One day last September, as Britney Spears was about to board a flight to Los Angeles from London,a blue bottle fell out of her purse. She quickly put it back in，but not before the paparazzi recorded the event. Neither Spears nor her spokesman was willing to comment on the contents of the bottle, but the next morning London's Daily Express published a page of pictures under the headline "EXCLUSIVE：POP PRINCESS SPOTTED AT AIRPORT WITH POT OF SLIMMING TABLETS. ” Spears was apparently carrying Zantrex-3, one of the most popular weight-loss pills now sold in the United States. The pill，which is sold at about fifty dollars for a month's supply, contains a huge amount of caffeine, some green tea，and three common South American herbs that also act as stimulants (兴奋剂） It hit the U. S. market last March and has had a success that would be hard to overstate. Millions of bottles have been sold, and during the Christmas season it was dis-played in the windows of the nation's largest chain of vitamin shops, G. N. C. (It is so highly sought after that many of the stores keep it in locked counters. )Zantrex-3 is also sold at CVS, Rite Aid, Wal-Mart,and other chains, and over the telephone and on the Internet. If you type “ Zantrex ” into Google, more than a hundred thousand pieces of information about it will appear. At any moment, there are scores of people sell the stuff on eBay.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the success story of Zantrex-3, however, is that it is far from unique. There are hundreds of similar products on the market today，and they are bought by millions of Americans. And though Zantrex 's producer makes some exciting statements (“ the most advanced weight control compound period "), so do the people who sell Stacker 2 and Anorex along with those who sell Carb Eliminator and Fat Eliminator. Almost all of these compounds suggest that they can help people lose weight and regain lost energy, and often without diet, exercise, or any other effort. Which of the following is also a kind of weight-loss pill?
| A．CVS. |
| B．Rite Aid. |
| C．Wal-Mart. |
| D．Anorex. |
The underlined part of the sentence in the first paragraph is most likely similar in meaning to __________
| A．it is difficult to say how successful Zantrex-3 is |
| B．you can't overstate the success of Zantrex-3 |
| C．you can't think too highly of the success of Zantrex-3 |
| D．Zantrex-3 is not very successful |
The text mainly tells us __________.
| A．when Britney Spears was found taking weight-loss pills with her |
| B．how Zantrex-3 became successful in the USA |
| C．weight-loss pills are very popular in the USA |
| D．Zantrex-3 is forbidden to be sold on the US market |
Q My daughter is a junior in high school and has been on an individualized education program since fourth grade. She plans to go to college and intends to finish with a master’s degree. Her performance is fairly good, but test scores are very low. She has held many leadership and volunteer positions. We have been advised to have her write an essay about how her learning disability is a barrier that she has overcome. Will that help or hurt her chances for admission?
—Deborah
A First let me answer the question on low standardized test scores (ACT/ SAT). There are hundreds of colleges that are “test optional” which means students can choose not to release their test scores in the application process. Admission decisions at these colleges for students who do not submit their test scores are made based on other factors. A list of test optional colleges can be found at fairtest.org. It is important, however, to make sure that the college is the right fit academically regardless of the test optional policy.
You also asked if your daughter should write about her disability and if this would hurt her chances of being admitted. Please know that colleges do not deny admission based on disability. “Disclosing” a learning disability in a personal statement within the college application can certainly help. By writing a personal statement, students can potentially demonstrate, for example, their understanding of the challenge they face. They might also demonstrate an improved grade trend in that subject area, and show interest in more complex courses in spite of this disability. More importantly, a student disclosure can show self-confidence, motivation and an understanding of the disability.
—Ms. KravisWhat do we know about Deborah’s daughter?
| A．She is applying for a master’s degree. |
| B．She is very active in her high school. |
| C．Her disability prevents her studying well. |
| D．She has difficulty overcoming her learning disability. |
According to Ms. Kravis, what can Deborah do about her daughter’s low test scores?
| A．Keep them secret | B．Explain the reasons |
| C．Stress other aspects | D．Work hard to improve |
What is Ms. Kravis’ attitude toward one’s declaring his/ her learning disability?
| A．Supportive | B．Opposed | C．Doubtful | D．Unconcerned |
According to the text, Ms. Kravis is probably .
| A．an editor | B．a school leader |
| C．a psychological | D．an educational expert |
Global emissions（排放）of carbon dioxide from fossil fuel burning jumped by the largest amount on record in 2010. Emissions rose 5.9 percent in 2010, according to an analysis released on Sunday by the Global Carbon Project.
Scientists said the increase was almost certainly the largest absolute jump in any year since the Industrial Revolution. The increase solidified a trend of ever-rising emissions that will make it difficult, if not impossible, to stop severe climate change in coming decades.
The burning of coal represented more than half of the growth in emissions, the analysis found. In the United States, emissions dropped by a remarkable 7 percent in the year of 2009, but rose by over 4 percent in 2010, the new analysis shows.
“Each year, emissions go up, and there’s another year of negotiations, another year of indecision,” said Glen P. Peters, a researcher at the Center for International Climate and Environmental Research. “There’s no evidence that this path we’ve been following in the last 10 years is going to change.”
Scientists say the rapid growth of emissions is warming the Earth and putting human welfare at long-term risk. But their increasingly urgent pleas that society find a way to limit emissions have met sharp political resistance in many countries because doing so would involve higher energy costs.
The new figures show a continuation of a trend in which developing countries have surpassed (超过) the wealthy countries in their overall greenhouse emissions. In 2010, the burning of fossil fuels and the production of cement (水泥) sent more than nine billion tons of carbon into the atmosphere, the new analysis found, with 57 percent of that coming from developing countries.
On the surface, the figures of recent years suggest that wealthy countries have made headway in stabilizing their emissions. But Dr. Peters pointed out that, in a sense, the rich countries have simply exported some of them.
The fast rise in developing countries has been caused to a large extent by the growth of energy-intensive manufacturing industries that make goods that rich countries import. “All that has changed is the location in which the emissions are being produced,” Dr. Peters said.
Many countries, as part of their response to the economic crisis, invested billions in programs designed to make their energy systems greener. While it is possible, the new numbers suggest they have had little effect so far.Many governments in the world resist limiting emissions because .
| A．it is not the best way to solve such problems |
| B．they don’t realize the risks of carbon emissions |
| C．it would probably harm human welfare in the long run |
| D．they are unwilling to accept higher energy costs |
According to Glen P. Peters, We can learn that .
| A．the rapid growth of emissions contributes to potential risks for humans |
| B．rich countries actually take more responsibility for the growth of emissions |
| C．human beings will follow the same path of negotiations in the next 10 years |
| D．some countries negotiate together yearly whether to reduce the amounts of emissions |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?
| A．Emissions in the United States dropped by about 7 percent in 2010. |
| B．Developing countries will produce less emissions with economic development. |
| C．There is a long way to go for many countries to limit the fast growth of emissions. |
| D．Over 50 percent of the growth in emissions resulted from the burning of fossil fuels. |
The text mainly talks about .
| A．an analysis released by the Global Carbon Project |
| B．the record jump in carbon dioxide emissions |
| C．the possible climate change in future decades |
| D．the main harm of greenhouse gases |
Thousands of people began pouring into Pennsylvania from other states. They wanted to buy lottery tickets. The tickets cost only $0.9 each. But that small spending could bring them a reward of $90 million. That was the second largest lottery jackpot(积累奖金)in history.
More than 87 million tickets were bought for the Pennsylvania lottery drawing. Those who bought tickets had to choose seven numbers from 1 to 80. The chance of winning was one in 9.6 million. But that little chance certainly didn’t affect ticket sales. In the last few days before the drawing, tickets were selling at the unbelievable rate of 500 per second.
Experts say many people buy lottery tickets because they just want to have a piece of the action. Others say the lottery is a stock market for poor people. It allows them to dream about wealth they’ll probably never have.
But many people believe lotteries are no better than legalized (合法化的)gambling. Some critics note that most people who play are poor and may not be able to afford the tickets. There are also many addicts who take the game seriously. They may pour their life savings into lottery tickets. Some clubs have been formed to help them kick the habit.
Politicians like lotteries because they provide money that would otherwise have to come from new taxes. The profits from lotteries are usually used to pay for education or programs for senior citizens. But critics say this arrangement just allows states to legalize vice(恶习), under the name of social progress.
No matter whether you regard state lotteries right or not, you cannot refuse to accept their extreme popularity with many Americans.The main idea of the passage is that __________.
| A．lotteries are of great benefit to everyone who buys them |
| B．playing a lottery is just like investing in the stock market |
| C．a lot of people buy lottery tickets, but lotteries cause disagreement |
| D．lotteries are just legalized vice |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Politicians like lotteries because they don’t have to pay extra tax. |
| B．The popularity of lotteries in America actually is social progress. |
| C．Some critics don’t like lotteries because many poor people waste their money on them. |
| D．People love the lottery because it is a stock market. |
In just one hour in the last few days, the Pennsylvania lottery sold tickets totaling_______.
| A．$1.62 million | B．$90 million | C．$9.6 million | D．$87 million |
People who are addicted to playing lotteries should _________.
| A．join a club | B．kick the habit |
| C．win the Pennsylvania | D．save every cent |
Filmmakers Michele dive into an eerie (怪诞的) world. The usually colorful corals are a ghostly white. Most of the fish, crabs, and other animals have disappeared. The reef is sick and dying.
Coral reefs are often called “the rainforests of the sea” because of their abundance of life forms. A great diversity of animals finds food and shelter in every crack and crevice.
Today’s reefs are about 10,000 years old. Found in sunny, shallow water in warm seas all over the world, reefs are made up of the hard shells of millions of corals. As corals live and die, they create a giant, rocky honeycomb. Only a thin top layer is living coral.
A reef grows only about as fast as your fingernails—three-quarters of an inch a year. But coral reefs are huge, and in time a healthy reef can be thousands of miles long.
Millions of people around the world rely on reef fish and other animals for food. And reefs provide protection from storms at sea. Without thousands of miles of reefs surrounding coastal areas, many beaches and even whole islands could be destroyed by the pounding of powerful ocean waves.
“Let’s say a grazing animal like the parrot fish is overfished,” Michele explains. “Without them, the kind of algae (海藻) that the fish feed on could grow like weeds and take over the reef. The competition for space and sunlight could then starve the coral.”
Nearly 27 percent of the world’s coral reefs have been lost or damaged. But there is hope. Many reefs around the world—including the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the reefs off the Florida Keys in the United States—are now protected areas where scientists study how to keep reefs healthy. They determine how many and which kinds of fish can be taken for food without hurting the reef’s delicate balance.
There is hope, too, that people will learn to be good partners to the reefs. “We want our film to inspire people to help coral reefs,” says Michele. “For me, even though I may not go back to the South Pacific, just knowing the reefs are there and thriving brings a sense of contentment (满足) to my spirit.”What is the main purpose of the author in writing the passage?
| A．To describe what coral reefs are. |
| B．To tell people to protect coral reefs. |
| C．To introduce a film to people. |
| D．To ask people to visit coral reefs. |
From the passage we can infer that .
| A．coral reefs grow very fast |
| B．there are few huge coral reefs |
| C．coral reefs appear mostly in deep water |
| D．it takes a long time to make a coral reef |
By mentioning the parrot fish, Michel wants to tell us .
| A．coral reefs need sunlight to survive |
| B．the biggest enemies of reefs are weeds |
| C．the parrot fish feed on a kind of algae |
| D．it is easy to destroy coral reefs |
What is the author’s attitude towards the protection of reefs?
| A．Optimistic | B．Disappointed. | C．Uncertain. | D．Pessimistic (悲观的). |
Sometimes, something that is considered to be negative turns out to be an advantage on the job. Though he is only l8 years old and blind, Suleyman Gokyigit is among the top computer technicians and programmers at InteliData Technologies Corp., a large software company with several offices across the United States.
"After our company united with another one last October, two different computer networks were driving us crazy," recalls Douglas Braun, the InteliData president. "We couldn't even send e-mail to each other.” In three weeks Mr Gokyigit created the software needed to connect the two networks. "None of the company's 350 other employees could have done the job in three months," says Mr. Braun. " Suleyman can 'see' into the heart of the computer.”
Mr. Gokyigfi's gift, as Mr. Braun calls it, is an unusual ability to form an idea of the inside of a machine. "The computer permits me to reach out into the world and do almost anything I want to do," says Mr. Gokyigit
The young programmer is at home with hardware as well, thanks partly to a highly developed sense of touch. Mitzi Nowakowski, an office manager at InteliData, remembers how he easily disconnected and reconnected their computer systems during a move last year. "Through feel, Suleyman can find the position of connectors, pins and wires much faster than most other people with sight," he says.
Much of the student programmer's speed comes from his ability not to be interrupted while at the computer. When typing, he listens carefully to the synthesizer （合成器）. His long, thin fingers fly over the keyboard. "Nothing seems to shake his attention," says Mrs. Nowakowski, his boss.
Mr. Gokyigit is the only company employee who is available 24 hours a day. "We consider him our top problem solver." says Mr. Braun.According to Mr. Braun, Suleyman ________________.
| A．can work wonders on computer |
| B．is the best technician in the world |
| C．has done a hard job in three months |
| D．has united InteliData Technologies Corp. with another computer company |
The underlined part "is at home with hardware" ( paragraph 4 ） means _________.
| A．is good at dealing with computer hardware |
| B．is fond of computer hardware |
| C．works with computer hardware at home |
| D．feels comfortable when working with computer hardware |
Suleyman was quick while at the computer mostly because of ______.
| A．his blindness | B．his attention on the synthesizer |
| C．his long, thin fingers | D．his ability not to be interrupted |
What does the text mainly tell us?
| A．Computer technicians are more likely to be gifted. |
| B．One's disadvantages may prove to be advantages. |
| C．The disabled can also play an important role in society. |
| D．Top computer scientists have unusual abilities to form ideas of computers. |
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