On Saturday, millions of people around the world will celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day, which honors Patron Saint (or main religious figure) of Ireland. Communities across the United States will host parades, parties, and other festivities to mark the occasion.
This year, cities like Boston, New York, and Chicago have organized massive events celebrating Saint Patrick’s Day. In New York City, hundreds of thousands of people will gather to watch the Saint Patrick’s Day parade—the nation’s largest. It is one of the most watched parades in the world. Last year, almost 2 million spectators（观众） and more than 150,000 participants （参与者）filled the streets. The parade, first held in 1776, is also one of the oldest.
Chicago also throws a big celebration. Every year, the Chicago River, which crosses the city, glows green as event organizers dump about 40 pounds of fluorescence, a powerful dye(染料), into the water.
Boston keeps its parade rolling for three hours or more. It is the nation’s second-largest parade. The city will also salute one of its most famous former residents, President John F. Kennedy, by opening the exhibit “A Journey Home: John F. Kennedy and Ireland,” at his official library.
Patron Saint lived in Britain in the early fifth century, when it was still part of the Roman Empire. He was captured （抓捕）and sold into slavery（卖为奴隶） in Ireland when he was only 16．He eventually escaped slavery and turned to a life of religious devotion. He trained to become a minister（牧师） and set out to spread Christianity throughout Ireland. After 30 years as a religious leader, Patrick died on March 17, 1461．Saint Patrick’s Day is always celebrated on March 17．In Ireland, it is an official holiday.
1．What’s the best title of the passage?
A．History of Saint Patrick’s Day B．An Official Holiday in US
C．The Largest Parade in the World D．Celebrations across the Country
2．What do you think is the official color of St. Patrick’s Day?
A．Green B．Red. C．Black. D．Yellow.
3．The last paragraph is mainly about _____.
A．the cruel slave trade. B．Saint Patrick’s contribution.
C．activities during Saint Patrick’s Day D．Ireland’s Patron Saint
4．Which of the following is not correct according to the passage?
A．Parade is a most important event to observe Saint Patrick’s Day.
B．Saint Patrick’s Day is a religious holiday.
C．Saluting the former president has become a main event on the occasion.
D．The Saint Patrick’s Day parade has a history of over two centuries.
The United States is one of the few countries in the world that has an official day on which fathers are honored by their children．On the third Sunday in June, fathers all across the United States are given presents, treated to dinner or otherwise made to feel special．
However, the idea for creating a day for children to honor their fathers began in Spokane, Washington．A woman by the name of Sonora Smart Dodd thought of the idea for Father’s Day while listening to a Mother’s Day sermon in 1909．Having been raised by her father, Henry Jackson Smart, after her mother died, Sonora wanted her father to know how special he was to her．It was her father that made all the parental sacrifices（牺牲） and was, in the eyes of his daughter, a selfless and loving man．Sonora’s father was born in June, so she chose to hold the first Father’s Day celebration in Spikane, Washington on the 19th of June, 1910．
In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge declared the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day．Roses are the Father’s Day flowers: red to be worn for a living father and white if the father has died．
When children can’t visit their fathers or take them out to dinner, they send a greeting card．Traditionally, fathers prefer greeting cards that are not too sentimental（伤感的）．Most greeting cards are too special so fathers laugh when they open them．Some give heartfelt thanks for being there whenever the child need Dad． The United States is special in Father’s Day because ______．
| A．many people celebrate the day | B．only America celebrates the day |
| C．America makes it an official day | D．all men are honored in America |
．At first, Father’s Day was fixed on June 19th because ______．
| A．Sonora honored her father on her father’s birthday |
| B．Sonora’s birthday was June 19 |
| C．it was decided by the president at that time |
| D．her mother died on June 19 |
How many years has passed before Father’s Day became an official day since the father’s day was celebrated?
| A．4 | B．10 | C．14 | D．24 |
According to the passage, on Father’s Day, ______．
| A．people will wear the same flowers to honor their fathers |
| B．only daughters wear red flowers to honor their fathers |
| C．children must go home to honor their fathers |
| D．fathers are often honored in different ways |
There is that great idea that in an information and knowledge based economy, the most important thing for companies is attracting and holding outstanding talented guys．Obviously I will not say that is not important, but in my opinion a successful and groundbreaking company cannot be built just from the collection of high talented people, as a great sports team can't be constructed only by the collection of great players．
It is more important to build teams of people that achieve the goals according to the company's organizational vision．It is necessary to create organizations where everybody （with outstanding talent or not） can develop their best personal capabilities and that these capacities are addressed to achieve the corporate goals and mission．The company efforts must be addressed to design an organizational system that produces and uses talent from everyone in the company．
Trying to get the best from our people through corporate team building policies, establishing a concrete corporate culture and values, making our company a place where people want to work because it is a good place to stay and develop their capacities, is the best way to compete in the knowledge economy．That will keep us out of the obligation to constantly seek for the "best players" and entering in the retribution auctions（拍卖）．
We have to take into account that, nowadays, the real talented and creative people, like to work or engage themselves in projects where they can develop their capacities, they can be involved in the organizational goals and vision, and where they are treated with respect and dignity．Definitively, they want to be happy doing their jobs．And we have to build organizations where they can find that．
．The underlined word that in Paragraph 1 refers to ________．
| A．information and knowledge | B．the great idea |
C．the collectio n of talented people |
D．attracting a nd holding talented people |
．In the author’s opinion, a good company should consist of ________．
A．only outstanding people |
B．both talented and common people |
| C．only common people | D．more talented people than common people |
The most important thing a successful company should do is ________．
| A．constantly seek for talented people |
| B．employ people with different abilities |
| C．make the company a place where employees are glad to devote themselves to work |
| D．make the company a place where employees can get the best pay and great respect |
According to Paragraph 3, the company can get the best from its employees in the following ways EXCEPT ________．
| A．making corporate team building rules |
| B．forming corporate culture and values |
| C．encouraging them to develop their abilities |
| D．competing in the knowledge economy |
The hole in the Earth’s ozone layer(臭氧层) has until now protected Antarctic from the worst effects of global warming, but scientists have warned that as the hole closes up in the next few decades, temperatures on the continent could rise by around 3℃ on average, with melting ice contributing to a global sea level increase of up to 1.4 meters.
In the past decades the western Antarctic has seen rapid ice loss as the world has warmed, but the other parts of the continent have, paradoxically, been cooling, resulting in a 10% increase in ice in the seas around the region. This is because the hole in the ozone layer has increased cold winds in Antarctic, making much of the continent surface colder than usual.
But now that the gases that cause the ozone hole have been banned, scientists expect the hole to repair itself within the next 50 to 60 years. By then the cooling effect will have faded out and the Antarctic will face the full impact of global warming. This means an increase in average air temperatures of around 3℃ and a reduction in sea ice by around a third.
The biggest threat to the continent comes from warming seas. Robert Johnson, a scientist who monitors Antarctic ice sheets, said, “The ice sheets in Antarctic are hundreds of meters thick. But once warm ocean waters start flowing underneath, the ice will begin thinning and could break up very quickly.” Thinning ice sheets cause ice to break away from the continent and to melt even faster. Escaping ice from western Antarctic has already resulted in a 10% rise in global sea level in recent decades.
Johnson believes that international action to reduce global warming is required immediately or it may be too late. “Everything is connected——Antarctic may be a long way away but it is an important part of the Earth’s system,” said Johnson. “It contains 90% of the world’s ice, 70% of the world’s fresh water and that is enough, if it melts completely, to raise sea levels by 63 meters.”
Even in a worse-case situation scientists don’t expect the ice to entirely disappear, but predict that, because of the melting ice sheets, average sea level rise will be around 1.4 meters higher by the end of the century.
The underlined word “paradoxically” (in paragraph 2) most probably means “ ”.
| A．rapidly | B．generally | C．contradictorily | D．apparently |
What is the effect of the hole in the ozone layer on Antarctic?
| A．It is causing the ice to melt faster. |
| B．It is making much of the continent colder. |
C．It is making the e ffects of global warming in the region worse. |
| D．It is reducing the amount of water in Antarctic. |
What do scientists think is the biggest danger facing Antarctic?
| A．Rising sea levels. | B．Warming sea water temperature. |
| C．Water pollution. | D．Growing ice sheets. |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．Antarctic is currently experiencing the full effects of global warming. |
| B．The average temperature has increased by 3℃ in recent decades. |
| C．Antarctic contains most of the world’s fresh water. |
| D．Ten percent of Antarctic’s ice has already been lost. |
HOTEL INFORMATION
Baymont Inn Ft. Lauderdale
3800 W．Commercial, Ft. Lauderdale．FL 33309
Lowest Prices 110% Guaranteed.
Room Information
Rooms are equipped with Double, Queen , or King bed (s) , s
moking or non-smoking based on location and availability. Provided in each spacious guest room is a hair dryer, coffee maker, iron, ironing board, 25’TV and guest voice mail．
Check-in Time：7:00 P. M.
Hotel Amenities：Air Conditioned, Free Parking, 24 Hour Front Desk, Pool, Television with Cable, Coffee Maker in Room, Hairdryers Available．
Beach Plaza Hotel
625 N．Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd, Ft．Lauderdale, FL 33304
Room Information
The oceanfront accommodations at Beach Plaza Hotel are some of the most affordable on Fort Lauderdale Beach．Each room features direct-dial telephone, cable television and daily maid service．The very affordable efficiency studios even include full kitchens! All rooms surround the private poolside garden courtyard．
Check-in Time：7:05 P. M.
Hotel Amenities：Air Conditioned, Coffee Maker in Room, 24 Hour Front Desk, Parking, Hairdryers Available, Pool, Television with Cable．
Fort Lauderdale Plaza Hotel
3711 N．Ocean Blvd, Ft．Lauderdale, FL 33308
Room Information
Guest rooms feature TVs, in-room movies, Internet access, in-room safes, alarm clock radios, hairdryers, refrigerators, microwaves, and balconies．
Check-in Time：7:00 A.M.
Hotel Amenities：Parking，Heated Pool, Television with Cable, and Coffee Maker in Room．
．Which hotel gives a promise?
| A．Baymont Inn Ft . Lauderdale． | B．Beach Plaza Hotel． |
| C．Baymont Inn Hotel． | D．Fort Lauderdale Plaza Hotel． |
In which hotel parking is the cheapest?
| A．Baymont Inn Ft . Lauderdale． | B．Beach Plaza Hotel． |
| C．Baymont Inn Hotel． | D．Fort Lauderdale Plaza Hotel． |
．If you ______ , you will probably go to Beach Plaza Hotel．
| A．enjoy seeing films without leaving your hotel room |
| B．are fond of swimming in heated water |
| C．want to eat food cooked by yourself in the hotel |
| D．are a cigarette smoker |
Which of the following is NOT true to the ads?
| A．All of the three hotels provide television with cable． |
| B．You can keep your money in the room safe in Fort Lauderdale Plaza Hotel． |
| C．In Beach Plaza Hotel a 24-hour maid is available． |
| D．While staying in Fort Lauderdale Plaza Hotel, you can surf the Internet． |
Feel tired lately? Has a doctor said he can’t find anything wrong with you? Perhaps he has sent you to a hospital, but all the advanced equipment there shows that there is nothing wrong with you.
Then, consider this: you might be in a state of sub-health（亚健康）. Sub-health, also called the third state or gray state, is explained as a borderline（界限）state between health and disease.
According to the survey by the National Health Organization, over 45 percent of sub-healthy people are middle-aged or elderly. The percentage is even higher among people who work in management positions as well as students around exam-week.
Symptoms include a lack of energy, depression, slow reactions, insomnia, anger, and poor memory. Other symptoms include shortness of breath, sweating and aching in the wai
st and legs.
The key to preventing and recovering from sub-health, according to some medical experts, is to form good living habits, alternate work and rest, exercise regularly, and take part in open air activities.
As for meals, people are advised to eat less salt and sugar. They should also eat more fresh vegetables, fruits, fish because they are rich in nutritional elements -- vitamins and other elements that are important to the body.
Nutrition experts point out that it is not good to eat too much at one meal because it may cause unhealthy changes in the digestive tract（消化道）. They also say that a balanced diet is very helpful in avoiding sub-hea
lth.
According to this passage, which of the following is t
rue?
| A．When you are in a state of sub-health, you should stay at home and keep silent. |
| B．When you are in a state of sub-health, you should go to see a doctor and buy some medicine. |
| C．When you are in a state of sub-health, you should have yourself examined in foreign countries. |
| D．When you are in a state of sub-health, you should find out the reasons and relax yourself. |
It may be easy for middle-aged people to get sub-healthy because _________.
| A．they have used up their energy | B．they have lost their living hopes |
| C．they have more pressure in life and work | D．they begin to get older |
The key to preventing you from falling into a state of sub-health is that you should ________.
| A．work hard | B．sleep more |
| C．form good living habits | D．take more medicine |
The underlined word “alternate” in this passage is closest in meaning to _________.
| A．arrange by turns | B．cause to take place |
| C．keep oneself busy with | D．get tired of |
粤公网安备 44130202000953号