Many Western people are not used to sitting on the floor any more. In Japan, however, sitting upright on the floor is common in different situations. For example, meals are traditionally had when people sit on the tatami (榻榻米) loor around a low table. Also during the tea ceremony and other traditional events, one sits on the floor.
The formal way of sitting for both men and women is kneeling upright. People who are not used to sitting in this style may feel uncomfortable after a few minutes, and their legs may go numb. However, foreigners are not usually expected to be able to sit in this style for a long time, and an increasing number of Japanese people themselves aren’t able to do so, owing to a more westernized lifestyle.
In other situations, men usually sit cross-legged, while women sit on their knees laying both legs to one side. The former sitting style is considered wholly male, while the latter is considered completely female.
The most important guest sits on the honored seat which is set farthest from the entrance. If there is a tokonoma (壁龛) in the room, the guest should be seated in front of it. The host or the least important person is supposed to sit next to the entrance. Of course, there are other things to be considered in each particular case.
1. Which of the following situations is NOT mentioned in the passage?
A. When men and women meet.
B. When a tea ceremony is held.
C. When traditional events are held.
D. When meals are traditionally had.
2. According to the passage we can learn that ______.
A. more and more Japanese sit in the formal way
B. foreigners should always sit in the formal style in a Japanese home
C. men shouldn’t sit on their knees laying both legs to one side
D. men and women in Japan sit in the same informal way
3. When some guests are in a Japanese home, _______ should sit nearest to the entrance.
A. the host himself
B. both the host and the hostess
C. the host or the least important person
D. the most important guest
4. What is the passage mainly about?
A. How foreigners should sit in Japanese homes.
B. How foreigners should behave in Japanese homes.
C. Where to sit in Japanese homes.
D. How and where to sit in Japanese homes.
In summer, millions of people will head for the beach．And while the ocean can be a great place to swim and play, it may also be useful in another way．Some scientists think that waves could help make electricity．
“Have you ever been on a surfboard or boat and felt yourself being lifted up by a wave? Or have you jumped in the water and felt the energy as waves crashed over you?” asked Jamie Taylor of the Wave Energy Group at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland．“There is certainly a lot of energy in waves．”
Scientists are working on using that energy to make electricity．
Most waves are created when winds blow across the ocean．“The winds start out by making little ripples （波纹） in the water, but if they keep on blowing , those ripples get bigger and bigger and turn into waves, ”Taylor said．“Waves are one of nature’s ways of picking up energy and then sending it off on a journey．”
When waves come towards the shore, people can set up dams or other barricades to block the water and send it through a lar
ge wheel called a turbine （涡轮）．The turbine can then power an electrical generator （发电机）．
The United States and a few other countries have started doing research on wave energy , and it is already being used in Scotland．
The resource is huge．We will never run out of wave power, besides, wave energy does not create the same pollution as other energy sources, such as oil and coal．
Oceans cover three quarters of the earth’s surface．That would make wave power seem perfect for creating energy around the world．There are some drawbacks, however．
Jamie Taylor said that wave power still cost too much money．He said that its effects on animals in the sea were still unknown．Plus, wave power would get in the way of fishing and boat traffic．
With more research, however, “many of these problems might be 
overcome,” Taylor said．“Demand for energy to power our TVs and computers, drive our cars, and heat and cool our homes is growing quickly throughout the world．Finding more energy sources is very important, for traditional sources of energy like oil and gas may run out some day．”
In the future, when you turn on a light switch, an ocean wave could be pro
viding the electricity!Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Wave power doesn’t cost too much money． |
| B．Wave energy is so clean that it doesn’t create the same amount of pollution as other energy sources． |
| C．Wave power affects fishing and boat traffic． |
| D．Wave power may affect marine animals． |
We can infer from the passage that ______．
| A．finding more new energy sources is not necessary because of wave energy |
| B．wave energy is a resource that will never run out and is used all over the world |
| C．wave power is not quite perfect for creating energy around the world |
| D．wave power doesn’t create any pollution |
The underlined word “drawbacks” probably means ______．
| A．regrets | B．adventures | C．disadvantages | D．difficulties |
What can be the best title for the passage?
| A．How to Get Electricity by Waves |
| B．The advantages of Wave Energy |
| C．Can Waves Make Electricity? |
| D．The Disadvantages of Wave Energy |
If you look up the word “create” in the dictionary , you will find it means “to bring into being, to cause to exist something each of us does daily”．
We are creative whenever we look at or think about something in a new way First, this includes an awareness of our surroundings．It means using all of our senses to become aware of our world．This may be as simple as being aware of color and texture（质地）,as well as taste, when we plan a meal．Above all, it is the ability to notice things that others might miss．
A second part of creativity is an ability to see relationships among things．If we believe the expression,“There is nothing new under the sun, the creativity is remaking or recombining（重组） the old in new ways．”For example, we might do this by finding a more effective way to study or a better way to arrange our furniture, or we might make a new combination of camera lenses and filters to create an unusual photograph．
A third part of creativity is the courage and drive to make use of our new ideas, to ask for them to achieve some new results．To think up a new idea is one thing; to put the idea to work is another．
These three parts of creativity are included in all the great works of geniuses, but they are also included in many of our day-to-day activities．Which of the following activities is NOT a creative one according to the passage?
| A．To prepare for a meal． |
B．To arrange the  furniture in a special way． |
| C．To buy some books from a bookstore． |
| D．To“write”a letter with the computer． |
“There is nothing new under the sun” really implies that _________．
| A．a new thing can only be created at the basis of earlier things |
| B．a new thing is only a tale |
| C．we can seldom create new things |
| D．we can hardly see really new things in the world |
What does the author think about the relationship between a new thought and its being put into
practice?
| A．It’s more difficut to create a new thought than to use it in practice． |
| B．To find a new thought will clearly lead to the production of a new thing． |
| C．A man with an excellent ability of practice can easily become an inventor． |
| D．One may come up with a new thought, but can not put it into practice． |
The best title for this passage is__________．
| A．How to Develop One’s Creativity |
| B．What Is Creativity |
| C．The Importance of Creativity |
| D．Creativity, a Not Faraway Thing |
Some researchers claim that people´s personalities can be classified by their blood types．If you have blood type O, you are a leader
．When you see something you want, you strive to achieve your goal．You are passionate, loyal, and self-confident, and you are often a trendsetter．Your enthusiasm for projects and goals spreads to others who happily follow your lead．When you want something, you may be ruthless about getting it or blind to how your actions affect others．Another blood type, A, is a social, “people” person．You like people and work well with them．You are sensitive, patient, compassionate, and affectionate．You are a good peacekeeper because you want everybody to be happy．In a team situation, you resolve conflicts and keep things on a smooth course．Sometimes type As are stubborn and find it different to relax．They may also find it uncomfortable to do things alone．
People with type B blood are usually individualists who like to do things on their own．You may be creative and adaptable, and you usually say exactly what you mean．Also you can adapt to situations, you may not choose to do so because of your strong independent streak．You may prefer working on your own to being part of a team．The final blood type is type AB．If you have AB blood, you are a natural entertainer．You draw people to you because of your charm and easygoing nature．ABs are usually calm and controlled, tactful and fair．On the downside, though, they may take too lon
g to make decisions．And they may procrastinate, putting off tasks until the last minute．
People with type O will do the following things except____．
| A．manage businesses | B．self-oriented |
| C．be considerate | D．set the fashion |
Which of the following is not the feature of type A?
| A．Stubborn． | B．Sensitive． | C．Reserved． | D．Patient． |
What is Not true to type B?
| A．He finds it uncomfortable to do things alone． |
| B．He doesn’t think much before he speaks． |
| C．He has many original ideas． |
| D．He cannot fit in with the environment． |
The best profession for a type AB is ____．
| A．Athlete | B．Peacekeeper | C．Actor | D．Country leader |
David Beckham had a dream: to be the first English player to appear in four World Cups．But now it appears that dream is over after a serious injury to his Achilles tendon （跟腱）
which means he could be out of action for around six months．With this year's World Cup in South Africa only three months away, sadly Beckham looks set to miss out．The injury happened while Beckham was playing for AC Milan against AC Chievo in the Italian league．After attempting to kick the ball he fell to the ground and hobbled off the pitch before being stretchered （被担架抬走）away．
It is not yet known whether he has completely severed （切断）his Achilles tendon or only torn it．The player has now flown to Finland for assessment and treatment by a knee specialist．
England manager Fabio Capello fears the worst for Beckham's World Cup chances．
"We have to wait for the results of the scan but it looks like he is out of the World Cup," he said in a statement．"I spoke with him after the game on Sunday night to offer my support．
"David is a great professional and has worked very hard to be ready for the World Cup, so missing it will be a big blow．"
Beckham's former manager at American club LA Galaxy, Alexei Lalas, echoed （共鸣）Capello's words of support:
"It is a horrible situation for Beckham．I know how much it meant to him to be in the World Cup and how important he was to the England team．
David Beckham is now 34 and some are asking whether this serious injury could mean his whole career is over．
Whatever happens, as one of football's best-known and popular players, Beckham will have no shortage of encouragement from fans around the world．
Some will remember Beckham's miraculous recovery from an Achilles injury in 2006, when he was back on the pitch after only eight weeks．
If he could repeat the same feat in time for the World Cup it really would be the stuff of fairytales．
So, perhaps all is not lost．Optimists will take heart from Alexei Lalas' words:
"You never want to write off （排除） David Beckham as he has shown us his ability to bounce back （恢复原状）．" What is the best title of the passage ?
| A．Beckham had a dream ? |
| B．Beckham--- a great football player ! |
| C．The end for Beckham ? |
| D．World Cup in South Africa ! |
What does the author mean by saying “missing it will be a big blow”?
| A．Missing the world cup will be a big success． |
| B．Missing Beckham means a great failure ． |
| C．Missing Beckham means an important opportunity for the American club LA Galaxy． |
| D．Missing the world cup means a big disappointment for Beckham ． |
We may infer from the passage that ________ ．
| A．Beckham will definitely not be able to play football again |
| B．Beckham was cured by a great knee specialist he found |
| C．Beckham has his ability to bounce back |
| D．Beckham is likely to miss the world Cup |
What does the underlined words “take heart” probably mean ?
| A．get disappointed |
| B．get help |
| C．get encouraged |
| D．get hurt |
PLAYA GRANDE, COSTA RICA? This resort town was long known for Leatherback Sea Turtle （棱皮龟） National Park, nightly turtle beach tours and even a sea turtle museum．However, on a beach where dozens of turtles used to nest on a given night , scientists spied only 32 国leatherbac,ks all of last year．
With leatherbacks threatened with extinction （灭绝）, Playa Grande's turtle museum was abandoned three years ago and now sits among a sea of weeds．And the beachside ticket office for turtle tours was washed away by a high tide in September．"We do not promote that 'as a turtle tourism destination anymore because we realize there are far too few turtles to please,” said Alvaro Fonseca, a park ranger （管理员）．
Even before scientists found temperatures going up over the past decade, sea turtles were threatened by beach development, drift net fishing and Costa Ricans' interest in eating turtle eggs．Btu climate change may cause the most serious harm to an animal that has lived in the Pacific for 150 million years．
Sea turtles are sensitive to numerous effects of warming．They feed on reefs, which are dying in hotter seas．They lay eggs on beaches that are being covered by rising seas and more violent waves．
More uniquely their gender （性别）is determined, not by genes but by the egg's temperature during development．Small rises in beach temperatures can result in ail-female populations, obviously problematic for survival．If the sand around the eggs hits30 degrees Celsius, the gender balance shits to females: at about 32 degrees they are all female．Above 34, you get boiled eggs．
On some nesting beaches, scientists a
re artificially cooling nests with shade o
r irrigation and trying to protect broader areas of coastal property from development to ensure that turtles have a place to nest as the seas rise．Why does the resort: town stop promoting its turtle tourism?
| A．It decides not to disturb the turtles' normal life． |
| B．Tourists have lost interest in watching turtles． |
| C．There are only very few turtles now． |
| D．The turtle museum was destroyed by a high tide． |
Which of the following is the major factor in the turtles endangerment?
| A．The local's eating habit． | B．Drift net fishing |
| C．Beach development | D．Global warming |
We learn from the last paragraph that scientists ____．
| A．are doing research on the sea rise． |
| B．are moving turtles to new homes |
| C．are protecting turtles' nests |
| D．are getting rid of sea weeds． |
The passage intends to ____．
| A．introduce a special kind of sea turtle |
| B．explain the mystery of turtles' eggs |
| C．show the dangers a certain kind of turtle is facing |
| D．attract more visitors to a sea turtle museum |
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