One Canada, Two Languages
Canada is one of the few nations in the world to have two official languages: English and French. There are 10 provinces in the country but only one of these—Quebec is known as “French Canada”. This is because it was founded by French explorers while British adventurers discovered the rest.
Canada left the British empire（帝国） in 1867 to become an independent country, and English and French have been recognized as the official languages ever since.
Most people speak English as their first language and the two national television networks broadcast in English throughout the country. Apart from in Quebec and a few places on the east coast, French television is very rare.
The same goes for traffic signs and menus. For example, outside of Quebec, there are only a few places where you’ll see traffic signs in French. In restaurants, it’s almost impossible to find French on the menu unless you are in the heartland（中心地带）of French Canada. However, all products sold in Canada must, by law, have labels（标签）and instructions in both languages.
In Canada’s English speaking provinces, official bilingualism（双语） means that students can choose to complete a special French language course. Under this programme, they are taught most of their subjects in French.
If a student begins the course in kindergarten（幼儿园） or Grade One, it is likely that all their lessons will be in French. However, if they start at junior high school,25 per cent of the teaching will continue to be in English.How many provinces are there in Canada?
| A．Ten. | B．Nine. | C．Eleven. | D． Two. |
Which country controlled Canada before its independence?
| A．France. | B．Britain. | C．America. | D．Germany. |
Which of the following sentences is right?
| A．English is the only official language, though French is also spoken there. |
| B．The two national television networks broadcast both in English and French. |
| C．All products sold in Canada must, by law, have labels and instructions in both English and French. |
| D．The lessons in kindergarten or Grade One are likely to be only in English. |
Look, this is the first plane in the world to be created using the new technology of “3D printing”. The airplane was built using only a computer-but it can fly at a speed of 100mph and has a two-meter wingspan.
It was produced using a special nylon laser printer that builds up something layer-by-layer. The parts were made separately and attached using a “snap fit”（搭扣） technique so the aircraft could be put together without tools in minutes.
No fasteners(扣件) at all were used in the manufacture of the plane. Unmanned and electrically powered, the plane can travel in near silence and is also equipped with a small autopilot system. The special production process used is known as “laser sintering(激光烧结) “and allows the designers to create shapes and structures that would normally include costly manufacturing techniques. This technology allows a highly-tailored aircraft to be developed from your own design to first flight in days, while using traditional materials and techniques would take months. And because no tooling is required for manufacture, major changes to the shape and scale of the aircraft can be made with no extra cost.
Professor Jim Scanlon, who led the team, said, “The process allows the design team to revisit historical techniques and ideas that would have been too expensive using traditional manufacturing.” He added, “This form of structure is very firm and lightweight, but very complex. If it was manufactured traditionally it would require a large number of individually tailored parts that would have to be connected or fastened at great expense.”
The new printed plane is known as the Southampton University Laser Sintered Aircraft-or SULSA for short-and is part of a wider project using cutting-edge manufacturing techniques. The University of Southampton has been at the leading position of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle development since the early 1990s. What does the passage maily talk about?
A. New Designed Airplane with New Techniques.
B. Scientists Create Aircraft with High Speed.
C. Revolut ionary Breakthrough of 3D Printer.
D. The World’s first 3-D printed Airplane, SULSA. How does the 3-D printed plane fly?
| A．A pilot controls it using a remote control. |
| B．It should be controlled by “laser sintering”. |
| C．It should be controlled by an autopilot system. |
| D．A pilot with high techniques controlled it. |
Which of the following is NOT advantage of the plane?
| A．It only requires simple and cheap tools. |
| B．It is manufactured in quite a short time. |
| C．It produces little noise while flying. |
| D．It needn’t extra cost if changes are made. |
Accoding to Professor Jim Scanlon, plane manufacturers can
with their techniques.
| A．copy earlier planes to study their techniques |
| B．connect and fasten tailor parts for real planes |
| C．produce firmer and lighter real planes |
| D．find differences by studying the traditional ones |
Does a 600-year-old Chinese map prove that Christopher Columbus was not the first international explorer to navigate(航行) the New World?
In his book “Who Discovered America?”, published on Tuesday, author Gavin Menzies says the settling of North America by nonnative peoples is more complex than previously thought.
“The traditional story of Columbus discovering the New World is absolute fantasy. It’s fairy tales,” Menzies, 76, said in an interview with the Daily Mail.
However, not everyone is sold on the theory. It has been described as “Unreal” by critics, who say Menzies’ claims are impractical and not based in historical fact.
Menzies has primarily focused his studies on when and how North America was first explored. He also has enthusiastic supporters—his previous books have been best-sellers, and supporters of his theories have donated millions to his efforts, allowing him to hire a number of experts to join in his investigatons.
Menzies says that the Chinese map, found in a bookstore, was drew by Chinese navigator Zheng He and shows a detailed map of America dating back to 1418. That would place Zheng He’s efforts some 70 years ahead of Columbus. In fact, Menzies says Columbus used a copy of Zheng He’s map to plot his own voyage.
The map itself has been authenticated(鉴定), but there is currently no way of proving the map was based on images drafted in the 1400s. However, Menzies says that certain observations on the map, including descriptions of communities and other cultural landmarks in Peru, coincide with known data from that period. In addition, Menzies makes an even broader claim in his book, saying that Chinese sailors were the first to cross the Pacific Ocean 40,000 years ago. Menzies says there is DNA evidence to support his claim.
So how does Menzies believe the Chinese pulled off such a giant historical accomplishment thousands of years before anyone else?
“If you just go out in a plastic bathtub, the currents will just carry you there,” Menzies told the Mail. “They just came with the current; it’s as simple as that.”
Critics of Menzies point out that he holds no degrees or professional training as a historian. But the Daily Mail says he “can no longer be called an amateur” after his most recent efforts.
The first paragraph serves as a(n) .
| A．comment | B．introduction |
| C．summary | D．example |
What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 4 mean?
| A．All people are not enthusiastic about the theory. |
| B．Not all people are surprised at the theory. |
| C．Not everyone wants to sell the theory. |
| D．Everybody believes the theory. |
Critics of Menzies hold that Menzies .
| A．is just playing a joke | B．creates the map himself |
| C．is no longer an amateur | D．has no academic background |
According to Menzies, .
| A．Zheng He once reached South America |
| B．Columbus discovered America in about 1490 |
| C．Zheng He helped Columbus discover the New World |
| D．it was quite hard for Chinese to cross the Pacific Ocean |
| 1. Sourcing Assistant Needed Time: 28 March—27 September, 2013 Indian company’s Shanghai office is looking for a local Chinese girl, who can speak fluent English, and has at least one year experience in trading business. Main responsibilities are: sourcing for new suppliers, factory visiting, negotiating and orders following up… Interested candidates can email me your expected salary, resume(简历)and current photo to :sarah@gate.com, Miss Wang for more details. |
2. Senior Interior Designer Time: 10 January—9 June, 2013 Reply to: Linette, killbourn@ rhkdesign. com.cn RHK Design is seeking a Senior Interior Designer for our corporate projects. Your primary role is to work closely with our American and European clients to deliver the international design solution they require. You must have an ability to work with 8 individual managers to negotiate space needs and requirements, and communicate your designs to your design support team. Deep knowledge of interesting and creative materials is required. Travel throughout China may be required. |
| 3. Customer Service Assistant Time: 1 February—31 August, 2013 Reply to: chinasemester@gmail.com Type of job: Full-time Requirements: —BA, or BS degree; foreigners only; —One year’s working experience desired, preferably in customer service or hospitality industry; — Responsible, pleasant personality and selfmotivated; —Good communication and interpersonal skills; —Good command of both spoken and written English; Putonghua is an advantage but not a must. Work Load: 5-day-work Monthly Salary: Around RMB 8,000—10，000 |
4. Female English Tutor Needed Time:5 January—1 October, 2013 Reply to: zsj123@163.com A 10-year-old girl is looking for an oral English tutor. Time: twice a week, in the evening and on weekend, 1.5 hrs at a time Wage(报酬): RMB 200/h Requirements: From America; female; experienced |
We can know from the first two ads that .
| A．RHK Design deals with business from European countries |
| B．to be a sourcing assistant, you need to be very persuasive |
| C．to work for RHK Design, you need to be very experienced in trading |
| D．a girl from Beijing is very likely to be employed by the Indian Company |
If you are an American woman looking for a part-time job, you can contact .
| A．sarah@gate.com | B．killbourn@rhkdesign.com.cn |
| C．zsj123@163.com | D．chinasemeser@gmail.com |
For one who doesn’t mind traveling a lot, which of the positions can be considered?
| A．Senior Interior Designer. |
| B．Female English Tutor. |
| C．Sourcing Assistant. |
| D．Customer Service Assistant. |
Which of the following statements about the third position is TRUE?
| A．Nationalities are not required for the position. |
| B．There’s a requirement of maximum service period. |
| C．The deadline for application is July the 31st. |
| D．Communication skills are requested a must. |
A Tale of Two Cities was written by the famous English writer Charles Dickens. The tale is mainly about the French Revolution in 1789, where the poor rose up against the king and the nobles. Dickens showed deep sympathy for the poor and deep hatred for the cruelty of the upper class, though he wrote quite a lot about the love triangle between Lucie, Charles and Sydney.
In this novel, Dickens wrote some lively characters like Sydney and those crazy revolutionaries. In this tale, we can’t see any absolute roles. Charles, though he’s a brave and good man, obviously he hasn’t as much ability as Sydney. Sydney, a typical tragic(悲剧的) man, a man like him, usually has great ability. But he has some weak points on characters and the worst is that he always loves a woman he shouldn’t love and 99.99% die for her at last in an extremely heroic or tragic way. The revolutionaries are not as full of justice as usual. They get mad when they can get revenge(报复) for their unfair treatment. The fire of hatred burns everything. When they’re at the bottom of the society, they’re calling for justice, for fair treatment, for freedom, but when they’re in charge of the society, their world is up-side-down. They hate everything that is connected to the very people against them, even including Charles’ wife, Dr. Manette’s daughter. So these men have no difference from those former governors at heart.
Though Dickens told us how the authority is recycling over and over again in some way, the novel is about something good. Love from Sydney to Lucie is one of the only few bright points in the novel and it’s really great. A man can sacrifice his life to save his lover’s husband. He doesn’t have any personal purpose and just for his lover’s happiness. So Dickens may imply us, only love can solve the problems between people, between the poor and the rich, love is everything.. A Tale of Two Cities is mainly about .
| A．Charles Dickens | B．the French Revolution |
| C．deep sympathy | D．the upper class |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Charles is as brave and able as Sydney. |
| B．Sydney loves a woman he shouldn’t love. |
| C．The revolutionaries show justice as usual. |
| D．Charles hates his wife, Dr. Manette’s daughter. |
The underlined phrase “these men” in Paragraph 2 most probably refers to “ ”.
| A．Charles and Sydney | B．the nobles |
| C．the revolutionaries | D．former governors |
What may Dickens really want to imply us readers?
| A．The authority is changing over and over again. |
| B．The novel is about something good only. |
| C．A great man can sacrifice his life for his lover. |
| D．Only love can settle the problems between people. |
My grandmother was from a town in Michigan. Summer after summer, I enjoyed staying with my grandparents as a young child. I was from the city and loved the small town they lived in. People knew everyone, their kids, their pets, their ancestors. The bond with them continued to grow as I grew and they got older. Grandma was always using her hands for something exciting. She would make little sandwiches and we’d have tea parties. She’d make beautiful quilts for each one. I remember the small thimble(顶针) she would use while doing her needle work.
A few years ago, when Grandma left this earth, I bid farewell to a loving grandmother. How quickly our lives can change. We had just had tea together a couple of months earlier, on her 91st birthday.
On one particular birthday, when I was feeling a little low, something happened to make me feel like she was sharing that special day with me. I was arranging some colorful pillows that she had made, and suddenly I felt something inside one pillow. It was small and hard. I moved the object to a seam(接缝) that I carefully opened, and to my delight out came a tiny silver thimble! How happy I was to find something that had been a part of her. I carefully laid the thimble alongside the others I’ve collected over the years, where I could continue to see the gift God chose to reveal(启示)to me. What a precious memory of a very special lady who somehow, I knew, was laughing in delight at sewing her thimble inside my pillow.
I made some tea, using my best china, as Grandma always did, and enjoyed my tea and Grandma’s thimble. What a wonderful birthday that was! The author wrote this passage to .
| A．show how she missed her grandma |
| B．express a desire to lead a simple life |
| C．call on people to care for the old |
| D．look back upon her happy childhood |
The author liked staying with her grandparents because .
| A．she knew almost everyone there |
| B．she liked the simple and friendly town life there |
| C．she could have tea parties and eat sandwiches |
| D．she could learn to sew quilts |
How did the author feel when she found the silver thimble?
| A．Sad. | B．Proud. | C．Lucky. | D．Cheerful. |
It can be inferred from the passage that the silver thimble .
| A．was the item the author had been trying to find |
| B．was the most treasured possession of Grandma |
| C．was very precious to the author |
| D．was a birthday gift Grandma had given the author |
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