The Hawaiian Islands are in the Pacific Ocean almost 4,000, kilometres west of California. Tourism is very important to Hawaii. The tropical weather and beaches bring people from all over the world. But Hawaii is also experiencing problems from the downturn(经济衰退).
Last year was the first year since 2004 that Hawaii has had fewer than seven million visitors. The state had 6,800,000 arrivals in 2008. That was a decrease of 10% from the year before. State officials expect a decrease this year of another 2%. And they expect no growth in the economy through most of the year.
The Hawaiian Islands were formed millions of years ago by hot liquid rock flowing from undersea volcanoes. Visitors can still watch the process take place on the largest island, which like the state is named Hawaii. People usually just call it the Big Island.
Experts say Polynesian people first sailed to Hawaii about 2,000 years ago. A king ruled the islands when the 18th century British explorer James Cook arrived. At first, Hawaiians treated Captain Cook like a god. But in the end, he was killed on the Big Island in 1779.
Britain gave the islands their independence in 1843. Then, fifty years later, a group of American businessmen ousted the ruler and founded the Republic of Hawaii. It became an American territory in 1900.
That was three years after the United States set up a naval base at Pearl Harbor, on the island of Oahu, which served as the command base for American operations in the Pacific during World War Two.
After the war, most Hawaiians required that Hawaii should be an independent state. In Congress(国会), though, there was resistance 
from southern states because of Hawaii’s non-white native population. But Congress passed the Hawaii Statehood Bill in 1959. Hawaiians accepted it, and on August 21st, President Eisen
hower declared Hawaii the fiftieth state..The number of visitors to Hawaii in 2009 is expected to be about _________.
| A．5,984,000 | B．6,664,000 | C．6,800,000 | D．6,936,000 |
.When did the US set up a naval base at Pearl Harbor?
| A．In 1893. | B．In 1897. | C．In 1900. | D．In 1959. |
.What does the underlined word “ousted” in Paragraph 5 mean?
| A．Forced out. | B．Picked out. | C．Elected. | D．Became. |
.Which of the following is the correct order in the history of Hawaii?
a. It was ruled by a Polynesian king. b. It became an American territory.
c. The Republic of Hawaii was founded. d. It was under the rule of the British.
e. It became independent in 1843. f. It joined the United States.
| A．a, b, d, c, e, f | B．a, e, d, c, b, f | C．a, d, e, c, b, f | D．a, e, e, d, b, f |
It's not just adults who have a thing or two to discuss with other people, babies too have their own social lives and enjoy group interaction, according to a world-first study.
The breakthrough study conducted by psychologist Professor Ben Bradley, at Charles Sturt University, could completely transform the way child-care centers are set up. In their study, the researchers examined groups of nine-month-old babies in new South Wales and Britain.
And they came across astonishing results—it was found that infants had “social brains” and focused not just on their mothers but on social 1ife in groups as well,
“They communicate with more than one baby at once，and show jealousy and generousness，”said Professor Bradley．
He added，“They develop their own meanings through group interaction，they notice if a group member is behaving differently and they take on roles，such as leaders and followers．”
“A baby who has a depressed mother tends to be withdrawn(内向的)，but put that same baby in a group of its peers(同龄人)and they behave and interact like any other baby．”
It was the first all-baby group study ever to be conducted．“Most studies of babies concentrate on the infant-mother relationship，assuming that is the single foundation for mental health．but babies are constantly involved with groups of people other than their mothers：fathers，siblings，grandparents and those taking care．Therefore。the ‘mother-baby approach’ needs to be combined with a‘ group approach’．”said Bradley．
Phoebe Christison ，a child-care worker at Camperdown Sunshine Bubs in Sydney’s inner west．said she often noticed what appeared．to be emotional attachments developed between toddlers．
She said，“Joel(10 months)and Isabella (11months)always like to hold hands when they sit in their high chairs and eat．And babies definitely show jealousy．They push and touch each other，and copy what the other is doing．”A baby who has a depressed mother ____ ．
| A．tends to be a follower |
| B．also enjoys group interaction |
| C．has poor social ability |
| D．pays more attention to its mother |
What can be inferred from the result of this study?
| A．Babies are affected by groups more than by their mothers． |
| B．There’s no need of child-care centers at a11． |
| C． Adults should include babies when having social activities． |
| D．The normal infant-mother bond alone isn’t enough for the good mental health for babies． |
The underlined word “toddlers” in Para．8 can be replaced by_________
| A．adults | B．infants | C．peers | D．groups |
The example given in the last paragraph proves that a baby________ .
| A．is born to be friendly to other babies |
| B．has interest in peers as well as in its mother |
| C．may have emotional attachments to another baby |
| D．shows jealousy and generousness as an adult |
You never see them, but they're with you every time you fly. They record where you are going, how fast you're traveling and whether everything on your airplane is functioning normally. Their ability to withstand almost any disaster makes them seem like something out of a comic book. They're known as the black box.
When planes fall from the sky, as a Yemeni airliner did on its way to Comoros Islands in the India ocean June 30, 2009, the black box is the best bet for identifying what went wrong. So when a French submarine (潜水艇) detected the device's homing signal five days later, the discovery marked a huge step toward determining the cause of a tragedy in which 152 passengers were killed.
In 1958, Australian scientist David Warren developed a flight-memory recorder that would track basic information like altitude and direction. That was the first mode for a black box, which became a requirement on all U.S. commercial flights by 1960. Early models often failed to withstand crashes, however, so in 1965 the device was completely redesigned and moved to the rear of the plane – the area least subject to（易遭受）impact – from its original position in the landing wells (起落架舱). The same year, the Federal Aviation Authority required that the boxes, which were never actually black, be painted orange or yellow to aid visibility.
Modern airplanes have two black boxes: a voice recorder, which tracks pilots' conversations, and a flight-data recorder, which monitors fuel levels, engine noises and other operating functions that help investigators reconstruct the aircraft's final moments. Placed in an insulated (隔绝的) case and surrounded by a quarter-inch-thick panels of stainless steel, the boxes can withstand massive force and temperatures up to 2,000℉. When submerged, they're also able to emit signals from depths of 20,000 ft.
Experts believe the boxes from Air France Flight 447, which crashed near Brazil on June 1, 2009, are in water nearly that deep, but statistics say they're still likely to turn up. In the approximately 20 deep-sea crashes over the past 30 years, only one plane's black boxes were never recovered.What information could be found from the black box on the Yemeni airliner?
| A．Data for analyzing the cause of the crash. |
| B．The total number of passengers on board. |
| C．The scene of the crash and extent of the damage. |
| D．Homing signals sent by the pilot before the crash. |
Why was the black box redesigned in 1965?
| A．New materials became available by that time. |
| B．Too much space was needed for its installation. |
| C．The early models often got damaged in the crash. |
| D．The early models didn't provide the needed data. |
Why did the Federal Aviation Authority require the black boxes be painted orange or yellow?
| A．To distinguish them from the colour of the plane. |
| B．To caution people to handle them with care. |
| C．To make them easily identifiable. |
| D．To obey international standards |
What do we know about the black boxes from Air France Flight 447?
| A．There is still a good chance of their being recovered. |
| B．There is an urgent need for them to be reconstructed. |
| C．They have stopped sending homing signals. |
| D．They were destroyed somewhere near Brazil. |
How the Iron of Tomorrow Can Change Your Lifestyle Today.
(the first Self Cleaning Iron)
General Electric introduces the iron of tomorrow. The iron can clean itself inside where an iron gets dirty. Because it cleans itself each time you empty it. How? With a push of a magic blue button.
◆The magic blue button
The first thing you’ll notice that’s different about this iron is the blue button on the side. It’s marked "Self Clean". Push this blue button, and you can wash out loose mineral deposits(沉淀物) that remain and block up inside. Push this button, and you’ve made life a lot easier.
◆Less chance of brown spots
Sure, Self Cleaning Iron is going to cut down on brown spots. (Those ugly spots that happen on nice, cleanly pressed clothes.) Because a Self Cleaning Iron becomes clean each time you press that magic blue button.
◆Steams better longer
Common sense tells you that if you’ve an iron that blocks less often it has to stay younger for a long period of time. In other words, it steams better longer. That’s another joy of owning General Electric’s Self Cleaning Iron.
◆What does it mean to you
Today you are doing so much more than just running a house and running after the kids. You’re working. You’re going to school. It’s all part of your lifestyle. The iron can change that lifestyle by giving you less trouble before you iron. If we can make it easier for you to be a better wife, a better mother, a better housekeeper, we want to. The new Self Cleaning Iron is another one of Home-Makers from General Electric.
Lifestyle .We are with yours. General Electric.This passage is ________.
| A．an introduction to General Electric |
| B．an operating instruction of Self Cleaning Iron |
| C．an advertisement of Self Cleaning Iron |
| D．a description of the change of lifestyle |
This iron can clean itself by ________.
| A．emptying itself | B．washing out mineral deposits |
| C．blocking up mineral deposits | D．giving off more steam |
According to the passage, what is most likely to attract the customers?
| A．It is made by General Electric. |
| B．The iron will not produce mineral deposits. |
| C．There will be fewer brown spots on pressed clothes. |
| D．Their clothes will be cleaned at the same time. |
Self Cleaning Iron can help change your lifestyle because________.
| A．you can run your house better |
| B．you don’t have to run after the kids |
| C．you can use it while you are working |
| D．we want you to be a better housekeeper |
For nearly 100 years, the heartbroken Little Mermaid has sat on a rock looking out over Copenhagen's port but now the sculpture ,based on the famous fairytale, is heading back out to sea, set for China.
The small bronze statue inspired by the tale of author Hans Christian Andersen and unveiled in 1913, is a major tourist attraction in Copenhagen. But her life has not always been easy. She has been beheaded twice, had her arm cut off, was blown off her rock in 2003 and was dressed in a Muslim headscarf two years ago in a protest - but she never left her native country.
This week she was lifted from the harbor, boxed, and shipped to Shanghai where she is the star guest in the Danish Pavilion at EXPO 2010 which runs until October 31. Details over her trip were not revealed due to security issues.
"The Little Mermaid," published in 1837, is a sad story about a mermaid who falls in love with a prince and gives up her life in the sea and her tail for legs.
The fairytale has been adapted many times into stage shows and into a Disney movie.
Copenhagen mayor Frank Jensen said in a statement that the loan of The Little Mermaid was part of a cultural exchange between Denmark and China. "I am convinced that she will be an excellent ambassador of Denmark, particularly since the Chinese already are very fond of Hans Christian Andersen and his fairytales," he said in a statement.
Her departure from Copenhagen will not leave the harbor empty. Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has created a video installation(设备/装置)to be installed at her spot.
The Little Mermaid's 165 cm (65 inches) tall sculpture, which sits on a granite block, was created in 1913 by Edvard Eriksen.The following statements are true EXCEPT________________.
| A．the statue of The Little Mermaid will be given to China as a gift |
| B．the statue of The Little Mermaid is a major tourist attraction in Copenhagen |
| C．The Little Mermaid is a famous fairytale written by Hans Christian Andersen |
| D．the story of The Little Mermaid was once adapted into a Disney movie |
The underlined word “departure” here means_______________.
| A．escaping | B．retiring | C．arriving | D．leaving |
From the passage, we can infer that ________________.
| A．Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has created another Little Mermaid instead |
| B．the Danish people don’t like the statue of The Little Mermaid |
| C．the statue of The Little Mermaid will return to Denmark in the future |
| D．Edvard Eriksen wrote the story of the Little Mermaid |
BEIJING—Seven prestigious universities in China announced Sunday that they would begin using the same independent exam —besides the national one —to test students hoping to gain entrance to them in 2011.
The seven are Peking University, Beihang University, Beijing Normal University, Nankai University, Fudan University, Xiamen University and Hong Kong University.
Students who want to gain entrance to any of the seven universities will only have to sit one independent exam, according to the joint announcement.
“This will help lighten the students’ load, otherwise they must take several exams for different universities ,”said the announcement.
Passing the exam could result in more than one interview chance, giving the students more opportunities to choose their favorite universities.
China’ s college entrance exam system is undergoing reform as universities aim to select students based on independent criteria rather than just using the results of the national exam.
In 2003, Peking University and another 21 universities were allowed to pilot (试用) the reform by using their own criteria to independently select five percent of their students.
Now nearly 80 universities across the country have the right to select talented students based on their own exams.
Education experts regard universities selecting students according to independent examinations as conducive (有助的) to better understanding where the students’ talents lie.
Although this may be the case, it has also created problems as students may sit many different exams as they often apply for a number of universities.
To relieve students from such pressures, the national education outline (2010—2020) released in July this year encourages high-level universities to group together to use the same exams.If students want to be admitted to the seven prestigious universities, they can______.
| A．only pass the interview. |
| B．only take the national exam. |
| C．only take the independent exam. |
| D．either take the national exam or take the independent exam. |
What’s the purpose of students sitting one independent exam to gain entrance to the seven universities?
| A．It can reduce students’ load to take several exams. |
| B．The universities will have the same standard to test students. |
| C．There will be less trouble marking students’ test papers. |
| D．It can avoid fierce competition among these universities. |
If students pass the independent exam, they will ______.
| A．take the national exam. |
| B．have one or more interview chances. |
| C．be admitted to one of the universities. |
| D．he trained to be adapted to universities life and studies. |
What is the advantage of universities selecting students according to independent examinations?
| A．Students needn’t take the national exam. |
| B．Students ’education cost can be lowered. |
| C．Students’ abilities and talents can be better found. |
| D．It can encourage middle schools to recommend more qualified students. |
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