As we all know, the Dragon Boat Festival is our country’s traditional festival, but do you know there is also a Dragon Boat Festival in South Korea, which also falls on May 5 of the lunar calendar(阴历)? It has been reported that South Korea will apply to United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO 联合国教科文组织) to make the celebration of the Dragon Boat Festival its own intangible cultural heritage (非物质的文化遗产). If successful, people from other countries may see the Dragon Festival as a Korean creation.
As the birthplace of the yearly event more than 2,000 years ago, China is not happy with the situation. "It would be a shame if another country successfully made a traditional Chinese festival part of its own cultural heritage ahead of China," said Zhou Heping, deputy(副) culture minister. The Ministry of Culture is even thinking of making its own application to UNESCO, covering all traditional Chinese festivals, including the Dragon Boat event.
It is thought that the festival is held in memory of the great poet Qu Yuan (340-278 BC), who lived in the State of Chu during the Warring States Period. Qu was known to be a patriot (爱国者) and admired by ordinary people.
He is said to have jumped into Miluo River, because he had lost hope in his country's future. When people heard about Qu's death, they sailed up and down the river searching for his body. They also beat the drums to frighten away the fish and threw Zongzi into the water to stop the fish touching Qu. Dragon boat racing is said to come from this search for the poet's body.
Over the years, the Dragon Boat Festival has spread throughout the world. In Japan and Viet Nam, as well as South Korea, the festival has mixed with and become part of the local culture.The Dragon Boat Festival _______.
| A．is also kept by South Korea |
| B．comes from South Korea |
| C．was created by South Korea |
| D．is South Korea’s cultural heritage |
What is the reaction of the Ministry of Culture to South Korea’s intending to make the Dragon Boat Festival its own cultural heritage ?
| A．Fighting against South Korea |
| B．Telling South Korea it’s not right to do so |
| C．Considering to do the similar thing |
| D．Asking South Korea not to do so. |
What is the purpose of the Dragon Boat Festival’s being held?
| A．In memory of Qu Yuan |
| B．In memory of all the patriots of China |
| C．To frighten away the fish |
| D．In honor of QuYuan’s birthday |
After Qu Yuan’s death, Zongzi was thrown into the water to _______.
| A．feed him. |
| B．protect his body from going bad. |
| C．prevent the fish biting his body |
| D．attract his soul |
Now, the Dragon Boat Festival has become ______ activity.
| A．a nationwide | B．a worldwide |
| C．an Asian | D．a foreign |
With large and small keyboards everywhere, neither children nor adults need to write much of anything by hand. That’s a big problem. Study after study suggests that handwriting is important for brain development — helping kids get fine motor skills and learn to express and create ideas. Yet the time devoted to teaching penmanship in most schools has shrunk to just one hour a week. Is it time to give up handwriting? Have a look at the link between the brain and penmanship, and you may get the answer.
A test among students in grades 2, 4 and 6 found that they not only wrote faster by hand than by keyboard, but also created more ideas when composing essays with handwriting. And other research shows that the finger movements required to write by hand activate brain areas involved with thought, language, and short-term memory.
A recent Indiana University study had one group of children practice writing letters by hand while a second group just looked at those letters. Then, both groups of kids entered a functional MRI (核磁共振) that scanned their brains as the researchers showed them the same letters. Researchers found that the brain activity in the first group was far more advanced and “adult-like”.
Handwriting also affects other people’s way they think of adults and children. Several studies have shown that the same average essay will score much higher if written with good penmanship and much lower if written out in poor handwriting. These studies have also found that people judge the quality of a person’s ideas based on his or her handwriting. And the consequences are real: On standardized tests with handwritten sections, like the SAT, all essays that are considered hard to recognize gets a big zero.
Studies show that this isn’t only an English-language phenomenon. Chinese and Japanese youths are suffering from “character amnesia”. They can’t remember how to write characters, thanks to computers and text messaging. Some experts fear that Chinese writing and reading are so closely linked in the brain that China’s reading ability as a nation could suffer.According to the passage, it can be learned that ________________.
| A．many researches have been done on handwriting |
| B．essays can’t be composed without handwriting |
| C．all children write faster by keyboard than by hand |
| D．most schools are trying to teach more handwriting |
What does the Indiana University study imply?
| A．Children should practice writing letters |
| B．Handwriting can increase brain activity |
| C．It’s good for children to enter a functional MRI |
| D．Letters should often be shown to children |
What does the 4th paragraph mainly talk about?
| A．Handwriting affects both adults and children. |
| B．Handwriting helps a person write better essays. |
| C．SAT should be done with good handwriting. |
| D．Good handwriting makes a person seem smarter. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Essays written with keyboards will get lower scores. |
| B．The quality of your ideas depends on your handwriting. |
| C．Chinese and Japanese youths don’t know how to write. |
| D．Less handwriting may affect China’s reading ability. |
The passage tries to tell us that __________________.
| A．keyboards are more popular than handwriting |
| B．we shouldn’t judge people by their handwriting |
| C．handwriting is of great importance |
| D．it’s time to give up using keyboards |
Some weight-loss camps, which are rare in China just a few years ago, have sprouted in Beijing, Qingdao, Shenzhen, and other cities. Today about 15 percent of adults, or 200 million Chinese, are reportedly overweight. Of these, 90 million—about 7 percent—are obese（极肥胖的）.
Experts say the obesity epidemic is spreading to children, though more slowly than in adults. The trend, they say, will have a huge impact on the health of China’s citizens and economy. “We’re seeing a very large proportion of children and adolescents who are quite heavy and aren’t moving much,” said Barry Popkin, a nutrition professor. Popkin carries out an ongoing health-and-nutrition survey of 16,000 households in China. He says more kids today are overeating and putting on weight “quite quickly.” In just ten years, China’s childhood obesity rate has doubled, with the greatest gains coming in urban areas. “In big cities it’s a big problem.”
Some experts blame the extra fat on a range of factors, many of them tied to China’s rapidly changing economy and culture. The diets of Chinese adults and children are far higher in calorie-laden meats, fish, eggs, dairy products, fats, and sugars than ever before. In addition, kids—especially city dwellers—are more sedentary today and spend more time indoors in front of homework, television, computer games, and the Internet.
Shuwen Ng, a health economist, says that kids in China now have pocket money, and they spend a portion of it on junk food. Ng adds that advertising and peer groups influence kids’ food choices. Certain foods, such as new candies or fast food, have attractive features.
China’s childhood obesity rate still lags that of the United States, where some 15 percent of kids are said to be obese. But the long-term effects are equally serious.According to the passage we know _____.
| A．weight-loss camps have been very popular in China six years ago |
| B．about 290 million Chinese are overweight in China in all |
| C．in China childhood obesity rate in rural areas is lower than that in major cities |
| D．America’s childhood obesity rate is lower than China’s |
Which of the following is NOT the reason of China’s childhood obesity?
| A．Advertising on some new candies | B．High quality diets |
| C．Playing computer games for long time | D．Having pocket money |
The underlined word “sedentary” in the second paragraph probably means _____.
| A．attentive | B．earnest | C．absent | D．inactive |
According to the passage we can infer _____.
| A．obesity explosion in China will affect the United States |
| B．there is great difference in kids’ food choices now |
| C．junk food contributes to childhood obesity |
| D．city children eat more than rural children |
What’s the best title for the passage?
| A．Chinese Childhood Obesity Explosion |
| B．Weight-loss Camps in China |
| C．Obesity Explosion’s Impacts On Chinese Economy |
| D．Obesity Explosion In China And America |
While I was in my 4th month of pregnancy (妊娠期) with my second child, we were preparing for a trip to Louisiana, where Marshall’s family live, to celebrate Jane’s 2nd birthday. Two days before we were to leave, we got the shocking news that I was going to lose the baby. Not knowing when this would happen, we decided to continue with our trip.
Since Marshall’s family lives on a 600-acre cattle farm, you often find that you have a lot of time to yourself to think when you are there. That is precisely what I did not want to do at this time. I told Marshall that I needed to get a good book to get lost in while I was there. I told him I heard the Harry Potter books were good, so he went out and got the first one for me.
During that trip, I totally got lost in the book, which was of great help during a time when I needed a distraction to forget about the sadness. In the book, I noticed the name “Seamus”. I vaguely remembered it was pronounced “Shamus” and I liked the sound of that. I mentioned it to Marshall and he liked it too. Toward the end of the trip, I had just 5 chapters left and I knew I was about to finish the first book, which I was pretty excited about.
Soon after we put Jane down to bed, I had started labor (分娩), so I was unable to read. The labor lasted 5 and 1/2 hours, but Marshall stayed there with me, sitting beside me and reading aloud the last 5 chapters of Harry Potter. I can never fully explain how much that helped me through the experience. And ever since then, Marshall and I both have been fans of the Harry Potter books. We remember how they helped us get through that time of our lives.
We were sad to have lost the baby, but the name Seamus started our journey toward adoption. And we gave this name to our adopted son. Though our Seamus doesn’t have a drop of Irish blood in him, the name fits him perfectly.Why did the writer want a good book during the trip?
| A．Because the trip to Louisiana would take a long time. |
| B．Because she didn’t want to think of losing her baby. |
| C．Because she had nothing else to do except reading. |
| D．Because a good book could help her enjoy her trip. |
According to the story, we can know that the Harry Potter books _________________.
| A．made the family’s trip more exciting | B．include five books all together |
| C．have someone called Seamus in them | D．can help people deal with their problems |
The writer named her son Seamus because ___________________.
| A．she wanted to keep her trip in memory | B．she loved this name very much |
| C．her son doesn’t have Irish blood | D．it is a perfect name for a boy |
Which of the following is TRUE about the couple?
| A．They planned their trip after getting the shocking news. |
| B．They thought the cattle farm was too large to do anything on. |
| C．They felt excited when they almost finished the trip. |
| D．They liked reading Harry Porter very much after the trip. |
Which is the best title for the passage?
| A．Funny Stories Of My Family | B．Seamus And Harry Potter |
| C．How We Got To Louisiana | D．How My Son Got His Name |
One thing the tour books don’t tell you about London is that 2,000 of its residents are foxes , which fled the city about centuries ago after developers and pollution moved in . But now that the environment is cleaner , the foxes have come home , one of the many wild animals that have moved into urban areas around the world .
Several changes have brought wild animals to the concrete jungles . First of all , air and water quality in many cities has improved as a result of the 1970s’ pollution control efforts . meanwhile , rural areas have been built up , leaving many animals on the edges of suburban areas . In addition , conservationists have created urban wildlife shelters .
“ The number and variety of wild animals in urban areas is increasing , ” says Gomez Jones . One of the country’s largest populations of raccoons now lives in Washington , D.C. , and moose are regularly seen wandering into Maine towns . Peregrine falcons（猎鹰）dive from the window edges of buildings in the largest U.S. cities to hunt for pigeons .
For peregrine falcons , cities are actually safer than rural areas . By 1970 the birds had died out east of the Mississippi because the DDT , a widely used poison to kill insects , had made their eggs too thin to support life . That year , Tom Cade began raising the birds for release in cities , for cities afforded abundant food in the form of pigeons and contained none of the peregrines’ natural enemies .
“ Before they died out , some migrated to cities on their own because they had run out of natural habitats , ” Cade says . “ To peregrines , buildings are just like natural habitats . ” He has released about 30 birds since 1975 in New York , Baltimore , Philadelphia and Norfolk , and of the 20 pairs now living in the East , half are originally born in the city . “ A few of the young ones have gotten into trouble by falling down chimneys and crashing into window glass , but overall their adjustment has been successful . ”. The first paragraph suggests that __________ .
| A．environment is vital for wildlife |
| B．tour books are not a reliable source of information |
| C．London is a city of fox |
| D．foxes are highly adaptable to environment |
. The passage is mainly concerned with __________ .
| A．wildlife of all kinds returning to large cities to live |
| B．falcons in New York , Baltimore , Philadelphia , and Norfolk |
| C．moose running into glass doors of stores |
| D．foxes returning to London |
. The following statements about peregrine falcons are true EXCEPT __________ .
| A．They died out east of he Mississippi because of the side effect of DDT |
| B．They tend to jump down from a height to hunt for food |
| C．They like running into glass windows or chimneys |
| D．Most of them have got used to living in the concrete jungle |
. The second paragraph is trying to tell us __________ .
| A．that air and water quality has improved in the cities |
| B．why wildlife likes the noise and activities in the cities |
| C．that wildife refuges have been built in the cities |
| D．why wildlife is returning to cities |
After killing Osama Bin Laden and dropping his body into the ocean to avoid causing more hatred fro, the Muslims , the American government recently released a video of Osama Bin Laden living in his safe house watching TV , which has been viewed millions of times . The following are comments made by viewers .
A. Yeah , Osama got what he deserved , Iraq got what they deserved , and Afghanistan got what they deserved . Saddam got what he deserved , Hitler got what he deserved . The list goes on & on .
B. I hate saying this but is believe America deserved 9/11 … They have screwed up so many governments ….
C. I’m American and I and my brother suspected the whole story about dropping him into the ocean . We feel if they really killed him they would keep his body for proof .
D. All you Islamic haters are ignorant fools . The terrorists don’t have anything to do with the religion . They say they are part of the Islamic Religion but they are not . Nuking ( kill somebody with nuclear bombs ) Pakistan will do nothing by the way .
E. Please give me the 2 minutes of my life back that I watched your pointless and fake video .
F. Man ? Why is this video fake ? Rather than shouting about how it’s obviously not Osama , why not provide the arguments for it instead of coming off as if you simply want to deny it for the sake of denial .
G. What a load of nonsense , an insult to any intelligent person , Bin Laden dead for ages … watch Benazir Bhutto say so on YouTube a week before she herself was murdered . The Muslims murdered her for being an American spy !
H. I honestly don’t know what to believe , but … why did the terrorists confirm his death if it didn’t happen .. What can we learn from G ?
| A．Benazir Bhutto was murdered because she was working for Bin Laden . |
| B．Benazir Bhutto has been dead for a week since her murder . |
| C．Benazir Bhutto was killed because she collected information for American government . |
| D．Benazir Bhutto was a very intelligent woman working for You Tube . |
. Which of the following is TRUE ?
| A．Osama , Saddam , Hitler all come from the same country and are all dead . |
| B．B thinks America is to blame for so many terrorist attacks in the world . |
| C．C believes Bin Laden’s body is lying deep down in the ocean . |
| D．D thinks the Islamic people should be killed in other ways instead of by nuclear bombs . |
. What does G refer to by “ insult ” ?
| A．encouragement | B．disrespect | C．disadvantage | D．injury |
. It can be concluded from this passage that __________ .
| A．Some people have some problems believing in the American government |
| B．Bin Laden had been dead for quite a long time before his body was found |
| C．F thinks people have the habit of calling things fake because they have found the facts |
| D．Bin Laden’s death is still a mystery because the terrorists have denied it |
粤公网安备 44130202000953号