Once upon a time in a land far away, there was a wonderful old man who loved everything：animals, spiders, insects．
One day while walking through the woods, the nice old man found a cocoon（茧）of a butterfly．He took it home．A few days later, a small opening appeared; he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole．Then it seemed to stop making any progress．It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther．Then the man decided to help the butterfly, so he took a pair of scissors and cut off the remaining bit of the cocoon．
The butterfly then appeared easily．
But it had a swollen body and small, fragile wings．The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would be smaller in time．Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling （慢慢爬行）around with a swollen body and fragile wings．
It never was able to fly．
What the man in his kindness and hurry did not understand was that the limited cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were Nature's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon．
Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life．If we were allowed to go through our life without any obstacles and difficulties, it would disable us．We would not be as strong as what we could have been．And we could never fly．The butterfly could never fly because _______________．
| A．it was too fat and strong． |
| B．it loved crawling around． |
| C．it got out of the cocoon easily． |
| D．it didn’t get through the cocoon． |
The text is most likely to be found in a book about_______________．
| A．popular science | B．humorous stories． |
| C．successful people | D．philosophyevents |
What is the implied meaning of the passage?
| A．Life without any obstacles and difficulties is perfect． |
| B．Obstacles and difficulties contribute to success． |
| C．Never help a butterfly to get out of the cocoon． |
| D．A butterfly can never fly without going through the cocoon |
Its often interesting to take a look at some of the lists that arrive toward the end of the year such as top devices, best gadgets, most desirable high-tech gift and more. Apart from cell phones and tablets, and Apple and Samsung products, this year many other gadgets made it on the most wanted list from Yahoo Tech and the most searched list from Bing. com. Read on to find out what they are.
Wireless headphone
Portable Bluetooth headphones represent the next evolution in headphone technology. If you have a compatible smartphone with Bluetooth, the obvious benefit is that you can get rid of the wires snaking from your backpack or pocket. Many of the wireless headphones in the market also have a built-in microphone for taking calls hands-free.
Product to buy: Beats Studio Wireless
Features: Signature look, and powerful audio performance with intense bass and high-mid boosting, plus plenty of accessories.
Price: 1898 yuan
Smartwatch
The primary advantage of a smartwatch over traditional watches is that they reduce how often you have to pull your phone out of your pocket. With it, the information on your smartphone goes straight to your wrist, and you can decide first if they are worth dealing with.
Product to buy: Pebble smartwatch
Features: Understated design, with easy setup and instant information, and customizable watch faces, plus synes（同步）with Android or IOS.
Price: $99 (about 612 yuan)
Portable Bluetooth speaker
Bluetooth speakers are steadily growing in popularity because they let you take the party anywhere. They can be paired with your music device, and they are able to withstand incidental bumps. Though small in size, Bluetooth speakers provide a steady soundtrack for even the lengthiest bacchanalia (狂欢)。
Product to buy: Logitech UE Boom
Features: Water and stain resistant, 360-degree sound, 15 hour battery life, with a variety of color patterns.
Price: 1499 yuan
Fitness band
Basically, fitness bands are smartwatches without the watch. They keep track of your exercise progress and, at the same time, allow you to monitor vitals such as your heart rate, calories burned and amount of time spent exercising. Some even monitor your sleep patterns.
Product to buy: Fitbit Flex
Features: Long battery life (five days), with silent vibrating alarm, and wireless syncing to smartphones.
Price: 898 yuanAccording to the first paragraph, a smartphone that __________ is a compatible one.
| A．goes with other devices |
| B．has a large capacity |
| C．represents technological evolution |
| D．has signature look |
How much money is he likely to spend on some of the products if a man is an enthusiastic musical fan?
| A．3397 yuan | B．1510 yuan | C．2397 yuan | D．2510 yuan |
Which of the following words can best summarize the common feature of the above products?
| A．Wearable | B．Cheap | C．Android | D．Wireless |
Which of the following statements is Not True according to the passage?
| A．Smartwatch and Fitness band are similar products to some extent. |
| B．Beats Studio Wireless features plenty of accessories. |
| C．All the products can sync with Android or iOS |
| D．Tablets are on the most wanted list of high-tech products of this year |
This afternoon, my office sent out over 34,000 e-mail notifications to high school seniors who were waiting to learn whether they would be invited to spend the next four years at Stanford. Even though I have been in the admission field for over 30 years, I still feel the pain of the many exceptional youths who were not offered places.
Given that todays teens already have enough pressure in their lives, I wish to impart (告知) three messages to any particularly disappointed parents.
First, it’s all relative. While the number admitted into the undergraduate (本科的) class has remained unchanged for years, Stanford, like many of its peer (同类的) schools, has had a record number of total applicants more than 42,000. Regardless of arguments over whether too much preference is given to one category over another, thousands of students are going to be turned away, and there is no doubt that the vast majority of them could have met the demands of a Stanford education.
I wish there were a formula (公式) to explain who is accepted and who isn’t, but the decision-making is as much art as it is science. Each class is a symphony with its own distinct composition (乐曲)and sound. The final roster (花名册) is an effort to create harmony (和谐), and that means that some extraordinary bass players don’t get a chair. What’s more, even among my staff (员工) there are legitimate (合理的) differences about applicants.
Second, celebrate the bigger picture. Most of the applications I reviewed are truly remarkable. The transition from high school to college is a turning point, and it’s more important to focus on how a young adult is moving on to a new stage than where that stage happens to be. You should mark the success of your children and rejoice (喜悦) in the excitement that the next four years will bring.
And that leads to my final point: education is what a student makes of it. Of course, certain schools have resources (资源) that others don’t, but they all offer opportunities to learn and to grow. Thousands of applicants who arent accepted to Stanford go on to have fulfilling lives. What parents and college applicants across the country need to remember is that the news they receive, whether good or bad, is but a single step on a much longer journey. Which of the following statements might the author agree with?
| A．Bass players, even some extraordinary ones, have little chance of being accepted by Stanford. |
| B．Those who fail to get admitted into Stanford don’t necessarily do worse than those who make it. |
| C．Those who fail to get admitted by Stanford probably wouldn’t meet the demands of a Stanford education. |
| D．There are more students applying to study at Stanford than its peer schools in the US. |
In the last two paragraphs, the author intends to convey the message that ______.
| A．most colleges offer students the same resources as Stanford does |
| B．Stanford offers the best opportunities for young adults to learn and grow |
| C．parents should tell their children that this rejection will only make them stronger |
| D．its not which college that students enter but what they do there that counts |
What is the main purpose of the article?
| A．To congratulate those who have been admitted into Stanford. |
| B．To tell parents that there is no need to feel down if their children werent admitted to Stanford. |
| C．To inform us what kinds of applicants are more likely to be accepted by Stanford. |
| D．To inform us of the characteristics of a Stanford education. |
ON a scale of one to ten, how would you rate your pain?
Baymax, the plus-sized white robot, asks the question each time he detects (探测到) his patient’s pain. Considering that he is hardly like a typical Marvel superhero, how could this robotic caregiver from Big Hero 6 have stolen viewers’ hearts and taken home this year’s best animation Oscar?
Set in fictional San Fransokyo, the film follows Hiro, a 14-year-old robotics genius (天才). After his brother dies, he goes on a journey to save his city from an evil masked man with his brother’s invention, Baymax.
Baymax was named “Disney’s most straightforwardly adorable (萌的) character” in years by The Telegraph. He has a pure white pear-shaped body and stumpy elephant legs. And his eyes –just two black dots with a line through them – can blink (眨眼) quickly or slowly. Baymax’s physical appearance “works with his personality because he’s purely good and naive (天真的),” co-director Don Hall told The Hollywood Reporter.
Sometimes Baymax is awkward. Moving in tight spaces gets challenging with his potbelly (大肚子). And when his batteries run low, he behaves like an amusing drunk. “This means that he is not at all intimidating (令人生畏的) and is easy to like,” commented The Straits Times in Singapore.
Baymax is a comforting friend, the kind that perhaps everyone needs.
After he diagnoses (诊断) Hiro with feeling sorrow, he says: “Physical comfort helps too,” and pulls Hiro into a hug. He pats his head, saying: “There, there.”
The team’s car crashes into the water at one point, and they have to walk shivering (颤抖) back home. Baymax notices that everyone’s body temperatures are low, so he turns on his internal heaters. Everyone cuddles (依偎) up with him. “This is like spooning (拥抱) with a warm marshmallow (棉花糖),” says Fred, one of the characters.
One minute, he is used as a bouncy castle (充气城堡), and the next he transforms into a superhero.
To fight against the villain, Hiro upgrades Baymax so that the robot can attack and fly. The robot has a hard time figuring out these new skills, but after he realizes that Hiro is happy with his improvement, he immediately becomes an expert. “The treatment is working,”he says.
Tencent Entertainment calls the amazing Baymax a “perfect companion”.“He is quiet, clumsy, and adorable. But at important times, he steps up and stops at nothing to protect his friends from harm, even if it means that he has to sacrifice his life. This is an idealized (理想化的) relationship in harsh reality,” the site commented.What does Baymax do when he discovers Hiro is sad?
| A．He tries to amuse him by behaving awkwardly. |
| B．He leaves him alone. |
| C．He comforts him with a hug. |
| D．He advises him to go for a walk. |
Which of the following adjectives best describe Baymax?
| A．Considerate and selfless. | B．Adorable and humorous. |
| C．Clumsy and cautious. | D．Brave and proud. |
What is the article mainly about?
| A．The plot and background of the movie Big Hero 6. |
| B．The friendship between Hiro and Baymax in Big Hero 6. |
| C．The reasons for the popularity of Baymax from Big Hero 6. |
| D．What sets Big Hero 6 apart from other animation movies. |
Which of the following is TRUE about Baymax?
| A．Baymaxs awkwardness actually makes him more adorable and popular. |
| B．Baymax was invented by Hiro, a robotics genius. |
| C．Baymaxs physical appearance doesnt quite match his personality. |
| D．Baymax looks like a typical Marvel superhero. |
Yes, it’s still 2015, but as USA Today says, “it’s never too early to plan your 2016 travels”. With so many hot destinations (目的地) around the globe, “where should I go?” can be difficult to answer. According to Lonely Planet, though, Brazil is a fine choice – on April 29, the travel guide named that country the top one to visit in 2016.
“As if endless strands of coast and mountains splashed with rainforest didn’t already add up to an unfair share of heaven (天堂), Brazil held one of the greatest sporting events in the world, the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and the 2016 Summer Olympics, another greatest one, will be followed ,” explained Lonely Planet.
Brazil is the largest and most populous country in South America. It boasts (自豪拥有) the Amazon, the world’s largest jungle (丛林), which is home to a variety of plants and animals. But the great landscape (景色) is not the only thing Brazilians take pride in.
The colors green and yellow might make most people think of Brazil’s soccer team even more than its national flag. Soccer is more than a sport in Brazil; it’s a way of life. In fact, the World Cup brings Brazilians together. It is interesting to note that the general elections (大选) in Brazil are usually held during the same year as the World Cup. Political parties try to take advantage of the patriotic enthusiasm (爱国热情) created by soccer to inspire political energy.
Alongside soccer, samba is another emblem (象征) of Brazil. The country’s most traditional dance is highlighted every February at the Rio Carnival, which is one of the world’s biggest.
“Brazil has left its second-class nation status (地位),” said former Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in 2009 after Rio de Janeiro was awarded the 2016 Olympics.
Brazil’s growing economy, fueled (刺激) by oil and aircraft factories, has made it more than just a nation of samba, soccer and beaches. These days, it might just be the best tourist destination in the world.Which of the following aspects are mentioned about Brazil in the article?
a. militaryb. Economy c. language and culture d. geography and population
| A．bc | B．bcd | C．acd | D．bd |
We can tell Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is ______ his country from his words.
| A．honest about | B．ashamed of |
| C．modest about | D．proud of |
Which is TRUE about Brazil?
| A．It is the largest country with the longest history in South America. |
| B．It will hold the FIFA World Cup and the Summer Olympics in 2014. |
| C．Soccer and samba are two symbols of the country. |
| D．Its Amazon is the worlds largest jungle with the most beautiful landscape. |
The authors purpose in writing the article is to ______.
| A．explain why Brazil will be holding the two sporting events |
| B．give an introduction of Brazil as a tourist destination |
| C．give an objective review of Brazil as a nation |
| D．prove that Lonely Planets recommendation is right |
Are some people born clever, and others born stupid? Or is intelligence developed by our environment and our experiences? Strangely enough, the answer to both these questions is yes．To some degree our intelligence is given to us at birth, and no amount of special education can make a genius out of a child born with low intelligence．On the other hand, a child who lives in a boring environment will develop his intelligence less than one who lives in rich and varied surroundings．Thus the limits of a person's intelligence are fixed at birth, but whether or not he reaches those limits will depend on his environment. This view, now held by most experts, can be supported in a number of ways．
It is easy to show that intelligence is to some degree something we are born with．The closer the blood relationship between two people, the closer they are likely to be in intelligence．Thus if we take two unrelated people at random（随机地）from the population, it is likely that their degrees of intelligence will be completely different．If on the other hand we take two identical（完全相同的） twins they will very likely be as intelligent as each other．Relations like brothers and sisters, parents and children, usually have similar intelligence, and this clearly suggests that intelligence depends on birth．
Imagine now that we take two identical twins and put them in different environments. We might send one, for example, to a university and the other to a factory where the work is boring．We would soon find differences in intelligence developing, and this indicates that environment as well as birth plays a part．This conclusion is also suggested by the fact that people who live in close contact with each other, but who are not related at all, are likely to have similar degrees of intelligence．Which of these sentences best describes the writer’s point in Para.1?
| A．To some degree, intelligence is given at birth． |
| B．Intelligence is developed by the environment． |
| C．Some people are born clever and others born stupid． |
| D．Intelligence is fixed at birth, but is developed by the environment． |
It is suggested in this passage that_______．
| A．unrelated people are not likely to have similar intelligence |
| B．close relations usually have similar intelligence |
| C．the closer the blood relationship between people, the more different they are likely to be in intelligence |
| D．people who live in close contact with each other are not likely to have similar degrees of intelligence |
In Para.1, the word "surroundings" means_______．
| A．intelligence | B．life |
| C．environments | D．housing |
The best title for this article would be_______．
| A．On Intelligence |
| B．What Intelligence Means |
| C．We are Born with Intelligence |
| D．Environment Plays a Part in Developing Intelligence |
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