Some young engineers from the United States have brought the Internet to several areas of rural Kenya. 
Their idea was to connect the communities to the Web by satellite. But there was a problem. The areas are not even connected to Kenya’s electric power supply. The answer: solar panels. Energy from the sun powers the satellite dishes (蝶形卫星天线) and computers that link the areas with the world outside.
Kelly Moran, Joan Ervin and Tricia Donajkowski spent ten days in Kenya in November. The women recently earned master’s degrees in space systems engineering from the University of Michigan.
Another engineer, Drew Heckathorn, did not go to Africa but worked on parts of the project.
Kelly Moran says there was excitement when the team would arrive to connect communities to the Internet. People would sometimes run alongside the car carrying the engineers to welcome them. And local residents would offer to help the team build the Internet stations.
People now have access to educational, medical and all kinds of other information. Farmers, for example, can easily find weather, crop and price information online.
The project began back at the college of engineering in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 2007. That was when twenty-five students in a class taught by Thomas Zurbuchen first talked about the idea.
The goal was to test whether Internet stations could be set up, how much they would cost, and how long they could operate. But the engineers also had to consider other things — like social needs. Students from the public health and business schools offered advice.
The young engineers also had to design the equipment to survive the heat in Africa. Professor Zurbuchen praises his former students for “making something work in a different climate far away from home. ”
Google paid for the final design of the equipment. The company is also supporting the costs of the satellite bandwidth needed for the connections. Google has invested in a new company that wants to put up a system of satellites over Africa. The availability of more satellites would reduce the costs.
Just five percent of Africans have Internet connections. The International Telecommunication Union says one-third of Kenyans have mobile phones. But mobile phones may or may not work well with the Internet.What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．Solar energy has been used to operate the Internet. |
| B．Engineers from America help the communities in Kenya. |
| C．The Internet Stations are to be set up in some areas of rural Kenya. |
| D．The Internet plays an important part in people’s life in Kenya. |
Why did Google give the project financial support?
| A．Because it is willing to help to rid Kenya’s residents of poverty. |
| B．Because the use of satellites would benefit a lot its business in Kenya. |
| C．Because the project is one of its investments in Africa. |
| D．Because it wants to test whether its equipment is the best in the world. |
The underlined part in the ninth paragraph suggests that_____ .
| A．what Kelly and her partners to do will make a difference to the residents in Kenya |
| B．it is difficult for Kelly and her partners to build the Internet stations in Kenya |
| C．the climate in Kenya is so bad that Kelly and her partners will have difficulty in building the Internet stations |
| D．to help Kenya build the Internet stations, Kelly and her partners have to leave their homes |
From the passage we can learn that______ .
| A．the idea of building the Internet stations in Kenya was put forward by Professor Zurbuchen |
| B．the Internet stations are powered by solar energy |
| C．the project hasn’t got any support from Kenya’s government |
| D．Professor Zurbuchen is giving the project the technical direction |
In America, Virginia Beach has all the elements of a classic seaside resort: brilliant beaches, a lively boardwalk, plenty of restaurants and nightspots, and amusement rides are sure to appeal to kids. Many believe Virginia Beach is at its best in the off-season, when the town is less crowded but the weather is still mild.
Meanwhile, some safety tips should be followed, enjoying the happiness and excitement the beach offers.
The number l safety tip concerns ocean safety: pay attention to Flag conditions posted on the lifeguard stands. Lifeguards post a red flag to warn when the ocean water is dangerous. Take them seriously! Tourists from land-locked regions are particularly easily attracted by the magic of the waves. However, a calm ocean can become risky without warning. Make sure you swim near a lifeguard. Swimming without lifeguard protection is almost five times as great as drowning at a beach with lifeguards.
Never swim alone. Many drownings involve single swimmers. When you swim with someone else, if one of you has a problem, the other may be able to get help, including signaling for assistance from others.
Don't fight the current. The facts show that some 80% of rescues by lifeguards at ocean beaches are caused by currents. These currents are formed by surf and gravity, because once surf pushes water up the slope of a beach, gravity pulls it back. This can create concentrated rivers of water moving offshore. If you are caught in a rip current, don't fight it by trying to swim directly to shore. Instead, swim parallel to shore until you feel the current relax, then swim to shore. Most rip currents are narrow and a short swim parallel to shore will help bring you to safety.When coming to Virginia Beach, children can enjoy the happiness of .
| A．walking on the road made of wood | B．joining the nightspots |
| C．having interesting rides | D．skiing in the sea |
Many people believe the best time to visit Virginia Beach may be .
| A．after autumn school term beginning | B．in the slimmer vacation |
| C．during the Christmas holiday | D．in the cold winter |
Swimming in the sea you'd better not swim .
| A．with a friend | B．within the sight of the lifeguard |
| C．with the current | D．as far as you like |
From the passage, we can know .
| A．one in five persons swimming in the sea is drowned |
| B．if one with lifeguard were drowning, five persons without lifeguard would be |
| C．some 80% people drowning by the currents are rescued by lifeguards |
| D．some 20% drowning by the currents are rescued by life guards |
The passage mainly tells us .
| A．some safety tips when swimming in the sea |
| B．the happiness and excitement the beach offers |
| C．Virginia Beach has all the elements of a classic seaside resort |
| D．the dangers for tourists from land-locked regions to swim in the sea |
A few degrees can make a big difference when it comes to food storage. Foods can go bad if they get too warm. But for many of the world’s poor, finding a good way to keep food cool is difficult. Refrigerators are costly and they need electricity.
Yet spoiled food not only creates health risks but also economic losses. Farmers lose money when they have to throw away products that they cannot sell quickly.
But in nineteen ninety-five a teacher in northern Nigeria named Mohammed Bah Abba found a solution. He developed the “Pot-in-Pot Preservation/Cooling System.” It uses two round containers made of clay. A smaller pot is placed inside a larger one. The space between the two pots is filled with wet sand. The inner pot can be filled with fruit, vegetables or drinks. A wet cloth covers the whole cooling system.
Food stored in the smaller pot is kept from spoiling through a simple evaporation(蒸发) process. Water in the sand between the two pots evaporates through the surface of the larger pot, where drier outside air is moving.
The evaporation process creates a drop in temperature of several degrees. This cools the inner pot and helps keep food safe from harmful bacteria. Some foods can be kept fresh this way for several weeks.
People throughout Nigeria began using the invention. And it became popular with farmers in other African countries. Mohammed Bah Abba personally financed the first five thousand pot-in-pot systems for his own community and five villages nearby.
In two thousand, the Rolex Watch Company of Switzerland honored him with the Rolex Award for Enterprise. This award recognizes people trying to develop projects aimed at improving human knowledge and well-being. A committee considers projects in science and medicine, technology, exploration and discovery, the environment and cultural history. Winners receive financial assistance to help develop and extend their projects.Which is the best title of the passage?
| A．A Few Degrees can Make a Big Difference for Storage |
| B． A Cool Way to Keep Food from Spoiling |
| C． Spoiled Food Creates Health Risks and Economic Losses |
| D． The Evaporation Process Creates a Drop in Temperature |
What does the third paragraph mainly talk about?
| A．the structure of the invention |
| B．the usage of the invention |
| C．the cost of the invention |
| D．the inspiration of the invention |
What is it that essentially keeps the food in the container from spoiling?
| A．the wet cloth covering the cooling system. |
| B．the moving drier air outside the container |
| C．the wet sand between the containers |
| D．a drop in temperature by evaporation |
According to the passage, where can we possibly see the invention?
| A．rich and advanced families |
| B．scientific experiment laboratory |
| C．poor and underdeveloped area |
| D．supermarket needing to store goods |
We can know from the passage that Mohammed Bah Abba ____________.
| A．invented the controversial cooling system |
| B．financed the systems in all communities |
| C．received financial assistance for his invention |
| D．invented more complicated cooling system later |
When he was just 19, Michael Dell started the company that would dominate the industry.
At the time, IBM personal computers sold in stores for about ＄3,000. After taking them apart and rebuilding them, Dell realized the components (零部件) could be bought for one-fourth the price. Soon he was buying components to reduce the cost. A good business decision, but it meant his room was starting to look like a mechanic’s shop.
“I was quite excited about the possibilities for personal computers and how they could change society. I had this idea to sell the products directly to the users over the phone”, he said. College plans and his parents’ expectations bothered him a lot. But Michael Dell was determined. He drove off to the University of Texas at Austin in August 1983 in a car he’d bought with earnings from selling newspapers. He was surprised that his mother wasn’t suspicious about the three computers in the backseat. By November, news reached his parents that he wasn’t attending classes. On a surprise visit to Austin, they caught their son on spot. Michael Dell told his dad that he wanted to compete with IBM.
Although Michael agreed to focus on his studies, the business chances and the timing couldn’t have been better. The public was becoming more interested in computers, but no one was producing them. In early May, a week before his final exams, Michael started Dell computer Corporation with ＄1,000. He took his exams, and then dropped out of college at the end of his freshman year. It was time to try out his direct-to-customer business model.
“Three years later”, Dell says, “we had already achieved annual sales of about ＄150 million, I was 22 years old then.”What does the underlined word in paragraph 1 mean?
| A．affect | B．develop | C．support | D．lead |
Which of the following is true according to paragraph 2?
| A．Dell discovered a good chance to make money |
| B．Dell could buy a computer at one-fourth the price |
| C．IBM made little money from personal computers |
| D．Dell rebuilt computers in a mechanic’s shop |
When Dell’s parents learned about his absence from class, they .
| A．tried to help with his business |
| B．were too suspicious to accept it |
| C．wanted him to go hack to class |
| D．encouraged him to compete with IBM |
It can be inferred from the article that .
| A．Dell was tired of his college life |
| B．Dell was not devoted to his study at college |
| C．Dell’s college life helped him greatly |
| D．Dell didn’t finish his final exams |
Dell’s experiences show that .
| A．determination and opportunity lead to success |
| B．family support plays an import in one’s success |
| C．there’s no need for all of us to go to college |
| D．we should insist on whatever we are doing |
My daughter Alisa was born blind in her right eye and was bullied (欺侮) pretty severely in school. So I quitted my job as a babysitter and then schooled my daughter heart and soul at home.
A year ago a boy of 14 befriended my daughter on Facebook after reading something Alisa wrote about bullying. Today he messaged her and asked if she would like six tickets to a Colorado Rockies baseball game. They have never met in person but she said, “Sure! That would be great.”
Then I received a call from his mother explaining why her son had chosen my daughter. She said he thought my daughter deserved them because of all the good she does in the community. Her son, she explained, had experienced a similar situation and was also home schooled.
What she said is true. Now my daughter Alisa continues to teach groups of girls in trouble in our community how to look within themselves for the positive and how to be their own person.
Everything taken into consideration, we decided to meet the mother and the boy at a local bike shop. After meeting, the boy approached my car and my daughter gave him a hug and thanked him for his generosity. She told him that she had never been to a baseball game and that she was going to take her entire family, including myself, her dad, little sister, her cousin and an aunt who has brain cancer.
We all thanked one another, got in our car, and went our way. As we drove home my daughter opened the envelope. Inside it were the tickets and ＄100 each to buy hot dogs, pay for parking and not have any worries but a great time.
My daughter has always been the giver and now she and our family are the receivers and I can not tell you how incredibly honored we feel to be on the other end. What an incredible young man to have such a kind idea.What did the author once do according to the passage?
| A．She was a ticket seller. | B．She was a school teacher. |
| C．She was a babysitter. | D．She was a social worker. |
How did the boy get to know my daughter?
| A．They met when buying tickets to a baseball game. |
| B．They got in touch via the Internet. |
| C．They became familiar when talking face to face. |
| D．They went to the same school and met each other. |
Why did the boy want to offer free tickets to Alisa?
| A．Because Alisa is a disabled girl. |
| B．Because he has a lot money to share. |
| C．Because Alisa often helps those in trouble. |
| D．Because he has a similar situation with Alisa. |
What can we learn about the boy?
| A．He is afraid of meeting strangers. |
| B．He always bullies smaller children. |
| C．He is addicted to the internet. |
| D．He receives education at home. |
Which of the following best describes the passage?
| A．Good is rewarded with good. |
| B．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
| C．Two heads are better than one. |
| D．Where there is a will, there is a way. |
Winter is a very special time in Northern Norway. Winter also means skiing, and Narvik can offer some of the best skiing in Norway. The view and light change frequently and no two days are the same. For many people, the northern lights are an unforgettable sight, and in Narvik the sky is especially clear and great for watching at night.
The tourist season lasts from February to April, although May can be fascinating too, often with fantastic dry snow and an unbelievable light lasting well into the evening.
Ski hire
It is possible for adults and children to hire skiing equipment such as snowboards. All equipment is prepared for us. If you would like to book your equipment, please email Narvikfjellet.
Cross-country skiing
There are 12 kilometers of cross country ski run in Narvik. You need to bring your own skis as there is no cross-country hire. However, equipment can be bought at local sports shops in and around Narvik.
Off-piste skiing（非场地滑雪）
In order to explore Narvik’s off-piste opportunities you need to know the dangers when choosing routes. It is suggested that you bring necessary equipment such as a shovel（雪铲）and a GPS locator. Ask Narvikfjellet for an experienced guide. With a guide you can explore Narvik’s special off-piste areas in a safe manner.
Sometimes it is nice to do something different and not everybody enjoys skiing. Then you can go horse-riding, or visit the local museums.
Price examples for the 2013--2014 season
Time Children(8-15 years old) Adults
1 day NOK 230 NOK 325
3 days NOK 590 NOK 835
5 days NOK 815 NOK 1,170
7 days NOK 970 NOK 1,375
Children 0-7 years can enjoy the service for free. In Northern Norway, the tourist season may last ______.
| A．one month | B．two months | C．three months | D．four months |
. What can we know from the text?
| A．Narvik is located in the south of Norway. |
| B．You are provided with skiing equipment for free. |
| C．Narvik is only open to adults and children over eight. |
| D．You can book skiing equipment through the Internet. |
. When you go off-piste skiing, the following are a must EXCEPT ______.
| A．a shovel | B．a horse | C．a guide | D．a GPS locator |
. If Mr. and Mrs. Smith stay in Narvik with their six-year-old daughter for three days in 2013, they should pay ______.
| A．NOK 1,160 | B．NOK 1,425 | C．NOK 1,670 | D．NOK 2,260 |
. You are most likely to find this text in a ______.
| A．Travel Guide | B．Book Review |
| C．Medical Report | D．Science Textbook |
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