The majority of Indian women wear a red dot (圆点) between their eyebrows. While it is generally taken as an indicator of their marital (婚姻的) status, the practice is primarily related to the Hindu religion. The dot goes by different names in different Hindi dialects, and “bindi” is the one that is most commonly known. Traditionally, the dot carries no gender restriction: Men as well as women wear it. However, the tradition of men wearing it has faded in recent times, so nowadays we see a lot more women than men wearing one.
The position of the bindi is standard: center of the forehead, close to the eyebrows. It represents a third, or inner eye. Hindu tradition holds that all people have three eyes: The two outer ones are used for seeing the outside world, and the third one is there to focus inward toward God. As such, the dot serves as a constant reminder to keep God in the front of a believer’s thoughts.
Red is the traditional color of the dot. It is said that in ancient times a man would place a drop of blood between his wife’s eyes to seal their marriage. According to Hindu beliefs, the color red is believed to bring good fortune to the married couple. Today, people go with different colors depending upon their preferences. Women often wear dots that match the color of their clothes. Decorative or sticker bindis come in all sizes, colors and variations, and can be worn by young and old, married and unmarried people alike. Wearing a bindi has become more of a fashion statement than a religious custom.Why did people in India start wearing a red dot on their forehead?
| A．To indicate their social rank. |
| B．To show their financial status. |
| C．To show their religious belief. |
| D．To highlight their family background. |
What is the importance of the third eye in Hindu tradition?
| A．To pay respect to God. |
| B．To stay in harmony with nature. |
| C．To see things with a subjective view. |
| D．To observe the outside world more clearly. |
Why was red chosen as the original color of the bindi?
| A．The red dot represented the blood of God. |
| B．Red stood for a wife’s love for her husband. |
| C．The word “bindi” means “red” in some Hindi dialects. |
| D．Red was supposed to bring good luck to a married couple. |
Which of the following statements is true about the practice of wearing a bindi today?
| A．Bindis are now used as a decorative item. |
| B．Bindis are worn anywhere on the face now. |
| C．Most Indian women do not like to wear bindis anymore. |
| D．Wearing a bindi has become more popular among Indian men. |
“How lucky you are to be a doctor…” Anyone who’s a doctor is right out of luck, I thought. Anyone who’s studying medicine should have his head examined.
You may think I want to change my job. Well, at the moment I do. As one of my friends says－even doctors have a few friends－it’s all experience. Experience! I don’t need such experience. I need a warm, comfortable, undisturbed bed of my own. I need it badly. I need all telephones to be thrown down the nearest well, that’s what I need.
All these thoughts fly round my head as I drive my Mini(微型汽车) through the foggy streets of East London at 3:45 a.m. on a December morning. I am a ministering angel in a Mini with a heavy coat and a bag of medicines. As I speed down Lea Bridge in the dark at this horrible morning hour, the heater first blowing hot then cold, my back aching from the car-seat, I do not feel like a ministering angel. I wish I were on the beach in southern France. Call me a bad doctor if you like. Call me what you will. But don’t call me at half past three on a December morning for an ear-ache that you have had for two weeks.
Of course, being a doctor isn’t really all bad. We do have our moments. Once in a while people are ill, once in a while you can help, once in a while you get given a cup of tea and rock-hard cake at two o’clock in the morning－then you worry if you have done everything. But all too often ‘everything’ is a repetitious rule: look, listen, feel, tap, pills, injection, phone, ambulance, away to the next.
And then there is always the cool, warm voice of the girl on the switchboard of the emergency bed service who will get your patient into hospital for you－the pleasant voice that comes to you as you stand in the cold, dark, smelly, dirty telephone box somewhere in a dangerous section of town. Oh, it has its moments, this life does.According to the sentence “Anyone who’s studying medicine should have his head examined,” we know that ___________.
| A．a medical student should have a very good memory |
| B．a doctor must be mentally strong so that he can meet any difficult situation |
| C．the writer thinks that those who want to be doctors are crazy |
| D．to be a doctor is a challenge for people’s mental health |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．The writer wishes he could have a quiet, undisturbed night in bed at home. |
| B．One of his friends says that being a doctor helps one gain all sorts of experience. |
| C．He hates the telephone as a modern means of communication. |
| D．He is not happy with the small and uncomfortable car he is driving. |
The statement “We do have our moments” could best be replaced by “___________”.
| A．we doctors are called at a moment’s notice to see people who need medical treatment |
| B．usually we are glad that we can do something to help the sick |
| C．sometimes we find people are thankful for our help |
| D．there are chances that doctors find their work rewarding and satisfying |
From the whole passage we know that the writer _____________.
| A．is a bad doctor, unwilling to make a house call during the night-time |
| B．is so dissatisfied with his job that he wishes to find a new one |
| C．is satisfied with his job but he hates to be called out unnecessarily |
| D．thinks a doctor can enjoy certain special rights whether he felt lucky or not |
We can conclude that .
| A．the author is worried about his patient when he is driving through the foggy streets of East London |
| B．the author is annoyed to be called out at such an horrible morning hour for an ear – ache patient |
| C．the author is now heading for the beach in Southern France for his holidays |
| D．as the author speeds down Lea Bridge in the dark on a December morning, his Mini breaks down half way |
Fruit powered digital clock
Fruit’s not only good to eat, but it can also power this Fruit digital Clock. This clock uses the scientific principles on which modern electrical storage batteries are based. The acid from the fruit helps transmit an electrical flow between two metal poles. The clock is priced at US $ 15. Connecting any fresh fruit or vegetable to the clock will make it work. The fruit is a clean, renewable source of electrical power.
USB vacuum
Do you know the dirtiest parts of your desk are probably your keyboard and mouse? Get a USB Mini Vacuum with retractable(可伸缩的) cable and suck away all that junk. The US- made product is priced at US $14.
SIM card reader
Making useful USB 2.0 multi-card readers even handier, this card can also read and write data to phone SIM cards. It comes with SIM editing software. Download your phonebook to your computer. If you lose your cell phone, you can store missing phone numbers in your new one. The US-made IMOMO SIM card + Multi Card Reader is priced at US $ 19 (152yuan).
Beer in your ear
The beer barrel(桶)-shaped Naf Naf Hyp MP3 is a musical box that’s capable of playing radio, CDs and cassettes. It’s got all the standard features of the typical clock-radio, but with the relaxing look of a big beer barrel. The Danish product is priced at about US $ 130 (1,040yuan)If you have 115 yuan, which product can you buy according to the passage?
| A．Fruit powered digital clock | B．USB vacuum |
| C．SIM card reader | D．Naf Naf Hyp MP3 |
Which of the following statements is True?
| A．Fruit and vegetables cannot be used as batteries to make a clock work. |
| B．USB vacuum can be used to clean your house and yard. |
| C．With SIM card reader you won’t lose phone numbers. |
| D．Naf Naf Hyp MP3 can play radio, DVD and cassettes. |
What does “junk” mean in the second item?
| A．dirt | B．desk | C．keyboard | D．mouse |
The passage is mostly likely a(n) .
| A．entertainment information |
| B．science reports on new high – technology |
| C．introduction of some kinds of musical boxes |
| D．advertisement for new products |
SIM card reader can be used to .
| A．edit all the data in your computer |
| B．remove data in phone SIM cards specially |
| C．help restore your phone book in a new cell phone |
| D．transfer any file between a computer and a cell phone |
The World Health Organization and several other United Nations agencies are calling for a major new effort to fight malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS. These three infectious diseases killed almost 6 million people last year. That is about 10 percent of the total number of deaths around the world last year.
The WHO and UN agencies released a new report at the World Economic Forum in New York City earlier this month. The document says that deaths around the world from malaria and tuberculosis could be cut in half by the year 2010. It also says the number of deaths from AIDS could be reduced 25 percent within that same time period.
The report is called “Calling Up the Response to Infectious Diseases.” It calls for huge new investments in methods to prevent and treat infectious diseases. Officials say money is needed for research and to purchase drugs. Money is also needed to devices to prevent diseases, such as bed nets. Bed nets prevent mosquitoes that carry malaria from biting people while they sleep.
David Heymann, director of the infectious disease program at the World Health Organization, says that providing effective drug treatments is important for improving peoples’ health and economic well – being. Reducing disease can also help improve economic growth in developing countries.
The WHO report also describes successful health programs in developing countries. In Peru, for example, the number of tuberculosis cases was cut in half by increasing the treatment to control the disease. In Vietnam, malaria was reduced 97 percent through the use of bed nets. And in Uganda, cases of the virus that causes AIDS were cut in half among pregnant women and children through the use of anti – AIDS drugs.
This new international health campaign is estimated to cost about 12,000 million dollars a year. So far, officials say the campaign has about 2,000 million dollars. The WHO says the campaign will need stronger relationships among government, private aid agencies, and drug companies to succeed.According to the report is the disease most difficult to fight.
| A．malaria | B．tuberculosis | C．AIDS | D．influenza |
To prevent these diseases, a large amount of money is needed to .
| A．to buy food and pay for the caretakers |
| B．do research work, buy drugs and devices |
| C．take care of the families of the deaths |
| D．set up more hospitals and health institutions |
We can infer from the text that reducing infectious diseases is .
| A．to help the countries develop better |
| B．to promote cooperation between countries |
| C．to help people get more scientific knowledge |
| D．to help people get a cleaner environment |
Most serious infectious diseases spread mainly in .
| A．Africa | B．South America |
| C．Asia | D．developing countries |
To fight the diseases, is necessary.
| A．better environment |
| B．cooperation between different people |
| C．to wipe out the pests |
| D．more drugs and money |
Art museums are places where people can learn about various cultures. The increasingly popular "design museums" that are opening today, however, perform quite a different role. Unlike most art museums, the design museum shows objects that are easily found by the general public These museums sometimes even place things like fridges and washing machines in the center of the hall
Pele have argued that design museums are often made use of as advertisements for new industrial technology. But their role is not simply a matter of sales-it is the honoring of excellently invented products. The difference between the window of a department store and the showcase in a design museum is that the first tries to sell you something, while the second tells you the success of a sale.
One advantage of design museums is that they are places where people feel familiar with the exhihits. Unlike the average art museum visitors, design museum visitors seldom feel frightened or puzzled. This is partly because design museums clearly show how and why mass-produced products work and look as they do, and how design has improved the quality of our lives. Art museum exhibits, on the other hand, would most probably fill visitors with a feeling that there is something between their understanding.
In recent years, several new design museums have opened their door. Each of these museums has tried to satisfy the public’s growing interest in the field with new ideas. London's Design Museum, for example, shows a collection of mass-produced objects from Zippo lighters to electric typewriters to a group of Italian fish-tins. The choices open to design museums seem far less strict than those to art museums, and visitors may also sense the humorous part of our society while walking around such exhibits as interesting and unusually attractive toys collected in our everyday life.Showcases in design museums are different from store windows because they＿．
| A．show more technologically advanced products |
| B．help increase the sales of products |
| C．show why the products have sold well |
| D．attract more people than store windows do |
The author believes that most design museum visitors＿．
| A．do not admire mass-produced products |
| B．are puzzled with technological exhibits |
| C．dislike exhibits in art museums |
| D．know the exhibits very well |
The choices open to design museums＿
A. are not as strict as those to art museums
B, are not aimed to interest the public
C. may fail to bring some pleasure to visitors
D. often contain precious exhibitsThe best title for this passage is“＿”
| A．The Forms of Design Museums |
| B．The Exhibits of Design Museums |
| C．The Nature of Design Museums |
| D．The Choices Open to Design Museums |
Even while in a deep sleep, people can still learn brand new information. Sleepers soak in new associations between smells and sounds, knowledge that lingers(逗留）into the next waking day, researchers report online August 26 in Nature Neuroscience.
The new study is the first to show that entirely new information can get into the sleeping mind, says Anat Arzi of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. "The brain is not passive while you sleep. It's quite active. You can do quite a lot of things while you are asleep."
But the results don't mean that Spanish vocabulary tapes now have a place on the nightstand. L, Researchers have tried but largely failed to find evidence that complicated information, such as new pairs of words, can make its way into the brain during sleep.
Instead of trying to teach people something complicated like a new language, Arzi and her colleagues relied on the sense of smell and hearing. As anyone who has walked by a dumpster（垃圾车）in July knows, smells can cause a nose-jerk reaction. Catching a bad smell automatically makes people inhale(吸气)less, reducing the size of the inhale. But scent of fresh bread causes a long, deep inhale.、rzi and her team took advantage of this reaction for their experiment.
As people slept in the laboratory, the researchers delivered pleasant scent, such as shampoo. As this nice smell got into the sleepers' noses, the researchers played a particular music. Later, a disgusting smell, such as rotten fish or meat, was paired with a different music. Neither the smell nor the sound woke people up. After just four exposures to the smell-music pair during a single night, the sleepers started to automatically respond to the tones without the accompanying smells, taking in bigger breaths when the shampoo-associated tone played and smaller breaths when played the sound linked to the rotten fish smell.
This new learned association lingered into the next waking day, too. Even though the sleepers had no idea they had been exposed to smells or sounds, their behavior proved that their brain had actually learned something during sleep. As before, the shampoo sound stimulated a long, deep inhale, while the rotten fish tone caused more shallow breaths.We can infer from the passage that
| A．while sleeping, we can learn whatever we want to learn |
| B．we will increase the size of inhale if we catch a pleasant smell |
| C．the knowledge we learned while sleeping will be forgotten in the next waken day |
| D．when walking by a bakery, the fresh bread will cause a nose-jerk reaction |
What is Paragraph 3 mainly about?
| A．One can’t acquire complicated knowledge during the sleeping hours. |
| B．Spanish vocabulary tapes now have a place on the nightstand |
| C．Researchers have tried to find evidence that the new words can be learned during sleep. |
| D．Complicated information can make its way into the brain during sleep |
How do Arzi and her team do their research? By
| A．giving instructions | B．analyzing human brains |
| C．following the guides of others | D．doing experiments |
In which part of a website may this passage most likely appear?
| A．Culture. | B．Science. | C．History. | D．Economy. |
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