Can storms in Africa cause asthma(哮喘) in the Caribbean(加勒比)? Islanders point to the desert insects that land on beaches after a 5,000-kilometer flight across the Atlantic. If they can use winds to get from one continent to another, so can clouds of dust that carry disease.
Scientists think that as Africa becomes drier, dust from expanding deserts is being blown away into Caribbean islands. A study in Barbados shows that asthma has increased 17 times since Africa’s drought(干旱) began in 1973.
Other forms of life are suffering, too. Among them are the Caribbean’s famous coral reefs( 珊瑚礁), which began dying in large numbers in the 1900s. Eugene Shinn of the U.S. Geiological Sudrvey(USGS) in Florida went to the virgin Islands to study the reefs. The tests he and his colleagues carried out showed that the coral was dying of disease caused by Africa microbes(微生物) from across the ocean.
William Sprigg of the University of Arizona is studying the problem as part of a major UN project. He says that dust is causing problems in the U.S., too.
“We are just beginning to collect the evidence of airborne(空气传播的) dust influences on human health,” he told The Washington Post. Which of the following can be the best title for this passage?
| A．Dangerous Dust | B．Dangerous Disease |
| C．Changing Weather | D．Developing Technology |
Where does the dust talked about in this passage come from?
| A．America. | B．Africa. | C．The Atlantic. | D．The Pacific. |
The increase of asthma in the Caribean is probably related to _____ according to scientists.
| A．desert insects | B．strong winds | C．airborne dust | D．dry weather |
Which of the following is NOT true about the Caribbean coral reefs?
| A．They are in Florida. |
| B．They used to be very beautiful. |
| C．They began dying in the past decades. |
| D．The African microbes have bad effect on them. |
Which of the following is TRUE about William Sprigg?
| A．He is a member of UN. |
| B．He thinks African dust also affects the US. |
| C．He has collected enough evidence about dust influences. |
| D．He is a reporter from The Washington Post. |
Angry survivors（幸存者）demanded answers on Sunday after a terrible accident at “Love Parade 2010”, a music festival in Germany, killed 19 people and left hundreds hurt.
The German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed her shock over Saturday’s tragedy in the western city of Duisburg., “This was a very sad day,” Merkel said.
Witnesses（目击者）said that people pushed into the narrow tunnel, the only entrance to the Love Parade festival, from both sides until it was dangerously overcrowded. The panic began as festival-goers began to lose consciousness（意识）as they were crushed against the walls and each other. The dead included eight foreigners, from Australia, Italy, the Netherlands, China, Bosnia and Spain. More than 340 people were injured.
After the panic, a lot of emergency vehicles（救援交通工具）, including helicopters, could be seen carrying away the injured people. The festival itself, however, went on. Police were afraid that ending the music altogether could cause further unrest among the crowd.
“The event was a real mess,” Patrick Guenter, a 22-year-old baker, said. “Although the festival was full, they kept letting people in,” he added. “It seems the organizers didn’t plan the route. And no one knew what was going on.” said Taggart Bowen-Gaddy, 20, an American from Philadelphia.
Officials said 4,000 police officers and 1,000 security guards provided security for the event, which attracted up to 1.4 million people.
“I warned one year ago that Duisburg was not a suitable place for the Love Parade. The city is too small and narrow for such events. It is a pity that…” German police union chief Rainer Wendt said.
The chief organizer, Rainer Schaller, said the popular event would never be held again, “out of respect for the victims and their families”.How many Germans were killed in the stampede at “Love Parade 2010”?
| A．19 | B．8 | C．11 | D．15 |
How did the German Chancellor Angela Merkel feel about the tragedy?
| A．She was very disappointed. | B．She was very surprised. |
| C．She was very puzzled. | D．She was very touched. |
According to Patrick Guenter and Taggart Bowen-Gaddy, _______.
| A．the event was well-organized |
| B．the performance was wonderful |
| C．Duisburg was suitable for the Love Parade |
| D．the organization was very bad |
We can infer from the passage that _____.
| A．Rainer Wendt’s warning went unnoticed |
| B．Rainer Wendt was a chief organizer of “Love Parade 2010” |
| C．the popular event would be held in the next year |
| D．Duisburg is a suitable place for the Love Parade |
According to the passage, we learn that ______.
| A．the Love Parade has been canceled forever |
| B．the Love Parade is a very popular sport event |
| C．the festival was ended after the panic |
| D．there are many entrances to the Love Parade |
“Be nice to people.” This sounds like a platitude（老生常谈）,but I’ll never forget my father’s words. I was 10, and I had been mean to someone. He said, “There is no point in being mean to anyone at any time. You never know who you’re going to meet later in life. And by the way, you don’t change anything by being mean. Usually you don’t get anywhere.”
“Remember you can do anything you want to do. Don’t let an
yone say, ‘You’re not smart enough, it’s too hard, it’s a foolish idea, no one has done that before, girls don’t do that.’ ”My mom gave me that advice in 1973. And it allowed me to never worry what others were saying about my career direction.
“Always do the best job you can do at whatever you’re assigned（分派）,even if you think it’s boring.” Jerry Parkinson, my boss at P&G, told me this in 1979. Here I was fresh out of Harvard Business School(HBS), and I was assigned to determine how big the hole in the Ivory shampoo bottle should be: 3/8 of an inch or 1/8 of an inch. I did research, focus groups and I would come home at night wondering how I had gone from HBS to this. But later I realized any job you’re given is an opportunity to prove yourself.
“Don’t be a credit hog. If you’re constantly in the neighborhood of good things, good things will happen to you.” Tom Tierney, who was my boss at Bain in 1981 and is now on the eBay board, told me this. It’s true that you get ahead by praising other people.
Finally, in 1998, I was in New York watching the ticker as eBay went public. My husband is a surgeon（外科医生）.I called him and told him the great news. And he said, “That’s nice. But Meg, remember that it’s not brain surgery.” We can learn that ______ from the passage.
| A．“Be nice to people” is the topic that people like |
| B．it’s not necessary for us all to be too mean at any time |
| C．I never forget any word that father spoke to me |
| D．we won’t be successful if we are too mean to others |
How many pieces of advice were given by her family?
| A．Two. | B．Four. | C．Three. | D．One. |
This passage was written by _____ order.
| A．story development | B．time | C．working conditions | D．ideas |
The author’s husband is more concerned _____ than eBay’s going public.
| A．his success | B．opportunity to prove himself |
| C．brain surgery | D．his career |
What’s the main idea of the whole passage?
| A．Advice in life really made a difference to us. |
| B．We should be nice to people around us. |
| C．People can succeed by praising others. |
| D．Too mean persons will get nothing from life. |
I have recently completed my college degree. The last project was called “Smile”. The class was asked to go out to smile at three people and document their reactions（反应）. I am a very friendly person and always smile at everyone and say hello anyway. So, I thought this would be a piece of cake.
My husband, the youngest son and I went out to McDonald. We were standing in line when all of a sudden everyone around us began to back away. As I turned around I smelled a horrible body odour（气味） and saw two poor homeless men standing behind me. As I looked at the short blue-eyed gentleman closest to me, he was “smiling”. The second man fumbled（摸索）with his hands as he stood behind his friend.
The young lady at the counter asked him what they wanted. He said, “Coffee is all, Miss,” because that was all they could afford.
Then I really felt it — I embraced（拥抱）the little man with the blue eyes. That is when I noticed all eyes in the restaurant were set on me, judging my every action. I smiled and asked two more breakfast meals on and gave them to the men.
The blue-eyed gentleman looked up at me, with tears in his eyes, and said, “Thank you.”
I turned in my project. My teacher said, “Can I share this?” I slowly nodded as she got the attention of the class. She began to read and that is when I knew that we as human beings share this need to heal people and to be healed.
In my own way I had touched the people at McDonald’s and every soul that heard the story in the classroom. But, I graduated with one of the biggest lessons I would ever learn. The underlined part “a piece of cake” in Paragraph 1 means _______.
| A．easy | B．embarrassing | C．moving | D．comfortable |
Why did people around the author in the McDonald step back?
| A．Because they were very polite to the two men. |
| B．Because they were moved by the two men. |
| C．Because the two men smelt terrible. |
| D．Because the two men seemed unfriendly. |
Why did the two men only buy coffee?
| A．Because they didn’t have enough money. |
| B．Because they didn’t feel hungry. |
| C．Because they knew others would help them. |
| D．Because they were looked down upon. |
How did the teacher think of the author’s project?
| A．Hard to believe. | B．Interesting to read. |
| C．Very puzzling. | D．Very satisfying. |
What
did the author think she learn from the story?
| A．A friend in need is a friend indeed |
| B．Helping others can bring pleasure to many people. |
| C．Nothing is difficult to a willing heart. |
| D．Don’t judge people according to their appearance. |
Do you want to have a lot of close friends? In order to make it happen, you must do a lot of things right. You will learn tips on how to build a solid friendship.
You should be extra respectful when you are at others’ homes. For example, you must not make unpleasant comments about them. Once when I was at the house of a friend as a high school senior, I told him he had feet that looked funny while he had his socks off in his bedroom. He rebutted(反驳),“If you’re going to make fun of my feet, you can leave.’’
You must be a person of your word. For example, if you say you will do something for or with your friend, you must follow up on it.
You must respect people other than your friends.This includes respecting your friends’ family members and being polite to others in general.
It is helpful to be supportive. You should try to provide help when your friends need it.
You should understand them. Even if you do not agree with some of the things they do, you should show an understanding of why they do them and offer advice while avoiding telling them they are at fault for their problems.
You must be caring. You must put care into the things you do for them and show concern for their troubles.
Having a good attitude is a must. You must avoid being combative(好斗的)as well as being sad or mad too often.
Take these tips to build solid friendships!The purpose of the passage is to________.
| A．explain why people need close friends |
| B．teach us how to build a solid friendship |
| C．show us how important close friendship is |
| D．let people know more about friendships |
What did the author mainly want to show by mentioning his friend in high shool?
| A．Friends should respect one another. |
| B．There is no perfect person in the world. |
| C．Making fun of friends is unpleasant. |
| D．It’s impossible to take off one’s socks before others. |
The underlined part “be a person of your word’’ in Paragraph 3 can be replaced by“ ________’’.
| A．make your promise |
| B．keep your promise |
| C．be a responsible person |
| D．be an honest person |
From the 6th paragraph, we can learn that we should________.
| A．agree with things our friends do |
| B．disagree with things our friends do |
| C．tell our friends they are wrong directly |
| D．express our understanding to our friends |
Do you know how to prepare for and survive a major earthquake? According to Department of Conservation scientists, it is important to have the right answer to that question.
How to Be Prepared
Electricity, water, gas and telephones may not be working after an earthquake. The police and fire departments are likely to be tied up. You should be prepared to fend for yourself at least three days,preferably for a week. You’ll need food, water and so on. It’s also a good idea to decide ahead of time how and where your family will reunite if separated during a quake. You might choose an out-of-the-area friend or relative that family members can call to check on you.
________
If you’re indoors, stay there. Get under a desk or table. The kitchen is a particularly dangerous spot. If you’re in an office building, stay away from windows and outside walls and do not use the elevator. If you’re outside, get into the open. Stay clear of buildings, power lines or anything else that could fall on you. If you’re driving, move the car out of traffic and stop. Avoid parking under or on bridges or overpasses.
After an Earthquake
Check for fire. If you smell gas, shut off the main gas valve(阀). If there’s sign of damage to electricial wiring, shut off the power at the control box. If the phone is working, only use it in case of emergency(紧急情况). Avoid driving if possible to keep the streets clear for emergency vehicles. Be careful that things may fall out of cupboards when the door is opened, and also that chimneys can be weakened and fall with just a touch. Listen to the radio for important information and instructions. Remember that aftershocks, sometimes large enough to cause damage in their own right, generally follow large quakes. If you leave home, leave a message telling your friends and family your location.
The underlined phrase“tend for’’ in the second paragraph probably means“ ________’’
| A．look for | B．take care of | C．be proud of | D．think of |
Which of the following would be the best subtitle for the third paragraph?
| A．Before an Earthquake | B．After Making Preparations |
| C．While Staying at Home | D．During an Earthquake |
What should you do when an earthquake happens?
| A．You should stay away from the kitchen. |
| B．You should drive on a bridge. |
| C．You should turn off the power. |
| D．You should listen to the radio frequently. |
What will probably happen after a big earthquake?
| A．The local people’s life will return to normal in a week. |
| B．There will be more earthquakes in a short time. |
| C．There won’t be any earthquakes in a short time. |
| D．The local people will stay at home waiting for help. |
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