The flag, the most common symbol(象征) of a nation in the modern world, is also one of the most ancient. With a clear symbolic meaning, the flag in the traditional form is still used today to mark buildings, ships and other vehicles related to a country.
The national flag as we know it today is in no way a primitive(原始的)artifact. It is, rather, the product of thousands of years' development. Historians believe that it had two major ancestors, of which the earlier served to show wind direction.
Early human beings used very fragile houses and boats. Often strong winds would tear roofs from houses or cause high waves that endangered travelers .People's food supplies were similarly vulnerable. Even after they had learned how to plant grains, they still needed help from nature to ensure good harvests. Therefore they feared and depended on the power of the wind, which could bring warmth from one direction and cold from another.
Using a simple piece of cloth tied to the top of a post to tell the direction of the wind was more dependable than earlier methods, such as watching the rising of smoke from a fire. The connection of the flag with heavenly power was therefore reasonable. Early human societies began to fix long pieces of cloth to the tops of totems(图腾) before carrying them into battle. They believed that the power of the wind would be added to the good wishes of the gods and ancestors represented by the totems themselves.
These flags developed very slowly into modern flags. The first known flag of a nation or a ruler was unmarked: The king of China around 1000 B.C. was known to have a white flag carried ahead of him. This practice might have been learned from Egyptians even further in the past, but it was from China that it spread over trade routes through India, then across Arab lands, and finally to Europe ,where it met up with the other ancestor of the national flag. The best title for the passage would be______.
| A．Power of the National Flag | B．Uses of Flag |
| C．Types of Flags | D．Development of the National Flag |
The underlined word “vulnerable” in Paragraph 3 means_____
| A．impossible to make sure of | B．difficult to find |
| C．likely to be protected | D．easy to damage |
The earliest flags were connected with heavenly power because______
| A．they were believed to stand for natural forces |
| B．they could bring good luck to fighters |
| C．they were handed down by the ancestors |
| D．they could tell wind direction |
What does the author know of the first national flag?
| A．He thinks it came from | B．He believes it was made in Egypt |
| C．He doubts where it started. | D．He knows when it was sent to Europe |
What was the author most probably talk about next?
| A．The role of China in the spread of the national flag. |
| B．The second ancestor of the national flag. |
| C．The use of modern flags in Europe |
| D．The importance of modern flags |
In 1947 a group of famous people from the art world headed by an Austrian conductor decided to hold an international festival of music, dance and theatre in Edinburgh. The idea was to reunite Europe after the Second World War.
It quickly attracted famous names such as Alec Guinness, Richard Button, Dame Margot Fonteyn and Marlene Dietrich as well as the big symphony orchestras(交响乐团). It became fixed event every August and now attracts 400,000 people yearly.
At the Same time, the “Fringe” appeared as a challenge to the official festival. Eight theatre groups turned up uninvited in1947, in the belief that everyone should have the right to perform, and they did so in a public house disused for years.
Soon, groups of students firstly from Edinburgh University, and later from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, Durham and Birmingham were making the journey to the Scottish capital each summer to perform theatre by little-known writers of plays in small church halls to the people of Edinburgh.
Today the “Fringe”, once less recognized, has far outgrown the festival with around 1,500 performances of theatre, music and dance on every one of the 21 days it lasts. And yet as early as 1959, with only 19 theatre groups performing, some said it was getting too big.
A paid administrator was first employed only in 1971, and today there are eight administrators working all year round and the number rises to 150 during August itself. In 2004 there were 200 places housing 1,695 shows by over 600 different groups from 50 different countries. More than 1.25 million tickets were sold.
What was the purpose of Edinburgh Festival at the beginning?
| A．To bring Europe together again. |
| B．To honor heroes of World War II. |
| C．To introduce young theatre groups. |
| D．To attract great artists from Europe. |
Why did some uninvited theatre groups come to Edinburgh in 1947?
| A．They owned a public house there. |
| B．They came to take up a challenge. |
| C．They thought they were also famous. |
| D．They wanted to take part in the festival. |
Who joined the “Fringe” after it appeared?
| A．Popular writers. |
| B．University students. |
| C．Artists from around the world. |
| D．Performers of music and dance. |
We may learn from the text that Edinburgh Festival .
| A．has become a non-official event |
| B．has gone beyond an art festival |
| C．gives shows all year round |
| D．keeps growing rapidly |
Who Owns the Moon?
Within the next ten years, the US, China, Israel, and a crowd of private companies plan to set up camp on the moon. So if and when they plant a flag, does that give them property rights?
A NASA working group hosted a discussion this week to ask: Who owns the moon? The answer, of course, is no use. The Outer Space Treaty, the international law signed by more than 100 countries, states that the moon and other celestial bodies(天体) are the province of all mankind. No doubt that would annoy all of the people throughout the ages, like monks from the Middle Ages, who have tried to claim the moon was theirs.
But ownership is different from property rights. People who rent apartments, for example, don’t own where they live, but they still hold rights. So with all of the upcoming missions(派遣团) to visit the moon and beyond, space industry thought leaders are seriously asking themselves how to deal with a potential land rush.
“This is a very relevant discussion right now. We’ve got this wave of new lunar missions from around the world,” said William Marshall, a scientist in the small-spacecraft office at NASA, but who spoke this week at an event hosted by NASA’s Co Lab, a collaborative(协力的) public-private working group. He was peaking from his personal interest and not on behalf of the agency.
To be sure, the United States aims to send astronauts back to the moon by as early as 2015, in a mission that would include a long-term settlement. China and Israel, among others, are also working on lunar projects. And for the first time, several private groups are building spacecraft to land on the moon in an attempt to win millions of dollars in the Google Lunar X Prize. Some participants say that they plan to gain some property rights in the mission.
In the passage the writer seems to be worrying that .
| A．the US will live on the moon forever |
| B．the moon will not be able to hold all mankind |
| C．the potential land rush will become more and more frequent |
| D．no one can answer the question “Who owns the moon?” |
The “Google Lunar X Prize” aims to .
| A．encourage private groups to land on the moon |
| B．help NASA host a discussion about land rush on the moon |
| C．help some developing countries complete their lunar projects |
| D．reward some countries or private groups which haven’t stepped on the moon |
The underlined word “that” in the first paragraph refers to .
| A．the Outer Space Treaty | B．if and when they plant a flag |
| C．the NASA working group | D．monks from the Middle Ages |
What is the main idea of the last paragraph?
| A．The US astronauts will live on the moon for a longer time. |
| B．Many countries and private groups plan to go to the moon. |
| C．Why some private groups wish to land on the moon. |
| D．It is easy to gain some property rights on the moon. |
Michelle Obama, Kate Moss and Samantha Cameron are three of the most stylish﹙时髦的﹚ women on the planet because they have their daughters rather than their style. A new research has shown that women with daughters tend to be more stylish than mothers of sons; a fact partly because of the style advice their daughters offer as they get older.
78 percent of women over the age of 50 say they would be more than happy to let their daughters choose a complete outfit﹙全套衣装﹚ for them. However, just five percent of women say they would turn to their sons for style advice, while 28 percent believe that mothers of boys are less fashionable than women with girls.
“Women who don’t have daughters become less interested in style as they grow older but having a daughter may keep alive her interest in looking great,” comments psychologist Honey Langcaster-James. “And, because of their close relationship, they also have a source of support and encouragement when it comes to their style decisions.”
More than a quarter of women believe that Mums who have sons are less fashion-conscious than Mums with daughters. The most common reasons for this are that daughters are more critical, offer good advice and inspiration, and add an element of competition to look the best while sons don’t seem to care and aren’t as strict as daughters.
Interestingly, although mothers tend to rely on their daughters’ style tips, their confidence isn’t reciprocated﹙互换﹚, with 40 percent of women between the age of 19 and 34 saying they wouldn’t allow their mothers to shop for them as what their mothers would choose for them would not be as good as they expected.
And although they might not appreciate the fashion advice, the research, which was conducted by online retailer Gray & Osbourn, showed that daughters do still need their mothers with 71 percent saying they chat to their female parent every day.
“In short, the research shows just how important relationships are between mothers and daughters,” added Langcaster-James, “and just how much women appreciate an honest and trustworthy opinion.”
The opening paragraph is mainly to show .
| A．girls influence their mothers’ style decision |
| B．women with children are often less stylish |
| C．mothers like to follow their children’s advice |
| D．boys are actually better advisors than girls |
Which of the following may Langcaster-James agree with?
| A．Daughters usually love their mothers more than sons do. |
| B．It’s hard for boys to get along well with their mothers. |
| C．Mothers without daughters show less interest in style. |
| D．Girls are more independent than boys in some ways. |
It can be inferred from the passage that girls .
| A．show more interest in science than boys. |
| B．care more about what their mothers wear |
| C．can help a lot to solve family problems |
| D．are good at encouraging other people |
By saying “their confidence isn’t reciprocated” in Paragraph 5, the author means that .
| A．some women don’t like to choose clothes for their mothers |
| B．some women aren’t sure what to wear when attending a party |
| C．some women often show no confidence in themselves |
| D．some women would not like to follow their mothers’ style advice |
What does the author mainly tell us in the passage?
| A．It confuses many parents how to talk with their kids. |
| B．Daughters prefer to talk with their mums instead of dads. |
| C．It is important for parents to respect their children’s choice. |
| D．Mothers of girls are more fashionable than those of boys |
Children in the United States eat too much pizza that some researchers now argue the food should join the ranks of sugary drinks and fast food for the harm they do to health．
In a new study, the researchers found that pizza is a large source of calories, saturated fat(饱和脂肪)and salt in children’s diets．Children should not eat more than two slices of pizza for a meal．and should pair that with salad, rather than with another high-calorie food，the researchers concluded．
“Parents should aim to control pizza consumption(消费), particularly as a snack where it was shown to have a very adverse impact on children, and they should put their pizza dollars toward healthier brands．” said Lisa Powel, director of the Illinois Prevention Research Center．
Pizza has become a matter of focus in recent years for researchers who look at the meals children eat, rather than the nutrients within them．Studies have found pizza is among the greatest sources of calories for children．
“Since pizza remains a common part of children’s diet, we need to make ‘healthy’ pizza．”Powel said．To make pizza healthier, food producers should reduce its saturated fat and salt, and increase its whole grain content，she said．
Whether or not pizza is harmful enough to be picked out as an unhealthy food, the study attracts attention to a larger issue with the modern American lifestyle, said Alexis Tindall, who was not involved in the flow research．Many foods arc eaten too frequently and in large sizes．said Tindall．To solve the problem, people don’t have to give up eating pizza, but instead, they can eat smaller and healthier pizza，she said．
“Make it at home, instead of ordering it out where you don’t have any control over how it’s made．”Tindall said. “When we make it at home, we can choose healthier ingredients，increase the vegetables．reduce fat, and put in less cheese．Pizza doesn’t have to be just pepperoni(意大利辣香肠)and cheese．”
According to the research．children shouldn’t eat ．
| A．more than two slices of pizza in a day |
| B．two slices of pizza for a meal |
| C．more pizza with French fries |
| D．pizza along with salad |
Powel suggests healthier pizza should be made ．
| A．with less salt | B．with more ingredients |
| C．in smaller sizes | D．at home |
The last sentence of the passage implies that pepperoni and cheese ．
| A．are not necessary ingredients of pizza |
| B．should be reduced by adding healthier ingredients． |
| C．should all be replaced with healthier ingredient． |
| D．are not the only healthy ingredients of pizza |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Pizza—a real junk food! |
| B．How to prepare better meals for your kids? |
| C．Bring in healthier pizza for Americans |
| D．Discover the harm of eating pizza |
As Internet users become more dependent on the Internet to store information, are people remembering less? If you know your computer will save information, why store it in your own personal memory, your brain? Experts are wondering if the Internet is changing what we remember and how.
In a recent study, Professor Betsy Sparrow conducted some experiments. She and her research team wanted to know how the Internet is changing memory. In the first experiment, they gave people 40 unimportant facts to type into a computer. The first group of people understood that the computer would save the information. The second group understood that the computer would not save it. Later, the second group remembered the information better. People in the first group knew they could find the information again, so they did not try to remember it.
In another experiment, the researchers gave people facts to remember, and told them where to find the information on the Internet. The information was in a specific computer folder (文件夹). Surprisingly, people later remember the folder location (位置) better than the facts. When people use the Internet, they do not remember the information. Rather, they remember how to find it. This is called "transactive memory (交互记忆)"
According to Sparrow, we are not becoming people with poor memories as a result of the Internet. Instead, computer users are developing stronger transactive memories; that is, people are learning how to organize huge quantities of information so that they are able to access it at a later date. This doesn't mean we are becoming either more or less intelligent, but there is no doubt that the way we use memory is changing.What can we learn about the first experiment?
| A．Sparrow's team typed the information into a computer. |
| B．The first group didn’t know where the information is. |
| C．The two groups remembered the information equally well. |
| D．The second group had a better memory of the information. |
In transactive memory, people ______.
| A．know how to access huge amounts of information later. |
| B．learn how to organize small amounts of information. |
| C．organize huge quantities of information like a computer. |
| D．bear huge quantities of information in mind. |
What is the effect of the Internet according to Sparrow's research?
| A．We are becoming more intelligent. |
| B．We are using memory differently. |
| C．We have poorer memories than before. |
| D．We need a better way to access information. |
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