Scientists today are making greater effort to study ocean currents (洋流) . Most do it using satellites and other high-tech equipment. However, ocean expert Curtis Ebbesmeyer does it in a special way --- by studying movements of random floating garbage. A scientist with many years’ experience, he started this type of research in the early 1990s when he heard about hundreds of athletic shoes washing up on the shores of the northwest coast of the United States. There were so many shoes that people were setting up swap meets to try and match left and right shoes to sell or wear.
Ebbesmeyer found out in his researches that the shoes — about 60,000 in total — fell into the ocean in a shipping accident. He phoned the shoe company and asked if they wanted the shoes back. As expected, the company told him that they didn't. Ebbesmeyer realized this could be a great experiment. If he learned when and where the shoes went into the water and tracked where they landed, he could learn a lot about the patterns of ocean currents.
The Pacific Northwest is one of the world's best areas for beachcombing(海滩搜寻) because winds and currents join here, and as a result, there is a group of serious beachcombers in the area. Ebbesmeyer got to know a lot of them and asked for their help in collecting information about where the shoes landed. In a year he collected reliable information on 1, 600 shoes. With this data, he and a colleague were able to test and improve a computer program designed to model ocean currents, and publish the findings of their study.
As the result of his work, Ebbesmeyer has become known as the scientist to call with questions about any unusual objects found floating in the ocean. He has even started an association of beachcombers and ocean experts, with 500 subscribers from West Africa to New Zealand. They have recorded all lost objects ranging from potatoes to golf gloves.The underlined phrase swap meets in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ___________.
| A．fitting rooms | B．trading fairs |
| C．business talks | D．group meetings |
Ebbesmeyer phoned the shoe company to find out ___________.
| A．what caused the shipping accident |
| B．when and where the shoes went missing |
| C．whether it was all right to use their shoes |
| D．how much they lost in the shipping accident |
How did Ebbesmeyer prove his assumption?
| A．By collecting information from beachcombers. |
| B．By studying the shoes found by beachcomber. |
| C．By searching the web for ocean currents models. |
| D．By researching ocean currents data in the library. |
Ebbesmeyer is most famous for _________________.
| A．traveling widely the coastal cities of the world |
| B．making records for any lost objects on the sea |
| C．running a global currents research association |
| D．phoning about any doubtful objects on the sea |
What is the purpose of the author in writing this passage?
| A．To call people's attention to ocean pollution. |
| B．To warn people of shipping safety in the ocean. |
| C．To explain a unique way of studying ocean currents. |
| D．To give tips on how to search for lost objects on the beach. |
McGill Comedy Club
Important meetings today. Discussion on putting on Blazing Saddles. Union room 302, 3-4pm. New members (both actors and non-actors, living and dead) are welcome.
History Students’ Association
Prof. Michael Cross of Dalhouseie University will be speaking on “Unskilled Labor on Rivers and Canals in Upper Canada, 1820-1850: The beginning of Class Struggle” at 10am. in Peacock 230.
Design Mirror Sale
All types and sizes of design mirrors priced to please. Sale today in Union room 108.
McGill Teaching Assistants’ Association
A general meeting, for all the Tas will be held at 4pm. in peacock 116.
Women’s Union
Important general meeting at 6pm. Union room 423. Speaker on “Importance of Deciding Basic Goals of the Women’s Union.” Everyone ----old, new and those interviewed, please attend.
Film Society
Last meeting of the term for all members. All managers are required to be present at 6pm. sharp, Union room 434.
Canadian University Students Overseas
CUSO presents “Guess Who’s Coming to Breakfast” at 7pm. newman Centre, 3848 Peel. Find out about CUSO here and overseas. Everyone welcome.Which of the following is the name of a play?
| A．Blazing Saddles. | B．Guess Who’s Coming to Breakfast. |
| C．Important of Deciding Basic Goals of the Women’s Union. | |
| D．Unskilled Labor on Rivers and Canals in Upper Canada, 1820-1850. |
If you are interested in arts, where can you go for a visit?
| A．Peacock 116 | B．Union room 423 |
| C．Union room 108 | D．Newman Centre, 3848 Peel |
Which of the following will occupy Union room 423?
| A．Film Society. | B．Canadian University Students Overseas |
| C．Women’s Union | D．Design Mirror Sale |
Where can you probably find this text?
| A．In a school magazine. | B．In a national paper. |
| C．In a guide book. | D．In a university daily newspaper. |
There are many types of reports. A report is simply an account of something that has happened. The commonest are new reports. We get them in newspapers, over the radio and on television. Sometimes cinemas also show us newsreels(新闻影片).
The main purpose of a newspaper is to provide news. If you examine a newspaper closely, you will find that there are all types of news: accidents, floods, fires, wars, fashions, sports, books, etc. The news covers everything that happens to people and their surroundings. Sometimes there are news items which are very amusing.
A news report is usually very short, except when it is about something very important, but it contains a lot of information. It is also written in short paragraphs. The first paragraph is, in fact, a summary of the news item. It gives all the necessary information—what, when, where, how and why. The other paragraphs give full details of the subject. There may also be interviews with people. The words actually spoken by them are within inverted commas(引号).
Often there are photographs with the news to make it more interesting.In this passage, which of the following is mentioned as sources of new reports?
| A．Cinemas, television and Internet. | B．Television, Internet and newspapers. |
| C．Internet, newspapers and cinemas. | D．Radios, television and newspapers. |
According to this passage, the main purpose of a newspaper is to ________.
| A．earn money | B．make the readers happy |
| C．provide news | D．draw attention |
We can learn from this passage that news reports ________.
| A．are never amusing | B．are always written in short paragraphs |
| C．are always written in the first paragraph | |
| D．give details of events in the first paragraph |
The soldiers had just moved to the desert, and as they had never been in such a place before, they had a lot to learn.
As there were no trees or buildings in the desert, it was, of course, very hard to hide their trucks from enemy planes. The soldiers were, therefore, given training in camouflage. They were shown how to paint their trucks in irregular patterns with pale green, yellow, and brown paints, and then to cover them with nets to which they had tied small pieces of cloth.
The driver of the biggest truck had a lot of trouble camouflaging it. He spent several hours painting it, preparing a net and searching for some heavy rocks with which to hold the net down. When it was all finished, he went for lunch.
When he came back from his meal, he was surprised and worried to see that his camouflage was completely spoilt by the truck’s shadow, which was growing longer and longer as the afternoon advanced. He stood looking at it, not knowing what to do.
Soon an officer arrived, and he, too, saw the shadow, of course.
“Well,” he shouted to the poor driver, “What are you going to do about it? If an enemy plane comes over, the pilot will at once know that there is a truck there.”
“I know, sir,” answered the soldier.
“Well, don’t just stand there doing nothing!” said the officer.
“What shall I do, sir?” asked the poor driver.
“Get your spade and throw some sand over the shadow, of course!” answered the officer.From this passage you can know ________.
| A．there were a lot of trees where the soldiers were stationed |
| B．the soldiers were staying in an area far from the enemy planes |
| C．the soldiers knew nothing about desert |
| D．the soldiers had lived in desert before |
Which of the following is right?
| A．The nets with which they covered their trucks were made of small pieces of cloth. |
| B．The soldiers tied small pieces of cloth to the nets with which they covered their trucks. |
| C．The nets covering the trucks were painted pale green, yellow and brown. |
| D．The trucks were tied to the nets with small pieces of cloth. |
The soldier was surprised and worried because ________.
| A．his truck had cast a shadow in the sun and the enemy plane would find it. |
| B．the shadow of his truck was growing longer at noon |
| C．it was late in the afternoon, and he could not get rid of the shadow |
| D．his newly-painted truck was in the shadow |
What do you think of the ending of the story?
| A．It is quite reasonable that the officer ordered the soldier to cover the shadow with sand. |
| B．We’ll laugh at the officer’s order because it is where the humor lies. |
| C．Though the officer’s order sounded wise, the soldier couldn’t cover the shadow. |
| D．The soldier managed to cover the shadow with sand |
What do you think of the ending of the story?
| A．It is quite reasonable that the officer ordered the soldier to cover the shadow with sand. |
| B．We’ll laugh at the officer’s order because it is where the humor lies. |
| C．Though the officer’s order sounded wise, the soldier couldn’t cover the shadow. |
| D．The soldier managed to cover the shadow with sand |
When you visit America, you will see the word Motel on signs and notice boards. It is made up of “motor” and “hotel” and it is really a hotel for people who arrive by car (how-ever, you don’t need a car to stay at one). You have to pay when you arrive for your room, which usually has a bath. Meals are not provided, but there will certainly be a cafeteria (自助餐馆). Americans eat a lot of salads and sandwiches. Along the main roads there are a lot of motels. Each tries to offer more than next. Some provide television in every bedroom; others have swimming pools; and so on. Motels are especially useful when you are in the country, far from a town or city. You will also find them in the big National Parks.
In these great National Parks, you may meet guests you don’t expect to see. An American friend told me a little story. In the middle of a moonless night she heard strange noises outside her motel window in the Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. Thinking it might be a thief, she jumped out of bed, opened the door and crept towards a dark shadow. As she got close, she saw the thief. She was dreadfully frightened: it wasn’t a human thief — it was a big black bear. The bear was turning over some empty tins with its paw, looking for tasty bits of food. My friend decided to leave that particular thief alone!
There are also, of course, places called “rooming houses”, where they receive lodgers (房客). You will see such signs as Tourists or Rooms Rent, and you could try one of these. A word of warning — looking for a room in New York during the tourist season is like looking for gold on the moon! Which of the following is TRUE about motels?
| A．You can only find motels in the big National Parks. |
| B．They are free for people who arrive by car. |
| C．If you want to stay at a motel, you must have a car. |
| D．The word “motel” is formed by two words. |
Which of the following is NOT provided by motels?
| A．Baths. | B．Swimming pools. |
| C．TV. | D．Meals. |
The underlined word “crept” in the second paragraph probably means “______”.
| A．moved slowly | B．rushed out |
| C．threw away | D．ran fast |
The second paragraph mainly tells us ______.
| A．an interesting story |
| B．the experience of the author’s friend |
| C．we may meet animals in the National Parks |
| D．bears usually look for food at night |
From the last paragraph, we can learn that in New York during the tourist season ______.
| A．tourists can find gold there |
| B．tourists can have a sweet dream there |
| C．it is difficult to find a room there |
| D．there is warning for tourists to New York |
There are many ways to find a job. It can be as easy as walking into a neighborhood store to look at its announcement board. Local stores often have areas where people can put small signs telling what kind of service they need or can provide. Such services include caring for children or cleaning houses.
Or, job searchers can look in the newspaper. Local newspapers have employment announcements placed by companies seeking workers.
Another popular tool for finding jobs is the Internet. For example, people in four hundred and fifty cities around the world can use the Craigslist Web site to buy objects, meet people or find a job. Craigslist says that it receives two million new job listings each month.
Another useful way to find a job is through a college or university. For example, students at the University of Texas in Austin can go to the Career Exploration Center to get help in finding a job. Of course, looking for a job requires knowing what kind of work you want to do. For example, there is a book called “What Color is Your Parachute (降落伞)?” by Richard Bolles. This book has been helping people choose a career (职业) since it was first published in nineteen seventy.
Some experts also help people find jobs. Susan W. Miller owns a company called California Career Services in Los Angeles. She says her company helps people find jobs by first helping them understand their strengths, goals and interests. Then she provides them with methods and resources to help them find the right job.What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Finding a job. |
| B．College students’ part-time jobs. |
| C．Craigslist Web site. |
| D．The relation between study and work. |
By logging on the Craigslist Web site, you can ______.
| A．sell your old things |
| B．do some shopping online |
| C．create your own announcement board |
| D．get useful information about 450 cities |
“What Color is Your Parachute?” is a book which gives tips to those who want to _____.
| A．work on the airplane | B．buy a parachute |
| C．publish a book | D．find a suitable job |
It can be learned from the passage that ______.
| A．companies often put job information in local shops |
| B．the Internet is the most popular tool for job hunters in the USA |
| C．Susan W. Miller’s company is helping people choose careers |
| D．California Career Services mainly serves university students |
How many ways of finding a job are mentioned in the passage?
| A．Three. | B．Four. | C．Five. | D．Six. |
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