A “blogger” is a person who writes on an Internet website called a “blog”. The word “blog” is a short way of saying “web log”, or “personal website”. Anyone can start a blog, and they can write about anything they like．
There are millions of blogs on the Internet today. They provide news, information and ideas to the people who read them．They contain links to other websites．And they provide a place for people to write their ideas and react to the ideas of others．
A research company called Perseus has studied more than 3,000 web logs. It says that blogs are most popular with teenage girls. They use them to let their friends know what is happening in their lives. The study also says that more than 100,000 bloggers stopped taking part in the activity after a year．
However, some people develop serious blogs to present political and other ideas. For example, the Republican and Democratic parties in the southern state of Kentucky recently started their own blogs. And American companies are beginning to use blogs to advertise their products．
At thesame time, some long-standing blogs have ended. Last week, blogging leader Dave Winer closed his free blog service “weblogs.com”． He said the site became too costly to continue. He started the blog four years ago, and thousands of people had written on it. They are now upset because they did not know that the site was closed．
One blog that is still going strong is called Rebecca’s Pocket．Rebecca Blood created the website in 1999. She wrote about the history of blogs on the site．That article led to a book called The Weblog Handbook．It has been translated into four languages so far．
Miss Blood says Rebecca’s Pocket gets about thirty thousand visitors a month．She writes about anything and everything —— politics, culture and movies. She recently provided medical advice． And she wrote about how to prevent people from being stolen from online bank accounts．The text is mainly written to _______．
| A．introduce an Internet website called “blog” |
| B．introduce a short way of saying “web log” |
| C．tell readers about blogs |
| D．tell readers how to write blogs |
From the text we can learn that blogs cover almost everything except _______．
| A．different ideas | B．medical advice |
| C．advertisements | D．account passwords |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the text?
| A．Politicians don’t use blogs at all． |
| B．A lot of bloggers no longer write or read blogs． |
| C．Those who like to use blogs are mostly teenage girls． |
| D．Dave Winer closed his “weblogs.com” because of the money shortage． |
The reason why Rebecca’s Pocket is still going strong is that _______．
| A．it was created by a woman |
| B．it is about the history of blogs |
| C．it provides useful information and advice |
| D．it has editions in atleast four different languages |
Searching for airfares often seems like a game that passengers are bound to lose.
Prices change from day to day, even minute to minute. Looking through multiple websites for the best deal can be a big challenge. Even when you do book, there’s no guarantee that you are going to get the best price.
“You just don’t know when to pull the trigger. It’s not like buying anything else I can think of,” said George Hobica, founder of Airfarewatchdog.com.
Harriet Levy paid $179 for a recent round-trip flight on American Airlines between New York and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Sitting just one row behind her, Shirley Harrison paid $215. A few rows back, Ellis and Dianne Traub paid $317 each. There were at least 12 fares on the flight, ranging from $169 to $360.
There’s no reason for it, Harrison said.
Fares can vary significantly in just a few hours. One Delta flight from New York to Los Angeles jumped from $755 to $1,143 from a Friday to Saturday in late April, then fell to $718 on Sunday.
The flight was one of a dozen the Associated Press (美国联合通讯社)followed over three months for a vacation between July 16 and 22. The number one finding: avoid booking tickets on weekends. It’s the most expensive time to buy.
There’s no way to guarantee the best fare. But before booking, travelers should pay attention to this additional advice:
● Book on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. That’s when airlines most often offer sales.
● Buy in advance, but not too early. The best time is four to six weeks before traveling. In general, prices for any given flight are highest eight to ten weeks and two to three weeks in advance.
● Make use of social media. Airlines are giving more benefits like exclusive (独家) sales to travelers who interact (互动) with them on Twitter and Facebook. Those specials are often gone within hours.
● The so-called discount airlines – JetBlue, Air-Tran, Southwest and Frontier – adjust their fares less frequently than other airlines, so you can feel more confident that the price will stay the same. But their prices aren’t always the lowest. Researching multiple airlines’ fares is the only way to get a good deal. What can we infer from the first sentence of the text?
| A．Passengers are unable to search for airfares. |
| B．Airlines often play games with passengers. |
| C．Airfares are set in different situations. |
| D．It’s difficult for passengers to get the best price. |
The underlined phrase “pull the trigger” in Paragraph 3 probably means _______.
| A．startsearching | B．getthehighestprice |
| C．makeapurchase | D．getonboardtheplane |
By using a lot of figures, the author intends to _______.
| A．show there is standard price for every single airline |
| B．discover the rules behind airfares |
| C．guarantee passengers a low price |
| D．prove airfares can vary widely |
Passengers are advised to book flights _______.
| A．in the middle of the week |
| B．on special websites |
| C．several months before traveling |
| D．with airlines which are famous for offering discount prices |
[1] As adolescents(青少年), having a meaningful effect on the world can seem like an impossible task for the simple fact of being kids. Changing the world does not only mean finding a cure for cancer, eliminating poverty, or finding the origin of humanity, but recycling a piece of paper as well. Going Green is a practical way that adolescents can have a real, meaningful influence in the world. There are numerous options of how individuals can change their lifestyles to be more eco-conscious(有生态环保意识的). What follows are three simple ways young adolescents can go green and change the world.
1. Recycle
[2] According to a Wire & Twine online article, 63 million newspapers come out every day and of those 44 million are thrown away; recycling the Sunday newspaper alone we could save half a million trees a week.
[3] The age of technology constantly creates new phones, iPods, or new computers. Many will stand in line for hours if not days to get their hands on the new piece of technology, but what happens with the old ones once they are replaced? Nothing, according to Earth911 about 75% of the old devices sit in the back of a drawer collecting dust. By taking them to the local stores that collect them, they go to poor people which in turn removes them from landfills(垃圾填埋场) where the phones explode because of the lead and lithium-ion(锂离子) the phones contain.
2. Go vegetarian one day a week
[4] Instead of breaking down the pros and cons(利弊) of the vegetarian lifestyle into a long boring paragraph, here are some astonishing facts on going vegetarian for only one day. According to Noam Mohr, a physicist at the New York University, the United States would save 100 billion gallons of water which is enough to supply all homes in New England for about 4 months.
[5] The United States would save 70 million gallons of gas which is enough to fuel all the cars of Canada and Mexico combined and still have some to spare. The United States could prevent 3 million tons of soil erosion(侵蚀), 4.5 million tons of animal wastes, and about 7 tons of ammonia emissions (氨排放). The Environmental Defense concludes with the most interesting fact: if the entire population gives up one meal of chicken, the amount of carbon dioxide accumulated would be the same amount if more than half a million cars were taken off U.S. roads.
3. 第6题
[6] Most drink bottled water because of the common view that bottled water is healthier than regular tap water; actually, 25% of bottled water comes from regular tap water and all that is done extra is it going through a filter(过滤器). Tap water has higher regulations from the FDA (Food and Drug Administration美国食品药品管理局) than bottled water does. Companies do not need to list where they got the water from, how they purify the water, or what chemicals their plastic water bottles contain. Plastic bottles do not get recycled 90% of the time which results in 1.5 million tons of plastic in landfills which take thousands of years to rot. Not only are you drinking the same water as that in your house but also paying extra. The average 24-pack of bottled water cost $3.97 at the local Wal-Mart and a reusable water bottle cost between $4.99-$7.99; just imagine how much money could be saved if reusable water bottles replaced plastic water bottles.
[7] Changing the world for a positive has to start somewhere and while it may be hard and at times it may seem as if the small changes that are being done are not affecting the world, keep in mind what Margaret Mead once said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”What’s the whole passage mainly talked about?
| A．Ways to protect environment. | B．Ways to become powerful. |
| C．The importance of recycling. | D．The importance of saving water. |
What’s the meaning of the underlined sentence in Paragraph 1?
| A．Changing the world involves many questions. |
| B．It’s not easy to change the world. |
| C．Changing the world is not so difficult. |
| D．We can actually do everything. |
How much of the daily newspapers are thrown away according to Paragraph 2?
| A．About 44%. | B．About 63%. | C．About 70%. | D．About 75%. |
In the article, the writer _____ to tell us the benefits of the vegetarian lifestyle.
| A．does a lot of reasoning | B．uses many facts |
| C．borrows VIPs’ phrases | D．puts forward new ideas |
What’s the benefits of giving up just one day of eating meat according to Paragraph 4 and 5?
| A．Much water and gas would be saved. | B．Much land would be spared. |
| C．More animals would survive. | D．More cars would be on the roads. |
Which of the following can be the subtitle(小标题) of Paragraph 6?
| A．Drink healthy water | B．Produce bottled water |
| C．Give up bottled water | D．Reuse tap water |
Why do many people choose to drink bottled water according to Paragraph 6?
| A．They think it’s cheaper. |
| B．They think it’s healthier. |
| C．They think it’s more fashionable. |
| D．They think it’s environmental friendly. |
What’s the main idea of the last paragraph?
| A．We should find a proper time to start action |
| B．Small changes will make big differences. |
| C．Personal efforts will not affect the world. |
| D．A small group of people matters. |
Aside from doing schoolwork and studying, American students must also participate in various extra-curricular activities. Many students get involved in their communities by doing volunteer work at various local organizations. In fact, the school I attend even requires students to perform a certain number of hours of volunteer work per semester. It is part of our study hall(自修课) grade, as well as a graduation requirement.
There are many places to do volunteer work in the community. Some of my classmates volunteer at the local animal shelter, the community table (which provides free meals for needy families), charity(慈善) stores, and many others. Finding a suitable place to volunteer usually depends on what’s available, as well as personal interests. For example, a friend of mine who enjoys swimming volunteers at the recreation center to teach young children how to swim.
With all these options out there, I ended up doing most of my volunteer work at a school library and a non-profit bookstore called Friends of the Library. This bookstore sells donated books at cheap prices, and all the profits made are donated to the local library.
I thought it was very fitting that I do my volunteer work at a library and a bookstore, because reading has always been very important to me. I love working in the bookstore now, because every sale we make helps our public library expand, and gives it the funds needed to purchase new books.
I think everyone should have the opportunity to read, and that we each should do our part to help those who don’t have the chance. There is a charity event, called One Book for A Window of Opportunity, in which Chinese students can donate a book to the children of the poor village Fangmaping. They don’t have a lot of resources, so reading can be a challenge. To find out more about this event, please visit: http://bbs.enfamily.cn/thread-739278-1-1.html. This passage is written by _____.
| A．a Chinese student | B．an American student | C．a Chinese teacher | D．an American teacher |
This passage is supposed to write to ____.
| A．villagers in Fangmaping | B．the writer’s parents |
| C．Chinese readers | D．American readers |
The writer chose to do volunteer work at _____.
| A．a local animal shelter | B．a charity store |
| C．a recreation center | D．a library and a bookstore |
By writing the article, the writer hopes to _____.
| A．meet the graduation requirement | B．look for another volunteer job |
| C．get more chances to read | D．encourage people to offer help |
ASK any group of teenagers in the UK what they most like to eat, and foods like pizzas, curries, pasta, burgers and chips are bound to get a mention – and many young people would probably also list hanging out at the local fast-food restaurant as one of their favorite pastimes.
But what teenagers like to eat is not necessarily what they should be eating. According to the National Diet and Nutrition Survey, far too many young people in the UK between the ages of four and 18 consume too much fat, sugar and salt in their diet and take in too many calories. Meanwhile their intake of starchy carbohydrates (淀粉类碳水化合物), fibre, iron, vitamins and calcium is too low.
For a growing body, eating foods containing plenty of calcium, such as milk, yoghurt and cheese, is particularly important as calcium is essential for the development of healthy, strong bones. Similarly, foods that are rich in iron are good for young, rapidly developing bodies, so red meat, bread, green vegetables, dried fruit and fortified (强化的) breakfast cereals (谷类食物) are also recommended.
It is during our teenage years that lifestyle habits can become entrenched (根深蒂固的), so it is important that young people are educated about what foods are good for them. In 2005, in an attempt to change eating habits and open teenagers’ minds to new flavors and new tastes, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver launched a ‘Feed Me Better’ campaign. As part of a television series, ‘Jamie’s School Dinners’, he worked with teachers and cooks in a number of schools across the UK to provide more healthy, nutritious school meal options. Although the campaign was rather resisted at the beginning, it was generally regarded as a huge success and helped to influence governmental policy on nutritional standards for school meals.
No one expects to end the teenage love affair with fast and junk food but, hopefully, if projects like ‘Feed Me Better’ and the Government's own ‘Change4Life’ campaign continue to give out the right messages, more young people will understand the importance of balancing occasional treats with healthier food options. What can we conclude from the first two paragraphs?
| A．British teenagers eat too much junk food. |
| B．British teenagers need to take in more calcium. |
| C．What British teenagers like to eat is probably what their bodies need |
| D．British teenagers should reduce their intake of starchy carbohydrates. |
Young people need calcium and iron ______.
| A．to improve their brainpower |
| B．to build healthy strong bodies |
| C．to provide energy for their body |
| D．to help change their eating habits |
According to the article, Jamie Oliver launched a campaign at schools to ______.
| A．show off his excellent cooking skills |
| B．teach students how to cook nutritious meals |
| C．make the public keep an eye on school food |
| D．improve the children’s diet at school |
Which is a point that the article supports?
| A．Teenagers should never eat any junk food at all. |
| B．It’s easy for children to give up unhealthy eating. |
| C．It’s okay for a healthy eater to have a little junk food. |
| D．Once developed, our eating habit will never change. |
Kiss crisis, hug horrors and the UK's handshake headaches
Greeting someone, saying goodbye – these situations fill me with unease. You have a second to make a dangerous decision. One peck (轻吻)? Two pecks? Three? No kisses at all? Why, I think, as I crash into the other person’s face, why can’t it be as simple as a handshake?
A survey by the soap company Radox in May showed one in five Brits now feels a handshake is “too formal”, according to the Daily Mail. Some 42 percent said they never shook hands when greeting friends. For one third of people the alternative was a hug, for 16 percent a kiss on the cheek.
British people are known to be reserved (保守的) – unfriendly, some would say. Handshakes used to work for us because we didn’t have to get too close. But the super-British handshake is no longer fashionable. We want to be more like our easygoing Mediterranean neighbors who greet each other with kisses and hugs.
The trouble is, we still find it a bit awkward. What does a married man do when greeting a married female friend, for example? How should someone younger greet someone older?
Guys don’t tend to kiss one another; my male friends in Britain go for the “manly hug”, taking each other stiffly (不自然地) in one arm and giving a few thumps on the back with words like “Take it easy, yeah?”.
The biggest questions, if you do decide to kiss, are how many times and which cheek first. Unlike the French, who comfortably deliver three, our cheek-pecks usually end in embarrassed giggling (咯咯笑): “Oh, gosh, sorry, I didn’t mean to kiss you on the lips, I never know where to aim for first!”
But then it’s never been easy for us poor, uncomfortable Brits. Even the handshake had its problems: don’t shake too hard, but don’t hold the other person’s hand too limply (无力地) either, and definitely don’t go in with sweaty hands.
Maybe it’s better to leave it at a smile and a nod. What is the article mainly about?
| A．Origin of the traditional British way of greeting someone. |
| B．New trends and problems that Brits have with the way they greet people. |
| C．Why the author feels uneasy when greeting someone or saying goodbye. |
| D．Differences in greetings between Britain and other Western countries. |
What did the survey by the soap company Radox show?
| A．It is now considered unfriendly to greet friends with a handshake in Britain. |
| B．A kiss on the cheek is becoming the most popular form of greeting in Britain. |
| C．Most Brits no longer offer to shake hands with those they meet. |
| D．More and more Brits prefer to be greeted with a hug or kiss. |
The underlined word “awkward” in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to ______.
| A．not helpful | B．too informal | C．quite embarrassed | D．very interesting |
Which does the author think might be the safest form of greeting for a British person?
| A．A hug. | B．A smile and a nod. | C．A handshake. | D．A kiss on the cheek. |
Who wrote the article?
| A．A British writer. | B．An American writer. | C．A French writer. | D．A Chinese writer. |
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