There is a scene that is repeated up and down the land during the month of June. Outside a church in some Scottish town or village a small crowd has interrupted its daily affairs to gather on the pavement. Near the west door a dozen or so overdressed people are glancing impatiently at their watches. The men seem a little self-conscious in their hired kilts; the women hold their wind-blown dresses and loudly admire each other’s hats. They are all lively and talkative, yet at the same time strangely reserved. The crowd ignores them, barely noticing when they disappear into the church. Even the arrival of the groom rouses little excitement. These participants are not the main attraction. We are waiting for the bride.
Whatever her age or appearance, everyone will smile and express approval. By convention, all brides are beautiful. Nobody says so, but the spectators feel cheated unless she steps out of a car, dressed in white from head to toe. The nearer she matches their image, the greater their satisfaction. This event is not merely a wedding; it is a tradition, and such occasions are potentially dangerous. Participants must pay strict attention to detail. An untraditional bride destroys the magic.
When the crowd has left, some bystanders will remain to watch the bride walk out of church on the arm of her groom. The guests troop out behind the happy couple and all gather on the pavement with an obvious air of relief. A piper strikes up Mairi’s Wedding and the guests start shouting and jumping everywhere, putting the photographer off his work. Before bride and groom lead their party to the reception, someone is sure to disobey the priest and scatter forbidden confetti (五彩碎纸).
The particulars of this scene are modern; yet three elements are present that have existed since marriage in Scotland began—ancient Roman law redefined in a Christian context, Celtic tradition, and pre-Christian tradition.
51. Why is the scene mentioned in this article often seen all over Scotland in June?
A. It’s hot in June so men can wear kilts and women can put on beautiful dresses.
B. A lot of Scottish people like getting married at that time of the year.
C. In June people can get away from their daily affairs and go to church.
D. June is considered the luckiest month of the year.
52. The underlined word “them” (in Paragraph 1) refers to ________.
A. the overdressed people B. the bride and groom
C. the people on the street D. the people’s hats
53. Please put the following in correct order.
a. The bride arrives.
b. The couple walks out of the church.
c. A piper plays some music.
d. The groom arrives.
e. The bride and groom lead people to the reception.
f. People wait outside the church.
A. f, d, a, c, b, e B. f, d, a, b, c, e
C. d, f, a, b, e, c D. d, a, f, b, e, c
54. The underlined part “putting the photographer off his work” (in Paragraph 3) most probably means _____.
A. making the photographer feel relieved
B. giving the photographer a chance to rest
C. disturbing the photographer when he is taking pictures
D. having the photographer taken away from his duty
55. What can we infer from the passage?
A. Women going to a wedding ceremony pay most attention to each other.
B. Spectators of a wedding ceremony are particularly interested in the groom.
C. Confetti is forbidden at the wedding ceremony because it is not all white.
D. If the bride is dressed all in white traditionally, she is considered beautiful.
To me, the ocean is our greatest wilderness. I love swimming in it , surfing its waves, watching it from shore and thinking about all the life living unseen under the surface.
When I take my little kids to check out tide pools, we’re overjoyed when we find a sea star or some shellfish. Lately, though, I've noticed a change in my favorite pools: there are more sea grasses and fewer animals with shells.
I can't help feeling these small changes portend something more troubling about our oceans. It matches what scientists are telling us: our oceans are being troubled by carbon dioxide that threatens corals, colorful fish, salmon, sea otters, even whales. Our oceans are facing a major change.
Every hour, a million tons of carbon dioxide from cars, factories and power plants rain down on the world’s oceans. Carbon pollution brings about a chemical reaction that turns sea water more acidic (酸的) and takes away things important for sea animals .
Some of us are already feeling the effects of this growing crisis（危机）. Shellfish farmers in the Pacific Northwest have reported a decrease in natural and farmed oysters(牡蛎). Just this week, a new studyproved the link between the huge reduction in the numbers of oysters and ocean acidification. As polar waters become more acidic, Alaskan fishermen are troubled by the future of smaller fish.
Without action, ocean acidification will have a disastrous influence on the food chain, affecting not only sea life but the people who depend on it for food and their living. Already, our oceans have become 30 percent more acidic since preindustrial times, and it gets worse every day. We can stop this frightening dream, but only if we act now.
That's why the Center for Biological Diversity has started a petition (请愿书) requesting President Obama and the Environmental Protection Agency to develop a plan to deal with ocean acidification. Decisive action can save sea life as we know it.
Now it isn’t too late to save our oceans and sea life. With immediate action to reduce carbon dioxide release we can start taking important steps today to deal with this disastrous situation. Join me in our petition calling for a national plan to save our oceans.The author’s recent visits to the tide pool brought her ___ .
| A．happiness | B．anger | C．concern | D．comfort |
The underlined word “portend” in Paragraph 3 probably means ___ .
| A．predict | B．prevent | C．replace | D．reduce |
What the author worries about most is ____ .
| A．the harm of sea grasses |
| B．carbon pollution in the sea |
| C．that the petition may be turned down |
| D．how fishermen can make a living in the future |
What is the main purpose of the text ?
| A．To inform. | B．To educate. | C．To persuade . | D．To instruct. |
Two more cases of H7N9 bird flu virus have been detected in Zhejiang province, including a man who died last week, authorities said on Wednesday.
The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that a 38-year-old patient surnamed Hong from Hangzhou, the provincial capital, who died in hospital on March 27, had the virus.
Hong was infected on March 7 while working in neighboring Jiangsu province. He returned home on March 18, according to the Zhejiang health department.
The other patient, surnamed Yang, is a 67-year-old man. He developed a cough and fever on March 25 and was admitted to hospital on Tuesday.
None of the people who came into close contact with the patients have developed symptoms of the flu, the health department said.
On Sunday, two men in Shanghai died from H7N9. A woman in Anhui province and four men in Jiangsu province remain in criticalcondition, which makes a large number of people scared to death.
All patients had fevers and coughs in the early stages before developing pneumonia(肺炎) and breathing difficulties, China's health authorities said.
Experts say genetic analysis shows that the H7N9 virus can be treated with Tamiflu, an antiviral drug that may slow the spread of influenza（流感，家畜流行性感冒） in the body.
Wang Xianjun, head of the Shandong provincial center of disease control, said H7N9 is sensitive to neuraminidase-inhibiting medicine such as Tamiflu, Qilu Evening News reported on Wednesday.
There are no effective vaccines(疫苗) for H7N9 as yet, Wang said, but using Tamiflu may be effective in the early stages.According to this passage, the most cases of H7N9 bird flu virus have been detected in ______.
| A．Zhejiang province | B．Anhui province |
| C．Shanghai | D．Jiangsu province |
From the whole passage we can learn that_______.
| A．two men in Shanghai and a woman in Zhejiang province died from H7N9. |
| B．the H7N9 virus can be cured with an antiviral drug called Tamiflu. |
| C．all the patients infected with H7N9 had fevers and coughs in the early stages. |
| D．only one patient has died from H7N9 in Anhui. |
The underlined word in the sentence “…four men in Jiangsu province remain in critical condition” may be close to ______ in meaning.
| A．very serious and dangerous | B．extremely important |
| C．quite healthy | D．not serious or dangerous |
The passage is mainly about _____.
| A．the medicine for H7N9 |
| B．the spread of H7N9 and an antiviral drug |
| C．the number of patients who died from H7N9 |
| D．people who came into close contact with the patients of H7N9 |
Dear Parents,
It is almost a week since school began. I hope that you and your child are settled and comfortable in the arrangement of the new school year. I would like to take this opportunity to give you news about the art project that the eighth grade students and I will be working on during this unit.
My name is Molly Atkinson and I am a new middle school teacher here at MSAE in Kauai. I feel that it is important for you to know that my approach to classroom management is inspired by Maharishi’s Principle of Ideal Teaching. I believe that it is the most positive method for guiding our students’ education. I also believe that by keeping the lessons interesting, the classroom will be a creative environment for the students to explore the artistic process. My experience with the class this week makes me believe that the students and I will have a fruitful and caring experience in our time together.
The students’ first project is a three-part work that begins with the creation of a collage (拼贴画). A pencil drawing of the collage will follow. The third part of the project will be a geometrical three-dimensional (几何三维的) drawing of the collage. The students have jumped right into the project with enthusiasm (热情) and focus. I can tell that we are going to have a very productive unit.
On October 30th, the students will have a showing of their work for you. I look forward to meeting all of you that day. If you would like to get hold of me before that time I will be here after school until 4:30 on Mondays and Wednesdays and can be available on other afternoons by appointment (预约). I may also be reached at my e-mail address: matkinson@kdsi.net. I am very happy to be here and look forward to working with the eighth grade students.
Sincerely,
Molly AtkinsonIt can be learned that the letter was written _____.
| A．after the school year ended |
| B．before the new school year started |
| C．in the middle of the school year |
| D．at the beginning of the new school year |
The letter was most probably written by _____.
| A．an art teacher |
| B．an eighth grader |
| C．a school gardener |
| D．a head teacher |
In Paragraph 2, Atkinson mentions _____.
| A．her long work experience |
| B．her close relationships with the students |
| C．the teaching method she applies |
| D．the training aim of the new term |
The underlined words “that time” in the last paragraph refer to _____.
| A．October 30th |
| B．4:30 on Mondays |
| C．4:30 on Wednesdays |
| D．other afternoons |
Ben Olsen had great careers as professional players. His story tells a lot about the past, present and future of professional soccer in America.
Ben Olsen was an important part of D.C. United's early success. He was the top new player, or rookie of the year, in 1998. His young professional career reached a high point the next season. D.C. United won the M.L.S. Cup, the league championship（锦标赛）, on the strength（力量） of a Most Valuable Player performance by Olsen. He scored one of two goals for his team in the win against the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Ben Olsen looks back on his score in that championship as his most memorable. "I'd lost a lot of championships before that year, so that was a special game." said Ben Olsen.
Like many top American soccer players, Olsen played overseas. He joined the club Nottingham Forest in Britain. He says different leagues have different styles of play. "Some teams are very fast and athletic. Some teams are a little bit more low pressure on the ball and more skillful players. England has always been known to be a fast and physical league."
Olsen was also a part of the United States World Cup team of 2006. He says playing for his country was something he will never forget.
Ben Olsen has had five operations for severe ankle（脚踝） injuries. Still, he had one of his best years in 2007. He scored seven goals including a "hat trick"-- three in one game.
Ben Olsen celebrates his third goal in one game against the New York Red Bull in June of 2007
He was recognized for his outstanding play with an M.L.S. Best Eleven award. He accepted the award in a wheelchair after a minor operation became major ankle surgery（外科手术）. Ben Olsen retired after the 2009 season. Today he is an assistant coach with D.C. United.When did Ben Olsen begin to win championship?
| A． In 1998 | B．Next season | C．In 1999 | D．In 2006 |
What does the underlined word ‘rookie’ mean in this sentence?
| A．Success | B．New player | C．professional career | D．championship |
According to the passage, which of the following is true?
| A．Ben Olsen has a deep love for his country |
| B．Ben Olsen scored three goals in 1999 |
| C．Top American soccer players never played oversea |
| D．He scored ten goals in 2007 |
What do you think is the best title for the passage?
A. Ben Olsen—the best soccer player
B. Ben Olsen’s professional career
C. Ben Olsen and D.C. United
D. An introduction to Ben Olsen
The ISS project is a partnership of five - the US, Russia, Europe, Japan and Canada.
At the moment, no program for its use nor any money has been put in place to support the platform beyond 2015.
One of the biggest issues stopping an agreement on station-life extension（延长期） is the human spaceflight examination ordered by US President Barack Obama.
The Americans are developing a new vision for space exploration, and the rockets and spacecraft they will need to start it. The future of US joining in the ISS is closely tied to the result of the examination.
Mr Dordain, the European Space Agency's (Esa) Director General, said no one partner in the ISS project could alone call an end to the platform. A meeting would be held in Japan later in the year where he hoped the partners could get something clearly going forward. He said it was also necessary the benefits（成效） were increased and the costs were reduced. Increasing the benefits could include finding new uses for the station.
Esa has called for ideas on how to use the ISS as a platform for Earth observation（观测站）. Mr Dordain said the agency had received about 20 very good proposals.
On the issue of reducing costs, there were many ideas on the table, he explained.
He also questioned whether it was necessary for the station to have six astronauts at all times. If there were periods when little maintenance（维修） was required or the experiment load was light, could the ISS run on a smaller group of people, he suggested.
Construction of the space station should finish this year. Next month, two components built in Europe - a connecting node and a robotic control room - will be flown to the platform by the US shuttle Endeavour.
Tranquility and the Cupola, as they are known, will complete the non-Russian side of the ISS.Why will America joining in the ISS be tied to the result of the examination?
| A．Because America is the greatest power among them |
| B．Because America provides most of the money |
| C．Because they need America’s rockets and spacecraft |
| D．Because Obama ordered the human spaceflight examination |
According to Mr Dordain, how should they do to reduce costs?
| A．To find new uses for the station |
| B．To make little maintenance |
| C．To reduce the experiment load |
| D．To have fewer astronauts sometimes |
Where do you think you can read this passage?
| A．In a story book | B．In a handbook |
| C．In an advertisement | D．In a newspaper |
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