Russian tradition orders that men should kiss each other three times on the cheeks at official functions. Now, a new ruling in Moscow is calling for politicians in the capital to stick to the old handshake. According to Britain's The Telegraph newspaper, politicians in Moscow have been told to stop kissing each other when they meet because the “kissing ceremony” takes so long.
Leonid Brezhnev, the general secretary of the Communist Party from 1964 to 1982, was famous for treating male colleagues to a full lip-lock. One photograph of him kissing Erich Honecker, the leader of the Democratic Republic of Germany, was used for a protest painting on the Berlin Wall with the caption: "Oh, God, help me survive this deadly love".
Kissing three times on the cheeks at official occasions is a Russian tradition. The practice has been revived among high-ranking officials in past years. In the distant past, a kiss from the tsar (emperor) was the highest sign of recognition. The Moscow ruling, however, has prompted authorities in other cities to consider banning the practice.
Alexei Kleshko, a parliament member in Siberia, said: “Single-sex kisses should be avoided, including at official meetings. It's enough to shake hands. Of course, if one is talking about a long friendship or fatherly relations, it might be OK to embrace. But that's the maximum that should be allowed.”
Another MP Vladimir Gorlov, said he only allowed himself to kiss the hand of a woman at work: "There are informal relations and there are meetings governed by protocol," he said. “When a man is kissing another man at an official event, I have a negative attitude towards it. There are rules of decency.
5. Moscow is calling for politicians to stick to handshake because ________.
A. it is popular at home and abroad B. it is their tradition
C. it saves time D. Russian women have a strong love of it
6. By mentioning Brezhnev, the author ________.
A. wants to show his respect to Brezhner
B. admires Brezhnev for his skills at kissing
C. just shows the media made fun of pictures of politicians kissing
D. praises Brezhnev’s good relation with Honecker
7. If the tsar kissed a Russian woman, she would feel ________.
A. nervous B. proud C. shameful D. curious
8. We can infer from the last two paragraphs that ________.
A. Kleshko is strongly against any kind of kiss
B. Kleshko is a man out of date
C. Gorlove shares the same view with Kleshko is single-sex kisses
D. Gorlove won’t kiss any man in any form
Americans have contributed to many art forms,but jazz,a type of music,is one of the art forms that was started in the United States.Black Americans,who sang and played the music of their homeland,created jazz.
Jazz is a mixture of the music of Africa,the work songs the slaves sang,and religious（宗教）music.Improvisation is an important part of jazz.This means that the musicians make the music up as they go along,or create the music on the spot.This is why a jazz song might sound a little different each time it is played.
Jazz bands formed in the late 1800s.They played in bars and clubs in many towns and cities of the South,especially New Orleans.New Orleans is an international seaport,and people from all over the world come to New Orleans to hear jazz.
Jazz became more and more popular.By the 1920s,jazz was popular all over the United States.By the 1940s,you could hear jazz not only in clubs and bars,but in concert halls as well.Today,people from all over the world play jazz.Jazz musicians from the United States,Asia,Africa,South America,and Europe meet and share their music at festivals on every continent.In this way jazz continues to grow and change.What can be the best title of the passage?
| A．American Art Forms | B．The Development of Jazz |
| C．The Music of Black Americans | D．The Birthplace of Jazz |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．Jazz is now popular all over the world. |
| B．Jazz is now a kind of religious music. |
| C．Jazz is now played only in bars and clubs. |
| D．Jazz is now played a little differently sometimes. |
From the text it can be inferred that_________.
| A．New Orleans is the place where jazz was first produced |
| B．the American people are all jazz lovers |
| C．jazz is merely sung by the black when working |
| D．jazz may become more popular as time goes on |
It took about _________ years to make jazz popular in the United States.
| A．200 | B．120 | C．80 | D．40 |
Snow-melting Agent
A heavy snow can kill pests and this means a good harvest next year.This will bring as well as trouble to urbanites.
On Nov.16,2003,a cold air current brought a heavy snow to Beijing.To prevent traffic jams,related government departments mobilized people to clear off snow on streets.
One of the most effective ways to clear off snow on roads is to scatter snow-melting agent on the roads.The major component of the snow-melting agent is salt.The snow-melting agent can make snow stop from freezing,make it easier to clear off the road,and allow traffic to flow smoothly.But it also brings about some hidden dangers.In the spring of 2003,over 300 000 trees in Beijing urban districts died.After analyzing soil around these trees,experts discovered that the salt content of these soils was 392 times higher than normal.Where did the excessive salt come from?After investigating,forestry experts found that when clearing snow in the winter,people usually heap snow containing snow-melting agent at trees’ roots,and that when the snow melts,this agent penetrates the soil and increases its salt content.The snow-melting agent indirectly killed the trees.
Statistics show that during a heavy snow in 2002,over 1000 tons of snow-melting agent was scatterred on streets in Beijing.Snow water containing a large amount of snow-melting agent got into the soil through sewers.
In addition,salt in the snow-melting agent can expedite the corrosion of steel bars in concrete buildings and cause the concrete to crack and peel,shortening the life of roads.
Scientists and government officials are required to solve traffic problems caused by heavy snows as soon as possible and at the same time try to reduce the negative effects of the snow-melting agent.This is a difficult problem placed before them.Related authorities have framed some local criteria to regulate the production and use of snow-melting agents.
Now,more harmless snow-melting agents are being developed.Now that even snow-melting agents that meet today’s criteria must still be used carefully,we have to rely more on our manpower and machines to clear off snow.
This year,in addition to using snow-melting agents,Beijing will use a large number of snow vehicles to clear snow on roads.In more places,citizens are mobilized to clear snow with their hands.This may be a test of a city’s civilization level.Salt is a snow-melting agent while _________ is a cleaning agent.
| A．water | B．soap | C．a washing-machine | D．a housewife |
The third paragraph of the text is mainly about _______.
| A．the side effect of snow-melting agent |
| B．a case of damage to trees caused by snow-melting agent |
| C．the results of using snow-melting agent |
| D．the uses of snow-melting agent |
According to the text,the most practical way to clear off snow is to _________.
| A．use snow-melting agent as much as possible |
| B．only use more harmless snow-melting agent |
| C．encourage people to clear snow with their hands |
| D．use more snow vehicles |
This text most probably appears in_________.
| A．a newspaper | B．a magazine on latest findings |
| C．a book on salt | D．a magazine on environmental protection |
Though “nanometer” is now a fashionable term all over the world,few people know exactly what it is.It has become a new favorite of manufacturers and sellers in recent years.Many “high-tech” products bearing the name “nano” have entered the market,bringing more mysterious feeling to surprised consumers.
Nanometer is a very small length unit of measure,and is very small.One millimeter is 1000 micrometers,and one micrometer is 1000 nanometers.That is,one nanometer is one billionth of a meter.Nano materials are solid materials composed of particles or crystallites of less than 100 nanometer in size.Then,is a cup made of nano material really any different from an ordinary cup in function as far as how it works?
Are nano cups really so wonderful?A reporter went to the Institute of Nanomedicine,which is the first such institute of such a sort in the world and the only one in China,specializing in researching the investigation of the application of nano technology into medicine.
Ji(director Institute of Nanomedicine):
A water molecule is composed of 2 hydrogen atoms and 1 oxygen atom.It can be alterchanged only by special manipulation of the atoms.The material constituting the cup can have a nanometer particles size of the nano level.But it cannot change the chemical and physical properties of the water contained in it.The water in the cup is still water.When people drink it,it will produce no special effect on human body.
Prof.Ji told the reporter,so far,the investigation of nano materials is still confined in the laboratory.No commercial micro products can be produced yet.With the present level of science and technology,the time of everyday goods age of daily use articles made of nanometer materials is still years away.
The commodities labeled with nano marks in the market now are only traditional products coated with a thin layer of nanometer material,which makes them more abrasion resistant,much easier to be cleaned,or oil repelling or moth proof.
Prof.Ji explained that nano cup is a real cup.It can also be included in the list of nano products in a certain sense.But the nano cup has not changed its property and function as a cup.It is not a magical medicine for curing and health care.Which of the following shows the right relationship?
| A．nanometer<millimeter<micrometer<meter |
| B．nanometer<micrometer<millimeter<meter |
| C．micrometer<millimeter<nanometer<meter |
| D．millimeter<micrometer<nanometer<meter |
The underlined part in the last second paragraph but one is about_________.
| A．the strong points of nano cups | B．the shortcomings of nano cups |
| C．the uses of nano cups | D．the wonders of nano cups |
Which of the following does not show that nano cups are different from ordinary cups?
| A．Nano cups can’t make people healthier. |
| B．Nano cups are made of a different material. |
| C．Nano cups are much easier to be cleaned. |
| D．Nano cups are hard to produce. |
According to the text,nano cups in the market are_________.
| A．only traditional products |
| B．ordinary cups covered with a little nanometer material on the surface |
| C．cups made of a nano material |
| D．cups made of a mixed material |
Interpersonal Distance
With the outbreak of SARS,everyone tried to avoid coming into close contact with each other.In those days,interpersonal distance increased,“close contact” almost became synonymous with “danger”,and even children couldn’t have close contact with their mothers.Now SARS has disappeared,and we return back to normal living again.Then,how can we do handle interpersonal distance in our everyday lives?
Studies show that interpersonal distance can be divided into 4 different types:intimate distance,personal distance,social distance,and public distance.
Intimate distance is the interpersonal distance of a person with the people closest to him or her.It ranges from 0 to 45 cm.When a stranger comes within this distance,a person will have strong negative reaction.In crowded buses,strangers usually maintain rigid poses and try to avoid body contact,but couples,lovers,children and their mothers usually lean close to each other.Intimates who aren’t able to live close together for a long time can become alienated.Also,touching is also very important.A contrast test shows that the nervous systems of babies who are often caressed by their mothers develop much faster and their weight increases faster,by 47%,than that of other babies.
Personal distance ranges from 45 cm to 1 m.People can converse genially at this distance without invading each other’s personal space.When friends and acquaintances meet on the street,they usually greet and converse at this distance.
Social distance generally ranges from 1 m to 3 m.Among this range,1-2 m is usually the distance in which people deal with private affairs in social activities.For example,when you get money from banks,in order to protect your privacy,other customers are required to stand at least 1 m away from you.2-3.5 m is a farther social distance.Business talks usually occur at this distance.Besides talking,proper eye contact is also indispensable.Otherwise,each side will feel disrespected.
Public distance is usually used in public gatherings.It generally ranges from 3.5 m to about 7 m.Beyond this range,people can’t communicate using a normal voice.In classrooms,experienced teachers usually leave their lecture platforms to enhance their teaching.
Under different cultural contexts,the interpersonal distance differs slightly,but its basic laws are the same.When conversing,people in love lean very close to each other,acquaintances lean closer than strangers,females lean closer than males,and extraverts lean closer than introverts.In life,harmonious interpersonal relationships are set upon proper interpersonal distances,and some conflicts start from improper interpersonal distances.According to the text,the strangers standing close to each other in a crowded bus may_________.
| A．try to keep a distance away | B．feel uneasy |
| C．feel nervous | D．be rude to each other |
The distance between a teacher and students in class belongs to _________.
A.intimate distance C.personal distance
C.social distance D.public distanceThe interpersonal distance between two people is mainly determined by _________.
| A．how familiar they are with each other | B．their relationship in a special activity |
| C．their characters | D．their cultural background |
To keep proper interpersonal distance is important because _________.
| A．it makes people feel respected or loved |
| B．it helps to protect privacy |
| C．wrong interpersonal distance may result in misunderstanding |
| D．improper interpersonal distance may hurt others |
Eleven-year-old Angela was stricken with a debilitating disease involving her nervous system.She was unable to walk and her movement was restricted in other ways as well.The doctors did not hold out much hope of her ever recovering from this illness.They predicted she’d spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair.They said that few,if any,were able to come back to normal after contracting this disease.The little girl was undaunted.There,lying in her hospital bed,she would vow to anyone who’d listen that she was definitely going to be walking again someday.
She was transferred to a specialized hospital in the San Francisco Bay area.Whatever therapies could be applied to her case were used.The therapists were charmed by her undefeatable spirit.They taught her about imaging—about seeing herself walking.If it would do nothing else,it would at least give her hope and something positive to do in the long waking hours in her bed.Angela would work as hard as possible in physical therapy,in whirlpools and in exercise sessions.But she worked just as hard lying there faithfully doing her imaging;visualizing herself moving,moving,moving!
One day,as she was staining with all her might to imagine her legs moving again,it seemed as though a miracle happened:The bed moved!It began to move around the room!She screamed out,“Look what I’m doing!Look!Look!I can do it!I moved,I moved!”
Of course,at this very moment everyone else in the hospital was screaming,too,and running for cover.People were screaming,equipment was falling and glass was breaking.You see,it was the recent San Francisco earthquake.But don’t tell that to Angela.She’s convinced that she did it.And now only a few years later,she’s back in school. You see,anyone who can shake the earth between San Francisco and Oakland can conquer a piddling little disease,can’t they?The underlined word “undaunted” in the first paragraph can probably be replaced by _________.
| A．encouraged | B．not discouraged | C．losing heart | D．excited |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the text?
| A．The girl got over her disease just by imagining. |
| B．It was because of her strong determination and constant efforts that she got walking again. |
| C．The girl was on top of the world when she moved the bed in her room. |
| D．Doctors believe imagining being healthy helps patients recover. |
By saying the last sentence in the last paragraph,the author means that_________.
| A．where there is a will,there is a way |
| B．a person who is strong enough to shake the earth can get over any disease |
| C．just as it is impossible for one to shake the earth,so it is to conquer a serious disease |
| D．though one can shake the earth,he can’t defeat a little disease |
What might be a good title for the text?
| A．Did The Earth Move For You? |
| B．A Miracle Made by a Young Girl |
| C．A Young Girl Conquered Disease |
| D．Strong Will Defeats Illness |
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