Superstorm Sandy’s march of destruction claimed at least 43 lives and left more than eight million people without electricity by late Tuesday, in one of the largest storms ever to strike the East Coast.
Less violent but still dangerous, the storm swept across Pennsylvania on Tuesday and the northeastern US began its slow process of recovery. As dawn broke Tuesday on the storm’s trail of destruction, it began exposing stories of heroism and tragedy, bad decisions and lucky breaks.
In Broad Channel in New York City, a 29-year-old mother was forced to dive and swim out of her house’s front window with her 8-year-old daughter. And in Freeport, N.Y., Nicole Smith returned home --- to find a boat on her lawn. She asked passers-by for $5 to take a snapshot. A 13-year-old girl was found dead, in her pajamas, a block from her washed-out Staten Island home. On Monday night, Sandy’s waves ripped out the entire deck of Jeffrey Ratner’s home, along with the back wall. Still, Mr. Ratner said, he remains optimistic about the future. “We are going to rebuild it,” he said.
The official warnings to evacuate(疏散)were clear, a couple said. But staying home just seemed easier. “It’s not their fault; it’s ours,” said Mary Norton, 88, head in her hands. “We did not leave.”
New York’s extensive transit system, a lifeline for millions of commuters(上下班往返的人), suffered the greatest damage as floodwaters drowned all seven subway tunnels connecting Manhattan and Brooklyn. Jseph Lhota, Chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, described it as the most destroying in the 108-year history of the New York subway.
Forecaster said Sandy, which had maximum continuing winds of 45 miles an hour Tuesday afternoon, would cross western Pennsylvania on Tuesday night before moving into Canada on Wednesday as it meets cold air fronts. Another inch of rain was expected from the eastern Great Lakes across the mid-Atlantic and into southern New England.The passage mainly talks about________.
| A．New York’s extensive transit system |
| B．when and why superstorm formed |
| C．the latest information about Sandy |
| D．superstorm Sandy’s destruction in America |
Mary Norton and her husband didn’t leave their home because________.
| A．they didn’t know a superstorm was on the way |
| B．they didn’t believe the government’s warnings |
| C．they didn’t want to take the trouble to move |
| D．they had no chance of leaving before Sandy hit the area |
The transit system mentioned in the last paragraph but one refers to_________.
| A．the bus route | B．the ship route |
| C．the flight course | D．the subway route |
Which of the following statements about Sandy is WRONG?
| A．It had killed at least 43 lives when the news was released. |
| B．It would move into Canada on Tuesday night. |
| C．It would bring another rain to the eastern Great Lakes |
| D．It led to power failure in many areas in America. |
Promised yourself to quit smoking in the new year, but just can't stop lighting up? You're not alone, with an Australian survey showing that only 3 percent of smokers who made such resolutions stuck with them．
An online poll of just over 1,000 people, conducted ahead of the launch of a video game designed to help smokers quit, showed one in four Australians made New Year's resolutions to quit —— but more than half went back on their word within a week．Some 15 percent lit up within hours of making the pledge, the survey showed,
The research revealed that seven out of ten smokers have tried to kick the habit at some point．
"Our research shows that the majority of smokers in Australia want to quit but are struggling to stick to their resolution．For most people, the desire to stop smoking is not enough, "Edward Fong, general manager of Ubisoft, the videogame manufacturer selling the anti— smoking software, said in a statement．
According to the survey, Australian smokers light up an average of 13．8 cigarettes every day or 5,037 cigarettes a year．There are currently 2．63 million smokers in Australia, which equates to 16 percent of the population over the age of 18, with women on average making more attempts to quit than men．The World Health Organization says smoking kills about 4 million people each year, causing a quarter of deaths related to heart disease．The organization estimates that by 2030, more than 8 million people will die from tobacco - related causes each year, mainly in developing countries．According to the passage, _______ succeeded in giving up smoking．
| A．most of the smokers | B．None of the smokers |
| C．a few of the smokers | D．a quarter of the smokers |
The research shows that ______．
| A．some 70% of smokers have quitted smoking |
| B．about 15% of smokers give up smoking only a few hours |
| C．the number of men smokers are more than that of women ones |
| D．all the smokers want to quit smoking |
What is the population over the age of 18 in Australia?
| A．2．63million． | B．4 million． |
| C．16．44 million． | D．8 million． |
The number of smokers dying from tobacco — related causes each year by 2030 is ．
| A．about one million | B．about two million |
| C．more than 4 million | D．more than 8 million |
Where do you suppose this passage is probably taken from?
| A．Health magazine． | B．Evening paper． |
| C．Office Report． | D．Science-Journal． |
Do you love music? I’d like to introduce you to a band today．The Lumineers is a band based in Denver, Colorado．The group released its first album The Lumineers in April, 2012．Recently, the record went gold, meaning 500, 000 copies had been sold．That is really a large number．Critics have mostly praised the album The Lumineers．Some have called the album’s sound “expansive”, and its songs “creative”．
The most popular song from the album is Ho, Hey．It is Number One on three Billboard singles charts rock, adult Pop and alternative．A lot of people think of Ho, Hey as a love song．And The Lumineers say it is．But lead singer and guitarist （吉它手） Wesley Schultz says it is also about his personal struggles when he was living and working in New York City．
The three members of The Lumineers were excited when asked to perform at the Grammy nominations （提名） concert．But they were also very surprised when they were named as Grammy nominees．The band is up for（被提名） Grammy awards as Best New Artist and Best Americana Album．Drummer Jeremiah Fraites told reporters, “We had no idea．”
Jeremiah Fraites and Wesley Schultz grew up in New Jersey and have been playing music together for about eight years．They found cellist （大提琴手） Neyla Pekarek, a native of Denver, after they moved to that city．Neyla Pekarek told one reporter that the band’s style developed naturally．She said it came from a lot of writing, experimenting and making changes to let the lyrics tell the stories they were meant to tell．
We leave you with one of those stories．This is Stubborn Love from the album The Lumineers．Hope you’ll enjoy their staging．
What do we know about the album The Lumineers from Paragraph 1?
| A．It includes some old songs． |
| B．It didn’t sell well at first． |
| C．It was released recently． |
| D．It is a great success． |
By listening to Ho, Hey, we can learn something about ________．
| A．Wesley Schultz’s struggles in New York City |
| B．the happy times of Wesley Schultz as a singer |
| C．three Billboard singles charts in New York City |
| D．a touching love story that happened in New York City |
What is implied about The Lumineers in Paragraph 3?
| A．They didn’t expect they would be nominated Grammy awards． |
| B．They didn’t want to perform at the Grammy nominations concert． |
| C．They were very calm when told they were nominated Grammy awards． |
| D．They were surely to win the Grammy award for Best Americana Album． |
What is this passage mainly about?
| A．People’s opinions on the album The Lumineers． |
| B．The struggles of a band named The Lumineers． |
| C．A song from a famous band in the United States． |
| D．A band that has been nominated Grammy awards． |
Where is this passage probably taken from?
| A．A newspaper． | B．A radio program． |
| C．A magazine． | D．A textbook． |
When I was ten my dad helped me buy my first ten-speed bicycle from Allen．I put up $60 of my grass cutting and snow shoveling （铲） money and my dad put up the other half I would pay him back over the next six months．Although it was not in the latest style, it was my ticket to the adult world．
I spent that summer and autumn riding happily．My sister Liz, a prisoner（囚犯，俘虏） of her five-speed bicycle, never had a chance to keep up．Just before the Christmas deadline to pay my dad back, we were hit with several snowstorms．This allowed me to shovel enough driveways （车道） to pay off my debt．I was now officially a bike owner; it was a feeling unlike any other．
On that Christmas morning, my dad gave me a used portable （便携式的） record player．I was excited．However, my joy was short-lived after my dad called my sister to the kitchen．“We have one more gift for you．” he said as he opened the door that led to the garage．There, on the steps, stood a new ten-speed bicycle．
“It’s not fair,” I complained．“I worked so hard for my bike．and it’s not even new．Then Liz gets a new bike．She didn’t have to do anything for it．” My dad smiled．“She didn’t have to do anything for it because it’s not really for her,” he said．What did that mean? I didn’t want her bike．
By spring Liz and I were riding all over town together now that she could keep up．As we grew, Liz and I became true friends．
Still I wasn’t smart enough to figure out what my dad meant until years later．That new bike was not a gift for Liz — it was a gift for me．He’d given me the gift of my sister’s company, the ability to stay together rather than drift apart （逐渐疏远） in the face of my ability to travel．He gave me my best friend．
What do we know about the author’s bike?
| A．It was worth $120． |
| B．Allen bought it for him． |
| C．It was very fashionable． |
| D．He didn’t like it actually． |
Why did the author think he was officially a bike owner?
| A．He had paid off his debt． |
| B．He had learned to ride a bike． |
| C．He could also own Liz’s bike． |
| D．He could sell his bike to Liz． |
Why was the author’s Christmas joy short-lived?
| A．His sister got a new record player． |
| B．His father didn’t care about him． |
| C．The record player wasn’t new． |
| D．His sister got a better gift． |
Hearing his father say “it’s not really for her （Paragraph 4）”, the author probably felt___．
| A．moved | B．satisfied |
| C．puzzled | D．disappointed |
The author finally realized that ________．
| A．the new bike actually belonged to him |
| B．the new bike wasn’t bought by his father |
| C．his father actually gave him a more valuable gift |
| D．his father loved his sister more as a matter of fact |
As we enter into this new age of cities in which more than half the world’s population will live in an urban area, we must also take a hard look at how we will care for the significant increase in our elderly population. While many will be living longer, they will be doing so with age-related health issues and disease. Of special concern, the number of people living with dementia（痴呆）worldwide is set to treble by 2050. Alzheimer’s Disease International reports that 44 million people live with the disease now but that figure will increase to 135 million by 2050. With this added pressure to health systems, technology is the critical factor to success.
In Oslo, Norway, a retired engineer, Mr. Helge Farsund cares for his wife, Kari. Kari, who had been an intensive-care nurse who served with the Red Cross in Rwanda, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s three years ago. Looking to live as normal a life as possible as Kari’s condition progressed, they are participating in a pilot project studying how a smart home powered by sensors enables people with Alzheimer’s Disease to stay in their home.
The system is created by Abilia. At the center of the system is an iPad-like device. The screen has Skype, which allows carers to regularly check in with patients．
Some l,000 people now have the system installed in their homes, and 25 of them, including the Farsunds, are testing the latest version, which combines the screen with wirelessly connected sensorsaround the house to detect motion. If a door is opened or left open, or if the stove is left on, the system alerts patients and caretakers of danger. The planner also provides spoken reminders about daily tasks, such as when they need to take medicine and events like birthdays as well as enabling caretakers and family members to check in remotely via Skype.
“With this kind of system, it allows people to take care of themselves, which is the most important thing,” says vice president Oystein Johnsen. For him, any move to improve city life needs to begin with people. “Smart cities are coming and they need to start with individuals in their own home,” he says. “It also saves the government money. In Norway it cost one million Norwegian krone (￡100,000) per year to have someone in a home, while this system costs 15,000. That is a lot of money to save.”Which section of BBC news is most likely to include this passage?
| A．Health | B．Entertainment |
| C．Technology | D．Business |
The case of Helge and Kari Farsund in the second paragraph serves to .
| A．expose a social problem |
| B．introduce the main topic |
| C．show sympathy to the elderly |
| D．arouse medical workers’ interest |
Which of the following functions can all be performed by the system?
①To warn people of possible dangers
②To help check in with patients
③To offer people some medicine
④To cure people of Alzheimer's
⑤To remind people of daily tasks
⑥To play movies like an iPad
| A．①②⑤ | B．②③⑤ |
| C．①④⑥ | D．③④⑤ |
According to the last paragraph, Oystein Johnsen will approve that .
| A．smart cities should be human-based |
| B．the system should reduce its cost |
| C．mass production is still impossible |
| D．individuals are responsible for future |
Nowadays, girls are so mean to each other. Many girls are becoming the victims of the harmful behaviors of the female bully.
Emma Tracey was a popular 17-year-old and a well-liked athlete who had already won a soccer scholarship to college. But none of that stopped Emma from becoming the target of online girl on girl bullying (欺凌). Emma began to receive hundreds of online unpleasant comments via the latest social networking site called www.formspring.com.
In March 2011, Emma committed suicide and although all agreed that the online bother was not the single factor that led to Emma’ death, everyone did agree that it was a contributory factor.
Unfortunately, Emma’ story is not unique. A 2010 study conducted by the Cyberbullying Research Center states “Cyberbullying victims were almost twice as likely to have attempted suicide compared to youth who had not experienced cyberbullying. Girls are 57% more likely to be victims of aggressive cyberbullying and 92% more likely to be the criminals.”
Suicide is obviously the extreme and no one can minimize the tragedy of it. However, there are other damages that occur as a result of aggressive bullying. It can damage self-confidence and lead to feelings of worthlessness, and also increase social isolation and make victims become withdrawn, depressed, anxious, and unsafe. So what causes girls to be so unkind towards each other?
A term known as relational aggression may best describe the cause of girl on girl bullying. It starts with a clique (派系) usually led by a girl with a high level of social status and popularity. In order not to lose her position, she will control girls within the clique and take action if she feels threatened. At the leader’s directive the girls within the clique will spread rumors and lies and annoy other girls continuously.
The bullying starts at school but will quickly go to cyberbullying due to anonymity (匿名) and lack of punishment. Girls will easily do so in the anonymity of the Internet. Finally the cause will be summarized as the unsafety and jealousy of one girl and the twisted loyalty of members within her clique. Underneath the confident exterior (外表) of a female bully lie desperate unsafety.The example of Emma Tracey is given to show .
| A．popular youth are not easy to become the target of bullying |
| B．today’s youth don’t like to study any more |
| C．suicide is a serious problem among youth |
| D．cyberbullying is quite common among teenagers |
The bullying will quickly go to cyberbullying mainly because .
| A．it’s free to post comments online |
| B．the bullies don’t have to give their names online |
| C．it will not attract much attention |
| D．it will not affect their real life |
Which of the following is NOT the cause of bullying?
| A．Lack of safety |
| B．The twisted loyalty of members within a clique |
| C．Jealousy of others |
| D．Trying to be friendly |
We can infer from the last paragraph that a female bully .
| A．has strong self-confidence |
| B．has strong leadership skills |
| C．is actually weak inside |
| D．is usually good at study |
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