It is the women who have only themselves to blame though they are mercilessly exploited (剥削) year after year. Because they tremble at the thought of being seem in public in clothes that are out of fashion, they are always taken advantage of by the designers and the big stores. Clothes which have been worn only a few times have to be put aside because of the change of fashion. When you come to think of it, only a woman is capable of standing in front of a wardrobe packed full of clothes and announcing sadly that she has nothing to wear.
Changing fashions are nothing more than the intentional creation of waste. Many women spend vast sums of money each year to replace clothes that have hardly been worn. Women who cannot afford to throw away clothing in this way, waste hours of their time altering the dresses they have. Skirts are lengthened or shortened; neck-lines are lowered or raised, and so on.
No one can claim that the fashion industry contributes anything really important to society. Fashion designers are rarely concerned with vital things like warmth, comfort and durability (耐用). They are only interested in outward appearance and they take advantage of the fact that women will put up with any amount of discomfort, as long as they look right. There can hardly be a man who hasn't at some time in his life smiled at the sight of a woman shaking in a thin dress on a winter day, or delicately picking her way through deep snow in high-heeled shoes.
When comparing men and women in the matter of fashion, the conclusions to be drawn are obvious. Do the constantly changing fashions of women's clothes, one wonders, reflect basic qualities of inconstancy and instability? Men are too clever to let themselves be cheated by fashion designers. Do their unchanging styles of dress reflect basic qualities of stability and reliability? That is for you to decide.Designers and big stores always make money _____.
A. by mercilessly exploiting women workers in the clothing industry
B . by constantly changing the fashions in women's clothing
C . because they are capable of predicting new fashions
D . because they attach great importance to quality in women's clothingThe writer would be less critical if fashion designers placed more stress on the ______ of clothing.
| A．cost | B．appearance | C．suitability | D．comfort |
According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE? ______________
A . The constant changes in women's clothing reflect their strength of character.
B . New fashions in clothing are created for the commercial exploitation of women.
C . The fashion industry makes an important contribution to society.
D . Fashion designs should not be encouraged since they are only welcomed by women.By saying "the conclusion to be drawn are obvious" (Para 4, Line 1-2), the writer means that ____________.
A. men are more stable and reliable in character
B. men are also exploited greatly by fashion designers
C .women's inconstancy in their choice of clothing is often laughed at
D .women are better able to put up with discomfort
The Healthy Habits Survey(调查) shows that only about one third of American seniors have correct habits.Here are some findings and expert advice.
| 1．How many times did you brush your teeth yesterday? ·Finding：A full 33% of seniors brush their teeth only once a day. ·Step：Remove the 300 types of bacteria in your mouth each morning with a batteryoperated toothbrush.Brush gently for 2 minutes at least twice a day. 2．How many times did you wash your hands or bathe yesterday? ·Finding：Seniors, on average, bathe fewer than 3 days a week.And nearly 30% wash their hands only 4 times a day—half of the number doctors recommend. ·Step：We touch our faces around 3,000 times a day—often inviting germs(病菌) to enter our mouth, nose, and eyes.Use toilet paper to avoid touching the door handle.And, most important, wash your hands often with hot running water and soap for 20 seconds. 3．How often do you think about fighting germs? ·Finding：Seniors are not fighting germs as well as they should. ·Step：Be aware of germs.Do you know it is not your toilet but your kitchen sponge(海绵) that can carry more germs than anything else? To kill these germs, keep your sponge in the microwave for 10 seconds. |
What is found out about American seniors?
| A．Most of them have good habits. |
| B．Nearly 30% of them bathe three days a week. |
| C．All of them are fighting germs better than expected. |
| D．About one third of them brush their teeth only once a day. |
Doctors suggest that people should wash their hands ________.
| A．twice a day | B．three times a day |
| C．four times a day | D．eight times a day |
Which of the following is true according to the text?
| A．We should keep from touching our faces. |
| B．There are less than 300 types of bacteria in the mouth. |
| C．A kitchen sponge can carry more germs than a toilet. |
| D．We should wash our hands before touching a door handle. |
The text probably comes from ________.
| A．a guide book | B．a popular magazine |
| C．a book review | D．an official document |
A kitchen that gives step-by-step cooking instructions in French could inspire a revolution in language learning in the UK. By using a new technology, it speaks to you as you prepare a French dish. The kitchen breaks new ground by taking language learning out of the classroom and linking it with an enjoyable and rewarding real-life activity.
The new kitchen is designed to be used in schools, universities and even people’s homes. It could also be an existing kitchen. The first version of the technology was tested in the kitchens of project partner Newcastle University. The kitchen could be available for schools and universities, and for the UK market by the June of 2014.
The Newcastle University team is now working on ways to put it on the market. And the European Union has given money to begin programs in six other languages, including English Italian and Spanish. Finally, versions could be developed for any language cuisine（烹饪法）in the world.
Professor Paul says, “By international standards, the UK students are now poor when it comes to learning languages—a problem that certainly has an economic influence. We believe that developing skills in a country’s language and its cuisine will help change the trend.”
On a computer fixed into the kitchen, the user first selects the French recipe（菜谱）they want to follow. Digital sensors built into dishes, containers and other equipment then communicate with the computer to make sure the right instructions are given at the right time, the user can ask the computer to repeat an instruction, or translate it into English, simply by pressing the touch screen. After cooking, the user can test what they have learned by carrying out a short test on the computer.
All grammar and vocabulary has been carefully selected to make sure that using the kitchen adds to basic proficiency（熟练）in understanding French.
Now three easy-carrying versions of the kitchen are being prepared. They’re to be fixed in Newcastle University and at Institute Francais, a London-based charity devoted to teaching the French language.The new kitchen is designed mainly to __________.
| A．increase people’s interest in cooking |
| B．teach people how to cook French dishes |
| C．offer people a new way to learn languages |
| D．help cooks learn spoken French in the kitchen |
Which of the following is TRUE about the kitchen?
| A．It has versions in six languages now. |
| B．It is already available for sale in the UK. |
| C．It has received strong support from the EU. |
| D．It can be used only in schools and university. |
When a person is using the kitchen, ___________.
| A．it will give him a test on his cooking skills |
| B．it can translate French into another language |
| C．the cooking process will stop if he goes wrong |
| D．he must be careful so as not to make mistakes |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．UK students have problems in language learning. |
| B．New technology helps students learning cooking. |
| C．An enjoyable and rewarding real-life activity. |
| D．A Talking Kitchen That Teaches You French. |
BEIJING—Family planning officers will handle the illegal birth case of film director Zhang Yimou by following legal procedures, a government spokesman said on Tuesday, December 10, 2013.
When asked to comment on Zhang’s case at a press conference, Yao Hongwen, spokesman for the National Health and Family Planning Commission(NHFPC), said “Every citizen is equal before the law and nobody is allowed to have privileges（特权）to give birth to more children than allowed.”
Yao’s comment came after media stories claimed that Zhang had remarried and fathered a total of seven children: one with his former wife, three with his present wife, Chen Ting, and another three from two lovers.
“The NHFPC’s attitude towards citizens’ birth violations（违法）is consistent and clear…Every Chinese citizen should obey and safeguard the seriousness of laws and regulations.” NHFPC spokesman Yao Hongwen said.
China’s family planning policy, introduced in the late 1970s to slow down the country’s growing population, limits most urban couples to one child and most rural couples to two. The policy was recently relaxed, allowing couples to have two children if one of them is an only child.
Those who break the policy face severe fines. The amount of the fine is generally several times the yearly annual income of the two spouses（配偶）. Some media calculations put the fine that Zhang may face at as much as 160 million yuan(over $26 million).
Zhang’s birth case has caused criticism online about famous people who have more children than the policy allows.
In an open letter on December 1, Zhang admitted that the couple has two sons and daughter and they are willing to accept investigation and punishment according to China’s laws and regulations. He apologized to the public.
However, the letter denied that Zhang had lovers and was father to as many as seven children from various mothers.
Zhang, one of the “fifth generation” of Chinese filmmakers, made his first directorial work in 1987 with “Red Sorghum” and has won a number of award worldwide. He was chief director of the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympic Games.The purpose of the news report is to ______________
| A．claim that Zhang Yimou remarried and fathered a total of seven children |
| B．inform us that Zhang’s illegal birth case will be dealt with by the government |
| C．convince us that Zhang is a famous director and his case will be pardoned |
| D．confirm that Zhang’s illegal birth case has resulted in lots of criticism online |
According to Yao Hongwen, which of the following statements is true?
| A．Every Chinese citizen should obey and safeguard laws and regulations. |
| B．Few people have the privileges to give birth to more children than allowed. |
| C．China’s family planning policy has never been relaxed since introduced. |
| D．Zhang will be fined as much as 160 million yuan for his violations. |
Judging from the recent relaxed policy, a couple_______________
| A．can have as many as three children if they live in a rural area |
| B．will definitely be fined if they have two children nowadays |
| C．can give birth to two children if one of them is an only child |
| D．can only give birth to two children if they live in an urban area |
With the development of society, the choice of food and drinks for children is more diversified than ever before. However, every coin has two sides. Many facts suggest that children are overweight and the situation is getting worse, according to the statistics. I feel there are a number of reasons for this.
Some people blame the fact that we are surrounded by shops selling unhealthy, fatty foods, such as fried chicken and ice cream, at low prices. This has turned out a whole generation of grown-ups who seldom cook a meal for themselves. If there were fewer of these restaurants then probably children would buy less take-away food.
There is another argument that blames parents for allowing their children to become overweight. I agree to this, because good eating habits begin early in life, long before children start to visit fast food shops. If children are given fried chicken and chocolate rather than healthy food, or are always allowed to choose what they eat, they will go for sweet and salty foods every time, and this will carry on throughout their lives.
There is a third reason for this situation. Children these days take very little exercise. They do not walk to school. When they get home, they sit in front of the television or their computers. Not only is this an unhealthy pastime（消遣）, it also gives them time to eat more unhealthy food. What they need is to go outside and play active games or sports.
The above are the main reasons for this problem, and therefore we have to encourage young people to be more active, as well as guiding them away from fast food shops and bad eating habits.What is suggested by the author to deal with “overweight”?
| A．Blaming the shops selling unhealthy and fatty foods. |
| B．Asking young children to walk to school every day. |
| C．Living an active life and removing bad eating habits. |
| D．Not watching TV or playing computer games after school. |
Which of the following shows the structure of the whole text?
The author writes the passage to ______________
| A．show people a social problem | B．provide facts for government |
| C．advise solutions to a problem | D．compare opinions with people |
The underlined word “diversified” in the first paragraph most probably means ________.
| A．various | B．difficult | C．expensive | D．available |
Busy as I am every day, I always open my computer and check my email. Most of the time I am simply doing finger exercises, another form of piano practice without beautiful tones. Sometimes, however, I receive a gift, reminding me of the gifts in my life. The following passage is one of those gifts.
Peter Jones is a 92-year-old, short, calm and proud man. Every morning he is fully dressed by eight o’clock, with his hair fashionably combed and face perfectly shaved even though hi is unable to see anything. He would move to a nursing home today. His wife of 70 years old has recently passed away, making the move necessary.
After hours of waiting patiently in the entrance hall of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready. As he moved his walking stick skillfully to the elevator, the nurse provided a visual description of his tiny room. “I love it,” he stated with enthusiasm. “Mr. Jones, you haven’t been the room,” said the nurse.
“That doesn’t have anything to do with it,” he replied. “Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn’t depend on how the furniture is arranged…it’s how I arrange my mind. I have already decided to love it. It’s a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice: I can spend the day in bed complaining of the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do.”
Each day is a gift, and as long as we are alive. We’ll focus on the new day and all the happy memories we’ve stored just as Mr. Jones does.What do we know about Mr. Jones ?
| A．He is a blind but very neat. |
| B．His wife died many years ago. |
| C．He likes playing the piano. |
| D．His room in the nursing home is big. |
How did Mr. Jones feel about his room in the nursing home?
| A．worried | B．curious | C．disappointed | D．content |
The underlined word “it” in paragraph 4 refers to ________.
| A．the furniture | B．the room | C．a decision | D．a gift |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．Each Day is a Gift | B．Be Always Grateful |
| C．Living in a nursing room | D．Arrange Your Mind Every Day |
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