From good reading we can get pleasure, companionship, experience, and instruction. A good book may absorb our attention so completely that for the time being we forget our surroundings and even our identity. Reading good books is one of the greatest pleasures in life. It increases our contentment when we are cheerful, and lessens our troubles when we are sad. Whatever may be our main purpose in reading, our contact with good books should never fail to give us enjoyment and satisfaction.
With a good book in our hands we need never be lonely. Whether the characters in it are taken from real life or are purely imaginary, they may become our companions and friends. In the pages of books we can walk with the wise and the good of all lands and all times. The people we meet in books may delight us either because they resemble (相像) human friends whom we hold dear or because they present unfamiliar types whom we are glad to welcome as new acquaintances(熟人). Our human friends sometimes may bore us, but the friends we make in books need never weary us with their company. By turning the page we can dismiss them without any fear of hurting their feelings. While human friends desert us, good books are always ready to give us friendship, sympathy, and encouragement.
Of all the gifts from reading books, the most valuable one is experience. Few of us can travel far from home or have a wide range of experiences, but all of us can lead varied lives through the pages of books. Whether we wish to escape from the seemingly dull realities of daily routines or whether we long to visit some far-off place, a book will help us when nothing else can. To travel by book we need no bank account to pay our way; no airship or ocean liner or stream-lined train to transport us; no passport to enter the land of our heart's desire. Through books we may get the thrill of hazardous adventure without danger. We can climb high mountains, brave the perils (危险) of an Antarctic winter, or cross the scorching sands of the desert, all without hardship. In books we may visit the studios of Hollywood; we may mix with the merry crowds of the Paris boulevards; we may join the picturesque peasants in an Alpine village or the kindly natives on a South Sea island. Indeed, through books the whole world is ours for the asking. The possibilities of our literary experiences are almost unlimited. The beauties of nature, the enjoyment of music, the treasures of art, the triumphs of architecture, the marvels of engineering, are all open to the wonder and enjoyment of those who read.
Why do we sometimes forget our surroundings and even our identity while reading?
| A．No one is trying to disturb you there. |
| B．All is so quiet and calm around you. |
| C．The book you read is so fascinating. |
| D．Our life is just far from satisfactory. |
What makes people like their acquaintances in books even more?
| A．They are just like our human friends. |
| B．They are unfamiliar types we like. |
| C．They will never ever abandon us. |
| D．They will never hurt our feelings. |
The word “hazardous” means ______.
| A．“unexpected” | B．“dangerous” |
| C．“imaginary” | D．“unusual” |
“... the whole world is ours for the asking” means that we can____________.
| A．experience the whole world just by reading |
| B．get anywhere in the world only by asking |
| C．make a trip around the world free of charge |
| D．actually possess everything in this world |
What is the most suitable title for this passage?
| A．Reading and traveling |
| B．Experiencing the world |
| C．Traveling with books |
| D．Gifts from reading |
October sixteenth is World Food Day．This day is also the anniversary of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization(F．A．O．)．The UN agency leads international efforts to defeat world hunger．It was created in 1945．
The F．A．O．says more than one hundred fifty countries are to hold special events to celebrate World Food Day．At F．A．O．headquarters in Rome，for example，runners will compete in a five-kilometer race through the city’s historical area．Events in other countries include discussions among experts，press conferences and musical programs．
The message of this year’s World Food Day is“investing in agriculture for food security”．The F．A．O．says，“During the early 1990s，the foreign aid for agriculture was nine thousand million dollars each year．But now, it has declined to less than five thousand million dollars a year．”Yet, the F．A．O．estimates that more than eight hundred and fifty million people around the world do not get enough food．
The UN agency notes that seventy percent of the world’s hungry lies in the farmers who grow small amount of food．Many also face problems of feeding themselves．The F．A．O．says agricultural aid could help small farmers make a profit from their crops．Farmers would also be able to feed their families throughout the year and re-invest in their farms．They could buy better seeds，equipment and chemical fertilizers to help their crops grow．
Muhammad Yunis．the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to improve the lives of poor people，as well as his Bangladesh microfinance organization，the Grameen Bank，has lent small amount of money to poor people who are unable to get traditional loans，especially women．Minister Yunis says that he plans to give his share of the one million three hundred thousand dollars Nobel award to good causes．He says he wants to establish an eye hospital and start a project to produce low-cost food for the poor．To celebrate the World Food Day, how many kinds of activities are mentioned in the passage?
| A．Two． | B．Three． | C．Four． | D．Five． |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A． The F．A．O．is established to invest in agriculture for food security．
B．The foreign aid for agriculture has reduced by nearly 50％in recent decades．
C．The Grameen Bank has provided large amount of loans for poor farmers．
D．Yunis will donate his entire Nobel award to help solve the hunger for the poor．With agricultural aid，farmers can_________________.
| A．promote the production of crops |
| B．produce low-cost food |
| C．invest money in other fields |
| D．help to improve crop seeds |
The writer wrote the passage mainly to____________．
A．give an introduction of the F．A．O．
B．inform us of the situations of the world food
C．appeal for more investment on agriculture
D．show how to deal with the world’s hunger
So far,this year’s global music market has definitely been dominated (支配)by women：Beyonce Knowles，Taylor Swirl，and Iggy Azalea are all making waves．And one hot name that adds more conviction to the list is US singer Ariana Grande．
Almost exactly a year ago，Grande released her first album，Yours Truly． And over the past 12 months，the 21-year-old former Nickelodeon(an American TV channel for kids and adolescents)star has transformed from a pop artist you might recognize to an outstanding superstar．She now possesses three top 10 singles in the current Billboard Hot 100 chart，an impressive opening performance at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards，and millions of followers on social networking sites．
Her second album，My Everything, which was released on Aug 25，is the latest sign of her coming dominance．It hit No．1 on the Billboard 200 album chart this week，making her the only other female singer after Scotland’s Susan Boyle to have two continuous No．1 albums in a single year.
Grande’s strength lies in her powerful voice and wide voiced range．Unlike her companions Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato，Grande’s star power is rooted in the fact that she can really sing．More importantly，Grande knows how to control her voice，which is at once strong and sensitive，and use it to expand her musical territory．
My Everything is the best example．In this album，Grande literally tries her hand at everything：dance music，R&B jams，hip-hop tunes，power ballads and even’60s-inflected pop．
While you can clearly sense her ambition as a singer，you will be impressed by how effortlessly she handles these different styles of music，especially if you have listened to Yours Truly，a more refreshing．’90s R&B—influenced project．
Of course，one suggestion for Grande’s future music would be for her to display more personality instead of simply showing her voiced talent．But not to worry, based on what we’ve heard thus far, it's safe to say Grande is well on her way to growing into her own．
Which of the following contributes to Grande’s great success?
A．The impressive opening performance．
B．Her followers on social networking sites．
C．The influence of’60s pop and’90s R&B．
D．Her powerful voice and wide voiced range．We can conclude from the last paragraph that Grande_________．
| A．1ikes to show off her voice |
| B．is a promising superstar |
| C．1acks her own personality |
| D．has difficulty going further |
What can we learn about Ariana Grande?
| A．She prefers hip-hop tunes in particular． |
| B．She used to be a pop star in a TV channel． |
| C．She has two top 10 singles of Billboard’s Hot 100． |
| D．She is the only singer to have two No．1 albums in a year． |
Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
| A．A Rising Music Genius |
| B．The Music Market of Women |
| C．Susan Boyle and Her Companions |
| D．Different Styles of Grande’s Music |
An electric signal can trick a monkey’s brain into believing the animal’s finger has been touched.
Touch something, and your brain knows. The hand sends signals to the brain to announce contact was made. But that feeling of touch may not require making actual contact, tests on monkeys now show. Zapping brain cells can fool the animal into thinking its finger has touched something.
A person who has lost a limb or become paralyzed may need an artificial limb to complete everyday tasks. But such patients may not truly feel any objects they hold. The new findings point toward one day creating a sense of touch in those who use such artificial limbs. Psychologist Sliman Bensmaia of University of Chicago worked on the new tests. His team’s findings appeared on October 14 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.
The sense of touch is crucial to everyday tasks: People without it may have difficulty cracking an egg, lifting a cup or even turning a doorknob. That’s why restoring it is a major goal for designers of artificial limbs.
In their new study, Bensmaia and his co-workers worked with rhesus monkeys (恒河猴). The scientists implanted electrodes (电极)--- small devices that can detect and relay an electrical signal—into the animals’ brains. The scientists used the electrode data to identify which neurons had become active. Then the scientists used the implanted electrodes to zap those same neurons. And the monkeys reacted as though their fingers had been touched. In fact, they hadn’t.
The monkeys couldn’t use words to tell the scientists what they had felt. Instead, they communicated by looking in a particular direction—just as when they had really been touched.
The new findings show how touch-sensitive devices could be built. The new study also offers “ a nice clear pathway” for figuring out how to restore a sense of touch to an amputee(被截肢者) or someone with a injury of spinal cord.
The study shows how artificial limbs might be connected to the brain so that a person can “feel” with such a prosthesis (假肢). But such a supersensory device doesn’t exist yet and scientists have a lot of work to do before people will benefit from it. Researchers must first figure out whether the electrodes would work in people in the same way they do in monkeys.
“ I think the foundation is laid for human trials,” Bensmaia said.What does the underlined word “it” refer to ?
| A．The sense of touch. |
| B．An artificial limb. |
| C．The turning of a doorknob. |
| D．The lifting of a cup |
Bensmania tested monkeys to prove that the feeling of touch_________.
| A．is important to everyday tasks |
| B．may not require making actual contact |
| C．is a problem of life and death |
| D．may be a challenge for designers of artificial limbs. |
Monkeys tell researchers their sense of touch by _______.
| A．putting up one of their fingers |
| B．making their brain cells active |
| C．looking in a particular direction |
| D．mimicking natural signals in the brain |
The last sentence of the text suggests humans _________.
| A．will use touch-sensitive devices |
| B．will test monkeys soon |
| C．lay foundations for monkey trials |
| D．will be tested on the electrodes |
The passage is mainly about ________.
| A．restoring a sense of touch |
| B．fooling a clever monkey |
| C．making new artificial limbs |
| D．sending a signal with a touch |
SUMMER OUTDOOR MOVIES
| Pre-movie activities |
|
| July 2: |
The Great SBCC Challenge ----SBCC |
| July 9: |
Magician ---- Jeff Evans |
| July 16: |
Pizza Toss ---- Pagliacci |
| July 23: |
Name the Right Price ---- Whole Foods Market |
| July 30: |
Banana Races ---- Edible Arrangements |
| Aug 6: |
60 Second Challenge ---- Inome |
| Aug 13: |
Zumba Fitness ---- SBCC |
| Aug 20: |
Movie Trivia Night ---- Bellevue. com |
Family, Friends, and Neighbors, get cool !
Bring your picnics, blankets and low-back chairs!
The Parks & Community Services Department presents free outdoor movies with popcorn at Bellevue Downtown Park this summer. Grab a blanket, a low-back chair, family, friends, neighbors or co-workers, and head to the park. Sponsored by Inome, films will be shown under the stars on a huge, 40-foot inflatable(可充气的) screen with a state-of-the-art projection(放映) and sound system.
The movie series begins on Tuesday, July 2, 2014. Activities, which last about one hour, begin at 8 pm before each movie, so come early, stake your ground and have some fun. Movies are family-friendly and carry a PG (parental guidance) rating.
Support a great cause; each movie night is accompanied by a different charity. Please bring suggested donated items to support the organization of the night. Your donations will make a difference to the poor, disabled and disadvantaged.
● Location- Bellevue Downtown Park, 10201 NE Fourth St. Bellevue at Downtown Park’s parking lots.
● In case of inclement weather, such as heavy rains, or violent storms, movies will be held indoors at the South Bellevue Community Center, 14509 SE Newport Way.
● Movies and activities are subject to change without notice.The movie series lasts about __________.
| A．eight weeks | B．five weeks |
| C．seven weeks | D．ten weeks |
Movies begin at about __________.
| A．6 pm | B．7 pm | C．8 pm | D．9 pm |
We can infer that the Summer Outdoor Movies is mainly intended to _________.
| A．provide amusements and entertainments for the kids |
| B．collect money for the poor, disabled and disadvantaged |
| C．promote new products made by Whole Foods Market |
| D．offer chances to young people to display their talents |
The underlined word “ inclement” means “______”.
| A．fine | B．bad | C．cool | D．Hot |
I was 18 when Tim and I began to date. Shy and quiet, I’d met his parents once before but hadn’t ventured to say more than “ Hello”. This particular evening, however, we were taking them out to dinner for their anniversary and I wanted to make a good impression.
Tim and his parents arrived and I was out the door in a flash. My good impression began with “ punctual”. I sat in the backseat beside Tim nervously watching his father’s eyes glance into the rearview mirror to examine me.
Tim and his parents had already decided on their favorite Mexican restaurant and that was fine with me; the dim lighting would hide the rising flush of my cheeks, and if anyone noticed, I could blame it on the peppers. With proper table manners I managed to survive halfway through dinner without making any unforgivable mistakes. However, in the midst of conversation I reached for my iced tea, raised the glass to my lips and very quickly discovered I had picked up the wrong glass.
I quickly lowered the glass and set it back but it was too late; I had burnt my eyebrows, the hair in my nose, and curl over my forehead! I looked up slowly, praying no one had seen me, but all eyes at the table had seen and each face stared at me in shocked silence. Excusing myself, I ran to the restroom.
I would have hidden there forever but I’d barely gotten in the door when Tim’s mother arrived. “ Ah, honey,” she said, holding out her arms to me. “ Everything will be just fine.”
Tim and I eventually married. We had a small ceremony and a family reception afterwards held at the very restaurant where this incident occurred. This time, however, I didn’t drink any candles… only a Margarita（一种鸡尾酒名）; they were served in different glasses.It can be inferred from the passage that___________.
| A．the author had never met her parents-in-law before dinning together |
| B．Tim and the author took the bus to get to the restaurant |
| C．Tim’s father was curious to know about the author |
| D．Tim’s mother was not satisfied with the author’s behavior |
According to the passage, the author______________.
| A．felt very sorry for being late meeting Tim’s parents |
| B．mistook wine for drinks and got drunk |
| C．had her eyebrows burnt because of her nervousness |
| D．left a bad impression on Tim’s parents |
What would be the best title of the passage?
| A．Please Don’t Drink the Candles |
| B．Please Don’t Light the Candles |
| C．Please Behave Yourself |
| D．You Can Never Make a First Impression for a Second Time |
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