Among the most popular books being written today are those which are usually classified as science fiction. Hundreds of titles are published every year and are read by all kinds of people. Furthermore, some of the most successful films of recent years have been based on science fiction stories.
It is often thought that science fiction is a fairly new development in literature, but its ancestors can be found in books written hundreds of years ago. These books were often concerned with the presentation of some form of ideal society, a theme which is still often found in modern stories.
Most of the classics of science fiction, however, have been written within the last one hundred years. Books by writers such as Jules Verne and H. G. Wells, to mention just two well-known authors, have been translated in many languages. Modern science fiction writers don't write about men from Mars or space adventure stories. They are more interested in predicting the results of technical developments on society and the human mind, or in imagining future worlds which are a reflection of the world which we live in now. Because of this their writing has obvious political undertones.
In an age where science fact frequently over-takes science fiction, the writers may find it difficult to keep ahead of scientific advances. Those who are sufficiently clear-sighted to see the way we are going, however, may provide a valuable lesson on how to deal with the problems which society will inevitably face as it tries to master its new technology and come to terms with a continually changing view of the world. Most of the classics of science fiction have been written within __________.
| A．the last few hundred years |
| B．the last one hundred years |
| C．the last two hundred years |
| D．the last three hundred years |
Modern science fiction writers are interested in __________
| A．writing about men from Mars |
| B．writing about everything but politics |
| C．forecasting the results of technical develop-ments and imagining the future world |
| D．writing space adventure stories |
Science fiction writers may provide a valuable les-son on how to deal with the problems of __________
| A．conflict used by different political theories |
| B．adopting new technology and adapting quickly to its effects on society |
| C．conflict caused by different religious beliefs |
| D．space adventure |
Flexible working hours, homeworking opportunities and cover for emergencies or school holidays are the top concerns for working mothers, according to a British survey on Thursday.
The survey of 1,677 people by specialist employment advice website workingmums.co.uk showed that despite a tougher job climate, in which redundancies(裁员) had risen dramatically during the crisis, mothers demanded for a more flexible schedule.
Flexible hours for full-time jobs came top of the list for 85 percent of respondents who were asked what they thought made for a family-friendly employer. That came just ahead of homeworking opportunities.
“Flexibility is really key and able to help achieve an element of work/life balance,” workingmums.co.uk founder Gillian Nissim told reporters.
She said the crisis had not reduced the urgency of this issue for working mums and that employers who want to be prepared for the eventual upturn would do well to listen to them rather than risk losing them to more forward-thinking rivals.
Many women said they had considered setting up their own business as a way around the flexibility problem and nearly half (45 percent) of respondents said they had looked into it.
Nissim said the workingmums.co.uk database alone showed that on average working mums have more than 15 years of work experience and a range of valuable skills picked up in the workplace and from their parenting experiences.
“So the benefits to employers of being able to accommodate (适应) a degree of flexibility is significant,” she said.
Part-time work, flexibility around emergency cover or school holidays were the next highest concerns with extended maternity （产假） pay as well on the list of concerns.More than half (54 percent) of respondents said they would accept a less well-paid job in return for flexibility, with 40 percent prepared to consider this option.The passage mainly discuss the problem of _______.
| A．working mothers requiring flexible working hours. |
| B．working mothers planning to set up their own businesses. |
| C．well-paid jobs. |
| D．unemployment at the time of financial crisis. |
Flexibility of working hours can help women _______.
| A．to have an extended maternity. |
| B．to have opportunities to operate their own companies. |
| C．to strike a balance between work and life. |
| D．to pick up a range of valuable skills. |
It can be inferred from the last paragraph that _____.
| A．40 percent of the respondents are ready to have less-paid jobs instead of full-time jobs. |
| B．more than half of the respondents would accept a less well-paid job if they were given a job of flexible hours. |
| C．the highest concern of working mums is about part-time work. |
| D．women were more concerned about extended maternity pay than school holidays. |
If you are the editor of a newspaper, which column will you fit this article in?
| A．Advertisements. | B．People. | C．Education. | D．Career. |
So long as teachers fail to distinguish between teaching and learning， they will continue to undertake to do for children that which only children can do for themselves. Teaching children to read is not passing reading on do them. It is certainly not endless hours spent in activities about reading. Douglas insists that “reading cannot be taught directly and schools should stop trying to do the impossible”.
Teaching and learning are two entirely different processes. They differ in kind and function. The function of teaching is to create the conditions and the climate that will make it possible for children to devise the most efficient system for teaching themselves to read. Teaching is also a public activity: It can be seen and observed。
Learning to read involves all that each individual does to make sense of the world of printed language. Almost all of it is private, for learning is an occupation of the mind, and that process is not open to public scrutiny.
If teacher and learner roles are not interchangeable, what then can be done through teaching that will aid the child in the quest（探索) for knowledge？Smith has one principal rule for all teaching instructions. “Make learning to read easy, which means making reading a meaningful, enjoyable and frequent experience for children.”
When the roles of teacher and learner are seen for what they are, and when both teacher and learner fulfill them appropriately, then much of the pressure and feeling of failure for both is eliminated. Learning to read is made easier when teachers create an environment where children are given the opportunity to solve the problem of learning to read by reading. The problem with the reading course as mentioned in the first paragraph is that ______.
| A．it is one of the most difficult school courses |
| B．students spend endless hours in reading |
| C．reading tasks are assigned with little guidance |
| D．too much time is spent in teaching about reading |
The teaching of reading will be successful if ______.
| A．teachers can improve conditions at school for the students |
| B．teachers can enable students to develop their own way of reading |
| C．teachers can devise the most efficient system for reading |
| D．teachers can make their teaching activities observable |
The underlined word “scrutiny” most probably means “______”.
| A．inquiry | B．observation | C．control | D．suspicion |
According to the passage, learning to read will no longer be a difficult task when ______.
| A．children become highly motivated |
| B．teacher and learner roles are interchangeable |
| C．teaching helps children in the search for knowledge |
| D．reading enriches children’s experience |
The devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina is a wake-up call. It is a call for every American to pay attention to the destruction we risk by allowing human-induced(导致的) climate change to continue. It is impossible to prove that Hurricane Katrina was caused by global warming, or even that human activities made the storm more severe. However, a paper published in the scholarly journal Nature reports that the force of dangerous hurricanes has increased by 50% during the last 50 years. It also reports that a global warming-induced rise in temperature near the ocean’s surface has probably contributed to this increase in dangerous storms, and thus to property(财产) damage and human death.
On August 30, the Los Angeles Times summed up(总结) the view of many scientists who agree that if the frequency of hurricanes does not decrease in the next few years, then we will be fairly certain that humans, and not natural storm cycle, are at the root of the problem. I believe there is at least a chance that by reducing U.S. reliance on fossil fuels for energy, we can prevent future tragedies like Hurricane Katrina. Let the change begin now.
There are many ways to reduce the volume of greenhouse gas emissions. My family drives the most fuel-efficient car we can afford, but I prefer to take public transportation whenever possible. My family buys locally grown food instead of produce that was transported thousands of miles on fuel-burning vehicles. We also replaced our incandescent light bulbs（白炽灯泡）with more energy-efficient compact fluorescents（荧光灯）. This might sound like a trivial move, but the Union of Concerned Scientists reports that if every household in the United States replaced one incandescent bulb with a compact fluorescent, it would have the same effect on U.S. carbon-dioxide emissions as removing 7.5 million cars from the roads. Now think if every household replaced not just one but all of their incandescent bulbs!
The United States, with just five percent of the world’s population, is responsible for close to one quarter of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, yet our country is doing far less than most European nations to fight global warming. We don’t have to sacrifice our lifestyles; Europeans enjoy the same standards of living as Americans. So what are we waiting for? It is time to act. Which of the following is a fact?
| A．Hurricane Katrina was caused by global warming. |
| B．Human activities made the storm more severe. |
| C．The force of dangerous hurricanes has increased by 50 percent during the last 50 years. |
| D．A global rise in temperature near the ocean’s surface accounts for more dangerous storms. |
From Paragraph 2 we can infer that many scientists agree ________.
| A．it might be human activities that lead to global warming. |
| B．natural storm cycles have caused global warming. |
| C．hurricanes are likely to come more frequently. |
| D．burning fossil fuels for energy is a better alternative. |
If every household in the U.S. replaced all their incandescent bulbs, ________.
| A．it would have the same effect as removing 7.5 million cars from the roads. |
| B．it would save 7.5 million tons of carbon-dioxide from going into the air. |
| C．this would reduce the total output of CO₂emissions in huge amounts. |
| D．cars will be much more environmentally friendly. |
According to the writer,_______in reducing the volume of greenhouse gas emissions.
| A．Europe does a better job. |
| B．Europe should follow the example of America. |
| C．he, as an European, wants to see more efforts made by Americans. |
| D．Europeans should shoulder a greater responsibility. |
Thanks to the Web, We’re Alone Together and Loving it
There's a professor, Barry Wellman, at the University of Toronto in Canada who has come up with a term to describe the way a lot of us North Americans interact these days. And now a big research study confirms it.
Barry Wellman's term is "networked individualism." It's not the easiest concept to grasp. In fact, the words seem to contradict each other. How can we be individualistic and networked at the same time? You need other people for networks.
Here's what he means. Until the Internet and e-mail came along, our social networks involved flesh-and-blood relatives, friends, neighbors, and colleagues at work. Some of the interaction was by phone, but it was still voice to voice, person to person, in real time.
But the latest study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project confirms that for a lot of people, electronic interaction through the computer has replaced a great deal of social interchange. A lot of folks Pew talked with say that's a good thing, because of concerns that the Internet was turning us into hermits who shut out other people in favor of a make-believe world on flickering computer screens.
To the contrary, the Pew study discovered the Internet has put us in touch with more real people than we'd have ever imagined. Helpful people, too. We're turning to an ever-growing list of cyber friends for advice on careers, medical crises, child-rearing, and choosing a school or college. About 60 million Americans told the Pew that the Internet plays an important or crucial role in helping them deal with major life decisions.
So we networked individuals are pretty tricky: We're keeping more to ourselves, while at the same time reaching out to more people, all with just the click of a computer mouse!The Pew study was conducted in _____.
| A．The United States | B．Canada |
| C．The U.S. and Canada | D．Europe |
Which of the following has happened since the invention of the Internet and email?
| A．People are talking on the phone more than ever. |
| B．Interaction through the computer has replaced a lot of person to person interaction. |
| C．Americans are turning into hermits. |
| D．Sixty million Americans have bought computers. |
Which of the following was NOT one of the discoveries of the Pew study?
| A．The Internet has put us in touch with more people than expected. |
| B．People use the Internet to get advice on careers, medical problems, and other questions. |
| C．For many Americans, the Internet plays an important role in helping them make important decisions. |
| D．“Internet addiction” is a growing problem among people who use computers. |
What does the bolded words “reach out” in the last paragraph mean?
| A．Connect with. | B．Play a trick. | C．Make a decision. | D．Stay alone. |
Argentina's Lionel Messi has won the Golden Ball awarded to the European Footballer of the Year, becoming the sixth Barcelona player to take the award and the first since Brazilian Ronaldinho in 2005.
Messi beat last year's winner Cristiano Ronaldo into second place while Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez finished third in the poll results released by France Football magazine early Tuesday.
Praised by Argentina great Diego Maradona as his successor, Messi won an unprecedented treble（三重） in Spain last season with Barcelona as the Catalan side swept the Champions League, the Spanish title and the Copa del Rey.
The 22-year-old Messi, the first Argentine to win the world-famous award, was the top scorer in last year's Champions League with nine goals, including his superb header（足球中的头球） in the 2-0 victory over Manchester United in the final.
Messi, who scored 473 of a possible 480 points, largely controlled the voting and won with a record-margin of 240 points. Real Madrid winger Ronaldo had 233 and Xavi had 170.
"Honestly, I knew that I was among the favorites because Barcelona had a fruitful year in 2009," Messi was quoted as saying by the magazine.
"But I didn't expect to win with such a margin. The Golden Ball is very important to me. All the players who won it were great players, and some great players never won it."
Barcelona had three players in the Top 5 with Andres Iniesta taking fourth ahead of former Barca player Samuel Eto'o.
In an outstanding season, Messi netted(把…踢进网) 38 goals in 51 games in all competitions, often leaving defenders in his wake(在…之后) with a combination of speed, extraordinary abilities and his effective left-footed strike.
Messi, who led Argentina to next year's World Cup in South Africa, recently signed a new contract with Barcelona through 2016.
Messi had a good start to this season - already scoring nine goals - and put on a great display to help his club defeat archrival Real Madrid 1-0 last Sunday.
"It won't be easy to confirm after a year like the one we just went through," Messi said.
"I hope the next one will reach the same standards. But to win the Golden Ball two years in a row is not an easy thing."
(Read by Guanny Liu. Guanny Liu is a multimedia journalist at the China Daily Web site.)Which of the following is the suitable title?
A. Messi beats C. Ronaldo to win the European Footballer of the Year
B. Ronaldinho beats Messi to win the European Footballer of the Year
C. Messi beats Xavi to win the European Footballer of the Year
D. Ronaldinho beats Xavi to win the European Footballer of the Year Messi has some advantages over others EXCEPT _________.
| A．a rapid speed | B．a new contract with Barcelona |
| C．outstanding abilities | D．his effective left-footed strike |
By saying “But I didn't expect to win with such a margin.”, Messi means _____.
| A．he didn’t think he won unexpectedly | B．he didn’t want to win at all |
| C．he didn’t expect he won extraordinarily | D．he couldn’t wait to win |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Xavi Hernandez finished second in the poll. |
| B．Messi treated Maradona as his successor. |
| C．The 22-year-old Messi was the first European Footballer. |
| D．Messi said Barcelona had a fruitful year in 2009. |
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