I had been looking forward to my sister Patti’s visit for weeks. I had the whole thing planned. It would be one of our usual short-but-sweet get-togethers: a nice meal, some shopping, an outing with our kids.
When Patti arrived, lunch was cooking on the stove. Everything was perfect. Then, a few minutes later, a terrific clap of thunder rattled the window. A storm had sped in out of nowhere. The lights went out — for the next 12hours.
It seemed like a disaster. Our long-awaited plans! My homemade lunch! Seeing the unfinished pork, we had to eat cold food. We didn’t know what we can do next. The children asked, “Can we watch TV?” “The TV isn’t working.” I explained. So they begged, “Well, how about a video, then?” “How about computer games?” “Can’t you just microwave some popcorn?” I quickly realized just how much we all took electricity for granted.
But as the evening wore on, I also realized I had been taking something else for granted: the power of relationships. The point of my sister’s visit was not that we could go shopping. It didn’t matter whether we took our kids to the zoo. What counted were the people, not the plans.
We all sang old camp songs and put on shadow plays. After the kids eagerly went to bed with their own flashlights, Patti and I brought chairs onto my small front porch (门廊). At first we talked about our ruined plans. Then we sat back silently, listening to the rain dropping through the trees. I hadn’t sat out there in ages, and night air felt cool. We began to talk about our friends. We planned our parents’ upcoming anniversary party. Our conversation went to places it hadn’t gone in years.
I realized that what Patti and I had been looking forward to most was each other — something that often seemed vague on past short visits. Those get-togethers have always been enjoyable, but I must admit that they tend to melt together in my memory. That night the lights went out, on the other hand, they will burn brightly for a long time.
The author planned to do something for her sister’s visit except __________.
| A．seeing a film | B．doing some shopping |
| C．cooking a nice meal | D．going out with their kids |
Why did the lights go out?
| A．Because thunder rattled the window. |
| B．Because a storm came. |
| C．Because someone played a trick on them. |
| D．Because they planned so. |
It can be inferred from the passage that__________.
| A．their get-togethers were usually long |
| B．the author prepared a party for Patti’s visit |
| C．the author and Patti talked a lot this time |
| D．the lunch was ready when Patti arrived |
On the night without power, the author was at last.
| A．mad | B．grateful | C．sad | D．awful |
What did the author try to convey through this passage?
| A．A lot of things can be done when the electricity is cut off. |
| B．The plan should be more careful. |
| C．We should always turn off the lights. |
| D．What counts are the people, not the plans. |
As computers become all the more popular in China, Chinese people are increasingly depending on computer keyboards to input Chinese characters. But if they use the computer too much, they may end up forgetting the exact strokes（笔画）of each Chinese character when writing on paper. Experts suggest people, especially students, write by hand more.
Do you write by hand more or type more? In Beijing, students start using a computer as early as primary school. And computer dependence is more wide-spread among university students. Almost all their homework and essays are typed on a computer.
All the students interviewed say they usually use a computer.
It's faster and easier to correct if using a computer. And that's why computers are being applied more and more often to modern education. But when people are taking stock in computers increasingly, problems appear.
"When I'm writing with a pen, I find I often can't remember how to write a character, though I feel I’m familiar with it."
"I'm not in the mood to write when faced with a pen and paper."
Many students don't feel this is something to worry about. Now that it's more convenient and quick to write on a computer, why bother to handwrite?
Many educators think differently. Shi Liwei , the headmaster of a famous primary school in the capital said "Chinese characters enjoy both practical and aesthetic(审美的) value. But those characters typed with computer keyboards only have their practical value. All the artistic beauty of the characters is lost. And handwriting contains the writer's emotion(情绪). Through one's handwriting, people can get to know one's thinking and personality. Beautiful writing will give people a better first impression of them.”
To encourage students to handwrite more, many primary schools in Beijing have made writing classes compulsory(必修的)and in universities, some professors are asking students to turn in their homework and essays written by hand.Which of the following can best serve as the title of the passage?
| A．The Importance of Handwriting and Typing. |
| B．To Type or To Hand Write |
| C．Writing By Computer Will Replace Writing By Hand |
| D．Practical and Aesthetic Value of Chinese Characters. |
The students interviewed prefer to write using a computer mainly because______.
| A．they are usually asked to e-mail their homework and Essays |
| B．they can correct the mistakes they make quickly and conveniently |
| C．they find it not easy to remember how to write a character |
| D．computers have become popular in China. |
Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE of the advantages of handwriting?
| A．Handwriting contains the writer's emotion. |
| B．The writer’s thinking and personality are shown in his or her handwriting, |
| C．Handwriting can impress people well and build up one’s self-confidence |
| D．Chinese characters enjoy both practical and aesthetic value. |
The underlined expression “taking stock in”(Paragraph 4) probably means_____.
| A．getting bored with | B．getting dependent on |
| C．becoming crazy about | D．getting curious about |
We can draw the conclusion from the passage that_______.
| A．more and more students will give up writing on a computer |
| B．writing by hand will give way to typing by computer one day |
| C．more and more students will pay attention to handwriting |
| D．the typing article better expresses one’s emotion and quality |
Have you ever wondered why birds sing? Maybe you thought that they were just happy. After all, you probably sing when you are happy.
Some scientists believe that birds do sing some of the time just because they are happy. However, they sing most of the time for a very different reason. Their singing is actually a warning to other birds to stay out of their territory.
Do you know what a “territory” is? A territory is an area that an animal, usually the male, claims (声称) as its own. Only he and his family are welcome there. No other families of the same species are welcome. Your house is your territory where only your family and friends are welcome. If a stranger should enter your territory and threaten you, you might shout. Probably this would be enough to frighten him away.
If so, you have actually frightened the stranger away without having to fight him. A bird does the same thing. But he expects an outsider almost any time, especially at nesting (筑巢) season. So he is screaming all the time, whether he can see an outsider or not. This screaming is what we call a bird’s song, and it is usually enough to keep an outsider away.Some scientists believe that most of the time bird’s singing is actually ________.
| A．an expression of happiness | B． a way of warning |
| C．an expression of anger | D． a way of greeting |
What is a bird’s “territory”?
| A．A place where families of other species are not accepted. |
| B．A place where a bird may shout at the top of its voice. |
| C．An area for which birds fight against each other. |
| D．An area which a bird considers to be its own. |
Why do birds keep on singing at nesting season?
| A．Because they want to invite more friends. |
| B．Because their singing helps frighten outsiders away. |
| C．Because they want to find outsiders around. |
| D．Because their singing helps get rid of their fears. |
How does the writer explain birds’ singing?
| A．By comparing birds with human beings. |
| B．By reporting experiment results. |
| C．By describing birds’ daily life. |
| D．By telling a bird’s story. |
What does the underline word “screaming” in paragraph 4 mean?
| A．哭喊声 | B．令人惊愕的 | C．尖叫声 | D．尖叫的 |
How could we possibly think that keeping animals in cages in unnatural environments---mostly for entertainment purposes --- is fair and respectful?
Zoo officials say they are concerned about animals. However, most zoos remain “collections” of interesting “things” rather than protective habitats. Zoos teach people that it is acceptable to keep animals bored, lonely and far from their natural homes.
Zoo claims to educate people and save endangered species, but visitors leaves zoos without having learned anything meaningful about the animals’ natural behaviour, intelligence, or beauty. Zoo keeps animals in small spaces or cages, and most signs only mention the species’ name, diet, and natural range. The animals’ normal behavior is seldom noticed because zoos don’t usually take care of the animals’ natural needs.
The animals are kept together in small spaces, with no privacy and little opportunity for mental and physical exercise. This results in unusual and self-destructive behavior called zoochosis. A worldwide study of zoos found that zoochosis common among animals kept in small spaces or cages. Another study showed that elephants spend 22 percent of their time making repeated head movements or biting cage bars and bears spend 30 percent of their time walking back and forth, a sign of unhappiness and pain.
Furthermore, most animals in zoos are not endangered. Captive breeding (圈养繁殖) of endangered big cats, Asian elephants, and another species has not resulted in their being sent back to the wild. Zoos talk a lot about their captive breeding programs because they do not want people to worry about a species dying out. In fact, baby animals also attract a lot of paying customers. Haven’t we seen enough competitions to name baby animals?
Actually, we still save endangered species only if we save their habitats and put an end to the reasons people kill them. Instead of supporting zoos, we should support groups that work to protect animals’ natural habitats.How would the author describe the animals’ life in Zoos?
| A．Dangerous | B．Unhappy | C．Natural | D．Easy |
In the state of zoochosis, animals _______________.
| A．remain in cages | B．behave strangely |
| C．attack other animals | D．enjoy moving around |
According to the passage what point of view does the author hold?
| A．Zoos are not worth the public support. |
| B．Zoos fail in their attempt to save animals. |
| C．Zoos should treat animals as human beings. |
| D．Zoos use animals as a means of entertainment. |
The author tries to persuade readers to accept his argument mainly by________.
| A．pointing out the faults in what zoos do |
| B．using evidence he has collected at zoos |
| C．exploring the way animals are protected |
| D．discussing the advantages of natural habitats |
Although he argues against zoos, the author would still agree that___________.
| A．zoos have to keep animals in small spaces |
| B．most animals in zoos are endangered species |
| C．some endangered animals are reproduced in zoos |
| D．it’s acceptable to keep animals away from their habitats |
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[1] Twenty-seven outstanding individuals and organizations have been selected from more than-200 nominations (提名) as finalists for the 2012 National Disability Awards for their valuable contribution to improving the lives of people with disability in Australia. The National Disability Awards, now in their sixth year, celebrate the remarkable achievements of people with disability and those who support them to create a more inclusive (包容的) and diverse society.
[2] The Minister for Disability Reform, Jenny Macklin, and the Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Carers, Jan McLucas, announced the finalists across the nine award categories.
[3] The finalists are made up of individuals, support organizations and national companies. Their achievements include improving Community accessibility and employment opportunities for people with disability, promoting the rights of people with disability and advocating (提倡) a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
[4] This year's awards come at an exciting time for People with disability, their families and carers, as the Gillard Government invests $1 billion in the first stage of an NDIS, which will be launched from the middle of 2013. More man 20,000 people with significant and permanent disability in five locations __________, receiving a care and support package that is individually adapted to their needs and having decision-making power about their care and support. Important to the success of an NDIS will be the continued commitment of all Australian governments to the National Disability Strategy, which is a framework (机制) to include disability in policies, programs, services and infrastructure (基础设施) across all areas of the community.
[5] The National Disability Awards form part of the Australian Government's celebration of International Day of People with Disability, which occurs annually on 3rd December and which this year celebrates its 20th anniversary.Why have twenty-seven individuals and organizations been selected as finalists for the 2012 National Disability Awards? (no more than 15 words)
_______________________________ What are the finalists made up of? (no more than 8 words)
_______________________________ Fill in the blank in Paragraph 4 with proper words. (no more than 5 words)
_______________________________ What does the word“them”(Line 5, Paragraph 1) refer to? ( no more than 3 words)
_______________________________ What is the passage mainly about? (no more than 8 words)
_______________________________
An astronomer is making a case for launching pop singer Justin Bieber into suborbital（亚轨道的）space aboard a private rocket ship. The idea is not to rid the world of the Canadian teenager — he would come back down to Earth eventually, after all — but rather to help jump-start the emerging suborbital spaceflight industry.
It would generate a lot of public interest, which would help commercial spaceflight pick up some much-needed momentum, said Seth Shostak, senior astronomer at the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute in Mountain View, California. “If there’s more interest, there are more customers. If there are more customers, there's more technical development. It's a positive feedback loop, and obviously that's good.”
Such missions would return to Earth without completing a full lap around the planet. Instead, the flights would hit the edge of space about 62 miles (100 kilometers) above Earth, experience a few minutes of weightlessness, then re-enter the atmosphere and land back at a spaceport.
None of these firms are ready to fly customers yet, but some are getting close. For instance, Virgin Galactic hopes to begin powered test flights of its SpaceShipTwo vehicle later this year, with commercial operations perhaps beginning in 2013 or 2014. It is SpaceShipTwo that reportedly grabbed the attention of Beyonce and Jay-Z.
Virgin Galactic has collected deposits from nearly 500 customers willing to pay $200,000 for a ride aboard SpaceShipTwo, and both Virgin and XCOR have inked deals to fly scientists and their experiments on research flights. So a suborbital market already exists — but Shostak is thinking about ways to make it grow.
A celebrity launch isn't Shostak’s only idea. Suborbital firms should also promote their activities aggressively via social media, Shostak said, and they should make sure their spaceships are bristling（充满）with cameras both inside and out, to give the public dramatic views of every mission.
Some observers view commercial suborbital spaceflight as a potentially transformative industry, saying it could serve as a stepping stone to the exploration and exploitation of space on an unprecedented scale. While the industry’s success is far from assured, Shostak offered some reason for optimism: The American public remains keen on space.Why may Justin Bieber be sent into suborbital space?
| A．To show his bravery and make him a role model for teenagers. |
| B．To arouse the American public’s interest. |
| C．To help reform the spaceflight industry. |
| D．To film an advertisement about space. |
What can we learn about suborbital spaceflight?
| A．A trip will return to Earth before finishing a lap. |
| B．The whole trip will leave passengers weightless. |
| C．Each trip can take 500 passengers. |
| D．The trip will be too expensive even for celebrities. |
What can we infer from the text?
| A．SpaceShipTwo will be the first to fly. |
| B．Famous people will be the main passengers in the future. |
| C．The space trip is still in preparation. |
| D．Every space trip will be made into a film. |
The last paragraph suggests that _________.
| A．space is too mysterious to explore |
| B．the suborbital market is promising |
| C．the spaceflight industry is more successful than people think |
| D．developing the industry is risky |
What is the main purpose of the text?
| A．To predict a change in the space market. |
| B．To discuss a recent launch. |
| C．To introduce the status of the spaceflight industry. |
| D．To remove public doubt about the spaceflight industry. |
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