Is it true that cats have nine lives? One 4-year-old American cat named Sugar definitely seems to have more than one. Sugar fell from the 19th floor of her owner’s home in Boston last month and was only hurt a little on her chest.
“This story isn’t much of a surprise,” said Jake Socha, a scientist at Virginia Tech University, US, in an interview with the BBC. “There have been lots of records of these cats surviving.”
Back in 1987, scientists studied 132 cats. All of them had been brought to a vet’s clinic in New York after falling from tall buildings. Around 90 percent of these cats were alive after their fall and only 37 percent had been seriously injured.
“Being able to survive falls is a critical thing for animals that live in trees, and cats are one of them,” said Socha.
Cats have developed special body structures to survive accidental falls. Their legs are muscular. This can protect their bones from breaking, Professor Andrew Biewener from Harvard University told the BBC. Cats can also spread out their legs like a parachute to reduce their falling speed, he said.
The strange part, according to scientists, is that cats have a better chance of survival if they fall from higher than seven stories. This is because cats have a good sense of which way is down. They can twist their bodies as they fall to make sure they land on their feet. A higher fall means more time for the cat to change its body position.
However, you should not throw your cat out of the window to see how this works. Most pet cats are overweight nowadays. They are not fit enough to change their position in midair, warned Steve Dale, an American cat behavior scientist.
“This cat (Sugar) was lucky,” Dale said. In fact, most cats would suffer serious lung damage, a broken leg or a broken jaw or teeth damage, he said. What can we learn from Paragraph 3?
| A．Cats really do have nine lives. |
| B．Many cats can survive falls. |
| C．Cats are the softest animals in the world. |
| D．More than half of the cats that fall from high places end up badly injured. |
What does the underlined word “critical” mean in the context?
| A．Important. | B．Easy. | C．Challenging. | D．Serious. |
Why can cats survive falls according to the article?
a. They have a hidden parachute in their bodies.
b. Their legs have developed in a way that protects their bones from breaking.
c. They can land on their feet.
d. They can twist their bodies to reduce the speed at which they are falling.
| A．a, b | B．b, c | C．c, d | D．b, d |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．A pet cat that falls out of a tall building is not really at risk. |
| B．Sugar was lucky that she was only injured in the leg. |
| C．Cats are confused as to which way is down when they are in midair. |
| D．A cat that falls from the fourth story of a building is more likely to die than one that falls from the 10th story. |
The legal age for drinking alcohol(酒)in the United States is twenty-one. Underage drinking is a crime but also a common part of college social life. This week in our Foreign Student Series ,we look at alcohol policies at American colleges and universities .These policies differ from school to school, as do enforcement(实施) efforts. But many schools have been moving to strengthen their rules.
The United States has more than 170,000 students in higher education. Each year,1,700 of them aging eighteen to twenty-four die from alcohol-related road crashes and other injuries. More than 600,000 are injured under the influence of alcohol. And almost 700,000 are attacked by another student who has been drinking. These numbers, from a 2007 report, are on a government Website:collegedrinkingprevention.gov.
One behavior that college officials are trying to prevent is binge （无节制的狂热行为）drinking ,having four or five drinks or more in a short period of time. Some researchers have found that students who think binge drinking is normal often overestimate how much other students really drink .A person can die of alcohol poisoning.
At the University of Oklahoma, new policies went into effect after a nineteen-year-old student died in 2004.He had been drinking heavily at a fraternity party.(男大学生联谊会)。
Now alcohol is banned from all fraternity and sorority(女大学生联谊会) houses and university housing. Student organizations can serve alcohol at events but only on Friday and Saturday nights. And they must provide for transportation to and from off-campus parties. Other new requirements include an alcohol education program that first-year students take online.
The policies govern behavior on campus and off. With a first violation, students pay seventy-five dollars and their parents are told. They must also take an alcohol education class. For a second” strike”, they have to pay one hundred and fifty dollars. A third strike means a suspension(暂被停学) for at least one semester.
Since January of 2005,633 students have had a first strike.30 have had a second strike----and has been suspended. An official at Oklahoma tells us the aim is not just to punish but to change behavior and the culture at the university.In American colleges and universities,______.
| A．no students under age 21 drink alcohol |
| B．many students under age 21 drink alcohol |
| C．rules about drinking alcohol are almost the same |
| D．rules about drinking alcohol are different from state to state |
Each year in the United States ,about 1,700 young college students aging 18 to 24 die______.
A, from alcohol poisoning
B. from traffic accidents
C. under the influence of alcohol
D. from alcohol-related road crashes and other injuries.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The deaths or injuries of the students are all because they have been drinking. |
| B．The numbers from collagedrinkingprevention.gov are not accurate at all. |
| C．The death of a 19-year-old student influenced policies of the University of Oklahoma. |
| D．No student organizations can offer alcohol at events in the US now. |
Which of the following can be the best title of this article?
| A．Studying in the US: Rules about Alcohol |
| B．The Legal Age for Drinking Alcohol in the United States. |
| C．Policies of Drinking Alcohol in the US Differ From School to School |
| D．New Policies about Alcohol Drinking At the University of Oklahoma. |
San Francisco, a leader in urban recycling, is preparing to turn dog waste into energy.
Norcal Waste System Inc., the city’s largest garbage company, plans to test collection carts(回收车)and collection bags in a city-center park which is popular with dog walkers.
A city study found that almost 4 percent of all the garbage picked up at San Francisco homes was from animal waste, Norcal Waste spokesman Robert Reid said. San Francisco has about 120,000 dogs.
“The city asked us to start a program to recycle dog waste in order to cut back adding more waste in landfills(废渣埋填池) “,Reid said.
Dog waste will be poured into a methane digester(沼气池),and the methane it gives off will be collected and burned to make electricity or to heat homes.
“Dogs and cats in the United States produce about 10 million tons of waste a year,” Will Brinton, an environmental scientist said.
“As much as we love them, our pets leave a lot of fertilizer behind them in yards and on the street but that can be a major source of contamination of groundwater,” Brinton said.
European cities such as Zurich, Frankfurt, Munich and Vienna are starting biology programs to turn waste into gas ,he said.
San Francisco runs a great program to recycle bottles, cars, paper and other rubbish and now two-thirds of its garbage needn’t be carried to landfills .The city’s goal is a 75 percent drop by 2010 and zero new waste in landfills by 2020.San Francisco will plan to use dog waste for making __________.
| A．fertilizer | B．gas | C．electricity | D．methane |
What does the underlined word “ contamination” mean?
| A．Increase | B．Reduction | C．Flow | D．Pollution |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．San Francisco is short of electricity |
| B．San Francisco has done a lot of in rubbish recycling. |
| C．Fewer people will keep dogs as pets in San Francisco |
| D．There will be no rubbish by 2010 in San Francisco |
The passage is mainly about_______.
| A．San Francisco ‘s new policy for pet keepers |
| B．San Francisco ‘s new plan for recycling |
| C．how to keep a city clean |
| D．how to deal with rubbish |
| Album Name |
Introduction |
| “Master of the Chinese Dulcimer” -----Xu Pingxin |
Xu Pingxin shows skillful technique and spellbinding(迷人的)musical expression on the Chinese dulcimer (yangqin) .His musicianship has won him international praise and he is considered one of the most successful yangqin players of the world. |
| “The Silk String Quartet(丝弦四重奏组)Contemporary &Traditional Chinese Music” |
Cheng Yu (pipa),Sun Zhuo (guzheng),Hu Bin (erhu)and Zhou Jinyan (yangqin)present traditional as well as modern pieces. The music describes moonlight scenes ,river landscapes, court dances and more. |
| “Chinese Masterpieces of the Pipa & Guzheng” ---ChengYu |
Beautiful music as well as lively pieces played on pipa ,guzheng, xiao and dizi. Cheng Yu is an internationally famous pipa and guzheng virtuoso(名家),former soloist(独奏者)at the China Central Orchestra of Chinese Music in Beijing .Information about the artist, the music and the instruments in English, German, French and Spanish. |
| TsengYungching----“Magic of the Chinese Flute” |
Beautiful Chinese flute (dizi) music played by world-famous flute virtuoso Tseng Yungching Accompanied(伴奏) on traditional Chinese instruments. |
| Zhou Yu----“The Art of the Chinese Erhu” |
During his great musical career Zhou Yu won many awards in China and internationally .Here he presents an album of Chinese music, played on erhu with orchestral accompaniment: pipa, yangqin, ruan, and others. This is a very beautiful album with the typical “mystical ,dreamy” mood of Far Eastern music. Very enjoyable! |
If you are interested in playing the Chinese flute what will you probably buy?
| A．"Chinese Masterpieces of the Pipa & Guzheng" and "Magic of the Chinese Flute." |
| B．"The Silk String Quartet” and "Chinese Masterpieces of the Pipa & Guzheng." |
| C．"Master of the Chinese Dulcimer "and The Art of the Chinese Erhu." |
| D．"Magic of the Chinese Flute "and "The Silk String Quartet." |
Whose information is introduced in four different languages?
| A．Xu Pingxin’s | B．Cheng Yu’s | C．Tseng Yungching’s | D．Zhou Yu’s |
From the passage ,we can know Tseng Yungching is ______.
| A．a famous pipa and erhu player | B．a skillful guzheng virtuoso |
| C．a famous yangqin player | D．a world-famous flute player |
Which album has the typical mood of Far Eastern music?
| A．Zhou Yu ----“The Art of the Chinese erhu.” |
| B．“ The Silk String Quartet----Contemporary &Traditional Chinese Music.” |
| C．“ Master of the Chinese Dulcimer”---Xu Pingxin |
| D．Tseng Yungching-----“Magic of the Chinese Flute.” |
The most frightening words in the English language are,“ Our computer is down.” You hear it more and more when you are on business. The other day I was at the airport waiting for a ticket to Washington and the girl in the ticket office said,” I’m sorry, I can’t sell you a ticket .Our computer is down.”
“If your computer is down, just write me out a ticket.”
“I can’t write you out a ticket. The computer is the only one allowed to do so.”
I looked down the counter(柜台)and every passenger was just standing there drinking coffee and staring at the blank screen. Then I asked her,” What do you do?”
“We give the computer the information about your trip, and then it tells us whether you can fly or not.”
“So when it goes down, you go down with it.”
“That ‘s right, sir.”
“How long will the computer be down?” I wanted to know.
“I have no idea .Sometimes it’s down for 10 minutes , sometimes for two hours. There is no way we can find out without asking the computer , and since it’s down, it won’t answer us.”
After the girl told me they had no spare computer ,I said, “ Let’s forget the computer. What about your planes? They’re still flying aren’t they?”
“I couldn’t tell without asking the computer.”
“Maybe I could just go to the gate and ask the pilot if he’s flying to Washington.” I suggested.
“I wouldn’t know what gate to send you to .Even if the pilot was going to Washington, he couldn’t take you if you didn’t have a ticket.”
“Is there any other airline flying to Washington within the next few hours?”
“I wouldn’t know,” she said, pointing at the dark screen.” Only ‘IT’ knows . ’IT’ can’t tell me.”
By this time there were quite a few people standing in lines .The words soon spread to other travelers that the computer was down Some people went, some people started to cry and still others kicked(踢) their luggage.The best title for the passage is ______.
| A．Asking the computer | B．The computer of the airport |
| C．The most useful words | D．When the computer is down |
What could the girl in the ticket office do for the passengers without asking the computer?
| A．She could answer the passengers’ questions | B．She could do nothing |
| C．She could sell tickets | D．She could write out tickets |
The last paragraph suggests that _____.
| A．modern computers won’t be down |
| B．computers can take the place of humans |
| C．computers may bring trouble to people |
| D．there will be great changes in computers |
"Mark Twain" was the name used by Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835-1910) when he wrote books. His father was a lawyer, but a poor one, who lived at Florida, Missouri. The family was so poor that Samuel did not receive much teaching. He had to learn all that he could from the people whom he met. His father died when he was very young, and then there was even less money than before.
Many of the men in this part of America worked in the ships on the great River Mississippi, and he did this himself at one time (1857).
Where did he find the name "Mark Twain"? It came from the great river itself. It was part of one of the cries used by men who worked in the ships. When a man called "By the mark twain!" he meant that the river was "two marks deep" there, that is to say, six feet deep ( "Twain" is an old form of the work "Two".) Samuel Clemens often heard these words when he was young, and he used them as a penname all his life.
During his work on the Mississippi he met travelers of all kinds, and this helped him a great deal when he started to write. But the number of travelers became smaller when war started in America in 1861. Many of the great ships on the river stopped work. Samuel left then and went to Nevada with his brother, who was at that time Governor of Nevada. There, near the town of Carson, Samuel became a gold miner, but he never made much money at the time. He soon saw that life in the gold mines was not for him. He also tried writing for the newspapers in Nevada, and this seemed more hopeful. He found that he could write.
He went to Europe in 1867 and visited France and Italy. In 1870 he married Olivia Langdon, and two years later he was spending nearly all his time writing. Among his books is his own story (1908).
He is now always known as Mark Twain, and many people do not even know that his family name was Clemens. He traveled in America and in England, and went to Oxford in 1907. He was one of the great American writers of the time, and could make his readers laugh – a thing which few writers can do. He died in 1910."Mark Twain" was _________.
| A．a famous American writer | B．name of a book |
| C．a great river in America | D．a large ship |
As a child, Samuel did not get much education because _________.
| A．his father died too early |
| B．the family was very poor |
| C．he disliked school very much |
| D．he could learn what he liked from the people he met |
What gave him a great deal when he started writing? _______
| A．His poor childhood | B．The Mississippi river |
| C．All kinds of travelers he met | D．His brother |
We can infer from the passage that ________.
| A．Samuel loved writing from his early age |
| B．Samuel did not love writing at the beginning |
| C．his writings to the newspaper were successful |
| D．his brother encouraged him to write more |
According to the writer of the passage, a good writer could _________.
| A．write a lot for his readers |
| B．make a lot of money for his family |
| C．cause his readers to laugh |
| D．travel everywhere he wanted |
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