The early 1900s were very different from today, when toys were still the delight of children everywhere.
Theodore Roosevelt's Presidency marks the beginning of the “Teddy Bear”. In the year 1902，toy bears were named “Teddy” after the president's nickname. The Teddy Bear became known worldwide and it was only a few years later that the Teddy Bears were mass produced.
In 1913，an item called the Erector Set was invented. It was a steel，motorized toy that children could use to build models of anything. Its creator was A．C.Gilbert，a medical doctor.
Charles Pajeau created a similar wooden set called Tinker Toys in the year 1914.Tinker Toys were made for younger children.
Raggedy Ann dolls first came on the scene after newspaper cartoonist Johnny Gruelle reproduced the doll he made for his daughter. That was in 1915.
The following year，an architect's son named John Lloyd Wright，invented Lincoln Logs，which were interlocked to make structures.
Two years after Mickey Mouse was created，stuffed(填塞)Mickey Mouse dolls were made by Charlotte Clark. This was the start of Disney merchandise.
The yoyo became popular in the United States after Donald Duncan bought a yoyo company in 1929.
The ViewMaster，a three dimensional viewer，was developed by a camera enthusiast named William Gruber. The toy became popular when Gruber licensed Disney characters to make still, 3D images from Disney movies and television programs.
Finally，in 1940，model airplanes were mass produced. They started out as a way for manufacturers to sell planes to the military，but later caught on as a toy.
The toys that we know and love today have had their roots from these ancient times. Thanks to all these creative man’s efforts, we know otherwise what we may never know.Why were toy bears named “Teddy”？
| A．To be suitable for mass production |
| B．To be easily pronounced by children. |
| C．To meet the advertisers' needs. |
| D．To memorize President Theodore Roosevelt |
In which aspect do the toys created by Gilbert differ from those by Charles?
| A．Shape | B．Material used | C．Themes | D．Price |
When did the ViewMaster become popular?
| A．After William Gruber was born |
| B．After Gruber licensed Disney characters |
| C．Two years after Mickey Mouse was created. |
| D．When Disney merchandise was started |
“You are going abroad and will live there? Oh, wonderful! You are so lucky.”
Perhaps your family and friends said similar things to you when you left home. But is it true all the time? Is your life in the new country always wonderful and exciting?
Specialists say that it isn’t that easy to get used to life in a new culture. “Culture shock” (冲击) is the term specialists use when talking about the feelings that people have in a new environment. “There are three stages of culture shock,” say the specialists. In the first stage, the newcomers like their new environment. Then, when the fresh experience dies, they begin to hate the city, the country, the people, and everything else. In the last stage, the newcomers adapt to their surroundings and finally enjoy their life there.
Culture shock arises from many obvious factors. The weather may be unpleasant. The customs may be different. The public service systems such as the telephone, post office, or transportation may be difficult to work out. Even the simplest things become headaches. Still worse, the language may be difficult.
Who feels culture shock? Everyone does in this way or that. But culture shock surprises most people. Very often the people having the worst culture shock are those who never had any difficulties in their home countries and were successful in their community. Coming to a new country, these people find they do not have the same established positions. They find themselves without a role, almost without an identity. They have to build a new selfimage.
Culture shock leads to a feeling of disorientation (迷惘). This feeling may be homesickness. When homesick, people feel like staying inside all the time. They want to protect themselves from the strange environment, and create and escape inside their room for a sense of security. This escape does solve the problem of culture shock for the short term, but it does nothing to make the person familiar with the culture. Getting to know the new environment and gaining experience are the long term solutions to the problem of culture shock.
When people move to a new country, they ________.
| A．find their new life always wonderful and exciting. |
| B．dislike the new surroundings from the beginning. |
| C．quickly get accustomed to the new culture there. |
| D．will get used to the new life with certain difficulty. |
Based on the passage, which of the following results from culture shock?
| A．weather conditions and customs |
| B．public service and transportation |
| C．feeling homesick and disoriented |
| D．language communication issues |
According to the passage, the more successful you are at home, ________.
| A．the fewer difficulties you will meet with abroad |
| B．the more problems you may have to face abroad |
| C．the greater success you are likely to make abroad |
| D．the less homesick you will eventually feel abroad |
Which of the following statements is correct according to the passage?
| A．Cultural shock affects and surprises those who live in a new culture. |
| B．A new culture makes everything difficult except the simplest things. |
| C．Since culture shock is painful, we can never get over it completely. |
| D．Escaping by staying inside does solve the problem of culture shock. |
John was waiting for the girl whose heart he knew，but whose face he didn’t，the girl with the rose．Thirteen months ago，in a Florida library he took a book off the shell and found himself interested in the notes in the margin(页边)．The soft handwriting showed a thoughtful soul and insightful(有洞察力的)mind．
In front of the book，he discovered the name，Miss Hollis Maynell. With time and effort he got her address．He wrote her a letter introducing himself and inviting her to keep in touch．
During the next year and one month the two grew to know each other through the mail．A romance started．John requested a photograph，but she refused．She felt that if he really cared, it wouldn’t matter what she looked like．Later they agreed on their first meeting—7:00 pm at Grand Central Station in New York．
“You’ll recognize me,” she wrote，“by the red rose I’ll be wearing my coat.” So at 7：00 he was in the station looking for the girl with the red rose．
A girl in a green suit was coming toward him，her figure long and slim and her eyes were blue as flowers．Almost uncontrollably came to her，and just at this moment he saw Hollis Maynell—a woman well past 40．The girl was walking quickly away．
He did not hesitate(犹豫)，saying，“I’m John，and you must be Miss Maynell．I am so glad you could meet me. May I take you to dinner?”
The woman smiled, “I don’t know what this is about，son，” she answered，“but the young lady in the green suit begged me to wear this rose on my coat．And she said if you were to ask me out to dinner，I should tell you that she is waiting for you in the restaurant across the street．She said it was some kind of test!”
It’s not difficult to admire Miss Maynell’s wisdom. The true nature of a heart is seen in its response to the unattractive.
John was attracted by Miss Hollis Maynell because ________.
| A．John believed her one of her old friends |
| B．she took good notes with a soft handwriting |
| C．John thought her a considerate and thinking lady |
| D．she was beautiful with a slim figure and blue eyes |
Why did John uncontrollably go up to the young girl in the green suit?
| A．Because he knew it was Miss Hollis Maynell. |
| B．Because she was the very lady he was waiting for. |
| C．Because he was drawn to her beautiful appearance. |
| D．Because John didn’t want to meet Miss Hollis Maynell |
We can find John was a person who ________.
| A．was easy to change his mind |
| B．was casual and independent |
| C．judged a person by his looks |
| D．valued a person’s inner spirit |
What’s the theme of the story?
| A．The wisdom is shown in one’s action. |
| B．Love can be met by chance if you like. |
| C．You should never judge a book by its cover. |
| D．A noble heart is seen in its response to the unattractive. |
Many people believe that all ice cubes are created equal, but they are not. At least that’s what the folks at California’s Glace Luxury Ice Company would like us to believe. The Davisbased company says that the ice cubes they make are healthier and last longer than the ones that we throw into our drinks on a daily basis. What’s more, the company also says that their ice cubes do mot leave behind an aftertaste(余味)in drinks, like regular ones do.
In order to create these unique ice cubes, Glace Luxury begins with water that has been rid of the hazardous impurities(杂质)that the company says can lead to cancer and exist in regular ice. They then freeze it in large blocks. Once ready, the ice is carved into perfect cubes and each cube measures 2.5 inches across. Besides being healthier, these ice cubes apparently also take longer to melt. The company says that each ice cube can last up to 30 minutes.
Of course, those ice cubes do not come cheap. Those that wish to have a taste of this “tasteless” frozen perfection will have to pay $325USD for a bag of 50 ice cubes. That comes to $6.50USD for a single cube of ice!
The unique product is the brainchild of Robert Sequeira, a former business school lecturer who said that he wanted to establish a profitable business that could be easily scaled. Given that he can make as mush Glace Luxury ice as he needs for as little as $0.12USD per cube, he thinks that the idea certainly meets the standard. Now, if he can find that the few people can afford to buy this Glace Luxury ice, life would be great!People at California’s Glace Luxury Ice Company probably want consumers to believe that _____.
| A．ice cubes are healthy for people to use |
| B．their ice cubes add tastes to drinks |
| C．all ice cubes are created the same |
| D．their ice cubes are different |
What does the underlined word “hazardous” in paragraph 2 mean?
| A．Active | B．Regular | C．Dangerous | D．Powerful |
Compared with regular ice cubes, the ice cubes created by Glace Luxury Ice Company_____.
| A．taste much bette |
| B．look much more beautiful |
| C．have more different shapes |
| D．are healthier and melt more slowly |
What does the author think of the ice cubes created by Glace Luxury Ice Company?
| A．They will be a big success |
| B．They are too costly to make. |
| C．They are just regular ice cubes. |
| D．They are too expensive for consumers |
Elizabeth’s Second!
In 60 years, the Queen has never put a foot wrong in public. And for the last 24 of them, it turns out she’s had a secret weapon — the nice Ella Slack. The former BBC manager has, unknown to anyone except a handful of key advisers, spent the last quarter of a century acting as the Queen’s official stand-in at rehearsals (排练) for royal events. The 69-year-old has never accepted a penny for her royal service, considering it “a pleasure and an honour” to ensure that everything runs smoothly for the Queen. “How many people in the world have had a chance to sit in a royal landau (马车) or walk onto the dais (讲台) at Windsor Castle even before the Queen has done so?” she said.
While Miss Slack may not resemble the Queen facially, she has a similar figure to the Queen, standing just 5 foot. The Queen is 5 foot 2 inch. She began her remarkable role in 1988, when she was working as manager of the BBC’s sports and events department. A producer asked her if she could stand in for the Queen to check camera angles at a rehearsal — and her second career was born.
Since then, from the State Opening of Parliament (议会) to the 50th anniversary of Victory day, wherever the Queen is on duty Miss Slack is likely to have been there first. She has perfected her own version of the Queen’s clothes, including a black patent handbag she bought in a charity shop for ￡1, and even styles her hair like the Queen.What’s the Queen’s secret weapon?
| A．She often meets people in public. |
| B．She actively attends social activities. |
| C．She has a nice lady to act as herself. |
| D．She and Miss Slack have a lot in common. |
Miss Slack’s words in Paragraph 1 indicate that ___________.
| A．she thinks the job honorable and worthy |
| B．she thinks she can do the job better |
| C．she thinks frequently of her role |
| D．she is determined to carry the job on |
How did Miss Slack get the job?
| A．The Queen invited her to do so. |
| B．The BBC appointed her to finish the job. |
| C．She was invited to have an accidental try. |
| D．The advisers offered her the chance. |
In which section of a newspaper may you find the passage?
| A．Education. | B．Entertainment. |
| C．Sports. | D．Health. |
Here I'd like to talk about how to develop your curiosity and make use of it to make discoveries. Asking questions is the first step to make discoveries and find interesting answers when you are curious about something and want to know more about it.
Firstly, write down the subject that you are interested in on a note card or piece of paper. Just put the main idea down, such as “Discover more about dinosaurs.”
Next, think for a moment about what you already know about your subject and list information like the sentences below：
1. Dinosaurs lived long before human beings appeared.
2. Dinosaurs lived on the earth for more than 150 million years.
3. Some dinosaurs fed on plants, some on meat.
Thirdly, ask yourself “What can I do with what I want to learn？” On your paper, start writing down questions about the dinosaurs as you think of them：
1. What's the best weather for dinosaurs to live in?
2. How many kinds of dinosaurs are there?
3. Have dinosaurs really disappeared?
Fourthly, armed_with_your_list_of_questions,_you can now visit the nearest library or turn to computer to begin your research. As you learn more about your subject, you'll probably discover some new questions.
For example, you might discover that dinosaurs disappeared about 65 million years ago. Why? What happened? Asking new questions can help you research your subject more deeply.
The next time you find something interesting to research, take time to organize your thinking by asking good questions. And remember—learning more always bring more questions.While doing some research, you should take the following steps________.
①list what you want to know
②choose a research subject
③list what you already know
④discover new problems
| A．①④③② | B．①②④③ |
| C．②③①④ | D．②①④③ |
What does the underlined sentence “armed with your list of questions” mean?
| A．Taking your list of questions with you to do more research. |
| B．Writing down your list of questions before turning to the computer. |
| C．Discussing your questions with your classmates for solution. |
| D．Putting your questions aside before going to the library. |
According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．You can find all the answers online. |
| B．Learn more, and you'll have no questions. |
| C．Asking questions is the only way for research. |
| D．During the research, more questions may arise. |
The best title for this passage is________.
| A．Discovering Dinosaurs |
| B．Asking Good Questions |
| C．Finding Suitable Subjects |
| D．Having Interesting Answers |
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