We live in a techno logical society where most goods are mass-produced by unskilled labor. Because of this, most people think that craft(手艺) no longer exists.
One of the ways these people wrongly support their view is by pointing to 100-year-old homes which are still solid, and arguing that it is the craftsmanship that is responsible for their durability(持久性). “Homes in those days were well-built,” they say. No doubt these homes were well-built, but what these people have done is mix up the quality of material used in the house with the quality of the craftsmanship.
Homes today could be built to last just as long as those old homes if people were willing or able to pay the price. For example, more people can no longer afford solid oak stairways, although they were once fairly common in older homes. Nor can they afford the high labor cost of employing a carpenter to build the stairway. Yet if someone can pay the high cost, there are still plenty of carpenters around able to make those stairways. And not only would these carpenters know how to build them, they would probably do a better job than carpenters of old.
One thing the modern carpenter has which enables him to do a better job is much more advanced tools. Such tools as laser beams and power planes help them lay out a house better and make more precision cuts(精确切割)on the wood. Also, it is not uncommon any more to find carpenters with college degrees and carpenters with a solid knowledge of mathematics, which would enable them to deal with more difficult house designs.
The problem of modern quality, then, really boils down to the problem of material, for the modern carpenter is just as able to produce craftsmanship as the carpenter of fifty years ago, but only if given proper material.Compared to the carpenters in the past, modern carpenters are__________.
| A．more successful | B．more learned |
| C．more imaginative | D．more hardworking |
What does the underlined word “they” (paragraph2) refer to?
| A．Carpenters who are fond of oak stairways. |
| B．Carpenters who have college degrees. |
| C．people who think highly of carpenters of old |
| D．people who think that modern material is of low quality. |
What does the third paragraph mainly discuss?
| A．People in the past preferred to use oak to build stairways. |
| B．It is now expensive to employ a carpenter. |
| C．Modern houses last as long as the old one. |
| D．Good carpenters still exist in modern times. |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．Is Craft Dead? |
| B．Craft, Back to Life? |
| C．History of Craftsmanship |
| D．Carpenters Today and Yesterday |
Chinese New Year Celebration is the most important celebration of the year. Chinese people may celebrate the Chinese New Year in slightly different ways but their wishes are almost the same; they want their family members and friends to be healthy and lucky during next year.
Chinese New Year Celebration usually lasts for 15 days. Celebratory activities include Chinese New Feast, firecrackers, giving lucky money to children, the New Year bell ringing and Chinese New Year Greetings. Most of Chinese people will stop the celebrating in their home on the 7th day of New Year because the national holiday usually ends around that day, however celebrations in public areas can last until the 15th day of New Year.
It is the money given to kids from their parents and grandparents as New Year gift. The money is believed to bring good luck, ward off monsters; hence the name "lucky money". Parents and grandparents first put money in small, especially-made red envelopes and give the red envelopes to their kids after the New Year's Feast or when they come to visit them on the New Year. They choose to put the money in red envelopes because Chinese people think red is a lucky color. They want to give their children both lucky money and lucky color.What can we learn from the Paragragh 1？
| A．Chinese New Year Celebration is one of the most important celebrations in China |
| B．Chinese New Year Celebration can bring luck to them during the next year |
| C．Some different celebrations still exist |
| D．Kids can get their lucky money during the Chinese New Year Celebration |
Where can we meet some celebrations in the 13th day of the New Year in China？
| A．Wal-Mart Stores | B．Your uncle’s family |
| C．Yuanmingyuan Imperial Garden | D．High school |
Which way is not mentioned in the passage below to celebrate New Year？
| A．Set off fireworks | B．Come over relatives |
| C．Receive presents | D．Get lucky money |
Where can we probably find the passage？
| A．A travel brochure | B．A newspaper |
| C．A tradition guide | D．A textbook |
The New York Aquarium (水族馆) offers a diverse collection and nice viewing experience for all our guests. Whether you’re observing penguins on their rocky coastline home or swimming underwater, looking at a coral reef (珊瑚礁) under the water, or cheering on California sea lions at the theater, you’ll find plenty to see and do during your visit. Your underwater adventure is waiting for you! This summer, head out to Coney Island to learn about the underwater world at the New York Aquarium.
Just off the Coney Island in Brooklyn, the New York Aquarium features more than 300 marine (海洋的) species, such as dolphins and seals. Meet some of our mammals and fish, and learn about their natural history, biology, and cultural roles.
| |
Hours |
| Summer hours May 28 – Sept. 5 |
10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. , Monday–Friday 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. , Weekends & Holidays |
| Fall hours Sept. 6 – Nov. 6 |
10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. , Monday–Friday 10:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. , Weekends & Holidays |
| Winter hours Nov. 7 – Mar. 31 |
10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. , Daily |
| Spring hours Apr. 1– May 27 |
10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. , Monday–Friday 10:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. , Weekends & Holidays |
Total Experience Ticket
Adult $18.00
Child (Ages 3-12) $14.00
Senior (65+) $15.00
Groups (at least ten visitors) $8.00
﹡Includes admission to our 4-D Theater Plus General Admission.
﹡Children under 3 years old are free!
﹡To receive the group rate, you must make a reservation at least two weeks in advance of your group’s visit. Please call 718-741-1818.
Friday Afternoon Special
Admission on Fridays beginning at 3:00 p.m. is by donation. Suggested donation is $13 for adults, $9 for children, and $10 for seniors. Every dollar you give supports our work in caring for animals at the aquarium.
Aquarium Parking
Car $13.00
Bus $13.00
Please note:
﹡Due to rising costs, the Wildlife Conservation Society reserves the right to change all fees without notice.
﹡All Aquarium buildings and exhibits are wheelchair-accessible.
﹡For further information, please call 718-265-3454.Which animal can’t visitors probably see at the New York Aquarium?
| A．Penguins. | B．Pandas. | C．Dolphins. | D．Seals. |
Six adults (including a man of 68) and two children (aged 2 and 10) are going to visit the New York Aquarium on Sunday. They will have to pay ______________ at least.
| A．$144 | B．$133 | C．$64 | D．$119 |
The donation is used to ______________.
| A．help the poor people |
| B．help to save the endangered animals in the wild |
| C．care for animals at the aquarium |
| D．help the disabled visitors |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．You can visit the New York Aquarium at 5:30 p.m. on Christmas. |
| B．A visitor in a wheelchair can get around at the New York Aquarium. |
| C．Visitors can enjoy free parking service on Friday. |
| D．To enjoy the group rate, visitors must make a reservation at least two weeks in advance by sending an e-mail. |
You love Jay Chou's songs and you can sing some quite well. So you make a video of your performance and post it online for your friends to see. But what if this led to something beyond your wildest
imagination—a career in music?
Canadian teenager Justin Bieber, 16, has just had the magical experience: He posted homemade videos of his versions of songs by American singer Chris Brown online for his relatives. He received a phone call from Brown, telling him how much he liked his performance. His singing eventually earned him a fan base and a record contract. After releasing a popular record in November 2009, his album My world 2.0 came out last Tuesday.
Bieber sings ballads（民歌）and songs about puppy love. But is he just another gooey (甜腻的) teen idol? David Malitz, a columnist with the Washington Post, doesn't think so. “If we truly want the best forAmerican children, let us pause and give thanks for Justin Bieber，” he writes. “After years of humdrum bubblegum (乏味的摇滚舞曲) from Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers, the 16yearold has thrown a candycoated wrench (扭转) into Disney's heartthrob (甜心) assembly line by giving young fans something worth screaming their lungs out for lovable pop songs.”
From a boy who grew up below the poverty line with his divorced mom to a star who caused nearriots (近乎失控) in shopping malls, even Bieber himself can't believe his overnight fame, although his kind of success is becoming more and more common in the Internet era.
Interested in hockey, the national sport of Canada, the boy once put up pictures of players on the walls of his bedroom. He dreamed of being a hockey star and used to practice signing his autograph. He doesn't need practice now. He signs autographs, if the girls can get close enough, as a music star.What did Chris Brown think of Justin Bieber's singing?
| A．He didn't like it. | B．He liked it very much. |
| C．He didn't say anything. | D．He supported Justin Bieber. |
What can we learn from the fourth paragraph?
| A．He had a happy family. |
| B．His family was very poor once. |
| C．His family was rich. |
| D．His family helped him a lot. |
What's Justin Bieber's hobby?
| A．Singing. | B．Hockey. | C．Signing. | D．Making records. |
What's the best title of the passage?
| A．Justin Bieber's overnight singing online. |
| B．Justin Bieber's common experience. |
| C．Justin Bieber's life. |
| D．Justin Bieber's records. |
All across California, honeybees are flying away from their hives(蜂箱) and dying. Empty hives are causing a lot of worry about some important food crops.
Bees give us a lot more than delicious honey. They are pollinators（授粉者）—they enable plants to produce the fruits and nuts we enjoy by carrying pollen from one plant or flower to the next. The wind pollinates oats, corn, and wheat, but many other plants (like apple and cherry trees and melon vines) depend on insects, bats, and birds. In the U.S., millions and millions of bees kept by human beekeepers fly around doing a lot of this important work for food crops. “Bees are worth protecting because their work adds so much to our diet,” says Dr. Jeff Pettis of the Bee Research Laboratory.
California’s almond (杏仁) crop alone depends on about half the bees in the country. But now the almond crop and many others could be in trouble with so many bees dying.
Researchers at government and university labs all over the country are trying to figure out why so many bees are dying. However, bees are hard to study. Most die away from the hive, so researchers don’t have dead bodies to examine. And when researchers return to a hive after two weeks, about half the bees they studied on their first visit will be dead, replaced by new ones in the natural life cycle of bees. “It isn’t like studying a large animal like a cow that doesn’t move around much and is easy to find out in the cow field,” says Pettis.
Researchers have some ideas about what could be affecting bee health. They could be sick from poisons widely used to kill insects, or they might not be getting enough good food to stay strong. Also, tiny insects called mites feed on bees. “A virus or bacteria could also be doing the killing.” explains Pettis.What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?
| A．The wind helps pollinate. |
| B．Bees are important in food crops. |
| C．Bees give us a lot of delicious honey. |
| D．Cherry trees are pollinated by bees. |
Bees are hard to study because ____________.
| A．they move around too much |
| B．new bees soon replace all the bees studied by researchers |
| C．they are too tiny |
| D．they never return to hives |
What could cause so many bees to die?
| A．Poisons to kill birds. | B．Eating too much. |
| C．Large insects. | D．Some virus. |
What can we learn from the article?
| A．A large number of bees have died in the hive. |
| B．Without bees, some foods would disappear from our diet. |
| C．Only researchers in California want to know what kills bees. |
| D．Large animals are easier to study than tiny insects. |
XI’AN – China has introduced various emergency responses and long-term measures against air pollution in the central and eastern regions.
The air quality index (AQI) for Xi’an reached 500 on Wednesday afternoon, at the top of the AQI scale, according to the national air quality monitoring website. Xi’an weather forecasters predict the smog (雾霾) will continue for the next week and air pollution may worsen.
“I have to keep buying masks for my family,” said Liu, buying masks at a pharmacy (药店) near her home in downtown Xi’an. “This is the only thing we can do to protect ourselves.”
On Wednesday, a city government emergency response plan was put into action, suspending all construction and taking at least 50 percent of government vehicles off the road. Power plants must limit their output and reduce emissions.
Nearly half the country, more than 100 cities in 20 provinces, has suffered from smog since last December. Many have taken action, including experimenting with artificial methods to reduce smog, limiting vehicle use and fining polluters.
Assessments based on GDP alone were abandoned last month and more emphasis has been put on public well-being and the environment. Whether the move will be effective in forcing local governments consider environmental issues over economic growth remains to be seen. Environmental protection professionals are doubtful about the immediacy of the effects of these measures.
Xiao Hang, an urban researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said it took London 50 years to lose the moniker (绰号) “foggy London town”, and Los Angeles still struggles to control its photochemical (光化学) smog. “We can’t ignore environmental problems during the development process and China has a long way to go,” he said.What would be the best title for the article?
| A．AQI for Xi’an reached 500 |
| B．Smog crisis tries the limits of people’s patience |
| C．Smoggy Chinese cities to clear the air |
| D．Dust masks become hot sellers |
The underlined word “suspending” in Paragraph 4 can be replaced by ________.
| A．encouraging | B．stopping | C．continuing | D．expanding |
We can infer from the article that _________.
| A．China is the only country suffering from smog |
| B．environmental professionals believe the air quality will soon be improved with these measures |
| C．assessments based on GDP alone were harmful to environmental protection |
| D．Xi’an was the most polluted city in China |
What Xiao Hang said indicates _____________.
| A．London still has serious air pollution after 50 years of effort |
| B．the development of China is more important |
| C．solving environmental problems requires great effort |
| D．it’s normal for China to have environmental problems |
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