Terri Bolton is a dab hand when it comes to DIY（do﹣it﹣yourself）.Skilled at putting up shelves and piecing together furniture ，she never pays someone else to do a job she can do herself.
She credits these skills to her late grandfather and builder Derek Lloyd.From the age of six ，Terri，now 26 ，accompanied Derek to work during her school holidays.A day's work was rewarded with£ 5 in pocket money.She says："I'm sure I wasn't much of a help to start with，painting the rooms and putting down the flooring throughout the house.It took weeks and it was backbreaking work ，but I know he was proud of my skills. "
Terri，who now rents a house with friends in Wandsworth，South West London，says DIY also saves her from losing any deposit when a tenancy（租期） comes to an end.She adds ：" I've moved house many times and I always like to personalize my room and put up pictures.So，it's been useful to know how to cover up holes and repaint a room to avoid any charges when I've moved out."
With millions of people likely to take on DIY projects over the coming weeks，new research shows that more than half of people are planning to make the most of the long，warm summer days to get jobs done.The average spend per project will be around £823.Two thirds of people aim to improve their comfort while at home.Two fifth wish to increase the value of their house.Though DIY has traditionally been seen as male hobby，the research shows it is women now leading the charge.
（1）Which is closest in meaning to" a dab hand" in paragraph 1？
| A． |
An artist. |
| B． |
A winner. |
| C． |
A specialist. |
| D． |
A pioneer. |
（2）Why did Terri's grandfather give her£ 5 a day？
| A． |
For a birthday gift. |
| B． |
As a treat for her work. |
| C． |
To support her DIY projects. |
| D． |
To encourage her to take up a hobby. |
（3）How did Terri avoid losing the deposit on the house she rented？
| A． |
By making it look like before. |
| B． |
By furnishing it herself. |
| C． |
By splitting the rent with a roommate. |
| D． |
By canceling the rental agreement. |
（4）What trend in DIY does the research show？
| A． |
It is becoming more costly. |
| B． |
It is getting more time﹣consuming. |
| C． |
It is turning into a seasonal industry. |
| D． |
It is gaining popularity among females. |
When you want to buy or rent a house, you are expecting not only the quality of the house itself but also the nice neighbours who live near you. Almost everyone agrees that it is helpful to live with some good neighbours. However, the standard of good neighbours is different from people to people. In my opinion, a good neighbour should be someone that respects your life. Is ready to help others and concerns zbout the environment in the neighbourhood.
First of all, it is very important for neighbours to expect your life. Just imagine, if you have a neighbour who is curious about you, especially your personal life, and tries to know more about it by whatever means. How will you feel? What is more, he or she may talk with others about your life. Do you want to live near him or her any more? The answer is definitely negative. You will feel very uncomfortable to have such kind of people in your neighbourhood and you may move as soon as possible.
Next, what you should consider is that a good neighbour is always willing to give you a hand when you need help. For example, if you are not at home and someone suspect tries to unlock your door, your neighbour who sees it should call 110, and it will help you to protect your property.
Finally, a good neighbour should be concerned about the environment, especially around your neighbourhood. He or she should throw all the rubbish into the garbage and keep the place clean, because a good environment can make people who live in it comfortable and relaxed all the time.
Therefore, it is very important for a neighbour to have such qualities as above.What is mainly discussed in the passage?
| A．How to find a good neighbour. |
| B．The advantage of living with rich neighbours. |
| C．Neighbours should help each other. |
| D．Qualities a good neighbour should have. |
According to the passage, a good neighbour may do the following except______.
| A．show special interest in your personal life |
| B．help you when you in trouble |
| C．keep the environment clean |
| D．all the police when strangers unlock your door |
If a neighnour always wants to know about your personal life, you may ______.
| A．tell him your story as soon as possible |
| B．think he is a good neighbour |
| C．feel rather proud and pleased about it |
| D．decide to find another place to live |
The underlined words “someone suspect” in the third paragraph refers to ______.
| A．friendly person |
| B．A doubtful stranger |
| C．A shy friend |
| D．And old classmate |
We can learn from this passage that ______.
| A．Good neighbours are very hard to find |
| B．Good neighbours should concern about your personal life |
| C．Finding a good neighbour is very important |
| D．You should never live with stranger |
Michael Fish may soon be replaced as a weather forecaster by something truly fishier — shark.
Research by a Britain biology student suggests that sharks could be used to predict storms.
Lauren Smith,24,is close to completing her study on shark’s ability to sense pressure.
If her studies prove the theory, scientists may be able to monitor the behavior of sharks to predict bad weather
Miss Smith had previously studied the behavior of lemon sharks.
She then used their close relatives, lesser spotted dogfish, for further research.
Her work—thought to be the first of its kind to test pressure theory—resulted from observation that juvenile sharks off Florida moved into deeper water ahead of a violent storm in 2001.
Miss Smith said, “I’ve always been crazy about travelling and diving and this led me to an interest in sharks.”
“I was delighted to gave been able to reach in the area for my degree. I know there’s so much more we need to understand—but it certainly opens the way to more research.” It has been discovered that a shark senses pressure using hair cells in its balanced system.
She is due to complete her study and graduate later this year. She says she will be looking for a job which will give her the chance to enrich her experience of shark research.The passage is most probably taken from______?
| A．A short-story collection |
| B．A popular science magazine |
| C．A research paper |
| D．A personal diary |
What do we learn from the first four paragraphs of the passage?
| A．Sharks may be used to predict bad weather |
| B．Shark’s behavior can be controlled |
| C．Michael Fish is not qualified for his job |
| D．Lauren Smith will become a weather forecaster |
Lauren Smith conducted her research by ______.
| A．Removing hair cells from a shark’s balance system |
| B．Measuring the air pressure of weather fronts |
| C．Recording shark’s body temperature |
| D．Monitoring shark’s reaction to weather changes |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．A popular way of forecasting weather |
| B．A new research effort in predicting storms |
| C．Biologist’ interest in the secrets of sharks. |
| D．Lauren Smith’s devotion to scientific research |
Almost Human
Scientists are racing to build the world’s first thinking robot. This is not science fiction: some say they will have made it by the year2020. Carol Parker reports.
Machines that walk, speak and feel are no longer science fiction. Kismet is the name of an android which scientists have built at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Kismet is different from the traditional robot because it can show human emotions. Its eyes, ears and lips move to show when it feels happy, sad and bored. Kismet is one of the first of a new generation of androids—robots that look like huamn beings—which can imitate human feelings. Cog, another android invented by the MIT, imitates the action of a mother. However, scientists admit that so far Cog has the mental ability of a two-year-old.
The optimists say that by the year 2020 we will have created humanoids with brains similar to those of an adult human beings. these robots will be designed to look like people to make them more attractive and easier to sell to the public. What kind of jobs will they do? In the future, robots like Robonaut, a humanoid invented by NASA, will be doing dangerous jobs, like repairing space stations. They will also be doing more and more of the household work for us. In Japan, scientist are designing androids that will entertain us by dancing and playing the piano.
Some people worry about that future holds: will robots become monsters? Will people themselves become increasingly like robots? Experts predict that more and more people will be wearing micro-computer, connected to the internet, in the future. Proplr will have micro-chips in various parts of their body, which will connect them to a wide variety of gadgets. Perhaps we should not exaggerate the importance of technology, but one wonders whether, in years to come, we will still be falling in love, and whether we will feel pain. Who knows?Kismet is different from traditional robots because ______?
| A．it thinks for itself |
| B．it is not like science fiction |
| C．it can look after a two-year-old |
| D．it seems to have human feelings |
What makes Cog special?
| A．it looks like a mother |
| B．it behaves like child |
| C．it can imitate the behavior of a mother |
| D．it has a huge brain |
In about 10 years’ time from now, robots ______.
| A．will become space designers |
| B．will look like monsters |
| C．will behave like animals |
| D．will think like humans |
In the future robots will also______.
| A．explore space |
| B．entertain people |
| C．move much faster |
| D．do all the housework |
What is the writer’s attitude to robots in the future?
| A．Critical |
| B．Hostile |
| C．Objective |
| D．Enthusiastic |
Students are being forced to take additional exams to get into leading universities because good A-levels do not always indicate the brightest candidate.
Sixth-formers applying to courses such as medicine and law are being asked to sit American-style aptitude tests, which are designed to assess thinking skills, among fears that too many A-level candidates are getting top grades. Last year, almost one in six students applying to universities such as Oxford and Cambridge from independent schools had to sit additional tests to secure a place.
Head teachers criticized the move, which they said would pile more pressure on schools and students. But universities insisted that the reforms were unavoidable, because A-level exams were no longer an accurate barometer of ability.
In 1986, 40 percent of students starting at Oxford achieved straight as at A-level. Mike Nicholson, its admissions director, said that this year almost every candidate offered a place would get perfect grades. It meant the university had to stage additional tests to identify the most able candidates. “The ability to achieve three A grades is no longer the endpoint the admission process,” he said. “The potential to achieve three A grades will allow them to enter the race for a place.”
Oxford is not the only university turning to aptitude tests. At Cambridge, the number of students taking the university’s Thinking Skills Assessment shot up 26 percent to more than 3000. A survey of 16830 sixth formers applying to higher education from private school last year showed that 2860 had to sit at least one exam.
Earlier this year, the National Foundation for Educational Research recommended that most sixth formers should sit SAT tests—a standard reasoning exam widely used in American colleges—to make it easier to pick out the best candidates.What is the attitude of head teachers to the reform?
| A．Approving |
| B．Doubtful |
| C．Opposed |
| D．Neutral |
Which British university first started to use aptitude tests to pick out the best candidates?
A. Harvard
B. Oxford
C. Cambridge
D. Washington D.CWhat can we know about the A-level system?
| A．It can indicate the brightest candidates. |
| B．It was designed to assess students’ thinking skills. |
| C．It is no longer an accurate way to assess students’ abilities. |
| D．It was recommended by the National Foundation for Education Research. |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．The reform is more popular in America colleges than the British ones. |
| B．The reform will be applied by all universities in the future. |
| C．Universities used to depend on the A-level system to choose the best students. |
| D．Passing additional tests will allow the student to enter Oxford, regardless of whether he or she gets as. |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．How to get into leading universities. |
| B．The disadvantages of the A-level system. |
| C．Different ways to identify students’ abilities. |
| D．Universities using extra exams to choose students. |
Choose your Virginia
Rock House Museum
Rock House Museum. Take a journey through history with a visit to the exciting museum and historic sites of Wytheville. The Rock House Museum offers glimpses into daily life in the 19th century. The museum is part of the 50 structures featured in the Wytheville’s Historic Walking Tour. 540/223-3330.
Natural Bridge of Virginia
Natural Bridge of Virginia, one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Caverns of Natural Bridge, guided tours of underground wonders; Natural Bridge Inn and Conference Center, Indoor Heated Pool, Largest Gift and Souvenir Shop in the east. Information 800/533-1410.
Grand Caverns
Grand Caverns is America’s Oldest showcave. Beautiful and massive formations. Union troops visited the caverns. Thomas Jefferson visited— you should too! Open weekends in March, daily April—October, 9 a.m.—5p.m. Hour tour leave every 30 minutes. 703/249-5705.
The Museum
The Museum in Arlington, the world’s only interactive museum of news. Visitors can be reporters or television newscasters, see today’s news as it happens on a block-long video news wall, and be taken behind the scenes to see how news is made. The Museum is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10a.m.—5p.m. 888/NEWSEUM.www.Newseum.Org.
Kenmore Plantation and Gardens
Kenmore plantation and Gardens, visit over two hundred years of history from Revolutionary War, Civil War and into 21st century. Home of Betty Washington, George Washington’s only sister, and Pariot Col. Fielding Lewis. Explore this historic building and city block of restored gardens. Tea and ginger cookie served. 540/373-3381.
Virginia Beach
Virginia Beach offers 11000 hotel/motel rooms, plus cottages and camp grounds. Enjoy miles of clean beaches and a variety of family attractions. Fine restaurants, various shopping areas, exciting nightlife, and special events are offered through out the year. 800/822-3224.What is the author’s purpose in writing this passage?
| A．To attract tourists to Virginia. |
| B．To encourage people to settle in Virginia. |
| C．To introduce historic sites in Virginia. |
| D．To give people a general description of Virginia. |
What way is the Newseum defferent from Rock House Museum?
| A．It is larger |
| B．It is more exciting. |
| C．Visitors can act in it. |
| D．Visitors can see more in it. |
If you want to enjoy yourself in the evening, you may go to ______.
| A．The newseum |
| B．Kenmore plantation and Gardens |
| C．Grand Caverns |
| D．Virginia Beach |
Which of the following places is not open in the winter months?
| A．Natural Bridge of Virginia |
| B．Grand caverns |
| C．Virginia Beach |
| D．Kenmore plantation and Gardens |
Which of the following is NOT true about the Virginia Beach?
| A．Tourists can camp in the open air. |
| B．Tourists can enjoy special events there. |
| C．Tourists can not go there in their own cars. |
| D．Tourists can enjoy themselves on the clean beach. |
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