In most languages, a greeting is usually followed by “small talk”. Small talk means the little things we talk about at the start of a conversation. In English-speaking countries people often make small talk about the weather. “Nice day, isn’t it?” “Terrible weather, isn’t it?”. But there is something special about small talk. It must be about something which both people have the same opinion about. The purpose of small talk is to let both people agree on something. This makes meeting people easier and more comfortable. People usually agree about the weather, so it is a safe topic for small talk. But people often disagree about religion(宗教)or politics so these are not suitable topics for small talk in English. The topics for small talk also depend on where the conversation is taking place. At football matches, people make small talk about the game they are watching: “A great game, isn’t it?” At bus-stops, people may talk about the transport system(体制): “The bus service is terrible, isn’t it?”
Greetings and small talk are an important part of conversation in any language. The way people greet each other and the things they talk about, however, may be different from one language to another. This shows that there is much more to learn when we learn a language than just the vocabulary and the grammar of the language. We also have to learn the social behavior of the people who speak it.Small talk is .
| A．what people disagree about a topic |
| B．a kind of talk show using short words |
| C．a greeting when people meet each other |
| D．what we talk about to start a conversation |
Which of the following is a good topic for small talk?
| A．Politics. | B．Income. |
| C．Weather. | D．Religion. |
The passage suggests that when we learn a language, .
| A．we should understand the importance of the language |
| B．it’s necessary to learn about the culture of the country |
| C．we should learn about the transport system of the country |
| D．it’s enough to grasp the grammar and vocabulary of the language |
When we say “A great game, isn’t it?” we in fact .
| A．ask a question | B．discuss the game |
| C．greet the other person | D．begin a small talk |
It can be learned from the passage that .
| A．it’s important to find a suitable small talk subject |
| B．small talk depends on the purpose of the conversation |
| C．in English-speaking countries we should talk about the weather |
| D．agreeing with each other is the key to a successful conversation |
【原创】A bit shocked with the current rise of airfares? They have gone up not 3% or 5%, but 10%, and sometimes even higher! Yes, it’s sad; conventional traveling has become almost unaffordable to most of us travel junkies(旅游迷)。But here’s the good news! There’s a chance you can travel for free! In fact, you can even get paid while doing so. It’s true. Below are some clever suggestions that you can try to get paid while traveling.
1.Work as a Tour Guide
If you love mingling and hanging around with people, this one is perfect for you. As a tour guide, you can see and study different cultures while leading tourists to historic places around the world. And you can have a substantial income while enjoying foreign cultures. There are always two sides to a coin, though.
2. Teach English
Latin America, the Middle East and Asia have abundant jobs for English teachers. If you are bent on having a cultural and educational trip to a land that has mystified(使惊奇)you for the longest time, teaching could be the thing that can carry you through. In many cases, you’re not required to be certified. Your students just need to know one thing --- that you’re a native speaker.
3. Become a Travel photographer
For those who are camera experts, there’s a huge opportunity to sell the travel photos that they take. One way is to set up a “shop” on websites. Via these platforms, you can sell photos either to a variety of travel magazines, or to business organizations with stock photography collections.
4.Bcome a Flight Attendant
You can also choose to get a nine-to-five job. A great option is working as a flight attendant. These flying professionals make around $25,000 to $50,000 a year. They get fantastic travel benefits which include going on trips with family members if they choose to. The salary may be a bit in the lower range, but remember that the average time on the job for attendants is about hours per month. Cool, isn’t it?
According to the author, ____________.
| A．traditional traveling is becoming more and more unpopular |
| B．some clever suggestions can help people get paid while traveling |
| C．the rise in airfares has discouraged a lot of travel junkies from traveling |
| D．traveling is a good way for people to make a lot of money |
A travel photographer can earn money through__________.
| A．teaching photographing online |
| B．setting up some platforms |
| C．selling their travel photos |
| D．working for travel magazines |
What does the author think of working as a flight attendant?
| A．It’s well-paid. |
| B．It needs working long hours. |
| C．It has good travel benefits. |
| D．It needs good spoken English. |
If you’re secretly worried about your smartphone addiction, then the new NoPhone might be just the thing you need．It looks and feels exactly like a smartphone，but it does nothing．It's just a piece of plastic that you can carry around in your hand to fool yourself．
Dutch designer lngmar Larsen came up with the idea as a joke along with his two friends．To their great surprise，the idea received a lot of attention online and people from all over the world stated placing requests for NoPhones of their own．So that’s when the three friends decided to turn to collect enough fund for mass production．
NoPhone is currently a prototype(模型)that will cost only $12 once it hits the market．It is 5.5 inches high，2.6 inches wide and 0.29 inches thick, bringing it quite close to the latest smartphones on the market．It is described as“battery free”，“no upgrades necessary”，“shatterproof(抗震)”，“waterproof'’and“an alternative to constant hand-to-phone contact that allows you to stay connected with the real world”．
“Phone addiction is everywhere．”the designers insist．“It’s ruining your dates．It’s distracting you at concerts．It’s blocking sidewalks．Now，there is a real solution．With a thin．1ight and completely wireless design，the NoPhone acts as a substitute to any smart mobile device，enabling you to always have a phone to hold without giving up potential engagement with your direct environment．”
If you’re interested in NoPhone，but concerned about not being able to take selfies(自拍) anymore．Don’t feel upset．The makers do have an upgrade at no extra charge—the mirror sticker．That way，they say，you can enjoy‘real-time’selfies with your friends when they’re standing right behind you．What can NoPhone do for people according to the text?
| A．It is actually a new kind of real smartphone． |
| B．It can help us stay away from the real world． |
| C．It helps get rid of people’s smartphone addiction． |
| D．It’s just a piece of plastic and can do nothing． |
What is Paragraph 3 mainly about?
| A．The size of Nophone． |
| B．The inventors of Nophone． |
| C．The material of Nophone． |
| D．A brief description of Nophone． |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．NoPhone has received unexpected attention． |
| B．NoPhone can completely replace smartphones． |
| C．The designers have made lots of money from Nophone． |
| D．NoPhone is able to take selfies as smartphones do． |
What type of writing is this passage?
| A．A traveI guide． | B．A scientific report． |
| C．A medical record． | D．An official document． |
Film director James Cameron first became interested in sea exploration when he was a little boy．His love for the ocean grew after he made the 1989 undersea adventure film The Abyss and the 1997 blockbuster Titanic，one of the most successful movies of all time．Following that big success，James Cameron decided to put his film career on hold to become an explorer．
In 2012，James Cameron made a journey to the deepest spot in the Mariana Trench，known as Challenger Deep．And now the great journey has been made into a documentary film，named James Cameron’s Deep-sea Challenger 3D．
In James Cameron’s fantasy films，such as Avatar and The Abyss，the unexplored areas are decorated in colors and full of danger．But on his dive into Challenger Deep，the reality proved far different: white, deserted and dull．
“I felt like I had gone to another planet,”Cameron said after returning from the cold and dark place in the Western Pacific Ocean，nearly 7 miles below the surface．“I really have a sense of being separated and realize how tiny I am down in this big, black and unexplored place．”
Cameron captured(获取)the moon-like landscape of the deep sea and documented the sea creatures he observed in the ocean．
James Cameron’s Deep—sea Challenger 3D tells the story of Cameron’ s journey．It is a film about determination，danger and the ocean’S greatest depths．The movie shows a unique insight into Cameron’s world when he makes his dream reality and makes history by becoming the first person to travel alone to the deepest point on the planet．
It’s an exciting film and inspiring reminder that our beautiful planet still has a lot to explore．When did James Cameron become interested in the ocean?
| A．When he was in his childhood． |
| B．After his films The Abyss and Titanic． |
| C．After he achieved great Success in movies． |
| D．When he began to explore the deep sea alone． |
What is the unexplored ocean like?
| A．Colorful and dangerous． |
| B．Boring and deserted． |
| C．White and attractive． |
| D．Small and dull． |
What can we know about James Cameron’s Deep-sea Challenger 3D?
| A．It is a film about the exploration of ocean creatures． |
| B．It is a story about Cameron’s film-making dream． |
| C．It aims to attract more people to explore the deep sea． |
| D．It tells us about James’ journey into Challenger Deep． |
What is the best title for this passage?
| A．The great dream of a film director |
| B．A film director exploring deep sea |
| C．James Cameron and his documentary film |
| D．The first person to make films about the deep sea |
Coral reefs(珊 瑚 礁)are not just beautiful to look at，but also very useful．They shelter nearly 25％ of ocean life and provide food for billions of people．However, like many other species，this amazing ecosystem(生态系统)is in danger of dying out!
There are two main reasons for the destruction—the rising carbon dioxide levels caused by global warming as well as human influences like bottom operation．While not much can be done about the former，the loss caused by the latter can be reduced．
Bottom operation involves dropping nets to the ocean bed and then dragging them up when filled with fish．This action damaged the ocean floor，causing the coral branches to separate from the reefs．While that is very discouraging，the good news is that if these branches are found quickly，they can be saved．At present，that work is being performed by volunteer divers. But the method has only limited success because they cannot stay long underwater, nor reach depths of over 200 meters where some of the deep-sea coral grows．
However，this is not the case for Coral bots—the robots that can constantly seek out broken branches．A team of ‘coral bots’，each individually working to simple rules will piece together’ damaged bits of coral, allowing them to regrow. They are programmed to be able to distinguish between other things and the coral．The robots work together in groups，similar to bees．If one coralbot is damaged then the others will still be able to complete the task．
Dr Lea-Anne Henry said：“The project of using coral bots offers us the possibility to restore(修复)the function of reefs．It is in the final stage of testing．Once ready, the researchers hope to build hundreds of them and use them effectively in the waters off Scotland and then hopefully in the oceans across the world．”Which of the following is a cause of the danger that coral reefs are facing?
| A．The appearance of new creatures． |
| B．The seriously polluted sea water． |
| C．The activities of volunteer divers． |
| D．Human activities like bottom operation． |
Compared with volunteer divers，coralbots ______________．
| A．can stay longer underwater |
| B．must work as bees do |
| C．can distinguish what is coral |
| D．can never be damaged |
What does the underlined word“them”in the last paragraph refer to?
| A．Coralbots． | B．Broken branches． |
| C．working bees． | D．Bits of coral． |
We can infer from the passage that _______________．
| A．bottom operation has affected most underwater creatures |
| B．broken branches of coral can regrow if saved in time |
| C．hundreds of the coralbots have worked well in the oceans |
| D．with the coralbots all damaged coral reefs can be restored |
Dear Ms．Smith，
It is with great interest and enthusiasm that I am applying for the arts education internship (实习)advertised in Sunday’s New York Times．This position is exactly what I am looking for and an ideal opportunity for me to use my knowledge，educational background，and experience．
My arts education at Pratt Institute has helped me develop a firm foundation in the arts．The courses I have completed at Pratt，along with my study abroad in Paris，has prepared me well for a position in arts education．I have always enjoyed a passion for the arts but my undergraduate (本科)education has taken my interest to a whole new level．I not only enjoy doing art but I find myself even more enthusiastic when I have the opportunity to teach what I have learned．
For the past two summers I have worked directly with children at CityArts．These experiences were amazing since my responsibilities included planning and directing major projects that were planned for the summer program that goes on each year for local children interested in the arts．I was given a concept at the beginning of each summer and I had complete control of how the projects were to be completed．The children were the creative force and often were the inspiration for the artwork that was eventually presented to the public．
I am very excited about the summer opportunity with the Children’s Museum of the Arts since I know that I can definitely make a positive contribution while doing what I love，teaching art to children．I will contact you in one week to discuss my candidacy(候选资格)and see if you have any questions about my education or experience．Thank you for your time and consideration．
Sincerely，
Samantha R．GrayWhat is Gray’s purpose of writing this letter?
| A．To advertise for herself in New York Times． |
| B．To show her great enthusiasm for CityArts． |
| C．To obtain the chance of teaching art to children． |
| D．To prove her successful educational experiences． |
Paragraph 2 mainly tells us that _______________．
| A．Gray tries to find chance to devote her rich art knowledge to children |
| B．Gray has gotten her undergraduate education at college in Paris |
| C．Gray had given up the art courses at Pratt Institute and left for Paris |
| D．the education Gray has received makes her optimistic about the opportunity |
Which of the following isn’t mentioned by Gray in Paragraph 3？
| A．Her management ability． |
| B．Her family background． |
| C．Her love for children． |
| D．Her working experience． |
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