When Mr. David retired（退休）,he bought a small house in a village near the sea. He liked it and hoped to live a quiet life in it.
But to his great surprise, many tourists came to see his house in summer holidays, for it was the most interesting building in the village. From morning to night there were tourists outside the house. They kept looking into the rooms through the windows and many of them even went into Mr. David’s garden. This was too much for Mr. David. He decided to drive the visitors away. So he put a notice on the window. The notice said: “If you want to satisfy your curiosity（好奇心）, came in and look round. Price: twenty dollars.” Mr. David was sure that the visitors would stop coming, but he was wrong. More and more visitors came and Mr. David had to spend every day showing them around his house. “I came here to retire, not to work as a guide（导游）.” he said angrily. In the end, he sold the house and moved away.Mr. David’s house was that many tourists came to see it.
| A．so small | B．so quiet | C．so interesting | D．such interesting |
Mr. David put a notice on the window in order .
| A．to drive the visitors away |
| B．to satisfy the visitor’s curiosity |
| C．to let visitors come in and look round |
| D．to get some money out of the visitors |
The notice made the visitors .
| A．more interested in his house |
| B．lost interest in his house |
| C．angry at the unfair price |
| D．feel happy about the price |
After Mr. David put up the notice , .
| A．the visitors didn’t come any longer |
| B．fewer and fewer visitors came to see his house |
| C．more and more tourists came for a visit |
| D．no tourist would pay the money for a visit |
“The 13th of June，1325，I left Tangier，my birthplace，with the intention of making the pilgrimage（朝圣）to Mecca ．．．to leave all my friends，to abandon my home as birds abandon their nests．” So begins an old manuscript in a library in Paris—the travel diary of Ibn Battuta．
Almost two centuries before Columbus，this young Moroccan set off for Mecca，returning home three decades later as one of history’s great travelers．Driven by curiosity，he journeyed to remote corners of the Islamic world，traveling through 44 modern countries，three times as far as Marco Polo．Little celebrated in the West，his name is well known among Arabs．In his hometown of Tangier，a square，a hotel，a cafe，a ferry boat，and even a hamburger are named after him．
Ibn Battuta stayed in Mecca as a student for several years，but the urge to travel soon took over．In one adventure，he traveled to India seeking profitable employment with the sultan—the Muslim ruler of Delhi．On the way，he described his group being attacked in the open country by 80 men on foot，and two horsemen: “… I was hit by an arrow and my horse by another，but God in his grace preserved me ．．．” In Delhi，the sultan gave him the position of judge，based on his previous study at Mecca．But the sultan had an unpredictable character，and Ibn Battuta looked for an opportunity to leave．When the sultan offered to finance a trip to China，he agreed．Ibn Battuta set off in three ships，but misfortune struck while he was still on the shore．A sudden storm grounded and broke up two ships，scattering （散播）treasure and drowning many people and horses．As he watched，the third ship，with all his belongings and slaves—one carrying his child—was carried out to sea and never heard from again．
After a lifetime of amazing adventures，Ibn Battuta was finally ordered by the Sultan of Morocco to return home to share his wisdom with the world．Fortunately，he agreed and wrote a book that has been translated into numerous languages，allowing people everywhere to read about his unparalleled journeys．What can we learn about Ibn Battuta from the passage？
| A．He had great interest in the Islamic world． |
| B．He returned to his homeland to write a book． |
| C．His journeys were less important than Marco Polo’s． |
| D．His journeys were very common for people of that time． |
The Sultan of Delhi gave Ibn Battuta a position of judge because _______．
| A．Ibn Battuta had studied in Mecca |
| B．Ibn Battuta had been a judge before |
| C．Ibn Battuta had worked as a translator |
| D．Ibn Battuta had traveled to many countries |
Which is the best title for the passage？
| A．The Learned Ibn Battuta |
| B．A Visitor to Mecca |
| C．The Travels of Ibn Battuta |
| D．Desire for Adventures |
Let’s Go Fly a Kite…
—at Piedmont Middle School’s celebration of kites!
Come and learn how to build all sorts of kites，from the simplest diamond-shaped kites to the most complex box kites．Stay as long as you like and build as many kites as you want．Once you have finished a kite，get advice on flying techniques from kite expert Lorena Hallsberg．The celebration will be at Piedmont Middle School，151 Piedmont School Drive．
The Piedmont Middle School Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) has organized a refreshment (茶点) tent．All profits will benefit future PTO activities．Take a break from kite flying and drink some lemonade! While you are doing so，why not join the PTO？ Membership is free; you just donate your time．Show your support for Piedmont Middle School by joining the PTO this Saturday!
When: Saturday，April 11，from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Where: Piedmont Middle School
Why: For fun!
Cost: Free，thanks to a generous gift from Bizarco Kite Company!
Schedule
9:00 am — Kite-building booths open．All materials are supplied for kites．
10:00 am — Kite-building shows by Lorena Hallsberg in the courtyard．Come by and learn how to build box kites and kites that look and fly like butterflies．
11:00 am — Kite-flying shows on the school track．Learn all the most important skills．
12:00 pm — Kite-flying competitions on the school track．
1:00 pm — Presentation by Dr．Brian Lehrman in the show tent: “The History of Kites”．
2:00 pm — Best Kite competitions and judging in the show tent．Come see the most artistic kites and the most interesting theme kites．
3:00 pm — Presentation by Dr．Lehrman in the show tent: “Kites and Science”．
3:30 pm — Awards ceremony conducted by Headmaster Seward on the football field．The results of the day’s judging will be announced，with awards such as Best of Show，Most Artistic，Highest Flyer，and others．Winners will receive gifts from the Bizarco Kite Company!
4:00–5:00 pm — Let’s all go fly a kite! Everyone flies kites at the same time，creating a wonderful sight for all to enjoy．
Come to the kite celebration，enjoy yourself and learn more．
The main purpose of Paragraph 2 is to ask people to _______．
| A．build a kite |
| B．support the PTO |
| C．take a break |
| D．join the fun |
Which times are most important for people who want to join in kite competitions？
| A．10:00 am and 11:00 am． |
| B．12:00 pm and 2:00 pm． |
| C．1:00 pm and 3:00 pm． |
| D．2:00 pm and 4:00 pm． |
From the passage，we know that the kite celebration _______．
| A．is enjoyable and educational |
| B．is strict about the shapes of kites |
| C．gets money from PTO of Piedmont Middle School |
| D．gives people a chance to see kites from around the world |
The passage is intended for _______．
| A．school staff |
| B．kite experts |
| C．students and parents |
| D．kite companies |
Only two countries in the advanced world provide no guarantee for paid leave from work to care for a newborn child．Last spring one of the two，Australia，gave up the bad distinction by setting up paid family leave starting in 2011．I wasn’t surprised when this didn’t make the news here in the United States—we’re now the only wealthy country without such a policy．
The United States does have one explicit family policy，the Family and Medical Leave Act，passed in 1993．It entitles workers to as much as 12 weeks’ unpaid leave for care of a newborn or dealing with a family medical problem．Despite the modesty of the benefit，the Chamber of Commerce and other business groups fought it bitterly，describing it as “government-run personnel management” and a “dangerous precedent（先例）．” In fact，every step of the way，as (usually) Democratic leaders have tried to introduce work-family balance measures into the law，business groups have been strongly opposed．
As Yale law professor Anne Alstott argues，justifying parental support depends on defining（定义）the family as a social good that，in some sense，society must pay for．Parents are burdened in many ways in their lives: there is “no exit” when it comes to children．Society expects—and needs—parents to provide their children with continuity of care．And society expects—and needs—parents to persist in their roles for 18 years，or longer if needed．What do we learn about paid family leave according to Paragraph 1？
| A．It came as a surprise when Australia adopted the policy． |
| B．Setting up this policy made Australia less influential． |
| C．It has now become a hot topic in the United States． |
| D．No such policy is applied in the United States． |
What makes it hard to take work-family balance measures in the States？
| A．The incompetence of the Democrats． |
| B．The opposition from business circles． |
| C．The lack of a precedent in American history． |
| D．The existing Family and Medical Leave Act． |
What is Professor Anne Alstott’s argument for parental support？
| A．Children need continuous care． |
| B．Good parenting benefits society． |
| C．The cost of raising children has been growing． |
| D．The U．S．should keep up with other developed countries． |
Why is the author against classifying parenting as a personal choice？
| A．Parenting is regarded as a moral duty． |
| B．Parenting relies largely on social support． |
| C．Parenting produces huge moral benefits． |
| D．Parenting is basically a social responsibility． |
The Loss of Innocence
Innocence is such a precious gift．It’s explained as freedom from guilt or wrong doing．Just imagine never having to worry about anything and having a guilt free mind．Some people wish to save this kind of innocence from being lost from childhood to adulthood．
What would the world be like if innocence were never lost？One way it would benefit humanity is the lack of hatred （仇恨）among the world．During youth，there may be an occasional argument，even a little physical fight，but nothing like firing a handgun at a fellow human being．And children are blind towards the racial differences of others．A kid will hang out with any other kid．It is the lack of innocence and the ignorance we learn from adults that influence children otherwise．Another benefit is the constant desire for fun and adventure．With very little if any time at all for fun，the adventurous mind is lost in time with the responsibilities placed upon adults．If innocence were kept alive，these ambitions would never depart from our lives．
However，other people actually hate the idea of innocence lasting forever．They feel that the lack of organization and mental power of those with innocence would cause extremely destructive consequences to society in general．A large number of individuals would never have the urge to learn，work，and act upon the necessary needs for humanity to survive．Without a proper education which is usually provided by those who no longer live in a world of innocence，people would not have the desire to succeed，get a good job in life，or provide income for their families，which would hurt the lives of children．
The lack of a good education and career would also harm the economy．As long as innocence is kept alive，no one would be terribly angered at the lack of effort people put out in the workplace，resulting in a strong decline in production and quality of needed goods．
Maybe it is wrong in wanting to save innocence．It sure is a nice thought，though．Perhaps innocence was meant to be lost．It was god’s will to make things the way they are，and there is a good purpose for everything．All that remains to be said about innocence is to enjoy it while it lasts．The author believes that the loss of innocence in adulthood should be _______．
| A．avoided |
| B．condemned |
| C．accepted |
| D．inspired |
Lifelong innocence would be beneficial to society in that _______．
| A．proper education would be provided |
| B．there would be no racial discrimination |
| C．more happy families would be guaranteed |
| D．people would realize their childhood dreams |
According to the author，people with innocence can hurt the economy with their lack of _____．
| A．motivational will |
| B．mental ability |
| C．adventurous ambitions |
| D．needed goods |
Which of the following shows the structure of the passage？
Lights Out at Bedtime
There are plenty of good reasons to power up a personal desktop or laptop computer in the evening — writing e-mails，chatting on social networks or making purchases over the Internet，for instance．But various studies indicate that people who stare at a PC’s bright monitor shortly before going to bed probably sleep less soundly than they would otherwise because the light seriously affects their natural wake-sleep cycle．"They haven't proved it though，" says Dieter Kunz，the team's director at Charite's Psychiatric Clinic in St．Hedwig's Hospital in Berlin．
Similarly，exposure to just 10 minutes of normal bathroom lighting is enough to free the sleep hormone melatonin，which regulates people's natural wake-sleep cycle and makes them sleepy at nightfall．
Ten years ago，a team of British and American researchers detected a photo-pigment（光敏色素） in the human eye that signals to the body whether it is day or night，summer or winter．The photo-pigment is especially sensitive to blue light．
"The blue light more or less tells the body，'It's daytime，be awake，'" Kunz says．Monitors have a mostly cold white light content and scientists suspect the photo-pigment may react similarly to it．So the longer people look into the bright light，the more awake they become - and then sleep poorly．
A lot of people have difficulty "switching off" in the evening．About half of the women in Germany and a quarter of the men sleep poorly．
Environmental factors are only one of the possible causes．Job stress as well as personal and health concerns are also the main reasons for their sleep problems．
In addition，electronic objects' standby lights and indicator lamps can be annoying in the dark and affect sleep．"Sound scientific evidence is still lacking on this matter，" Kunz notes．
According to Kunz，those who cannot go without their computer in the evening should turn down the blue content if possible and lower the brightness somewhat．"But nobody does that because，after all，you want to concentrate while working at the computer and the light helps the brain．"The passage is mainly about ____________．
| A．natural wake-up cycles |
| B．the effect of light on sleep |
| C．personal and health concerns |
| D．functions of computer monitors |
The underlined word “which” in Paragraph 2 refers to_____．
| A．normal bathroom lighting |
| B．10-minute exposure to lighting |
| C．the release process of a chemical |
| D．a chemical affecting one’s sleep cycle |
We can learn from the passage that ______．
| A．the blue light has a calming effect． |
| B．the photo-pigment tells people day or night |
| C．women in Germany use computers more often than men |
| D．it has been proved that standby lights affect people’s sleep |
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