In a great many cities, hundreds of people ride bikes to work every day. In New York, some bike riders have even formed a group called Bike for a Better City . They declare that if more people rode bikes to work, there would be fewer automobiles in the downtown part of the city and so less dirty air from car engines.
For several years this group has been trying to get the city government to help bike riders. For example , they want the city to draw special lanes( 车道) for bikes on some of the main streets, because when bike riders must use the same lanes as cars there are accidents. Bike for a Better City feels that if there were special lanes, more people would use bikes.
But no bike lanes have been drawn. Not everyone thinks it is a good idea- they say it will slow traffic. Some store owners on the main streets don’t like the idea- they say that if there is less traffic, they will have less business.
The city government has not yet decided what to do. It wants to keep everyone happy. On weekends, Central Park, the largest place of open ground in New York, is closed to cars, and the roads may be used by bike only.
But Bike for a Better City says that this is not enough and keeps fighting to get bike lanes down-town. In New York, a group of bike riders_________.
| A．are keeping practicing for health |
| B．have no cars of their own |
| C．are complaining (埋怨) there are not enough buses |
| D．are trying to settle the problem of air pollution |
The bike riders suggest that____________.
| A．bikes should be used instead of cars. |
| B．bike lanes should be drawn |
| C．fewer buses or cars should be used |
| D．the number of special lanes should be decreased |
The advantage of the special lanes is that________.
| A．they will make cars and buses run slowly |
| B．they will make it easier for bike riders to go to parks |
| C．they will make the city more beautiful |
| D．they will prevent accidents |
The government has not decided whether special lanes should be drawn_______.
| A．so that everyone is disappointed |
| B．because there are different opinions |
| C．because most people travel by train |
| D．because Bike for a Better City is not strong enough |
Cars are not permitted to enter Central Park on weekends_________.
| A．so that Bike for a Better City is pleased |
| B．so that everyone is happy |
| C．and bike lanes are drawn |
| D．but Bike for a Better City is still not satisfied |
“When I grow up, I want to be...”
Almost all of us have thought about, or been asked to think about, our future careers. Our answers may differ greatly. Even now your aspirations may have changed from when you were in primary school.
However, it seems career options aren’t only based on personal taste. In a survey carried out by Teens, doctors, lawyers, and bankers were some of most popular careers that people said they hoped to follow. This is in line with a similar survey carried out in the UK in May 2011 by job website monster. Co.uk, in which medicine was the top choice among UK teenagers aged between 13 and 17.
Medicine and law are two of the oldest and best known professions. Their prestige (威望) may come from the fact that doctors and lawyers are some of the most esteemed members of society, and they make good money. Joining these high-profile professions is often seen as a sign of upward social mobility.
It is equally unsurprising that banking is now one of the most common career choices. Youngsters worldwide think of banking and see the money rolling in. Wealth is increasingly becoming one of the most important indicators of a successful career. British young men list the UK tycoon Alan Sugar, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg as their top role models “for their wealth”. Just as Chinese teenagers see being a banker as a good and fun pathway to “wealth”.
However, not every child has the makings of doctor, lawyer, or banker. They are those who see fulfillment and happiness in other areas, and many teenagers dare to ink more individuality into their career options. As the Teens’ survey discovered, a variety of unconventional jobs---coffee shop owner, gourmet(美食家)，waiter at a fast food restaurant---are among teenagers’ career choices. They can be equally interesting and rewarding jobs.
With every choice comes responsibility and challenge, and all career paths require specific education and training, you have to learn to balance optimism and confidence with being realistic about your particular talents and skills.What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Careers in teenagers’ mind. |
| B．Choosing a good job is very important. |
| C．Teenagers in the UK like doctors. |
| D．The choice of career needs challenge. |
What is the top career choice among UK teenagers aged between 13 and 17 according to the article?
| A．Medicine | B．Law | C．Bank | D．Education |
According to the article, all of the following are the benefits of being a doctor except_______.
| A．respect from others | B．the oldest profession |
| C．high pay | D．upward social mobility. |
What do youngsters think is increasingly becoming one of the most important indicators of a successful career?
| A．Prestige | B．Fulfillment | C．Happiness | D．Wealth |
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
| A．According to your particular talents and skills, you can choose your favorite career. |
| B．Specific education and training can help get a good job. |
| C．Whatever career you choose, you should balance optimism and confidence with being realistic about your particular talents and skills. |
| D．Responsibility is the most important when you choose a good job. |
The garden city was largely the invention of Ebenezer Howard(1850~1928). After immigrating from England to the USA, and an unsuccessful attempt to make a living as a farmer, he moved to Chicago, where he saw the reconstruction of the city after the disastrous fire of 1871. In those days, it was nicknamed “the Garden City”，almost certainly the source of Howard’s name for his later building plan of towns. Returning to London, Howard developed his design in the 1880s and 1890s, drawing on ideas that were popular at the time, but creating a unique combination of designs.
The nineteenth-century poor city was in many ways a terrible place, dirty and crowded; but it offered economic and social opportunities. At the same time, the British countryside was in fact equally unattractive: though it promised fresh air and nature, it suffered from agricultural depression(萧条) and it offered neither enough work and wages, nor much social life. Howard’s idea was to combine the best of town and country in a new kind of settlement, the garden city. Howard’s idea was that a group of people should set up a company, borrowing money to establish a garden city in the depressed countryside, far enough from existing cities to make sure that the land was bought at the bottom price.
Garden cities would provide a central public open space, radial avenues and connecting industries. They would be surrounded by a much larger area of green belt, also owned by the company, containing not merely farms but also some industrial institutions. As more and more people moved in, the garden city would reach its planned limit---Howard suggested 32,000 people; then, another would be started a short distance away. Thus, over time, they would develop a vast planned house collection, extending almost without limit; within it, each garden city would offer a wide range of jobs and services, but each would also be connected to the others by a rapid transportation system, thus giving all the economic and social opportunities of a big city.What could be the best title for the passage?
| A．City and Countryside |
| B．A New City in Chicago |
| C．The Invention of the Garden City |
| D．A Famous Garden City in England |
How did Howard get the name for his building plan of garden cities?
| A．Through his observation of the country life. |
| B．By using the nickname of the reconstructed Chicago. |
| C．By taking other people’s advice. |
| D．Through the combination of different ideas. |
According to Howard, garden cities should be built _______.
| A．as far as possible from existing cities |
| B．near cities where employment opportunities already existed |
| C．in the countryside where agriculture was developed |
| D．in the countryside where the land was cheap |
The underlined phrase“drawing on ”in Paragraph 1 probably means______.
| A．making use of |
| B．making comments on |
| C．giving an explanation of |
| D．giving a description of |
What can we learn about garden cities from the last paragraph?
| A．People would live and work in the same place. |
| B．Each one would continue to become larger. |
| C．Their number would continue to rise. |
| D．Each one would contain a certain type of business. |
For their nick-of-time acts, Toby, a 2-year-old dog, and Winnie, a cute cat, were named Dog and Cat of the Year by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
As Amy Paul choked(哽住) on a piece of apple at her home, her dog jumped up, landing hard on her chest and forcing the piece in her throat out. When the Keesling family of Indiana was about to be killed by carbon monoxide, their cat clawed at the wife Cathy’s hair until she woke up and called for help.
No one could explain their timely heroics.
Both pets were rescued by their owners in infancy---Toby as a 4-week-old thrown into a garbage bin to die, and Winnie as a week-old orphan hiding under a barn, so helpless that Cathy’s husband, Eric, had to feed her milk with an eyedropper.
As the Keeslings recalled it, a gas-driven pump being used broke down, spreading carbon monoxide through the house. By the time Winnie went to rescue, the couple’s 14-year-old son was already unconscious. “Winnie jumped on the bed and was clawing at me, with a kind of angry sound,” Cathy Keesling said. The state police responding to her 911 call said the family was only minutes from death, judging by the amount of poisonous gas in the house.
Amy Paul’s husband was at his job when she took a midday break from making jewelry and bit into an apple. “Normally I peel them, but I read in Good Housekeeping Magazine that the skin has all the nutrients, so I ate the skin, and that’s what caused me to choke,” she recalled. “I couldn’t breathe and I was in panic when Toby jumped on me. He never does that, but he did, and saved my life.”
Both Toby and Winnie accompanied their owners to the awards luncheon.Why did Amy Paul choke on a piece of apple?
| A．She was too young to care for herself. |
| B．She had a big bite. |
| C．The apple was too hard. |
| D．She didn’t peel the skin as usual. |
Winnie saved the lives of its owner’s whole family in an accident by __________.
| A．jumping onto its owner | B．calling for help |
| C．clawing at Cathy’s hair | D．making some strange noises |
Which of the following has the similar meaning to the underlined word “infancy” in Paragraph 4?
| A．middle age | B．youth | C．babyhood | D．agedness |
What caused the carbon monoxide spreading through the house?
| A．A pump breaking down. | B．A driver breaking into the house. |
| C．The burning gas. | D．The poisonous gas. |
What would be the suitable title for the passage?
| A．So Smart Animals Are |
| B．Dog and Cat Honored for Saving Their Masters |
| C．Unforgettable Experiences |
| D．Great Honors for Cat and Dog |
Festivals play an important role in a culture’s identity. I can’t think of a better way of appreciating a new culture than by taking part in one of its festivals. Here are some special festivals around the world.
★Boryeong Mud Festival--Boryeong, South Korea
For two weeks in July, millions gather in Boryeong to experience the grey pools and slides. What began as a way of promoting the region’s mineral-rich mud has turned into a festive party , complete with music and fireworks. While the mud is usually only available in cosmetic products, here you can cake yourself in grey as you want.
★Holi--lndia
Holi, the Festival of Colors, is a Hindu celebration full of joy and one of India’s most important holidays. During the day of the last full moon of the lunar month, usually late February or early March, the air is full of bright colored powder. The festival is celebrated differently throughout the country, but the cheerful spirit is common throughout Hindu communities around the world.
★Koninginnedag--The Netherlands
Although their current Queen’s birthday is really during the winter, the Queen still celebrates it on April 30th,the country’s official “Queen’s Day” since 1949. Orange is the national color, and the streets become a sea of feather boas（长围巾）and body paint as crowds gather in the plazas（广场）. Amsterdam is the center of this outdoor party, with many live music acts, but nearly every town is alive with orange on this day.
★National Elephant Day in Thailand
In Thailand, March 13 is regarded as National Elephant Day to show that the Thai elephant plays an important role in the Thai history. Thai Elephant Day has been held on an annual basis since the idea was first approved by the Thai government in 1998. Special events are held at a number of venues in northern Thailand. At the Mae Sa Elephant Camp, it has become a tradition on March 13 for the dozens of elephants there to be treated to a huge feast of fruits and sugarcane.What we can learn from the passage is that ________.
| A．Boryeong Mud Festival was originally held to advertise for their mineral resources |
| B．people around the world celebrate Holi differently to promote their religions |
| C．Koninginnedag--The Netherlands was celebrated on their current Queen’s birthday |
| D．it is an international custom for the Thai elephant to eat all kinds of fruits and sugarcane |
What is the purpose of the festival held on March 13 in Thailand?
| A．To call on people to protect these endangered elephants. |
| B．To give the Thai elephant a chance to eat fruits and sugarcane. |
| C．To stress the importance of the elephant in the Thai history. |
| D．To help people relax themselves by feeding the Thai elephant. |
You can experience the Festival of Colors in _______.
| A．South Korea | B．Thailand | C．the Netherlands | D．India |
What is the main purpose of the text?
| A．To tell people how to enjoy and relax themselves. |
| B．To introduce some unique festivals around the world. |
| C．To get people to celebrate different kinds of customs. |
| D．To show the importance of celebrating different festivals. |
Another day begins with the call of the phone’s alarm, Where are you? Open your eyes. Turn the alarm off and you will start working out on your apps（应用软件）.
First stop, weather: Sunny day. Look outside the window. Oh, no, it isn’t. Second stop, Air Quality Index: 344, dangerous, Level 6 Severely Polluted. Mental recheck required: It really is a sunny day and the weather app isn’t lying or in need of being replaced, it’s just that you can’t see the sun through the thick fog. Note to self: Cycling to work is out, face mask is in.
Has the world stopped turning? News app merely confirms that it’s business as usual. Another government has fallen, your soccer team has lost again, and China’s economy is still increasing steadily.
Diary app informs you of all the things you failed to do the previous day and loads you up with another half-dozen tasks. Next, browse a couple of social networking apps to determine the status updates of friends.
Another sound from the phone, it’s a message from your significant friend who is already at work, saying the Taobao. com order for Italian cheese is about to arrive.
Apps have become part of our “every-moment” lives. Apps provide so much information. But the dark side to all this connectivity would be lack of privacy, being a slave to the app. The only real problem is that once you lose your smartphone, you lose your life.
Some friends and family do not have smartphones, but prefer the old-fashioned Nokia that merely makes phone calls and sends instant messages. While I respect their purity and desire to be free of the control of technology, it’s obvious they are outsiders, and their lives are loaded up with paper and old devices. They’re still buying books at stores, complaining the lack of CDs on the market, watching TV and missing out on complete news cycles. Though I would add, they have lives that aren’t spent inside small screens.
My phone is a palm-sized one-stop shop and about the only thing it doesn’t do is teleport（心灵运输）. What’s not to like?The functions of apps mentioned in the passage can be listed as follows EXCEPT that _______.
| A．the apps can show you weather forecast |
| B．the apps can tell you how to work directly |
| C．the apps can inform you the latest news |
| D．the apps can tell you what you failed to do |
According to the passage, the author thinks that _______.
| A．people’s life is governed by apps |
| B．people feel bored about the use of apps |
| C．people can’t live without apps |
| D．people hate apps with powerful functions |
It can be inferred from the last paragraph but one that _______.
| A．more and more people like Nokia more than apps |
| B．using Nokia can be free of the control of technology |
| C．all people don’t like the advanced smartphones |
| D．ordinary people don’t like shopping online |
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