PAUL’S brother bought him a new car as a Christmas present. On Christmas Eve (前夜), Paul saw a boy walking around the new car, admiring it.
"Is this your car, Mister?" he asked.
Paul nodded. "My brother gave it to me for Christmas." The boy was amazed. "You mean your brother just gave it to you? Boy, I wish...." Paul knew what he was going to wish for — a brother who would buy him a car. But the boy surprised Paul.
"I wish that I could be a brother like that," he said.
Astonished, Paul invited the boy to go for a ride in the new car.
After a short ride, the boy said, "Would you mind driving in front of my house?" Paul thought the boy wanted to show the car to his neighbors. But Paul was wrong again.
The boy ran up the steps of his house. Soon he came back carrying his crippled (残废的) little brother. He pointed to the car. "Look!" he said to the little boy. "His brother gave him that car for Christmas. Some day I’m gonna give you one just like it!"
Paul got out and lifted the little boy into his car. The older brother climbed in beside him and the three of them went on a wonderful holiday ride.
That Christmas Eve, Paul learned how good it felt to give.
53. Paul’s brother gave him ___ as a Christmas present.
A. a suit B. a car C. a bicycle D. a card
54. When the boy saw the car, he wished that ____.
A. he could buy a car for himself B. he had a brother to buy him a car
C. he could buy a car for his brother D. he could have a ride in the car
55. When the boy asked Paul the drive the car in front his house, he wanted ___.
A. to show off to his neighbors B. his brother to see the car
C. Paul to drive him home D. to enjoy a ride in the car
56. The story mainly tells us ______.
A. practice makes perfect B. it is important to make money
C. giving makes people feel good D. a friend in need is a friend indeed
Since the 1970s，scientists have been searching for ways to link the brain with computers. Braincomputer interface (BCI) technology could help people with disabilities send commands to machines.
Recently，two researchers, Jose Millan and Michele Tavella from the Federal Polytechnic School in Lausanne，Switzerland，demonstrated (展示) a small robotic wheelchair directed by a person’s thoughts.
In the laboratory，Tavella operated the wheelchair just by thinking about moving his left or right hand. He could even talk as he watched the vehicle and guided it with his thougts.
“Our brain has billions of nerve cells.These send signals through the spinal cord(脊髓) to the muscles to give us the ability to move. But spinal cord injuries or other conditions can prevent these weak electrical signals from reaching the muscles，” Tavella says. “Our system allows disabled people to communicate with external world and also to control devices.”
The researchers designed a special cap for the user. This head cover picks up the signals from the scalp (头皮) and sends them to a computer. The computer interprets the signals and commands the motorized wheelchair. The wheelchair also has two cameras that identify objects in its path. They help the computer react to commands from the brain.
Prof.Millan，the team leader，says scientists keep improving the computer software that interprets brain signals and turns them into simple commands. “The practical possibilities that BCI technology offers to disabled people can be grouped in two categories：communication，and controlling devices. One example is this wheelchair.”
He says his team has set two goals. One is testing with real patients，so as to prove that this is a technology they can benefit from. And the other is to guarantee that they can use the technology over long periods of time.How did Tavella operate the wheelchair in the laboratory?
| A．By controlling his muscles. |
| B．By talking to the machine. |
| C．By moving his hand. |
| D．By using his mind. |
Which of the following shows the path of the signals described in Paragraph 5?
| A．scalp→computer→cap→wheelchair |
| B．computer→cap→scalp→wheelchair |
| C．scalp→cap→computer→wheelchair |
| D．cap→computer→scalp→wheelchair |
Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
| A．Switzerland，the BCI Research Center |
| B．New Findings about How the Human Brain Works |
| C．BCI Could Mean More Freedom for the Disabled |
| D．Robotic Vehicles Could Help to Cure Brain Injuries |
Last month, Justin Valdez, a college student, was shot in a subway station in San Francisco. The surveillance video(监控录像) showed that before Justin was killed, the killer pulled out his gun several times, and even wiped his nose with it. However, nobody noticed the killer. The surrounding passengers all focused on their cell phones.
We may see the same scene everywhere in our life: in subway stations, restaurants, elevators and so on, people are watching their cell phones. From a family reunion to a date with a friend, people couldn’t stop checking their twitter and facebook on the cell phones and ignoring the persons in front completely, Phubbing(低头症) not only involves young people, but also the elderly and kids.
“Phubbing” is a new term which comes from the words “phone’’ and “snub(冷落)”. It describes the habit of snubbing someone in favor of a cell phone. The word “phubbing” was included in the Australian National Dictionary in 2012. Obviously, the indifference冷漠) and rudeness of the information age are spreading globally. A Stop Phubbing campaign website has been set up. You can find the slogan of the website as follows: “stop twittering, stop posting photos…enjoy your food, enjoy the music and respect others.”
Phubbing appears harmless. However, it does influence our life. Jimmy, an epicure(美食家), wrote in his blog: “I can no longer focus on what I am eating since I started twittering. My skill of food photography has improved very fast, while my interest in food drops as a result.”
Let us put down our cell phones and re-enjoy the real taste of our food and the warmth of interpersonal communication.The case of Justin Valdez is given in the first paragraph to show .
| A．gun violence happens easily in the US |
| B．phubbing may lead to terrible disasters |
| C．the killer didn’t mean to kill him |
| D．the killer had made a careful plan |
What will probably happen when you ask a phubbing person for help?
| A．He will give you an immediate reply. |
| B．He will stop looking at his cell phone. |
| C．He will pay no attention to you. |
| D．He will be very angry with you. |
Jimmy’s words suggest that .
| A．phubbing is actually harmless |
| B．phubbing stops people enjoying their life |
| C．phubbing affects people’s eating habits the most |
| D．phubbing helps people improve their photographic skills |
What is the text mainly about?
| A．How the word “phubbing” came into being. |
| B．The popular campaign of stop phubbing. |
| C．The meaning of the word “phubbing”. |
| D．The great harm of phubbing. |
Alibaba started taking the lead in China, simply enough, by connecting big Chinese manufacturers(制造商)with big buyers across the world. Its business-to-business site, Alibaba.com allowed business to buy almost everything. Alibaba’s advantage wasn’t hard to identify size. Alibaba is just big, even by Chinese standards. Its marketplaces attract 231 million active buyers, 8 million sellers, 11.3 billion orders a year—and Alibaba is just the middleman. It encourages people to use its markets—not charging small sellers a percentage of the sale.
If you want a quick look into the influence of Alibaba on daily Chinese life, take my experience. I moved to Beijing almost a year ago and quickly got tired of visiting small stores across the crowded, polluted city of 20 million people in search of new electronics, bathroom furnishings, and anything else my wife wanted. “You’re looking for what exactly? Why not try it? ” my Chinese teacher asked me one day. With that, my wonderful new relationship with Alibaba began.
Alibaba’s original business-to-business model now is secondary to consumer buying. Chinese retail（零售）buying makes up 80% of Alibaba’s profit, and leading that group is Taobao, with 800 million items for sale and the most unbelievable selection of things you’ll ever find. TMall.com is Alibaba’s other big site, where you can find brand name goods from Nike and Unilever near the lowest prices.
What I have a hard time explaining to friends and family back in the U.S. is how China has gone beyond traditional shopping—big-box retailers especially —in favor of online purchases on Taobao and a few other sites. In smaller towns than Beijing, where big retailers have not yet traveled, shopping online is shopping, and shopping is Taobao.
I have a list of some of my recent purchases on Taobao for a sense of how extensive the marketplace is. Almost everything arrived a day or two after ordering with free shopping. I’m not even a big buyer, because I need friends to help me search the Chinese-language site. When I was searching my purchase history on my Chinese teacher’s iPad, which helps me buy goods, I looked through with great difficulty about 10 of her purchases for every one of mine.Alibaba’s advantage mainly lies in ___________.
| A．its big size |
| B．its business-to-business service |
| C．its not charging small sellers |
| D．its low price |
What can we learn from the underlined sentence in the passage?
| A．Alibaba is of middle size among all the online sites |
| B．Alibaba will continue to develop. |
| C．Alibaba stands out as the best online site. |
| D．Alibaba acts as a bridge between the buyers and sellers. |
What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 2 refer to?
| A．a new store | B．Alibaba |
| C．a business | D．a foreign website |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．The author’s Chinese teacher is also an online purchase lover. |
| B．Taobao has no obvious advantage over other similar online sites. |
| C．Alibaba’s business-to-business service earns more money than retail now. |
| D．TMall.com provides more profit than Taobao. |
Norm Pethrick, a 36-year-old man in Australia’s northern city Darwin, was praised on Thursday for jumping onto a crocodile’s back to save his wife Wendy at Litchfield National Park, a popular tourist spot southwest of Darwin, a local newspaper reported.
Ms Pethrick was standing on a river bank Wednesday afternoon when the saltwater crocodile lunged (扑), locking its jaws on both her legs as it tried to drag her underwater.
Norm Pethrick, who with his wife had been collecting water, immediately went to help her. He jumped onto the back, poked (戳) the eyes of the crocodile and finally got his wife free.
Ms Pethrick was later taken to Royal Darwin Hospital for a medical treatment. The doctors said she was suffering eight puncture wounds (伤口) in her right leg, a puncture wound in her left leg and a serious cut to one of her fingers.
“This could have been a fatal and tragic situation,” said the general manager of Royal Darwin Hospital (RDH), Dr Len Notaras, according to a local report.
He said Ms Pethrick was saved by her husband’s “quick and diligent actions”.
Dr Notaras also said she would remain in hospital for three to four days and have an operation to clean the wounds, which are easy to get infected because of bacteria (细菌) on the teeth of the crocodile. This passage is most likely to be found in _____.
| A．a travel guide | B．a newspaper | C．a textbook | D．a novel |
The crocodile attacked Ms Pethrick when she was ______.
| A．swimming in the river | B．standing on the river bank |
| C．watching the crocodile | D．fishing in the water |
Which of the following statements is TRUE about Ms Pethrick?
| A．Her eyes were badly poked. |
| B．She had eight wounds altogether. |
| C．One of her fingers also got hurt. |
| D．One of the crocodile’s teeth was found in her leg. |
According to the passage, Norm Pethrick can be described as following EXCEPT ______.
| A．brave | B．diligent | C．quick | D．Humorous |
When you enter a supermarket, you see shelves full of food. You walk between the shelves. You carry a shopping basket and your food is in it.
You probably hear soft, slow music as you walk between the shelves. If you hear fast music, you walk quickly. The supermarket plays slow music. You walk slowly and have more time to buy things.
Maybe you go to the meat department first. There is some meat on sale, and you want to find it. The manager of the supermarket knows where customers enter the meat department. The cheaper meat is at the other end of the meat department, away from where the customers enter. You have to walk by all the expensive meat before you find the cheaper meat. Maybe you will buy some of the expensive meat instead of the meat on sale.
The department selling milk and milk products such as butter and milk powder is called the dairy department. Many customers like milk that has only a little butterfat in it. One store has three different jars of low fat milk. One says“1 percent fat”on the jar. The second says “99 percent fat free”. The third says “LOW FAT” in big letters and“1%”in small letters. As you can see, all the milk has the same amount of fat. The milk is all the same. However，in this store the three jars of milk cost three different amounts of money. Maybe the customers will buy the milk that costs the most.
Most of the food in supermarkets is very pleasing. It all says “Buy me！” to the customers. The expensive meat says “Buy me！”as you walk by. The expensive milk jar says “Buy me! I have less fat.”There are three different jars of low fat milk, and ________.
| A．one has more fat than the other two |
| B．they all cost the same amount of money |
| C．one has less fat than the others |
| D．they all have the same amount of fat |
Supermarket managers make the food pleasing so that ________.
| A．there will be more buyers | B．buyers will be proud |
| C．it is good and expensive | D．they can raise the prices |
Low fat milk is in the ________.
| A．meat department | B．fruit and vegetable department |
| C．sweets department | D．dairy department |
The best title of this passage may be ________.
| A．Cheap Food | B．Buy Me |
| C．Low Fat Milk | D．Supermarket Management |
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