British author JK Rowling was at the release of her latest Harry Potter book called “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” at the Natural History Museum in London, Friday July 20, 2007.
J.K. Rowling has been spotted at cafes in Scotland working on a detective novel, a British newspaper reported Saturday.
The Sunday Times newspaper quoted Ian Rankin, a fellow author and neighbor of Rowling's, as saying the creator of the "Harry Potter" books is turning to crime fiction.
"My wife spotted her writing her Edinburgh criminal detective novel," the newspaper quoted Rankin as telling a reporter at an Edinburgh literary festival.
"It is great that she has not abandoned writing or Edinburgh cafes," said Rankin, who is known for his own police novels set in the historic Scottish city.
Rowling famously wrote initial drafts of the Potter story in the Scottish city's cafes. Back then, she was a struggling single mother who wrote in cafes to save on the heating bill at home.
Now she's Britain's richest woman - worth $1 billion, according to Forbes magazine - and her seven Potter books have sold more than 335 million copies worldwide.
In an interview with The Associated Press last month, Rowling said she believed she was unlikely to repeat the success of the Potter series, but confirmed she had plans to work on new books.
"I'll do exactly what I did with Harry - I'll write what I really want to write," Rowling said. What is JK Rowling famous for?
| A. detective novels |
B. crime fiction |
C. Harry Potter books |
D. love stories |
Which of the following is Not rue about Ian Rankin?
| A. He is a writer famous for police novels. |
| B. Most of the stories in his novels happened in the historic Scottish city. |
| C. It was Rankin himself who witnessed JK Rowing writing her Edinburgh criminal detective novels. |
| D. He told the British newspaper The Sunday Times about JK Rowling’s novels. |
Why did Rowling like to write the “Harry Potter stories” in the cafes?
| A. Because she was a romantic woman and the atmosphere in the cafes gave her lots of inspiration. |
| B. Because she was a single mother at that time and she wanted to find a husband there. |
| C. Because her children were so naughty at home and she had to go to a quiet place for her writing. |
| D. Because she thought that writing in a cafes could help her save some money. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A. The seven Harry Potter series made JK Rowling a success. |
| B. JK Rowling had made enough money so she decided to stop writing. |
| C. Rowling planned to write new books because Harry Potter was not exactly what she wanted. |
| D. Ian Rankin and his wife earned money by telling reporters news about JK Rowling. |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A. Harry Potter and JK Rowing |
B. Ian Rankin, A Neighbour of JK Rowling |
| C. A Successful Woman JK Rowling |
D. JK Rowling writing Detective Novels |
Satellites are an important part of our ordinary lives．For example, the information for weather forecasts is sent by satellite．Some satellites have cameras which take photographs of the Earth to show how clouds are moving．Satellites are also used to connect our international phone calls．
Computer connections of the World Wide Web and Internet also use satellites. Many of our TV programs come to US through satellites．Airplane pilots also sometimes use a satellite to help them find their exact location．
We use satellites to send television pictures from one part of the world to another．They are usually 35，880 kilometers above the equator．Sometimes we can see a satellite in the sky and it seems to stay in the same place．This is because it is moving around the world at 11，000 kilometers an hour—exactly the same speed that the earth rotates．A satellite must orbit the Earth with its antennae(天线)facing the earth．Sometimes, it moves away from its orbit，So there are little rockets on it which are used to put the satellite back in the right position．This usually happens about every five or six days．
Space is not empty! Every week, more and more satellites are sent into space to orbit the Earth．A satellite usually works for about 10-12 years．Satellites which are broken are sometimes repaired by astronauts or sometimes brought back to Earth to be repaired．Often，very old or broken satellites are left in space to orbit the Earth for a very long time．This is very serious because some satellites use nuclear power and they can crash into each other．Which of the following is NOT done by satellites according to the passage?
| A．Sending information for weather forecast． |
| B．Taking photographs of the Earth． |
| C．Sending TV pictures． |
| D．Providing food for airplane pilots． |
What’s the speed the earth rotates at?
| A．35,880 kilometers per hour． | B．335,880 kilometers per hour． |
| C．11,000 kilometers per hour． | D．110,000 kilometers per hour |
Why does the satellite move around the world at the same speed as the Earth rotates?
| A．In order to take photographs． |
| B．In order to stay in a certain position in the orbit． |
| C．In order to move away from its orbit． |
| D．In order to send television pictures． |
What does the underlined word “This” refer to?
| A．A satellite． | B．A little rocket． |
| C．A satellite seems to stay in the same place in the sky． | |
| D．The satellite puts the rockets in the right position． |
Which is true of satellites?
| A．A satellite usually works for about 10-2 years． |
| B．Every time a satellite gets broken，it is brought back to the Earth to be repaired． |
| C．A broken satellite is never left in space． |
| D．They often crash into each other． |
A religious person will have a different thought from one who is not．And a Democrat usually doesn’t view issues the same way as a Republican．
Take the shoes for example．It has the same principle．Some like custom shoes for personalization．But some don’t．Someone will buy a shoes printer only for one desired image．That all depends on different conceptions．So when you have a negative thought about yourself, don’t consider it a fact until you also reflect on the opposite view．And if the alternative is more positive, accept that to be your truth．
An anorexic （厌食症患者） looks in the mirror and thinks she’s fat．As a result she starves herself and rids her body of vital nutrition．But society thinks she’s too skinny．Unless she can change her perception, she’ll never agree with society．And she’ll never get better．What are you seeing in you that is preventing you from realizing how beautiful you are? Or how smart you are? Or how lovable? If you take the positive view, that is how other people will see you too．
More often than not the critical statements that damage your self-esteem come from your own mind．Now you know how you can silence them．A bad comment is usually not about you; it’s about something that is going on with the commenter．Don’t believe anything that is said to you that isn’t in your best interest．And don’t waste any time or brainpower on anyone who doesn’t think you are amazing．
It’s what you think that creates how you feel．Design your own custom shoes, despite other one’s critical eyes．If you like it, it will be the top one．If someone tells you you’re fat, or stupid or otherwise unappealing, the only person you should think badly about is them!
1．What is the passage mainly about?
A．Try to be different． B．Different beliefs make different views．
C．You are actually amazing． D．Trust what people say to you．
2．Which of the following sentences contains a metaphor （暗喻）?
A．A Democrat usually doesn’t view issues the same way as a Republican．
B．Some like custom shoes for personalization．
C．An anorexic looks in the mirror and thinks she is fat．
D．Design your own custom shoes, despite others’ critical eyes．
3．The reason why the writer wrote this passage is to ．
A．confuse people as how to think
B．help people learn how to do self – reflection
C．tell people different ways of thinking
D．show he is smarter than most of the people
A 17-year-old boy, caught sending text messages in class, was recently sent to the vice principal's office at Millwood High School in Halifax, Nova Scotia．The vice principal, Steve Gallagher, told the boy he needed to focus on the teacher, not his cellphone．The boy listened politely and nodded, and that's when Mr．Gallagher noticed the student’s fingers moving on his lap．He was texting while being scolded for texting．“It was a subconscious act,” says Mr．Gallagher, who took the phone away．“Young people today are connected socially from the moment they open their eyes in the morning until they close their eyes at night．It’s compulsive．”
A study this year by psychology students at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Ga．, found that the more time young people spend on Facebook, the more likely they are to have lower grades and weaker study habits．Heavy Facebook users show signs of being more sociable, but they are also more likely to be anxious, hostile or depressed．（ Doctors, meanwhile, are now blaming addictions to “night texting” for disturbing the sleep patterns of teens．）
Almost a quarter of today’s teens check Facebook more than 10 times a day, according to a 2009 survey by Common Sense Media, a nonprofit group that monitors media’s impact on families．Will these young people get rid of this habit once they enter the work force, or will employers come to see texting and “social-network checking” as accepted parts of the workday? k5u
Think back．When today’s older workers were in their 20s, they might have taken a break on the job to call friends and make after-work plans．In those earlier eras, companies discouraged non-business-related calls, and someone who made personal calls all day risked being fired．It was impossible to imagine the constant back-and-forth texting that defines interactions among young people today．
Educators are also being asked by parents, students and educational strategists to reconsider their rules．“In past generations, students got in trouble for passing notes in class．Now students are adept（熟练的） at texting with their phones still in their pockets,” says 40-year-old Mr．Gallagher, the vice principal, “and they’re able to communicate with someone one floor down and three rows over．Students are just fundamentally different today．They will take suspensions rather than give up their phones．” .
1．The underlined word “a subconscious act” refers to an act __________．
A．on purpose B．without realization
C．in secret D．with care
2．Young people addicted to the use of Facebook _________．
A．are good at dealing with the social relationships and concentrate on their study
B．have high spirits and positive attitudes towards their life and work
C．have been influenced mentally in the aspects of behaviors and habits
D．are always in bad mood and have poor performance in every aspect
3．Through the situation of today’s older workers in their 20s, it can be inferred that ___．
A．the employers will accept young people’s sending text messages
B．a cellphone is a must for today’s older workers instead of young people
C．the employers prefer older workers to young people
D．the employers will find it hard to control the interaction among young people
4．Mr．Gallagher reminds us that the students in the past and those today _________．
A．like to break rules and have the same means of sending messages
B．are always the big problem for the educators and their parents
C．like sending text messages but those today do it in a more secret and skillful way
D．cannot live without a cellphone
5．What’s the best title of the passage?
A．Teenagers and Cellphones B．Teenagers’ Texting Addiction
C．Employers and Teenagers D．Teenagers’ Education
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1．Which one of the following activities requires the longest time to complete?
A．Fun in Mandarin
B．Fairytale Holiday Chinese Camp
C．Magic Moments English Speech and Drama Camp
D．Magic Moments Mandarin Speech and Drama Camp
2．If you want your son to learn some table manners, which of the following activities can you register him in?
A．Baking Workshop B．Lollipops Life Science
C．Flower anti Card Making D．Kids’ Dining Etiquette course
3．Which of the following statements is true?
A．Participators need not bring any materials for the activities．
B．All activities are aimed at primary school children only．
C．All participants will receive a free gift upon registration．
D．All activities are organized throughout the year．
4．A couple with three children aged 6, 9 and 14 want them to attend the same activities together．The number of activities they can attend is_______ ．
A．one B．two C．three D．four
We’ve used the wind as an energy source for a long time．
The Babylonians and Chinese were using wind power to
pump water for irrigating crops 4,000 years ago, and sailing
boats were around long before that．Wind power was used in the
Middle Ages, in Europe, to grind（磨碎） corn, which is where
the term “windmill” comes from．
We can use the energy in the wind by building a tall tower, with a large propellor（螺旋桨） on the top．The wind blows the propellor round, which turns a generator to produce electricity．We tend to build many of these towers together, to make a “wind farm” and produce more electricity．The more towers, the more wind, and the larger the propellors, the more electricity we can make．It's only worth building wind farms in places that have strong, steady winds, although boats and caravans（大篷车）increasingly have small wind generators to help keep their batteries charged．
The best places for wind farms are in coastal areas, at the tops of rounded hills, open plains and gaps in mountains — places where the wind is strong and reliable．Some are offshore．To be worthwhile, you need an average wind speed of around 25 km/h．Most wind farms in the UK are in Cornwall or Wales．Isolated places such as farms may have their own wind generators．In California, several “wind farms” supply electricity to homes around Los Angeles．
The propellors are large, to obtain energy from the largest possible volume of air．The blades can be angled to cope with varying wind speeds．Some designs use vertical turbines （垂直涡轮机）, which don’t need to be turned to face the wind．The towers are tall, to get the propellors as high as possible, up to where the wind is stronger．This means that the land beneath can still be used for farming．
1．The first paragraph aims to introduce to us _______．
A．the function of wind power B．the source of wind power
C．the nations using wind power D．the history of using wind power
2．The best places for building the wind farm are places where _______．
A．boats and caravans can often be seen B．isolated farms don’t have enough electricity
C．there are less human activities D．the wind is strong and reliable
3．We can infer from the passage that _______．
A．wind farms will not take up too much farming land
B．wind farms need no fuel because wind is free
C．the blades can be angled to turn to face the wind wherever it comes from
D．the higher and larger the towers are, the stronger the wind is
4．What can be a suitable title for the passage?
A．Where to build a wind farm． B．ABC of the using of wind energy．
C．How to make best use of wind． D．Wind energy is the best energy．
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