The Pacific island nation of Nauru used to be a beautiful place. Now it is an ecological（生态的） disaster area. Nauru’s heartbreaking story could have one good consequence — other countries might learn from its mistakes.
For thousands of years, Polynesian people lived the remote island of Nauru, far from western civilization. The first European to arrive was John Fearn in 1798. He was the British captain of the Hunter, a whaling ship. He called the island Pleasant Island.
However, because it was very remote, Nauru had little communication with Europeans at first. The whaling ships and other traders began to visit, bringing guns and alcohol. These elements destroyed the social balance of the twelve family groups on the island. A ten-year civil war started, which reduced the population from 1,400 to 900.
Nauru’s real troubles began in 1899 when a British mining company discovered phosphate (磷酸盐)on the island. In fact, it found that the island of Nauru was nearly all phosphate, which a very important fertilizer for farming. The company began mining the phosphate.
A phosphate mine is not a hole in the ground; it is a strip mine（带状矿）. When a company strip-mines, it removes the top layer（层） of soil. Then it takes away the material it wants. Strip mining totally destroys the land. Gradually, the lovely island of Nauru started to look like the moon.
In 1968, Nauru became one of the richest countries in the world. Every year the government received millions and millions of dollars for its phosphate.
Unfortunately, the leaders invested the money unwisely and lost millions of dollars. In addition, they used millions more dollars for personal expenses. Soon people realized that they had a terrible problem — their phosphate was running out. Ninety percent of their island was destroyed and they had nothing. By 2000, Nauru was financially ruined. Experts say that it would take approximately $433,600,000 and more than 20 years to repair the island. This will probably never happen. What might be the author’s purpose in writing the text?
| A．To seek help for Nauru’s problems. | B．To give a warning to other countries. |
| C．To show the importance of money. | D．To tell a heartbreaking story of a war. |
What was Nauru like before the Europeans came?
| A．Rich and powerful. | B．Modern and open. |
| C．Peaceful and attractive. | D．Greedy and aggressive. |
The ecological disaster in Nauru resulted from .
| A．soil pollution | B．phosphate over mining |
| C．farming activity | D．whale hunting |
Which of the following was a cause of Nauru’s financial problem?
| A．Its leaders misused the money. | B．It spent too much repairing the island. |
| C．Its phosphate mining cost much money. | D．It lost millions of dollars in the civil war. |
What can we learn about Nauru from the last paragraph?
| A．The phosphate mines were destroyed. | B．The leaders will take the experts’ words seriously. |
| C．The island was abandoned by the Nauruans. | D．The ecological damage is difficult to repair. |
No doubt that you know about Charities. Here it is another chance for you to know more. Difficult times often bring out the best in people. And this was the case for basketball star Yao Ming, who hosted a television show in Shanghai that raised US$300,000 to help researchers find a cure for SARS. Fundraising, or charity, is an act of goodwill towards others. Charities in the West have more flexible ways. Look at a typical day for Ruth, a wealthy woman in the UK, for example. Ruth wakes up in the morning and collects her post. There’s a letter addressed to her with a picture of a half-dead, beaten horse. It’s from a charity asking Ruth to donate money to save the animals. The door bell rings and there, on Ruth’s doorstep, is an old woman asking for money to help the aged. She turns on the television, hears sad music and sees a picture of a wide-eyed child dying of hunger in Africa with an appeal for money to help the child. Ruth then goes shopping for a dress to wear to that evening’s large party for the rich and famous. The ticket cost her a small fortune, but she doesn’t mind because most of the money is going to a charity that fights AIDS. She feels good about going because she’s helping the sick. Within five minutes of walking down the street, Ruth has passed a charity shop. She doesn’t stop because she doesn’t think she’d find a suitable dress there—it’s full of old, secondhand clothes. But, many other people enter and but all sorts of bargains. Edna, a little old lady, looks after the shop. Any profit it has made goes to a cancer charity. Now that she has retired, she has plenty of spare time to offer her services for free.
For people like Yao Ming, Ruth and Edna, charity is a virtue that holds the same importance in life as faith and hope. “As you look back on your life, the moments that stand out are the moments when you have done things for others,” said Scottish author Henry Drummond.Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the story as a way of fundraising ?
| A．Charity party | B．Charity post |
| C．Charity TV program | D．Charity for beggars. |
What does the word “raise” in the first paragraph mean ?
| A．Collect together | B．Donate |
| C．Increase | D．Bring to someone’s attention. |
We can infer from the passage that .
| A．Yao Ming donated US$300,000 to help researchers find a cure for SARS |
| B．Edna may not be a rich lady but she is willing to do something for others |
| C．Ruth leads a busy life and she feels very tired |
| D．Ruth is angry because so many people ask her for money every day |
What’s the writer’s attitude towards charity ?
| A．The writer thinks it’s something only people like Ruth can afford to do |
| B．The writer just wants to inform us of the different ways to practice charity |
| C．The writer thinks it’s a virtue and admires the people who practice it |
| D．The writer doesn’t make it clear in the story |
The underlined part in the last paragraph probably means that .
| A．when you look back sometimes, you need stand out |
| B．when you want to do something for others, you need stand out |
| C．the moment you stand out, you can do something for others |
| D．what impresses people deeply is what they have done for others |
Can you imagine learning by playing games. To be sure, only children experienced some things differently from those with sisters and brothers. Many feel more pressure to succeed. They also tend to look only to their parents as role models in the absence of brothers and sisters.
In India, 10-year-old Saviraj Sankpal founded a support group for the tiny minority of only children. Among other things, the group does volunteer work to counter (or be against) the myth that they are not responsible. "People think we're treated too kindly and ruined," says Sankpal, a computer engineering student. "But I'd like to remind them how lonely it can get."
Most only children, however, say they wish for sisters or brothers only when it comes to caring for aging, unhealthy parents. Britain's David Emerson, coauthor of the book The Only Child, says that such a person bears terrible burden in having to make all the decisions alone. Emerson knows from experience: After his father died, he chose to move his elderly mother from their family home, where she was vulnerable to (or easy to be attacked by) house breakers, to a new one with more security." The move was quite hard on her, and she might feel that I pushed her into it," he says,". After all, I am left with that responsibility."
In the future, more and more only children will likely face similar choices. With working mothers increasing, many families are finding they simply don't have the time, money or energy to have more than one child. As only children become common, perhaps the world will realize that the Charge made against them is unjust.It can be inferred from the passage that the author's attitude towards only children is _______.
| A．ironic | B．objective | C．unfriendly | D．unjust |
It can be inferred from the passage that only children's parents should ___________.
| A．found a support group for their only children |
| B．do volunteer work to help their only children |
| C．let their only children make all the decisions alone |
| D．set good examples for their only children |
Emerson decided to move his elderly mother to a new house because he ___________.
| A．is the only one who cares about her |
| B．doesn't want to leave her alone |
| C．wants to share the responsibility with her |
| D．is worried about her safety |
It is quite usual now for a working mother to ____________.
| A．spend all her time and money on her only child |
| B．be responsible for bringing up her only child |
| C．have and bring up only one child |
| D．devote all her energy to her job |
The main idea of the passage is that ________.
| A．only children are ruined and irresponsible |
| B．only children have to face many challenges |
| C．most only children want to have brothers and sisters |
| D．most only children share their responsibility with their parents |
Do you read newspapers in modern times while we have TV and other media? The first newspaper was written by hand and put up on walls in public places. The earliest daily newspaper was started in Rome in 59 BC. In the 700s the world’s first printed newspaper was published. Europe didn’t have a regularly published newspaper until 1609, when one was started in Germany.
The first regularly published newspaper in English was printed in Amsterdam in 1620. In 1621, an English newspaper was started in London and was published once a week. The first daily English newspaper was Daily Current, which came out in March 1702.
In 1690, Benjamin Harris printed the first American newspaper in Boston. But not long after it was first published, the government stopped the paper. In 1704, John Campbell started Boston Newspaper, the first newspaper published daily in the American Colonies. By 1760, the colonies had had more than thirty daily newspapers. There are now about 1,800 daily papers in the United States.
Today, as a group, English language newspapers have the largest circulation in the world. But the largest circulation for a newspaper is that of the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun. It sells more than eleven million copies every year. The first regularly printed European newspaper was started ______.
| A．in Rome in 59 BC | B．in Germany in 1609 |
| C．in Amsterdam in 1620 | D．in England in 1621 |
The first daily English newspaper was started in _______.
| A．1702 | B．1760 | C．1620 | D．1621 |
What can we learn from the passage_______?
A. The earliest daily printed newspaper was started in Rome in 59 BC.
B. The first regularly published English newspaper was printed in Boston.
C. The first daily English newspaper was printed in the American Colonies.
D. The first American newspaper was stopped before 1704.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage_______?
A. Newspapers have the longest history in the United States.
B. One English language newspaper has the largest circulation in the world.
C. The first English newspaper was printed in Rome in 59 BC.
D. There are all kinds of newspapers all over the world today.What is the best title of the passage_______?
| A．History of newspapers. |
| B．History of daily newspapers. |
| C．The beginning of daily newspapers. |
| D．The beginning of newspapers. |
Researchers in the psychology department at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) have discovered a major difference in the way men and women respond to stress. This difference may explain why men are more likely to suffer from stress-related disorders.
Until now, psychological research has maintained that both men and women have the same "fight-or-flight" reaction to stress. In other words, individuals either react with aggressive behavior, such as verbal or physical conflict ("fight"), or they react by withdrawing from the stressful situation ("flight"). However, the UCLA research team found that men and women have quite different biological and behavioral responses to stress. While men often react to stress in the fight-or-flight response, women often have another kind of reaction which could be called "tend and befriend." That is, they often react to stressful conditions by protecting and nurturing their young ("tend"), and by looking for social contact and support from others - especially other females ('befriend").
Scientists have long known that in the fight-or- flight reaction to stress, an important role is played by certain hormones(激素) released by the body. The UCLA research team suggests that the female tend-or-befriend response is also based on a hormone. This hormone, called oxytocin, has been studied in the context of childbirth, but now it is being studied for its role in the response of both men and women to stress. The principal investigator, Dr. Shelley E. Taylor, explained that "animals and people with high levels of oxytocin are calmer, more relaxed, more social, and less anxious." While men also secrete(分泌）oxytocin, its effects are reduced by male hormones.
In terms of everyday behavior, the UCLA study found that women are far more likely than men to seek social contact when they are feeling stressed. They may phone relatives or friends, or ask directions if they are lost.
The study also showed how fathers and mothers responded differently when they came home to their family after a stressful day at work. The typical father wanted to be left alone to enjoy some peace and quiet. For a typical mother, coping with a bad day at work meant focusing her attention on her children and their needs.
The differences in responding to stress may explain the fact that women have lower frequency of stress-related disorders such as high blood pressure or aggressive behavior. The tend-and-befriend regulatory(调节的) system may protect women against stress, and this may explain why women on average live longer than men.The UCLA study shows that in response to stress, men are more likely than women to _____ .
| A．turn to friends for help | B．solve a conflict calmly |
| C．find an escape from reality | D．seek comfort from children |
Which of the following is true about oxytocin according to the passage?
| A．Men have the same level of oxytocin as women do. |
| B．Oxytocin used to be studied in both men and women. |
| C．Both animals and people have high levels of oxytocin. |
| D．Oxytocin has more of an effect on women than on men. |
What can be learned from the passage?
| A．Male hormones help build up the body's resistance to stress. |
| B．In a family a mother cares more about children than a father does. |
| C．Biological differences lead to different behavioral responses to stress. |
| D．The UCLA study was designed to confirm previous research findings. |
Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?
| A．How men and women get over stress |
| B．How men and women suffer from stress |
| C．How researchers overcome stress problems |
| D．How researchers handle stress-related disorders |
The value-packed, all-inclusive sight-seeing package that combines the best of Sydney's harbour, city, bay and beach highlights.
A SydneyPass gives you unlimited and flexible travel on the Explorer Buses: the 'red' Sydney Explorer shows you around our exciting city sights while the 'blue' Bondi Explorer visits Sydney Harbour bays and famous beaches. Take to the water on one of three magnificent daily harbour cruises(游船). You can also travel free on regular Sydney Buses, Sydney Ferries or CityRail services (limited area), so you can go to every corner of this beautiful city.
Imagine browsing at Darling Harbour, sampling the famous seafood at Watsons Bay or enjoying the city lights on an evening ferry cruise. The possibilities and plans are endless with a SydneyPass. Wherever you decide to go, remember that bookings are not required on any of our services so tickets are treated on a first in, first seated basis.
SydneyPasses are available for 3, 5 0r 7 days for use over a 7 calendar day period. With a 3 or 5 day pass you choose on which days out of the 7 you want to use it. All SydneyPasses include a free Airport Express inward trip before starting your 3, 5 or 7 days, and the return trip is valid (有效的) for 2 months from the first day your ticket was used.
SydneyPass Fares
| |
Adult |
Child* |
Family** |
| 3day ticket |
$90 |
$45 |
$22.5 |
| 5day ticket |
$120 |
$60 |
$300 |
| 7day ticket |
$140 |
$70 |
$350 |
*A child is defined as anyone from the ages of 4 years to under 16 years. Children under 4 years travel free.
**A family is defined as 2 adults and any number of children from 4 to under 16 years of age from the same family.A SydneyPass doesn’t offer unlimited rides on ______.
| A．the Explorer Buses | B．the harbour cruises |
| C．regular Sydney Buses | D．CityRail services |
With a SydneyPass, a traveller can________.
| A．save fares from and to the airport |
| B．take the Sydney Explorer to beaches |
| C．enjoy the famous seafood for free |
| D．reserve seats easily in a restaurant |
If 5-day tickets were to be recommended to a mother who travelled with her colleague and her children, aged 3, 6 and 10, what would the lowest cost be?
| A．$225. | B．$300. | C．$360. | D．$420. |
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