To find how the name Canada came about we must go back to the 16th century. At that time, the French dreamed of disclosing and controlling more land, of expanding trade beyond their borders and of spreading their faith across the world .In 1535, Francois I ,King of France, ordered a navigator named Jacques Cartier to explore the New World and search for a passage to India.
Cartier first arrived at the Gulf of the St. Lawrence, which he wanted to explore. He did not know what to expect but he hoped that this Gulf was just an arm of the ocean between two islands. If it was, he would soon be on his way to the Far East. So he sailed upstream along the St. Lawrence River. However, instead of reaching Asia he arrived at Quebec or Stadacona, as the Indians called it. It was at this point that the term “Canada” entered the country’s history. Apparently the word “Canada” came from an Indian word “Kanata”, which means community or village. Cartier first used it when he referred to Stadacona or Quebec. What a huge “village” Canada is!In the early sixteenth century, the King of France ordered Cartier to ______
| A．find the new world. |
| B．go and visit the American Indians |
| C．build an entirely new country |
| D．get more information about America and find a way to Asia |
Having reached the Gulf of St. Lawrence Cartier thought _____
| A．he had already got to India |
| B．he had sailed into the Atlantic |
| C．it was a water passage to the East |
| D． it was a water way to the New World |
In the early sixteenth century, Quebec was only ____.
| A．an Indian village |
| B．a little town in southern Canada |
| C．the place which we call Canada now |
| D．a village at the entrance to the Gulf of St. Lawrence |
The website YouTube was created in 2005 and became an overnight success.Google bought YouTube for more than $1,600,000 the following year.In May,YouTube announced that two billion videos were watched each day.
In June,the Guggenheim Museum in New York City announced it would hold a competition among YouTube videos.Now,the judges have chosen the top 125 videos.
The Guggenheim and YouTube launched the competition called“YouTube Play.A Biennial(两年一度)of Creative Video.”The information technology companies HP and Intel are supporting the event.23,000 videos entered the competition.They represented 91 countries and every possible style of movie making.
The rules of the competition were few.Video makers had to be eighteen years or older.They could enter only one video.It had to be no more than ten minutes long.Any language,subject,sound,and style were considered.
Eleven people are judging the videos.They include artists,musicians,and filmmakers.Laurie Anderson is all three.She says all her art starts with a story,so she looks for a story as she judges the videos.
Other judges include the filmmaker Darren Aronofsky,the band Animal Collective,and artist and filmmaker,Shirin Neshat.
New Jersey artist Dahlia Elsayed’s video is one of the finalists.She used the camera in her computer to record herself describing her daily food desires for one month.The video is simple,short,and interesting.
A frightening,but beautiful video came from Chile.The video by Niles Atallah,Joaquin Cocina Varas.and Cristobal Leon is called“Luis”.It is an animated ghostly story of a tense,angry boy.It is very dark,but impossible to stop watching.
“Mars to Jupiter”is a video from Canada by Sterling Pache.It is about a survivor of the 1994 genocide(种族屠杀)in Rwanda.The video explores how her past still haunts(萦绕) her.
Other chosen videos are from France,Spain,Taiwan,Australia,and Israel.Almost thirty countries are represented.You can see them if you link to YouTube Play from our website at voaspecialenglish.com.
People can also see the 125 videos at the Guggenheim museums in New York；Bilbao,Spain;Berlin,Germany;and Venice,Italy.
On October 21,the YouTube Play judges will announce the final twenty winning videos at a special event at the Guggenheim in New York.The Videos will be on View there until October 24.Accoding to the text,YouTube might be
.
| A．a video sharing website |
| B．a supporting company of the event |
| C．a museum in New York City |
| D．a frightening,but beautiful video |
Who were supposed to enter the contest according to the text?
| A．Video makers in English—speaking countries. |
| B．Video makers from New York City. |
| C．Video makers all over the world. |
| D．Video makers under the age of 18. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the text?
| A．The rules of the competition were quite complicated. |
| B．Twenty videos will finally be picked out as the best. |
| C．The style of video was strictly limited. |
| D．Only artists can judge the competitio. |
is a simple and relaxing story about daily life.
| A．“Mars to Jupiter” | B．Niles Atallah’s video |
| C．“Luis” | D．Dahlia Elsayed’s video |
The text is mainly about .
| A．a famous wetsite | B．a famous museum |
| C．some interesting videos | D．a video competition |
BEIJING,Oct.14(Xinhua)——A total of 120 middle school students from 35 countries will attend the final of an international China language contest,to be held in southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality from Oct.16 to 30.
The candidates,aged from 15 to 20,must be from foreign countries and not native Chinese speakers,said a statement issued by the Chinese language Council (CLC),the contest’s organizer,here Thursday.
All of the candidates have passed the preliminary contests(初赛)held in their own countries.
According to the organizer,the competition will have a top prize,five second prizes,10 third prizes and a dozen prizes for special talents.The organizer will also launch an online vote for“the most liked candidate.”
It was the third year China has held the contest.
“The competition not only tests the proficiency of Chinese language but also the candidates capability to communicate across different cultures.”the statement said.
All the candidates in the final will receive scholarships from the Chinese goverment.said Hu Hangyu,an official with the Education Bureau o
f the Chonqing Municipality,jointly organizing the contest.
They will also meet local Chinese students and live with Chinese families,Hu said.
“The competition is to meet the increasing demand for Chicese learning by foreign youngsters.”said Xu Lin.the CLC director.
The CLC has also hosted similar contest for foreign college students since 2002.
China has been working to promote Chinese language learning abroad over the past few years.According to the CLC,the.country had 282 Confucius Institutes and 272“Confucius Classrooms”in 88 countries and regions 
as of 2009 since the first one was established in 2004.The text is intended to .
| A．show the popularity of Chinese language learning in the world |
| B．introduce an international Chinese language learning test system |
| C．make readers aware of the importance of Chinese language learning |
| D．report an international Chinese language contest to be held |
The candidates must be .
| A．foreign college students | B．non—native middle school students |
| C．native Chinese students | D．students from Confucius Institutes |
According to the text,the competition is .
| A．organized by the Chongqing Municipality government |
| B．mainly to test the candidates’Chinese language competence |
| C．held every three years in Chongqing Municipality |
| D．to provide foreign students with a chance to know China |
What has China been doing to promote Chinese language learning abroad according to the text?
| A．Thousands of Chinese teacher are sent abroad to teach the language. |
| B．282 Confucius Institutes are established in China to teach Chinese. |
| C．The Chinese language contests for foreign students are regularly held. |
| D．Many Chinese students are sent abroad for culture exchanges every year. |
In which part of the newspaper is the text most likely to be found?
| A．Education | B．Advertisement | C．Business | D．Entertainment |
“Dr.Papaderos,what is the meaning of life?”
The usual laughter followed,and people stirred(骚动)to go.Papaderos held up his hand and stilled the room and looked at me for a long time,asking with his eyes if I was serious and seeing from my eyes that I was.
“I will,answer your question.”
Taking his wallet out of his hip pocket,he fished into a leather billfold and brought out a very small round mirror,about the size of a quarter.And what he said went like this:
“When I was a small child,during the war,we were very poor and we lived in a remote village.One day,on the road,I found the broken pieces of a mirror.A German motorcycle had been wrecked in that place.
I tried to find all the pieces and put them together,but it was not possible,so I kept only the largest piece.This one,and,by scratching it on a stone.I made it round. I began to play with it as a toy and became fascinated by the fact that I could reflect light into dark places where the sun would never shine——
in deep holes and crevices(裂缝)and dark closets. It became a game for me to get light into the most inaccessible places I could find.
I kept the little mirror,and,as I went about my growing up,I would take it out in idle moments and continue the challenge of the game.As I became a man,I grew to understand that this was not just a child’s game but a metaphor for what I might do with my life.I came to understand that I am not the light or the source of light.But light——truth,understanding,knowledge——is there,and it will shine in many dark places only if I reflect it.
I am a fragment(碎片)of a mirror whose whole design and shape l do not know.Nevertheless,with what I have I can reflect light into the dark places of this world——into the black places in the hearts of men—and change some things in some people.Perhaps others may see and do likewise.This is what I am about.This is the meaning of my life.”On hearing the author’s question,Dr.Papedotes at first.
| A．laughed at his foolishness | B．wasn’t sure of the answer |
| C．doubted his seriousness | D．wasn’t interested at all |
How did Dr.Papaderos get the small round mirror when he was a child?
| A．He found it on the road and made it round. |
| B．A dying German soldier gave him as a present. |
| C．He chanced to find it in the street while playing. |
| D．He put the broken pieces together and made it. |
Why did Dr.Papaderos like the small round mirror so much as a child?
| A．Because he was too poor to afford other toys. |
| B．Because it could shine the places where tke sun couldn’t reach. |
| C．Because he believed it would bring good luck to him. |
| D．Because it tofd him a lot about what life really meant to him. |
The underlined“metaphor”in the 7th paragraph most probably means .
| A．symbol | B．source | C．light | D．purpose |
Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?
| A．A Special Game in the Childhood | B．A Broken Piece of Mirror |
| C．Dr.Papaderos’Experience | D．The Meaning of Life |
One evening I went out and left my 17-year-old son in charge of his 8-year-old brother and 4-year-old sister.On this occasion,the work was made less troublesome by the presence of his girlfriend.I left with complete confidence that the older children would do a wonderful job of babysitting the younger children.Later,I discovered that complete confidence was the last thing I should have left home with.
I had decided to return home earlier than planned so that my son and his girlfriend could go out.I called home with this happy news.But instead of hearing his cheerful,grateful voice on the other end of the line,all I heard was the sound of a telephone ringing.
It was,I should point out,after 10 p.m.,when the two younger children should have been in bed.and when the two older children should have been answering the phone.“I’ll give him a lesson.”I said.I decided they must be outside.Why they might be outside at 10∶30 on a winter night I had no idea,but it was the only explanation I could come up with.
Finally,in desperation,I called his girlfriend’s house.After what seemed like countless rings,his girlfriend answered.“Yes,”she said brightly,“He’s right here.”
He came on the phone.I was not my usual calm,rational(理智的)self.After all,one of the rules of survival for modern parents is that you can’t trust modem teenagers.“Where are the children?”I said.He said they were with him.They had done nothing wrong.My son had taken the younger children over to his girlfriend’s house just for ice cream and cake.This was too good to be believed.Well,it turns out that I shouldn’t have believed it.It was only part of the truth.
The following Saturday evening we were at my parents home,celebrating my birthday.My oldest son gave me the children’s gifts.Mounted and framed were a series of lovely color photographs of my children,dressed in their best clothes,and wearing their most wonderful expressions.They are pictures to treasure a lifetime,all taken by the father of my son’s girlfriend.The author went out and left her eldest son in charge of the younger children
because .
| A．she knew that her eldest son was a good baby-sitter |
| B．she thought it no hard work to take care of the younger ones |
| C．she believed he could do well with his girlfriend’s help |
| D．she could not find a baby-sitter on that winter night |
When the author called home that evening,she found that .
| A．two younger children had already been in bed |
| B．the children were preparing a birthday gift for her |
| C．her son was quarrelling with his girlfriend |
| D．there was no one answering the telephone |
What can you learn from the underlined sentence in the fifth paragraph?
| A．The author didn’t believe what her son had told her. |
| B．The author had complete confidence in her son. |
| C．The author believed her son was telling the truth. |
| D．The author was moved by what her children had done. |
What might the children do that evening?
| A．They had a birthday party. |
| B．They framed some photographs. |
| C．They had their pictures taken. |
| D．They made some beautiful clothes. |
What does the author intend to teIl us by the story?
| A．Modem teenagers are not worth trusting. |
B．It is no ea sy job to look after young children. |
| C．It’s no good to have a girlfriend at an early age. |
| D．Her children have a caring and tender heart. |
Will Nanfang University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen announce a new beginning for China’s higher education reform? It’s too early to answer. But its presence is challenging the Ministry of Education. Even without the approval of the ministry it seems that the school is determined to move forward and enroll(招收)50 students, so-called child prodigies(奇才), to begin classes on March l, 2011.On graduating in 2015, these students will receive a diploma unauthorized by the Ministry of Education-unlike the students of their age from the state-run universities.
The school is committed to modeling itself on Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, but if the government will not approve the school, the situation could cause a lot of trouble for those 50 students if they want to do graduate studies at other higher learning institutions. Other schools could turn their applications down for their unauthorized diplomas.
The difficulties, however, have not frightened students and their parents away. On Dec.18, 2010 more than 1,000 students and their
parents visited Nanfang University of Science and Technology for interviews.
Private investment marks the school out from other higher
learning institutions in the nation. Not a penny comes from the government. So the government will have no voice in how the school will be run.
The Ministry of Education has published a comprehensive plan for education reform and development between 2011 and 2020.The goal is to make China’s higher education internationally competitive. To accomplish this goal, the government should have the courage to let the educators who have big ideas try them out. The ministry should have applauded the independence the school in Shenzhen has shown and encouraged more to do likewise.
Education reform in China has reached a new and crucial stage. Nanfang University of Science and Technology has a long way to go to prove itself competitive rather than a diploma mill. What will makes those 50 students different from others?
| A．They are all child prodigies. |
| B．They will study much longer time. |
| C．They are willing to challenge the Ministry of Education. |
| D．They will receive an unauthorized diploma. |
Over 1,000 students and parents visited the school because .
| A．they believe that the school will have a bright future |
| B．they believe the government is sure to approve the school |
| C．the school models itself on Hong Kong University successfully |
| D．they will never do graduate studies at other higher learning institutions |
The trouble the students in the school may have is that .
| A．the government will have no voice in the school |
| B．they won’t receive any diploma when graduating from the school |
| C．other schools are unlikely to accept their diploma from the school |
| D．they will not learn how to be competitive |
What does the author think of Nanfang University of Science and Technology?
| A．It is another kind of diploma mill. |
| B．It’s impossible for the school to be competitive. |
| C．It will never get the approval from the Ministry of Education. |
| D．Its independence from the government may benefit the education reform. |
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．University of New Style. | B．China’s Education Reform. |
| C．Modeling Hong Kong University. | D．Authorized or Not? |
粤公网安备 44130202000953号