The wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton on April 29 has focused the world’s camera lenses（镜头）on the UK.
In Britain, there is a constant debate about the relevance of the royal family to modern British society. However, Windsor (the family name of the British Royal Family) and Middleton have been seen to represent a more modern, forward-looking nation.
Nigel Baker, the British ambassador to Bolivia, believes that the royal wedding is “about modern Britain”. “The estimated 2 billion spectators across the world will see that Britain is one of the most culturally and ethnically diverse nations in the world, home to 270 nationalities speaking 300 different languages, founded on tolerance and respect for difference,” wrote Baker on his blog.
According to Baker, the wedding could help viewers to see “why Britain is one of t
he most dynamic and creative countries in the world”: The television on which most people watched the event was invented by John Logie Baird, a Briton, and the World Wide Web that broadcast the event to millions more was invented by another Briton, Tim Berners-Lee.
The guests who attended the wedding ceremony gave more than a few clues as to the nature of modern Britain. David and Victoria Beckham represent Britain’s obsession（着迷）with football and celebrity.
Leaders from different religious backgrounds supported Baker’s comments on the multicultural nature of modern British society.
Before the wedding, David Elliott, arts director of the British Council China, agreed that the wedding would be a showcase for modern Britain: “I think, and hope, that it (modern British influence) wou
ld be values like openness, multiculturalism, creativity, sense of humor and the traditional British sense of fair pl
ay,” he said.
Furthermore, events such as the Olympics in London in 2012 may also increase people’s sense of Britishness.
According to a poll published in Daily Telegraph, more than a third of people in the UK admitted they felt “very British” when watching the Olympics. What is the main point of the article?
| A．To introduce Prince William’s wedding arrangements in detail. |
| B．To comment on the significance of the royal wedding. |
| C．To question the relevance of the royal family in modern British society. |
| D．To explain why the royal wedding is linked with the 2012 Olympics. |
What can be concluded from the article?
| A．Some say that the royal wedding is a reflection on modern Britain. |
| B．Some think the royal wedding only shows Britain’s multiculturalism and sense of fair play. |
| C．About 2 billion people across the world will see the wedding ceremony online. |
| D．Britons are obsessed with football due to the influence of David Beckham. |
Why is the inventor of the World Wide Web mentioned?
A．To inform readers a bout some well-known British inventors. |
| B．To point to the importance of the World Wide Web for the wedding. |
| C．In support of the idea that Britain is a nation of creative and original people. |
| D．To encourage people to watch the wedding on the Internet. |
According to the article, both the 2012 Olympics and the royal wedding .
| A．have increased the British sense of national identity |
| B．have promoted traditional British values |
| C．represent a more modern Britain |
| D．have encouraged the interest of Britons in Football |
In July 1994 Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, was struck by 21 pieces of a comet（彗星）. When the fragment（碎片）landed in the southern part of the giant planet, the explosions were watched by scientists here on earth. But what if our own planet was hit by a comet?
The year is 2094. It has been announced that a comet is heading towards the Earth. Most of it will miss our plant, but two fragments will probably hit the southern part of the Earth. The news has caused panic.
On 17 July, a fragment four kilometers wide enters the Earth’s atmosphere with a huge explosion. About half of the fragment is destroyed. But the major part survives and hits the South Atlantic at 200 times the speed of sound. The sea boils and an enormous wave is created and spreads. The wall of water rushes towards southern Africa at 800 kilometers an hour. Cities on the African coast are totally destroyed and millions of people are drowned. The wave moves into the Indian Ocean and heads towards Asia.
Millions of people are already dead in the southern part of the Earth, but the north won’t escape for long. Tons of broken pieces are thrown into the atmosphere by the explosions. As the sun is hidden by clouds of dust, temperatures around the world fall to almost zero. Crops are ruined. Wars break out as countries fight for food. A year later civilization has collapsed. No more than 10 million people have survived.
Could it really happen? In fact, it has already happened more than once in the history of the Earth. The dinosaurs（恐龙）were on the Earth for over 160 million years. Then 65 million years ago they suddenly disappeared. Many scientists believe that the Earth was hit by a space fragment. The dinosaurs couldn’t survive in the cold climate that followed and they became extinct. Will we meet the same end?Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the author’s description of the disaster in 2094?
| A．The whole world becomes extremely cold. |
| B．All the coastal cities in African are destroyed. |
| C．The whole mankind becomes extinct. |
| D．The visit of the comet results in wars. |
Why does the author mention dinosaurs at the end of the passage?
| A．Because they could only live in the warm climate. |
| B．Because they once ruled the Earth. |
| C．Because their extinction shows future disasters. |
| D．Because dinosaurs and humans never live in the same age. |
In writing the passage, the author intends to_________.
| A．give an accurate description of the possible disaster in the future |
| B．prove that humans will sooner or later be destroyed |
| C．tell the historical development of the Earth |
| D．warn of a possible disaster in the future |
It can be concluded that the passage is most probably part of a(n)________.
| A．terror story | B．news report |
| C．research paper | D．article of popular science |
One evening after dinner, Mr. and Mrs. Tisich called a family meeting. “We’ve had to make a difficult decision,” Mr. Tisich announced. “You see, your mother has been offered a post as co-director of a television station in Chicago. Unfortunately, the station is not here. After thinking long and hard about it, we’ve concluded that the right decision is to move to Chicago.” Marc looked shocked, while his sister Rachel breathlessly started asking when they’d be moving. “It’s surprising, but exciting!” she said. Marc simply said, “We can’t go—I can’t leave all my friends. I’d rather stay here and live with Tommy Lyons!”
The Tisichs hoped that by the time they moved in August, Marc would grow more used to the idea of leaving. However, he showed no signs of accepting the news, refusing to pack his belongings. When the morning of the move arrived, Marc was nowhere to be found. His parents called Tommy Lyon’s house, but Mrs. Lyons said she hadn’t seen Marc. Mrs. Tisich became increasingly concerned, while her husband felt angry with their son for behaving so irresponsibly.
What they didn’t know was that Marc had started walking over to Tommy’s house, with a faint idea of hiding in Lyons’s attic(阁楼) for a few days. But something happened on the way as Marc walked past all the familiar landscape of the neighborhood: the fence that he and his mother painted, the tree that he and his sister used to climb, the park where he and his father often took evening walks together. How much would these mean without his family, who make them special in the first place? Marc didn’t take the time to answer that question but instead hurried back to his house, wondering if there were any moving cartons(纸板箱)the right size to hold his record collection.The conflict(冲突) in this story was caused by_________.
| A．Marc and Rachel’s different attitudes |
| B．a quarrel between Tommy Lyons and Marc |
| C．Marc’s disagreement with his parents about their move |
| D．Mr. And Mrs. Tisich’s comment of Marc’s irresponsibility |
Marc and Rachel’s reactions to the move were similar in the way that both were________.
| A．surprised | B．angry and upset |
| C．anxious for more details | D．worried about pacing |
The reason for Marc’s going home was that_________.
| A．he did not want to be left behind |
| B．he realized his family was important to him |
| C．he hoped to reach an agreement with his parents |
| D．he wished to be a more responsible person |
What would most likely happen next?
| A．Marc would bring his records over to the Lyons’s house. |
| B．Mr. and Mrs. Tisich would call the police. |
| C．Marc would join his family for house moving. |
| D．Mr. and Mrs. Tisich would start searching for Marc. |
(You may read the questions first)
In advertisement 2, the Traveler enables us to learn__________.
| A．the road conditions from London to Oxfords |
| B．all the garages along the chosen route |
| C．the time and speed of the journey in Britain |
| D．the directions from London to Paris. |
In advertisement 3, the Quizmaster_________.
| A．contains nothing but 5400 questions |
| B．can only answer challenging questions |
| C．can be bought in many shops |
| D．can be used by people of all |
All these advertisements are aimed at those_________.
| A．who like to order goods at home |
| B．who are going to travel abroad |
| C．who do market researches |
| D．who are interested in intelligence tests |
When I learned that my 71-year-old mother was playing Scrabble – a word game – against herself, I knew I had to do something. My husband suggested we give her a computer to play against. I wasn’t sure my mother was ready for it. After all, it had taken 10 years to persuade her to buy an electric cooker. Even so, we packed up our old computer and delivered it to my parents’ home. And so began my mother’s adventure in the world of computers.
It also marked the beginning of an unusual teaching task for me. I’ve taught people of all ages, but I never thought I would be teaching my mother how to do anything. She has been the one teaching me all my life: to cook and sew; to enjoy the good times and put up with the bad. Now it was my turn to give something back.
It wasn’t easy at the beginning. There was so much to explain and to introduce. Slowly but surely, my mother caught on, making notes in a little notebook. After a few months of Scrabble and other games, I decided it was time to introduce her to word processing(文字处理). This proved to be a bigger challenge to her, so I gave her some homework I asked her to write me a letter, using different letter types, colors and spaces.
“Are you this demanding with your kindergarten pupils?” she asked.
“No, of course not,” I said. “They already know how to use a computer.”
My mother isn’t the only one experiencing a fast personal growth period. Thanks to the computer, my father has finally got over his phone allergy(过敏反应). For as long as I can remember, any time I called, my mother would answer. Dad and I have had more phone conversations in the last two months than we’ve had in the past 20 years.What does the author do?
| A．She is a cook. | B．She is a teacher. |
| C．She is a housewife. | D．She is a computer engineer. |
The author decided to give her mother a computer .
| A．to let her have more chances to write letters |
| B．to support her in doing her homework |
| C．to help her through the bad times |
| D．to make her life more enjoyable |
The author asked her mother to write her a letter .
| A．because her mother had stopped using the telephone |
| B．because she wanted to keep in touch with her mother |
| C．so that her mother could practice what she had learned |
| D．so that mother could be free from housework |
After the computer was brought home, the author’s father .
| A．lost interest in cooking | B．took more phone calls |
| C．played more games | D．began to use it |
As any parent with an iPhone or an iPod Touch knows, mobile apps (手机软件) can be an engaging and entertaining experience for kids. Now, a new study of PBS Kids suggests that the experience can be an educational one as well.
The study, which was administered by PBS under a grant from the Department of Education, first tested the vocabulary level of a group of 90 Title 1 school children, aged 3 to 7. Then, the children were each given two weeks with an iPod Touch loaded with the Martha Speaks Dog Party app created by PBS Kids.
The study monitored how the children used the iPod, during what hours, and in what context. On average, the study found that kids played with the iPod Touch for a total of 5 hours across the two weeks, with half that time spent playing the Martha Speaks app. At the end of the two week trial, the children were given another vocabulary test, which revealed an increase in vocabulary acquisition by as much as 31 per cent.
The study findings are particularly useful as smart phones and mobile devices have become increasingly popular among families and parents are faced with a proliferation of mobile apps designed for kids. According to a recent Nielsen study, smart phone usage is 12% higher in households with children than other households.
“Mobile apps can be a great learning tool in the hands of children,” said Lesli Rotenberg, SVP, Children’s Media, PBS. “This research is important in helping to better understand and guide the development of new apps that improve the value of children’s screen time with significant educational outcomes.”
So what does it all mean? Well, at the very least it will help parents get over that guilty feeling when they hand over their iPhone or iPod Touch for a little peace and quiet. At best, it provides more evidence that mobile devices and apps do indeed have educational value and could be an important part of the child-learning process for many years to come. What Lesli Rotenberg said in the fifth paragraph suggests that .
| A．he has a positive attitude towards mobile apps |
| B．he thinks children should never use smart phones |
| C．he is doubtful about mobile apps designed for children |
| D．he thinks parents should be careful with mobile apps for children |
The underlined sentence in the last paragraph implies that .
| A．parents will feel more comfortable giving kids iPhone or iPod Touch |
| B．parents will know what kind of mobile phones are suitable for kids |
| C．parents will know what children do with mobile phones |
| D．parents can watch over their children now and then |
What would be the best title of the text?
| A．The popularity of smart phones among kids |
| B．The entertaining function of smart phones |
| C．Smart phones make kids learn more. |
| D．It’s too early for kids to use smart phones |
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