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, there would develop a vast planned house collection, extending almost without limit; within it, each garden city would offer a wide rang 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．How did Howard get the name for his building plan of garden cities?
| A．By using the nickname of the reconstructed Chicago． |
| B．Through his observation of the country life． |
| C．Through the combination of different ideas． |
| D．By taking other people's advice． |
The underlined phrase "drawing on "in Paragraph 1 probably means______．
| A．making comments on | B．giving an explanation of |
| C．giving a description of | D．making use of |
What can we learn about garden cities from the last paragraph?
| A．Each one would continue to become larger |
| B．People would live and work in the same place |
| C．Their number would continue to rise |
| D．Each one would contain a certain type of business |
What could be the best title for the passage?
| A．City and Countryside |
| B．The Invention of the Garden City |
| C．A New City in Chicago |
| D．A Famous Garden City in England |
Some kinds of mental skills naturally decrease as people get older. Yet research seems to show that some training can improve such skills. A recently published study also appears to attest that the good effects of training can last for many years after that training has ended.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland wanted to learn how long memory and thinking skills would last in older people who were trained to keep them. The people were part of the ten-year research project. They were taught methods meant to improve their memory, thinking and ability to perform everyday tasks.
More than 2,800 volunteered for the study called ACTIVE — short for Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly. Most were studied when they were more than 70 years old.
The volunteers took one of several short training classes meant to help them keep their mental abilities. One class trained participants in skills including how to remember word lists. Another group trained in reasoning. A third group received help with speed-of-processing — speed of receiving and understanding information. A fourth group — the control group did not get any training.
Earlier results had established that the training helped the participants for up to five years. Now, leading study writer George Rebok says, the research showed most of the training remained effective a full ten years later.
Professor Rebok and his team found that the people trained in reasoning and speed-of- processing did better on tests than the control group.
“We are wondering whether those effects which endured over time would still be there ten years following the training, and in fact, that's exactly what we found.,,
The effect on memory, however, seemed not to last as long. Still, the old people in any of the three classes generally reported less difficulty in performing daily activities than the control group.The total training time for the older people was between 10 and 15 hours. Which statement is false according to the text?
| A．This kind of training can only have effects on people for a few years. |
| B．The people were trained during a period of ten years. |
| C．Most of the people who were studied were more than 70 years old. |
| D．The first group were trained how to remember word lists. |
How would the old in the second group perform after receiving the trauung?
| A．Remember more words. |
| B．Understand information more quickly. |
| C．Act as poorly as before. |
| D．Perform daily activities better. |
What does the underlined word "attest" in the first paragraph mean7
A-Affect. B. Deny.
C. Prove. D. Improve. Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
| A．Some Kinds of Mental Skills Naturally Decrease. |
| B．Mental Training Helped Elderly Stay Sharp for Years. |
| C．Four Groups of Old People Were Trained Mentally. |
| D．A Ten-year Research Affects Elderly. |
British singer Sarah Brightman began training for a 2015 flight to the International Space Station where she hopes to become the first professional musician to sing from space, the company arranging the trip said on Tuesday.
Brightman, a famed soprano (女高音) who starred in Andrew Lloyd Webber' s "Phantom of the Opera" , will pay about $ 52 million for a 10-day stay aboard the orbital outpost, Tom Shelley, president of privately owned Space Adventures, said.
Brightman, who will become the eighth privately funded space tourist, is scheduled to fly in September 2015. Her training to fly on a Russian Soyuz capsule began last fall.
Brightman has planned to be the first professional musician to sing from space. But she faces competition from Lady Gaga, who, according to media reports late last year, intends to be the first when she performs one song in space in early 2015 on a Virgin Galactic flight. Virgin Galactic, part of Richard Branson's Virgin Group, plans to offer suborbital(亚轨道的) space flights.
Brightman said in 2012 that she would travel to the space station, but her plans haven't been confirmed until now. So far. Space Adventures has arranged for nine private missions to the space station, a $ 100 billion research laboratory that flies about 260 miles above the earth. Microsoft co-founder Charles Simonyi made two trips.
Brightman will be the first private citizen to visit the station since Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Lalibarte paid about $ 35 million for an 11-day stay in September 2009.
Google co-founder Sergey Brin has an option to fly on the next available Soyuz seat after Brightman, which most likely will be in 2017, Shelley told Reuters. What is the purpose of the passage?
| A．To praise Brightman. |
| B．To persuade the readers that Brightman is more famous than Lady Gaga. |
| C．To instruct the readers how to begin a space flight. |
| D．To give some information about Brightman. |
When did Brightman start training for her space travel?
| A．Last winter. | B．Last autumn. |
| C．Next spring. | D．Next summer. |
The underlined word "she" in Paragraph 4 refers to ____.
| A．Brightman | B．Lady Gaga |
| C．Andrew Lloyd Webber | D．Tom Shelley |
The fifth paragraph is mainly carried out ____.
| A．in time order | B．in space order |
| C．by giving examples | D．by comparison |
Considering Australia' s size and the fact that early settlements were far apart, Australian society is remarkably homogeneous ( 同种的). Its citizens are fundamentally prosperous and the way of life in the major cities and towns is much the same however many miles divide them. It takes a sharp ear to identify regional accents.
However, there is some difference in lifestyle between city settlers and the country people. Almost 90 percent of the population lives in the fast-paced cities along the coast and has little more than a passing familiarity with the desert. The major cities preserve images of colonial heritage, but the overall impression is modem, with new buildings reflecting the country' s youth. In contrast, the rural communities tend to be slow-moving and conservative. For many years, Australia was said to have "ridden on the sheep' s back" , a reference to wool being the country' s main money earner. However, it is no longer dominant ( 主宰的) . Much of Australia' s relatively sound economy is now achieved from natural coal and wheat, and by being the largest diamond producer in the world. Newer industries such as tourism and wine making are also increasingly important. Australians are generally friendly and relaxed, with a modest sense of humor.
Yet, contrary to widespread belief, very few Australians have true prisoner origins. Within only one generation of the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788, Australia had become a nation of immigrants. Originally coming almost entirely from the British Isles, today one in three Australians comes from elsewhere. Australia' s liberal postwar immigration policies led to a flowing of survivors from war-torn Europe, most notably Greeks, Italians, Poles and Germans.
The emphasis has shifted in recent years and today the majority of new immigrants are from Southeast Asia. Today Australia is a "mixture of nations" and although some racism exists, it has generally been a successful experiment and the country is reasonably proud to have one of the most harmonious multicultural communities in the world. What does the writer mean by saying "has little more than a passing familiarity with the desert" in the second paragraph?
| A．The major population has a close relationship with the desert. |
| B．The fast-paced cities are just located by the desert. |
| C．The major population knows little about the desert. |
| D．The major population is familiar with the people living in the desert. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The pace of life in the city is different from that in the country. |
| B．One third of people living in Australia come from Europe. |
| C．The Australian economy is dependent on sheep exports. |
| D．Most Australians have ancestors who were prisoners. |
What used to be Australia' s main money earner?
| A．Wheat. | B．Wool. | C．Tourism. | D．Diamond. |
We can infer from the passage that ____.
| A．nothing about Australia' s colonial part in modem cities can be seen by visitors |
| B．tourism and wine making resulted in fast development in rural communities only |
| C．immigrants from Europe have brought racial problems |
| D．Australia' s recent immigration policy encourages immigrants from Southeast Asia |
There was once a lonely girl who longed so much for love. One day while she was walking in the woods she found two starving songbirds. She took them home and put them in a small cage, caring them with love. Luckily, the birds grew strong little by little. Every morning they greeted her with a wonderful song. The girl felt great love for the birds.
One day the girl left the door to the cage open accidentally. The larger and stronger of the two birds flew from the cage. The girl was so frightened that he would fly away. So as he flew close, she grasped him wildly. Her heart felt glad at her success in capturing him. Suddenly, she felt the bird go weak, so she opened her hand and stared in horror at the dead bird. It was her desperate love that had killed him.
She noticed the other bird moving back and forth on the edge of the cage. She could feel his strong desire—needing to fly into the clear, blue sky. Unwillingly, she lifted him from the cage and threw him softly into the air. The lucky bird circled once, twice, three times.
The girl watched delightedly at the bird. Her heart was no longer concerned with her loss. What she wanted to see was that the bird could fly happily. Suddenly the bird flew closer and landed softly on her shoulder. It sang the sweetest tune that she had ever heard.
Remember, the fastest way to lose love is to hold on it too tight; the best way to keep love is to give it wings!After the girl found the two birds, she ____.
| A．became frightened at once |
| B．began to treat them badly |
| C．greeted them happily |
| D．fed them and raised them |
Why did the girl grasp the stronger bird wildly?
| A．Because the girl disliked the bird any longer |
| B．Because the bird wanted to fly alone. |
| C．Because the girl loved the bird deeply. |
| D．Because the bird intended to find some food. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Catch what you can catch on your way to success. |
| B．Going too far is as bad as not going far enough. |
| C．East or west, home is best. |
| D．A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. |
Maybe ten-year-old Elizabeth put it best when she said to her father. "But. Dad. you can't be healthy if you're dead."
Dad. in a hurry to get home before dark so he could go for a run. had forgotten to wear his safety belt-a mistake 75% of the US population make every day The big question is why.
There have been many myths about safety belts ever since her first appearance in cars some forty years ago. The following are three of the most common.
Myth Number One: It's best to be "thrown clear" of a serious accident.
Truth: Sorry, but any accident serious enough to "throw you clear" is also going to be serious enough to give you a very bad landing. And chances are you'll have traveled through a windshield(挡风玻璃)or door to do it. Studies show that chances of dying after a car accident are twenty-five times greater in cases where people are "thrown clear."
Myth Number Two: Safety belts "trap" people in cars that are burning or sinking in water.
Truth: Sorry again. but studies show that people knocked unconscious(昏迷) due to not wearing safety belts have a greater chance of dying in these accidents People wearing safety belts are usually protected to the point of having a clear head to free themselves from such dangerous situations. not to be trapped in them.
Myth Number Three Safety belts aren't needed at speeds of less than 30 miles per hour Truth: when two cars traveling at 30 mph hit each other. an unbelted driver would meet the windshield with a force equal to diving headfirst into the ground from a height of 10 meters.why did Elizabeth say to her father. "But. Dad. you can't be healthy if you're dead" ?
| A．He was driving at great speed. |
| B．He was running across the street. |
| C．He didn't have his safety belt on. |
| D．He didn't take his medicine on time. |
The reason Father was in a hurry to get home was That he＿＿＿＿＿．
| A．wasn't feeling, very well |
| B．hated to drive in the dark |
| C．wanted to take some exercise |
| D．didn't want to be caught by the police |
According to the text. to be "thrown clear" of a serious accident is very dangerous
because you ＿＿＿＿＿．
A. may be knocked down by other cars
B may get seriously hurt being thrown out of the car
C. may find it impossible to get away from the seat
D. may get caught in the car doorSome people prefer to drive without wearing a safety belt because they believe＿＿＿.
| A．the belt prevents them from escaping in an accident |
| B．they will be unable to think clearly in an accident |
| C．they will be caught when help comes |
| D．cars catch fire easily |
what is the advice given in the text ?
| A．Never drive faster than 30 mile an hour. |
| B．Try your best to save yourself in a car accident. |
| C．Never forget to wear the safety belt while driving. |
| D．Drive slowly while you're not wearing a safety belt. |
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