1 /America, drivers' education is part of high school. Every student in his or her second year of high school is required to take a course in drivers' education. However, unlike other courses, it isn't given during the regular school year. Instead, it is a summer course. The course is divided into two parts: class time for learning the laws and regulations, and driving time for practice. The students study the basic traffic laws they must know to pass the written driving test, which is given to anyone who wants to get a driver's license. Driving time is a chance for the students to sit behind the steering wheel and practice all kinds of skills that are required to drive a car. Each student is required to drive for a total of six hours. The students are divided into groups of four. The students and the instructor go out driving for two hours. Thus, each student gets half an hour of driving time per outing. The instructor and the "driver" sit in the front seats and the other three students sit in the back. The cars for drivers' education are different from other ears. In this kind of car there are two sets of brakes, one on the driver's side and the other on the instructor; s side. Thus, if the student driver runs into difficulties, the instructor can take over. This kind of car also has another special feature. On the rear window of the car is a sign that reads: STUDENT DRIVER. That lets nearby drivers know that they should be more careful because the student driver isn't very experienced. After the student has passed the drivers' education course and reached the proper age to drive, they can go to a designated state office to take the driving test, which is made up of an eye examination, a written test, and a road test. The student must pass all the three tests in order to get a driver's license. If the student does well in the drivers' education class, he or she will have no problem passing the test with flying color1s and getting licensed. In the last sentence, "with flying color1s" means A. happily B. successfully C. color1fully D. quickly Answer: B Question: There are some highlights in April in Shanghai. Live Music - Late Night Jazz Enjoy real American jazz from Herbie Davis, the famous trumpet player. He's coming with his new 7 - piece band, Herbie's Heroes. Herbie is known to play well into the early hours, so don't expect to get much sleep. This is Herbie's third visit to Shanghai. The first two were sold out, so get your tickets quickly. Place: The Jazz Club Dates:15 - 23 April Price:Y=80 Time: 10:00 p.m. till late! TEL:6466 - 8736 Scottish dancing Take your partners and get ready to dance till you drop. Scottish dancing is fun and easy to learn. Instructors will demonstrate the dances. The live band, Gordon Stroppie and the Weefrees, are also excellent. Place: Jack Stein's Dates: every Monday Price:Y=60 including one drink Time: 7:00 - 00:00 p.m. TEL:6402 - 1877 Exhibitions - Shanghai Museum There are 120,000 pieces on show here. You can see the whole of Chinese history under one roof. It's always interesting to visit, but doubly so at the moment with the Egyptian Tombs exhibition. There are lots of mummies and more gold than you've ever seen before. Let us know if you see a mummy move! Place: Shanghai Museum Price:Y=30(Y=15 for students) TEL:6888 - 6888 Dates: daily Time: Monday - Friday 9:00 a. m. - 5:00 p. m., Weekends 9:00 a. m. - 9:00p.m. Dining - Sushi chef in town Sushi is getting really big in Shanghai. In Japan, it's become an art form. The most famous Sushi 'artist' is Yuki Kamura. She's also one of the few female chefs in Japan. She'll be at Sushi Scene all of this month. Place: Sushi Scene in the Shanghai Hotel Dates: all month Price: Y=200 Time: lunchtime TEL: 6690 - 3211 For a full listing of events, see our website. Where are the ads available to people? A. Newspaper B. Magazine C. TV D. Internet Answer: D Question: The iPhone, the iPad, each of Apple's products sounds cool and has become a fashion. Apple has cleverly taken advantage of the power of the letter "i" -- and many other brands are following suit. The BBC's iPlayer -- which allows Web users to watch TV programs on the Internet -- adopted the title in 2008. A lovely bear -- popular in the US and UK -- that plays music and video is called "iTeddy". A slimmed-down version of London's Independent newspaper was launched last week under the name "i". In general, single-letter prefixes have been popular since the 1990s, when terms such as e-mail and e-commerce first came into use. Most "i" products are targeted at young people and considering the major readers of Independent's "i", it's no surprise that they've selected this fashionable name. But it's hard to see what's so special about the letter "i". Why not use "a", "b", or "c" instead? According to Tony Thorne, head of the Language Center at King's College, London, "i" works because its meaning has become ambiguous. When Apple uses "i", no one knows whether it means Internet, information, individual or interactive, Thorne told BBC Magazines. "Even when Apple created the iPod, it seems it didn't have one clear definition," he says. "However, thanks to Apple, the term is now associated with portability ."adds Thorne. Clearly the letter "i" also agrees with the idea that the Western World is centered on the individual. Each person believes they have their own needs, and we love personalized products for this reason. Along with "Google" and "blog", readers of BBC Magazines voted "i" as one of the top 20 words that have come to define the last decade. But as history shows, people grow tired of fads . From the 1900s to 1990s, products with "2000" in their names became fashionable as the year was associated with all things advanced and modern. However, as we entered the new century, the trend eventually disappeared. Nowadays, the "i" term often reminds people of the products which are _ . A. environmentally friendly B. advanced C. recyclable D. portable Answer: D
A new study says one part of the human brain may become smaller as the result of a condition known as jet lag. Jet lag results from flying long distances in an airplane. Jet lag interferes with a person's normal times for sleeping and waking. People with jet lag may feel extremely tired for several days. They also may have problems thinking clearly and remembering. Kwangwook Cho is a researcher at the University of Bristol in Britain. He reported the findings of his jet lag study in the publication Nature Neuroscience. The study involved twenty young women who worked for international airlines. The women had served passengers on airplanes for five years. These flight attendants flew across many countries and at least seven time zones. In the study, the flight attendants had different amounts of time to recover from jet lag. Half the women spent five days or fewer in their home areas between long flights. The other half spent more than fourteen days in their home areas. Mister Cho took some fluid from the women's mouths to measure levels of a hormone that increases during stress. He tested them to see if they could remember where black spots appeared on a computer screen. And he took pictures of their brains using magnetic resonance imaging. This is a way to measure the size of the brain's temporal lobes. It was found that the women who had less time between flights had smaller right temporal lobes. This area of the brain deals with recognizing and remembering what is seen. The same group performed worse and had slower reaction times on the visual memory test. And their saliva samples showed higher levels of stress hormones. Mister Cho says he believes the brain needs at least ten days to recover after a long trip. He says airline workers told him their ability to remember got worse after working on planes for about four years. Other studies have shown that increased feelings of stress can cause a loss of cells in the part of the brain that controls memory. Scientists say more tests are needed to study the effects of jet lag on the brain. They want to find out if too much jet lag could permanently affect memory. It is inferred that more tests need to be done because _ . every scientific conclusion needs the support from many tests They say that cats have nine lives but our lazy old cat,PJ,had concurrent lives and identities. He became well-known for sleeping around the neighbourhood and used to nap in the spare bedroom of elderly couple who lived three doors up from us.While I wasn't always aware of all his liaisons, it didn't matter as long as he always came home at mealtimes. One day we noticed he had gained weight. We guessed he was enjoying snacks at the local takeaway shop bins and so we began to reduce the amount of his food. He didn't seem to notice. Some months later. we invited some new neighbours in for drinks. Not long into the evening, our new neighbor saw PJ sitting proudly on the window ledge. "You've got my cat!" She exclaimed, laughing. We let her down gently, and learnt that at their house, PJ was known as Tiger. Thanks to them, he'd been receiving the royal treatment, including removing small insects from his body by spraying medicine. PJ continued living with us until a new cat and a new dog finally tested his patience. _ walked out and was missing for ten days before my husband spotted him near his work. He brought our wandering cat home, but it was clear that PJ wasn't happy. After shouting at him angrily, I let him out and he never returned. A few months later, our new neighbour told us she'd seen PJ. It seems that an elderly neighbour had welcomed him into her home, and since taking up residence he'd doubled in size and been given his own sitting - room chair to lie. The two had become very fond of each other, ever since he'd followed her home. What a smart cat. It can be inferred from the passage that _ . the neighbours loved the cat PJ very much Before summer ends, you might want to consider reading The Shaping of A Christian Home by Elizabeth Elliot. She writes beautifully of her family summer cottage in Franconia, Maine. She mentions that every family should have a place to get away together. The summer of my fourteenth year, Dad and Mom planned a wonderful family vacation that I'll never forget. We took a road trip in our 1969 Chrysler. We camped through the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and back home by way of Washington D.C. To save money, we stayed in a tent and cooked our own meals on a camp stove. It was a wonderful vacation. Whenever we could, we talked Dad into staying at a campground with a swimming pool. We camped in a large tent big enough to sleep eight average-sized people who didn't mind sleeping close enough to hear one another breathe. It wasn't a cottage in Franconia, but served a similar purpose for our family. Most nights I slept in my own small tent. Each night I went to sleep listening to the music or sleep to the sound of frogs. In Maine, we didn't have a cottage in the mountains or a house on the lake. I doubt if we ever will. But I have happy memories of a family vacation, looking into a campfire, swimming with my brothers and my sister and walking under the stars. When the author had his unforgettable family vacation, _ . he was a teenager I stole your dog today. No, I didn't set a foot on your house, but from the condition of your dog, I can imagine what it looks like...the word "rubbish" comes to mind. I found her along a road, with a heavy chain wrapped around her neck, still attached to rotten boards from her doghouse. Not only did I know that most of the town people had already ignored her, judging by where I found her, but I knew that if she had gotten into the Woods, the "cross" that she dragged behind her would have wrapped around a tree until starvation or thirst killed her. She has a beautiful name now. Already in the first week she has come to look more like she should. Her eyes sparkle and she has learned to wag her tail in greeting. She has stopped flinching when I make a sudden movement, because she knows now that I won't beat her, in fact, she rarely leaves my side. She's even become brave enough to bark at a cat and today I watched from the window as she attempted to play with the other dogs. No, it's clear she does not miss you or her former life on a chain. It's not clear yet whether she'll remain here or whether I'll find her a loving home where she can count on more individual attention than I can give her, but one thing is certain, this is one bit of stolen "property" who is never returning to you. So sue me, accuse me, plead with the courts that she is rightfully yours ... I'm convinced this is the best "crime" I've ever committed. Hardly anything has pleased me more than the day I stole your dog. I need only look into her beautiful brown eyes to know that she'd defend my decision with her life. If we have one prayer, it is that you will not replace her, and if we have one special day to celebrate together, it is the day I stole your dog and the day she stole my heart. What's the purpose did the author write the passage? To prove his love to the dog to her former owner. It never occurred to Sun Yukun that the decision he made four years ago would have an impact on his career. When the 22-year-old entered college in 2009, he decided not to change his rural residence to a students' collective one. But when he finished college and was offered a job with a state-owned enterprise in Beijing, Sun was told that he couldn't accept the offer unless he had an urban hukou (household registration record). This time, he had no choice but to change his residence status. Transferring hukou to a university became optional in 2003, and many students are confronted with the dilemma of whether to do so or not. Professionals suggest they make the decision based on their current situation and future plans. 'I regret transferring my hukou' Wang Jinbi, 20, is an accounting major at Beijing Union University. Coming from Chifeng, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, she transferred her hukou when she enrolled at university. "I didn't think it was a big deal," Wang says. "Since I'm registering under an urban hukou, it doesn't matter whether it's in Beijing or Inner Mongolia, I thought." What Wang didn't expect, however, is that she would regret her decision later. "After two years of study, I've figured out my future plans. I want to return to my hometown and make a living there," she says. That means Wang needs to transfer her hukou back again, which she worries will be a troublesome procedure. "I have a friend who graduated last year. She spent a lot of time and energy transferring her hukou back to her hometown again due to complicated paperworks," says Wang. Guidelines for transferring hukou Wang's experience is not uncommon. Many students don't know what their decision means for their future. In order to help these students, Xie Yongqiang, from the Chengdu Municipal Bureau of Justice, posted a guideline for transferring hukou on a micro blog. According to Xie, students should firstly think about where they're going to stay. "If you like the city where you're studying and are considering staying there after graduation, then you should transfer your hukou," he wrote. Students should also transfer their hukou if they intend to participate in an exchange program. According to Ju Haojie, deputy director of the household registration department at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, when applying for exchange programs, it saves a lot of trouble if students have a collective hukou registered under the university. But Xie also made suggestions for students with a rural registration. "If your family has land and a house, it's possible that you'll get a share of compensation in the event of a forced relocation. For those students, I would recommend them not to transfer their hukou," he wrote. This doesn't affect students in terms of receiving medical insurance and other benefits at university. 'I want to stay in Beijing' Sometimes, students abandon their rural hukou for the prospect of a better future. Tang Yanwei is one of them. The 23-year-old from Yantai, Shandong province, had a rural hukou but transferred it after enrolling at Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture. Although there are a lot of preferential policies for rural residents, for Tang, an urban hukou in Beijing is attractive. "I want to stay in Beijing, so a students' collective Beijing urban hukou is a promising start," he says. "I'll do anything that could help me stay here. After all, there's no turning back for me now." How many examples are mentioned in the passage? Three
I met the old man at a cafe. "Did you hear the radio news yesterday?" he asked me. "No," I replied. "Anything exciting?""Exciting? NO! Something very sad. A group of hungry dogs killed and ate my best friend." "Oh, dear!" I cried. "How did it happen?""He was working on the hillside when the dogs attacked him. When he didn't return, I went to the hillside and found...""His body?" I asked. The old fellow drank half of his coffee. "No. I told you they were hungry dogs, didn't I? The big bones were lying every where. But they found this." He pushed open a match box he was holding in his hand. In it was a man's thumb, lying on some white bloody material. "This is my friend's right thumb. The dogs ate the rest of him". The old man began to cry. He finished his coffee quickly and left the cafe. I drank mine and called the waiter. "I'll pay the gentleman's bill. His poor friend--how terrible!""You've heard the news?" The waiter laughed. "Sure. There's a hole in the bottom of the match box. He put his own thumb through the hole. The blood is red ink, I believe. Is the story worth a cup of coffee, sir?""But he held the box in his right hand.""Yes, but listeners look into the box. They just can't take their sight off that terrible thing.""And when he tells the story, he gets free cup of coffee!" I said, laughing. "Yes, sir, but only from strangers who come to this town, and, of course, he does us no harm!" As suggested by the passage, what might happen in the end? A The writer refused to pay the old man's bill. B The writer decided to make the trick known to the public. C More strangers would hear the old man's story. D The old man wouldn't visit the cafe any more. Answer: C. More strangers would hear the old man's story. A burglar stole Collecta's impressionist painting valued at $400,000. Collecta, who had insured the painting for $300,000 with Artistic Insurance Co., promised to pay $25,000 to Snoop, a full-time investigator for Artistic, if he effected the return of the painting to her in good condition. By company rules, Artistic permits its investigators to accept and retain rewards from policyholders for the recovery of insured property. Snoop, by long and skillful detective work, recovered the picture and returned it undamaged to Collecta. If Collecta refuses to pay Snoop anything, and he sues her for $25,000, what is the probable result under the prevailing modern rule? A Collecta wins, because Snoop owed Artistic a preexisting duty to recover the picture if possible. B Collecta wins, because Artistic, Snoop's employer, had a preexisting duty to return the recovered painting to Collecta. C Snoop wins, because Collecta will benefit more from return of the $400,000 benefit more from return of the $400,000 painting than from receiving the $300,000 policy proceeds. D Snoop wins, because the preexisting duty rule does not apply if the promisee's (Snoop's) duty was owed to a third person. Answer: D. Snoop wins, because the preexisting duty rule does not apply if the promisee's (Snoop's) duty was owed to a third person. How much rain has fallen on the earth in the past? Man has not always kept weather records. Because scientists need a way to learn about past rainfall, they study the tree rings. A tree's trunk keeps growing year by year. Under its bark , a tree adds a layer of new wood each year it lives. If you look at a tree stump, you can see the layers. They are called annual ring . On some trees, all of the rings are of the same width. But the ponderosa that grows in the American southwest have rings in different withes. The soil in he southwest is dry. The pines depend on rainfall for water. In a year of good rainfall, they form wide rings. In a dry year, they form narrow ones. Scientists do not have to cut down a pine to study its rings. With a special tool, they remove a narrow piece of wood from the trunk without harming the tree. Then they look at the width of each ring to see how much rain fell in the year it formed. Some pines are hundreds of years old and have hundreds of rings. These rings are from an annual record o0f past rainfall in the southwest. On the whole, the passage is about _ . A why the tree trunks grow bigger B why scientists study tree rings C trees that lived hundreds of years ago D the ponderosa in the US Answer: B. why scientists study tree rings NEW YORK---Booksellers and technology companies are diving into the world of digital books. Sony Corp is selling the Reader Digital Book for $299, while giant online shopping company Amazon.com offers the Kindle for $399. The digital books are light, easy on the eyes and let readers carry around as many as 200 titles in hardware that weighs less than a pound. But to some people, there's something missing. "It's , I guess, the feel of holding a book that someone really put a lot of effort into writing," said Katy Farina, 21. Farina, a college student who was browsing at a bookstore, said, "It feels real, while the reader separates you a little bit from the story." Harry Howe, a professor, said he might use an e-book reader in search of materials while away from home, but not for reading a novel. "It's just not a physical experience that I'm yet comfortable with. On the other hand, I didn't grow up reading things on websites." Farina said she would like a reader for travelling because she would not have to transport so many books. "To put 10 books on your Sony reader or on your Kindle is a lot better than carrying 10 books," she said. Neither Sony nor Amazon would say how many machines they have sold, but enough people are interested in trying them out. An Amazon official at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week said the Kindle sold out on its first day in 6 hours. And for people hesitating between paper and e-books, Sony does offer a compromising -- an optional paper cover. "I think it's a clever move." Said Howe. Which section is the passage most likely to appear in? A Advertisements. B Technology. C Education. D Entertainment. Answer: B. Technology. Ma Yan is not really a writer, but this 15-year-old girl has written a book that has moved many people around the world. Ma Yan's diary tells us about Ma's life. She lives in a poor village called Zhangjiashu in Tongxin, Ningxia, and she has no money to go to school. However, she is brave and wants to go to school very much. Her mother gave her diary to a reporter, Pierre Haski when he went to Zhangjiashu in 2001. Now, Ma Yan's diary has been published in France, Italy, Germany, Japan and China. Ma Yan is now a Junior Three student at Yuwang Middle School in Tongxin. Before this, she had to drop out of school twice. She had to stop going to school the first time, because her mum told her there was no money for her to go to school. She worked for 21 days and saved 13 yuan. With this money, she went back to school. The second time, her family told her she had to leave school while her two brothers could stay. "I want to study," Ma Yan wrote in her diary. "Why can boys study but girls can't? It would be wonderful if I could stay at school forever." Ma Yan loves school so much because she wants to have a better life. "My parents work hard in the fields but they are still poor. They have no knowledge . Most girls in my village leave school early and get married young. I don't want that kind of life," Ma Yan said. After her story became known, many students sent money to her. She hopes to go to Tsinghua University and become a reporter. "Then, I can find poor kids like me, and help them," she said. Ma Yan's diary has been published in France, Italy, Germany, Japan and _ . A America B Austria C Russia D China Answer: D. China
How old is "old"? The answer has changed over the years. Two hundred years ago,you were old at 35.At the beginning of the 20 th century,the average life span was 45. In 1950,70-year-olds were really old.Today,a healthy 70-year-old is still thought young. So,how old is old? The answer is one you've heard many times,from all kinds of people."You are as old(or young)as you feel."Your age simply tells you how many years you have lived.Your body tells you how well you've lived. "Nobody grows old by living a number of years." wrote a writer."People grow old when they don't have their ideas." People shouldn't have the wrong ideas about _ Sometimes,older minds can be as bright as young minds.Alice Brophy once said,"It makes me unhappy when people say,'You look young for your age. ' What does that mean?You know you can die old at 30 and live young at 80. " Which question is NOT answered in the passage? Answer: Bluebirds are found in Answer: Which of the following most likely led to certain rocks having less friction? Answer: Dear Li Ming, I've been in England for two months now. I hope you don't think I have forgotten you. There have been so many places to see and so many things to do that I've not had much time to write letters. I will soon be starting my studies at King's College. So far I've been learning about England and British ways of living. I will tell you about London. One great thing about it is that it has lots of books you can read and lots of pictures you can look at. I am sure you'll be more interested to know what I think about the life here. I found some of the customs new and interesting. People here don't shake hands as much as we do in Germany. During the first few weeks I was often surprised because people didn't put out their hands when I met them. Men raise their hats to women but not to each other. Wang Gang The writer has _ . Answer: Some people have a very poor sense of direction. Unluckily, I am one of them. I have visited a place many times but I may still get lost there the next time. When I was a little girl, I never dared to ask strangers the way. And so I used to walk around in circles and hope that by chance I would get to the place I was going to. Now, I am no longer too shy to ask people for directions, but I often receive helpless or even wrong information. So I try to avoid giving people wrong directions. If anyone ever asks me the way somewhere, I would say, "Sorry, I am a stranger here." Once on my way to work I was stopped by a man. He asked me if I could tell him the way to the Friendship Building. I gave him my usual reply. But just as I walked on only a few steps. I realized that he had asked the way to my office building. However, I had no time to turn back and look for him. I was rushing to meet with someone at my office and I didn't want to keep him waiting. When I just got to my office, the secretary showed in the man who had asked me for directions. Imagine how _ I was and how surprised he was when we saw each other at the first sight. The writer always refuses to give people directions because _ . Answer:
Which of the following is a crucial piece of evidence supporting scientists' theory of how the continents and the ocean basins formed? Currents redistribute heat in an unevenly heated liquid. The average American child spends three to five hours a day watching TV. In 1961, the average child began to watch television at age three; however, today it is nine months. Yet, most parents think that television has bad influence on their children. For example, in the early 1970s, my parents believed that my bad eyesight was the result of sitting too close to the screen, and they therefore made my stay at least six feet from it. Today, most people have no such worry, but many new ridiculous sayings have appeared: TV makes kids stupid. Many children watch more educational programs when they are pre-schoolers. When they grow up, they can read more books and have much better ideas to solve difficult problems than other children. TV makes kids violent. The real story is not so simple. Hundreds of studies show that watching violence on TV makes children more aggressive . But a study of over 5,000 children also finds that some positive programs make children kinder. The problem is that kids are increasingly watching shows with violence instead of those suitable for their age. Sitting around watching TV makes kids overweight. An experiment finds that when children watch less television, they do lose extra weight; however, reducing their television time does not make them more active. The real problem lies in snacking . A widespread habit for kids, and junk-food advertisements. TV helps kids get to sleep. The opposite is true. The more television children watch, the more likely they are to have irregular sleep and nap patterns. Allowing kids to watch television is part of the problem, not the solution. What influence does watching TV have on a child's sleep? It will make children form a bad habit of sleeping. Dae Jon is the city in South Korea, where I was born and grew up. There was a public park there. It was a very popular place, and I have tons of precious memories from times spent there. Our teachers often took us to that park for a spring or fall picnic. When I learned martial arts --Tae Kwon Do, my master usually took us there to train us. There was a hill there which was not high, so I could reach the peak within forty minutes even though I was very young. From the peak, I could see a lot of places if it was a sunny day. There was a huge rock on the top called Eagle Rock because the shape of the rock looked like the head of an eagle. We spent lots of fun days there. We played hide-and-seek within the limited area, and we sometimes caught frogs and fish in the pond. When we felt thirsty, we enjoyed drinking cold spring water. When I was a ten-year-old boy, I usually went to the park with my father to exercise early in the morning. It was quite dark, so I sometimes felt afraid, but after I got used to going there, I enjoyed breathing the fresh air and hearing the birds sing. Recently, I went back to the park to remember my good times there. When I arrived at the entrance, I was surprised because it didn't seem to be the same as I remembered it. Everything has changed in the thirteen years since I last saw it, but the good memories soon came back. I could almost imagine a boy playing there with a slight smile and shaking hands with me. The writer went back to the park in order to _ . remember his good times My cell phone rang while I was working on my computer. I looked at the phone and saw it was my 17-year-old son, Tom. I quickly picked it up."Mom,I got a 71 on the test.I did it."With those few words,I could feel my heart start to _ . Living in New York State. Students cannot graduate from high school unless they pass at least five exams: one in English, one in science, two in history and one in math. For most students, who work hard, attend class, and do their homework like my son, it isn't that hard. But for Tom, who is dyslexic , it is such a real challenge that some teachers have feared he would never be able to even attempt, never mind achieve. We were honest with him about his trouble, letting him know that there was nothing to be ashamed of. Some people learn differently. If he was willing to work,we would help him find a way to do as much as he could in his academic career. All that was standing in his way was this math test. He had taken it three times and did better each time, but he continued to fail. He was starting to get a bit tired of me saying this was a marathon not a sprint . My heart broke each time we would get the failing results. "Mom,thanks. I love you. Thanks for believing I could do this." For one of the few times in my life, I really had nothing left to say. For that one brief moment I knew, really, really, knew that everything we did to help our son achieve what he wanted was worth it. How did the writer feel when she wrote this text? She felt proud and satisfied. People fell in love with Elizabeth Taylor in 1944, when she starred inNational Velvet-the story of Velvet Brown, a young girl who wins first place in a famous horse race, At first, the producers of the movie told Taylor that she was too small to play the part of Velvet. However, they waited for her for a few months as she exercised and trained--and added three inches to her height in four months! Her acting inNational Velvetis still considered the best by a child actress. Elizabeth Taylor was born in London in 1932. Her parents, both Americans, had moved there for business reasons. When World War II started, the Taylor moved to Beverly Hills, California, and there Elizabeth started acting in movies. After her success as a child star, Taylor had no trouble moving into adult roles and won twice for Best Actress:Butterfield8 (1960) andWho's Afraid of Virginia Woolf ? (1966) Taylor's fame and popularity gave her a lot of power with the movie industry, so she was able to demand very high pay for her movies. In 1963, she received $1 million for her part inCleopatra--the highest pay received by any star up to that time. Elizabeth Taylor is a legend of our time. Like Velvet Brown inNational Velvet, she has been lucky, she has beauty, fame and wealth. But she is also a hard worker. Taylor seldom acts in movies any more. Instead, she puts her time and efforts into her businesses, and into helping others--several years ago, she founded an organization that has raised more than $40 million for research and education. In her later life, Elizabeth Taylor devoted herself to _ . doing business and helping others
People should go outside and absorb some sunshine to help increase their vitamin D levels, some experts say. Arthritis Research UK. which is a British medical research organization dedicated to curing arthritis , says vitamin D deficiency can cause bone loss, muscle function problems and, in some cases, rickets in children. The government recommends vitamin D supplements for pregnant women and children aged under five. But on sunny days, a few minutes outdoors should achieve the same results, Arthritis Research UK says. Figures show that up to a quarter of the population has low levels of vitamin D in their blood and the majority of pregnant women do not take vitamin D supplements. People aged over 65, pregnant and breast-feeding women and children aged six months to five years old are thought to be most at risk. Vitamin D is essential to help the body absorb calcium from food. Low levels of vitamin D can result in serious problems. Alan Silman, the medical director of Arthritis Research UK, said, "When the days are sunny, go out for a few minutes and expose your face and arms to the sunshine." But he also had a warning on overexposure. "Don't allow your skin to go red, and take care not to burn, particularly in strong sunshine and if you have fair or sensitive skin. From June to August, just 15 minutes is generally enough time." "In less sunny months," Alan Silman added, "we recommend that people add more vitamin D in their diet by eating more oily fish such as salmon, tuna, and foods rich in vitamin D, such as cereals ." In which column of a newspaper could we possibly find this text? Answer: Health. We all know that if we want to keep our body in good shape we have to do physical exercise regularly as well as be careful with what we eat. What we tend to forget is that this goes for our eyes as well. Medical science confirms that a diet rich in carotenoids can help maintain good vision and prevent against a number of eye diseases. Here's some advice about how to choose the right diet to keep your eyes healthy. -- Eat orange food. Fruits and vegetables with orange flesh are rich in carotenoids. In addition to carrots,oranges,pumpkins and sweet potatoes are also available. All of these contain high levels of carotenoids,which help to maintain good vision. -- Include dark green vegetables,such as spinach and broccoli in your diet, to act as natural sunglasses. Recent scientific studies have shown that these vegetables can help block the damaging UV radiation from the sun's rays. -- Prevent some eye diseases with orange juice, yellow corn, whole milk, nuts and leafy vegetables. These foods are good sources of vitamins A, C, D and E. All of these are necessary to good eye health. -- Increase your intake of omega!3 with some sea fish, and some other seafood. Omega-3 helps build cell walls and is especially beneficial to keeping eyes healthy .It also helps regulate the eye's internal pressure and helps the eye dry up excess fluid. Which of the following can help block the damaging UV radiation from the sun's rays? Answer: Broccoli. Last Friday a storm tore through two villages and destroyed fourteen homes. Seven others were so badly damaged that their owners had to leave them, and fifteen others had broken windows or torn roofs. One person was killed, seven were badly injured and taken to hospital, and a number of other people received smaller injuries. Altogether over two hundred people were homeless as a result of the storm. A farmer, Mr. C.Y. Tan said that the storm began early in the morning and lasted for over an hour. " I was in the kitchen with my wife and children ,"he said, "when we heard a loud noise. A few minutes later our house fell down on top of us. We managed 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. Fong said that her husband had just left for work when she noticed that her house was shaking. She rushed outside immediately with her children. " There was no time to take anything, " she said. " A few minutes later, the roof came down. " Soldiers helped to bring people out of the flooded area and the Welfare Department provided food, clothes and _ Mrs Fong and her family were not injured because _ . Answer: she found the house shaking and rushed out with her children at once A) LiYugang dresses like a woman and sings like a bird. He won the third prize in CCTV's Star Road in 2006. He sings folk songs. However, he seems to have the spirit of Mei Lanfang. In fact, the young man had learnt something from Mei Lanfang's students. People in China usually don't like cross-dressing . But people are really surprised at Li's beauty and _ when he sings and dances. B) Do you know who invented QQ? It was Ma Huateng. He was born in Guangdong in 1971. He chose computer science when he entered Shenzhen University in 1989. He worked as a computer programmer for a company in Shenzhen for five years after he graduated in 1993. Later he left the company and started his own company in 1998. C) Yue Fei was a famous hero of Southern Song Dynasty. He was born in a poor family in Henan Province. He was very brave and won many battles with his soldiers. But Qin Hui killed Yue Fei for Mo Xuyou. Later a temple about Yue Fei was built in memory of him at the foot of Qixia Ling by the West Lake, in Hangzhou. Which of the following is TRUE? Answer: Yue Fei seldom won battles with his soldiers. Seafood buffet Treat your mother to a buffet lunch featuring an array of seafood at Days Hotel & Suites Beijing. There are oysters and sashimi, as well as an on-site grill of various meat and seafood, plus dumplings. Other selections are savory soup and delicate dessert. Your mother will receive a hand-made festival gift. 11:30 am, MAY 13TH. 6773-1234 Ext 3930. Sunday buffet Cafe 99 at Regent Beijing offers a sumptuous Sunday buffet with caviar and free flow of champagne and wines on Mother's Day, May 13.11:30 am-3 pm. 8522-1789. Shaanxi style Chefs from Shaanxi Province treat customers to authentic local noodles at the Regal Palace Chinese Restaurant, Days & Suites Beijing, including Qishan noodles with spicy and sour pork sauce, oil-sprayed noodles, besides based cakes with pork stuffing, and mutton soup with steamed buns. 8778-9888 Ext 262. Da Zhai Men Traditional Chinese architecture, performances and popular Chinese foods. Daily 11 am- 2 pm, 5 pm-11pm. Guoxing Jiayuan, Shouti Nanlu, Xicheng District. 8835-6687. Da Zhai Men Traditional Chinese architecture, performances and popular Chinese foods. Daily 11 am-2pm, 5pm-11pm. Guoxing Jiayuam, Shouti Nanlu,, Xicheng District. 8835-6687. Mughal's Beijing Restaurant Classic curry dishes and many other famous Pakistani/Xinjiang halal dishes(English menu). Lunch buffet every working day for 38 yuan per person. Live dance performances every day (starting at 7:30 pm). There is a big open-air terrace. Daily 11 am-midnight, Rm 5188, 5th Floor, 3.3 Fashion Plaza, 33 Sanlitun Road, Chaoyang District. 5136-5575. Brunch Pay tribute to Mom with a brunch fest at the Kerry Center Hotel. Complimentary chocolates, flowers and a glass of champagne add to the festive environment, Starting at 11:30 am, Sunday May 13.6561-8833 Ext 40. Which of the following is NOT prepared for Mothers' Day? Answer: Mughal's Beijing Restaurant.
Pictures That Don't Last "YEARS ago when I was at the Grand Canyon, I remember someone coming up to the canyon's edge, taking a shot with their camera and then walking away, like 'got it - done', barely even glancing at the magnificent scene sprawling in front of them," Linda Henkel, a scientist at Fairfield University, US told Live Science. Henkel was surprised by how obsessed people are with taking pictures these days - before dinner, during friends' birthday parties, on museum tours and so on.You know people just like that, don't you? They keep taking pictures because they think that it helps record the moment, but as Henkel's latest study has just found out, this obsession may prevent their brains from remembering what actually happened, reported The Guardian. In her study, Henkel led a group of college students around a museum and asked them to simply observe 15 objects and to photograph 15 others.The next day the students' memory of the tour was tested, and the results showed that they were less accurate in recognizing the objects and they remembered fewer details about them if they photographed them. "When people rely on technology to remember for them - counting on the camera to record the event and thus not needing to attend to it fully themselves, it can have a negative effect on how well they remember their experiences," Henkel explained. But there is also an exception: if students zoomed in to photograph part of an object, their memory actually improved, and those who focused the lens on a specific area could even recall parts that weren't in the frame. So basically, this study is saying that constantly taking pictures can harm your memory.But shouldn't reviewing pictures we have taken help wake up our memories? This is true, but only if we spend enough time doing it. "In order to remember, we have to access and interact with the photos, rather than just amassing them," Henkel told The Telegraph.However, previous research has shown that most people never take the time to look over their digital pictures simply because there are too many of them and they aren't usually very organized on their computers. What is the article mainly about? A. Some skills to learn for taking pictures. B. People's obsession with taking pictures and its influence. C. How pictures remind us of our past. D. How to deal with pictures after taking trips. Answer: B If you want to take the whole family on holiday,and keep everybody happy.then I have found just the place for you.I recently went with a group of friends to stay at the Greenwood Holiday Village, which is open from May until October. Built in the centre of a forest,Greenwood is a great place to stay whatever the weather is like, Its main attraction for families is the indoor World of Water,where young and old Can have fun in the different pools.Some of these,however,are for serious swimmers only. For sporty, people,the Country Club offers tennis,squash and badminton.If your children are too young to join in these sports,there are activity clubs.Greenwood is a good place for families as it is traffic-free----you explore on foot or by bike.Some people complained that this was inconvenient,but I was pleased to be out in the fresh air.For evening entertainment,there are shows and cinemas. Accommodation is in a variety of apartments of different sizes.These have up to four bedrooms,a kitchen and a bathroom,as well as a dining area.Before going,I thought the apartments might not be big enough for all of us,but I was pleasantly surprised--it was not too crowded at all. I'll definitely go back to Greenwood next year.Why don't you give it a try? Visit their website for further information now! From the text,the reader can find out_. A. the best way to get to the holiday village B. the best time of year to visit the holiday village C. what activities are available at the holiday village D. how to reserve accommodation at the holiday village Answer: C Your genetic makeup plays a big part in determining your size and weight. If both your parents are tall, there is a good chance you'll be tall. But if your parents are smaller than average, you may want to rethink that professional basketball career! The same goes for your body type. Have you ever heard someone say a person is "big boned?" It's a way of saying the person has a large frame, or skeleton . Big bones usually weigh more than small bones. That's why it's possible for two kids with the same height, but different weight, to both the right weight. Being overweight can run in someone's family, but it may not be because of their genes. Poor eating and exercise habits also run in families and these may be the reasons the members of a family are overweight. And even though some kids gain weight more easily than others, when they eat right and exercise, most kids can have a healthy weight that's right for them. It's true- the way you live can change the way you look. How much your weight is a balance between the calories you eat and the calories you use. If you eat more calories than your body needs to use, you will gain too much weight. If you spend you free time watching TV, your body won't use as many calories as it would if you played basketball, skated, or went for a walk. But if you eat more and exercise less, you may become overweight. On the other hand, if you eat less and exercise more, you may lose weight. _ might be the most important in determining your size and weight. A. Your father and mother B. Your genetic structure C. Your diet and habit D. Doing exercise in the morning Answer: B Sports are important in English life. The people of England are sports lovers. Some of the world's famous sports began here such as football and cricket. Football is a game played in winter and early spring. Lots of people play football in parks or playgrounds just for fun. With hundreds of year's history, it is one of the most important sports in England. The English love football very much and they turned most of their main players into famous persons. David Beckham and Bobby Charlton became heroes for many children. The most interesting part of the English football year is the FA(Football Association) Cup Final each May. A lot of people in England play football in _ . A. fields. B. school halls. C. parks or playgrounds. D. Gyms. Answer: C It's not easy to be an astronaut's son.Everybody expects you to be special or perfect. I often wonder how my father ever had a son like me. I mean he's so special and so good at everything he does. Even in middle school he was monitor and captain of the football team. Well, to be honest, I often dream about being some kind of hero or doing something special--like saving a child from a burning building One morning my teacher said there would be a Father's Day writing competition for the whole school."I hope we have a winner right here in my class." When I got home,I started to think about what to write.My father is an astronaut. No, I wouldn't start like that. That was the way others saw him.How did I see my father? Hmm...I saw him sitting with me in the dark when I had a terrible dream.I remembered how he hugged me for hours when my dog Spotty was killed by a car. Yes, these were the things I was going to write. To me,he wasn't just a famous astronaut. He was my dad. My parents and l went to school Thursday night. There were so many people in the big hall! My dad looked at me, and I shrugged . The third prize was announced and it was not me.1 was relieved and disappointed at the same time. The second prize was announced. it was me. I went up to the stage and read what I had written,"My father's son".When I finished,Dad put his hand on my shoulder."Son,this is the proudest moment of my life.'' It was the proudest moment of my life, too. Maybe I'll never be a great hero or win a Nobel Prize, but it was enough just to be my father's son. The writer felt it _ to be the son of a famous person. A. 1ucky B. natural C. hard D. pleasant Answer: C
Question: Hi, everyone! I am Paul Hawking, the trip leader for this weekend' s activity. It's that time of the year again when the days are long and it is nice to sit outside and enjoy some oysters . We plan to head out to the Mission Bay this Sunday for a beach picnic. You can buy fresh oysters at the Mission Bay Oyster Company and you just need to pay $6 to $l0 for each dozen, depending on the size. It' s on Sunday, June 30. We will meet at the Student Center at 9:00 a.m. and all go together. The driving time is one and a half to two hours, and the time of return is still uncertain. Come and join us in what must now be the 4th or 5th such trip for the Outing Club. The oyster farm has a small picnic area with chairs and barbecue grills . Bring some briquettes if you would like to grill. Except for oysters, oysters and oysters, little is available there, so please bring your own food and drinks. And of course, if you have any special oyster recipes , bring them make them and share them! The weather forecast says it's going to be sunny and around 26degC this weekend. My telephone number is 408-896-3228. Please feel free to call me if you have any questions. Remember to finish your homework before we leave for the picnic. If you buy 24 big oysters, you should probably pay _ . A. $6 B. $10 C. $12 D. $20 Answer: D. $20 Question: In winter Hammerfest is a thirty-hour ride by bus from Oslo, though why anyone would want to go there in winter is a question worth considering. It is on the edge of the world, the northernmost town in Europe, as far from London as London is from Tunis, a place of dark and cruel winters, where the sun sinks into the Arctic Ocean in November and does not rise again for ten weeks.I wanted to see the Northern Lights. Also, I had long harboured a half-formed urge to experience what life was like in such a remote and forbidding place. Sitting at home in England with a glass of whisky and a book of maps, this had seemed an excellent idea. But now as I picked my way through the grey, late-December slush of Oslo I was beginning to have my doubts. Things had not started well. I had overslept at the hotel, missing breakfast, and had to leap into my clothes. I couldn't find a cab and had to drag my unreasonably overweighted bag eight blocks through slush to the central bus station. I had had huge difficulty persuading the staff at the Kreditkassen Bank on Karl Johans Gate to cash sufficient traveller's cheques to pay the overcharged 1,200-kroner bus fare-they simply could not be made to grasp that the William McGuire Bryson on my passport and the Bill Bryson on my traveller's cheques were both me-and now here I was arriving at the station two minutes before departure, breathless and steaming from the endless uphill exertion that is my life, and the girl at the ticket counter was telling me that she had no record of my reservation. "This isn't happening," I said. "I'm still at home in England enjoying Christmas.Pass me a drop more port, will you, darling?" Actually, I said, "There must be some mistake. Please look again." The girl studied the passenger list. "No, Mr Bryson, your name is not here" But I could see it, even upside-down. "There it is, second from the bottom,, "No," the girl decided, "that says Bemt Bjornson. That's a Norwegian name" "It doesn't say Bernt Bjornson. It says Bill Bryson. Look at the loop of the 'y', the two 'I's. Miss, please." But she wouldn't have it. "If I miss this bus when does the next one go?""Next week at the same time.,, Oh, splendid. "Miss, believe me, it says Bill Bryson." "No, it doesn't." "Miss, look, I've come from England. I'm carrying some medicine that could save a child's life."She didn't buy this. "I want to see the manager." "He's in Stavanger." "Listen, I made a reservation by telephone.If I don't get on this bus I'm going to write a letter to your manager that will cast a shadow over your career prospects for the rest of this century." This clearly did not alarm her. Then it occurred to me. "If this Bemt Bjornson doesn't show up, can I have his seat?" "Sure." Why don't I think of these things in the first place and save myself the suffering? "Thank you," I said, and dragged my bag outside. What could be inferred from the passage? A. The author booked his bus ticket with a Norwegian name. B. The author paid the bus fare by traveller's cheque. C. The author would hopefully get on the bus. D. The girl at the ticket counter cared about the author's complaints. Answer: C. The author would hopefully get on the bus. Question: Famous as "the king of chefs and the chef of kings," Auguste Escoffier helped raise the position of cooking from a laborer's task to an artist's job. Escoffier was born on October 28, 1846, in the small village of Villeneuve-Loubet, near Nice, France. Among the key figures in the boy's life was his father, who worked primarily as a blacksmith . His grandmother, an enthusiastic cook, was perhaps more responsible than anyone for introducing the boy to an appreciation of the delights of cooking. Young Escoffier attended the local school until age 12, upon which time his father thought it necessary that the boy learn a trade. In school he had shown a talent for drawing, yet he was told to regard this art only as a hobby, and to find his career in a more practical profession. Thus his father took him to Nice in 1859, where he would work as an apprentice in his uncle's restaurant, the respectable Le Restaurant Francais. At Le Restaurant Francais, Escoffier was not treated as the close relative of the boss. Rather, he experienced a classically demanding apprenticeship. For this strictness of training he would later, in his memoirs , express gratefulness. During this time Escoffier also attended night school, and had to deal with his studies as well as the demands of a promising career. When Escoffier was 19 and had taken on yet more responsibilities in his uncle's restaurant, a customer recognized his skills and offered him work in Paris. This was the owner of Le Petit Moulin Rouge, one of the finest restaurants in Paris, where Escoffier was to become a sous-chef, ranking below the head chef. After three years in this position, he rose to the level of head chef, wearing the respected chef's hat. What is the text mainly about? A. How to become a chef in France. B. The influence of Auguste Escoffier. C. What an apprentice is required to do. D. The early life of a famous French chef. Answer: D. The early life of a famous French chef. Question: Tom, a 15-year-old boy, couldn't hear anything after the whole night computer games and MP3 listening. He was excited and yelled after the MP3. When he walked out of his room the next morning, he could hear nothing about his mother's words. His mother sent him to the doctor at once. It was moderate hearing loss . Do you have an MP3 player? Do you use it to listen to your favorite music? A survey shows that lots of young people enjoy listening to their MP3 players. And they always listen to them at high volumes . There are about 100 million people listening to MP3 players in Europe every day. Most of them are young people. Scientists have found that if people listen to MP3 players at a very high volume for more than five hours a week, they could lose their hearing in five years. High-volume music can keep people excited, so young people would like to keep their players high. It's too bad for the ears. So the MP3 listeners should keep the player within safe volume levels, no higher than 60~70 of full capacity . If people near you can hear your MP3, that means you are keeping your MP3 at a very high volume, turn it down, please! What's the safe volume of the MP3? A. People beside you can hear your MP3. B. No higher than 60-70 of full capacity. C. You can't hear it clearly. D. Keep the full capacity. Answer: B. No higher than 60-70 of full capacity. Question: To learn an instrument such as the violin or accordion takes years. The job opportunities for musicians are scarce and competition is fierce. Then why are more people than ever before paying a lot of good cash to get their children the best music teaching they can afford? The secret lies in the influence of music on the whole person. It has been found that learning a musical instrument actually increases a person's IQ over time. Different instruments and different trypes of music have varying effect, with classical music and the string family coming out on top, potentially increasing you IQ by up to 12 points! When is a good time to start learning music? Experts have found that even the fetus can benefit from listening to classical music. Surround yourself and your family with good music from the first. The Suzuki Piano Method teaches children from the age of 3 years piano, with two lessons per week. From preschool, children can learn to read music and play from sheet music. Progress in learning your instrument is directly proportional to the amount of practicing. Is there such a thing as an unmusical child? Shinichi Suzuki proposes that music is the native home language of all human beings and therefore nobody can be "unmusical". Of course there are exceptional talents, compared to which others may seem to be slower learners. Is there any benefit for adults in starting an instrument? Apart from the purely relaxing aspect, yes. Learning an instrument can earn even adults additional IQ points, and as an added benefit in improves your health by reducing your stress levels. Your social life may benefit too, if you are prepared to come out of your box and join occasions such as Ceilidhs (musical get-togethers) or arrange house concerts. It has been established that people who play instruments tend to be more emotionally balanced and more patient with themselves, others and life in general. So go ahead, sign up for that amateur orchestra, dust off your old trombone or take your first real six-string down from the attic ; get out there and play! There are many benefits for the adult to learn instruments, which of the following is NOT RIGHT? A. Feeling relaxed. B. Earn additional IQ points. C. Improve your health. D. Show your talents Answer: D. Show your talents
If an area is experiencing a drought, how can they overcome the lack of water? Answer: Pratt sued Danvers for injuries suffered by Pratt when their automobiles collided. At trial Pratt offers into evidence a properly authenticated letter from Danvers that says, "your claim seems too high, but, because I might have been a little negligent, I'm prepared to offer you half of what you ask." The letter is Answer: Museums have changed. They are no longer places that one "should" go but now they are places to enjoy. At a science museum in Canada, you can feel your hair stand on end as harmless electricity passes through your body. At the Children's Museum in New York, you can play an African drum. There are no "Do Not Touch" signs in some other museums in the USA. More and more museum directors have realized that people learn best when they can become part of what they are seeing. In many science museums, the visitors are encouraged to touch, listen, operate and experiment so as to discover scientific rules for themselves. The purpose is not only to provide fun, but also help people feel at home in the world of science. If people don't understand science, they will be afraid of it; and if they are afraid of science, they will not make the best of it. One cause of all these changes is the increase in wealth and spare time. Another cause is the growing number of young people in the population. Many of them are college students or college graduates. They see things in a new and different way. They want art that they can take part in. The same is true of science and history. The old museums have been changing and the government is encouraging the building of new and modern museums. In the United States and Canada, there are more than 6,000 museums, almost twice as many as there were 25 years ago. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage? Answer: Have you ever considered all the English expressions that include words about clothes? Let's have a look. People wear pants to cover the lower part of their bodies.We sometimes say that people who are nervous have ants in their pants.Sometimes,people may get caught with their pants down.They are found doing something they should not be doing.And,in every family,one person takes contro1.Sometimes a wife tells her husband what to do.Then we say she wears the pants in the family. Pants usually have pockets to hold things.Money that is likely to be spent quickly can bum a hole in your pocket.Sometimes you need a belt to hold up your pants.If you have less money than usual,you may have to tighten your belt. I always praise people who can save their money and not spend too much. l really take my hat off to them. Yet, when it comes to my own money, I spend it at the drop of a hat, which means I immediately spend it. Boots are a heavy or strong kind of shoes. People who are too big for their boots think they are more important than they really are. I dislike such people. My father is an important person. He runs a big company. He wears a suit and tie, and a shirt with sleeves that cover his arms. Some people who do not know him will think he is too serious and never shows his feelings openly. But I know that my father wears his heart on his sleeve. Someone who spends his money at the drop of a hat most probably _ Answer: I had been a step-mother for six years, and with my husband,I had watched his young children growing into teenagers. Although they lived mostly with their mother, they spent a lot of time with us. Over the years, we all learned to become more comfortable with each other. However, I continued to feel somewhat like an outsider. When the children moved to a town five hours away, my husband was understandably destroyed. In order to keep in touch with the kids, we set up an e-mail and chat-line service. Ironically , this technology can make us feel out of touch and more in need of real human contact. If a computer message came addressed to "Dad", I'd feel forgotten. If my name appeared along with his, it would brighten my day. _ not just over the telephone wires. Late one evening, as my husband was snoozing , I was catching up on my e-mail, an "instant message" appeared on the screen. It was Margo, my oldest stepdaughter, also up late in front of her computer. We sent several messages back and forth, exchanging the latest news. When we "chatted" like that, she wouldn't necessarily know if it was me or her dad unless she asked. That night she didn't ask and I didn't tell her it was me either. After hearing the latest volleyball scores and the details about a coming dance at her school, I said that it was late and I should go to sleep. Her return message read, "Okay, talk to you later! Love you!" At this, a wave of sadness ran through me and I realized that she must have thought she was writing to her father the whole time. She and I would never have openly exchange such words of love. Feeling guilty for not telling her the truth, yet not wanting to embarrass her, I simply replied, "Love you too! Have a good sleep!" I thought again of their family circle and I felt again the sharp ache of emptiness and "otherness". Then, just as my fingers reached for the keys to return the screen to black, Margo's final message appeared. It read, "Tell Dad good night for me too." With tear-filled eyes, I turned the machine off. Why was the author's husband ever understandably destroyed at first? Answer:
"In my country, men usually go to restaurants on their own. They always take their shoes off before they go in. Then they usually sit on the floor around a small, low table. In the evening they often sing songs." "You usually take chocolates or flowers. But you always take an odd number of flowers, and you remove the paper before you give them to the hostess. You can also send flowers before you arrive. you don't usually take wine except when you visit very close friends." "We always offer our guests something to drink when they arrive, tea, coffee or perhaps water or soft drinks. We think it is polite to accept a drink even if you're not thirsty. If you visit someone you always stay for a few drinks. When you have had enough to drink, you tap your cup or put your hand over it. If you say no, your host will insist that you have more to drink." "People's private lives are very important so they never ask you personal questions about your family or where you live or your job. They never talk about religion or matters of finance, education or politics, but usually stay with safe subjects like the weather, films, plays, books and restaurants." "It's difficult to know when to leave, but an evening meal usually lasts about three or four hours. When the host serves coffee, this is sometimes a sign that the evening is nearly over, but you can have as much coffee as you want." "If the invitation says eight o'clock then we arrive exactly at eight. With friends we know well, we sometimes arrive about fifteen minutes before." "Obviously it depends on the occasion, but most dinner parties are informal. The men don't usually wear a suit, but they may wear a jacket and tie. Women are usually smart but casual." When the hostess serves coffee after the meal, it means _ . A the evening meal will start at once B the guests can stay more hours C the evening meal has ended, the guests should prepare to leave D there has not been any tea and other drinks Answer: C. the evening meal has ended, the guests should prepare to leave Do you know Pretty Little Liars ? It is one of the most popular American TV series right now. It is about the life of four girls after their best friend was killed. Lucy, one of the four girls, has more than a few secrets. Lucy knew from a very young age that she would be a star, and she loved singing most. At the age of eight, she started to take singing and acting lessons. She was born on June 14 ,1989 .She has dark brown hair and brome eyes. She is afraid of flying, snakes and spiders. It makes her happy to go shopping, dance and hang out with friends in her free time. Lucy joined a talent show for teenagers when she was 14 .She was among the top five. Quickly, Lucy began to act on different TV shows. All of these small roles led up to the biggest role for her in 2010 _ she got a lead part in Pretty Little Liars, She has won the Teen Choice Award for her role as Aria for three years, from 2010 to 2012 . So what's nest for Lucy ? She is recording an album because music is always her "first love" From the passage, we know Lucy was _ years old in 2010. A twenty B twenty-one C twenty-two D twenty-three Answer: B. twenty-one Homeschool materials are every where .In fact, as a homeschool parent, one of the best learning tools you can use is making use of songs. Think of it .When you hear your favorite songs come on the radio and as soon as the lyrics begin , you can join in at once and sing along. Perhaps, you haven't heard this song for months or even years! Doesn't it amaze you? There is no doubt that learning through lyric and rhyme is a great way! With some careful searching , you can come up with many songs ,lyrics ,and rhymes that fit well with your homeschool lesson plan or unit study. Some places even have songs that have the same themes with the lessons. are perfect to be used to add to your homeschool materials ! Even if you don't find a particular great song for what you may be teaching at the time, you can write your own. With a little practice, you can not only write your own songs over time but also be surprised how good you can become. Take any of the traditional chidren's songs and modify them to meet your needs .This is an interesting exercise for both you and your children. It helps you with reading , recognizing sounds, and improving memory. Soon you'll have your children want to write and sing their own songs! Song and singing is such a great way to teach your children. It's fun and relaxing. Sometimes. you really need such a break from your study and work .It will cost nothing. So turn your creativity and imagination loose and have fun .Whisrle while you work! According to the passage, modifying traditional songs can _ A improve people's writing ability B make materials more interesting C help children sing better D help people improve memory Answer: D. help people improve memory In 2004 ,when my daughter Becky was ten , she and my husband ,Joe, were united in their desire for a dog . As for me , I shared none of their canine lust. But why , they pleaded. "Because I don't have time to take care of a dog." But we'll do it. " Really? You're going to walk the dog? Feed the dog? Bathe the dog?" Yes, yes , and yes ."I don't believe you ." We will . We promise. They didn't . From day two (everyone wanted to walk the cute puppy that first day ) , neither thought to walk the dog . While I was slow to accept that I would be the one to keep track of her shots , to schedule her vet appointments , to feed and clean her , Misty knew this on day one . As she looked up at the three new humans in her life (small, medium, and large) , she calculated , _ Quickly, she and I developed something very similar to a Vulcan mind meld . She'd look at me with those sad brown eyes of hers , beam her need , and then wait , trusting I would understand -- which , strangely , I almost always did . In no time , she became my feet as I read , and splaying across my stomach as I watched television . Even so , part of me continued to resent walking duty . Joe and Becky had promised. Not fair , I'd balk silently as she and I walked . "Not fair , " I' d loudly remind anyone within earshot upon our return home . Then one day -- January 1, 2007 , to be exact -- my husband ' s doctor uttered an unthinkable word : leukemia ( ) .With that , I spent eight to ten hours a day with Joe in the hospital , doing anything and everything I could to ease his discomfort. During those six months of hospitalizations, Becky, 12 at the time, adjusted to other adults being in the house when she returned from school. My work colleagues adjusted to my taking off at a moment's notice for medical emergencies. Every part of my life changed; no part of my old routine remained. Save one: Misty still needed walking. At the beginning, when friends offered to take her through her paces, I declined because I knew they had their own households to deal with. As the months went by,I began to realize that I actually wanted to walk Misty. The walk in the morning before I headed to the hospital was a quiet, peaceful time to gather my thoughts or to just be before the day's medical drama unfolded. The evening walk was a time to shake off the day's upsets and let the worry tracks in my head go to white noise. When serious illness visits your household, it's , not just your daily routine and your assumptions about the future that are no longer familiar. Pretty much everyone you acts differently. Not Misty. Take her for a walk, and she had no interest in Joe's blood counts or 'one marrow test results. On the street or in the park, she had only one thing on her mind: squirrels! She Was so joyous that even on the worst days, she could make me smile. On a daily basis she reminded me that life goes on. After Joe died in 2009,Misty slept on his pillow. I'm gratefulto a point. The truth is, after years of balking, I've come to enjoy m' walks with Misty. As I watch her chase after a squirrel, throwing her whole being into the here-and-now of an exercise that has never once ended in victory, she reminds me, too, that no matter how harsh the present or unpredictable the future , there's almost always some measure of joy to be extracted from the moment. Why did the writer continue to walk Misty while Joe was in hospital? A Misty couldn't live without her B Her friends didn't offer any help C The walk provided her with spiritual comfort. D She didn't want Misty to 'others companion. Answer: C. The walk provided her with spiritual comfort. An acquired characteristic is A a jagged raised welt you've had since you fell down the stairs 6 years ago B freckles from your mom's genes C brown, curly hair that resembles your sister's D a large nose just like your dad's Answer: A. a jagged raised welt you've had since you fell down the stairs 6 years ago
I had the meanest mother in the world.While other kids ate candy for breakfast.I had to have cereal, eggs and toast.Others had cakes and candy for lunch, while we had to eat a sandwich.As you can guess, my supper was different from the other kids'.But at least I was not alone in my suffering.My sister and two brothers had the same mean mother as I did. My mother insisted on knowing where we were at all times.She had to know who our friends were and what we were doing.We had to wear clean clothes every day.Other kids always wore their clothes for days. We reached the height of disgrace because she made our clothes herself, just to save money. The worst is yet to come.We had to be in bed by 9:00 each night and up at 7:45 the next morning.So while my friends slept, my mother actually had the courage to break Child Labor Law.She made us work. I believed she lay awake all night thinking up mean things to do to us.Through the years, our friends' report cards had beautiful colors on them, black for passing, red for failing.My mother, however, would only be satisfied with black marks.None of us was allowed the pleasure of being a dropout . She forced us to grow up into educated and honest adults.Using this as a background, I'm now trying to bring up my three children.I'm filled with pride when my children think I am mean because now I thank God every day for giving me the meanest mother in the world. Which of the following things did the writer hate to do most? Answer: One of the requirements of every graduation ceremony speaker is that they offer some advice. Well, get ready, here it comes. Soon you will be leaving the company of those who think they have all the answers -your professors, instructors and counselors-and going out into what we like to call the real world. In time you will meet up with other people who think they have all the answers. These people are called bosses. My advice is: humor them. A little later you'll meet additional people who think they have all the answers. These are called spouses . My advice is: humor them, too. And of all goes well, in a few years you will meet still another group of people who think they have all the answers. These are called children. Humor them. Life will go on, your children will grow up, go to school and someday they could be taking part in a graduation ceremony just like this one. And who knows, the speakers responsible for handing out good advice might be you. Halfway through your speech, the graduate sitting next to your daughter will lean over and ask, "Who is that woman up there who thinks she has all the answers?" Well, thanks to the reasonable advice you are hearing today and that I hope you will all pass on, she will be able to say, "That is my mother. Humor her." Among the people mentioned who think they have all the answers, which of the following are not referred to? Answer: I live in a big Scandinavian city that unluckily has a lot of homeless people. But there are many ways of helping them even though you may not have a lot of money. One way is to buy their monthly magazines. By doing this one day, I got to know a young homeless man who was often standing at the train station, selling the magazine. He was from another country and I can only imagine what kind of psychological scars he must have had from living in a war-torn country. After a while, I found that his birthday was close to mine which meant that we were born under the same sign of the Zodiac . I met him last year shortly after his birthday, and without thinking, after congratulating him, I asked if he had had a good day. He said he hadn't really celebrated. I just couldn't bear the thought of this nice, young man being alone on his 25th birthday with no presents, no cakes and no songs! So I went home and looked in my yarn basket and as luck would have it, I had two yarn cores of pure wool left. I set to work and knitted a scarf for the young man. I ran into him on my own birthday the next year as I was going shopping. I had hoped to meet him so I had carried the scarf around with me and a piece of my own birthday cake. He was very happy with these gifts and so was I. The light in his eyes and the heartfelt hug he gave me was the best present he could have given me! It can be inferred that _ . Answer: A storm moving over the earth will dump more rain on a Answer: As the labor market becomes more attractive, more companies are sending their employees to school. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is the latest company to use tuition assistance for employees - which for decades has been a part of many business' benefits packages - as part of a renewed effort to bring in and cultivate talent. And while the impact of such programs has yet to be fully assessed, many see it as a positive - although gradual - movement. "For workers, it gives them a better opportunity for development," says Colleen Flaherty Manchester, a professor. "For firms, they are able to recruit the type of employees who have value education and are less likely to turn over, and thus have a higher level of retention ." In all, 56 percent of US organizations offer undergraduate educational assistance while 52 percent offer graduate assistance. Largely driving the trend are Millennials, who happen to be the fastest-growing people in the US workforce today and to whom the idea of tuition support from employers is especially appealing. Nearly 60 percent of Millennials surveyed said they would choose a job with strong professional-development potential over one with regular pay raises. Employers are absolutely adapting to Millennials in the workplace. They recognize that they need more experience, more knowledge, more mentoring to be successful. And they're asking for _ . Of more than 140,000 Starbucks employees, only about 4,000 have signed up for the company's College Achievement Plan. What the long-term effects such programs might have for companies' retention and turnover rates remain unclear. But, the pluses of these programs are more important than the minuses. We're going to see a lot more of this in the future. What can we learn from what Colleen Flaherty said? Answer:
Question: Cell Phones Are the New Cigarettes When you get on a bus, you reach for it. When you're at work, you take a break to have a moment alone with it. When you are waiting for dinner, you play with it. Cigarette? No, it's another most addictive thing in the beginning of the 21st century, the cell phone (i.e. the mobile phone). Experts say it is becoming more difficult for many people to curb their wishing to hug it more tightly than most of their personal relationships. With its charming surface and its satisfying touch, the cell phone connects us even if we are only three feet away. In just the past few years, the cell phone has challenged individuals, employers, phone makers and counselors in ways that its inventors in the late 1940s never imagined. The costs are becoming even more evident, and I don't mean just the monthly bill. Dr. Chris Knippers, a counselor at the Betty Ford Center in Southern California, reports that the overuse of cell phones has caused a social problem: a barrier to one-on-one personal contact. This may sound extreme. But we've all witnessed the evidence: the person at a restaurant who talks on the phone through an entire meal, ignoring his kids around the table; the woman who talks on the phone all the way, ignoring her husband; the teenager who texts messages all the way home from school, avoiding contact with other kids all around him. How is this improving the quality of our life? Jim Williams, an industrial sociologist based in Massachusetts, notes that cell-phone addiction is a symptom in a widening gulf of personal separation. The study conducted in 2014 notes that one-quarter of Americans say they have no one to discuss their most important personal business with. Despite the growing use of phones, e-mail and instant messaging, we young people don't have as many friends as our parents. "Just as more information has led to less wisdom, more acquaintances via the Internet and cell phones have produced fewer friends," he says. (366 words) Which of the following best explains the title of the passage? A. Cell phone users smoke less than they used to. B. Cell phones have become as addictive as cigarettes. C. More people prefer cell phones to cigarettes. D. Using cell phones is just as cool as smoking cigarettes. Answer: B. Cell phones have become as addictive as cigarettes. Question: Mr. King works very long hours every day. He usually gets up at 5:30. He brushes his teeth quickly and goes to his workplace . Then he runs with some kids. After that he takes a shower. He eats his breakfast at 7:00. His work starts at 8:10. He is good at math and many boys and girls learn math from him. All the kids like him very much. He often talks or plays games with the kids. He usually goes to bed after 22:00. He is often very tired but he likes his job and loves the kids. He doesn't work on weekends. Mr. King likes reading at home on weekends. Sometimes some kids' parents come to his home to talk about their kids. When Monday comes, Mr. King gets busy again. Mr. King is good at _ . A. English B. science C. history D. math Answer: D. math Question: Hi! My name is Martin. I come from the USA. I'm in Shanghai, China now . My telephone number is (021)83130761. I am in No. 6 Junior High School. I'm in Class Five, Grade Seven. Hu Jing and Xiao Bin are my Chinese friends. We're in the same school. We are all thirteen . Miss Qiu is my English teacher. She has a round face, a big nose and big eyes. I like her very much . ,. ? A. Martin is from Shanghai. B. They are not in No. 6 Junior High School. C. Miss Qiu is a Chinese teacher. D. Miss Qiu has a round face, and her nose is big. Answer: D. Miss Qiu has a round face, and her nose is big. Question: The world's first hamburger doesn't come from where you think it comes from. It wasn't invented in the United States, and it didn't originate in Germany. No, the world's first hamburger comes from China. If you're scratching your head right now, you're not alone. But Chinese hamburgers are very real and they definitely predate the hamburgers we call our own in the U.S. Known as rou jia mo, which translates to "meat burger" or "meat sandwich", they consist of chopped meat inside a pita-like _ , and they've been around since the Qin Dynasty, from about 221 BC to 207 BC. Despite the differences between this Chinese street food and our American-style burgers, the rou jia mo has been called the world's first hamburger. The rou jia mo originated in the Shanxi Province of China, and is now eaten all over the country. It's typically prepared and eaten on the street. The dough for the bun, or mo, consists of a simple mixture of wheat flour, water and maybe yeast. Of course recipes may vary, but this basic equation makes for a chewy and subtle pillow for the delicious filling. While the mo is traditionally baked in a clay oven, today it's often fried in a pan. They may look a little like Chinese steamed buns or baozi, but the dough for those are, of course, steamed, not baked or fried. The meat filling might consist of chopped pork, beef, lamb or chicken that has been stewed with a variety of spices, like ginger, cloves, coriander and star anise. You might also find herbs like cilantro or greens like lettuce garnishing the sandwich. What would be the best title for the passage? A. Delicious hamburger B. How to cook hamburger C. Chinese invented hamburger D. History of hamburger Answer: C. Chinese invented hamburger Question: Soap operas and sitcoms are two kinds of popular TV shows. What are the differences between them? A soap opera is usually very long and has many episodes .All the episodes of a soap opera are _ The first soap opera was on radio in the late 1930s. One of the most famous soap operas is Friends. A sitcom, or a situation comedy, is a set of funny stories. These stories all happen in a small place, like a house or a workplace. Sitcoms are different from soap operas. Each story in a sitcom can be a different one and sitcoms make people feel happy. There is a very popular sitcom on TV in China. Everyone likes it. Do you know it? It is Home With Kids. What's the best title for the passage? A. How to make Soap Operas B. Differences Between Soap Operas and Sitcoms C. Differences Between Sitcoms and Funny Stories D. How to Make People Laugh Answer: B. Differences Between Soap Operas and Sitcoms
Nate suffered a hard blow when he lost his job.His boss had spoken rudely, "Your services are no longer needed." Nate left the building filled with disappointment.By the time he reached home, he was in a deep depression.When he entered his house, he blurted out to his wife Sophia, "I lost my job.I am a complete failure." A tense silence followed.Then a smile crept across Sophia's face."What great news!" she responded. "Now you can write the book you have always wanted to write." "But I have no job and no prospect of a job," he objected, completely without hope."If I struggle to be an author, then what will we live on? Where will the money come from?" Sophia took her husband by the hand and led him to the kitchen.Opening a drawer, she took out a box that was full of cash."Where on earth did you get this?" Nate gasped."To whom does it belong?" "It's ours!" Sophia replied."I always knew that one day you would become a great writer if only you were given the chance.From the money you gave me for housekeeping every week, I have saved as much as I could so you would have your chance.Now there is enough to last us a whole year." What a surprise! What encouragement! What a wife! The unemployed husband did concentrate on writing that year, and the novel he wrote became a literary masterpiece.The book is The Scarlet Letter.Sophia had an even greater achievement, and she turned Nathaniel Hawthorne from a poor clerk into a world famous master. What would be the best title for the passage? Answer: In order for trees to use sunlight they must Answer: London has always been known for its "black fogs". In the winter of 1952, a milky white fog rolled into the city. As the smoke poured into the air, it was so hard to see that people had to walk in front of the buses to guide them. In this way, the most serious air pollution disaster in history began. When it was over, more than 4,000 people had been killed by the thick black smog. New York City has had several London-type smogs since 1950. Each time, 100 to 400 deaths were caused by the smog. Although these smogs were not as deadly as London's, New York City has the worst air pollution problem in the United States. In all the killer smogs, factories and homes poured smoke and fumes into the air from the furnaces. The chemical fumes combined with the water droplets in the fog to form harmful substances. These substances caused the illness of those who breathed the polluted air. Usually, such harmful fumes rise into the upper air and are blown away by the wind. But sometimes there is an unusual weather condition called a temperature inversion. A layer of cold air remains near the ground as smoke and fumes pour into it. This is covered by an upper layer of warm air that acts like a lid. It prevents the polluted cooler air from rising. The harmful fumes pile up and make people ill. The smog may be so thick that airports are closed and chains of collisions occur on the highways. Another type of smog occurs in Los Angeles. Here the weather may be clear and sunny. But stinging eyes and dry coughs show that harmful chemicals fill the air. The smog is due to invisible gases, mostly from automobile exhaust. Because these chemicals are changed by the sun high up in the air, it is called photochemical smog. It contains automobile exhaust fumes and nitrogen oxides changed by the sun's rays. Added to these are sulfur dioxide and other fumes from factories and oil refineries. Photochemical smog is found in many large cities all over the world. Killer smogs don't happen very often, fortunately. But in Beijing, a combination of automobile exhaust fumes, home furnace smoke, and factory waste gases pours into the air. This may also happen in the suburbs, or out in the country, where large factories have been built. A number of harmful substances have been found in the air there. When these substances are breathed in day after day, the health of the population is affected. When photochemical smog happens in the city, _ . Answer: Driving to the airport in the early morning, I felt excited. Although I was heading abroad for my first time alone, I felt cheerful and enthusiastic. I was spending the summer in Paris. While looking for more interesting things to do besides sleeping and eating, I found programs for learning languages abroad, and jumped at the chance to study French in this city known for its art, fashion, food, and culture. As I arrived at the airport where I would leave my family, I still felt only great happiness. I excitedly made my way through security, leaving my loved ones behind. My connecting flight was in Frankfurt, Germany, 14hours from Denver. Sitting in a crowded plane watching bad movies couldn't dampen my excitement. When the woman next to me asked me where I was going, I happily answered and was pleased to note a tone of jealousy in her response. But when I arrived in Frankfurt, fear and anxiety began to set in. Being in an enormous, busy building in a country where I couldn't speak the language was frightening, but as I found my way, I gained confidence. When I boarded the second plane and discovered that the flight was less than an hour, I was filled with excitement as I thought of how I would manage in a country with a new language. When I stepped on the ground of Pairs for the first time, I was extremely happy and excited. I gathered my bags and joined the crowd of people waiting for friends and family. I quickly had my first experience trying to communicate in a language that I had only practiced in school. As I left the airport, I looked for familiar monuments I had read about, but the landscape looked very ordinary. Then,with one sharp turn, the Eiffel Tower came into view, and I was finally in Pairs. What is the passage mainly about? Answer: No one really knows how and why people change as they get older. Also, no theory sufficiently explains all the changes of the aging process. Aging is a complex and varied process that varies in how it affects different people and organs. In fact, even in one person , different organ systems "age " at a different rate. At a certain point in our lives our body systems will begin to weaken . It may become more difficult for us to see and hear. The slow change of aging causes our bodies to lose some of their ability to _ from disease and injury. In order to live longer , we have always tried to slow or stop this change that leads us toward the end of our lives. Many factors decide our health . A good diet plays an important role. The amount and the type of exercise we get are another two factors. Our living condition is yet another. But scientists studying the aging problem want to know: Why do people grow old? They hope that by studying the aging medical science they may be able to make the length of life longer. There is nothing to be afraid of as the old age comes. Many consider the later part of life to be the best time for living. Physical activity may become less, but often we get better understanding of the world and ourselves. What we consider the old age now may only be middle-aged some day soon. Who knows ,with so many advances in medical science happening so quickly, life length may one day be measured in centuries ,rather than in years! Many consider the later part of life to be the time of living because they _ . Answer:
Britain's symbolic red phone boxes have become out of date in the age of the mobile, but villages across the country are stepping in to save them, with creative intelligence. Whether as a place to exhibit art, poetry, or even as a tiny library, hundreds of phone boxes have been given a new life by local communities determined to preserve a typical part of British life. In Waterperry, a small village near Oxford, the 120 residents have filled the phone box next to the old house with a pot of flowers, piles of gardening and cooking magazines, and stuck poems on the walls. They took control of the phone box when telecoms operator BT said it was going to pull it down, an announcement that caused such dissatisfaction that one local woman threatened to chain herself to the box to save it. "I'd have done it, " insisted Kendall Turner. "It would have been heartbreaking for the village. " Local councilor Tricia Hallam, who came up with the idea for the phone box's change, said quite a few people would have joined her, adding, " We couldn't let it go because it's a British symbol." Only three feet by three feet wide, and standing 2.51-meter tall, the phone boxes were designed by Giles Gilbert Scott in 1936 for the 25thanniversary of the reign of King George V. Painted in "Post Office red" to match the post boxes, they were once a typical image of England and the backdrop to millions of tourist photographs. Eight years ago there were about 17,000 across Britain, but today, in a country where almost everybody has a mobile phone, 58 percent are no longer profitable and ten percent are only used once a month. "On average, maintaining them costs PS800 a year per phone box-about PS44 million annually," said John Lumb, general manager for BT Payphones. What is the color of the British post boxes according to the passage? Answer: Red We all know that the normal human daily cycle of activity is of some 7-8 hours' sleep alternating with some 16-17 hours' wakefulness and that the sleep normally coincides with the hours of darkness. Our present concern is with how easily and to what extent this cycle can be modified. The question is no mere academic one. The ease, for example, with which people can change from working in the day to working at night is a question of growing importance in industry where automation calls for round-the-clock working of machines. It normally takes from five days to one week for a person to adapt to a reversed routine of sleep and wakefulness, sleeping during the day and working at night. Unfortunately, it is often the case in industry that shifts are changed every week; a person may work from 12 midnight to 8 a.m. one week, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. the next, and 4 p.m. to 12 midnight the third and so on. This means that no sooner has he got used to one routine than he has to change to another, so that much of his time is spent neither working nor sleeping very efficiently. The only real solution appears to be to hand over the night shift to a number of permanent night workers. An interesting study of the domestic life and health of night-shift workers was carried out by Brown in 1957. She found a high incidence of disturbed sleep and other disorders among those on alternating day and night shifts, but no abnormal occurrence of these phenomena among those on permanent night work. This latter system then appears to be the best long-term policy, but meanwhile something may be done to relieve the pressure of alternate day and night work by selecting those people who can adapt most quickly to the changes of routine. One way of knowing when a person has adapted is by measuring his body temperature. People occupied in normal daytime work will have a high temperature during the hours of wakefulness and a low one at night; when they change to night work the pattern will only gradually go back to match the new routine and the speed with which it does so parallels, broadly speaking, the adaptation of the body as a whole, particularly in terms of performance. Therefore, by taking body temperature at two-hour intervals throughout the period of wakefulness, it can be seen how quickly a person can adapt to a reversed routine, and this could be used as a basis for selection. So far, however, such a form of selection does not seem to have been applied in practice. The best solution for implementing the 24-hour working system seems to be _ . Answer: to arrange for some people to work on night shifts only Which of the following events involves a consumer and producer in a food chain? Answer: A deer eats a leaf. In 1933, a hurricane came ashore at Ocean City, Maryland. A hurricane negatively affects a coastline by Answer: causing erosion Which type of rock is formed when hot lava cools? Answer: igneous
US chat show queen Oprah Winfrey surprised 300 members of her audience by saying she would send them on a trip to Australia in December.Winfrey will also film an episode of her show at the Sydney "Oprah" House. The Australian government said it was spending AUS$ 3 million to help bring The Oprah Winfrey Show to the country. Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson insisted it was money well spent as it would put Australia in the spotlight,with the popular TV show watched by 40 million Americans and screened in 145 countries."Oprah is a famous name and she has the power to improve Australia's image as an important tourist country," he said in a statement. Winfrey made the announcement on Monday.After telling the audience that she might take them on a trip to New York,Philadelphia or Los Angeles,she said her last season would provide something "bigger". "I started to think about where I would most want to go.Maybe I should take all of you with me to the other side of the world.We're going to Australia!"she said. Several episodes will be filmed during the trip,which had been planned for almost a year and will take in beaches,Sydney Harbour and so on.It marks the first time that the show will be filmed with its US audience outside North America.The Australian trip follows a similar act in 2004 when Winfrey gave a car to each member of her audience. Winfrey is to start her own television channel ,the Oprah Winfrey Network,in 2011,at the age of her 57. Which of the following about Winfrey is TRUE? Answer: She will film her show at Sydney Harbour. There were times when it was only schoolchildren who felt sick before they got their grades.But now teachers in prefix = st1 /Germanyare 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 website www.spickmich.deduring the past four months students have posted evaluations 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 rankings of Germany's best teachers. Which of the following can be the best title of the passage? Answer: Teachers get graded by pupils There was a time when the owners of shops and businesses in Chicago had to pay large sums of money to gangsters in return for "protection". If the money was not paid immediately, the gangsters would quickly put a man out of business by destroying his shop. Getting "protection money" is not a modern means. As long ago as the fourteenth century, an Englishman, Sir John Hawkwood, made the remarkable discovery that people would rather pay large sums of money than have their life work destroyed by gangsters. Then Sir John Hawkwood arrived in Italy with a group of soldiers and settled near Florence. He soon made a name for himself and came to be known to the Italians as Giovanni Acuto. Whenever the Italian city-states were at war with each other, Hawkwood used to hire his soldiers to those who were willing to pay the high price he demanded. In times of peace, when business was bad, Hawkwood and his men would march into a city-state and, after burning down a few farms, would offer to go away if protection money was paid to them. Hawkwood made large sums of money with this method. In spite of this, the Italians regarded him as a sort of hero .When he died at eighty, the Florentines gave him a state funeral and had his picture painted, which was in memory of "this bravest man". According to the writer, Hawkwood was _ . Answer: a noble gangster Like distance runners on a measured course,all of us will move through time in a roughly predictable pattern. In the first stage of our lives,we develop and grow, reaching toward the top of physical vitality . After we grow up,however, the body begins a process of gradually wearing out. A new awareness of physical fitness may help lengthen our years of health and vitality,yet nothing we do will work to stop the unavoidable force of aging. Most of the changes of aging take place deep inside the body.The lungs become less able to take in oxygen.Powerful muscles gradually lose their strength.The heart loses power and pumps less blood.Bones grow easier to break. Finally, we meet a stress,a stress that is greater than our physical resistance.Often,it is only a minor accident or chance infection(a disease caused by virus),but this time, _ brings life to an end. In 1932,a classic experiment nearly doubled the lifetime of rats,simply by cutting back the calories in their diet The reason for the effect was then unknown. Today, at the University of California at Berkley, Dr.Paul Seagle has also greatly lengthened the normal lifetime of rats.The result was achieved through a special protein limited diet,which had a great effect on the chemistry of the brain.Seagle showed that within the brain,specific chemicals control many of the signals that influence aging.By changing that chemical balance,the clock of aging can be reset. For the first time, the mystery of why we age is being seriously challenged.Scientists in many fields are now making striking and far-reaching discoveries. An average lifetime lasts 75 years,yet in each of us lies a potential for a longer life.If we could keep the vitality and resistance to disease that we have at age twenty, we would live for 800 years. How did Dr.Paul Seagle lengthen the lifetime of rats in his experiment? Answer: By limiting the protein in their diet. In many English homes people eat four meals a day. They have breakfast at any time from seven to nine in the morning. They eat porridge , eggs and bread and drink tea or coffee for breakfast. Lunch comes at one o'clock. Afternoon tea is from four to five in the afternoon and dinner is at about seven thirty. First they have soup, then they have meat or fish with vegetables. After that, they eat other things, like bananas, oranges or apples. But not all English people eat like that. Some of them have their dinner in the middle of the day. Their meals are breakfast, dinner, tea and supper. And all these meals are very simple . For dinner, they don't have _ . Answer: porridge
Is there a nationwide shortage of nurses? It's hard to say. However, some characteristic symptoms often indicate that there is indeed a shortage. One symptom is the vacancy rate, or the percentage of budgeted positions that are unfilled. New England's hospitals currently report that an average of 7 to 12 percent of their registered nurse positions are vacant, the highest level since the last shortage in the late 1980s. Vermont has a ly low vacancy rate, at 7.8 percent. But its vacancies were at 1.2 percent just five years ago. Another symptom is the increased use of stopgap measures to fill empty positions. For instance, many nurses report an _ in how frequently they are asked to stay past their shifts. According to Murphy, working in the St. Elizabeth's Hospital, "The shortage has definitely created a lot of opportunities of overtime for our nurses, whether they want them or not." Similarly, a national survey of registered nurses shows that in an average week, nurses in the U.S. work 2.4 more hours than they are scheduled to. Much of this extra time is voluntary, as nurses earn overtime pay when they stay to fill in blanks in the schedule. When they can't fill open positions by more traditional means, health care providers hire temporary staff to tide them over. Travelling workers are the largest part of the temporary health care workforce, hired for thirteen-week reduction at health care facilities facing short-term lack of workers. Temporary workers, mainly nurses, cost hospitals $ 7.2 billion in 2000. "Any successful solution to the shortage depends on convincing more people to become nurses, and that is not an easy goal to reach. To achieve it," says Buerhaus, "society needs to place more value on nursing. Legislation can't do that - it should come from people." And if this continues, we might have to learn to care for ourselves in the hospital. According to Buerhaus, what is a successful solution to the nurse shortage? Answer: Anne LaBastille was born in New York City and grew up in New Jersey. Her first experience with the wilderness was in the Adirondacks in the northeast of New York, where she worked at a summer resort to earn money for college tuition by caring for the horses, giving riding lessons, and working as a waitress. And she had many chances to begin her adventure in the Adirondack wilderness. Anne returned to school in the fall, but she continued to spend as much time as she could in the Adirondacks. She grew to love her time alone in the mountains. Anne graduated from college with a bachelor's degree in conservation of natural resources and began working for the National Audubon Society in Florida as a wildlife tour leader. Although Anne took great pleasure in showing people the animals living in the Florida Keys and the Everglades National Park, she longed for the mountains in the northern parts of New York. Finally she decided to build a cabin near Black Bear Lake. Over the years, however, more and more tourists began hiking near her cabin. As a result, Anne decided to build another cabin deeper in the woods at Lily Pad Lake. Anne lived in the woods for most of her life. She enjoyed living alone in the woods, and her life was far too busy for her to be lonely. When she was not writing books, she wrote articles for National Geographic, Reader's Digest, and other magazines. In her later years, Anne conducted research in Guatemala on an endangered bird called the grebe. She also lectured nationwide about ecology. Besides, Anne worked with a number of organizations dedicated to conservation. As a respected guide, author, and conservationist, Anne not only loved the land but also had found a way to become part of it. What's the main idea of the text? Answer: Today people are paying more and more attention to improving their health through sports and exercise. But some of them have some wrong ideas about it. A plate of chicken is a good meal before games because it has much energy. In fact, the best meal before games should have carbohydrates . Foods like potatoes, bread, bananas are rich in it, chicken and meat are not. Carbohydrates are the best and most easily used forms of energy. The energy that you get for today's game is from what you ate yesterday. The best time to exercise is early in the morning. Morning is a good time to exercise, but it may not be suitable for you. If an afternoon or evening period suits you, and you enjoy the feeling of getting healthier, you can choose any time to exercise. There is no fixed time for you to exercise. If you drink water when you exercise, you'll get headaches and feel tired. The fact is that you must have some water during breaks when you exercise. And after exercising, you must have enough water. If you don't drink enough water, then you'll probably get headaches and feel tired. Exercising the same body part every day is the fastest way to improve strength. False! Exercising the same body part every day is the fastest way to cause problems. To improve strength, you want to work your muscles hard, but then you need to give those muscles a day of rest. Too much exercise can cause serious problems to muscles. Girls who do strength training will make their muscles big. Wrong! We usually connect those big muscles with bodybuilders , but girls don't have enough male hormone to make their muscles big like men. Strength training is a good way to make their muscles strong for girls. You can _ to improve arms' strength. Answer: Combining families with kids can be tough and offers even more unexpected problems. You just don't know how things will shake out until everyone is under one roof, trying on new roles with name that start with "step". This is what happened to Sheila and Will, and Sheila's 8-year-old daughter Ashley. After the couple got married, and Will became the member of the new family, things got worse than expected. How did they make it work? Read the full version of the story here. Shelia's Turn: When Shelia and Will were dating, he seemed like kids, especially Ashley. He'd bring her presents, play games with her. But after the wedding, things took a turn. Will suddenly became a super strict stepfather, scolding Ashley for watching too much cartoons, constantly picking fights and punishing her for offenses as small as spilling milk. Shelia's thought about leaving Will, but soon after they married, they had a son, Billy. Will adores his well-behaved boy, but Ashley hates him. Shelia doesn't know what to do--- her daughter is miserable, but leaving her husband might mean losing her son. Will's turn: Will was so excited to be a male role model in Ashley's life. He didn't just want to be a guy living in her house; he wanted to treat her like his own daughter, which, to Will, meant giving Ashley more rules and help her learn responsibility. He'd always felt that Shelia let Ashley loose on everything. But after the wedding, Will was surprised that Shelia didn't want him to do that. If Will takes away Ashley's TV privileges or tells her to clean up her room, Shelia just lets Ashley do what she likes and does it herself. Will was tired of this and he'd rather take his son and go. The advisor's turn: The counselor quickly recognized their conflict as a classic case of unspoken, hidden expectations. Before the wedding, when it was just Shelia and Will, everything was easy. But now, everyone in their big family is competing for attention, and the couple never sat down and discussed the biggest issue---their child-upbringing philosophies . The counselor suggested Shelia allow Will to give some rules on Ashley but Will's punishments couldn't be extreme. Once Ashley saw that her mom and stepdad had become a united front, she cooperated more. The reasons for Ashley's dislike of Will are as follows except _ ? Answer: Colleges may try to do a lot to prepare students for study abroad - telling about culture shock, warning about homesickness, recommending books about the country. But when it comes to adjusting to campus life when they return, schools haven't done as much, even though the transition is sometimes almost as difficult. "They can feel disoriented and depressed. They find things are not exactly the way they were when they left," said Antonio Jimenez, director of the Center for International Affairs at California State University Channel Islands in Camarillo, California, US. "They find that people don't care much about their experiences." Some colleges are now rethinking their approach to study abroad, recognizing that students might need almost as much help adjusting to life back home as they did getting ready to leave: students experience a sort of reverse culture shock when they return to the US. They might be troubled by the wealth and waste they see back home or they might feel homesick for their new country and its customs. And when they try to talk about their experiences, people quickly lose interest, especially if they haven't lived abroad themselves. Down the road, they also might find it difficult to translate their time abroad into experience that an employer finds attractive. Some California universities have organized conferences to help students make the most of their time abroad. During a one-day event, students learn how to adjust after living abroad, talk about their experiences and incorporate them into their lives and future careers. Blythe Cherney, 22, a senior who has studied in Thailand and Britain, found the _ helpful. "Any experience abroad does have an effect on you," Cherney said. "When you come back, it's important to talk about it, especially with people who know what you've been through." Yet most universities focus more on preparation than reorientation. When students return, they might have a welcome home reception. But for the most part, universities figure students can fend for themselves. After the students come back _ . Answer:
Question: Having returned from her round trip, the angry woman stood outside the ticket office of the station. "The railway should pay me backPS12, so you owe me the money," she said to Harry Jenks, the young man who was working at the office. "You sold me a ticket for May 22nd, but there was no ship from Jersey that night. So my daughter and I had to stay in a hotel. It cost me PS12." Harry was worried. He remembered selling the woman a return ticket. "Come into the office, Madam," he said politely, "I'll just check the Jersey timetable for May 22nd." The woman and her little girl followed him inside. She was quite right, as Harry soon discovered. There was no sailing on May 22nd. How could he have made such a careless mistake? He shouldn't have sold her a ticket for that day. Wondering what to do, he smiled at the child. "You look sun burnt," he said to her, "Did you have a nice holiday in Jersey?" "Yes," she answered, shyly, "The beach was lovely. And I can swim, too!" "That's fine," said Harry. "My little girl can't swim a bit yet. Of course, she's only three..." "I'm four," the child said proudly, "I'll be four and a half." Harry turned to the mother. "I remember your ticket, Madam," he said, "But you didn't get one for your daughter, did you?" "Er, well..."woman looked at the child, "I mean... she hasn't started school yet. She's only four." "A four-year-old child must have a ticket, Madam. A child's return ticket to Jersey costs...let me see...PS13.50. So if the railway pays your hotel, you will owePS1.50. The law is the law, but since the fault was mine..." What would be the end of the story? A. The woman would ask the police for help. B. The woman would see the head of the station. C. The woman would insist on getting backPS12. D. The woman would stop arguing and leave. Answer: D. The woman would stop arguing and leave. Question: Doha, the capital of Qatar,is a city of contrasts . In a few decades it has beentransformed from a small port to an international city. Today, its skyline is shaped by rising skyscrapers, but Old Doha---though fast disappearing---can still be found. Time seems to stand still in the old quarter of the city. On the dusty streets, Indian and Pakistani men sit cross-legged outside tea shops and restaurants. At one end of the road, men queue by the doorways of crowded supermarkets to buy necessities: boxes of teabags, milk, sugar, bread and soap. The shops are dark and poorly stocked. However, only five miles away, on the other side of the city, Doha shows a completely different image. It shines brilliantly with skyscrapers, five-star hotels and noble apartment buildings. The area looks like any other modem district in the world. Qatar, a tiny gulf nation, is a country of vast local and international ambitions. At home, it has owned several international universities. Abroad, it tries to speak louder on gulf affairs. These ambitions are urged by the country's unbelievably rich reserves of fossil fuels.In December 2012, Daba was the site of Copl8 UN Climate Change Conference and in 2022,Qatar will host the World Cup. Mohammed Salim, 55, runs a hair salon in the old part of the city where he works as a hair dresser.When he came to Doha 22 years ago from Pakistan,he recalls,Doha was a quiet town with few modern buildings."At that time,Doha seemed rather small.There were no big roads or malls at all." He has noticed a drop in customers to his salon in recent years."People now tend to go to more fashionable hair salons in shopping malls.Some day this old area will be gone, and my business will probably be gone, too.I'll be sad. I love here, but things are changing.We can't ignore it." What do we know about the shops in the old quarter of Doha? A. They don't have many goods or customers. B. They provide a great variety of luxury goods. C. They are bright big shops crowded with people. D. They look poor and offer fewer choices of goods. Answer: D. They look poor and offer fewer choices of goods. Question: Mr. Jenkins constructed a circuit consisting of a variable source, wires, and a resistor. In order to triple the amount of current, how should he change the voltage of the source? A. make the voltage three times larger B. make the voltage one-third as great C. make the voltage nine times larger D. make the voltage one-ninth as great Answer: A. make the voltage three times larger Question: What can a flower become? A. a fruit B. a leaf C. a stem D. a branch Answer: A. a fruit Question: Zipped into a bag, it looks like a large umbrella. Unfolded, it goes along the street like any other bicycle. It's the "A-bike", the brainchild of British inventor Sir Clive Sinclair, who made history in the 1970s by developing the world's first pocket calculator. He described his new invention as "the world's smallest, lightest foldable bicycle". "My original thought was that if you could have a bicycle that was dramatically lighter and more firm than the ones that exist today, it would change the way in which bicycles are used,"said Sinclair. The mini-bike, showed in Singapore last week and set to go on sale worldwide in 2005 at a price of nearly US$300, is built for riders as heavy as 112 kilograms and is height-adjustable . It takes about 20 seconds to fold or unfold. Its wheels are a quarter the size of those on a regular bicycle, but Sinclair promises a smooth ride for most cyclists. "You require no extra energy to ride the A-bike and it can go up to 15 miles per hour (24 kilometers per hour)," he said. Constructed mainly of plastic, the 5.5-kilogram bicycle folds into a package of less than 0.03 cubic meters . Sinclair also invented the first pocket TV in 1984 and the futuristic C5 electric tricycle in 1985. He said he hoped the bicycle would attract common citizens, officials, campers or anyone needing transport for a short trip and he said the next step for the A-bike was to add an electric motor in a few years. This kind of new bike hasn't been fixed with _ . A. a wheel B. an electric motor C. pedal D. a hand Answer: B. an electric motor
When Nancy Lublin got $5,000 from her grandpa in 1996, she never once considered taking a vacation or paying off student loans .Instead, the 24-year-old New York University law student began thinking about helping low-income women get better jobs. "If a woman goes for a job interview poorly dressed, she won't get the job." Lublin says. " but without a job, she can't afford suitable clothes." So with the money Lublin founded "Dress for Success" and began collecting women's clothes which were still in good condition but which their owners no longer needed. "So many women have clothes lying around that they will never wear again," one of Lublin's assistants says "Nancy's idea is so simple and yet so important to women." Many women come to Lublin's office before going to a job interview. Here, they receive a suit, shoes and any other things they need. Since it was set up, more than 1,000 women have turned to "Dress for Success" for help. Many of them have won jobs. Some have round jobs after being out of work for many years. Jenny, a 32-year-old woman who was recently hired as a law-firm office manager , says, "I made a good impression because of "Dress for Success" What would be a good title for the text? A Nancy: A Successful Law Student. B A Helping Hand for Women C Keep Your Old Clothes D A Successful Clothing Business Answer: B In 2006, a large number of new Internet sites became popular around the world. Some of these are for communication, others for entertainment . The blog is one form of communication that increased in popularity. Through these personal websites , people can share their lives, ideas and opinions on the Internet. People of all ages have their own blogs. For young people, they are a way to show their writing and other forms of self-expression. Blogs also connect people with other people who have the same interests. For example, teachers use blogs to share ideas with other teachers', as well as experiences and concerns about their work. YouTube is another Internet site that became more popular last year. This website lets anyone create, share and watch short videos. These include videos of people singing or dancing, or animals doing funny things. Three young men created YouTube almost two years ago as a personal video sharing service. They recently sold it to Google for more than one and a half billion dollars. Games and entertainment also became a larger part of the Internet last year. One Internet social site is called Second Life. It is an online world in which computer users create a new self and live a different life. _ get married, build homes, operate businesses, buy and sell goods, work, play and attend school. People also take part in fantasy sports leagues with the help of the Internet. A fantasy sport is a game in which each member of a group acts as the owner of a team. Each owner creates a team of real-life professional players to compete against other teams in the league. More than fifteen million American adults play fantasy sports. The industry earns more than one billion dollars each year from publications, memberships and other costs. The passage is mainly about _ . A the most popular Internet technology in 2006 B some new ways for people to communicate or have fun on the Internet C one online game called Second Life D the high price of playing online Answer: B What's On Stage An acrobatic show:To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the China Acrobatic Troupe will present "The Soul of China", where the seemingly impossible is made real. Chills will run down your spine as you watch breathlessly as performers take their art and their bodies to the edge. Time: 7:30 p.m., September 13-19 Place: Capital Theatre, 22 Wangfujing Dajie, Dongcheng District Exhibitions Joint Show: A group ink painting exhibition is running at the Huangshicheng Art Gallery in Beijing. About 50 works by 25 young artists including Ge Yun and Yu Yang are on display. Time: 9:00 a. m.-5:00 p.m. until September 10 Place: Huangshicheng Art Gallery, 136 Nanchizi Dajie, Dongcheng District Oil paintings:The Wanfung Art Gallery will host a joint show of oil painting by 10 young and middle-aged artists. On display are more than 30 of their latest works, which capture the wondrous variety of life in unique styles. Time: 9:00 a.m. -4:00 p.m. until September 15 Place: 136 Nanchizi Street, Dongcheng District Literature museum: The National Museum of Modern Chinese Literature offers an in-depth study of the evolution of Chinese contemporary literature from 1919 to 1949. Time: 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m., daily Place: 45 Anyuan Donglu, Chaoyang District (Shaoyaoju area) Concerts Beijing rocks:"The Fashion Night of Chinese Rock" is set to bring rock fans out by the thousands next month. Nine Chinese rock bands will perform at the concert, including older generation bands, middle generation and some recent arrivals. The audience will be given a chance to decide what songs they want to hear, which is sure to bring a storm. Time: September 16 Place: The Olympic Center Belgium orchestra:La Petite Bande, the Baroque Orehestra of Belgium, will perform in Beijing at the Grand Theatre of the Cultural Palace of Nationalities as part of activities across the world in memory of the 250th anniversary of Bach's death. Time: 7:30 p.m. September 11-14 Place: Grand Theatre of the Cultural Palace of Nationalities What do you think of the acrobatic show mentioned above? A When you watch it, you will certainly feel cold. B Unexpected things will make you excited and surprised. C Something strange will puzzle everyone, including scientists. D Even the bravest ones will be too frightened to go on watching. Answer: B Joseph Rudyard Kipling, who enjoyed early success with his poems, was born on 30 December 1865 in Bombay, India. Some of Kipling's earliest and fondest memories are of his and sister Alice's trips to the fruit market with their woman servant, or walking with his parents alongside the sea at night. The beautiful days were to end when in 1871 Rudyard and Alice were sent to school in Southsea, England, to live with Captain Holloway and his wife. She ruled the boarding house with punishment and Kipling was often beaten by her and her son. "Then the old Captain died, and I was sorry, for he was the only person in that house as far as I can remember who ever threw me a kind word." So he wrote in his later books. Kipling soon learned to read and found comfort in literature and poetry. Freedom from the Holloway household was gained when he spent one month a year in London with his mother's kind sister Aunt Georgie and her husband, pre-Raphaelite painter Edward Burne Jones and their children. _ In 1877 Kipling's mother returned to England and collected him so that he could attend the United Services College in Devon. Now he was able to settle into the life of a student and in his second year started writing his own Schoolboy Lyric poems printed by his parents. In 1878 his father took him to the Paris Exhibition where he was allowed to wander freely and gained much appreciation for French culture which he wrote about in "Souvenirs of France". Kipling first left his parents in _ . A 1865 B 1871 C 1877 D 1878 Answer: B Pairs has the Eiffel Tower; New York has the Statue of Liberty; and Brussels, the Manneken Pis. Think of the Belgian capital and , if anything, you think of the small peeing boy -- a 60-meter-high bronze figure standing on a block, supplying a constant stream of water of the basin under him. Some might laugh. But for Jacque Stroobants, the statue is up there with the best of them. "I'm proud of him. People come from all around the world to see him," says 60-year-old Stroobants with a fatherly glance at the little boy. As the most famous landmark of Brussels, Manneken Pis has a very special place in the heart of Belgians. The original Manneken Pis dates back to 1388, but the statue tourists see today dates from 1619 when the city built a second one after the original was destroyed. Many stories go round Manneken Pis. Nobody knows why he was made. One story is that he saved Brussels by putting out the flames of a deadly fire with his well-aimed pis. But the most believable story is that the boy, the son of a wealthy man, was kidnapped . The father had a statue built in honor of the way his son was found - peeing against a tree. Perhaps best-known for his naked beauty, the "peeing boy" has also been clothed in some of the finest clothes money can buy. Stroobants has been changing his clothes for the last 29 years. On average, he has clothes on 300 days a year. And on special days, he pees beer. A few of the ways he's been dressed are: a football player, Mozart and an army general. Now, he has more than 600 pieces of clothes. There is no strict charge for those wishing to provide clothes for the little boy. But certain condition must be met. "The clothes cannot include either advertising or political message." said Stroobants, because they would cheapen the national treasure. But Manneken Pis is still something local people can make money from--by selling all kinds of souvenirs. The local people can get money by selling _ . A objects that remind the tourists of a trip B clothes that Manneken Pis has worn C anything that is related to Manneken Pis D stone figures that resemble Manneken Pis Answer: C
Robert Burns, the son of a hard-working and intelligent farmer, was the oldest of seven children. Although always hard pressed financially, their father encouraged his sons with their education. As a result, Burns not only read the Scottish poetry of Ramsay and the collections by Hailes and Herd, but also the works of Pope, Locke, and Shakespeare. By 1781, Burns had tried his hand at several agricultural jobs without success. Although he had begun writing, and his poems were spread widely in manuscript , none were published until 1786, when Burns published Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect (1786), which was an immediate success. Later Burns brought out a second edition of his poems at Edinburgh in 1787, and for two winters he was socially active in the Scottish city. In 1788 he retired to a farm at Ellis land. By 1791 Burns had failed as a farmer, and he moved to Dumfries, where he held a position as a tax collector. He died of illness at 37. Burns's art is at its best in songs such as My Heart's in the Highlands. Some of his songs, such as Auld Lang Syne and Comin' thro' the Rye, are among the most familiar and best-loved songs in the English language. But his talent was not limited to songs; two descriptive pieces, Tam o' Shanter and The Jolly Beggars, are among his masterpieces. Burns had a fine sense of humor, which was reflected in his satirical , descriptive, and playful poems. His great popularity with the Scots lay in his ability to describe the life of his fellow rural Scots. His use of dialect brought an energetic, much-needed freshness into English poetry. What was Robert's biggest contribution to English poetry? Answer: Freedom and Responsibility Freedom's challenge in the Digital Age is a serious topic. We are facing today a strange new world and we are all wondering what we are going to do with it. Some 2,500 years ago Greece discovered freedom. Before that there was no freedom. There were great civilizations, splendid empires, but no freedom anywhere. Egypt and Babylon were both _ , one very powerful man ruling over helpless masses. In Greece, in Athens , a little city in a little country, there were no helpless masses. And Athenians willingly obeyed the written laws which they themselves passed, and the unwritten, which must be obeyed if free men live together. They must show each other kindness and pity and the many qualities without which life would be very painful unless one chose to live alone in the desert.The Athenians never thought that a man was free if he could do what he wanted. A man was free if he was self-controlled. To make yourself obey what you approved was freedom. They were saved from looking at their lives as their own private affair. Each one felt responsible for the welfare of Athens, not because it was forced on him from the outside, but because the city was his pride and his safety. The essential belief of the first free government in the world was liberty for all men who could control themselves and would take responsibility for the state. But discovering freedom is not like discovering computers. It cannot be discovered once for all. If people do not prize it, and work for it, it will go. Constant watch is its price. Athens changed. It was a change that took place without being noticed though it was of the extreme importance, a spiritual change which affected the whole state. It had been the Athenian' s pride and joy to give to their city. That they could get material benefits from her never entered their minds. There had to be a complete change of attitude before they could look at the city as an employer who paid her citizens for doing her work. Now instead of men giving to the state, the state was to give to them. What the people wanted was a government which would provide a comfortable life for them; and with this as the primary object, ideas of freedom and self-reliance and responsibility were neglected to the point of disappearing. Athens was more and more looked on as a cooperative business possessed of great wealth in which all citizens had a right to share. Athens reached the point when the freedom she really wanted was freedom from responsibility. There could be only one result. If men insisted on being free from the burden of self-dependence and responsibility for the common good, they would cease to be free. Responsibility is the price every man must pay for freedom. It is to be had on no other terms. Athens, the Athens of Ancient Greece, refused responsibility; she reached the end of freedom and was never to have it again. But, "the excellent becomes the permanent", Aristotle said. Athens lost freedom forever, but freedom was not lost forever for the world. A great American, James Madison, referred to: "The capacity of mankind for self-government." No doubt he had not an idea that he was speaking Greek. Athens was not in the farthest background of his mind, but once man has a great and good idea, it is never completely lost. The Digital Age cannot destroy it. Somehow in this or that man's thought such an idea lives though unconsidered by the world of action. One can never be sure that it is not on the point of breaking out into action only sure that it will do so sometime. What change in attitude took place in Athens? Answer: In our big city there are a lot of shops near the Department Store. They make a big shopping center and sell all kinds of things. You can always buy everything you want here. Here is a list (;) of big shops. NameTelephoneAddress Department Store41853051No.189 Yonghua Road Mobile Phone Store41653789No.67 Xiangyang Road Old Wang Shoemaker41861736No.180.Yonghua Road Shanghai Sweater Shop41615789No.75 Xiangyang Road Yiwu Shopping Market41836547No.190 Heping Road Zhiyuan Computer Company41653786No.68 Xiangyang Road Xiwang Toy Shop41586327No.195 Heping Road Yang Liuqing Painting Store41861861No.192.Yonghua Road Which shop is beside Zhiyuan Computer Company? Answer: Sleeping in on Saturday after a few weeks of too little shuteye may feel refreshing, but it can give a false sense of security. New research shows long-term sleep loss cannot be cured that easily. Scientists researched the effects of short- and long-term sleep loss and found that those who suffer long-term sleep loss may function normally soon after waking up, but experience steadily slower reaction times as the day goes by, even if they had tried to catch up the previous night. The research has important safety significances in an increasingly busy society, not just for shift-workers but for the roughly one in six Americans who regularly get six hours or less of sleep a night. "We know that staying awake 24 hours without sleep will affect your performance to do all sorts of things, and this effect equals to drinking too much when driving," said lead researcher Dr. Daniel Cohen of Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital. But when those who suffer long-term sleep loss become all-nighters, "the harm is increased ten times," Cohen said. The National Institutes of Health says adults need seven hours to nine hours of sleep for good health. Regularly getting too little sleep increases the risk of health problems, including memory impairment and a weakened immune system. More immediately, too little sleep affects reaction times; sleepiness is to blame for car crashes and other accidents. It has critically important complicated and unexpected results for anyone who works "crazy hours" and thinks they are performing fine with a few hours of weeknight sleep, said Harris, director at New York's Montefiore Medical Center. "Don't think you can just _ your sleep on the weekend, because it doesn't work that way," he warned. People with long-term sleep loss _ . Answer: When an animal helps another animal, it usually gets something valuable in return. For a long time, many scientists thought that only people could act generously just because it feels good. However, a new study in Germany suggests that chimpanzees also do good things for no real reason. And so do children who are as young as 18 months of age. Maybe it is because humans and chimpanzees share an ancestor about 6 million years ago. People and chimpanzees appear to develop such features without any other training, says Warneken, a scientist in Germany. Warneken and his partners worked on adult chimpanzees that live on an island in the African country of Uganda. They also worked with 18-month-old children in Germany. The researchers performed three experiments on the adult chimpanzees and two experiments on the kids. In the first animal experiment,a person tried to reach his arm into a cage to get a stick,but he couldn't reach it. A chimpanzee was in the cage,and it could reach the stick if it wanted to. Thirty-six chimpanzees took part in this experiment one by one, and no chimpanzee saw what the other chimpanzees had done. Even though the animals hadn't met the person before, they usually took the stick and gave it to the person. What's more, they did this whether or not the person offered them bananas as a reward. In a similar experiment, 36 children acted in a similar way. They helped the person reach the stick, whether or not they were offered toys for their help. Researchers did other experiments on chimpanzees and babies. No rewards were offered in either experiment. And still, both the chimpanzees and children went out of their way to help. Still, the new study is different from earlier findings. Researchers have found that chimpanzees don't give rewards of food to other chimpanzees, even if it costs them nothing to be generous. A new study in Germany suggests that _ . Answer:
You're lost in the world of dreams and sleep. You roll over, smiling as you come across a swimming pool filled with chocolate. And then, your wonderful dream becomes a nightmare when someone is screaming, "Get up!" It's just what every teenager goes through each morning! Now, there seems to be one school that finally understands that requiring teens to show up at 9 am is not just cruel but also harmful to both the kids and the school. The Monkseaton High School in North Tyneside, Britain, recently decided to experiment to see if there is any difference in student behavior if they just pushed back the start of their day by one hour, from 9 am to 10 am. And the results are surprising. Since carrying out the later start, Monkseaton has seen a 28% drop in truancy, even hardly any lateness, and best of all, higher test scores. One of the reasons is that the teenagers are much happier to have the extra hour of sleep, but there is also a scientific reason behind why they need the extra sleep. The school's decision to push back the time was based on the research done by Oxford Professor Russell Foster, who pointed out that teenagers and adults have different sleep cycles, explaining why teenagers go to bed late and wake up late. While adults are wide awake and ready at 8 am, teenagers are not fully awake until 10 am, sometimes even noon. Teachers may argue that their students perform better in the morning, but in fact, it is because they are in the zone while their students are still sleepy, making the students easier to control. Memory tests prove that the more difficult classes should be in the afternoon when teenagers are most wide awake. The Monkseaton school officials are encouraged by the results and plan on voting to make it a permanent change. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage? A. The Monkseaton school is satisfied with the result of experiments. B. It is cruel for the teenagers to show up at 9 am. C. The Monkseaton school plans to change the school time forever. D. Teenagers perform better in the morning than in the afternoon. Answer: D. Teenagers perform better in the morning than in the afternoon. Kids are far better than adults at learning how to speak multiple languages. Research now shows that very young infants might have some of the best language skills of all. A new study suggests that babies between 4 and 6 months old can tell the difference between two languages just by looking at the speaker's face. They don't need to hear word. Sometimes between 6-8 months of age, babies raised in homes where just one language is spoken lose _ . Babies from bilingual homes, on the other hand, keep the face-reading ability until they're at least 8 months old. Researchers in prefix = st1 /Canadastudied 36 infants from English-speaking families. Twelve of the babies were 4 months old,12 were 6 months old, and the rest were 8 months old. Each baby sat on his or her mother's lap and watched video clips of a woman talking. The woman was fluent in both English and French. In some clips, she read from a storybook in English. In other clips, she read in French. In all of the videos there was no sound. After watching clip after clip of the woman reading in just one language, the babies eventually started to look away, apparently because they were bored. The researchers then showed the babies a new silent clip of the woman reading a story in the other language. At that point, the 4-month-olds and 6-month-olds started looking at the screen again. The 8-month-old,by contrast, paid no attention. That suggests that a baby's ability to distinguish between languages get lost before 8 months of age. "Visual information about speech may play a more critical role in language learning than previously expected," says researcher psychologist Whitney. It's not yet clear, she adds, which part of the speaker's face babies are looking at for clues. Next, scientists want to see whether babies can match faces with the voices of foreign-language speakers. If babies can do this, the scientists would then like to know if this ability also declines toward the end of the first year of life. Why did the 8-month-old pay no attention when the language was changed ? A. They had lost the ability to distinguish different languages. B. They were too tied to open their eyes and fell asleep. C. They couldn't hear what the speaker was talking about. D. They had lost the interest in bilingual speakers. Answer: A. They had lost the ability to distinguish different languages. Every year,there have been the Christmas specials for almost every sitcom and cartoon,which nod in sincerity towards the holiday season.Since Charles Schultz,the American cartoonist who created Charlie Brown and Snoopy,first got his hit on the holiday with A Charlie Brown Christmas in 1965.characters from television and comic books have tried on the Christmas clothes. This year,Fox has brought out its new"lce Age":A Mammoth Christmas,which was first shown on Thanksgiving day.The "Ice Age"films,which began in 2002,with a fourth feature for 2012,have been successful.one thing many fans would love the film is that they can have a chance to spend more time with the memorable animal characters from the series:Manny,Diego,and Sid.The film.tells the story of the birth of the Christmas tree,Santa'S deer,his sleigh and other things. It is also a"Christmas Must Be Saved" story and a"You Must Believe"story.Like the other"Ice Age" films,it involves a dangerous journey and time is found to cause sufferings to the poor little squirrel,Scrat. Christmas has been tied on to"Ice Age"like antlers on to a dog.In fact,the film-makers behind A Mammoth Christmas have spent most of their time working on the film itself rath--er than its Christmas special.It feels as if someone had merely made a list of tllings associated with the holiday. However,Sid,the series'most likable character,is a high point of the film.In the film,he's still got his silliness,enthusiasm and useful amusing shape.Whatever else is happening,the filmmakers make Sid reliably funny. What Can we learn about Charles Schultz? A. He made the first Christmas special. B. He is the producer of the"Ice Age"films. C. He is one character in the"lce Age"series. D. He began to make cartoons in 1965. Answer: A. He made the first Christmas special. I was at Kendriya Vidyalaya in Bambolim, Goa, in the 1980s. On Inspection Day one year, an officer and his team from the Board of Education were coming to see how our school was run. As usual, our teachers asked us to be prepared. At the end of the day, Mrs Sushila Tyaji, our Hindi teacher, walked in and told us that the inspector had come and quietly observed the class from the back door. He had also left an _ remark! That was sad for us. Would we now be punished for having failed our teachers? There were no answers from Mrs Tyaji. Instead, she wrote the Hindi word "dukh" on the blackboard. And then she did something I have never seen a teacher do in my entire school life. She apologized. "I am sorry for having taught you something wrong," she said. "I missed out the dots between the letters 'du' and 'kh'. The inspector told me this in the staffroom. I hope you will not make this mistake in future." That admission had a significant effect on me. If our teacher can say sorry to us when she is wrong, why can't I? The incident helped me get rid of two common vices--ego and dishonesty. Twenty-three years passed. I had to let my teacher know what that lesson meant to me. I recently located Mrs Sushila Tyaji using the Internet and went to meet her with my husband. She smiled when she heard my story of how her small decades-old apology had transformed me for good. "It's tough being a teacher. But every once in a while, when an old student comes along and tells us that we did something right, it makes up for everything else," she said. What did the author learn from Mrs Tyaji ? A. Honesty is the best policy B. Comfort is better than rude C. One can never be too careful D. It is better to be safe than sorry Answer: A. Honesty is the best policy It can greet people, show DVDs and hand out balloons. "Ubiko", a robot-on -wheels with a catlike face, is joining the crew of temporary workers supplied by a Japanese job-referral company, Ubiquitous Exchange, to stores, events and even weddings. Next month, the 44-inch tall robot will be selling mobile phones at a store. Ubiko can be hired as a temporary worker for two hours for 105,000 yen, or $890. "We see this as serious business. There are jobs that robots are better at," Akiko Sakurai said "people do develop a relation with the robot, and it's lovable." The $255,000 robot, which is equipped with a camera and sensors, greets customers with a nasal electronic voice, shows DVDs with a projector in its head and hands out balloons and other goods with wireless remote-controllable arms. Ubiko sounds like a Japanese female name, which often ends with "ko". Tmsuk, the Japanese company that makes the robot, sold three last month to hospital, where they are working as full-time, rather than temporary, receptionists and guides. One of the hospital's robots serves as a receptionist and has been programmed to greet visitors. It also has a touch-panel on its body, and visitors can use it to get directions for where they want to go. "Just give it electricity, and a robot can work for long hours, even do repetitive work, and you don't have to worry about labor laws," Sudo said. Japan's lower birth rate means that in the coming years it could face a labor shortage, and some experts believe robots could be part of the key to that problem. Robots are very popular in Japan partly because of the popularity of cartoons that describe robots as friends and assistants to humans. Which of the following makes robots more popular in Japan? A. The low price of robots. B. The interesting shapes of robots. C. The function of showing DVDs and handing out balloons. D. Cartoon's showing good relationship between robots and humans. Answer: D. Cartoon's showing good relationship between robots and humans.
As more and more books become movie adaptations , I can't help but think how this will affect English classes in America. Thinking back to my years in middle and high school -- ten years ago, I would be rewarded if I had read a number of classics. Today, a majority of those books are now also movies Life of Pi, The Great Gatsby, Much Ado About Nothing and Anna Karenina, to name a few. Even modern books such as The Hunger Games and Harry Potter have been adapted for the big screen. In discussion with my students, I often hear them say they are not going to read books because movies will come out soon, which makes me wonder what effect movie adaptations have on modern-day students. Will the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) encourage them to read books more carefully or to use movies to improve their understanding of the text? The CCSS requires students to provide text-based evidence when reading and discussing a book. By focusing on such evidence, teachers can pull specific details from a book that may have not made the final cut when the book was adapted for the big screen. For instance, after reading and watching The Hunger Games, there were a number of details from the book that were missing from the film -- many people were disappointed with Rue's meek movie role. A student who failed to read The Hunger Games would not quite understand Rue's impact on the games in the same way as someone who had read the book and remembered all the details that went into her death. I am not saying the CCSS will stop students from cutting corners, but I believe if teachers use the support the CCSS provides, it can be a great roadway to ensure all students are digging deep into texts and not just hitting the play button. Ten years ago, students in America were _ . Answer: encouraged to read many literature works Quick Service A man took a pair of shoes to a shoe repair shop and said to the shoemaker, "I'd like you to repair these shoes for me, please." "Certainly, sir." the shoemaker said. "When will they be ready?" the man asked. "I'm a bit busy, but they will be ready for you on Thursday," he said. "That's fine." the man said and left the shop. The next morning he received a letter, offering him a job in another country. Within 24 hours he was on an airplane to his new job. Twenty years passed and he returned to his hometown. He remembered his shoes. "They were a good pair of shoes," he thought, "I wonder if the shoemaker is still there and still has them. I'll go and see. " The same shop, although he was an old man by now. "Good morning. " he said to the shoe maker, "Twenty years ago, I brought in a pair of shoes. Do you still have them?" "Name?" the old shoemaker asked. "Smith." the man said. "I'll go and see. They may be in the back." The shoemaker went out to the back of his shop and a few minutes later returned, carrying a pair of shoes. "Here they are." he said, "One pair of brown shoes. I'm a bit busy now, but they'll be ready on Thursday." What did the man do when he returned to his hometown? Answer: He returned to the shoemaker. Lizards are unusual,but they can make good pets because most of them are small and easy to care for. They do not make loud noises,and they do not need to go for walks or take baths. Of course, some lizards make better pets than others. One of the most popular lizards in pet store is the bearded dragon. Bearded dragons are active during the day and do not mind people holding them. Geckos are another popular pet lizard. They are a little more difficult to care for. Geckos are active at night and need a warm place to live.Like bearded dragons,they can be held by their owners.Both of these lizards can live ten years or more when they are well cared for. Two lizards that are bad choices for pets are iguanas and chameleons. Iguanas can grow to be almost two meters(nearly six feet),so they need a big space to live in.They can also bite or scratch their owners.Chameleons do not hurt their owners,but they are quite difficu1t to care for. While iguanas can live up to twenty years,chameleons do not live very long. Most do not live more than five years. Which is true according to the passage? Answer: It is not hard to care for most lizards. What's in a name? Well, apparently, our general happiness. Psychologists say that what we are called has a direct connection with our well-being . Those called Judy and Joshua are the happiest, while Lynn or Ben is likely to be the unhappiest, according to research. Psychologist Dr David Holmes found that this might due to the association that others made with the name. Hearing the name Judy may make them think of actress Judi Dench or TV presenter Judy Finnigan, people who are seen as good natured and happy. On the other hand, people think Paulines are unhappy because of the character Pauline Fowler from the TV programme East Enders. The research claims that this association influences the person with the name and so their personality becomes shaped to fit it. Dr David Holmes said, "This also has some relation with the original meaning of the name. For example, the original meaning of Judy is 'praised'." Certain names also work well in certain aspects of life. In the workplace Richard and Judy are happiest, while those called Ruth and Carly are happiest in relationships. At the other end of the scale the unhappiest workers are Stuart and Liz, with the unhappiest in relationships being Frank and Harriet. Dr Holmes said, "The relation we have with certain names, particularly important namesakes , also shapes how we see ourselves and so may have an effect on our confidence. Names are like product brands in having a powerful effect on attitudes and should therefore be chosen with care." "Other names are connected with being brave, outgoing or serious. Therefore, many celebrities change their names to ones which reflect these characteristics. This, in turn, influences parents when they choose names for their babies," said Dr Holmes, "however, names connected with ordinary people are seldom chosen for their babies". The reason why names should be chosen carefully is that _ . Answer: names can affect how we see ourselves If the rose can be said to be a special flower, then the apple can be said to be a special fruit. It is very important in American culture. American stories speak of Johnny Appleseed, who went throughout America collecting apple seeds and planting apple trees. He had a great love for nature and went through fields and farms adding richness and beauty to the country. One of the first sayings taught to school children is, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." This short saying encourages children to eat fresh fruit to keep healthy. If someone always says good words to a person, people will call him an _ . This, however, is not a good name. If someone is very dear to us, we say that he or she is the "apple of our eye". Most people believe that the fruit which Eve gave to Adam was an apple, even though the Bible never says so. The apple, therefore, is a deep part of the language and stories of America. An apple is also delicious. Apples can be cooked in many ways, used as a dessert , and made into sweet juice. In many parts of the country during the harvest season, a popular activity is to go into an apple garden to pick apples. Washington, D. C. and New York are both famous for their apples. Finally, when it's time to take a vacation to American cities, one can always visit New York, which is "the biggest apple" of all the American cities. Which of the following is TRUE with apples? Answer: New York is famous for its big apples.
Question: Apple is to open a research lab in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, according to Tim Cook, its chief executive, as it seeks to boost sales in the country and improve ties with the authorities. Beijing has been encouraging foreign technology companies to carry out more high-end work on the mainland as part of efforts to revitalize local industry. It will be Apple's second facility in China. It already has a new research and development facility in Beijing. The two R&D centers were "aimed at strengthening relationships with local partners and universities as we work to support talent development across the country", Apple said in a statement. A closer relationship with the Chinese authorities has been a priority following setbacks for the US technology company this year. The iPhone has been losing market share to high-end handsets made by local competitors including Huawei, Vivo and Oppo, which topped the rankings in the second quarter, while Apple languished in fifth place, according to Canalys data. Analysts said the announcement of the R&D centre was Mr. Cook's latest attempt to gain favour with Beijing, following the US group's $1billion investment in Didi Chuxing, the Chinese car-hailing company, in May. Apple has had to change its approach in China as it faces rising nationalism and high-quality local competition, according to Ge Jia, a tech blogger, who wrote yesterday: "It's time for Apple to cast aside their pride." "Their previous strategy of only selling devices to China without leaving anything behind is not working any more and they are starting their process of localisation in China through the Shenzhen lab." Which of the following is true? A. There is only one research facility in China. B. Apple has always been in good relationship with Chinese authorities. C. Huawei has ranked to No.1 in the second sales quarter. D. Apple is changing its strategy in order to boost sales. Answer: D Question: One day he is a famous policeman. The next day he is a gangster from Temple street. His songs are heard on radios all over Hong Kong. This is Andy Lau Tak Wah, the superstar that everyone sees, hears and loves. He is one of the most famous actors and singers in Hong Kong. However, there is another side to Andy Lau. There is an important part of his life that only a few people know about. Andy Lau helps 15 children from poor countries all over the world. These boys and girls live in 11 different countries. Most of the children have not met him and none of them know that he is one of the biggest stars in Asia. Andy Lau's interest in children started when he did some work with World Vision. This is a charity that helps poor children to lead better lives. For $200 a month, a _ helps with the food and education of one child. The child does not receive the money in cash. Instead the money pays for the child's school fees, food, medical care and clothing. Each child knows the name of the sponsor who is giving the money. The sponsor receives a report each year on the child's progress. They can write to each other, but usually the children do not speak Cantonese or English. When Andy Lau heard about these children, he wanted to help them. "It was not anything special," he said. "Until I had the chance to go to Indonesia and meet the little girl I am sponsoring, I didn't know anything about the type of life she had." He said the meeting with Nina in Indonesia was very emotional. "When I met her, I felt very, very happy," he said. "I saw that the money was used for a very good purpose. It brought me closer to the child in a way that simply giving money cannot." By sponsoring these children through a charitable organization, Andy Lau is giving them hope and at the same time caring for them. "I want to do whatever I can. I will continue to help these children in need," he said. The children that Andy Lau helps do not _ . A. go to school B. want to meet him C. know he is famous D. have any food Answer: C Question: Reading is a good hobby for all kinds of reasons. First, reading is fun. You can always keep yourself happy if you like reading. You will never feel bored or tired. Next, you can read a book anywhere-- in a car, on a plane, or even in the bathroom. All you need is a book! Another good reason for reading is that it is useful. If you read as a hobby, you will get better and better at it. And you will read faster and find it easier to understand what you read. As you reading skills improve, you will probably find your schoolwork becomes much better. Some people say that reading is out of date . This is not true. You can read on computers, and the better you read, the better your computer skills will be. Good readers may become writers, too. They always have more things to write about. Reading is a wonderful hobby. Why not start reading right now? You can read a book _ . A. only on a plane B. when you are driving a car C. anywhere D. only in the bathroom Answer: C Question: If a brick is liquefied, then the weight of it A. is electrified B. is static C. is changed D. is removed Answer: B Question: Residence Inn Milford Within 15 minutes from historic Yale University and New Haven, the Residence Inn Milford offers great facilities and first-class service for business or leisure travel. Our all-suites hotel near New Haven is 1 hour from Bradley International Airport and 10 minutes from a Metro North train station that can get you to NYC in under an hour and a half. At our Milford, CT hotel, enjoy spacious studio, suites that are 50 percent larger than traditional hotel rooms. Our suites offer hot breakfast buffet and a nightly social hour (Monday - Wednesday), on-site exercise room and outdoor swimming pool. Price: $ 119 per night Pet Policy: Pets allowed Check in time: 3 pm Marriott Detroit Southfield Newly renovated , the Marriott Detroit Southfield Hotel is one of Detroit's most desirable hotel destinations. With excellent public areas, enhanced meeting spaces and carefully redesigned guest rooms, the Marriott Detroit Southfield Hotel meets the needs of business, leisure and group guests travelling to the Detroit area. This suburban Detroit hotel has a prime location that allows for easy access to the Detroit Zoo, Henry Ford Museum, Comerica Park, Ford Field and many of the other local activities in the area. It is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Price :$ 75 per nightCheck in time : 4 pm Comfort Suites Kodak 100 percent smoke free and pet free hotel conveniently located at the main gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains off Interstate 40 at exit 407, close to all the fun and excitement in Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, and Knoxville, including Dollywood, Dixie Stampede, Smokies Park, Sevierville Events Center, Tanger Outlet Mall, University of Tennessee and more. Guests enjoy waking up in our well-appointed guest suites featuring contemporary furnishings and LCD flat screen televisions, starting their day with our free breakfast, and relaxing in our indoor pool and exercise room. Price: $55 per night Check in time: 3 pm The Swinton Hotel Located in the very heart of the centre of London, the Swinton Hotel is one of the leading Kings Cross hotels offering free breakfast. It allows easy access to all tourist attractions, shopping areas and transport connections; you have come to the right place if you are looking for brilliant Kings Cross Hotels. Whatever reason you are looking for cheap hotels in London and whether you are visiting on business, as a tourist or to enjoy the vast varieties of entertainment and nightlife, we will be more than happy to provide you with a safe and comfortable environment. The Swinton Hotel is situated in an ideal location for those travelling to or from London by rail. Price :$45 per night Check in time: 3 pm What do we know about Marriott Detroit Southfield? A. It's designed specially for businessmen. B. It has well-developed traffic to other cities. C. It is quite easy to get to local attractions. D. It is the cheapest of the four hotels. Answer: C
Dear Alice, You really have two different questions here, so we'll discuss them one at a time. Your problems at school may be a result of a number of things . You don't say much about how these classmates get along with each other. It's possible that all the students are feeling a little cautious in the first term. It's also possible that the others are unkind. If this is so, you have to find out why you are the class "outsider". In your letter you say you often offer to help others with their work. Is it possible that your classmates don't understand your offers? Could it seem that you were trying to " buy" friends with these offers? Is it possible that you took no notice of your classmates when you had your good friends near you ? They may have felt hurt at that time. It may take a time for them to believe in you if so. Try to ask one classmate directly what the problem is. If you hear a negative answer, at least you'll know what to do. Yours truly, Shelia Which of the following is NOT true according to the letter? Answer: With the development of economics , the problem of left-behind children has become a serious social problem. More and more people have realized we should do something to help them. One of the biggest problems is that the children are all hungry for the love from their parents. Many of them can just get a call or a letter from their parents half a year, a year or even several years, which makes _ When they meet their own troubles, they have no one to talk with. Nobody gives them enough care. Because of being too far away from their parents, the left-behind children's study is the second biggest problem. From a survey about their study, only two per cent of the children get good results, while ten per cent of them are common and eighty-eight per cent of them are poor. What a pity! There are also many other problems of the left-behind children, such as having no ability to protect themselves, unhealthy lifestyles, spending too much pocket money and being crazy about Internet and so on. In a word, to solve all the problems of the left-behind children needs the government, families and schools to try their best together. Which problem is NOTmentioned in the passage? Answer: Have you ever wanted to see the Great Wall of China, or win an Oscar for Best Director, or swim with dolphins ? If so, you are not alone. We all have things we want to do or achieve. These are part of our "bucket lists". A bucket is a list of things that someone wants to experience in his or her lifetimes. These things can be big or small. Have you ever thought about what is on your bucket list? Lindsay, 15, created her bucket list when she was 14. She has given her list serious thought. "I've always wanted to travel into space," she says. "I don't really want to be an astronaut. But I do want to go to space as a tourist. I want to see the Earth from above." Other things on her list include being on TV, seeing her favorite band in concert, learning how to speak Portuguese , and living in a foreign country. "I've always wanted to live in Brazil. As part of my bucket list, I want to attend Carnival in the capital of Brazil," she says. Jose, 16, recently created a list of things he wants to achieve. It changes sometimes he adds and takes away things because he wants to keep the number of the things at seven. One thing has stayed at number one, though: he wants to visit a movie set . He would like to see the Harry Potter of The Hobbit movie sets. Other things on the list include being on TV, meeting his favorite sports star, living in a foreign country, skateboarding down a mountain, attending the World Cup, and backpacking across Europe. He would like to spend two months visiting Eastern Europe with his best friend Adam. "Maybe after I graduate from college," says Jose. Carrie, 14, also has a bucket list. She first created it when she was 12. She would like to live in a foreign country for at least two years. She also wants to learn as many foreign languages as possible. But the number one thing on her list is to see her favorite band in concert. She also wants to go on a trip and to visit a movie set. Her favorite movies are the Hunger Games and Star Wars. Carrie is confident she will do most or all of the things on her bucket list. "I'm only 14," she says, "I have my whole life ahead of me!" What is No.1 at Lindsay's bucket list? Answer: My six-year-old granddaughter stared at me as if she were seeing me for the first time."Grandma, you are an antique ,"she said. "You are old. Antiques are old. You are my antique." I was not satisfied to let the matter rest there. I took out the Webster's Dictionary and read the definition to Jenny.I explained, "An antique is not only old, it's an object existing since or belonging to earlier times...a work of art... piece of furniture. Antiques are treasured,"I told Jenny as I put away the dictionary. "They have to be handled carefully because they sometimes are very valuable. In order to qualify as an antique, the object has to be at least 100 years old." "I'm only 67,"I renunded Jenny. We looked around the house for other antiques, besides me. There was a desk that was handed down from rone aunt to another and finally to our family. "It's very old,"I told Jenny."I try to keep it polished and I show it off whenever I can. You do that with antiques." There was a picture on the wall purchased at a garage sale. It was dated 1867. "Now that's an antique," I boasted. "Over 100 years old." Of course it was marked up and scratched and not in very good condition. "Sometimes age does that," I told Jenny. "But the marks are good marks. They show living, being around. That's something to display with pride. In fact, sometimes, the more an object shows age, the more valuable it can become." It was important that I believed this for my own self-esteem. Our tour of antiques continued. There was a vase on the floor. It had been in my house for a long time. I was not certain where it came from but I didn't buy it new. One thing about antiques, I explained to Jenny, was that they usually had a story. They'd been in one home and then another, handed down from one family to another, traveling all over the place. They'd lasted through years and years. They could have been tossed away, or ignored. or destroyed, or lost. But instead, they survived. For a moment, Jenny looked thoughtful. "l don't have any antiques but you," she said. Then her face brightened. "Could I take you to school for show and tell?" "Only if I fit into your backpack," I answered. And then Jenny's antique lifted her up and embraced her in a hug that would last through the years. Grandma read the definition of "antique" to Jenny in order to _ Answer: When I started my career in management, I was really green, but I always tried to stay positive on the job. I was working for a new company that was having a difficult time with its customers. Actually, at one point my General Manager told me he liked me and suggested I should start looking for a new job as we were about to lose our only order. Every day we faced people leaving the company, customers complaining, and upper management preparing to close the place. One night, I went home thinking about the problems. My wife told me to forget about work and see a movie. We went and saw Slumdog Millionaire. Jamal, an eighteen-year-old Indian young man, is from a poor family and becomes rich later. He tries his best to change his position. I realized what we needed to do was to correct the situation. The next day I called my customers to have a talk. I promised to do my best to solve the problems if they would give us some time. As a result, we were given one month to turn the situation around. This was our only chance to correct the situation. To achieve this, I worked day and night with my team. I can remember working from 6 a. m. and not going home until 2 a. m. the next day. To make a long story short, we succeeded in solving all of the problems and at the same time increased our productivity . The customers and management were very happy, and I knew at that moment we had saved our jobs. Actually things went so well that we ended up having our pay doubled. Through this experience I understand that you can achieve what you desire as long as you work at it and stay positive. The experience of the author shows that _ . Answer:
Hi, my name is Wang Jun. Do you want to know about my staying in America? Well, to tell you the truth, it is really an eye-opening experience here. In China, I had English classes five times a week since Grade Five. But I didn't know textbook English could be so different from everyday English until I came to Hotchkiss School, Connecticut. When I first studied English, I was told to say "I'm fine." when people say "How are you?" But in the USA, I found that people say "I'm good." or "I'm tired." One day, someone greeted me with "What's up?" It made me _ I thought for a moment and then smiled because I didn't know what to say. Since then, I have learnt more and more differences between Chinese and American cultures. To my surprise, American girls spend a lot of time in the burning sun getting a tan . In China, girls try every possible way to keep their skin white. American students are hard-working like Chinese students. In China, schoolwork is almost everything, so we study hard and that's it. But here, a "good" student not only gets good grades, but also does a lot for the public. That is to say, they get lots of knowledge at school and learn many life skills from social work. Wang Jun found that _ when he came to Hotchkiss School in the USA. A. it was really important to learn English well B. English he learnt in China was helpful to him C. American students were more hard-working than Chinese students D. textbook English was different from everyday English Answer: D Being in an unfamiliar school can be frightening. If you start a new school, you'll have to worry about making friends. Here are some simple tips which help you make new friends more easily. Try speaking to the students you're sitting next to in class. As they're close by, it is easy to chat to them first. Try to speak to everyone in your class. You will study here for three years, so it helps if you get along well with them. If you don't have many friends in your class, try and make new friends in your neighbor classes. You can also chat to them at lunchtimes and after school. Join a lunchtime or afterschool club. You'll get to meet kids of all years that way. Ask your teacher to pair you With another student. Use your "celebrity status" ! Since you're the new person, you'll have got celebrity status, which you can use for a couple of weeks. Talk to classmates, remember to smile, and be open and friendly. Don't break in while your classmates are speaking. When your classmates talk to you, you should listen carefully and look at them in the eye to make them feel important. As you grow older, it's natural to make new friends and sometimes that means you begin to grow apart from your old friends. So try and make time for all your friends. But what if a friendship group is pushing you out? If this is happening to you, ask someone you're friendly with what has happened .If the friendship is hopeless, try to find new friends. It is suggested that you should _ . A. try to study well to be popular with the classmates B. try all your best to help your new classmates C. sit close to a familiar classmate in the classroom D. catch every opportunity to communicate with others Answer: D I shook hands with my father in the truck, and for a long time he looked straight ahead and didn't say a word.But I knew he was going to say a little to me."I can't tell anything." he finally said."I never went to college, and none of your brothers went to college.I can't say don't do this and do that, because everything is different and I don't know what is going to come up.I can't help much with money either, but I think things will work out." He gave me a new check-book ."If things get pushing, write a small check.But when you write one, send me a letter and let me know how much.There are some things we can always sell." In four years all the checks I wrote were less than a thousand dollars.My part-time jobs such as reading to the blind student and sitting with the teachers' kids filled in the _ . "You know what you want to be, and they'll tell you what to take," my father went on."When you get a job, be sure it's honest, and work hard." I knew that soon I would be alone in the big town, and I would be missing the cool winds and a life where your thinking was done for you. Then my dad reached down beside his seat and brought the old, broken Bible that he had read so often, the one he used when he wanted to look something up in a friendly quarrel with one of the neighbours.I knew he would miss it.I knew, though, that I must take it. He didn't say read this every morning.He just said," This can help you if you will let it." Did it help? I got through college without being a burden on the family.I have been able to make money since. What would someone learn from this passage? A. How to live by oneself. B. How to stand on one's own feet. C. What a good father should do. D. What the self-important is like. Answer: B Below is a discussion on http://www.TalkingPoints.com/. Stuck on a desert island? Started on 23rd April by Steve Posts 1 - 7 of 42 Post 1 Steve USA Hi, everyone. What would you miss most and least if you were stuck on a desert island? For me, it would be the changing seasons in New England. I guess this will sound stupid but I'd probably miss the rain, too. I would not miss getting up at six every day to go to work, though! What about you? Post 2 Tomas Germany Good question. Steve, I think I'd miss different types of bread, and shopping at the supermarket. I'd miss the food most. What would I miss least? My mobile phone---I'd like to be completely quiet --- at least for a little while Post 3 Paola Italy I would miss the company of people because I know I'd like to have someone to share experiences with. I'd go mad on my own. And I sure would not miss junk mail--- I hate coming home every evening and a pile of junk mail in my post box. Post 4 Miko Japan Hi, I would miss Manga cartoon, the internet and Japanese food, like sushi. I'd also miss TV shows and shopping for clothes... In fact, I'd miss everything. Post 5 Roger UK I would miss my daily newspaper and listening to the news on TV and radio. I'd feel very cut off if I didn't know what was happening in the world. What I'd miss least would be traffic jams in the city, particularly my journey to work. Past 6 Jayne Why hasn't anyone mentioned their family? I'd be lost without my husband and two kids. They're the most important for me. And I can't get started in the morning without a cup of black coffee. I wouldn't miss doing the housework! Post 7 Jaime Mexico It would have to be music. I couldn't live without my music. I wouldn't miss going to school at all or doing homework! Where is the passage probably taken from? A. Newspaper B. Internet C. Textbook D. Magazine Answer: B The goal of earthquake prediction is to give early enough warning. The U.S. Geological Survey conducts and supports research on the likelihood of future earthquakes. Scientists estimate earthquake probabilities in two ways: by studying the history of large earthquakes in a special area and the rate at which strain accumulates in the rock. Scientists study the past frequency of large earthquakes in order to determine the future likelihood of similar large shocks. For example scientists researched the large earthquakes in the San Francisco Bay region during the 75 years between 1836 and 1911. For the next 68 years, no earthquakes of magnitude 6 or large occurred in the region. Beginning with a magnitude 6 shock in 1979, the earthquakes in the region increased dramatically; between 1979 and 1989, there were four magnitude 6 or greater earthquakes, including a magnitude 7.1 earthquake. So scientists estimated that the probability of a magnitude 6.8 or larger earthquake occurring during the next 30 years in the region is about 67 percent. Another way to predict earthquakes is to study how fast strain accumulates. When plate movements build the strain in rocks to a critical level, like pulling a rubber band too tight, the rocks will suddenly break and slip to a new position. Scientists measure how much strain accumulates along a fault each year, how much time has passed since the last earthquake, and how much strain was released in the last earthquake. This information is used to calculate the time required for the accumulating strain to build to the level that results in an earthquake. This simple model is so complicated that such detailed information about faults is rare. In the United States, only the San Andreas Fault System has adequate records for using this prediction method. Scientific understanding of earthquakes is of vital importance to the Nation. As the population increases, expanding urban development and construction encroach upon areas susceptible to earthquakes. With a greater understanding of the causes and effects of earthquakes, we may be able to reduce damage and loss of life from this destruction. According to the passage, we can know that the San Andreas Fault System _ . A. has a greater understanding of the causes and effects of earthquakes B. stores much more information about the history of large earthquakes C. offers the potential for doing research on the faults where strain accumulates D. illustrates specifically how rocks along a fault are formed Answer: C
Margaret Bourke-White was one of the leading news reporters of the 20th century. But she did not write news. She told her stories with a camera. Margaret Bourke-White began her career as an industrial photographer in the early 1930s. In 1936, she accepted the American publisher Henry Luce's invitation and went to his magazine, called Life, and later another magazine called Fortune. In the 1930s, Margaret Bourke-White met the American writer Erskine Caldwell. They decided to produce a book about poor country people of the South. They traveled through eight states. Their book, You Have Seen Their Faces, was published in 1937. It was a great success. In 1938, some countries in Europe were close to war. Margaret Bourke-White and Caldwell went there to report on these events. The next year they got married. During the World War Two, she became an official photographer with the United States Army. Her photographs were to be used jointly by the military and by Life magazine. She was the first woman to be permitted to work at the front during World War Two. After the war, she went to India and took a famous photograph of Mohandas Gandhi called "Gandhi at His Spinning Wheel". She was the last person to photograph Gandhi before he was murdered in 1948. Often, Margaret Bourke-White was not satisfied with what she had done. She would look at her pictures and see something she had failed to do, or something she had not done right. Reaching perfection was not easy. Many things got in the way of her work. She said, "There is only one moment when a picture is there. And a moment later, it is gone forever. My memory is full of those pictures that were lost." Margaret Bourke-White _ . A. did very well in writing news B. reported news by taking pictures C. focused on industrial news as a reporter D. began her career by working for Fortune Answer: B. reported news by taking pictures During sexual reproduction, a sperm cell fertilizes an egg cell to form a fertilized egg. The fertilized egg then develops into a new organism. Which statement describes the primary advantage of sexual reproduction over asexual reproduction? A. Sexual reproduction produces identical offspring. B. Sexual reproduction results in less adaptable offspring. C. Sexual reproduction generates a large number of offspring. D. Sexual reproduction results in genetic variation in offspring. Answer: D. Sexual reproduction results in genetic variation in offspring. Saturday morning was bright and fresh. There was a song in every heart, cheer on every face, and a _ in every step. Tom appeared with a bucket of white paint in one hand and a brush in the other. His Aunt Polly told him to paint the fence around the garden. It was ninety feet long and nine feet high. He felt very blue. Then he had a wonderful idea. He picked up his brush and started to work. Soon Ben came along the road. He was happily eating an apple. He stopped to look at Tom. Tom went on painting and pretended not to see Ben. "I'm going swimming," said Ben. "Do you want to go swimming, Tom? But I guess you can't. You have to stay and work, don't you?" "Work?" Tom said. "This isn't work. I'm enjoying myself. Does a boy get a chance to paint a fence like this every day?" Ben thought about this. Tom continued painting carefully. Sometimes he stopped, stood back to look at the fence like an artist, and then added a bit more paint in just the right place. Ben was watching Tom paint with great interest. He was getting more and more eager to have a try himself. After a while, Ben asked Tom if he would let him paint a little. Tom thought about it, and said, "No, Ben, I can't. You see. Aunt Polly wants it to be done well. Aunt Polly said that I must paint it with great care." "Oh, please, Tom," begged Ben. "I can do it. I'll be really careful. Just let me try. I'll give you half of my apple. Well, I'll give you all of it!" "Well, all right, Ben," said Tom. "You must be very careful." He gave Ben his brush with worry on his face but joy in his heart. He sat down under the tree, and started to eat Ben's apple. All day, boys came to make fun of Tom, but they ended up staying to paint. When Ben got tired, Billy was waiting. He gave Tom a kite for a chance to paint. Then Johnny offered him a basketball, and so on. By late afternoon Tom had got all kinds of toys, and the fence had got three coats of paint. Later Aunt Polly came to look at the painted fence. She was so pleased with Tom's work that she gave Tom a large cake! Why did Tom pretend not to see Ben when he came and watched him painting? A. He saw Ben eating an apple happily. B. He tried to make Ben interested in it. C. He didn't want to go swimming with Ben at all. D. He didn't want Ben to share the chance to paint the fence. Answer: B. He tried to make Ben interested in it. Now, I want to start with a question: When was the last time you were called childish? For kids like me, being called childish can be a frequent occurrence. Every time we make irrational demands, exhibit irresponsible behavior, or display any other signs of being normal American citizens, we are called childish. _ A _ . After all, take a look at these events: imperialism and colonization , world wars, George W. Bush. Ask yourself: Who's responsible? Adults. Now, what have kids done? _ B _ . Well, Anne Frank touched millions with her powerful account of the Holocaust , Ruby Bridges helped end segregation in the United States, and, most recently, Charlie Simpson helped to raise 120,000 pounds for Haiti on his little bike. So, as you can see evidenced by such examples, age has ly nothing to do with it. We are called childish so often by adults that we should abolish this age-discrimination when it comes to criticizing behavior associated with irresponsibility and irrational thinking. Then again, who's to say that certain types of irrational thinking aren't exactly what the world needs? Maybe you've had grand plans before, but stopped yourself, thinking: That's impossible or that costs too much or that won't benefit me. For better or worse, we kids aren't hampered as much when it comes to thinking about reasons why not to do things. _ C _ . Kids can be full of inspiring aspirations and hopeful thinking, like my wish that no one went hungry or that everything were free kind of utopia . How many of you still dream like that and believe in the possibilities? Sometimes a knowledge of history and the past failures of utopian ideals can be a burden. On the other hand, we kids still dream about perfection. _ D _ . And that's a good thing because in order to make anything a reality, you have to dream about it first. Now, our inborn wisdom doesn't have to be insiders' knowledge. Kids already do a lot of learning from adults, and we have a lot to share. I think that adults should start learning from kids. Now, I do most of my speaking in front of an education crowd, teachers and students, and I like this analogy. It shouldn't just be a teacher at the head of the classroom telling students to do this, do that. The students should teach their teachers. Learning between grown ups and kids should be reciprocal. The reality, unfortunately, is a little different, and it has a lot to do with trust, or a lack of it. Now, if you don't trust someone, you place restrictions on them, right. If I doubt my older sister's ability to pay back the 10 percent interest I established on her last loan, I'm going to withhold her ability to get more money from me until she pays it back. True story, by the way. Now, adults seem to have a prevalently restrictive attitude towards kids from every "don't do that," "don't do this" in the school handbook, to restrictions on school internet use. Kids have no, or very little, say in making the rules, when really the attitude should be reciprocal , meaning that the adult population should learn and take into account the wishes of the younger population. Adults, you need to listen and learn from kids. The world needs opportunities for new leaders and new ideas. Kids need opportunities to lead and succeed. Are you ready to make the match? What is the best title of this passage? A. Don't Be Childish again, Adults! B. Time to Listen and Learn from Us! C. Don't Do That, Don't Do This! D. We Are Not Young Any More! Answer: B. Time to Listen and Learn from Us! A blog can be a very effective way of spreading the words about yourself, and your other writing. It can _ your knowledge, and create an ongoing relationship with your readers. A good blog is more than just a marketing tool; it's also an expression of your personality. An obvious starting point is to post samples of your work that not only show off your skills and writing ability but also leave people wanting more. Post elections from the most exciting parts of your stories but end them just as the action reaches its peak. If you write nonfiction , show people what they could achieve, and give them a few steps to get them started. Give tips, information and advice about the subjects you cover. For example, something about struggling with difficulty and many other issues like this. Your writing tips can also be included, as well as interesting, strange or funny things you discovered during your research. Whenever you contact an expert, ask if he or she has any interesting stories you could use. You many also give background information about your stories and locations Give details of coming posts on your blog, so people can watch out for you, or come and meet you. Personal news will help people feel better connected to you Include photos of objects and locations in your writing, famous people you meet, the views from your window, and your favorite things - with a note about where they came from and what they mean to you. Look out for things that will help your readers get to know you better, know the subject better, or anything else you think they might find useful, inspiring or entertaining. If you only occasionally post things on your blog, people have a tendency to forget you. As a writer you shouldn't ever run out of interesting materials to fill your blog with --and your readers will love you for it. Which is the best title for the text? A. What to Blog about B. How to Start a Blog C. Why to Launch a Blog D. How to Make Website Attractive Answer: A. What to Blog about
Question: Robert Frost was one of America's best known and most honored serious writers. But his fame came late in his life. He was born in San Francisco, California in 1874. He lived in California during his early childhood. He was named after the chief Southern general in America's Civil War. The general's name was Robert Edward Lee. The poet was named Robert Lee Frost, because his father wanted to honor the general. Someone once asked another American writer, Ernest Hemingway, how to become a writer. The best thing, he said, was to have an unhappy childhood. If this is true, Robert Frost's childhood was unhappy enough to make him a very good writer. Robert Frost's father was a reporter who wanted to be a politician. He often drank too much wine and became angry. Robert was the victim of his anger. Robert Frost finished high school in 1891. After high school, Robert's grandfather offered to pay his costs at Dartmouth College. But Robert left the school after a few months. He did not like it. He spent the next few years working at different jobs. At one time, he worked in a factory. Later, he repaired shoes. He was a teacher. He was a reporter. Always, he wrote poetry. Robert Frost attended Harvard University for two years. After that, he returned to the many jobs he held before. For a while, Frost tried to take care of a farm in the state of New Hampshire. He was not a successful farmer. And he continued to write poetry. He said that until 1930, he earned only about ten dollars a year from writing. In 1912, he decided to try to make a new start. He took his family to Britain. The cost of living was low. In Britain, Frost found a publisher for his first book of poems. The book was called A Boy's Will. When it appeared in 1913. Frost received high praise from British readers. Praise was something he had not received in his own country. Ezra Pound, another American poet living in Britain, read the poems and liked them very much. He wrote a magazine article about Frost. He also helped get Frost's second book of poems published in America. That book was called North of Boston. What can we learn from the passage? A. Once Frost's first book was published he gained great praise in his country. B. After leaving Harvard University, he began to learn to write poetry. C. Frost was found lo have a gift in poetry while he studied in high school. D. Robert Frost's father was angry and drank a lot because he didn't realize his dream. Answer: D Question: As a health editor, I spend the majority of my day poring over content related to health. At HuffPost, we're lucky to talk to experts on a daily basis about how to live our best lives. It's clear that life would be healthier if we would just do the following things. Sure, some of these are easier said than done. Which of the following has something to do with the immune system? A. exercise B. sleep C. emotional intelligence D. mood Answer: B Question: A few years ago, I was on a plane with my friend, waiting for it to take off. The pilot's voice was heard throughout the plane: "Sorry for the delay, ladies and gentlemen. Our engines don't work. We are going to jump-start them. Once we get them going, we'll get up in the air and see what happens." That was all he said. "See what happens?" Shouldn't we have had a better plan than that? At that point. I could only laugh nervously. One woman started crying, "Oh no! We are going to crash!'' There were sighs of hopelessness and anxiety, and we hadn't even taken off yet. The pilot even seemed unhappy. He told us our one engine was working double time, and his plan was to get up in the air and see what happens! Then we did. We got up in the air, and what happened? Nothing. We arrived in Norfolk, and no sooner had the wheels touched down than applause burst out as everyone on the airplane breathed a sigh of relief. While I do prefer planning better than "see what happens" when it comes to flying, it really isn't such a bad idea for life.All too often, people stop trying to achieve their goals just because they don't have a guaranteed result. But success will never be guaranteed. The best thing that you can do is just get up in the air, and see what happens. If your effort is to build a business then get up in the air and see what happens! Don't give yourself all the reasons why you can't. Do not wait until you have everything you need. You never will! If your goal is to start a friendship, say "Hello", get up in the air and see what happens! The results could be very rewarding. If your goal is to learn a new skill, get up in the air and see what happens! It might not be as difficult as your think. It could be fun! When traveling, i hope that my pilot has a more detailed plan than "we will see what happens" . But in life, it is not a bad strategy at all. What was the passengers' reaction when they arrived in Norfolk ? A. They were thankful and relieved. B. They cheered for the pilot's correct operation. C. They complained that the plane was not safe enough D. They just walked off the plane as if nothing had happened. Answer: A Question: Everybody may have seen the film "Death on the Nile (n. )", but nobody can imagine that the writer of the story, Agatha Christie, saved a baby in a most unusual way. In June 1977, a baby girl became seriously ill in Deleville. Doctors there were unable to find out the cause of her illness, so she was sent to a famous hospital in London, where there were many excellent doctors. The baby was so seriously ill that a team of doctors hurried to examine the baby without delay. The doctors, too, were puzzled by the baby's illness and they also became discouraged. Just then a nurse asked to speak to them. "I think the baby is suffering from thallium (n. ) poisoning. " said the nurse. "A few days ago, I read a story 'A Pale Horse' written by Agatha Christie. Someone uses thallium poison, and all the symptoms are written in the book. They are exactly the same as the baby's." "You're very good at observing things," said a doctor, "and you may be right. We'll carry out some tests and find out whether the cause is thallium poisoning or not." The tests proved that the baby had indeed been poisoned by thallium. Once they knew the cause, the doctors were able to give her correct treatment. The baby soon got well and was sent back to Deleville A week later, it was reported that the poison might have come from an insecticide (n. ) used in Deleville. The baby was sent to a hospital in London because _ . A. her parents were living in London then B. the hospitals in Deleville were full at that time C. she was the daughter of a famous doctor in London D. doctors in Deleville were not sure about the cause of her illness Answer: D Question: More and more scientific experiments prove that physical exercise can reduce the dangers of some illnesses in middle-aged persons.Exercise strengthens the heart muscle,reduces blood pressure and help to prevent muscles from changing into fat.Physical exercise is just as important for children. Exercise and food affect growing speed in young lab animals.Baby mice start running as soon as they are big enough to use an exercise wheel in their cage.If they get extra food and run a lot,they will grow as much as 1.5 times bigger than normal. The same differences in growing speed might be found between active and inactive children.Physical exercise helps active children grow faster than inactive children.One experiment shows that the brains of the mice that had enough exercise weighed about 3%more than those of the mice that did not exercise The mice that exercised are much quicker to learn doing new exercise than the mice that did not exercise. The results of the experiments suppose the theory that exercise can help babies learn to talk and walk sooner than expected. The good effects of physical exercise are not limited to children and middle-aged people.Exercise continues to be an important part of our lives after we grow old.For example,people over 50 years old begin to lose calcium from their bones,which get weaker and can break easily.Physical exercise,however,helps to strengthen the bones and to prevent them from losing calcium.Of course,old people can take medicines to prevent themselves from suffering from losing calcium.But the medicines they take increase the chance of developing some kind of cancer .So physical exercise is a much safer treatment . Why are the bones of old people easy to break according to the passage? A. Because they are easy to become ill. B. Because they eat less than other people. C. Because they have less exercise than other people. D. there is less calcium in their bones than in those of other people. Answer: D
Sam and Joe were astronauts. There was once a very dangerous trip and the more experienced astronauts knew there was only a small chance of coming back alive. Sam and Joe, however, thought it would be exciting though a little dangerous. "We're the best men for the job," they said to the boss. "There may be problems, but we can find the answers." "They're the last people I'd trust ," thought the boss. "But all the other astronauts have refused to go." Once they were in space, Joe had to go outside to make some repairs . When the repairs were done, he tried to get back inside the spaceship. But the door was locked. He knocked but there was no answer. He knocked again, louder this time, and again no answer came. Then he hit the door as hard as he could and finally a voice said, "Who's there?" "It's me! Who else could it be?" shouted Joe. Sam let him in all right but you can imagine that Joe never asked to go on a trip with Sam again! The writer tells this story to _ . A. show the easy side of the astronauts' life B. show the funny side of astronauts' life C. make people laugh at all the astronauts D. make people think Answer: B It was the end of the school term and my son Tom had less than three months left before he would finish his six years at high school. During this time he had developed a love for basketball. Sadly, because of my work over the last twelve months, I had only been able to attend a few of his games; however, I was determined to get to his last game for the school term. Tom's team came out in the first 10 minutes with a burst of goals that saw them leading by just over 20 points at the end of the first half. The second half changed as the other team quickly played themselves back into the game. Tom's team started to miss an increasing number of shots. It was at that point that the coach called his first time out. The noise of the spectators became quiet as the coach spoke to them. He had the team standing in a half circle, but he squatted down, looking up at them and fiving some very calm and clear instructions on what they needed to do in the last couple of minutes. As he stood up to allow the team to return to the court, I saw him give some further words of encouragement to all of them. You could see that he knew that the team was fighting to save the game and that he needed to lift them up. By squatting down he placed himself in a position where he was talking up to them, rather than down or at them, and as the players went back onto the court his words of encouragement served to lift their energy and spirits. Well, Tom's team went on to win the final by 5 points. As I drove away I thought about what can happen to us all in our everyday life. One of my favourite quotes is about the half filled glass of water --- "Is it half full or is it half empty?" Like the coach, the answer to this quote all depends on how you look at things. What can we infer from the passage? A. A father should care about his son at school. B. Playing hard is rewarded with a close match. C. What a coach says has the most influence on players. D. Looking at things positively is important in hard times. Answer: D Mr. Sankaram, a physics teacher, was known for his antics in his classroom to make the dull lessons in physics lively and interesting. Mixing different chemical drugs in the lab to become new substances in chemistry makes students excited. While studying botany or zoology, students can visit a garden or zoo. But physics limits students to listening to the boring lectures which are hard to understand. For example, why an apple dropping from a tree travels downwards but not upwards. But Mr. Sankaram's classroom antics to cause students to listen to topics such as how sound travels in air or why light travels faster than sound made him stand out from the rest of the teachers. At that time, most students in our school attended the college to please their parents, and some parents were proud of their children for simply attending a college, no-matter whether they benefited or not. They didn't study hard. But a few students were diligent and they wanted to study pre-medical courses to gain admission into the medical school. The schooling of pre-medical courses was very expensive. The college was next to the medical school. The wall separating them was about four feet high. Few tried to jump over the wall to get free pre-medical courses. Doing this was at risk of injuries and the climbing was forbidden. The college where Mr. Sankaram taught was known for unruly and naughty students. The unruly students usually sat at the back of the classroom. When a student from the back of the classroom tried to disrupt the class, Mr. Sankaram would say, "Dare you go ahead to make noise? Can you jump over the four-foot wall to get into the medical school?" The student's face went red and he became silent. In the physics class . I sat in the first row to escape from the troublemakers at the back. One day during the class. Mr. Sankaram unexpectedly asked me, "Can you jump over the four-foot wall?" I shook my head and answered, "No, sir, I couldn't jump over a one-foot wall, let alone a four-foot wall." Mr. Sankaram wasn't satisfied with my reply but waved his hand for me to sit down. He looked at me in the eyes hard and said, "If you can. Believe in yourself!" There were stories about Mr. Sankaram's past history. As a student at same college years ago, he went into much depression for some time when he couldn't get into the medical school. In fact he could have been admitted by the school by his ability of studying. Because his family couldn't afford his pre-medical courses and he didn't dare to climb the wall, he often walked back and forth along the four-foot wall talking to himself and sometimes cried over his failure. Whether this story was true or false it was passed on from year to year. So Mr. Sankaram had a nickname "four-foot." It was true that he left his dream to his students and he began challenging the students' ability to jump over the four-foot wall to get into the medical school. As a student I failed at my attempt to get admission into the medical school. In fact not all students wanted to be a doctor. And years later I ended up as a chemistry teacher at the same college. I thank Mr. Sankaram for his encouragement to me, and I am determined to follow his example to make my class interesting. Mr. Sankaram passed away years ago. He will always be remembered for his wonderful teaching techniques such as dancing movements and his encouraging words. We can infer from this passage that the author _ . A. wanted to become a doctor very much in fact B. regretted that he didn't respect Mr. Sankaram C. was born in a rich family and once a good student D. is a good teacher in the college where he once studied Answer: D If you are sitting at a table with people you don't know, it is impolite to smoke without first asking if it will disturb them. At American restaurants and coffee shops, cold water is usually served before you order. You may find the bread and the butter are free, and if you order coffee, you may get a free refill. Most cities and towns have no rules about opening and closing time for stores and restaurants, though they usually do make rules for bars. Especially in big cities, stores may be open 24 hours a day. Serving in restaurants are often large. If you can't finish the meal but would like to enjoy the food later, ask the waiter or the waitress for a "doggie bag" . It may have a picture of a dog on it, but everybody knows you are taking the food for yourself. Tips are not usually added to check. You should leave a tip of about 15% on the table when you leave. In some restaurants, a waiter or waitress often brings your check on a plate, and you can put your money there. Then the waiter or the waitress brings you your changes. American people always _ when servings are too large for them. A. take the food home for their dogs B. leave the food on the table and go away C. take the food home in doggie bags for themselves. D. ask the waiter or the waitress to keep the food for them. Answer: C What might damage a hard walkway that runs alongside a street? A. a child walking B. snow C. a tree nearby D. a running dog Answer: C
There is a library in John's school. It's new and big. It's behind the classroom building. It has three floors. On the first floor, there are two reading rooms. There are five big desks and thirty chairs in each reading room. John comes here and does his homework after class every day. On the second floor, there are a lot of books for students and teachers. They can't take the books away. They can only read books in the library. John thinks that _ is bad. On the third floor, there is a computer room with sixty computers. Students have IT lessons here. It's John's favourite lesson. What do students do on the third floor? Answer: They have IT lessons. Disneyland in Shanghai Built from 2011, Shanghai Disney Resort is the sixth Disneyland park in the world, and the first one on the Chinese mainland. Like other Disneyland parks, the one in Shanghai will have classic Disney characters and stories. But it will also have new attractions designed for Chinese people. It is open to the public now in 2016. Enchanted Storybook Castle Located at the heart of the theme park, the Enchanted Storybook Castle will be the tallest and largest Disney castle yet. Inside the castle, there are spaces for entertainment, dining and performance. There you can meet all the Disney princesses. Treasure Cove This is the first pirates-themed land in a Disney park. The land will have a major attraction, which is a high-technology boat ride attraction. The attraction will bring visitors along a pirate adventure. Are you ready to jump on the boat? Garden of the Twelve Friends In almost every other Disneyland park around the world, there is a "Main Street, USA" at the entrance. But Shanghai Disneyland park is the first without that attraction. Instead, it has the Garden of the Twelve Friends. Each friend stands for the 12 animal signs using popular Disney characters. Toy Story Hotel Living experience is also fun inside the park. Toy Story Hotel features the characters of the film Toy Story. There are about 800 rooms for visitors to stay. In the restaurant of the hotel, you may even see characters walking around and take photos with them. How many Disneyland parks can people visit in the world now? Answer: 6 Dogs wag their tails in different directions depending on whether they are excited and wanting to move forward or threatened and thinking of moving back, a study has found. Researchers in Italy examined the tail wagging behaviour of 30 dogs, catching their responses to a range of stimuli with video cameras. To conduct the study they chose 15 male dogs and 15 female ones aged between one and six years. The dogs were all family pets whose owners had allowed them to take part in the experiment at Bari University. The dogs were placed in a large wooden box with an opening at the front to allow for them to view various stimuli. They were tested one at a time. The researchers led by Professor Giorgio Vallortigara of the University of Trieste found that when the dogs were shown their owners--a positive experience--their tails wagged energetically to the right side. When they were shown an unfamiliar human they wagged to the right, but with somewhat less enthusiasm. The appearance of a cat again caused a right-hand side wag, although with less again. The appearance of a large unfamiliar dog, similar to a German shepherd, changed the direction of tail wagging to the left. Researchers supposed the dog was thinking of moving back. When the dogs were not shown any stimuli they tended to wag their tails to the left, suggesting they preferred company. While the changes in the tail wagging were not easily noticed without the aid of video, it was thought that the findings could help people judge the mood of dogs. Computer and video systems, for example, could be used by professional dog trainers to determine the mood of dogs that were required to approach. The video cameras were used to catch the dogs 'responses because _ . Answer: it was easier to catch the dogs' response changes in the tail wagging Right in front of the Minneapolis Central Library,a row of green bikes sits parked in a special stand.Each bike is designed with the logo"Nice Ride"--the name of the city's bike-share program. Nice Ride bikes are a lot like the library books that people come here to borrow.To rent a bike,you simply use your membership card at a Nice Ride bike station.Members can rent one of 1,200 bikes from 138 stations throughout Minnesota's largest city.People use the Nice Ride bikes to go to work,to go out on business,or just to enjoy the city's many bike paths. The rise of bike-share programs like Nice Ride is encouraging more people than ever to choose biking over driving.Rising gas prices and concerns about the environment have also gotten people to dust off their bike helmets, pump air into flat tires,and hit the road. Why ride? Not only is biking good exercise,but switching from a car to a bike also reduces the amount of pollution in the air.Carbon dioxide,a greenhouse gas linked to climate change,is one of the many polluting substances that come out of a car's tallpipe. Bike-share systems are found around the world in cities like London,Paris,Barcelona,and Melbourne,Australia.The largest program-with 70,000 bikes-is in Wuhan,China. To make roads friendlier to non-motorists,the U.S.Department of Transportation has invested more than a billion dollars in cycling and pedestrian projects in recent years.The money went toward building thousands of miles of on-street bike lanes and bike-and pedestrian-only passages called green ways. If one wants to use the bike,it's a must to _ . Answer: get a membership card 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 is sure that the old woman is a _ at the beginning . Answer: thief
Have you ever wanted to see the Great Wall of China, or win an Oscar for Best Director, or swim with dolphins ? If so, you are not alone. We all have things we want to do or achieve. These are part of our "bucket lists". A bucket is a list of things that someone wants to experience in his or her lifetimes. These things can be big or small. Have you ever thought about what is on your bucket list? Lindsay, 15, created her bucket list when she was 14. She has given her list serious thought. "I've always wanted to travel into space," she says. "I don't really want to be an astronaut. But I do want to go to space as a tourist. I want to see the Earth from above." Other things on her list include being on TV, seeing her favorite band in concert, learning how to speak Portuguese , and living in a foreign country. "I've always wanted to live in Brazil. As part of my bucket list, I want to attend Carnival in the capital of Brazil," she says. Jose, 16, recently created a list of things he wants to achieve. It changes sometimes he adds and takes away things because he wants to keep the number of the things at seven. One thing has stayed at number one, though: he wants to visit a movie set . He would like to see the Harry Potter of The Hobbit movie sets. Other things on the list include being on TV, meeting his favorite sports star, living in a foreign country, skateboarding down a mountain, attending the World Cup, and backpacking across Europe. He would like to spend two months visiting Eastern Europe with his best friend Adam. "Maybe after I graduate from college," says Jose. Carrie, 14, also has a bucket list. She first created it when she was 12. She would like to live in a foreign country for at least two years. She also wants to learn as many foreign languages as possible. But the number one thing on her list is to see her favorite band in concert. She also wants to go on a trip and to visit a movie set. Her favorite movies are the Hunger Games and Star Wars. Carrie is confident she will do most or all of the things on her bucket list. "I'm only 14," she says, "I have my whole life ahead of me!" What's the main idea of the passage? A telescope would be used for all the following except Drinking alcohol is a socially acceptable behavior in many parts of the world. Some medical experts say light drinking may even be good for your health, especially for the heart. But they say such health benefits should be compared to the many health risks connected with alcohol use. Some research suggests that having one to two drinks of alcohol a day may offer some health benefits. Several large studies have shown that this type of moderate drinking may lower the risk of heart disease and other diseases. A study last year suggested that drinking small amounts of red wine may help lower the risk of breast cancer in women. Researchers at Medical Center in California studied 36 women. Each woman drank a glass of red or white wine every day for almost a month. Researchers collected blood samples from the women two times a month to measure their hormone levels. The next month the women who drank red wine were told to drink white wine instead. The white wine drinkers were told to drink red wine. The researchers found that the women who drank red wine had lower levels of the female hormone than the white wine drinkers. They said red grapes have chemicals that may help to lower the risk of breast cancer. However, recent studies suggested that even small amounts of alcohol may generally increase the risk of breast cancer in women. They found that women who drink four small glasses of wine a week increase their risk of breast cancer by 15 percent. Many studies have examined the harmful effects of alcohol use on the body. Alicia Ann Kowalchuk serves as medical director, saying "Healthy use for adults --- that's men under age 65 --- is no more than 4 drinks in a day and no more than 14 drinks in a week. And for women of all ages, it's no more than 7 drinks in a week and no more than 2 drinks in a day." She says too much alcohol use has been linked to liver diseases, and many other cancers. How did the researchers carry out their study? The first step in exercising for most people is determining whether or not they should. This is particularly true with anyone over thirty-five, especially if they have been heavy smokers. Likewise, young adults who have been very inactive should proceed slowly and with caution. A physical evaluation from a physician is recommended, preferably one that includes an exercise-stress test. While a person is exercising, a stress test detects cardiovascular problems that might not show up when the body is at rest. This is done by monitoring blood pressure, pulse rate, oxygen consumption, and the heart's electrical activity while exercising. Whatever exercise program is selected, it is important to start with warm-up periods. These should include stretching exercises, jumping jacks, or active walking. The idea is to increase heart rate and circulation slowly without placing a sudden strain on the heart or the muscles that are starting to work. The next phase in developing an exercise program is to determine the amount of exercise that is enough to condition the muscles and cardiovascular system without excessively exhausting the body. This involves taking one's pulse and finding one's target zone. This target zone, or safe-training pulse rate, is established by subtracting one's age from 220 and then taking 60 percent to 80 percent of that total. If you are just starting to exercise, 60 percent is recommended; 80 percent is recommended if you are already in good condition. Who is the intended reader of the passage? For high school leavers starting out in the working world, it is very important to learn particular skills and practice how to behave in an interview or how to find an internship . In some countries, schools have programs to help students onto the path to work. In the United States, however, such programs are still few and far behind. Research shows that if high schools provide career-related courses, students are likely to get higher earnings in later years. The students are more likely to stay in school, graduate and go on to higher education. In Germany, students as young as 13 and 14 are expected to do internships. German companies work with schools to make sure that young people get the education they need for future employment. But in America, education reform programs focus on how well students do in exams instead of bringing them into contact with the working world. Harvard Education school professor Robert Schwartz has criticized education reformers for trying to place all graduates directly on the four-year college track. Schwartz argued that this approach leaves the country's most vulnerable kids with no jobs and no skills. Schwartz believed that the best career programs encourage kids to go for higher education while also teach them valuable practical skills at high school. James Madison High School in New York, for example ,encourages students to choose classes on career-based courses. The school then helps them gain on-the-job experience in those fields while they're still at high school. However, even for teens whose schools encourage them to connect with work, the job market is _ . In the US, unemployment rates for 16-to-19-year-olds are above 20 percent for the third summer in a row. "The risk is that if teenagers miss out on the summer job experience, they will become part of this generation of teens who had trouble in landing a job," said Michael, a researcher in the US. What's the main idea of the text?
Sonia has a sports collection. She has ten tennis rackets, seven basketballs, four volleyballs and five soccer balls. She plays tennis every day she is in the school tennis club. Susan also has a sports collection. She has five baseballs, six volleyballs, three ping-pong bats and many ping-pong balls. Oh, she also has two soccer balls. But she doesn't play sports. She only watches them. Sandy doesn't play sports, and she doesn't have balls. Sonia and Susan have _ volleyballs. 10 Prayer for My Mother Dear God, Now that I am no longer young, I have friends whose mothers have passed away.I have heard these sons and daughters say they never fully appreciated their mothers until it was too late to tell them. I am blessed with the dear mother who is still alive.I appreciate her more each day. My mother does not change, but I do.As I grow older and wiser, I realize what an extraordinary person she is.How sad that I am unable to speak these words in her presence, but they flow easily from my pen. How does a daughter begin to thank her mother for life itself? For the love, patience and just plain hard work that go into raising a child? For running after a toddler , for understanding a moody teenager, for tolerating a college student who knows everything? For waiting for the day when a daughter realizes what her mother really is? How does a grown woman thank for a mother for continuing to be a mother? For being ready with advice when asked or remaining silent when it is most appreciated? For not saying:"! told you so", when she could have voiced these words dozens of times? For being essentially herself-loving, thoughtful, patient, and forgiving? I don't know how, dear God, except to bless her as richly as she deserves and to help me live up to the example she has set.I pray that I will look as good in the eyes of my children as my mother looks in mine A daughter We can infer from the passage that the author is _ . reserved and appreciative Recently we told you about a finding that more years of school could help students get higherscores on intelligence tests.That was the finding of a study of teenage males in Norway.Now,other research shows that physical activity may help students do better in their classes . The research comes as educators in some countries are reducing time for activities like physical education.They are using the time instead for academic subjects like maths and reading.The studies appeared between 2007 and 2013.They included more than 55,000 children,aged 6 to 18. Amika Singh:"Based on the results of our study,we can conclude that being physically active is beneficial for academic performance. There are,first,Physiological explanations,like more blood flow, and so more oxygen to the brain.Being physically active means there are more hormones produced like endorphins .And endorphins make your stress level lower and your mood improved, which means you also perform better." Also,students involved in organized sports learn rules and how to follow them.This could improve their classroom behavior and help them keep their mind on their work. The study leaves some questions unanswered,however.Ms.Stash says it is not possible to say whether the amount or kind of activity affected the level of academic improvement.This is because of differences among the studies . Also.they were mostly observational studies.An observational study is where researchers do not do controlled comparisons.They only describe what they observe.So they might observe a link that students who are more active often have better grades.But that does not necessarily mean being active was the cause of those higher grades. The researchers said they found only two high - quality studies.They called for more high- quality studies to confirm their findings.They also pointed out that " _ Still,the general finding was that physically active kids are more likely to do better in school.Ms.Singh says schools should consider that finding before they cut physical education programs.Her paper on "Physical Activity and Performance at School"is published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. What's the purpose of writing the passage? To call our attention to the sports at school. Laboratory work is your chance to learn science firsthand. It can be fun but you must be careful to prevent injury. Listen closely when your teacher reads and explains the rules before your first lab lesson. LABORATORYRULES Throughout the lesson Do not enter the science lab without the teacher's permission.No food or drinks are to be alowed in the science lab. Before the Experiment Read al instructions carefuly before every experiment. Prepare al apparatus and arrange them so that you wil not knock them over while doing the experiment. During the Experiment If you are unsure of how to use any apparatus or how to operate, ask your teacher for help.Never smel or taste chemicals unless your teacher gives permission. After the Experiment Wash al apparatus after use and return them to the places where they were. Throw waste materials in proper waste baskets. First Aid Report al accidents to your teacher immediately. If you spil( )any chemicals onto your body or clothing, wash with plenty of water and report to your teacher. Your teacher wil probably tel you the rules above _ the first lab lesson. before A gentleman once advertised for a boy to help him in his office, and nearly fifty persons asked for the place. Out of the whole number he in a short time chose one, and sent all the other boys away. "I should like to know," said a friend, "on what ground you chose that boy. He didn't even have a recommendation with him. "You are mistaken,"said the gentleman, "he had a great many: - "He made his shoes clean when he came in, and closed the door after him; showing that he was orderly . "He gave his seat to the disabled old man; showing that he was _ "He took off his cap when he came in, and answered my questions quickly and respectfully c) ; showing that he was polite. "He lifted up the book which I had purposely laid on the floor, and put it on the table, while all the others stepped over it or pushed it aside; showing that he was careful. "And he waited quietly for his turn, instead of pushing the others aside; showing that he was modest ( ) . "When I talked with him, I noticed that his clothes were carefully brushed, his hair in nice order, and his teeth as white as milk. When he wrote his name, I noticed that his fingernails were clean; instead of having some untidy personal habits. "Don't you call these things letters of recommendation? I do; and the things that I can discover a boy by using my eyes for ten minutes, is worth more than all the fine letters that he can bring." How many reasons made the gentleman choose that boy? Six
Question: Humans are naturally drawn to other life forms and the worlds outside of our own. We take delight in the existence of creatures and even whole societies beyond our everyday lives. This sense of wonder is universal. Look at the efforts that scientists have made to find out whether life of some kind exists on Mars, and the popularity of fantasy literature or movies like The Lord of the Rings. This sense of wonder draws us to each other, to the world around us, and to the world of make-believe, but have we gone so far in creating worlds of fantasy that we are missing the pleasure of other worlds that already exist all around us? Human beings, as biologists have suggested, possess an inborn desire to connect with and understand other life forms. However, people, especially in big cities, often lead rather isolated lives. In a study of British schoolchildren, it was found that children by age eight were much more familiar with characters from television shows and video games than common wildlife. Without modem technology, a small pond could be an amazing world filled with strange and beautiful plants, insects, birds, and animals. When we lack meaningful interaction with the world around us, and sometimes even with our families and friends, we seek to understand and communicate with things that exist only in our imaginations or on a computer screen. The world of make-believe is not necessarily bad, but when the world of fantasy becomes the only outlet for our sense of wonder, then we are really missing something. We are missing a connection with the living world. Other wonderful worlds exist all around us. But even more interesting is that if we look closely enough,we can see that these worlds, in a broad sense ,are really part of our own. The popularity of The Lord of the Rings proves _ . A. the close connection between man and the fantasy world B. the wonderful achievements of fantasy literature C. the fine taste of moviegoers around the world D. the general existence of the sense of curiosity Answer: D Question: The failed Skylab will come screaming home to the earth in disappointment sometime next month, but we don't know where it will fall. That precise information is beyond even the calculations of scientist and their computers. The best they can tell us is that the space station, weighting 77 tons and as high as a 12-story building, will break into hundreds of pieces that will be scattered across a track 100 miles wide and 4,000miles long. We are again exposed to one of those unexpected adventures, or misadventures, of science that attract our attention from the boring routines of daily existence and encourages us to think a lot about man's future. What worries Richard Smith, the Skylab's director, is the "big pieces" that will come through the atmosphere. Two lumps, weighing 2 tons each, and ten, weighing at least 1,000 pounds each, will come in at a speed of hundred of miles an hour, and if they crash on land they will dig holes up to 100 feet deep. What worries us, with our lack of scientific knowledge and our quick imagination, is both the big and little pieces, although project officials say there is a very small chance that anyone will be injured by them. That's good to know, but it doesn't remove the doubt of the millions who still remember the nuclear accident at Three Mile Island. That accident took place in 1979 in spite of what scientists had assured(...) us as to the safety of the nuclear reactor . The broken Skylab will come into view _ . A. in two lumps---- one weighing 2 tons and the other weighing 10 tons B. falling with the force of a 12-story building C. as 12 bigger pieces and hundreds of smaller pieces D. as an attractive scene to millions of people Answer: C Question: Sam really felt very happy. When he arrived at his seat in the classroom that morning, he found an invitation on his desk. It was from several of his classmates asking him to join them on a camping trip. This was the first time he was asked to join in an out-of-school activity. Why were they asking him now? Nobody seemed to like him. In fact, he had been so lonely that he ate a lot of food. As a result, he put on a lot of weight, and this gave the kids something more to make fun of him. Cindy, who was standing near Sam when Sam read the invitation, went out quickly to tell the others that _ . Everyone was pleased that Sam thought that was true, but there was no camping trip. The whole thing was made up . At first, Cindy thought it was fun. But later, when Sam told her that he was going to buy a sleeping bag with his savings, Cindy had second thoughts. She knew that Sam's family had little money, and she hated to see him spend his savings on something he would never use, Cindy also hated to tell Sam the truth. Her close friends would be angry with her. What can she do now? From the text, we can learn that Cindy is _ . A. a little clever B. very kind C. quite helpful D. hard-working Answer: B Question: The first true piece of sports equipment that man invented was the ball. In ancient Egypt, as everywhere, pitching stones was a favorite children's game. But a badly thrown rock could hurt a child. Looking for something less dangerous to throw, the Egyptians made what were probably the first balls. At first, balls were made of grass or leaves held together by vines . Later they were made of pieces of animal skin sewed together and stuffed with feathers or hay. Even though the Egyptians were warlike, they found time for peaceful games. Before long they had developed a number of ball games, each with its own set of rules. Perhaps they played ball more for instruction than for fun. Ball playing was thought of mainly as a way to teach young men the speed and skill they would need for war. The first balls were probably made of _ A. animal skins stuffed with rocks B. twists of hay C. hides stuffed with hay or feathers D. grass and leaves tied with vines Answer: D Question: One August afternoon, Richard Allen dropped off his last passenger, Mrs. Carey. Lifting two grocery bags, he followed her across the yard and stood on the step of her house. Glancing up, he saw a large wasp nest under the roof. Allen had heard that wasps can become more likely to sting(sting, stung, stung)in summer. He mentioned this to Mrs. Carey, who had opened the door. "Oh, they don't bother me," she said lightly. "I go in and out all the time." Anxiously, Allen looked at the nest again-to see the wasps flying straight at him. "Hurry!" he shouted to Mrs. Carey. "Get in!" She stepped quickly inside. Allen ran for his mini-bus. Too late; they were upon him. Just as he jumped aboard, half a dozen red spots showed on his arm, and he felt more on his back and shoulders. As he was driving down the road, Allen felt as if something was burning at the back of his neck, and the "fire" was spreading forward toward his face. An immediate anxiety took hold of him. Allen knew that stings could cause some persons to die. But he had been stung the previous summer and the after-effects soon passed. However, what he didn't know was that the first sting had turned his body into a time bomb waiting for the next to set off an explosion. Miles from the nearest medical assistance, Allen began to feel his tongue thick and heavy and his heartbeat louder. Most frightening, he felt his breathing more and more difficult. He reached for the radio mike ,trying to call the mini-bus center, but his words were hardly understandable. Signals were also poor that far out. He knew a rescue team was on 24-hour duty at the Amherst Fire Department's north station. So his best chance was to make a run for it. Rushing down the mountain, Allen tried not to panic, focusing his mind on each sharp turn. He was almost through the last of them when he felt sure he was going into shock .Just then he reached for the radio mike again. "Call fire station," he shouted, concentrating to form the words. "Emergency. Bee sting. Emergency. There in ten minutes." "Five-ten," the center replied. Hold on, Allen thought. Keep your eyes open. Breathe. Keep awake. At last he reached the station. Two firemen ran out. Allen felt their hands grasp him before he hit the ground. You made it, he thought. Allen failed at his first attempt to send his message to the mini-bus center because _ . A. he was in a state of shock B. his radio equipment was poor C. he was unable to speak clearly D. no one was on duty Answer: C
You can't see any object unless light from that object gets into your eyes.Some of the things you see give off light of their own. The sun,the stars,a lighted lamp are the examples that can be seen by their own light.But most of the things you see are not giving off light of their own.They are just reflecting light that falls on them from the sun or some other luminous bodies.The moon,for example,doesn't give off any light of its own.It is not 1uminous.You see it because sunlight falls on it and some of the sunlight reflects on the earth.So moonlight is only second--hand sunlight. When you look at a book,it sends some of the light which fails on it to your eyes,and you see the book.If light could be kept out from where you're so that there would be no light from the book to reflect.Then you couldn't see the book even with your eyes wide open.Light travels so fast that the time in which it travels from the book you're reading to your eyes is as short as if there were no time at time.Light reaches us from the moon,which is about 380,000 kilometres away,in only a little more than a second. Which of the following is TRUE? Answer: Why would something appear blue? Answer: Good posture certainly shows good health. It also adds to a body's energy and beauty. The body is not handsome when the back is bent and neck thrusts forward. Bad posture suggests the impression that a person is tired,lacking in energy,bored,or weak. Tiredness may sometimes be the cause of bad posture. Most often,however,it is due to careless and poor health habits. Whatever it causes,bad posture affects one physically. The muscles are stretched and pulled into unnatural positions,which can lead to poor base of the body's various systems. Nutrition is the study of how the body takes food and uses it. This science provides information about the kinds of food a person must eat to improve and maintain good health. Such knowledge helps him develop and form people habits to his problems of healthful living. People habits of nutrition can be developed by paying attention to:(1) the variety of food included in the diet;(2) the quality of each kind of food eaten. A diet,or the food regularly eaten,must contain all the necessary factors. Many physicians believe that overweight is one of the greatest dangers to good health. This condition often leads to a shorter life. An overweight person is also easier to suffer disease, and various disorders of the digestive system. A person's weight directly has something to do with the amounts of food he eats. All foods can make a person fat if too much is eaten. In reducing,the safe weight loss is about two pounds a week. The sensible way to lose weight is to decrease the gaining starchy foods,fats and sweets in the diet. We can infer from the statement "all foods can make a person fat if too much is eaten" that _ . Answer: It doesn't matter if you have one friend or 20, because there are only a few people in this world that can make you truly happy. For me, my family and my three best girlfriends mean everything to me. Some days I didn't want to go to school because I felt so disappointed in myself but I don't regret a thing. It makes you stronger as a person, and if you are able to mend your friendships like I have done, then you can do anything. My mom always told me, "Stephanie, remember that a friend is a gift that you give to yourself. A friend will always be there for the good and the bad. A true friend will never make fun of you. If a friend is a piece of work, then he or she has never been a friend at all. A friend is the biggest gift to you." Everyone is going to make mistakes but please don't push them away, especially if it's someone you really care about. I know when I make mistake I beat myself up about it. I just wish someone would have reached out a hand to help me back up on my feet like my best friend did. If someone is new or doesn't have a friend, please reach out and befriend them because that small action could mean the world to them. Now that I'm older, I understand what my mom has been trying to tell me, and now I know that the friends that I choose will also be the kinds of friends that I would want to be surrounded by forever. According to passage, a true friend should be a person that _ . Answer: School is out for the summer. Jake and Jimmy are playing on a baseball team. They are both nine years old this year. Their team is called the Knights. Jake plays first base and Jimmy is a pitcher. They both love baseball. They started playing when they were four years old. It is so fun for them. Their team has won three games so far. They beat the Jets, the Bluejays, and the Hawks so far. They have not lost any games yet. They are playing the Tigers today. The Tigers have not lost any games either. The score was one to one until the last inning. There were two outs. Jimmy came to the plate. The pitcher named Johnny threw the ball hard. Jimmy swung his bat too late and missed. He missed the next pitch too. It was too fast. He was ready for the next pitch. He hit it hard to center field. The Tiger player in center field jumped to catch it, but it went over his head and over the fence. It was a home run! The Knights won the game! What team are the Knights playing today? Answer:
In the summer between my first year and second year in college, I was invited to be an instructor at a high school camp. On the first day, when we were dancing and playing games, I noticed a boy under the tree who was small and thin. His shyness made him appear weak. I walked towards him, introduced myself and invited him to join in the activities and meet some new people. He quietly replied, "No, I really don't want to do this." I could understand that he was in a new world but I knew it wouldn't be right to force him, either. Actually, the boy didn't need a close talk but a friend. At lunch the next day, I was leading camp songs when 1 saw the boy under the tree sitting alone. I tried again with the same invitation, but he refused once again. That evening I was told the boy's name was Tommy. Then I asked the campers to pay special attention to the boy and spend time with him when they could. The days went by and the time came when we had to leave. We held a big, warm party to celebrate the closing of the camp. All the campers shared their wonderful moments. To my surprise. 1 found the boy from under the tree dancing joyfully with two girls. I couldn't believe it was the same person. In October of my second year, I received a phone call from Tommy's mother. She told me that Tommy was hit by a car and killed. I offered my deep sadness. The mother said: "'Tommy mentioned you so many times. I want you to know that he went back to school and made new friends with confidence. You made a difference for Tommy during his last months." At that moment, I realized how easy it was to give a bit of yourself every day. You may never know how much each gesture may mean to someone else. I hope that everyone can pay attention to their own "boy under the tree". How many times did the writer invite the boy to join in the activities? Answer: Twice Gateway Academy Pre-Sessional Courses Our pre-sessional courses are ideal for students who have a conditional place at a British university, but who need to achieve a certain level of English in order to be accepted. The course aims to provide students with the English language and study skills that they need in order to be successful at university or another academic establishment. It is important to note that completion of the course does not guarantee students' entrance into a university. It is necessary for students to show during the course that they have understood the information and skills that they have been taught, and can apply them to their work. Pre-sessional students at Gateway Academy will benefit from: * Small class sizes (no more than 10 students per class) * Twenty three hours of tuition per week * Individual support and tutorials * Regular guest lecturers * The use of the Academy's study and recreational facilities, including the Language Library, the computer suite, and the academy's sports facilities. * A varied social programme including evening entertainments and weekend excursions to popular tourist attractions and cities such as Stonehenge, Oxford and Stratford-on-Avon. The course offers an all-around approach to learning, and covers reading, writing, speaking and listening skills. During the course, students will receive instruction on important techniques such as summary-writing, analysing essay titles, organising writing, note-taking in lectures, giving seminars and making presentations. Students will gain experience in working both individually and in groups. As part of the course, all students will work towards a 5000-word project in their own field of study. Students will receive guidance from their tutors on how best to conduct research and write it up effectively. Students will also work towards a presentation on the same subject. There is no final examination. The attendance, successful completion of assignments and participation in class will be taken into account. Students will be given a full report on their progress at the end of the course. Students need to be aware that the course involves a great deal of coursework, which will require students to manage their time effectively. Students who take the course will probably _ . Answer: make an overall improvement in English In China, there're many different kinds of foods. Some of them are very popular. The most popular Chinese food is dumplings. Now let me tell you something about them. Almost everyone in China likes dumplings very much, and there are many different kinds of dumplings. Some have meat and vegetables in them. Some have eggs in them. I like dumplings with vegetables and pork better than any other kinds. Usually we make dumplings at home. If we have no time to make them, we can buy them from supermarket. Then we can take them home and eat them with _ . Spring Festival is very important in China. When it comes, we make dumplings. Usually we put a coin in a dumpling. It is said that one will be lucky in the year if he eats the dumpling with the coin. In the old days, people couldn't often eat dumplings, because they were very poor. Now the condition has changed a lot, so people can eat dumplings usually. ,. (2,10) We can buy dumplings from the supermarket when _ . Answer: we are busy What kind of energy change occurs when a battery is operating a remote control toy? Answer: Potential energy is changed to kinetic energy. I wished I had known earlier the fact that I was a low achiever because there was a reason beyond my control. Then I needn't have worked so hard in my late twenties and early thirties. But I just didn't know that. I was writing and writing. I was working for no other reason than to hear people praise me. Most people who go through university read at least twice as fast as I do. I can never tell my left from my right. I avoid dialing a telephone if I can help it, because I sometimes have to try three times before getting the number right. I hear that recording "The number you have reached is not in service" more than any man on earth. Despite my weaknesses I view my dyslexia(difficulty in reading) as a gift, not a curse . Many dyslexics are good at right brain, namely abstract thought, and that is what my king of creative writing is. I'm starting with nothing and coming up with something that didn't exist before. That's my strong point. I owe my career to Ralph, Salisbury, my writing instructor at the University of Oregon, who looked past my misspellings and gave me encouragement and hope. I just carried on and never looked back. I'm also very "visual". This means nothing in school, but when I write books or scripts, I'm seeing everything in my imagination. I write quickly. I go like the wind and can get up to 15 pages a day. Writing is not the problem. I have no problem downloading; it is inputting where things get messed up. The real fear I have for dyslexics is not that they have to struggle with messy input, but that they will quit on themselves before they finish school. Parents have to create victories whenever they can, whether it is music, sports or the arts. You want your dyslexic child to be able to say, "Yeah, reading is hard. But I have these other things I can do." What kind of man is the writer? Answer: Open-minded and optimistic
Bringing a stray cat to your home to live will be hard for it at first, but since animals adapt, it will Answer: get acclimated School Groups:$10.00 per person One free teacher admission per 10 students. Group rates apply to groups 15 or more. Click HERE to make a reservation online today! The Miami Planetarium opened its doors to the public on November 4, 1966 and has entertained and educated children of all ages about astronomy and the wonders of the night sky ever since. The planetarium houses a 65-foot diameter doomed projection screen with 231 seats. At the heart of the Planetarium is a SPITZ "Space Transit Planetarium" star projector , which is capable of accurately reproducing the stars and planets as seen from anywhere on Earth at any time during the year. Shows daily except Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Unlike any other in South Florida, the Planetarium is a unique setting for bringing the stars and planets indoors in animated live star shows and music filled laser light shows. The Weintraub Observatory houses two powerful telescopes. Observatory hours are from 8:00p.m. to 10:00p.m. Look through the telescope to view the planets, the four moons of Jupiter, the rings of Saturn and deep sky objects such as galaxies, nebulas and double stars. Deposit: A $ 75 deposit must be received 10 days ahead of the visit date to guarantee your visit. Cancellation Policy:The museum requires 48 hours advance notice prior to any cancellation or other changes to a reservation. Without prior notification the original total will be expected upon arrival. Payment Policy: The balance of the admission fee is due upon arrival at the museum on your visit day. Upon arrival: The leading teacher should check in at the box office with payment for the correct head count of students and teachers. Visitors should remain on the bus until a museum interpreter show you around the museum. Museum Etiquette: We ask that all groups remain together and orderly. Teachers are asked to help maintain order with their groups. We reserve the right to refuse service to any group or individual not obeying the museum policies. Bus procedures: The museum will provide parking for buses in our parking lot. Upon arrival, bus drivers will be directed by the museum staff to the appropriate places to park. It is recommended that buses remain on the spots throughout the group's entire museum visit. For more information & reservations call: (305)646-4222. We can infer from the passage that _ . Answer: the Weintraub Observatory is not open to visitors during the day. Paris is a very nice city. Mrs. Curie often goes to Paris and she has a good time there. Mrs. Curie is old and very , so she sometimes can't find her way. Now she sees a man near a bus stop. "I can ask him the way," she says. "Excuse me," she says in French. "But can you tell me the way to Notre Dame de Paris , please?" But the man doesn't know French. He is Australian! Then he puts his hand into his coat and takes out a small book. He opens it and finds a phrase . He reads, "I'm sorry. I don't speak French." What language does the man speak when he answers Mrs. Curie? Answer: French. Most animals have little connection with animals of a different kind, unless they hunt them for food. Sometimes, however, two kinds of animals come together in a partnership which does good to both of them. You may have noticed some birds sitting on the back of sheep. This is not because they want a ride, but because they find easy food in the parasites on sheep. The sheep allow the birds to do so because they remove the cause of discomfort. So although they can manage without each other, _ do better together. Sometimes an animal has a plant partner. The relationship develops until the two partners cannot do without each other. This is so in the corals of the sea. In their skins they have tiny plants which act as "dustman", taking some of the waste products from the coral and giving in return oxygen which the animal needs to breathe. If the plants are killed, or are even prevented from light so that they cannot live normally, the corals will die. It can be learnt from the text that the coral depends on the plants for _ . Answer: oxygen One afternoon, my son came home from school and asked me, "Are all people the same even if their skin color is different?" I thought for a moment, then I said, "I'll explain. Let's go to a fruit store first. I have something interesting to show you." At the store, I told him that we needed to buy apples. And we bought some red apples, green apples and yellow apples. After we got home, I told Adam, "It's time to answer your question." I put one of each type of apple on the table: first a red apple, followed by a green apple and then a yellow apple. Then I looked at Adam, who was sitting on the other side of the table. "Adam, people are just like apples. They come in different colors, shapes and sizes. See, some may not even look as delicious as others." As I was talking, Adam was examining each one carefully. Then, I took each of the apples and peeled them, placing them back on the table, but in a different place. "OK, Adam, tell me which one is the red apple, the green apple and the yellow apple." He said, "I can't tell. They all look the same now." "Take a bite of each one. See if that helps you tell which one is which." He took big bites, and then a huge smile came across his face. "People are just like apples! They are all different, but if you take off the outside, they're pretty much the same on the inside." "Right," I agreed. "Just like everyone has their own features but they are nearly the same." He completely got it. I didn't need to say or do anything else. Now, when I eat an apple, it tastes a little sweeter than before. What perfect fruit it is! In the end, Adam understood that _ . Answer: people are much the same even if their skin color is different
People born in winter are more likely to suffer mental health disorders, according to a recent study carried out by researchers at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee. Researchers raised baby mice from birth to weaning in either "summer" light cycles of 16 hours of light and 8 hours of dark or "winter" cycles of 8 hours of light and 16 hours of dark. A third group experienced 12 hours of light and 12 hours of dark a day. Then half the winter mice stayed in a winter cycle, while half switched to a summer schedule. The summer mice were similarly _ . The mice raised in equal periods of light and dark were split into three groups, one of which stayed on the 12hour schedule, one of which joined the winter group, and one of which joined the summer group. After 28 days, it turns out the summerborn mice behaved the same whether they stayed on the summer cycle or switched to winter. But among the winterborn mice, those stayed in winter kept their previous schedule, while those that switched to summer stayed active for an extra hour and a half, which indicates that mice born and weaned in a winter light cycle showed dramatic disruptions in their biological clocks. The finding is the first of its kind in mammals, and it could explain why people born in winter are at higher risk for mental health disorders including bipolar depression, schizophrenia and seasonal affective disorder. "We know that the biological clock regulates mood in humans,"said study researcher McMahon. "If the mechanism similar to the one that we found in mice operates in humans, then it could not only have an effect on a number of behavioral disorders, but also have a more general effect on personality." What's the main idea of the text? Answer: Does everyone want a challenging job? In spite of all the attention focused by the media, academicians, and social scientists on human potential and the needs of individuals, there is no evidence to support that the vast majority of workers want challenging jobs. Some individuals prefer highly complex and challenging jobs; others develop in simple, routine work. The individual-difference variable that seems to gain the greatest support for explaining who prefers a challenging job and who doesn't is the strength of an individual's needs for personal growth and self-direction at work. Individuals with these higher-order growth needs are more responsive for challenging work. What percentage of ordinary workers actually desire higher-order need satisfactions and will respond positively to challenging jobs? No current data is available, but a study from the 1970s estimated the figure at about 15%. Even after adjusting for changing work attitudes and the growth in white-collar jobs, it seems unlikely that the number today exceeds 40%. The strongest voice advocating challenging jobs has not been workers--it's been professors, social science researchers, and media people. Professors, researchers, and journalists undoubtedly made their career choices, to some degree, because they wanted jobs that gave them autonomy, recognition and challenge. That, of course, is their choice. But for them, to force their needs onto the workforce in general is presumptuous . Not every employee is looking for a challenging job. Many workers meet their higher-order need off the job. There are 168 hours in every individual's week. Work rarely consumes more than 30% of this time. That leaves considerable opportunities, even for individuals with strong growth needs, to find higher-order need satisfaction outside the workplace. So don't feel you have a responsibility to create challenging jobs for all your employees. For many people, work is something that will never excite or challenge them. And they don't expect to find their growth opportunities at work. Work is merely something they have to do to pay their bills. They can find challenges outside of work on the golf course, fishing, at their local pub, with their friends in social clubs, with their family, and the like. What makes people choose challenging jobs? Answer: Once a great boxer , Tom Brown, went to a restaurant for dinner. He put his bag near the door, but he was afraid that someone would take it. So he got out a pen and a piece of paper and wrote on it: "The great boxer, Tom Brown, left his bag here. He'll come back in a few minutes. " He put the paper on his bag and went to have his dinner. When he came back, his bag wasn't there. But he found a piece of paper on the ground. It said: "A great runner took away your bag, and he will not come back. " Mr Brown was afraid _ . Answer: My father had returned from his business visit to London when I came in, rather late, to supper. I could tell at once that he and my mother had been discussing something. In that half- playful, half-serious way I knew so well, he said, "How would you like to go to Eton?" " You bet, " I cried quickly catching the joke. Everyone knew it was the most expensive, the most famous of schools. You had to be entered at birth, if not before. Besides, even at 12 or 13, I. understood my father. He disliked any form of showing off. He always knew his proper station in life, which was in the middle of the middle class; our house was medium-sized; he had avoided joining Royal Liverpool Golf Club and went to a smaller one instead; though once he had got a second-hand Rolls-Royce at a remarkably low price, he felt embarrassed driving it, and quickly changed it for an Austin 1100. This could only be his delightful way of telling me that the whole boarding school idea was to be dropped. Alas ! I should also have remembered that he had a liking for being different from everyone else, if it did not conflict with his fear of drawing attention to himself. It seemed that he had happened to be talking to Graham Brown of the London office, a very nice fellow, and Craham had a friend who had just entered his boy at the school, and while he was in that part of the world he thought he might just as well phone them. I remember my eyes stinging and my hands shaking with the puzzlement of my feelings. There was excitement, at the heart of great sadness. "Oh, he doesn't want to go away , " said my mother, " You shouldn't go on like this. " "It's up to him, " said my father. "He can make up his own mind. " From the text we can know that the author's father enjoyed being different as long as _ Answer: Jonny climbed an apple tree. How are Jonny and the apple tree similar to each other? Answer:
Scientists perform experiments to test hypotheses. How do scientists try to remain objective during experiments? Answer: Scientists analyze all results. Tony Burke, Australia's environment minister, says he won't decide until next year whether the koala should be protected as an endangered species. He was expected to make his decision by the end of October. But that decision has been put off. Burke said he needed more time to go over the latest information about the koala's population. In September, an Australian Senate committee reported that there was no question the koala's population is on the decrease. "But they may not yet be eligible for listing as a threatened species," said Senator Doug Cameron. "To have such a significant Australian icon included on the threatened species list would be a national shame." The koala is found only in the eucalyptus forests of Australia. And its population is reported to have fallen sharply for many reasons, including the cutting down of forests to make way for human beings' development, their own illness, climate change and killings by other animals such as wild dogs. And every year many koalas are hit by cars as they are trying to cross the busy roads. Putting off the decision on protection for the koala "is really bad news," said Debbie Pointing, the president of the Koala Action Group. "We've worked tirelessly for many years to gather data on the populations," Pointing said. "That data should be enough to make a decision." However, Burke pointed out that the Australian government had spent at least $6.3 million on koala conservation efforts since 1996. senators listed efforts that are already underway in Queensland - the construction of special koala bridges as well as fences along roads, to keep the animals out of harm's way. Some people say that is not enough. "What we're doing at the moment is likely to drive this species to extinction," Queensland University zoologist Bill Ellis said. "Koalas are an iconic Australian animal," Burke told Australians. "They hold a special place in the hearts of Australians." But it is a fact that if more isn't done to protect the koala, they might soon hold a place only in Australians' memories. Tony Burke put off announcing the koala as an endangered species because _ . Answer: he needed more time to examine latest information Mr Smith is a teacher of English.He comes from America.He teaches English in China.He speaks Chinese quite well. He reads a lot of books and his wife often writes books for the students at home.Mr Smith gets up at five in the morning.He leaves home at ten to six.He begins the first lesson at 8:00.He teaches English every day except Saturday and Sunday.At ten to twelve he finishes his lessons.Ten minutes later he has lunch.In the afternoon,he often plays games with his students.Sometimes he teaches his students in his office.Supper time is at about six.After that,he reads newspapers and watches TV.At about ten to eleven he goes to bed. Mr Smith is _ . Answer: an American New York's streets were covered by people dressed in elephant costumes and others waving antiwar posters with pictures of US President George W. Bush on them last week. But this was no carnival - it was the Republican Party's National Convention , which attracted thousands of protestors . It was the largest protest ever at a US political convention, with at least 120,000 people marching through Manhattan on August 29. They demanded that the US leave Iraq and a new president be chosen. The Republicans say the opposition - Democrat Party encouraged the people on to the streets. They believe it is a democratic move to help win presidential election, to be held on November 2. The election is described as "the decisive battle between donkey and elephant". The two animals are the symbols of the two major political parties in the US. The elephant represents the Republicans, whose candidate , President George W. Bush, is trying to defeat the donkey to win his second them. The donkey represents the democrats, whose candidate, John Kerry, is trying to kick the elephant out of the White House. Republicans think the elephant is powerful and clever, but the Democrats argue it is stupid and conservative . In return, the Republicans regard the donkey as stubborn and silly but the Democrats say it is humble, plain, smart and courageous. The Republicans have been sending emails to Bush supporters and journalists with the heading, "An Elephant Never Forgets", said party spokeswoman Heather Layman. Elephants are known for their long memories. The emails suggest that Bush will keep his promises, while Kerry will not stick to his words. It is interesting that both symbols were created by a single person, Thomas Nast, a famous political cartoonist of the late 19th century. During the election in 1874, Nast drew a cartoon, in which a donkey in a lion's skin frightened an elephant marked "Republican". In the eyes of the Republicans, the donkey is considered as_. Answer: foolish When a human's organs stop working and he stops breathing, that person Answer: perished
For every woman who feels like she's had to scale back her personal ambitions since becoming a mother, gold medal cyclist Kristin Armstrong has a message: Don't give up on your dreams. She retired after winning gold in Beijing to start a family; son Lucas arrived in 2010, but then she decided to compete again in the London Olympics. She won a gold medal at last. The decision to start training again wasn't easy. "I struggled with that a lot," she told a newspaper. "At the beginning I felt selfish, I felt like, 'Well, I'm not supposed to be thinking of myself anymore. It's all supposed to be for my kid.'" She faced physical challenges of getting back into competition shape after giving birth, as well. When she started racing in the spring of 2011, she was still breast-feeding; she would nurse her son, then race, then breast-feed again after the race. Her days revolved around Lucas and training. "I feel like I'm able to do what I love to do and still manage a family and have that balance," Armstrong said. "That you have a family or a child doesn't mean that you have to stop going after what you dream of individually." Armstrong makes balance look easy, whether it's on her bike or as an athlete-mom. But she points out that you can't have it all without making some sacrifices. For example, don't expect a neat home--her husband, Joe Savola, who she describes as her support system and her "protector", says he's had to give up on trying to keep everything orderly at home and just accept that their living room has become Lucas's playroom. For Armstrong, she's sacrificed time with friends who had kids around the same age--there just wasn't time. Now, she says, "That sounds like fun to me." As she heads home to Boise, Idaho, she's ready to do regular mom stuff. In most days of 2011, Armstrong could be described as _ . a parent and a sportswoman One morning, a blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said, "I am blind. Please help me." There were only a few coins in the hat. A man was walking by. He took out a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote something on it. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by could see the new words. Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Are you the one who changed my sign this morning? May I know what you wrote?" The man said, "I only wrote the truth, I said what you said but in a different way." What he had written was, "Today is a beautiful day but I cannot see it." Of course both signs told people the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was a blind. The second sign told people they were so lucky that they were not blind. It reminded you to be thankful for what you have. When life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1,000 reasons to smile. Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear. Keep the faith and drop the fear. The most beautiful thing is to see a person smiling. Why did the man come back that afternoon? To check if there were some changes. Bell Teacher Campus 2016: Cultural Talks Our talks start at 16:00 on the first week in August, and each one lasts about one hour. Each talk will be offered only once during your 4-day stay. Please sign up on the main Bell Noticeboard (Second floor, Mary Allan Building). August 1st BRITISH MUSIC, by Pete Sharma in Room 106. British music is famous worldwide. In this talk, I'll discuss what's popular and what's not right now and the top music festivals in the UK. We will listen to some of the artists and share some thoughts about singing and dancing. August 2nd LOVE ME, LOVE MY CAT, by Lis Harrison in Room 207. We will be looking at this national interest through idioms , songs, and everyday British life, and along the way covering some vocabulary for "talking cat". At the end, we'll be discussing that old topic: do we Brits treat out pets better than we treat our kids? August 3rd A GAME AS ENGLISH AS CROQUET ,by Anna Young in Room 218. First, we will look at the origins of croquet, a much loved garden game in England. We will look at simple croquet rules, and then practice time! We'll go out and play! August 4th WHY ENGLISH PEOPLE LAUGH, by Jim Scrivener in Room 117. Let me try to show you a little bit of what British people find funny. You will discover some of the most popular radio& TV comedy game shows. You probably won't find it funny at all! But you will learn a bit more about us Brits! If you are interested in the best music festivals in the UK, you may find the talk on _ valuable. August 1st The English language is changing fast,thanks to the rapid progress of technology. We all have a rapid choice: we can either bury our heads in the sand and spend the rest of our lives wishing Shakespeare were alive and well. Or we can embrace the new English,enter into the spirit of the Internet age called Weblish. "You can't avoid it,for the simple reason that whenever a new variety of language comes along,it inevitably impacts on the language as a whole." says Dr. David Crystal, honorary professor of linguistics at the University of Wales in Bangor, whose book Language and the Internet has just been published. The trouble with keeping up with the new English is not so much that there are so many new words but that the old words no longer mean what we thought they did. In the past, if someone said they did not have Windows, you would have to suppose they lived in a cave.These days,it is probably because they use a Mac(which is a computer, not a rain coat). Spam is as disliked as it ever was ,but it once meant an unappetizing canned meat.It now stands for unwanted "junk" email. Spellings are changing, too. Not only is text-messaging playing "hvc wth vrbs" (havoc with verbs), but the conventions of email communication place little emphasis on "perfect speaking". Weblish loves to see nouns happily become verbs("please bookmark this site"),and verbs become nouns ("Send me the download"). Verbs and prepositions are regularly thrown together to become new nouns or adjectives(e.g. dial-up, logon, print-on-demand, pull-down, upload), while others are created from simply pairing nouns: cyberspace, Etl, hyperlink, netspeak. Dr. David Crystal would probably agree that _ . people should know something about Weblish Helen Thomas, born on August 4, 1920, is a famous news reporter, a Hearst Newspapers columnist, and member of the White House Press Corps. She served for fifty-seven years as a correspondent and White House bureau chief for United Press International (UPI). She is called "First Lady of the Press". Born in Kentucky, Helen Thomas was raised in Detroit, Michigan where she attended public schools and later graduated from Wayne State University. Upon leaving college, Helen served as a copy girl in an old company in Washington. In 1943, Ms. Thomas joined United Press International and the Washington Press Corps. Thomas served as president of the Women's National Press Club from 1959 to 1960. In November, Helen began covering then President-elect John F. Kennedy, following him to the White House in January 1961 as a UPI correspondent. She later became White House Bureau Chief for UPI, where she was employed until her resignation on May 17, 2000. Thomas then became a White House correspondent and columnist. Thomas was the only woman journalist traveling with then President Nixon to China in January, 1972. She has traveled around the world several times with Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, and Clinton, during the course of which she covered every Economic Summit.The World Almanachas cited her as one of the 25 Most Influential Women in America. On March 21, 2006, Thomas was called upon directly by President Bush for the first time in three years. Thomas asked Bush about Iraq. Helen Thomas has written four books and she is also a popular speaker at events nationwide. What's the best title of the passage? The First Lady of the Press--Helen Thomas
Mattie Stepanek died at the age of 13 from a rare disease called muscular dystrophy. Because of the disease, Mattie had to get around in a wheelchair, but it did not stop him from staying positive and inspiring others with his message of peace. As a best-selling author and role model, Mattie provided a voice for people who suffer from muscular dystrophy. He spoke to people about the disease and about his dream for world peace. "Mattie was something special, something very special," said Jerry Lewis, the chair of the Muscular Dystrophy Association, a group that works to find a solution to the disease. "He was an example that made people want to reach for the best within themselves." Mattie moved many people through his speeches and interviews, but he may have touched the most people through his poetry. During his life, Mattie wrote five books of poetry. Three of those books were The New York Times best-sellers. His books all had the word "Heartsongs" in the title. Mattie called his inner voice that encouraged him to work for peace his "Heartsongs". When his first book came out, just 200 copies were printed to be handed out to friends and supporters. But after the news of the book spread, 500,000 more copies were printed. People think Mattie's poems are very thoughtful. Mattie first started writing poetry at the age of 3 to help him face the death of his brother, who also suffered from muscular dystrophy. The magazine Time For Kids once interviewed Mattie. He told the reporter, "Life is a gift. We have to make the best of it." Mattie said his task was to bring peace to the world. What may be the best title of the passage? Answer: Paris has the Eiffel Tower; New York has the Statue of Liberty; and prefix = st1 /Brussels, the Manneken Piss. Think of the Belgian capital and, if anything, you think of the small peeing boy _ a 60-meter-high bronze figure standing on a block, supplying a constant stream of water to the basin under him. Some might laugh. But for Jacques Stroobants, the statue is up there with the best of them. "I'm proud of him. People come from all around the world to see him," says 60-year-old Stroobants with a fatherly glance at the little boy. As the most famous landmark of Brussels, Manneken Piss has a very special place in the heart of Belgians. The original Manneken Piss dates back to 1388, but the statue tourists see today dates from 1619 when the city built a second one after the original was destroyed. Many stories go round Manneken Piss. Nobody knows why he was made. One story is that he saved Brusselsby putting out the flames of a deadly fire with his well-aimed piss. But the most believable story is that the boy, the son of a wealthy man, was kidnapped. The father had a statue built in honor of the way his son was found-peeing against a tree. Perhaps best-known for his naked beauty, the "peeing boy" has also been clothed in some of the finest clothes money can buy. Stroobants has been changing his clothes for the last 29 years. On average, he has clothes on 300 days a year. And on special days, he pees beer. A few of the ways he's been dressed are; a football player, Mozart and an army general. Now, he has more than 600 pieces of clothes. There is no strict charge for those wishing to provide clothes for the little boy. But certain conditions must be met. "The clothes cannot include either advertising or political message," said Stroobants, because they would cheapen the national treasure. But Manneken Piss is still something local people can make money from _ by selling all kinds of souvenirs. We can learn from the passage that_. Answer: In our big city there are a lot of shops near the Department Store. They make a big shopping center and sell all kinds of things. You can always buy everything you want here. Here is a list (;) of big shops. NameTelephoneAddress Department Store41853051No.189 Yonghua Road Mobile Phone Store41653789No.67 Xiangyang Road Old Wang Shoemaker41861736No.180.Yonghua Road Shanghai Sweater Shop41615789No.75 Xiangyang Road Yiwu Shopping Market41836547No.190 Heping Road Zhiyuan Computer Company41653786No.68 Xiangyang Road Xiwang Toy Shop41586327No.195 Heping Road Yang Liuqing Painting Store41861861No.192.Yonghua Road What's the telephone number of Shanghai Sweater Shop? Answer: "I will never marry," the future Elizabeth I declared at the age of eight, and, to the terror of her people, the Great Queen kept her word. For four centuries, historians have guessed why Elizabeth never married.In her own day, her decision to remain single was considered absurd and dangerous.A queen needed a husband to make political decisions for her and to organise and lead her military campaigns.More important, she needed male heirs to avoid a civil war after her death. There was no shortage of suitors for the Queen, both English courtiers and foreign princes, and it was confidently expected for the best part of 30 years that Elizabeth would eventually marry one of them.Indeed, although she insisted that she preferred the single state, she kept these suitors in a state of permanent expectation.This was a deliberate policy on the Queen's part, since by keeping foreign princes in hope, sometimes for a decade, she kept them friendly when they might otherwise have made war on her kingdom. There were, indeed, good political reasons for her avoiding marriage.The disastrous union of her sister Mary I to Philip II of Spain had had an unwelcome foreign influence upon English politics.The English were generally prejudiced against the Queen taking a foreign husband, particularly a Catholic one.Yet if she married an English, jealousy might lead to the separation of the court. There were other, deeper reasons for Elizabeth's unwillingness to marry, chief of which, I believe, was her fear of losing her autonomy as Queen. In the 16th century, a queen was regarded as holding supreme dominion over the state, while a husband was thought to hold supreme dominion over his wife.Elizabeth knew that marriage and motherhood would bring some harm to her power. She once pointed out that marriage seemed too uncertain a state for her. She had seen several unions in her immediate family break down, including that of her own parents. Some writers, based on very fragile evidence, have argued that Elizabeth was frightened or incapable of the sex act, but it is more likely that she feared childbirth. Two of her stepmothers, her grandmother and several acquaintances had died in childbed. Elizabeth's father, Henry VIII, had had her mother, Anne Boleyn, killed; her stepmother Catherine Howard later suffered the same fate. When Elizabeth was 14 she was all but attracted by Admiral Thomas Seymour, who also went to the prison within a year. Witnessing these terrible events at an early age, it has been argued, may have put Elizabeth off marriage. Elizabeth had to decide her priorities. Marriage or being single? Elizabeth was far too intelligent.The choice she made was courageous and revolutionary, and, in the long run, the right one for England. If Elizabeth had married a foreign prince, there might have been _ . Answer: Every day it seems that people are coming up with new and innovative ways to use mobile devices like cellphones and smart phones. Researchers at Princeton University are looking for new ways to measure a person's sense of _ with mobile devices. To gain a better understanding of how cellphones and other mobile devices can measure our sense of happiness, the research team conducted a study that was published recently in the journal Demography. To gather data for their study, the team created an application for mobile devices using the Android operating system. Once the app was developed, the researchers invited people to download it and take part in their study. Over a three-week period, the research team was able to collect data from some 270 participants living in 13 countries. Participants came not only from the United States, but also from other nations like Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Israel, Japan, Norway, South Korea, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Over the course of the study, participants received occasional text questions from the researchers that asked "How happy are you?". Along with recording their response, the app used the mobile device's built-in GPS to keep track of the participant's location. The study participants were asked to rate their current state of happiness on a scale of zero to five. As they gathered data from the information collected through the application, the researchers then were able to create new methods that could help provide a better understanding of how our surroundings can influence our emotional well-being. The researchers learned that mobile devices can provide an effective way to quickly grab information that, because of today's active lifestyle, can be difficult to record. Being able to quickly grab this information was something the researchers felt was important. They said feelings and emotions that were recorded as they were happening were most likely to be more honest and precise than using other methods like writing down how they felt on a piece of paper after the fact. What did the researchers find vital as to rate people's sense of happiness from the passage? Answer:
Is there a strange something high up in the world's tallest mountains? If so, is it a big bear? Is it a monkey? Or is it a kind of man? No one knows. This mystery has puzzled the world for years. In 1887, a mountain climber found large footprints in the snow. They looked like the footprints of a very large man. But men don't walk without shoes in the snow! In 1906, other climbers saw more than footprints. Far away they saw a very large animal standing on two legs. As they watched, it ran very quickly. Fifteen years later, newspapers, had new stories about the "something". A mountain climber said he had seen the "snow man" walk slowly across the snow, far below him. He said it looked like a very large man. From then on, more and more people had stories to tell. But not until 1951 did a mountain climber bring back pictures of large footprints. His pictures showed clearly that the snowman walked on two legs, so it was not a bear or a monkey. Could it be an ape man? The mystery grew! And the mystery keeps growing. Some day we may find out just what it is that makes the large footprints. The passage is about _ . A child walks across a carpet and generates an electrical charge. The child will get a slight shock by touching a As I grew older, my dad and I grew further apart.We always had totally different opinions.He thought that college was a waste of time,but for me it was important to finish college.He wanted me to work my way to the top as he had done in his field,but l wanted a different life.There was a time when we did not talk with each other. A few months ago, I heard that my 84-year-old dad was in poor health.When he called and asked whether I could move from Colorado back to Tennessee to help him,I knew he was seriously ill.I am his only child and so it was time to meet my father's requirement. Two weeks after moving back,we bought a boat and started fishing again.Fishing was one of the few things that we did while l was young and that we both enjoyed.It is strange but true that as we are fishing we are able to put things that have kept us apart for so many years behind us.We are able to talk about things that we have never talked about before.Fishing has been healing the old wounds that have kept us apart. It is not important how many fish we catch.It is about enjoying the relationship that we have not had for years.I'm 62 and he is 84.When we are on the lake fishing,it is like two kids enjoying life.It is far better to find a way to put the unhappy past behind.I am so lucky to spend the happy time with my father in his last years.Now my heart is filled with love.A smile always graces my lips. Why did the author come back to Tennessee? FDA proposed the most sweeping food safety rules in decades, requiring farmers and food companies to be more cautious in the wake of deadly outbreaks in peanuts, cantaloupe ,and leafy greens. The long-overdue regulations are aimed at reducing the estimated 3,000 deaths a year from foodbome illness. Just since last summer, outbreaks of listeria in cheese and salmonella in peanut butter, cantaloupe and mangoes have been linked to more than 400 illnesses and as many as seven deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The actual number of those sickened is likely much higher. The FDA's proposed rules would require farmers to take new precautions against contamination ,to include making sure workers5 hands are washed, irrigation water is clean, and that animals stay out of fields. Food manufacturers will have to submit food safety plans to the government to show _ are keeping their operations clean. Many responsible food companies and farmers are already following the steps that the FDA would now require them to take. But officials say the requirements could have saved lives and prevented illnesses in some of the large-scale outbreaks that have hit the country in recent years. In a 2011 outbreak of listeria in cantaloupe that claimed 33 lives ,for example, FDA inspectors found pools of dirty water on the floor and old, dirty processing equipment at the Colorado farm where the cantaloupes were grown. In a peanut butter outbreak this year linked to 42 salmonella illnesses ,inspectors found samples of salmonella throughout a New Mexico peanut processing plant and multiple obvious safety problems ,such as birds flying over uncovered trucks of peanuts and employees not washing their hands. Under the new rules, companies would have to lay out plans for preventing those sorts of problems and how they would correct them. "The rules go very directly to preventing the types of outbreaks we have seen/,said Michael Taylor, FDA's deputy commissioner for foods. According to the passage, the new rules focus on _ . Airco operates an aircraft maintenance and repair business serving the needs of owners of private airplanes. Flyer contracted with Airco to replace the engine in his plane with a more powerful engine of foreign manufacture. Airco purchased the replacement engine through a representative of the manufacturer and installed it in Flyer's plane. A short time after it was put into use, the new engine failed, and the plane crashed into a warehouse owned by Landers, destroying the warehouse and its contents. Airco was guilty of no negligence in the procurement, inspection, or installation of the engine. The failure of the engine was caused by a defect that would not be disclosed by inspection and testing procedures available to an installer. There was no negligence on the part of Flyer, who escaped the disabled plane by parachute. Landers recovered a judgment for damages from Flyer for the destruction of his warehouse and its contents, and Flyer has asserted a claim against Airco to recover compensation on account of that liability. In that action, Flyer will recover
Marlon Brando is widely considered the greatest movie actor of all time. He was born in Omaha Nebraska in 1924. He was named after his father, a salesman. His mother, Dorothy, was an actress in the local theater. Marlon Brando moved to New York City when he was 19 years old in 1943. He took acting classes at the New School for Social Research. One of his teachers was Stella Adler, who taught the "Method" style of realistic acting. The Method teaches actors how to use their own memories and emotions to identify with the characters they are playing. Marlon Brando learned the Method style quickly and easily. Critics said he was probably the greatest Method actor ever. One famous actress commented on his natural ability for it. She said teaching Marlon Brando the Method was like sending a tiger to jungle school. Marlon Brando appeared in several plays. He got his first major part in a Broadway play in 1947, at the age of 23. He received great praise for his powerful performance at Stanley Kowalski in Tennessee Williams' play, A Streetcar Named Desire. His fame grew when he acted the same part in the movie version, released in 1951. Marlon Brando won the Best Actor Oscar for The God Father, but he rejected it. He sent a woman named Sasheen Littlefeather to speak for him at the Academy Awards ceremony. She said that Brando could not accept the award because of the way the American film industry treated Native Americans. The people at the Academy Awards ceremony did not like the speech. But some experts think the action helped change the way American Indians were shown in movies. Marlon Brando acted in about forty movies. He was nominated for a total of eight Academy Awards. But he earned a "bad boy" reputation for his public outbursts and unusual behaviours. According to Los Angeles magazine, "Brando was rock and roll before anybody knew what rock and roll was". His later life was marked with family tragedies. His son Christian went to prison for killing his daughter Cheyene's boyfriend. Cheyene later committed suicide. Brando became lonely. He worked occasionally for the money. But, in his prime, Marlon Brando was an actor other actors could only hope to become. The purpose of this passage is to _ . With the World Cup always held in the European off-season in June and July, when the tiny nation of Qatar beat out USA Australia, Japan and South Korea, as the venue of the 2022 World Cup Soccer, there were gasps of surprise from the fans - it was not just because of the size of the competitors, but also the fact that Doha sees an average top temperature of 41 degrees Celsius in June and July with the possibility of top temperatures as high as 50degC. Since the World Cup cannot be moved to the 'cooler' season in January or to a neighboring country with milder weather, Qatar has to figure out a solution to make the game more comfortable. A team of engineering scientists from Qatar University (QU) have taken a more high-tech approach to solving the problem - they've reportedly developed a type of artificial "cloud" designed to float above the World Cup venues and provide fans and players with relief from the blazing sun. The artificial clouds system was invented by a team led by Dr Saul Abdul Ghani, Head of the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department at QU, who told Gulf News that the "clouds" would be made from a lightweight carbon structure carrying a giant envelope of material containing helium gas. The "cloud" would also feature solar panels on its upper surface to power engines that allow the cloud to be moved via remote control. While the country officials have promised to improve some of the issues with solar-powered stadiums capable of reducing the temperatures inside, to a comfortable 20degC, there is still concern of how the players will be able to function in the practice fields. The system would initially cost around US$500,000, with prices coming down with commercial scale production. However, since Qatar needs to find a solution, the money is probably to the issue. The bigger question is, will this team of scientists actually be able to conjure up something that they have promised? We will all find out in about eleven years! Which of the following can best serve as the title of this passage? Peng Jiangya, a 24-year-old girl, was born in Guizhou Province. She lives in a village of the Yinjiang Tujia and Miao Autonomous County at the foot of the Fanjing Mountains on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau . Twenty-two years ago, One day her parents were out, she fell into a fire stove at home, and the fire burned her fingers badly. The family was too poor at the time to afford the expensive medical treatment ,at last she lost all her fingers. "When I was a child, I was unable to hold chopsticks. My parents taught me for a long time. It was really difficult, but I tried it over and over again ,and at the age of seven, I overcame it. From then on I knew that one had to put great efforts into what she was doing," said PengJiangya. As a child , PengJiangya often saw others make cross-stitch and then she decided to learn how to make it herself. " Of course, it took me many years to do that, when I was 18, I got it." Said Peng. Now she can make as good cross-stitch works as her companions ,but she is faster than other people. Her hometown of Yinjiang Tujia at the foot of the Fanjing Mountains on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateauhas become a tourist attraction. As for her future, Peng Jiangya said: "I will gather a few other people to embroider the beautiful landscape of our hometown as a souvenir and lasting memory for tourists. At the same time, we can make more money." . Peng Jiangya was born _ Over geologic time, global mean sea level has varied significantly. Which change is most likely responsible for an increase in global mean sea level? Just five minutes of exercise a day outdoors can improve mental health, according to a study. Researchers from the University of Essex, UK have found that as little as five minutes of a "green activity" such as walking, gardening, cycling or farming could help to improve mood and increase self-esteem . Many studies have shown that outdoor exercise can reduce the risk of mental illness and improve a sense of well-being, but the new study, led by Jules Pretty and Jo Barton, was the first to determine how much time needed to be spent on green exercise for the benefits to show. Barton and Pretty looked at data from 1,252 people of different ages, genders and mental health status taken from 10 studies in Britain. They analyzed their different outdoor activities including walking, gardening, cycling, fishing, boating, horse-riding and farming in locations such as a park, garden or nature trail . They found that the mental health changes were seen after just five minutes. With longer periods of time exercising in a green environment, the positive effects were more apparent. Looking at men and women of different ages, the researchers found the health changes were particularly strong in the young and the mentally ill. Green and blue A bigger effect was seen with exercise in an area that also contained water - such as a lake or river. "This is because historically we are drawn to water to survive and it is in our genetic make-up to be at one with nature," the researchers wrote in their report. Pretty said those who were generally inactive, or stressed, or with mental illness would probably benefit the most from "green exercise". "Employers, for example, could encourage staff in stressful workplaces to take a short walk at lunchtime in the nearest park to improve mental health." He also said exercise programs outdoors could benefit youth offenders. What is the main problem discussed in this article?
Question: Winter begins in the north on December 22nd. People and animals have been doing what they always do to prepare for the colder months. Squirrels , for example, have been busy gathering nuts from trees. Well, scientists have been busy gathering information about what the squirrels do with the food they collect. They examined differences between red squirrels and gray squirrels in the American state of Indiana. The scientists wanted to know how these differences could affect the growth of black walnut trees. The black walnut is the nut of choice for both kinds of squirrels. The black walnut tree is also a central part of some hardwood forests. Rob Swihart of Purdue University did the study with Jake Goheen, a former Purdue student now at the University of New Mexico. The two researchers estimate that several times as many walnuts grow when gathered by gray squirrels as compared to red squirrels. Gray squirrels and red squirrels do not store nuts and seeds in the same way. Gray squirrels bury nuts one at a time in a number of places. But they seldom remember where they buried every nut. So some nuts remain in the ground. Conditions are right for them to develop and grow the following spring. Red squirrels, however, store large groups of nuts above ground. Professor Swihart calls " _ ". Gray squirrels are native to Indiana. But Professor Swihart says their numbers began to decrease as more forests were cut for agriculture. Red squirrels began to spread through the state during the past century. The researchers say red squirrels are native to forests that stay green all year, unlike walnut trees. They say the cleaning of forest land for agriculture has helped red squirrels invade Indiana. Jake Goheen calls them a sign of an environmental problem more than a cause. According to the passage, which of the following is true? A. The black walnut is equally attractive to both gray and red squirrels. B. Gray squirrels do more harm to the forest than red squirrels. C. Red squirrels and gray squirrels have helped the spread of walnut trees. D. The cleaning of forest land benefits red squirrels directly. Answer: A. The black walnut is equally attractive to both gray and red squirrels. Question: Rae Armantrout, who has been a poetry professor at the University of California San Diego(UCSD) for two decades, has won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize in the poetry category for her most recent book, "Versed". "I'm delighted and amazed at how much media recognition that the Pulitzer brings, as compared to even the National Book Critics Award, which I was also surprised and delighted to win," said Armantrout. "For a long time, my writing has been just below the media radar, and to have this kind of attention, suddenly, with my 10th book, is really surprising." Armantrout, a native Californian, received her bachelor's degree at UC Berkeley, where she studied with noted poet Denise Levertov, and her master's in creative writing from San Francisco State University. She is a founding member of Language Poets, a group in American poetry that analyzes the way language is used and raises questions to make the reader think. In March, she won the National Book Critics Circle Award for "Versed." "This book has gotten more attention," Armantrout said, "but I don't feel as if it's better." The first half of "Versed" focuses on the dark forces taking hold of the United States as it fought the war against Iraq. The second half looks at the dark forces casting a shadow over her own life after Armantrout was diagnosed with cancer in 2006. Armantrout was shocked to learn she had won the Pulitzer but many of her colleagues were not. "Rae Armantrout is a unique voice in American poetry," said Seth Lerer, head of Arts and Humanities at UCSD. "Versed", published by the Wesleyan University Press, did appear in a larger printing than her earlier works, which is about 2,700 copies. The new edition is scheduled to appear in May. According to Rae Armantrout, _ . A. her 10th book is much better B. her winning the Pulitzer is unexpected C. the media is surprised at her works D. she likes being recognized by her readers Answer: B. her winning the Pulitzer is unexpected Question: Earth is composed of layers of material with different properties. Which of the following is most likely to be in constant motion? A. core B. mantle C. oceanic crust D. continental crust Answer: B. mantle Question: Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, "Mum, you must come and see the daffodils before they are over." I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Lake Arrowhead. "I will go next Tuesday," I promised, a little unwillingly, on her third call. The next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. Still, I had promised, and so I drove there. When I finally walked into Carolyn's house and hugged and greeted my grandchildren, I said, "Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! Theroad is invisible in the cloud and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and thesechildren that I want to see!" My daughter smiled calmly and said, "We drive in this weather all the time, Mum. You will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience." After about twenty minutes, we turned onto a small road and I saw a small church. On the far side of the church, I saw a hand-lettered sign that read "Daffodil Garden"?We got out of the car and each took a child's hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path. Then, we turned a comer of the path, and I looked up amazed. Before me lay the most beautiful sight. Flows of flowers of different colors seemed poured down the peak and slopes. There were five acres of flowers! A seas of daffodil! It was like a fairyland all beyond description. "But who has done this?" I asked Carolyn. "It's just one woman," Carolyn answered. That's her home, "Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A-frame house that looked small and modest in the midst of all that glory. We walked up to the house. On the patio , we saw a poster." Answers to the Questions I KnowYou Are Asking" was the headline. The first answer was a simple one. "50,000 bulbs " it read. The second answer was, "One at a time,by one woman." The third answer was, "Began in 1958." I thought of this woman whom I Had never met, who, more than fifty years before, had begun-one bulb at a time-to bring the beauty and joy to the mountain top. Just planting one bulb at a time, year after year, had changed the world where she lived and created something of magnificence, beauty, and inspiration. When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small amounts of daily effort, we too can accomplish great things. Everyone can do something to change the world. Which may be the best title for the passage? A. An Unforgettable Experience B. A woman and Daffodils C. The Daffodil Garden D. One bulb grown, magnificence dawns Answer: D. One bulb grown, magnificence dawns Question: People use their mouths for many things.They eat, talk, shout and sing. They smile and they kiss. In English language ,there are many expressions using the word "mouth".Foe example, If you say bad things about a person, the person might protest and say " Don't bad mouth me." Sometimes ,people say something to a friend or family member that they later regret because it hurts that person's feelings.Or they tell the person something they were not supposed to tell. The speaker might say: "I really put my foot in my mouth this time." If this should happen, the speaker might feel down in the mouth. In other words , he might fell sad for saying the wrong thing. Another situation is when someone falsely claims another person said something.The other person might protest: "I did not say that .Non't put words in my mouth." Some people have lots of money because they were born into a very rich family. There is an expression for this, too. Ypu might say such a person, " was born with a silver spoon in his mouth." This rich person is the opposite who lives from hand to mouth. This person is verry poor and only has enough money for the most important things in life ,like food. Parents might sometimes withold sweet food from a child as a form of punishment for saying bad things.For example,if a child says things she should not say to her parents, she might be described as a mouthy child.The parents might even tell the child to "stop mouthing off." But enough of all this talk.I have been "running my mouth long enough." In what kind situation will a person say, "Do not bad mouth me."? A. When he feels down B. When he regretful C. When he is spoken ill of D. When he feels innocent. Answer: C. When he is spoken ill of
Greenpeace is a global group that tries to change people's ideas and behaviour to protect the environment. Now it is inviting people to take part in the"Kids for Forests" project. This project tries to help to save ancient forests. Small children, teenagers, teachers and schools from all over the world are joining the project. Everyone can do a little to help the forests, and every little bit of help is important! Over 80% of the ancient forests have already been destroyed. There are only seven big ancient forests that are still intact today. Thousand - year - old trees are cut down just to make everyday goods. Children and young people all over the world are saying"No" to the devastation of ancient forests. They together with Greenpeace have set up"Kids for Forests".The project is working in more than 15 different countries in Europe, Asia, North America and South America. And by the way, this is not the first time that"Kids for Forests" has stood up for the protection of ancient forests. In 2001 and 2002, more than 35,000 children and young people fought to save ancient forests all over the world. Young people all over the world are standing up to protect our ancient forests,and you can,too. Go and join them now! People cut many ancient trees just to A. plant a forest B. save the world C. get more fields D. make daily goods Answer: D. make daily goods Jimmy is an automotive mechanic, but he lost his job a few months ago. He has a good heart,but always afraid to apply for a new job. One day, he gathered up all his strength and decided to attend a job interview. His appoint--ment was at 10 a.m. and it was already 8:30. While waiting for a bus, he saw an elderly man wildly kicking the tyre of his car. Obviously there was something wrong with the car. Jimmy immediately went up to lend him a hand. When Jimmy finished working on the car, the old man askedhim how much he should pay for the service. Jimmy said there was no need to pay him; he just helped someone in need, and he had to rush for an interview. Then the old man said,"Well, Icould take you to the office for your interview. It's the least I could do. Please, I insist."Jimmy agreed. Upon arrival, Jimmy found a long line of applicants waiting to be interviewed. Finally his name was called. The interviewer was sitting on a large chair facing the office window. Rocking the chair back and forth, he asked,"Do you really need to be interviewed?"Jimmy's heart sank."With the way I look now, how could I possibly pass this interview?"He thought to himself. Then the interviewer turned the chair and to Jimmy's surprise, it was the old man he helped earlier in the morning. "Sorry I had to keep you waiting, but I was pretty sure I made the right decision to have you as part of our workforce before you even stepped into this office. I just know you'd be a trustworthy worker. Congratulations!"Jimmy sat down and they shared a cup of well-deserved coffee . How did Jimmy feel on hearing the interviewer's question? A. He was sorry for the other applicants. B. There was no hope for him to get the job. C. He regretted helping the old man. D. The interviewer was very rude. Answer: B. There was no hope for him to get the job. Our new neighbours are the Browns. They have two children, a boy and a girl. The boy is Jack and the girl is Alice. Jack is 11, and he is one year older than me. Alice and my sister Nancy are 8 years old. At weekends, Nancy and I like to go to play with Alice and Jack. Both Jack and I really enjoy playing computer games. Sometimes the girls join us, but the games they enjoy are different from the ones we like. There is a big park near our house. Sometimes, when the weather is fine, the four of us will go for bike rides there. We often stop at the huge playground to have some fun. Jack and I like to play basketball, but the girls prefer to sing and dance. Our families often have dinner together. On some days, they come over to our house and on other days, we go over to theirs. Mr Brown and his wife cook really well. Nancy and I are very glad to have the Browns next door. It's great to have friends living so near. How old is Alice? A. 8 B. 9 C. 10 D. 11 Answer: A. 8 Headington Oxford Summer School welcomes all students throughout the world and provides a fantastic summer school experience. It is close enough to visit London, which is a beautiful city in its own right and also has a number of attractions nearby. London: A trip to the UK would not be complete without a visit to the capital city of London. During the 'London Day' all students will have a chance to see famous tourist attractions such as Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and Trafalgar Square. The students will also enjoy a boat trip on River Thames and a ride to the top of the Shard, an 87-storey building in London for a breathtaking view of the city. There will also be dinner in a London restaurant before heading back to the school. Thorpe Park: With over thirty extreme rides and attractions, and one of the world's most terrifying roller coasters, enjoy an exciting day out at one of the nation's most popular theme park Bath: Spend the day exploring this beautiful historic city with impressive architecture, including a visit to the famous Roman baths. Students also have the opportunity of a fantastic shopping experience in this famous market towns! Thinktank Science Museum & Birmingham: Spend the morning in the interactive state of the art science centre followed by an afternoon exploring Birmingham with time for shopping in the Bullring Shopping Centre. Warwick & Stratford: Visit one of medieval England's most beautiful castles full of history, tales and adventure. Afterwards, enjoy exploring the picturesque streets of Stratford Upon Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare. Brighton: This beautiful seaside town provides a fun-filled day out for all students. The day includes a visit to the Royal Pavilion and its museum as well as Brighton Pier and beach. There is also time for shopping in the famous Brighton Lanes before heading back to school. Where can you enjoy a lovely beach? A. London B. Bath C. Thorpe Park D. Brighton Answer: D. Brighton Young adult filmmakers all hope to show their works in international festivals like Sundance and Toronto. But what about young filmmakers who aren't in film school yet and aren't, strictly speaking, even adults? They are at the heart of Wingspan Arts Kids Films Festival, tomorrow, in a setting any director might envy: Lincoln Center. Complete with "red carpet" interviews and various awards, the festival has much in common with events for more experienced moviemakers, except for the age of the participants: about 8 to 18. "What's really exciting is that it's film for kids by kids," said Cori Gardner, managing director of Wingspan Arts, a nonprofit organization offering youth arts programs in the New York area. This year the festival will include films not only from Wingspan but also from other city organizations and one from a middle school in Arlington, Virginia. "We want to make this a national event," Ms. Gardner added. The nine to be shown range from a Claymation biography of B.B. King to a science fiction adventure set in the year 3005. "A lot of the material is really mature," Ms. Gardner said, talking about films by the New York City branch of Global Action Project, a media arts and leadership-training group. " is about the history of a family and is about the dangers of secondhand smoke." describes young immigrants' feelings of both belonging and not belonging in their adopted country. The festival will end with an open reception at which other films will be shown. These include a music video and full-length film whose title is . Wingspan Arts Kids Film Festival _ . A. is organized by a middle school B. is as famous as the Toronto Festival C. shows films made by children D. offers awards to film school students Answer: C. shows films made by children
The murmur of the audience had just faded into expectant silence. This was one of the most important days in little five-year-old Patricia McKee's life: the Kernot School Concert. She stood behind the curtain with her schoolmates. Yet she was not afraid because everyone had been practicing for weeks and knew their parts by heart. Being in a remote country town, Patricia knew that everyone would turn out for the big occasion-everyone! Yet, it was this awareness that added a sense of sadness to her excitement. There were two people who couldn't be in that audience that night-her mum and dad. Patricia's mother and father ran the local general store, which was open for business 24 hours. So it was simply accepted that Mum and Dad could never attend community activities. It had been this way with her sister, so why should it be any different for her? Still, Patricia couldn't help wishing that her mum and dad could be there to see her on such a special day, so she decided to bring up the subject with her mother. Sadly, she had to face the facts. At such a young age, Patricia couldn't really understand the deep pain in her mother's response: "I'll try to be there, sweetheart, but you know how hard it is for us to get away from the store." Yet as the curtain slowly opened on the stage of the Kernot Hall, little Patricia McKee got the surprise of her life. There, sitting four rows the front was her mother with a big smile on her face! This powerful image remains one of Patricia's most treasured memories. "Words cannot express the pure joy we both experienced at that moment. I was really _ ," said Patricia, now a parent herself. Her parents have passed away, but what a wonderful legacy they've left us: when someone really needs you, be there for them. Why did Patricia have a feeling of sadness? Answer: Her parents were unlikely to attend the concert. Last July, my 12-year-old car died on California's Santa Freeway. It was an hour before sunset, and I was 25 miles from home. I couldn't reach anyone to pick me up, so I decided to take a bus. Not knowing the routes, I thought I'd just go east. A bus stopped. I got on and asked the driver how far she was going, "Ten more miles," she said. There was another bus I could take from there. This clearly was going to be a long night. I got off at the end of the route and she told me which bus to look for. After waiting 30 minutes, I began to think about a very expensive taxi ride home. Then a bus came up. There was no lighted number above its windshield. It was out of service, but the door opened. It was the same driver. "I just can't leave you here," she said. "This isn't the nicest place. I will give you a ride home." "You will drive me home on the bus?" I asked, _ . "No, I will take you in my car," she said. "It's a long way," I insisted. "Come on, " she said. "I have nothing else to do." As we drove from the station in the car, she began telling me a story, A few days earlier, her brother had run out of gas. A good man picked him up, took him to a service station and then back to his car. "I'm just passing the favor along," she said. When I offered her money as a thank-you, she wouldn't accept. "Just do something nice for somebody. Pass it along," she said. The bus driver drove the writer home later because _ . Answer: she wanted to do something good for others Fido was now his master's constant companion in his walks, playing and skipping round him, and amusing him by a thousand sportive tricks . He took care, however, not to be troublesome by leaping on him with dirty paws, nor would he follow him into the parlor , unless invited. He also attempted to make himself useful by a number of little services. He would drive away the sparrows as they were stealing the chickens' meat; and would run and bark with the utmost fury at any strange pigs or other animals that offered to come into the yard. He kept the poultry, geese, and pigs from straying beyond their bounds and particularly from doing mischief in the garden. He was always ready to alarm Towzer if there was any suspicious noise about the house, day or night. If his master pulled off his coat in the field to help his workman, as he would sometimes do, Fido always sat by it, and would not suffer either man or beast to touch it. By this means he came to be considered as a very trusty protector of his master's property. His master was once confined to his bed with a dangerous illness. Fido planted himself at the chamber-door, and could not be persuaded to leave it even to take food; and as soon as his master was so far recovered as to sit up, Fido, being admitted into the room, ran up to him with such marks of excessive joy and affection, as would have melted any heart to behold. One hot day, after dinner, his master was sleeping in a summer-house , with Fido by his side. The building was old and crazy; the dog comprehended the danger, and began barking to awaken his master; and this not sufficing, he jumped up, and gently bit his finger. The master upon this started up, and had just time to get out of the door before the whole building fell down. Fido, who was behind, got hurt by some rubbish which fell upon him. Thus his love and fidelity had their full reward. Which one is the best title for the text? Answer: The Loyal Dog Do you often play with your pet dog or cat? Do you like touching animals like rabbits? They are cute. But someimes they may bite you. Then you could get a terrible disease--rabies. In China, 2,245 people got rabies in the first nine months of 2007. In September, 318 people died of rabies. Dogs, cats, rabbits and bats may have rabies. If they bite or scratch someone, the virus of rabies could go into the person's body. The person could even die. It's important to get the right _ very soon. Every year, more than 50,000 people aound the world die of rabies. Most of them are from poor countries. India has the most death . China is the second. ,. Rabies is the name of _ . Answer: a disease Ever since I was a child, my mouth has caused me trouble. I'm not a bad person; I have a hard time learning when to keep my mouth closed. My mom has told me again and again, "Robert, your constant bad words are hurting me. If you continue to be this rude, you will get into big trouble."It's been a problem at school several times too when teachers have told me something I didn't want to hear. I used to feel it was my duty to stand up for myself. One day in English class I began working on my homework until I heard a classmate talking behind me. It was Nathaniel, talking to himself as usual. I said ever so nicely, "Nathaniel, would you be quiet?" Nathaniel continued talking to himself. I quickly shouted "Nathaniel, shut up!" For the next five minutes, we threw hurtful words back and forth at each other. "At least I don't have an ugly lazy eye like you!" I shouted.I knew this would upset him deep inside. It would hurt his feelings and shut him up. What I said filled him with anger. He tried to reach over my seat and grab me as he shouted, "That's it! That's it!" Surprised at his reaction, I sat back in my seat. Never had I seen Nathaniel act like this before. Later on, we were taken to the principal's office. There, Mr. Black, the principal, told us to discuss the matter. It wasn't until then that I finally found that when I hurt someone physically, the wounds eventually heal. But when I hurt them with my words, sometimes the pain never goes away. At the end of the discussion, I said sorry to Nathaniel. When I headed back to my room, I spent some time praying. I began to think about how often what I said hurt others. But I believe that as I keep praying and asking God to help me, he'll tell me when to keep my mouth closed. What's the writer's name? Answer: Robert.
What will become magnetic in an electromagnet if the battery becomes active? Answer: An eight-year-old Arthur Gonzaga from Minas Gerais, Brazil has taken the Internet by a storm, as first reported by TheHuffingtonPost, with his online YouTube series videos "Arthur Gourmand". And while it would not be a far stretch of the imagination to assume an 8-year-old's cooking show would be filled with dishes like pizza and burgers, Arthur's show actually features recipes like fruit salad a la creme de passion fruit and filet mignon . The idea to record Arthur's cooking adventures on YouTube was rooted in the young chef's leukemia diagnosis in August 2013.Treatment and recovery for the cancer left the young boy in the hospital for the second half of the year and Aruthur was even forced to spend Christmas Eve in the emergency room of So Paulo's A.C. Camargo Cancer Center. That's when his family--father Renato Gonzaga and stepmother Priscila Inserra--decided that Arthur should create something positive that would distract him from his health. The videos, which are filmed in the kitchen of a friend of the family, are in Portuguese. They show Arthur walking the viewers through a step-by-step process of the entire recipe--from preparation to cooking. Occasionally, viewers can see Arthur's father serving as his son's _ , passing ingredients and following his lead. Fluent in Portuguese or not, viewers can immediately notice Arthur's optimistic and friendly personality. It is perhaps these qualities that have given the young rising Internet star almost 5,000 likes on his Facebook Fan Page. There are currently three videos on YouTube and according to his most recent Facebook post, the young boy will be taking suggestions for his next video. Fortunately, according to what Inserra told TheHuffingtonPost, Arthur is responding well to his treatments and is on his path to recovery. "The secret of life is to let it take you, to have fun and to know how to turn lemons into lemonade ," wrote her family, fittingly, on their most recent Facebook post. Hats off to Arthur, who truly serves as a shining example of how to turn lemons into lemonade. Which of the following statements is TRUE? Answer: Thousands of teenagers will be able to transfer to a new wave of "studio schools" at the age of 14 to improve their chances of finding a job in UK. A dozen new-style schools are designed to act as a bridge to the workplace and cut the number of NEETs--young people not in education, employment or training. Under plans, schools will operate longer days and work outside standard academic terms. Each pupil will be expected to spend between four hours and two days a week on work placements with businesses linked to the school and teenagers will be assigned a personal coach to act as an academic "line manager". The reforms are put forward due to the fears that too many teenagers are now finishing full-time education lacking the skills needed to succeed in the workplace. According to a recent report, more than two-thirds of employers believe school and college leavers lack important "employability skills" such as customer awareness, while 55 per cent say they are unable to manage their time or daily tasks. And the number of NEETs has hit a record high, with almost one-in-five young people being left without a job or training place. The Department for Education will announce the establishment of 12 studio schools -- meeting the need of around 3,600 teenagers -- in areas such as Liverpool, Stevenage, Stoke-on-Trent and Fulham, west London. Each one, opening in 2012, will be linked to a series of local employers. Under plans, pupils will be able to transfer out of ordinary schools to attend them between the age of 14 and 19. The Government said all subjects would be taught "through projects, often designed with employers" -- with disciplines such as science being linked directly to local engineering firms or hospitals. Schools will operate a longer day to give pupils a better understanding of the demands of the workplace. Along with their studies, pupils will carry out work placements for four hours a week, rising to two days a week of paid work for those aged 16 to 19. They will also get the chance to take professional qualifications linked directly to the needs of local employers. What makes the government decide to found studio schools? Answer: A lady in an old cotton dress and her husband, dressed in an old suit, stepped off the train in Boston, and walked into the president of Harvard's outer office. The secretary could tell in a moment that such country people had no business at Harvard. She frowned . "We want to see the president," the man said softly. "He'll be busy all day," the secretary said coldly. "We'll wait," the lady replied. For hours, the secretary didn't talk to them, hoping that the couple would finally become tired and go away. They didn't. And the secretary finally decided to disturb the president. "Maybe if they just see you for a few minutes, they'll leave," she told him. He frowned too. Someone of his importance obviously didn't have the time to spend with them. The president walked toward them unwillingly. The lady told him, "We had a son that attended Harvard for one year. He loved Harvard, and was very happy here. But he was accidentally killed. And my husband and I would like to set up a memorial to him somewhere on campus. " The president was so surprised that he shouted sharply, "We can't put up a statue for every person who attended Harvard and died. This place would look like a cemetery . "Oh, no" the lady explained, "We don't want to build a statue. We thought we would give a building to Harvard." The president rolled his eyes. He glanced at their plain clothes, and said with surprise, "A building! Do you have any idea how much a building costs? We have over seven and a half million dollars in the physical buildings here at Harvard." For a moment the lady was silent. The president was pleased. He could get rid of them now. The lady turned to her husband and said quietly. "Is that all it costs to start a university? Why don't we just start our own?" Her husband nodded. Mr. and Mrs. Leland Stanford walked away, traveling to Palo Alto, California where they set up the university with their name, Stanford University, a memorial to a son that Harvard no longer cared about. From the passage, we can know _ . Answer: Nowadays, lots of students in Shenzhen complain that they have too much homework. Because of this, they feel unhappy about learning at school. According to a survey, a pupil has to spend two hours finishing the homework every day. It usually takes three hours for a middle school student and four hours for a high school student to finish the homework every day. Students in Grade Nine often do their homework until midnight. And all of them have to get up at as early as six o'clock the next morning. Mr. Li, a doctor in a hospital, told me yesterday, "Half of the students in Shenzhen are sub-healthy . The lack of sleep makes them tired and their health is becoming poorer and poorer." Many parents worry about _ . Too much homework makes the students feel _ . Answer:
What is IRC? IRC is Internet Relay Chat. It is a group of networked server computers that let users connect and pass their messages among the networked servers in almost real time. In other words, it is a big chatting server, once you join a group, you are able to talk in an open forum type environment or just one on one. What IRC Networks are out there? There are about fifty really mainstream IRC networks (groups of servers) you can connect to. The most common ones found are typically, 'EF-Net', 'Under-Net', and 'DAL-Net'. What is a Channel? A channel is the name for the 'group' you are joining, or the 'forum' in which you want to talk. On IRC, channels are denoted as # Channel Name. For instance, say if you are interested in MP3 music, you may want to go to # MP3. How do I get on IRC? To get on IRC, you will need to get a client program. I personally suggest using 'mIRC', if you are in the windows environment. I have used the program for many years faithfully. It is a shareware program that doesn't disable after a given time period. What are the basic commands once I am on? Join # channel -- this will make you enter a channel. Part # channel -- this will make you exit a channel you are in. Nick new name -- this will change your current screen name. A note as a warning about IRC. IRC is a wonderful forum for idea exchange, and a fun place to chat and learn. However you must keep in mind that you don't know who is on the other end. That someone says they are 16 doesn't mean they aren't 45. Keep an eye on yourself and make sure not to give out any personal information on IRC before you know those on the other end of the line thoroughly. Attention! Safe IRCing everyone! Which of the following can't you do with the basic commands? A. Change one's screen name. B. Exit a certain channel. C. Know the person you chat with. D. Enter a certain channel. Answer: C Tests administered to most elementary and high-school students in the United States exert an unfavorable influence on science and math teaching, according to a new $1 million study performed for the National Science Foundation.And because schools with high minority enrollments generally place a greater reliance on scores from these tests, the study finds,there tends to be "a gap in instructional emphases between high and low minority classrooms that differs from our national concern for the quality of education." George F.Madaus and his colleagues at Boston College analyzed not only the six most widely used national standardized tests, but also the tests designed to accompany(go with)the four most commonly used science and math texts in fourth-grade,eighth-grade,and high-school classrooms.Though curriculum(teaching program)experts argue that schools should place greater emphasis on problem solving and reasoning, the new study shows that the tests focus on lower-level skills--primarily mechanical memorization of routine formulas . Researchers surveyed more than 2,200 math and science instructors,interviewing in depth some 300 teachers and administrators.Especially in schools with high minority enrollments,teachers reported feeling pressured to help students perform well on these tests.Some states judge schools and some schools determine teacher assignments based on students' test scores. "With so much worry,"Madaus says,"teachers feel forced to focus their instruction on drilling what the tests will measure--at the expense of the more valuable,higher-level skills." According to Madaus' opinion,teachers are forced to _ . A. evaluate students' skills every year B. suffer so much worry on the texts C. teach what will be tested D. focus their instruction on useful drillings Answer: C Mr. Smith works in an office. He is very busy and has no time to have a good rest. Every evening, when he comes from his office, he's always tired and wants to go to bed early. But his wife often has a lot of interesting things to tell him after supper. She doesn't stop talking until she falls asleep, but it's usually too late and Mr Smith has to get up in time in the morning when she is asleep. One day the man felt terrible and couldn't go to work. He decided to go to see a doctor. And Mrs Smith went to the hospital with him. Before her husband said what was the matter with him, the woman told the doctor all and the man understood why. He wrote out a prescription. And when Mr Smith brought the medicine to the resulting-room, the doctor said to her, "The bottle of medicine is for your husband and the pills are for you." "For me?" the woman said in surprise, "I'm fine. I don't need any medicine!" "I don't think so, madam," said the doctor, "They are sleeping pills, your husband will soon be all right if you take them." From the story, we know that _ . A. Mrs Smith was ill B. Mr Smith has to take the pills C. Mr Smithth wasn't ill D. Mrs Smith has to stop talking too much at night. Answer: D There are various aspects that go into making a successful school, and success can be measured in various ways. Often, the teachers are praised for a school's success and blamed for its failure. Yet, in order for a school to be effective, it must be a place where teaching and learning can easily take place, and that requires the hard work of more than just educators. Students must take learning into their own hands and feel as if what they are doing is as important as it actually is. This can only be done with the cooperation of every adult that is involved in the students' life. Some of these individuals often go unnoticed, yet the role they play in the students' lives is immeasurable. In the school, administrative assistants greet students at the start of the day and answer a large quantity of questions. When an assistant remembers a student's name or even something special about that student, it communicates to him that he is cared for. The assistant can also give that extra encouragement for a student to make better choices, especially when they are visiting the principal's office. Meanwhile, though cafeteria workers have a short space of time to interact with students, they can make a big difference as well. Beyond meeting nutritional needs, cafeteria workers may also on occasion meet the emotional needs of the students they serve. Students benefit from positive interaction with adults, and cafeteria workers may give that extra bit of encouragement that a child needs. Custodians are usually underappreciated for what they offer to schools. They have to be knowledgeable about everything from cleaning to fixing the most intricate tools. They get to school early in the morning before teachers arrive and lock up late at night after the last student has left from the after-school event. They also make sure teachers are equipped with the necessary items and prepare the rooms so that they are ready for learning. A great custodian also gives that kind word or extra smile to that student who needs it most. If an assistant remembers a student's name, the student will feel that _ . A. he is paid particular attention to B. he is special C. he has done something wrong D. he has made progress in study Answer: A Earthquake in Japan.Donald Trump is accused of planting story about actress's height after she rejected him. Mexico arrests ex-police chief in case of 43 missing students. Do you really need to know all these things? Three years ago, I began an experiment. I stopped reading all newspapers and magazines. Televisions and radios were rejected. I deleted the news apps from my iPhone. I didn't touch a single free newspaper and deliberately looked the other way when someone tried to offer me any such reading material. The first weeks were hard. Very hard! I was constantly afraid of missing something. But after a while, I had a new understanding. The result after three years: clearer thoughts, more valuable ideas, better decisions, and much more time. And the best thing? I haven't missed anything important. A dozen reasons exist to _ . Here are the top three: First, our brain reacts differently to different types of information. Shocking, people-based, fast-changing details all appeal to us. News producers capitalize on this. The result: Everything complex, abstract, and profound must be systematically singled out, even though such stories are much more relevant to our lives and to our understanding of the world. As a result, we walk around with a misrepresented mental map of the risks and threats we actually face. Second, news is irrelevant. In the past year, you have probably consumed about ten thousand pieces of news. Be very honest: Name one of them, just one that helped you make a better decision--for your life, your career, or your business--compared with not having this piece of news. No one I have asked has been able to name more than two useful news stories--out of ten thousand. News organizations claim that their information gives you a competitive advantage. Too many fall for this. If news really helped people advance, journalists would be at the top of the income pyramid. Third, news is a waste of time. An average human being spends half a day each week reading about current affairs. This is a huge loss of productivity. Take the 2008 terror attack in Mumbai. Let's say a billion people viewed the minute-by-minute updates and listened to the chatter of a few "experts" and "commentators." Thus our conservative calculation: One billion people multiplied by an hour's distraction equals one billion hours of work stoppage. News wasted around two thousand lives--ten times more than the attack. I would predict that turning your back on news will benefit you as much as removing any of the other ninety-eight errors we have covered in the pages of this book. Read long background articles and books. Nothing beats books for understanding the world. In the author's opinion, news _ . A. represents a competitive advantage B. offers a mental map of the world C. leads to a loss of productivity D. brings journalists' income up Answer: C
A funny thing happened between China's first female Nobel Prize winner, Tu Youyou, giving her acceptance speech in Sweden and that speech reaching her home country: Two entirely different versions appeared, and the fake one became a viral hit. Guess which version is genuine? The one that matter-of-factly tells about the discovery of artemisinin , or the one with extreme literary style, complete with her father explaining the origin of her given name and poetic lines such as, "I like tranquility , tranquil as the leaves of sweet wormwood ." Most readers were so touched by the literary version that they were left in tears. However, they just forgot that Tu is not a woman of _ , but one of science. It was totally made up by someone who obviously has great literary talent, but could not fathom the inner life of a scientist. I don't know who made up the Tu speech, or for what purpose. It does not strike me as funny. Fortunately, no mainstream media seemed to have been fooled. Yet the fake one has probably been shared more than the real one because it played to the Chinese stereotype of what such a speech should be. China's cyberspace is full of educational and uplifting quotes, and quite a lot of them are made up. There is a joke that says the United States' spying network collected and examined all the Internet data in China and found that the Chinese are addicted to such chicken soup, including that from untrustworthy sources. Why has the fake speech been shared more than the real one? Because it was the Chinese stereotype. The noble gases, helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, and radon, rarely react with other elements because they have complete outermost energy levels. If a thing has a certain amount of itself, then it can be described using that volume The history of newspapers is an often-dramatic chapter of the human experience going back some six centuries.In Renaissance Europe handwritten newsletters circulated privately among merchants,passing along information about everything from wars and economic conditions to social customs and "human interest" features.The first printed newspaper appeared in Germany in the late 1400s in the form of news pamphlets or broadsides. In the English-speaking world,the earliest predecessors of the newspaper were corantos,small news pamphlets produced only when some event worthy of notice occurred.The first successively published title was The Weekly News of 1622.The first true newspaper in English was the London Gazette of 1666. In America the first newspaper appeared in Boston in 1690,entitled Public Occurrences.Published without official permission,it was immediately suppressed .Its publisher was arrested,and all copies were destroyed.The first successful newspaper was the Boston News-Letter,begun by postmaster John Campbell in 1704.By the eve of the Revolutionary War,some two dozen papers were issued at all the colonies.At the war's end in 1783 there were forty-three newspapers in print. The Bill of Rights in 1791 at last guaranteed freedom of the press,and America's newspapers began to take on a central role in national affairs.By 1814 there were 346 newspapers. In the 1830s,advances in printing and papermaking technology led to an explosion of newspaper growth--the emergence of the "Penny Press";it was now possible to produce a newspaper that could be sold for just a cent a copy.The cheap newspaper helped people to get more interesting reading materials easily.In 1850,there were 2526 different papers.By the 1910s,all the basic features of the modern newspaper had emerged. Which of the following is NOT a newspaper? The Bill of Rights. Born as the only child in the family, I am the "king" of the family. My parents are both businessmen and they come home every two weeks. Because they don't spend much time with me, they always feel guilty* and will buy me many expensive things and let me do whatever I want. My grandparents never let me do any chores because they want me to do my schoolwork. I used to take everything for granted. I never said "thank you" to people. As time went by, I found that my classmates didn't like me and my best friends left me. one day, I asked Leo, who used to be one of my best friends. He said that I was selfish, rude and bad-tempered. "No one wants to make friends with a person who always receives but never gives anything!" he said. I was shocked at his words. "Oh, no! Please don't leave me. I need friends! I will be lonely and unhappy without friends!" I locked myself up in the room and cried. "I want my friends back. But how?" Then I noticed that all the popular kids in the class friendly to others. They always smile and say "thank you" to others. They do whatever they can to help when others are in trouble. Other kids like them and always play with them. "I need to change! I will get my friends back," I said to myself. From then on, I started to change myself. I learned to say "thank you" to others. I smiled and volunteered to help other kids. I tried to be as nice as I could. , I found that other kids liked to talk with me and they would ask me to play with them and even told me their secrets. My friends came back to me again. Now I have more friends than I used to do and I am happier than I used to be. What's the boy's life like at home? He can do what he wants to do.
John was fired from his job. Too proud to apply for unemployment benefits, he used his savings to feed his family. When one of his children became ill, he did not seek medical attention for the child at a state clinic because he did not want to accept what he regarded as charity. Eventually, weakened by malnutrition, the child died as a result of the illness. John has committed A. murder. B. involuntary manslaughter. C. voluntary manslaughter. D. no form of criminal homicide Answer: B We often ask for information or help, especially when we visit a foreign country. So knowing how to ask for information politely is important. In English, "Where are the restrooms?" and "Could you please tell me where the restrooms are?" are correct English, but the first could sound rude . It's important to use correct language, but sometimes we need to learn how to be polite . In English, just like in Chinese, we change the way we speak when talking with different people. If you say to your teacher, "Where is my book?" This will sound rude. But if you say, "Excuse me, Mr West. Do you know where my book is?" Your question will sound much more polite. Of course it might be all right to say "Where is my book?" in some situations, perhaps with people you know well. "Peter, lend me your pen." can sound rude in English. Usually in English, polite questions are longer such as "Could you please...?" or "Can I ask...?" It sounds more polite to say, "Peter, could you please lend me your pen?" Sometimes we might even need to spend some time when you stop a stranger in the street. We might first say, "Excuse me. I wonder if you can help me" or "I'm sorry to trouble you but," before asking them for help. It might seem that speaking politely is more difficult than being direct . However, in order not to offend people, learning about language etiquette is just as important as learning grammar or vocabulary. And doing this will also help you become better at English, or any other language you wish to speak. Why do we need to learn polite language? Because _ . A. they can improve our grammar and vocabulary B. they can help us become better at English C. everyone wants to be polite D. the teachers tell us to do so Answer: B A man had a little dog, and he was very fond of it. He would pat its head, and take it on his knee, and talk to it. Then he would give it little bits of food from his own plate. A donkey looked in at the window and saw the man and the dog. "Why does he not make a pet of me?" said the donkey. "It is not fair. I work hard, and the dog only wags its tail, and barks, and jumps on its master's knee. It is not fair." Then the donkey said to himself, "If I do what the dog does, he may make a pet of me." So the donkey ran into the room. It brayed as loudly as it could. It wagged its tail so hard that it knocked over a jar on the table. Then it tried to jump on to its master's knee. The master thought the donkey was mad, and he shouted, "Help! Help!" Men came running in with sticks, and they beat the donkey till it ran out of the house, and they drove it back to the field. "I only did what the dog does," said the donkey," and yet they make a pet of the dog, and they beat me with sticks. It is not fair." What happened to the donkey at last? A. The donkey jumped onto the man's knees. B. The man liked it as the dog. C. The donkey was driven back to the field. D. The men beat it to death. Answer: C For every woman who feels like she's had to scale back her personal ambitions since becoming a mother, gold medal cyclist Kristin Armstrong has a message: Don't give up on your dreams. She retired after winning gold in Beijing to start a family; son Lucas arrived in 2010, but then she decided to compete again in the London Olympics. She won a gold medal at last. The decision to start training again wasn't easy. "I struggled with that a lot," she told a newspaper. "At the beginning I felt selfish, I felt like, 'Well, I'm not supposed to be thinking of myself anymore. It's all supposed to be for my kid.'" She faced physical challenges of getting back into competition shape after giving birth, as well. When she started racing in the spring of 2011, she was still breast-feeding; she would nurse her son, then race, then breast-feed again after the race. Her days revolved around Lucas and training. "I feel like I'm able to do what I love to do and still manage a family and have that balance," Armstrong said. "That you have a family or a child doesn't mean that you have to stop going after what you dream of individually." Armstrong makes balance look easy, whether it's on her bike or as an athlete-mom. But she points out that you can't have it all without making some sacrifices. For example, don't expect a neat home--her husband, Joe Savola, who she describes as her support system and her "protector", says he's had to give up on trying to keep everything orderly at home and just accept that their living room has become Lucas's playroom. For Armstrong, she's sacrificed time with friends who had kids around the same age--there just wasn't time. Now, she says, "That sounds like fun to me." As she heads home to Boise, Idaho, she's ready to do regular mom stuff. After Kristin Armstrong retired, she _ . A. lived an easy life B. moved to a new house C. still had a great interest in cycling D. spent much time with her kid Answer: C Brighton is in the county of East Sussex, on the South coast of England. Situated between the English Channel and the South Downs, Brighton is 90 km from London. Brighton's nearby neighbor, Hove, is seen by some as a more desirable location than Brighton and it is often referred to by locals as "Hove, actually". Brighton is a small city but there's probably as much going on here as anywhere in the country except London. Brighton has numerous entertainment facilities, which additionally serve a considerable business conference industry. There's a huge range of entertainment venues, including comedy at the Brighton Komedia, world music, opera and ballet at the Brighton Dome, jazz at the Joogleberry, top stars at the Brighton Centre and pre-West End shows at the Theatre Royal. The live music scene is also alive and well with several bands originating from the Brighton area going on to have commercial success in recent years. Every year in May, Brighton hosts the "Brighton Festival" ------ the largest arts festival in England. Brighton's theatres, concert halls, streets and some of the city's most extraordinary venues host an array of art, entertainment and extravaganza . The earliest feature of the festival, "Open Houses" ------ homes of artists and crafts people, opened up to the public as galleries and usually sell the works of the inhabitants and their friends. Students at the two universities in the area give the city a youthful vitality , and in the summer, thousands of young students from all over Europe gather in the city to attend language courses. In addition to the usual coastal attractions, vacationers are drawn to the city's Georgian architecture, trendy shops, and fine restaurants. Points of interest also include the Edwardian Preston Manor, the ornate Royal Pavilion, the engaging Sea Life Center, and a variety of museums and art galleries. According to the passage,where can you go if you enjoy watching opera? A. Brighton Komedia. B. Joogleberry. C. Theatre Royal. D. Brighton Dome. Answer: D
Question: It was a dark, wet November morning. It seemed like it would take a million years to get to summer again. I thought bears have got it right---- what a perfect idea to sleep through the worst part of the year and wake up when spring comes! "Want some words of affirmation ?" a coworker, seeing my mood, kindly suggested. "You don't think they would cheer you up?" "Today? No." I shook my head. "I used to think so too," he said, "until I realized the effect my words had on a certain person. Well, it was someone I knew pretty well. I have to say I treated him rather badly." "You? But you are always so positive! How did you treat him badly?" "I told him I did not like anything about him, really. I told him I did not even like his name. In fact, it wasn't only what I said. I also did pretty bad things to him. When he was hungry, I did not give him the chance to eat proper food. When he felt like doing something fun, I said to him that he was being childish and having fun was not productive . And worst of all, when he was sick and needed care, I did not care. I told him to get up and get to work. And when he did, I never told him he did good work. You could say I was ashamed of him," he said. "I wanted to get rid of him because he just wasn't good enough for me---but couldn't." "But that was heartless!" He nodded. "Then one day it all changed. I stood there in front of the bathroom mirror one morning. I saw the dark circles under his eyes, I saw the excess weight. I saw the hair that needed cutting. And I saw the eyes that once had looked at the world eagerly. Now they were so sad and tired. And there and then I realized he deserved better. So I told the man I had disliked for so many years that he was a good person after all." My jaw dropped. I looked at him---full of positive energy, in good shape, always ready to encourage others. "Wow..." He winked at me. "So how about having a little positive conversation with the bathroom mirror? The person in there has the greatest effect on you!" What does the author's coworker suggest the author do? A. Be helpful to those in need. B. Be confident in the face of difficulty. C. Be positive about himself. D. Be kind to those who make mistakes. Answer: C. Be positive about himself. Question: Hundreds of years ago, life was much harder than it is today. People didn't have modern machines. Life today has brought new problems. One of the biggest is pollution. Water pollution has made our rivers and lakes dirty. It kills our fish and pollutes our drinking water. Noise pollution makes us talk louder and become angry more easily. Air pollution is the most serious kind of pollution. It's bad to all living things in the world. Polluted air from cars, planes and factories is so thick that it is like a quilt over a city. This kind of quilt is called smog . Many countries are making rules to fight pollution. Factories must now clean their water before it is thrown away. And they mustn't blow dirty smoke into the air. We need to do many other things. We can put waste things in the dustbin and not throw it on the ground. We can go to work by bus or with our friends in the same car. If there are fewer people driving, there will be less pollution. From the passage we know that _ . A. a few years ago, there was no smog at all B. today people don't have to talk to each other in a loud voice C. people are making rules in order to fight pollution D. people can only use rules to fight pollution Answer: C. people are making rules in order to fight pollution Question: Venice is the Queen of the Adriatic Sea .Every year many people visit the city. Why do they go there? Because Venice is a beautiful city. There aren't any roads in the city, so there aren't any cars or buses. There are a lot of canals. People go up and down the canals in boats. But Venice is going down, and water is going up. In 2040 Venice will be under the water. The Adriatic Sea will cover the city. But the people in Venice love the city and want to stay there. How can they stay there? People go up and down by _ . A. car B. plane C. boat D. bus Answer: C. boat Question: Have you ever heard your own voice? "Of course," you say. Has anyone else ever heard your voice? Again you say, "Of course."But that's not quite true. Nobody else has ever heard your voice--the way you hear it. When you talk, you set up sound waves . The air outside your head carries the sound waves to your outer ears. But, of course, the sound of your voice begins inside your head. The bones of your head pick up the sound waves, too. They carry the sound waves straight to your inner ears. You get the sound from the outside and the inside too. Other people get just the sound waves from the outside. That's why they don't hear your voice the way you do. When you talk, other people hear your voice _ . A. through the bones of your head B. from the outside C. from the inside D. all of the above Answer: B. from the outside Question: Morris was driving north on an interstate highway at about 50 miles per hour when a tractor-trailer rig, owned and driven by Dixon, passed her. The tractor was pulling a refrigerated meat trailer fully loaded with beef carcasses hanging freely from the trailer ceiling. When Dixon cut back in front of Morris, the shifting weight of the beef caused the trailer to overturn. Morris was unable to avoid a collision with the overturned trailer and was injured. The trailer had been manufactured by Trailco. A number of truckers had complained to Trailco that the design of the trailer, which allowed the load to swing freely, was dangerous. Dixon knew of the dangerous propensity of the trailer. A restraining device that could be installed in the trailer would prevent the load from shifting and was available at nominal cost. Dixon knew of the restraining device but had not installed it"If Morris asserts a claim based on strict liability tort against Trailco, she will A. recover unless Morris was negligently driving when the truck overturned. B. recover, because Dixon's knowledge of the dangerous propensity of the trailer does not relieve Trailco of liability. C. not recover, because there was no privity of contract between Morris and Trailco. D. not recover if Dixon was negligent in failing to install the restraining device in the trailer Answer: B. recover, because Dixon's knowledge of the dangerous propensity of the trailer does not relieve Trailco of liability.

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