C
Death Valley is one of the most famous deserts in the United States, covering a wide area with its alkali(强碱) sand. Almost 20 percent of this area is well below sea level, and Bad water, a salt water pool, is about 280 feet below sea level and the lowest point in the United States.
Long ago the Panamint Indians called this place “Tomesha”---- the land of fire. Death Valley’s present name dates back to 1849, when a group of miners coming across from Nevada became lost in its unpleasantness and hugeness and their adventure turned out to be a sad story. Today Death Valley has been declared a National Monument and is crossed by several well-marked roads where good services can be found easily. Luckily the change created by human settlement has hardly ruined the special beauty of this place.
Here nature created a lot of surprising scenes, almost like the sights on the moon, ever-changing as the frequent wind moves the sand about, showing the most unusual colors. One of the most astonishing and variable(变化的) parts of Death Valley is the Devil’s Golf Course, where it seems hard for one to tell reality from terrible dreams. Sand sculptures stand on a frightening ground, as evening shadows move and lengthen.
1. ______ is the lowest place in the desert.
A. Tomesha B. Death Valley C. Nevada D. Badwater
2. The present name of the valley comes from_______.
A. an Indian name B. the death of miners
C. the local people D. a National Movement
3. From the passage we can learn that______.
A. no one had ever known the desert before the miners
B. it’s still not easy to travel across the desert
C. people can find gas stations, cafes and hotels in the desert
D. people have changed the natural sight of the desert
4. Devil Golf Course is famous for______.
A. the frequent wind B. the colors of the sand
C. dream-like sights D. the sand sculptures
5. From the passage we can see that the writer_____ Death Valley.
A. appreciates B. is fearful of C. dislikes D. is tired of
There are two types of people in the world. Although they have equal degree of health and wealth and other comforts of life, one becomes happy and the other becomes unhappy. This arises from the different ways in which they consider things, persons, events and the resulting effects upon their minds.
People who are to be happy fix their attention on the convenience of things: the pleasant parts of conversation, the well prepared dishes, the goodness of the wine and the fine weather. They enjoy all the cheerful things. Those who are to be unhappy think and speak only of the opposite things. Therefore, they are continually dissatisfied. By their remarks, they sour the pleasure of society, hurt many people, and make themselves disagreeable everywhere. If this turn of mind was founded in nature, such unhappy persons would be the more to be pitied. The intention of criticizing and being disliked is perhaps taken up by imitation. It grows into a habit, unknown to its possessors. The habit may be strong, but it may be cured when those who have it realize its bad effects on their interests and tastes. I hope this little warning may be of service to them, and help them change this habit.
Although in fact it is chiefly an act of the imagination, it has serious results in life since it brings on deep sorrow and bad luck. Those people hurt many others; nobody loves them, and no one treats them with more than the most common politeness and respect. This frequently puts them in bad temper and draws them into arguments. If they aim at getting some advantages in social position or fortune, nobody wishes them success. Nor will anyone start a step or speak a word to favor their hopes. If they bring on themselves public objections, no one will defend or excuse them, and many will join to criticize their wrongdoings. These should change this bad habit and be pleased with what is pleasing, without worrying needlessly about themselves and others. If they do not, it will be good for others to avoid any contact with them. Otherwise, it can be disagreeable and sometimes very inconvenient, especially when one becomes mixed up in their quarrels.People who are unhappy _______.
| A．always consider things differently from others |
| B．always discover the unpleasant side of certain things |
| C．usually misunderstand what others think or say |
| D．usually are affected by the results of certain things |
The phrase “sour the pleasure of society” most nearly means “_______”.
| A．make others unhappy |
| B．have a good taste with social life |
| C．tend to scold others openly |
| D．enjoy the pleasure of life |
We can conclude from the passage that _______.
| A．we should pity all such unhappy people |
| B．such unhappy people are dangerous to social life |
| C．people can get rid of the habit of unhappiness |
| D．unhappy people can not understand happy persons |
If such unhappy persons insist on keeping the habit, the author suggests that people should _______.
| A．show no respect and politeness to them |
| B．prevent any communication with them |
| C．persuade them to recognize the bad effects |
| D．quarrel with them until they realize the mistakes |
As we know, there are differences between western culture and Chinese culture. We can see differences when we pay attention to the way words are used. Let’s look at the words about animals and plants. Most expressions in Chinese about the dog, for example, “a homeless dog”, “a mad dog”, “a running dog” and “a dog catching a mouse”, have negative meanings. But in western countries, dogs are thought to be honest and good friends of humans. In English, people use the dog to describe positive actions. For example, “you are a lucky dog” means you are a lucky person. And “every dog has its day” means each person has good luck sometimes. To describe a person’s serious illness, they say “sick as a dog”. The word “dog-tired” means very tired. However, Chinese love cats very much. But in western culture, “cat” is often used to describe a woman who is cruel. There are many other examples of how “cat” is used differently as well.
The rose is regarded as a symbol of love in both China and some western countries. People think the rose stands for love, peace, courage and friendship. And the rose is the national flower of England, America and many other countries.
The words about plants and animals are used in positive or negative ways in different cultures. We can learn about many differences in cultures by comparing how some words are used.“Every dog has its day” means “__________”.
| A．Everybody in the world is lucky. |
| B．Each person lives his own way of life. |
| C．If one works hard, he’s sure to succeed. |
| D．Everybody has a time in life to be lucky. |
Western people usually use “cat” to refer to “_____________”.
| A．a tired person | B．a brave man |
| C．a homeless person | D．an unkind woman |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．Words show differences in culture. |
| B．Chinese people prefer dogs to cats. |
| C．Western people think cats to be good friends. |
| D．Rose is the national flower of all western countries. |
What’s the best title for the passage?
| A．Negative and Positive Words. |
| B．Different Countries Have Different Culture. |
| C．Rose Means the Same in Chinese and English. |
| D．What Dog and Cat Mean in English and Chinese. |
The 21st Beijing College Student Film Festival closed
On May 10th, the 21st Beijing College Student Film Festival was closed. The festival attracted thousands of students from over 20 universities in China and over 200 people from the film circle. Zhang Jiahui and Tang Wei won the Best Actor and the Best Actress Awards respectively with their Unbeatable and Finding Mr. Right. During this festival, 34 films were nominated(提名) and film scholars and college students formed the judges to select various awards.
The 7th National Chinese Language Conference held in Los Angeles
The 7th National Chinese Language Conference was opened in Los Angeles on May 8th. Over 1200 representatives from the educational government departments in the US states, presidents of universities, and secondary schools and experts of Chinese Language education were present. The US has already established about 100 Confucius Institutes and opened 300 classes, becoming the country with the largest number of Confucius Institute and classes.
Lhasa: the world’s first yak（牦牛）museum
On May 18th, the 38th International Museum Day, the world’s first yak museum was officially opened in Lhasa. For thousands of years, yak has been closely related to Tibetan people, influencing their spirits and personalities deeply; this museum will take the “spirit of yak” as the belief on which it was founded and take the yak as the carrier to show the Tibetan history and culture.
About 2.8 billion loans support the protection of ancient towns of Suzhou
Suzhou branch of China Development Bank successfully supported the protection and treatment of eight historical and cultural ancient towns through bringing in the financial supporting model and allocating(拨出) 2.81 billion yuan of loans in total. The bank actively explored the way of establishing a new model of financing small towns which features being guided by plan, promoted by financing and developed fully, thus solving the issues of collateral(担保) and source of payment effectively.According to the passage, people will learn that______.
| A．Suzhou has applied for about 2.8 billion loans from China Bank. |
| B．the first yak museum will be opened in Lhasa on May 18th |
| C．nearly 300 Confucius classes have been opened in the world |
| D．Tang Wei won the Best Actress Award in the 21st Beijing College Student Film Festival |
When is International Museum Day?
| A．On May 7th. | B．On May 8th. |
| C．On May 10th. | D．On May 18th. |
Which of the following events happens the most times?
| A．International Museum Day. |
| B．The National Chinese Language Conference. |
| C．Beijing College Student Film Festival |
| D．China Development Bank. |
Dining in a completely dark room, unaware what ’s on your plate while sitting next to a complete stranger may not sound like an ideal restaurant experience but it’s certainly an intriguing way to spend a rainy night in London.
Dans le Noir, close to London’s financial district, is a restaurant full of blind waiters and waitresses who become your eyes around the restaurant, whose original Paris branch opened in 2004.
In the bar with the light, you choose whether you want the fish, meat or vegetable, but the dishes themselves remain a secret, as do the ingredients of the “surprise” cocktails. Bags, coats and devices(设备)that light up, including watches and mobile phones, are kept in the bar. Placing your hand on the shoulder of your guide, you are led to a table in a black dining room that sets up to 60 people. And it is dark.
The waiters tell you when the food is being placed down in front of you, then the fun begins, trying to get food into your mouth, then identifying just what it is that’s on your plate, and finally whether you have missed any of it.
It’s also a great chance to break social convention and eat using your fingers. Those same fingers are also the only way you can tell how much wine you’re pouring into your glass.
The happy atmosphere in the dining room also made the night memorable. You can’t really avoid talking to the person next to you at the long tables and guessing what the dishes are certainly provides adequate fuel for the conversations.
All will be revealed at the end of the meal when you are led back out into the lit bar. Not only do you finally get to see what you’ve just been eating but also who you’ ve been talking to for the last 90 minutes.What does the underlined word “intriguing.” in the first paragraph mean?
A terrible B. interesting C. expensive D. newAccording to the text, “ Dans le Noir”__________.
A is far from London’s financial district
B has its first branch opened in Britain
C is very popular among blind customers
D has a dining room which can seat up to 60 peopleWe know from the text that the customers in “Dans le Noir”_________.
| A．are forbidden to eat with their fingers |
| B．can talk to the strangers at table |
| C．will book the menu in a dark bar |
| D．can take their mobile phones into the dining room |
What’s the main purpose of the text?
| A．To help blind people find a job in restaurants. |
| B．To show how to open a restaurant with a new idea. |
| C．To show how to enjoy the time in a dark restaurant. |
| D．To introduce and attract customers to “Dans le Noir ”. |
When I was about 12, I had an enemy, a girl who liked to point out my shortcomings(缺点). Wee k by week her list grew: I was very thin, I wasn’t a good student, I talked too much, I was too proud, and so on. I tried to hear all this as long as I could. At last, I became very angry. I ran to my father with tears in my eyes.
He listened to me quietly, then he asked. “Are the things she says true or not? Janet, didn’t you ever wonder what you’re really like ? Well, you now have that girl’s opinion. Go and make a list of everything she said and mark the points that are true. Pay no attention to the other things she said.”
I did as he told me. To my great surprise, I discovered that about half the things were true. Some of them I couldn’t change (like being very thin), but a good number I could—and suddenly I wanted to change. For the first time I go to fairly clear picture of myself.
I brought the list back to Daddy. He refused to take it.“That’s just for you,” he said.“You know better than anyone else the truth about yourself. But you have to learn to listen, not just close your ears in anger and feeling hurt. When something said about you is true, you’ll find it will be of help to you. Our world is full of people who think they know your duty. Don’t shut your ears. Listen to them all, but hear the truth and do what you know is the right thing to do.”
Daddy’s advice has returned to me at many important moments. In my life, I’ve never had a better piece of advice.What did the father do after he had heard his daughter’s complaint?
| A．He told her not to pay any attention to what her“enemy” had said. |
| B．He criticized (批评) her and told her to overcome her shortcomings. |
| C．He told her to write down all that her“enemy” had said about her and pay attention only to the things that were true. |
| D．He refused to take the list and have a look at it. |
What does “Week by week her list grew”mean?
| A．Week by week she discovered more shortcomings of mine and pointed them out to me. |
| B．She had made a list of my shortcomings and she kept on adding new ones to it so that it was growing longer and longer. |
| C．I was having more and more shortcomings as time went on. |
| D．Week by week, my shortcomings grew more serious. |
Why did her father listen to her quietly?
| A．Because he believed that what her daughter’s “enemy” said was mostly true. |
| B．Because he had been so angry with his daughter’s shortcomings that he wanted to show this by keeping silent for a while. |
| C．Because he knew that his daughter would not listen to him at that moment. |
| D．Because he wasn’t quite sure which girl was telling the truth. |
Which do you think would be the best title for this passage?
| A．Not an Enemy, but the Best Friend |
| B．The Best Advice I’ve Ever Had |
| C．My Father |
| D．My Childhood |
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