It’s not the first movie to show the end of the world. But in the latest box office hit 2012 it is neither aliens nor a killer disease that threaten the human race, but climate change.
Some say the film lacks good dialogue and its science is questionable， others believe German director Roland Emmerich makes up for these flaws in special effects. An earthquake destroys the White House and Yellow stone National Park ends up in flames．
Emmerich borrows from the old Mayan(玛雅人的) story which says, that the world will end in 2012．He is being criticized for fuelling Internet rumors(传闻) about doomsday(世界末日)
“There is no factual basis for these claims,’’ NASA said on its website. “Credible(可信赖的) scientists worldwide know of no threat connected with 2012,’’ it insisted. “After all, our planet has been getting along just fine for more than 4 billion years, ” they added．
According to the UK’s Daily Telegraph, it was first thought that the disaster would happen in May 2003. When the world continued, supporters picked the last day of the Mayan calendar．
“Every culture has a myth(传说) of destruction(毁灭), just as they have a myth of creation. These myths |of destruction tend to surface(重新出现) during times of crisis(危机), ” Michael A. Ryan, an assistant profess of history，speaking to Purdue University News. Ryan studies apocalyptic(像世界末日的) themes from the Middle Ages at the US university. “Today’s current economic climate is a state of crisis for many people who are worried whether they can afford to feed themselves,”he added. What led to the end of the world according to the film 2012?
| A．Aliens． | B．The human race． | C．Climate change． | D．A killer disease． |
What does the underlined word “fuelling’’ in the third paragraph refer to?
| A．Making sth. stronger．． | B．Putting gas into a car． |
| C．Producing power or heat． | D．Burning |
Which of the following statements about the film 2012 is TRUE according to the text?
| A．A big fire destroys Yellow-stone National Park． |
| B．All scientists in the world know of no threat connected with 2012． |
| C． The old Mayan story says that the world will end in |
| D．Every culture has a myth of destruction rather than creation |
Why do the rumors about doomsday come about now and then?
| A．Because during times of crisis, people tend to worry about their future． |
| B．Because aliens often threaten the human race． |
| C．Because killer diseases happen at times． |
| D． Because the old Mayan story says that the world will |
Many facts suggest that children are overweight and the situation is getting worse, according to the doctors. I feel there are a number of reasons for this.
Some people blame the fact that we are surrounded by shops selling unhealthy, fatty foods, such as fried chicken and ice cream, at low prices. This has turned out a whole generation of grown-ups who seldom cook a meal for themselves. If there were fewer of these restaurants, then probably children would buy less take-away food.
There is another argument that blames parents for allowing their children to become overweight. I agree with this, because good eating habits begin early in life, long before children start to visit fast food shops. If children are given fried chicken and chocolate rather than healthy food, or are always allowed to choose what they eat, they will go for sweet and salty foods every time, and this will carry on throughout their lives.
There is a third reason for this situation. Children these days take very little exercise. They do not walk to school. When they get home, they sit in front of the television or their computers and play computer games. Not only is this an unhealthy pastime（消遣）, it also gives them time to eat more unhealthy food．What they need is to go outside and play active games or sports.
The above are the main reasons for this problem, and therefore we have to encourage young people to be more active, as well as steering them away from fast food shops and bad eating habits.According to the text, what kind of children may eat more unhealthy food?
| A．Those who often take exercise. |
| B．Those who often watch television. |
| C．Those who often have meals at home. |
| D．Those who often walk to school. |
The author thinks that children are becoming overweight because .
| A．their parents often cook meals for them |
| B．they are too busy to go out and play |
| C．they can' t choose what to eat |
| D．there are too many fast food shops around |
The word "steering" underlined in the last sentence most probably means _______.
| A．forcing | B．guiding |
| C．driving | D．moving |
The main purpose of the text is to _________.
| A．tell a story | B．provide facts |
| C．give advice | D．compare opinions |
It was a winter morning, just a couple of weeks before Christmas 2005. While most people were warming up their cars, Trevor, my husband, had to get up early to ride his bike four kilometers away from home to work. On arrival, he parked his bike outside the back door as he usually does. After putting in 10 hours of labor, he returned to find his bike gone.
The bike, a black Kona 18 speed, was our only transport. Trevor used it to get to work, putting in 60-hour weeks to support his young family. And the bike was also used to get groceries（食品杂货），saving us from having to walk long distances from where we live.
I was so sad that someone would steal our bike that I wrote to the newspaper and told them our story. Shortly after that, several people in our area offered to help. One wonderful stranger even bought a bike, then called my husband to pick it up. Once again my husband had a way to get to and from his job. It really is an honor that a complete stranger would go out of their way for someone they have never met before.
People say that a smile can be passed from one person to another, but acts of kindness from strangers are even more so. This experience has had a spreading effect in our lives because it strengthened our faith in humanity（人性）as a whole. And it has influenced us to be more mindful of ways we, too, can share with others. No matter how big or how small, an act of kindness shows that someone cares. And the results can be everlasting.Why was the bike so important to the couple?
| A．They used it for work and daily life. |
| B．It was their only possession. |
| C．It was a nice Kona 18 speed. |
| D．The man’s job was bike racing. |
We can infer from the text that ____________.
| A．the couple worked 60 hours a week. |
| B．people were busy before Christmas |
| C．the stranger brought over the bike |
| D．life was hard for the young family. |
What do the couple learn from their experience?
| A．Strangers are usually of little help. |
| B．One should take care of their bike. |
| C．News reports make people famous. |
| D．An act of kindness can mean a lot. |
Why play games? Because they are fun, and a lot more besides. Following the rules…planning your next move...acting as a team member…these are all “game” ideas that you will come across throughout your life.
Think about some of the games you played as a young child, such as rope-jumping and hide-and-seek. Such games are entertaining and fun. But perhaps more importantly, they translate life into exciting dramas that teach children some of the basic rules they will be expected to follow the rest of their lives, such as taking turns and cooperating (合作) .
Many children’s games have a practical side. Children around the world play games that prepare them for work they will do as grown-ups. For instance, some Saudi Arabian children play a game called bones. Which sharpens the hand-eye coordination（协调）needed in hunting.
Many sports encourage national or local pride. The most famous games of all, the Olympic Games, bring athletes from around the world together to take part in friendly competition. People who watch the event wave flags, knowing that a gold medal is a win for an entire country, not just the athlete who earned it. For countries experiencing natural disasters or war, an Olympic win can mean so much.
Sports are also an event that unites people. Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. People on all continents play it—some for fun and some for a living. Nicolette Iribarne, a Californian soccer player, has discovered a way to give people hope through soccer. He created a foundation(基金会) to provide poor children with not only soccer balls but also a promising future.
Next time you play your favorite game or sport, think about why you enjoy it, what skills are needed, and whether these skills will help you in other aspects of your life. Through playing hide-and-seek, children are expected to learn to ________.
| A．be a team leader | B．obey the basic rules |
| C．act as a grown-up | D．predict possible danger |
The underlined part in Paragraph 2 most probably means that games can________.
| A．describe life in an exciting way |
| B．turn real-life experiences into a play |
| C．make learning life skills more interesting |
| D．change people’s views of sporting events |
According to the passage, why is winning Olympic medals so encouraging?
| A．It makes people have a deep love for the country. |
| B．It proves the exceptional skills of the winners. |
| C．It helps the country out of natural disasters. |
| D．It earns the winners fame and fortune. |
Iribarne’s goal of forming the foundation is to _______.
| A．bring fun to poor kids |
| B．provide soccer balls for children |
| C．give poor kids a chance for a better life |
| D．appeal to soccer players to help poor kids |
What can be learned from the passage?
| A．Games benefit people all their lives. |
| B．Sports can get all athletes together. |
| C．People are advised to play games for fun. |
| D．Sports increase a country’s competitiveness. |
Eat like a king in the morning, a prince at noon, and a peasant at night. This saying is all about the importance of breakfast. And now scientists can tell us just why it’s so important. According to a study carried out at Imperial College London, UK, skipping the first meal of the day not only means you eat more at lunch, but also that your brain wants to find more unhealthy foods.
The study suggests that there is a special part of our brain called the orbitofrontal cortex (眶额皮层), which plays an important part in making choices about what we eat. It is used for identifying the taste of food, especially when skipping breakfast. It is more likely to target high-calorie foods when you’re on an empty stomach.
Scientists did an experiment on this. Dr Tony Goldstone from Imperial College London, scanned (扫描) the brains of 21 men and women, around the age of 25. On the first day, these people skipped breakfast before the scans. On the second day, they had cereal (谷物), bread and jam as breakfast. After the scan on both days, they had their lunch.
When the volunteers had skipped breakfast, they ate around 20 percent more at lunch, compared with days when they had eaten breakfast.Their brain scans also showed the orbitofrontal cortex was especially responsive to high-calorie foods. “We believe that bit identifies the value of foods – how pleasant, how delicious something is,” Goldstone told The Guardian.From Paragraph 1, we learn that _____.
| A．scientists found out why eating breakfast is important |
| B．it’s easy to lose weight without breakfast |
| C．there’s no need to have good food for supper |
| D．eating breakfast makes your brain smarter |
Which of the following is NOT true about the orbitofrontal cortex?
| A．It is part of our brain. |
| B．It tells people to eat breakfast. |
| C．It decides which food we like. |
| D．It is active toward high-calorie food. |
Which is the correct order for the experiment on the first day?
①The volunteers skipped breakfast.
②The volunteers had lunch.
③The volunteers had a brain scan.
| A．①②③ | B．③②① | C．①③② | D．③①② |
In the experiment, the volunteers without breakfast ate about 20% _____ at lunch.
| A．of the usual breakfast |
| B．more than the usual breakfast |
| C．of the usual lunch |
| D．more than the usual lunch |
Which of the following can be the title for this passage?
| A．Breakfast still most important |
| B．Three meals a day |
| C．Experiments on breakfast |
| D．Experiments on lunch |
Some people learn a second language easily. Other people have trouble learning a new language. How can you help yourself learn a new language，such as English? There are several ways to make learning English a little easier and more interesting.
The first step is to feel confident about learning English. If you believe that you can learn，you will learn. Be patient. You do not have to understand everything all at once. It is natural to make mistakes when you learn something new. We can learn from our mistakes.
The second step is to practice your English. For example，write a journal every day. You will get used to writing in English，and you will feel comfortable expressing your ideas in English. After several weeks，you will see that your writing is improving. Besides，you must speak English every day. You can practice with your classmates outside class. You will all make mistakes，but gradually you will become comfortable communicating in English.
The third step is to keep a record of your language learning. You can write this in your journal. After each class，think about what you did. Did you answer a question correctly? Did you understand something the teacher explained? Perhaps the lesson was difficult，but you tried to understand it. Write these achievements in your journal.
You must be positive about learning English and believe that you can do it. It is important to practice every day and make a record of your achievements. You will enjoy learning English，and you will have more confidence in yourself.What is important to learn English?
| A．To read English every day. |
| B．To make a record of your mistakes. |
| C．To buy a dictionary. |
| D．To practice English every day and make a record of your achievements. |
When you learn English，you do not need to________.
| A．be patient |
| B．make mistakes |
| C．express your ideas in English |
| D．understand everything all at once |
Which is NOT helpful for you to enjoy learning English?
| A．To communicate in English. |
| B．To worry about making mistakes. |
| C．To think about what has been done after classes. |
| D．To make a record of your achievements. |
How many ways are given to learn English in the passage?
| A．Two ways. | B．Three ways. |
| C．Four ways. | D．Five ways. |
What is the main idea of this passage?
| A．It is very important to learn a second language. |
| B．Some people learn a second language easily while other people do not. |
| C．There are ways to help you learn a second language more easily. |
| D．Don't worry about making mistakes when learning a second language. |
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