Japanese couples，too busy for a normal social life，are increasingly turning to actors to play their friends on the most important days of their lives．
Several agencies have sprung up (涌现) offering actors to attend weddings or even funerals．The first guest-for-hire company was established about nine years ago and around 10 now send out dozens of pretend friends to family events．
Agencies such as Hagemashi Tai —— which means “I want to cheer you up” —— charge around ￡100 for each “guest”．Other services such as giving a speech in praise of a bride or the groom cost extra．
The appearance of the small fake friends industry has been linked to social and economic changes in Japan．With lifetime employment (终身雇佣制) a thing of the past，couples feel uncomfortable about inviting work colleagues to their wedding．Increasingly busy and stressed out，many Japanese surround themselves with only a very small circle of friends．
When they marry，however，they are under pressure to match the number of their new partner’s wedding guests．Office Agents，the largest provider of pretend friends，makes sure that its employees have done their homework and know all about the bride or groom before the wedding．
Hiroshi Mizutani，the company’s founder，said the fake friends he provides must look happy，be well dressed and look like people with good jobs．Why did fake friends industry come into being in Japan?
| A．Because of social and economic changes． |
| B．Because of lifetime employment． |
| C．Because of normal social life． |
| D．Because of work pressure．． |
Pretend friends will be present on the following occasions except __________ ．
| A．weddings | B．funerals |
| C．work | D．family gathering |
The agents make sure that fake friends __________ ．
| A．have done their housework |
| B．have good jobs |
| C．must look happy and be well dressed |
| D．feel uncomfortable |
What is the main idea of this passage?
| A．Japanese couples are under pressure to get married． |
| B．The first guest-for-hire company in Japan started． |
| C．Japanese couples’ social life is boring． |
| D．Japanese couples rely on fake friends． |
B
Many areas of cropland in Bangladesh(孟加拉国) are becoming unfit for farming. The land is becoming salty. It is a big problem for the small country. More than 155 million people live in Bangladesh. Growing crops is the most common way Bangladeshis support themselves.
Farmers in the country are learning to grow vegetables in so-called "vertical gardens." The soil in these gardens is better because heavy rains have removed much of the salt.
A vertical garden is easy to make. Villagers fill containers with good soil and natural fertilizers. They put the containers on bricks so they are off the ground. They add pieces of the bricks to the soil to help water flow and drain.
The farmers cut small holes into the sides of the containers. This permits vegetables with short roots a place to grow. Vegetables with long roots grow on top of the container. One bag of soil can produce up to eight kilograms of vegetables in one season.
Villagers also grow vegetables in containers made from large, thin pieces of plastic supported by bamboo. This "vertical tower" measures more than a meter wide. Each of these towers can produce more than 100 kilograms of vegetables. It costs about $12-$13 to build.
The village of Chandipur is in southwestern Bangladesh. Pumpkins and other gourds(葫芦) grow on vines on top of small homes. The vegetables get the food they need from soil placed in containers on the ground.
Shobitha Debna is a 35-year-old farmer in the village. Her garden space is very small. But she is able to grow hundreds of kilograms of vegetables each season.
She says she grows gourds, including pumpkin, as well as green beans, red amaranth, beets, carrots, cauliflower and more.
Ms. Debna depends on the vegetables to earn money. She makes a few dollars a day.
This kind of farming is new in Chandipur. But it may spread across the country.The reason why cropland is becoming unfit for farming is that________.
| A．the soil has been polluted |
| B．more and more land is used for planting trees |
| C．the land is becoming salty |
| D．there is too much rain |
Why the soil in vertical gardens is better_______?
| A．because there is much less salt in the soil |
| B．because there is much salt in the soil |
| C．because there is enough water in the soil |
| D．because there is many nutrients in the soil |
From paragraph 4, we can learn that_______?
| A．vegetables with long roots grow in the sides of the containers |
| B．vegetables with short roots grow out of the small holes in the sides of the containers |
| C．vegetables with short roots grow on top of the container |
| D．vegetables in vertical gardens are not productive |
Ms. Debna grows many kinds of vegetables EXCEPT________.
| A．gourds | B．carrots | C．pumpkins | D．cucumbers |
What can we infer from the passage__________?
| A．Many areas of cropland in Bangladesh(孟加拉国) are becoming unfit for farming |
| B．155 million people in Bangladesh are short of food |
| C．This kind of farming may spread across Bangladesh |
| D．Ms. Debna earns a lot of money through selling vegetables |
A
A Swiss airplane powered only by energy from the sun left from Abu Dhabi early on March 9. Its creators hope the plane will make the first around-the-world journey without any fuel.
The plane is called Solar Impulse 2. It has one seat and is made from carbon fiber. The plane weighs only as much as a car but its wings are wider than a Boeing 747. The plane's wings stretch 72 meters across.
Those wings include 17,000 solar units, or cells, that capture the sun's energy. The energy allows the plane to fly day and night.
Two Swiss scientists built the plane. Bertrand Piccard is also an explorer who made the first non-stop flight around the world in a balloon. Andrew Borschberg is an engineer and trained fighter pilot.
The scientists say they are not trying to change the airplane industry. Instead, they want to show that new energy sources and technologies can achieve what some say is impossible.
"We want to show we can fly day and night in an aircraft without a drop of fuel,'' Mr. Piccard said.
Some parts of the trip will require the pilots to be in the tiny plane for five to six days and nights in a row. So it is good that the pilot's seat is also a toilet.
The plane's route begins in the United Arab Emirates. The pilots also plan stops in Oman, India, and China. They will cross the Pacific Ocean, stop in the United States, and continue over southern Europe or North Africa. They plan to arrive back in the United Arab Emirates in late July or early August.
Internet viewers can go to the Solar Impulse website to see the plane's location and listen to broadcasts from the pilots.What does the passage mainly discuss___________?
| A．A new airplane-Solar Impulse 2 |
| B．A Swiss airplane |
| C．The first around-the-world journey |
| D．The airplane industry |
What’s the main idea of Paragraph 2___________?
| A．the weight of Solar Impulse 2 |
| B．the material of Solar Impulse 2 |
| C．an introduction of Solar Impulse 2 |
| D．the wings of Solar Impulse 2 |
Form the passage, what do we know about Bertrand Piccard__________?
| A．He made the first non-stop flight around the world. |
| B．He is a trained fighter pilot. |
| C．He is from the United Arab Emirates. |
| D．He built the plane alone. |
Which one is NOT true_________?
| A．New energy sources and technologies can achieve what some say is impossible. |
| B．The scientists are trying to change the airplane industry. |
| C．The plane's route begins in the United Arab Emirates. |
| D．The pilots plan to arrive back in the United Arab Emirates |
In which part of newspaper can you most probably find this passage____________?
| A．Health | B．Life | C．Travelling | D．Technology |
D
In June, an isolated tribe known to semi-permanently reside in Peru emerged from the forest on the neighboring Envira River in Brazil to make contact with the outside world. Such contact happens surprisingly often, but it is usually brief. “This is unique in that they’ve chosen to stay,” says Chris Fagan, director of the nongovernmental group Upper Amazon Conservancy.
Reportedly under threat from illegal loggers, a few dozen tribespeople remain near the village where they first emerged. They are under the supervision of FUNAI, Brazil’s agency for Indian affairs. During many past contact events, members of the isolated groups died after encountering modern diseases for the first time. But experts hope the group that emerged in June will fare (进展) better because members have stayed long enough to receive medical care. There’s still concern that other members of the group’s tribe may have remained in the forest, vulnerable to disease and unreachable by medical personnel.
“The worst-case scenario (方案) is that some people get sick and go back to the original tribe,” says University of Missouri anthropologist Robert Walker, who studies Amazonian populations. “That’s the huge worry.”
Walker, who studies satellite imagery (卫星图) of the rainforest for evidence of isolated villages, says four or five such nomadic hunter-gatherer groups live in the Envira River watershed, though he estimates between 50 and 100 isolated indigenous (土生土长的) groups live in Greater Amazonia. These groups often make fleeting (短暂的) contact to steal tools from frontier towns, but most, he says, remain isolated out of fear. “Some of these folks’ ancestors have been massacred,” he says. “They were contacted, violently, in the past.”
Now, with illegal loggers and drug smugglers invading land reserves established to protect the tribespeople’s way of life, these isolated groups are feeling pressured out of their homes. And although activist groups and government anthropologists train locals to temporarily leave the area when isolated tribes arrive as a way to prevent the spread of disease, lack of official protocols (协议), consistent enforcement and regular compensation for villagers often make it an ineffective solution.
These tribespeople “have a right to continue their lifestyle as long as they want to,” Fagan says. “There are land reserves set up to allow them to do that, and those reserves are failing.”Where do the tribespeople who make contact with the outside world live?
| A．In the US. | B．In Brazil. |
| C．In Peru. | D．In Cuba. |
Mr Walker is __________.
| A．director of the nongovernmental group Upper Amazon Conservancy |
| B．an official from the Brazilian government |
| C．an official from FUNAI, Brazil’s agency for Indian affairs |
| D．an anthropologist from America |
What does the underlined word “massacred” mean?
| A．killed in a large number. |
| B．given enough medical treatment. |
| C．helped with tender care. |
| D．treated in a friendly way. |
From what Fagan says in the last paragraph, we can know _______.
| A．It is unique that the tribespeople should ask to stay |
| B．The government did a lot to set up land reserves but ended up in vain. |
| C．These tribespeople don’t have a right to continue their lifestyle as long as they want to. |
| D．The worst-case scenario is that some people get sick and go back to the original tribe. |
C
A Swiss airplane powered only by energy from the sun left from Abu Dhabi early on March 9. Its creators hope the plane will make the first around-the-world journey without any fuel.
The plane is called Solar Impulse 2. It has one seat and is made from carbon fiber. The plane weighs only as much as a car but its wings are wider than a Boeing 747. The plane’s wings stretch 72 meters across.
Those wings include 17,000 solar units, or cells, that capture the sun’s energy. The energy allows the plane to fly day and night.
Two Swiss scientists built the plane. Bertrand Piccard is also an explorer who made the first non-stop flight around the world in a balloon. Borschberg is an engineer and trained fighter pilot.
The scientists say they are not trying to change the airplane industry. Instead, they want to show that new energy sources and technologies can achieve what some say is impossible.
“We want to show we can fly day and night in an aircraft without a drop of fuel,” Mr. Piccard said.
Some parts of the trip will require the pilots to be in the tiny plane for five to six days and nights in a row. So it is good that the pilot’s seat is also a toilet.
The plane’s route begins in the United Arab Emirates. The pilots also plan stops in Oman, India, and China. They will cross the Pacific Ocean, stop in the United States, and continue over southern Europe or North Africa. They plan to arrive back in the United Arab Emirates in late July or early August.Which of the following is the plan stops of the tour made by the solar-powered plane?
| A．Abu Dhabi---Oman---China---the United States--- southern Europe ---the United Arab Emirates |
| B．the United Arab Emirates--Oman--- India---the United States--- North Africa--- Abu Dhabi |
| C．the United Arab Emirates--Oman--- India ---China---southern Europe --- Abu Dhabi |
| D．Abu Dhabi--Oman--- India ---China---the United States--- the United Arab Emirates |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．The plane’s wings include 17,000 solar units, or cells, that capture the sun’s energy. |
| B．The plane weighs only as much as a car but its wings are narrower than a Boeing 747. |
| C．Bertrand Piccard is one of the co-builders of the plane. |
| D．The scientists are trying to change the airplane industry. |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．Solar Powered Plane Starts World Tour |
| B．A Plane Powered By Solar Energy |
| C．A Plane’s Route Begins in the United Arab Emirates |
| D．A Tour Around the World |
B
It’s reported that powerful Cyclone Pam has impacted at least half the population of Vanuatu, which is a South Pacific island nation.
“Vanuatu is used to disasters but the indications are that Cyclone Pam has caused unprecedented damages,” said President Baldwin Lonsdale in a press release.
The leader of the island nation noted that following a direct hit from the Category 5 storm on Friday, at least two deaths have been confirmed and over 30 injured people are being treated in the Central Hospital in the capital, Port Vila where many people are now homeless and torrential rain has led to severe flooding. He also said bridges which link the capital with the rest of the island have been destroyed.
Mr. Lonsdale made his appeal from Sendai, Japan, where he has been attending since Sunday the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction. The Conference has drawn thousands of Government and civil society delegations to craft a new framework for managing disaster risk which will reduce mortality and curb economic losses.
The country is already threatened by coastal erosion and rising sea levels in addition to five active volcanoes and earthquakes. "This is why I am attending this Conference and why Vanuatu wants to see a strong new framework on disaster risk reduction which will support us in tackling the drivers of disaster risk such as climate change."
Meanwhile, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reports that it is estimated that at least half the population of Vanuatu has been affected by cyclone Pam. Of these, at least 54,000 are children.
Many homes in Vanuatu have likely been destroyed as they are built with natural and local materials such as thatched and corrugated roofs that are vulnerable to strong winds and floods.
Other Pacific Island countries have been severely impacted as well, including the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Kiribati.
A UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team was expected arrive in Port Vila late Saturday. OCHA was also expected to deploy three staff with information management, public information and humanitarian coordination as well.
From what President Baldwin Lonsdale said in the second paragraph, we can know that ______.
| A．Vanuatu is a beautiful South Pacific island nation. |
| B．Vanuatu wants to see a strong new framework on disaster risk reduction. |
| C．Vanuatu suffers from natural disasters a lot. |
| D．Vanuatu will have a bright future on tourism. |
According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．At least 3 deaths have been confirmed and over twenty people injured. |
| B．Port Vila is the capital of Vanuatu. |
| C．The country is not yet threatened by coastal erosion and rising sea levels. |
| D．The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reports that half the children has been affected by cyclone Pam. |
What can we know from the last three paragraphs?
| A．Some international rescue teams are being under way. |
| B．Four other Pacific Island countries have been severely impacted by Cyclone Pam except Vanuatu. |
| C．Many houses in Vanuatu are still strong enough for people to live in. |
| D．A UN team was expected arrive in Port Vila late Sunday. |
Where was the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction being held?
A. In Vanuatu. B. In the USA.
C. In China. D. In Japan.
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