The City of Christchurch, New Zealand was struck by a 7.1magnitude earthquake on the early morning of Saturday, September 4, 2010.
No tsunami alert was reported. The country's army troops were on standby to assist victims and disaster recovery operation. New Zealand's Prime Minister John Key, flew to the affected area to inspect and assess the situation of the damaged city. The Prime Minister said that the full assessment of the damages would possibly take months to know the severity of damages. Based from his assessment on what he saw in the area, it could cost at least 2 billion New Zealand dollars or US$1.4 billion for reconstruction.
“An absolute miracle that no one died，” Prime Minister John Key said. Two were seriously injured from this quake and thousands of local residents were awakened after being shaken at 4：35 a.m. of that Saturday.
There were people trapped inside the damaged buildings but fortunately none were reported dead from the rubble of the damaged buildings.
“We're all feeling scared—we've just had some significant aftershocks，” a survivor told TV One News. “Tonight we're just people in the face of a massive natural disaster, trying to help each other and we're grateful we haven't lost a life.”
GNS Science reported 29 aftershocks within the 14 hours after the quake, with strength from magnitude 3.7 to 5.4.
New_Zealand_is_no_stranger_to_earthquakes. The country experiences more than 14，000 earthquakes a year—but only about 150 are felt by people.
“Many buildings here were built with earthquake protection measure. However, in most cities in developing countries, people build how they want to and there're no building controls to force them to build to a higher standard that's safe，” Andrew Charleson, an architecture professor at Victoria University of Wellington told CNN.How many people were killed in the New Zealand earthquake on September 4, 2010?
| A．250，000. | B．29. | C．2. | D．0. |
After the earthquake, all of the following occurred EXCEPT that________．
| A．a number of aftershocks broke out |
| B．army troops were there to help |
| C．no people were injured or killed |
| D．the full assessment of the damages can't take in a short time |
What does the writer want to say by quoting Professor Andrew Charleson's words in the last paragraph?
| A．Earthquakes are much more terrible and bigger in developing countries. |
| B．Lacking of money, developing countries can't build safe buildings. |
| C．Building controls are the guarantee of safe buildings. |
| D．In developing countries, people have more freedom to design their buildings the way they like. |
What does the underlined sentence mean?
| A．Earthquakes break out frequently in New Zealand. |
| B．The earthquakes breaking out in New Zealand are very strange. |
| C．The earthquakes breaking out in New Zealand are unusual. |
| D．Earthquakes rarely hit New Zealand. |
What's the main idea of the passage?
| A．A massive earthquake struck the city of Christchurch of New Zealand. |
| B．No one was ever killed in earthquakes in New Zealand. |
| C．New Zealand has strict laws to guarantee the buildings' safety. |
| D．A miracle happened in the terrible earthquake. |
Now let us look at how we read. When we read a printed text, our eyes move across a page in short, jerky （急动的）movement. We recognize words usually when our eyes are still when they fixate. Each time they fixate, we see a group of words. This is known as the recognition span(范围)or the visual span. The length of time of which the eyes stop ---the duration of the fixation (定位)----varies considerably from person to person. It also varies within any one person according to his purpose in reading and his familiarity with the text. Furthermore, it can be affected by such factors as lighting and tiredness.
Unfortunately, in the past, many reading improvement courses have concentrated too much on how our eyes move across the printed page. As a result of this misleading emphasis on the purely visual aspects of reading, numerous exercises have been devised to train the eyes to see more words at one fixation. For instance, in some exercises, words are flashed on to a screen for, say, a tenth or a twentieth of a second. One of the exercises has required students to fix their eyes on some central point, taking in the words on either side. Such word patterns are often constructed in the shape of rather steep pyramids so the reader takes in more and more words at each successive (连续的) fixation. All these exercises are very clever, but it’s one thing to improve a person’s ability to see words and quite another thing to improve his ability to read a text efficiently. Reading requires the ability to understand the relationship between words. Consequently (因此), for these reasons, many experts have now begun to question the usefulness of eye training, especially since any approach which trains a person to read isolated (孤立的) words and phrases would seem unlikely to help him in reading a continuous text.The time of the recognition span can be affected by the following facts except ________ .
| A．one’s familiarity with the text |
| B．one’s purpose in reading |
| C．the length of a group of words |
| D．lighting and tiredness |
The author may believe that reading ______.
| A．requires a reader to take in more words at each fixation |
| B．requires a reader to see words more quickly |
| C．demands an deeply-participating mind |
| D．demands more mind than eyes |
What does the author mean by saying “but it’s one thing to improve a person’s ability to see words and quite another thing to improve his ability to read a text efficiently.” in the second paragraph?
| A．The ability to see words is not needed when an efficient reading is conducted. |
| B．The reading exercises mentioned can’t help to improve both the ability to see and to comprehend words. |
| C．The reading exercises mentioned can’t help to improve an efficient reading. |
| D．The reading exercises mentioned has done a great job to improve one’s ability to see words. |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．The visual span is a word or a group of words we see each time. |
| B．Many experts began to question the efficiency of eye training. |
| C．The emphasis on the purely visual aspects is misleading. |
| D．The eye training will help readers in reading a continuous text. |
The tune of the author in writing this article is ________
| A．critical (批评的) | B．neutral (中立的) |
| C． pessimistic （悲观的 ） | D．optimistic |
There are two ways to save money traveling. The first way is to get the best deals on the specific things you want. There is a limitation to this type of approach (途径，方法) though. If you find the lowest price on the best hotel in Honolulu at the height of the season, you will save money, but still have a very expensive vacation. Trying to get exactly what you want will generally be an expensive proposition, in travel and in life.
The other approach is to be a true opportunist. This will be difficult for some of you, and entirely unacceptable to others. Nonetheless (尽管如此)，the travelers who get to travel the most, go to the widest variety of places, learn the most and do the most, are the opportunists. This will be true until you are so wealthy that you have no monetary (货币的；钱的)limits.
The first time I went to Ecuador, I went there because it was cheap. If it wasn’t, I would have had a great time—somewhere else. The trip lasted a month, and cost $1045, which included airfare and even the $130 fee for a guide to take me to the top or glacier (冰川) covered Mount Chimborazo.
I cut the cost by taking a bus from my home in Michigan to Miami, and back again when I returned from Ecuador. The round-trip ticket cost $158. The round-trip flight to Quito from Miami was only $256, because it was a courier (信使，通讯员) flight, which meant I signed for some luggage(car parts), and could only take carry-on luggage.
Never did I feel deprived, or bored. I had a great time, eating wherever it was cheap and clean, doing all sorts of inexpensive, but interesting things, and traveling across the country to climb Chimborazo. I also met and fell in love with my wife Ana.
Being an opportunist means you’ll have just as much variety, and probably almost everything you want—eventually. You just have to stop trying to get exactly what you want exactly when you want it. If the guide that took me up Chimborazo hadn’t dropped his price from $200 to $130, I would have spent $2 for a bus and gone hiking on EI Altar, another great Andean mountain. That would have left me with enough money for several other minor adventures.The underlined phrase “the best deals” in the first paragraph probably refers to ______.
| A．the best service | B． the lowest price |
| C．the cheapest goods | D． the best approaches |
The return tickets from his hometown to Quito cost the author ______.
| A．$128 | B． $256 | C． $207 | D． $414 |
The last paragraph was to tell us how to ______.
| A．save money for minor adventures |
| B．cut down traveling costs. |
| C．deal with different situations |
| D．become opportunist travelers |
It’s suggested that the author _____.
| A．went hiking on El Altar |
| B．traveled with his wife in Ecuador |
| C．is an opportunist traveler |
| D．likes traveling around the world |
Which of the following can serve as the best title of the passage?
| A．Cheap Travel Secrets | B． Travel Secrets |
| C．A Travel Opportunist | D． Travel Tips |
Are some people born clever, and others born stupid? Or is intelligence developed by our environment and our experiences? Strangely enough，the answer to both these questions is yes. To some extent（程度）our intelligence is given to us at birth，and special education can never make a genius(天才) out of a child born with low intelligence. On the other hand, a child who lives in a boring environment will develop his intelligence less than one who lives in rich and varied surroundings. Thus the limits of a person’s intelligence are fixed at birth, but whether or not he reaches those limits will depend on his environment. This view, now held by most experts can be supported in a number of ways.
It is easy to say that intelligence is to some extent something we are born with. The closer the blood relationship between two people, the closer they are likely to be in intelligence. Thus if we take two unrelated people at random from the population, it is likely that their degrees of intelligence will be completely different. If on the other hand we take two identical twins, they will very likely be as intelligent as each other. Relations like brothers and sisters，parents and children，usually have similar intelligence, and this clearly suggests that intelligence depends on birth.
Imagine that now we take two identical twins and put them in different environments. We might send one, for example, to a university and the other to a factory where the work is boring. We would soon find differences in intelligence developing, and this indicates that environment as well as birth plays a part. This conclusion is also suggested by the fact that people who live in close contact with each other, but who are not related at all, are likely to have similar degrees of intelligence. By using the example that two people closer in blood relationship are closer in intelligence that writer wants to prove _ .
| A．intelligence can be developed by environment |
| B．intelligence is given at birth |
| C．intelligence can be developed by experience |
| D．education plays an important part in the development of education |
A child who lives in rich and varied surroundings turns out higher in intelligence because ________.
| A．his family is rich and therefore can afford to develop his intelligence |
| B．he can break the limits of intelligence fixed at birth |
| C．his family is rich and provides him with various healthy food |
| D．these surroundings are likely to help him reach the limits of their intelligence |
In the second paragraph “if we take two unrelated people at random from the population．．．” means “if we ____．”
| A．choose two persons who are relative |
| B．take out two different persons |
| C．choose two persons with different intelligence |
| D．pick any two persons |
The best title for this passage might be __________.
| A．Birth and Environment | B．Intelligence |
| C．The Answer to a Question | D．Intelligence and Education |
To son, Cecil,
Just a quick note before I start in earnest. When I wrote this, you were 8, still a little boy. In 2002, I was called to active duty in the Marine Corps in the war on Terrorism (恐怖主义). On the 11th of September 2001 when America was attacked, I knew that I would eventually(最终) have to go and I was filled with a deep sense of sadness. That night as you and Keiko were asleep, I looked at your little faces and couldn’t help but fight the tears. I knew it would be hard for you because I had a similar experience. When I was a little boy aged 6, my dad, your Grandpa Cawley, was sent to Vietnam during the war there. I remember how much I missed him, too. But now unfortunately I have come to realize just how difficult it must have been for Grandpa to be away from his children for a year. Thinking about this, I wanted to put my thoughts and feelings down for you and your sister. I am so sorry that I had to leave for such a long time. There is no place I would rather be than with you and Keiko. You two are the lights of my life. I have known no greater joy than in the few years since you two were born. I hope to have many more years with you. If this doesn’t happen, then know that I love you more than words can express. If for some reason I don’t make it home, I will need you to take care of your little sister and your Mom. You will be the man of the Cawley family. Be good my son and God will watch over you as he has me. I will be waiting impatiently for the time when we can all be together again.The writer of the letter may be ______.
| A．an American policeman |
| B．an American soldier in the battle field |
| C．a soldier in the Vietnam War |
| D．a postman working far away from home |
Keiko is the ______ of the writer.
| A．wife | B．son | C．daughter | D．sister |
One of the experiences the writer and his son had in common is that ______.
| A．they both experienced the Vietnam War |
| B．their fathers had to leave them and fight abroad. |
| C．they used to study in the same school |
| D．they were both eight when the fathers had to leave them |
We can infer(推断) that ______.
| A．the writer was a devoted son |
| B．the writer was a brave soldier |
| C．the writer realized he might die in the battle field |
| D．the writer’s wife was suffering from a terrible illness. |
Inside China Daily
| China, Japan ink fishery agreement The New China-Japan Fishery Agreement will be put into effect starting June this year. Chinese vice-minister of agriculture, Qi Jingfa told a press conference yesterday in Beijing. -Page 2 Offshore funeral(葬礼) The remains of more than 500 dead will be scattered at sea this spring near the mouth of Yangtze River in Shanghai. To save space Shanghai officials discouraged land burials. –Page 3 The only wise choice Co-operation with the mainland for a peaceful reunification (统一) should be the only wise choice for the newly elected Taiwan leader. -Page 4 The Art Market Interest in activities such as fairs, galleries and exhibitions has caused the art market to take shape in China. -Page 9 Two sides of a story The government’s efforts to cut the homework burden of primary and middle school students have drawn mixed reactions. -Page 10 Blind, but not out. Yang Jia, an English professor at the Chinese Academy of Science meets the challenges brought by the sudden loss of her eyesight and continues to make it in her work. -Page 11 |
The above section may possibly appear on _________ of China Daily.
| A．the Front Page | B．Page 5 | C．Page 9 | D．the last page |
From the text we can know that _________.
| A．a blind professor can work better |
| B．Chinese fishermen can go fishing freely in Japan soon |
| C．no one will be buried in the ground after they die in Shanghai |
| D．more and more people have begun to do art business |
When you look through this issue of China Daily, you are sure to find ______.
| A．how Taiwan’s new leader was made |
| B．that people think differently of reducing pupils’ burden |
| C．sad stories about students with heavy burden in primary and middle schools |
| D．interesting stories of art fairs, galleries and exhibitions of different shapes in China |
If someone feels upset for the sudden trouble and wants to encourage himself, what would you suggest he should read in China Daily?
| A．Blind, but not out. | B．Two sides of a story. |
| C．The only wise choice. | D．Offshore funeral. |
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