“How many common English words were invented by Shakespeare?”
How long did it take people to find the answer to this question 15 years ago? And now! you can google it and find the answer immediately!
Google is the most popular Internet search engine in the world. It was invented by two students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin. They met in 1993, when they were studying computer science at Stanford University, USA. They dreamed of producing something that could also answer any question in seconds.
Internet search engines at that time were slow and gave many websites that weren't useful. In January 1996, Page and Brin decided to make a better and faster search engine. They thought the results should be based on the most popular websites.
Nobody would give them money for their project, so they used their own money. They also borrowed money from family and friends. Then, in 1998, they were given a cheque for $100,000, and they started their own company. Their first office was in a friend's garage. The company's name is Google, a word which comes from mathematics. A “google” is a very high number----1 followed by a hundred zeros.
The google search engine was soon used by thousands of people worldwide because it was fast, easy and correct. By 2002 it was the biggest search engine on the Internet. Now, more questions have been answered by Google than any other Internet service, from sport to science, and from music to medicine. Google hopes that in the future all the world's information will be put on the Internet, so that everybody can find everything.Why did the writer begin this passage by asking you a question?
| A．Because he or she liked to begin this passage by asking readers a question. |
| B．Because he or she was afraid that the readers didn't know this question. |
| C．Because he or she wanted to make the readers interested in this passage. |
| D．Because Shakespeare is one of the most famous people in the world. |
The underline word“cheque”in the fifth paragraph means ________.
| A．楼房 | B．帐单 | C．订单 | D．支票 |
From the passage we know that at the beginning of their project,______.
| A．there was not any search engine on the Internet. |
| B．nobody supported them except their family and friends. |
| C．Larry Page and Sergey Brin dreamed to answer any question. |
| D．one of the most popular websites gave them a cheque for $100,000. |
Which statement is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Now the Google search engine is widely used in the world. |
| B．The google search engine was not the biggest one before 2002. |
| C．Larry Page and Sergey Brin named google after a hundred zeros. |
| D．The service of the Google search engine is very popular. |
The passage mainly tells us ________.
| A．the development of the Google search engine. |
| B．about Larry Page and Sergey Brin. |
| C．how to find information on the Internet. |
| D．how to use the Google search engine. |
Canada Day
Since 1982, July 1st has been officially known as Canada Day. Canadians of all ages take part in this festival across the country.
Canada Day is the year’s biggest national party. In many towns and cities, the government organizes a lot of events, often outdoors. These include parades（游行）, concerts, festivals, firework displays and ceremonies for new Canadian citizens（公民）.The celebrations often have a patriotic mood. Canada’s national flag, a symbol for Canada Day, can be seen everywhere and a lot of people paint their faces red and white, which are Canada’s national colors. The celebrations in Ottawa, Canada’s capital city, are especially grand and exciting.
In the province of Quebec, many home rentals（租赁）start on July 1st and last for exactly one year, and many people in Quebec spend Canada Day moving from one house to another. So in Quebec, Canada Day is also known as Moving Day.
Many organizations, businesses and stores are closed this day. Only some bookstores, hospitals and gas stations may be open. Post offices are closed, too. As Canada Day falls in the Canadian summer holiday period, all schools are closed as well. In some areas, special services are provided for large events. The concerts, parades and festivals may cause some traffic jams.
According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．Canada Day falls on the first day of June. |
| B．Canada Day was celebrated before 1982. |
| C．Canada Day is celebrated throughout Canada. |
| D．Canadians except new citizens celebrate Canada Day. |
The underlined word “patriotic” means _____ in Chinese.
| A．温馨的 | B．爱国的 | C．肃穆的 | D．紧张的 |
Canada Day is known as Moving Day in Quebec because on this day _____.
| A．people think it lucky to move to new houses |
| B．people look for houses from one place to another |
| C．people like moving from house to house to visit friends |
| D．people move home when new home rentals go into effect |
From Paragraph 4, we know that on Canada Day _____.
| A．no student goes to school |
| B．traffic jams happen everywhere |
| C．all Canadians stop working |
| D．few businesses and stores are closed |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned about Canada Day?
| A．Background | B．Symbol. |
| C．Public life. | D．Events and activities. |
Flow like the river of change
Little stream ran down from a high mountain through many villages and forests. Then it reached a desert. “I went through so many difficulties. I should have no problem crossing the desert,” she thought. As she started, she found herself slowly disappearing into the sand. After many tries, she still failed. “Maybe I can’t reach the ocean,’’ she said sadly to herself.
At this time, a deep voice said, “If a breeze（微风）can cross the desert, so can a river.” It was the voice of the desert. But the little stream answered, ‘‘That’s because a breeze can fly, but I cannot.”
“That’s because you can’t give up what you are. Let yourself evaporate（蒸发）into the breeze, and it can take you across,” said the desert. “Give up what I am now? No! No!” The little stream could not accept this idea. “The breeze can carry the vapor（蒸汽）across the desert and let it leave as rain. The rain will form a river again,” said the desert. “And whether you’re a river or vapor, your nature never changes.” Hearing this, the little stream went into the open arms of the breeze. It carried her to the next stage of her life.
The course of our lives is like the experience of the little stream. If you want to go through difficulties in your life to head for success, you should also change the way you are.
The little stream aimed to reach _____.
| A．the forest | B．the ocean |
| C．the desert | D．the river |
The little stream _____ before she got to the desert.
| A．didn’t meet much difficulty |
| B．was worried about herself |
| C．knew well about the desert |
| D．was confident about herself |
At first, the little stream didn’t accept the desert’s advice because _____.
| A．she failed many times |
| B．she was afraid of the breeze |
| C．she wasn’t able to fly |
| D．she wouldn’t give up what she was |
The little stream finally crossed the desert by _____.
| A．evaporating into the breeze |
| B．forming a river |
| C．disappearing into the sand |
| D．changing her nature |
What does the story mainly tell us?
| A．The road to success is not always easy and smooth. |
| B．Whatever others say, we should always be ourselves. |
| C．To succeed, we should change the way we are if necessary. |
| D．We may experience difficulty in life just like the little stream. |
The material above is a _____ for Expo Milano 2015.
| A．poster | B．guidebook |
| C．webpage | D．noticeboard |
Expo Milano 2015 lasts _____ and is open for _____ every day.
| A．half a year; 13 hours | B．5 months; 13 hours |
| C．six months; 10 hours | D．5 months; 23 hours |
_____ kinds of tickets are introduced here for Expo Milano.
| A．Three | B．Four | C．Five | D．Six |
SPECIAL DISCOUNT isn’t suitable for _____.
| A．the disabled |
| B．children aged 13 or less |
| C．students over 26 years |
| D．old people aged over 65 |
Which of the following is NOT TRUE?
| A．Visitors are able to save money if they buy SEASON PASS. |
| B．Parents with children may probably choose FAMILY PACKAGE. |
| C．Visitors with EVENING TICKET can enjoy delicious food. |
| D．Visitors with FAMILY PACKAGE can enter through a special gate. |
Students in the US don’t begin their spring break at the same time. It depends on where they live. While students from one town are on vacation, their neighbors in the next town may have classes as usual.
You may have heard of it from many hit US TV shows and movies. It’s usually in the middle of March, when characters on shows like Gossip Girl get a week off from classes, go to the beach and throw big parties. It’s spring break – or, “party time!”
Unlike our semester, which starts in late February or early March this year, American schools begin as early as January. So in late March and April, most American schools, ranging from kindergartens to colleges, give students one to two weeks off school.
College students often take planes to places like Florida or Cancun, Mexico. They relax on the beach, enjoy cold drinks and get a tan.
Younger kids take trips with their parents, visiting a new state or even a new country. Sometimes teachers lead overseas trips for groups of students. On a ten-day trip, for example, students may go on a tour through Spain, France, and Italy, which gives them a great chance to see different parts of the world.
Having a “staycation”, which means being a tourist in your own city, is another popular trend (趋势). You can visit local art galleries (美术馆), museums or have a big meal in a nice restaurant.
For those who are not in the mood to go out, spring break is a good time to catch up with hit TV series or play video games.
There are also students who want a different kind of spring break experience. Instead of partying, they choose to do community service, help with disaster-hit areas and do other volunteering work.
No matter how they’ve spent the break, one thing is for sure – students return to school feeling refreshed (恢复活力的) and ready to finish the school year.
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On Lunar New Year’s Eve on Feb 18, 2015，Beijing had a good day. PM2.5 levels were below 50. However, the nice day ended with firework celebrations at night.
In the first hour after the start of the celebration, PM2.5 levels rose to 500 in certain parts of the city, with the average across the city around 400.
According to the China National Environmental Monitoring Center, on Lunar New Year’s Day, air pollution reached “dangerous levels” in 201 Chinese cities, because of fireworks, with more than 40 of them seeing “serious pollution”. As a result, the debate on whether to ban (禁止) fireworks during the Spring Festival is also heating up.
Sina surveyed 3,000 Internet users, and results show that only 38 percent of the people support setting off fireworks, and 60 percent are against it.
“I support a ban on fireworks,” a netizen (网民) nicknamed ann019 said. “Lighting fireworks can only bring problems： air pollution, disturbing sleep, causing fire and exhausting sanitation workers (环卫工人).”
Others thought it to be hard to ban traditions, and lighting fireworks during holiday seasons won’t cause lasting pollution.
Some, however, suggest a moderate (温和的) way to solve the problem.
“As a tradition, fireworks absolutely add to the festival’s happiness. They shouldn’t be banned totally,” commented netizen Tracy on the China Daily online forum (论坛). “But the time should be reduced. For example, it can be allowed just during New Year’s Eve, the first day of the Lunar New Year and the Lantern Festival.”
| A．The factories | B．The cars |
| C．The fireworks | D．The bad weather |
| A．201 | B．More than 40 |
| C．Around 400 | D．500 |
| A．are against | B．enjoy |
| C．support | D．don’t care about |
| A．Exhausting sanitation workers |
| B．Disturbing sleep |
| C．Wasting money |
| D．Causing fire |
| A．to ban fireworks totally |
| B．to reduce the time of setting off fireworks |
| C．to get more people to set off fireworks |
| D．to never change the tradition |
| A．Air pollution. |
| B．A Survey on the Internet. |
| C．Moderate ways to reduce firework celebrations. |
| D．Whether to ban festive fireworks. |
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