When international aid is given, steps must be taken to ensure (确保)that the aid reaches the people for whom it is intended. The way to achieve this may not be simple. It is very difficult for a nation to give help directly to people in another nation. The United Nations Organization (UNO) could undertake to direct the distribution of aid. Here however rises the problem of costs. Also tied with this is time. Perhaps the UNO could set up a body of devoted men and women in every country who can speedily distribute aid to victims of floods and earthquakes.
More than the help that one nation can give to another during a disaster; it would be more effective to give other forms of help during normal times. A common proverb says, “Give me a fish and I eat for day, teach me to fish and I eat for a lifetime.” If we follow this wise saying, it would be right to teach people from less developed nations to take care of themselves. For example, a country could share its technology with another. This could be in simple areas like agriculture or in more complex areas like medical and health care or even in building satellites. Even small country is able to help less developed nations. Sometimes what is take for granted, like the setting up of a water purification plant or the administration of a school, could be useful for countries which are looking about to solve common problems. It does not cost much to share such simple things. Exchange students could be attached for a number of months or years and learn the required craft while on the site. They can then take their knowledge back to their homelands and if necessary come back form time to time to clear doubts or to update themselves. Such aid will be truly helpful and there is no chance of it being temporary or of it falling into the wrong hands.
Many countries run extensive courses in all sorts of skills. It will not cost much to include deserving foreigners in these courses. Besides giving effective help to the countries concerned, there is also the build-up of friendships to consider. Giving direct help by giving materials may be effective in the short run and must continue to be given in the event of emergencies. However, in the long run what is really effective would be the sharing of knowledge.According to the author, how could international aid reach the victims in time?
| A． By solving the cost problems |
| B． By solving the transportation problems |
| C． By setting up a body of devoted people in every country. |
| D． By relying on the direct distribution of the UNO. |
What does the author try to express in the underlined sentence?
| A．Providing food is vital | B．Learning to fish is helpful |
| C．Teaching skills is essential | D．Looking after others is important. |
The second paragraph is developed mainly _________.
| A．by example | B．by process | C．by comparison | D．by contrast |
Which aid is likely to fall into the wrong hands?
| A．A medical team. | B．An exchange program. |
| C．A water plant. | D．Financial support. |
What can we infer about international aid from the passage?
| A．It is facing difficulties |
| B．It is unnecessary during normal times |
| C．It should be given in the form of materials |
| D．It has gained support developed countries |
Opposition is growing to the Berlin Zoo’s plans to find a new home for Knut, the moneymaking celebrity polar bear whose popularity has been exploited by environmentalists and even Canadian tourism promoters.
No longer cute, and just days before his second birthday, Knut will be given a new home that is expected to include a potential mating partner.
The Berlin Zoo, facing the global economic crisis, can’t afford the estimated $ 13 million it would take to acquire a female and a new home for them to share. “It’s time for him to go—the sooner he gets a new home the better,” said senior bear keeper Heiner Kloes.
But some Berliners are beginning a campaign, collecting petition (情愿书) signatures and arguing that he’s a tourist draw and a symbol as important as the Brandenburg Gate. “He means a lot to many people. When you’re with him you forget your problems,” Hartmut Wiedenroth, co-founder of the campaign, told Spiegel Online.
Knut became an international celebrity in 2007, drawing huge crowds to his cage and triggering sales of thousands of Knut toys and Knut-shaped candies.
The Vancouver-based Canadian Tourism Commission made Knut a major part of its “Canada—Keep Exploring” campaign to draw tourists to the country— and especially to polar bear country in northern Manitoba to see them in their natural habitat. Environmentalists also used the bear to promote the fight against global warming.
But Knut’s popularity diminished as his size increased to 210 kilograms, He was photographed at one point snapping (咬) at a child near his cage. In September his keeper, Thomas Doerflein, died of a heart attack. Doerflein, who became a celebrity himself after nursing the tiny ball of white fur when Knut’s mother rejected him, had been re-assigned shortly after Knut’s first birthday. Some animal rights critics said Knut has been showing unusually aggressive behavior because of his unnatural upbringing.The Berlin Zoo intends to find a new home for Knut mainly because of .
| A．the mother bear deserting him |
| B．Knut’s aggressive behavior |
| C．lacking a skillful bear keeper |
| D．its financial problem |
A campaign is being launched in Berlin .
| A．in order to keep Knut in the zoo |
| B．by selling Knut-shaped candies |
| C．to draw tourists to northern Manitoba |
| D．to warn people of global warming |
The underlined word “triggering” in Paragraph 5 can be replaced by “ ”.
| A．decreasing | B．preventing |
| C．promoting | D．conducting |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Doerflein, a celebrity of Germany |
| B．Zoo says Knut must go |
| C．The polar bear capital of the world |
| D．Polar bears in Canada |
The way we get about has a deep influence on the way we live－affecting where we set up home, work and holiday. So what changes might come in the way we get around? What big ideas are out there, and do they have any chance of coming true?
Personal Air Travel
The idea: flying cars
Developments in light small plane technology will make it possible for everyone to own what are, in fact, flying cars. They will have closed cabins, heating, stereos and room for two people.
You will take off from a field near your home and fly to towns and cities. After landing, you will take off the fixed wing and continue your journey by road just as if you were traveling by car.
Fuel efficient engines and the advantage of being able to travel in the sky will keep costs and the environmental influence down.
Flying for Fun
The idea: Jet Packs
The idea was a hit when a stuntman (特技演员) flew around on one during the opening ceremony of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, which was very successful.
You’ll be able to use the equipment－roughly the size of two scuba tanks fastened to your back－for short journeys.
They will be handy for cleaning hard-to-reach windows, arriving in style at a party and shopping.
Taxis
The idea: driverless taxis
These computer-controlled taxis will take you wherever you want along a fixed route, whenever you want to go.
For the price of one person’s bus fare, several people can ride at speeds of up to 25 mph, and there will be fences to guard against accidents.
There will be little, if any, wait for the use of the taxis, which will leave from stations and will be used by prepaid cards.
The taxis, which will travel on a 1.5 m-wide track, will use 75% less energy per passenger than a car and 50% less than a bus.The passage is mainly about ________.
| A．future travel | B．big ideas and dreams |
| C．advanced technology | D．the influence of travel |
We learn from the passage that flying cars ________.
| A．will operate only in the sky |
| B．will be more expensive than common cars |
| C．will have few bad effects on the environment |
| D．won’t be equipped with things similar to what cars have |
With Jet Packs, we can do all the following EXCEPT ________.
| A．attend a party | B．clean high windows |
| C．go shopping | D．have a long journey |
As for driverless taxis, we can infer that ________.
| A．we can go wherever we want in them |
| B．they will be both convenient and safe |
| C．it costs more to take them than to take ordinary cars |
| D．they will be operated by computers as well as by people |
The Peales were a famous family of American artists. Charles Willson Peale is best remembered for his portraits of leading figures of the American Revolution. He painted portraits of Franklin and Jefferson and over a dozen of George Washington. His life-size portrait of his sons Raphaelle and Titian was so realistic that George Washington reportedly once tipped his hat to the figures in the picture.
Charles Willson Peale gave up painting in his middle age and devoted his life to the Peale museum, which he founded in Philadelphia. The world’s first popular museum of art and natural science mainly covered paintings by Peale and his family as well as displays of animals in their natural settings. Peale found the animals himself and found a method to make the exhibits more lifelike. The museum’s most popular display was the skeleton (骷髅) of a huge, extinct elephant, which Peale unearthed on a New York farm in 1801.
Three of Peale’s seventeen children were also famous artists. Raphaelle Peale often painted still lives of flowers, fruit, and cheese. His brother Rembrandt studied under his father and painted portraits of many noted people, including one of George Washington. Another brother, Rubens Peale, painted mostly landscapes and portraits.
James Peale, the brother of Charles Willson Peale, specialized in miniatures (小画像). His daughter Sarah Miriam Peale was probably the first professional female portrait painter in America.What is the main topic of the passage?
| A．The life of Charles Willson Peale. |
| B．Portraits in the 18th century. |
| C．The Peale Museum. |
| D．A family of artists. |
The author mentions in Paragraph 1 that Washington tipped his hat to the figures in the painting to show that _______.
| A．Charles Willson Peale’s painting was very lifelike |
| B．Washington respected Charles Willson Peale’s work |
| C．Washington was friendly with Raphaelle and Titian Peale |
| D．the painting of the two brothers was very large |
Which of the following is NOT the child of Charles Willson Peale?
| A．Titian Peale. | B．Rubens Peale. |
| C．Raphaelle Peale. | D．Sarah Miriam Peale. |
The author’s attitude toward the Peales is in general _______.
| A．puzzled | B．excited | C．admiring | D．disappointed |
A girl became a volunteer in the activities of Deathbed Care, which meant visiting and taking care of a patient suffering from an incurable disease with days numbered.
The girl was assigned to look after an old man suffering from cancer whose children lived abroad. Their living conditions were not satisfactory while the old man had a lot of savings. She was expected to comfort him and keep up his spirits.
Every Saturday the girl came on time to keep him company, telling him stories. When he was having an intravenous drip (静脉滴注), she would help massage his arms. The doctor found the patient much improved mentally. The old man began to involve himself actively in the medical treatment and he seldom shouted at others.
But something that happened made the doctor uneasy and puzzled. Each time the girl left, the old man would give her some money. The doctor did nothing to interfere (干涉), unwilling to offend the old man. A month later the old man showed evident signs of decline after suffering coma (昏迷) a few times.
When rescued from the latest coma, the old man told the doctor his last wish, “I have deep sympathy for the girl. Will you be kind enough to help her finish her studies？”
But the doctor knew that her family was well-off and she had no difficulty pursuing her studies. Sometimes she even came to the hospital in her father’s car.
When the girl came at the weekend after the death of the old man, the doctor told her the bad news. She was very sad and burst into tears. Then she handed $ 500 to the doctor, saying, “The old man had all along thought I came to do the job because of poverty. He gave me money so that I could continue my schooling.” Now he got the answer to the puzzle. In the last period of his life, the old man found it a real pleasure to be able to help a girl badly in need.If you’re a volunteer in the activities of Deathbed Care, what kind of people do you have to attend to?
| A．Patients with a lot of money. |
| B．Patients suffering from cancer. |
| C．Patients without many days left. |
| D．Patients living alone. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．The doctor told the old man the truth. |
| B．The old man’s children were wealthy. |
| C．The girl’s father encouraged her to accept the money. |
| D．The girl didn’t accompany the old man when he died. |
What is the real reason resulting in the old man’s mental improvement?
| A．The girl’s love and great care. |
| B．The pleasure of helping people in need. |
| C．The doctor’s medical treatment. |
| D．His children’s progress in life. |
Even after centuries of exploration(探险), the ocean still holds its mysteries. Although we know more today about the world’s oceans and creatures living in them than ever before, every once in a while the sea brings up something so strange, so unexpected, that makes the world wonder what it could be.
Such was the case when the currents (水流) of the Mediterranean Ocean recently washed a 13-foot-long, smelly body onto the shores of the village of Villaricos in Andalusia, Spain. An early report in the Spanish publication Lavante described the strange, horned (带角的) body as what might seem like a big fish, but it was already in pieces. Locals joked that it was some kind of Loch Ness Monster.
The media jumped right on the creature, of course. Some sites called it a horned sea monster. The popular newspaper Boing Boing called it a dragon. Some people guessed that it might be an oarfish(皇带鱼), which is actually a rarely seen kind of big fish that can grow up to 55 feet long.
But now the experts have weighed in and we’re sorry to report that it’s not a dragon, a Loch Ness Monster, or even an oarfish. “That is actually a shark skeleton (骨架),” Professor Grubbs from Florida State University told NBC News. “The parts toward the back were confusing me, but those are the lower caudal fin (尾鳍) supports. The “horns” are the scapulocoracoids which support the pectoral fins(胸鳍).” Scapulocoracoids are backbones common to many animals.
So there we go, another mystery solved. Well, the ancient maps that once described areas of the ocean as places of dragons have yet to be proven true. But it’s good to know that the ocean still has a few surprises for us, even in cases where they’re just dead, smelly bodies.The creature mentioned in the text _____.
| A．was about 15 feet long with a horn |
| B．could probably grow up to 55 feet long |
| C．was already in pieces but it was still alive |
| D．was found on the shores of a village in Spain |
What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 2 really refer to?
| A．A dragon. | B．A shark skeleton. |
| C．An oarfish. | D．A horned sea monster. |
The third paragraph is mainly about _____.
| A．how the creature was found |
| B．the characteristics of an oarfish |
| C．people’s guesses about the creature |
| D．Boing Boing’s opinion of the creature |
The main purpose of the text is to _____.
| A．show the mystery of the ocean |
| B．ask people to protect sea animals |
| C．introduce a rarely seen kind of fish |
| D．show how to find surprises in the sea |
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