Crystal Ear
One day a friend asked my wife Jill if I wanted a hearing aid. “He certainly does,”replied Jill. After hearing about a remarkable new product, Jill finally got up the nerve to ask me if I’d ever thought about getting a hearing aid. “No way,”I said. “It would make me look 20 years older.”“No, no”she replied. “This is entirely different. It’s Crystal Ear!”
Jill was right. Crystal Ear is different –––– not the old-styled body worn or over-the-ear aid, but an advanced personal sound system so small it’s like contacts for your ears. And Crystal Ear is super-sensitive and powerful, too. You will hear sounds your ears have been missing for years. Crystal Ear will make speech louder, and the sound is pure and natural.
I couldn’t believe how tiny it is. It is smaller than the tip of my little finger and it’s almost invisible when worn. There are no wires, no behind-the-ear device. Put it in your ear and its-ready-to-wear mold fits comfortable. Since it’s not too loud or too light, you may even forget that you’re wearing it! Use it at work or at play. And if your hearing problem is worse in certain situation, use Crystal Ear only when you need it.
Hearing loss, which is typically prior to teenage years, progresses throughout one’s lifetime. Although hearing loss is now the world’s number-one health problem, nearly 90 percent of people suffering hearing loss choose to leave the problem untreated. For many millions, treating hearing loss in a conventional way can involve numerous office visits, expensive testing and adjustments to fit your ear. Thanks to Crystal Ear, the “sound solution”is now convenient. Almost 90 percent of people with mild hearing loss, and millions more with just a little hearing dropoff, can be dramatically helped with Crystal Ear. Moreover, its superior design is energy-efficient, so batteries can last months. Crystal Ear is now available to help these people treat their hearing loss with a small hearing amplifier(扩音器).Why did the writer refuse to wear a hearing aid at first?
| A．It would make him look like an old man |
| B．He did not get the nerve to wear one |
| C．It looked old-styled. |
| D．It was too costly |
We can infer from the passage that ____
| A．Crystal Ear can signal where it is in case you cannot find it |
| B．you can wear Crystal Ear any time you like |
| C．you can even clean Crystal Ear yourself |
| D．you can even wear while swimming |
What does the writer say about hearing loss?
| A．About 10 percent of people wear hearing aids |
| B．About 90percent of people suffer hearing loss |
| C．It is one of the most painful diseases in the world |
| D．Hearing loss is the world’s most frequent health problem |
BRITAIN is a popular tourist place. But tours of the country have pros and cons.
Good news
Free museums: No charge for outstanding collections of art and antiquities(古董).
Pop music: Britain is the only country to rival (与……比敌)the US on this score.
Black cabs: London taxi drivers know where they are going even if there are never enough of them at weekends or night.
Choice of food: Visitors can find everything from Ethiopian to Swedish restaurants.
Fashion: Not only do fashion junkies love deeply and respect highly brand names such as Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen; street styles are justly loved, too.
Bad news
Poor service: “It’s part of the image of the place. People can dine out on the rudeness they have experienced,” says Professor Tony Seaton of Luton University’s International Tourism Research Center.
Poor public transport: Trains and buses are promised to defeat the keenest tourists, although the over-crowded London tube is inexplicably(不可解的) popular.
Lack of language: Speaking slowly and clearly may not get many foreign visitors very far, even in the tourist traps.
Rain: Still in the number one complaint.
No air-conditioning: So that even splendidly hot summer become as unbearable as the downpours.
Overpriced hotels: The only European country with a higher rate of tax on hotel rooms is Denmark.
Licensing hours: Alcohol is in short supply after 11 p.m. even in 24-hour cities.What do tourists complain most?
| A．Poor service. |
| B．Poor public transport. |
| C．Rain. |
| D．Overpriced hotels. |
What do we learn about pop music in Britain and the US through this passage?
| A．Pop music in Britain is better than that in the US. |
| B．Pop music in Britain is as good as that in the US. |
| C．Pop music in Britain is worse than that in the US. |
| D．Pop music in Britain is quite different from that in the US. |
When is alcohol not able to get?
| A．At 9:00p.m. | B．At 10:00p.m. | C．At 11:00p.m. | D．At 12:00p.m. |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．You have to pay to visit the museums. | B．It’s very cheap to travel by taxi there. |
| C．You cannot find Chinese food there. | D．The public transport is poor there. |
My grandfather worked as a carpenter. On this particular day, he was building some crates（木箱）for the clothes his church was sending to an orphanage in Brazil. On his way home, he found his glasses were gone. When he mentally replayed his earlier actions, he realized what happened. The glasses had slipped out of his pocket and fallen into one of the crates. His new glasses were heading for Brazil!
The Great Depression was at its height, and Grandpa had six children. He had spent twenty dollars for those glasses that very morning.
“It’s not fair,” he thought as he walked home angrily. “I’ve been very faithful in giving my time and money to my work, and now this.”
Several months later, the director of the orphanage came to the United States. He wanted to visit all the churches that supported him, so he came to my grandfather’s small church in Chicago.
He began by thanking the people for their kindness in supporting the orphanage. “But most of all,” he said, “ I must thank you for the glasses you sent last year. You see, some people had just come to the orphanage, destroying everything, including my glasses. I was desperate. Even if I had the money, there was simply no way of replacing those glasses. Along with not being able to see well, I experienced headaches every day, so my coworkers and I were very worried about this. Then your crates arrived. When I removed the covers, I found a pair of glasses lying on top.”
He paused long enough to let his words sink in. Then, he continued: “When I tried on the glasses, it was as though they had been made just for me!” The people listened, happy for the miraculous glasses. But they thought it was strange because there were no glasses on their list of items to be sent overseas.
Sitting quietly in the back, with tears streaming down his face, my grandfather, an ordinary carpenter realized his glasses had found a good place to go.The underlined word “miraculous”（Paragraph 6）can be replaced by .
| A．practical | B．wonderful | C．necessary | D．important |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．The Perfect Mistake. | B．An Ordinary Carpenter. |
| C．A Careless Old Man. | D．A Pair of Glasses. |
Since the 1950s, most of the stars of pop music have come from Britain and America. However, in the last ten years, when many different kinds of music have established themselves on the pop scene, more and more stars have come from other countries.
Pop music changes all the time and new stars appear and become famous. For a musician to stay popular and still produced good, original music over a long period of time, is a sign of true star.
Most stars start their careers in a simple way---playing in unknown night clubs or dance-hall where people want to dance to the music, not listen to it. They may have continued doing this for many years until they get a “break”---a chance to perform in a well–known place or get a recording contract. To become a star is the aim of every singer or musician and the dream of many a pop-crazy teenager.
However a group or star makes it to the top, they can be sure that their lives will change once they are successful. Ordinary teenagers living at home with their parents may suddenly find themselves rich enough to buy their own houses. An established superstar may be able to buy several.
Despite the large amount of money that are earned, life at the top is not easy for many stars. The pop scene is hard work and many stars need to spend a lot of time away from home. For a lot of them, this means they have no home life and their personal relationships suffer. Despite great public success, life at the top can be very lonely.Since the 1950s, most of the stars of pop music have come from _________.
| A．America | B．America and Britain | C．America and Europe | D．other countries |
According to the passage, a “break” may mean a chance to ______.
perform in a well-known concert
C. play in dance-halls B. get a recording contract
D. meet a lot of pop-crazy teenagersIf a star becomes successful, he ______ according to the passage.
| A．will have an easy life because of the larger amount of money earned | |
| B．may have a happy home life and good person relationships | |
| C．will live at home with their parents | D．may have a lonely life |
Many animals recognize their food because they see it. So do humans. When you see an apple or a piece of chocolate you know that these are things you can eat. You can also use other senses when you choose your food. You may like it because it smells good or because it tastes good. You may dislike some types of food because they do not look, smell or taste very nice. Different animals use different senses to find and choose their food. A few animals depend on only one of their senses, while most animals use more than one sense.
Although there are many different types of food, some animals spend their lives eating only one type. The giant panda eats only one particular type of bamboo. Other animals eat only one type of food even when given the choice. A kind of white butterfly will stay on the leaves of a cabbage, even though there are plenty of other vegetables in the garden. However, most animals have a more varied diet. The bear eats fruits and fish. The fox eats small animals, birds and fruits. The diet of these animals will be different depending on the season.
Humans have a very varied diet. We often eat food because we like it and not because it is good for us. In countries such as France and Britain, people eat foods with too much sugar. This makes them overweight, which is bad for their health. Eating too much red meat and animal products, such as butter, can also be bad for the health. Choosing the right food, therefore, has become an area of study in modern life. We can infer from the text that humans and animals _________.
| A．depend on one sense in choosing food |
| B．choose food in similar ways |
| C．are not satisfied with their food |
| D．eat entirely different food |
Which of the following eats only one type of food?
| A．The white butterfly. | B．The bear. | C．The small bird. | D．The fox. |
Certain animals change their choice of food when ___________.
| A．the season changes |
| B．they move to different places |
| C．the food color changes |
| D．they are attracted by different smells |
We can learn from the last paragraph that __________.
| A．food is chosen for a good reason |
| B．some people have few choices of food |
| C．French and British food is good |
| D．some people care little about healthy diet |
Jamaican sprinter (短跑选手) Usain Bolt plans to send a message to rival Tyson Gay by breaking the world 100m record in the London Grand Prix on Friday.
Bolt, who won gold in the 100m, 200m and 4*100m relay in record times at the Beijing Olympics last year, is determined to use the Crystal Palace event to crush the morale (士气) of his main rival for gold at next month’s World Athletics Championships in Berlin.
The 22-year-old is slowly returning to peak form after posting 19.59 sec for the 200m in Lausanne earlier this month and clocking a time of 9.79 sec over 100m in cold, rainy conditions in Paris.
Despite Bolt’s impressive times, Gay still believes he has the beating of the Jamaican. But Bolt insists there is no one in the sport who scares him and he will prove the point in south London this weekend.
Although Bolt believes he is only running at 85 percent at the moment while he recovers from injuries suffered in a recent car crash in Jamaica, he sees no reason why he can’t break his world record 100m time of 9.69 seconds.
However he won’t get the chance to take on Gay in the 100m in London as the American is only running in the 200m, which Bolt is not competing in, so he will have to settle for underlining his own ability.
“You never know what is possible. I will give my best either way. My friends are saying I’m bringing the rain wherever I go but we will see on Friday.”
While Bolt would love to make a big impact in London, he knows the main event is the World Championships.
“The London Grand Prix will show me where I’m at and what I need to do. After, we can analyse what I need to do ahead of the World Championships.” According to the passage, Bolt competed and will compete in the following event. Which of them is arranged in time order?
a. Lausanne athletics gold league matches b. Beijing Olympic Games
c. Paris athletics gold league matches d. World Athletic championships
e. London grand Prix
| A．b-c-a-e-d | ||
| B．b-c-a-d-e | C．b-a-c-e-d | D．b-a-c-d-e |
What does the underlined phrase “take on” mean in paragraph 6?
| A．employ | B．compete against | C．accept | D．develop |
Which of the following is true?
| A．Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt broke the world 100m record in the London Grand Prix on Friday. |
| B．Bolt will not compete in the 200m in London because of Gay’s impressive times. |
| C．Bolt won 3 gold medals at the Beijing Olympic Games at the age of 22. |
| D．Bolt suffered a car crash in Jamaica recently. |
What can we learn from the last two paragraphs?
| A．Bolt is expecting the London Grand Prix. |
| B．Bolt thinks the world Championships is more important. |
| C．Bolt made a big difference in the London Grand Prix. |
| D．Bolt is not confident in his success in the London Grand Prix. |
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