Michelle Obama is the first lady of American fashion, appearing on the cover of the March issue of Vogue.
Every first lady since Lou Hoover—except Bess Truman—has been appeared in the high-fashion magazine, but Mrs. Obama is only the second to appear on the cover. She appears wearing a silk dress by Jason Wu.
Vogue’s editor Andre Leon Tally recalled his interviews with Mrs. Obama ahead of US president Barack Obama’s swearing-in ceremony(就职典礼). “One of the best experiences of my life .” “She is so easily reached, natural and normal.” he said.
Mrs. Obama described her role as “Mom in chief” to 10-year-old Malia and 7-year-old Sasha. “I’m going to try to take them to school every morning, as much as I can,” she said. “But there’s also a measure of freedom. And clearly there will be time I won’t be able to drop them off at all. I like to appear in my kids’ school. I want to know the teachers; I want to know the other parents.”
Being in Vogue, though, the chat finally turns to clothes. “I’m not going to pretend that I don’t care about it,” she said. “But I also have to be very practical. Someone will always not like what you wear---people just have different tastes. ”
Most cover models have their clothes chosen for them by Vogue, or at least editors work as advisers. Not this time. “She doesn’t need any help. She loves fashion and knows what works for her,” Talley said. “She has never had a talk with me about, ‘What do you think?’ or ‘How does this like?’ And I’m glad for that.”
45. From the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 we know____.
A. every first lady has appeared on the cover of Vogue
B. only Bess Truman has appeared on the cover of Vogue
C. only two first ladies have appeared on the cover of Vogue
D. only Mrs. Obama has appeared on the cover of Vogue
46. From the forth paragraph we know Mrs. Obama ____.
A. loves their daughters very much
B. likes to do housework very much
C. likes to do all for her husband
D. has nothing to do after daughters go to school
47. From the last paragraph we know Mrs. Obama ____.
A. is a woman of kindness
B. has her own sense of beauty and idea
C. herself is a clothes designer and model
D. doesn’t like to be watched changing clothes
48. Which of the following is the best title?
A. First ladies of Vogue Cover Model
B. First Lady Michelle Obama Read Vogue Too
C. First Ladies Like to be Vogue Cover Model
D. First Lady Michelle Obama Is Vogue Cover Model
New York Time —A gunman killed eight people at a mall in Omaha this afternoon and then killed himself, setting off panic among holiday shoppers, the police said.
“The person who we believe to be the shooter has died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds, ” Sgt. Teresa Negron of the Omaha Police Department said at televised news. “We have been able to clear the mall, ” she said. “We don’t believe we have any other shooters. ” The police said that at least five other people had been injured in the shootings.
She did not give the shooter’s identity. “We are still doing the investigation, ” Sergeant Negron said, adding that the city’s mayor, who was out of town, was on his way back to Omaha.
She said the police received a 911 call from someone inside the Westroads Mall on the west side of Omaha, and shots could be heard in the background. The first police officers arrived at the mall six minutes after the first call, she said, but by then the shootings were over.
It is reported that the gunman left a suicide note that was found at his home by relatives. A law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity (匿名) said the note indicated that the gunman wanted to "go out in style".
The shootings broke the usually banal routine of holiday shopping. The gunman was said by some witnesses to have fired about 20 shots into a crowd. Some customers and workers ran screaming from the mall, while others dived into dressing rooms to hide from the shooter.
Shoppers and store workers were trapped inside the mall, which has roughly 135 stores. Others streamed out of mall exits with their hands raised. President Bush was in Omaha this morning to deliver a speech, but he had left the city by the time the shootings took place.
Where did the shootings first come out?
A.On a newspaper. | B.In the Internet. |
C.In TV news. | D.In a police poster. |
What do the underlined words “go out in style” probably mean?
A.Go out of the mall in particular clothes. |
B.Walk in the mall with everybody focused on. |
C.Go to a socially event by fashionable means. |
D.Stop his life in an impressive way. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.Nobody knows why the shooter did so and nothing was found at his home. |
B.The city’s mayor happened not to be in the city when the shootings took place. |
C.Police arrived at the mall before the shootings were over and rescued customers. |
D.The official who showed what the note meant had no request of his own identity. |
Which of the following can be the best title of the news?
A.Gunman Kills 8 People, Then Himself at a Mall in Omaha |
B.Shoppers in Great Panic before the Holiday |
C.Bush Happened to Escape a Shot |
D.Shooter Found Dead in a Mall on the west of Omaha |
Habits are a funny thing. We reach for them mindlessly, setting our brains on auto-pilot and relaxing into the unconscious comfort of familiar routine.“Not choice, but habit rules the unreflecting creatures,”William Wordsworth said in the 19th century. In the ever-changing 21st century, even the word“habit”carries a negative meaning.
So it seems contradictory to talk about habits in the same context as innovation (创新). But brain researchers have discovered that when we consciously develop new habits, we create parallel paths, and even entirely new brain cells, that can jump our trains of thought onto new, innovative tracks.
Rather than dismissing ourselves as unchangeable creatures of habit, we can instead direct our own change by consciously developing new habits. In fact, the more new things we try, the more creative we become.
But don’t bother trying to kill off old habits; once those ruts of procedure are worn into the brain, they’re there to stay. Instead, the new habits we deliberately press into ourselves create parallel pathways that can bypass those old roads.
“The first thing needed for innovation is attraction to wonder,”says Dawna Markova, author of The Open Mind.“But we are taught instead to‘decide’, just as our president calls himself‘the Decider’.”She adds, however, that“to decide is to kill off all possibilities but one. A good innovational thinker is always exploring the many other possibilities.”
“All of us work through problems in ways of which we’re unaware,”she says. Researchers in the late 1960s discovered that humans are born with the ability to approach challenges in four primary ways: analytically, procedurally, collaboratively (合作地) and innovatively. At the end of adolescence, however, the brain shuts down half of that ability, preserving only those ways of thought that have seemed most valuable during the first decade or so of life.
The current emphasis on standardized testing highlights analysis and procedure, meaning that few of us use our innovative and collaborative ways of thought.“This breaks the major rule in the American belief system—that anyone can do anything,”explains M. J. Ryan, author of the 2006 book This Year I Will…and Ms. Markova’s business partner.“That’s a lie that we have preserved, and it fosters commonness. Knowing what you’re good at and doing even more of it creates excellence.”This is where developing new habits comes in.
Brain researchers have discovered that .
A.the forming of new habits can be guided |
B.the development of habits can be predicted |
C.the regulation of old habits can be transformed |
D.the track of new habits can be created unconsciously |
The underlined word “ruts”in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to .
A.zones | B.connections | C.situations | D.tracks |
Which of the following statements most probably agrees with Dawna Markova’s view?
A.Decision makes no sense in choices. |
B.Curiosity makes creative minds active. |
C.Creative ideas are born of a relaxing mind. |
D.Formation of innovation comes from fantastic ideas. |
he purpose of the author writing this article is to persuade us .
A.to give up our traditional habits deliberately |
B.to create and develop new habits consciously |
C.to resist the application of standardized testing |
D.to believe that old habits conflict with new habits |
The government of Norway is planning to build an unusual storage center on an island in the Arctic Ocean. The place would be large enough to hold about two million seeds. The goal is to present all crops known to scientists. The British magazine New Scientist published details of the plan last month. The structure will be designed to protect the world’s food supply against nuclear war, climate change and other possible threats. It will be built in a mountain on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen. The mountain is less than one thousand kilometers from the North Pole, the northernmost position on earth.
An international group called the Global Crop Diversity Trust is working on the project. The director of the group, Cary Fowler, spoke to New Scientist. He said the project would let the world rebuild agriculture if, in his word, “the worst came to the worst”. Norway is expected to start work next year. The project is expected to cost three million dollars. Workers will drill(钻孔) deep in the side of a sandstone mountain. Temperatures in the area never rise above 0ºC. The seeds will be protected behind walls a meter thick and high-security door.
The magazine report says the collection will represent the products of ten thousand years of farming. Most of the seeds at first will e from collections at seed banks in Africa, Asia and Latin America. To last a long time, seeds need to be kept in very low temperatures. Workers will not be present all the time. But they plan to replace the air inside the storage space each winter. Winter temperatures on the island are about eighteen degrees below 0ºC. The cold weather would protect the seeds even if the air could not be replaced.
Mr. Fowler says the proposed structure will be the world’s safest gene bank. He says the plant seeds would only be used when all other seeds are gone for some reason. Norway first put forward the idea in the 1980s. But safety concerns delayed the plan. At that time, the Soviet Union was meeting in Rome of the Food and Agriculture Organization.
The project is meant to ______.
A.increase the world’s food output in the future |
B.carry out some scientific experiments on plant genes |
C.build an exhibition centre of the world’s plant seeds |
D.protect crop seeds from dying out in case of possible disasters |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the above passage?
A.The government of Norway will perform the project alone. |
B.Seeds to be collected there were produced ten thousands years ago. |
C.Spitsbergen is chosen because it is free of the nuclear war forever. |
D.Temperature is a major consideration when choosing the storage place. |
We can infer from the text that _______.
A.Norway had meant to build the storage centre about 20 years before. |
B.The storage center will greatly promote world agriculture |
C.People will get newly-developed seeds from the center every year. |
D.There haven’t been any seed storage centres in the world before. |
What is probably the best title of the passage?
A.The Best Place to Store Seeds |
B.Noah’s Ark(诺亚方舟)of Plant Seeds in Plan |
C.Concerns of World Food Supply |
D.A New Way to Feed the World |
My parents operated a small restaurant in Seattle.It was open twenty-four hours a day, six days a week.And my first real job,when I was six years old,was 36 the diners’ shoes.My father had done it when he was young,so he taught me 37 to do it efficiently,telling me to 38 to reshine the shoes if the customer wasn’t 39 .
Working in the restaurant was a cause of great 40 because I was also working for the good of the family.But my father 41 that I had to meet certain standards to be part of the team.I 42 to be punctual,hard-working,and polite to the 43 .
I was 44 paid for the work I did at the restaurant.One day I made the mistake of advising Dad that he 45 give me $10 a week.He said,“OK.How about you paying me for three meals a day you have here? And 46 the times you bring in your friends for free soft drinks?” He 47 I owed him about $40 a week.
I remember returning to Seattle after being 48 in the US Army for about two years.I had just been promoted to Captain at that time.And full of pride,I walked into my parents’ restaurant,but the 49 thing Dad said was,“How about your 50 up tonight?” I couldn’t 51 my ears! I am an officer in the Army! But it didn’t 52 as far as Dad was concerned,I was just 53 member of the team.I reached for the mop(拖把).Working for Dad has taught me the devotion to a 54 is above all.It has nothing to do with 55 that team is involved in a family restaurant or the US Army.
A.cleaning B.shining C.removing D.keeping
A.why B.what C.when D.how
A.offer B.refuse C.love D.learn
A.interested B.annoyed C.relaxed D.satisfied
A.fun B.pride C.trouble D.effort
A.got it right B.kept it a rule C.made it clear D.took it for granted
A.had B.tended C.hated D.managed
A.family B.workers C.customers D.friends
A.never B.always C.seldom D.ever
A.must B.should C.might D.could
A.at B.before C.around D.for
A.worked out B.found out C.put out D.thought out
A.alone B.away C.outside D.off
A.usual B.last C.next D.first
B.taking C.cleaning D.moving
A.ignore B.follow C.believe D.understand
A.happen B.care C.go D.matter
A.no B.other C.some D.another
A.team B.family C.leader D.restaurant
A.why B.whether C.when D.How
Net Library Is a library that lends out digital books.It treats a digital like a paperback copy.It charges libraries per book per copy and gives publishers a cut of the total income.
From the consumer's point of view, this means that if more than, say, five people want the latest Danielle Steel romance novel, other people who request that book will get a message saying the title can't be found.
It's a model many publishers seem to have embraced.More than 350 gave the company rights to hand out their digital works and McGraw-Hill Corporation and Houghton Mifflin Corporation have put money in the company.The California public libraries and about 1,800 others across the US are trying out the Net Library service.
Some librarians criticize the New Library model.Stanford University librarian Michael Keller argues that the company is creating an unnatural fear of digital woks; which is contrary to the ideas of the Internet.
Keller and some other librarians argue for the e-book vision set forth by E-Brary.E-Brary is starting a service mat lets us users read books for free.
But it will charge about 25 cents a page when a person tries to print out material or copy and paste it into a different file or tries to download copy onto a computer.
Christopher Warnock, chief executive of E-Brary, believes most consumers won't want to buy entire books, only the parts that interest them.
"There's not really a lot of good m owning an electronic file and having to store it and manage it.It doesn't make sense." he said.
How do publishers get money from the Net Library?
A.They get money from selling their books to the Net Library. |
B.They share the money with the Net Library. |
C.They get money by cutting the cost of the books. |
D.They get the money from the readers. |
The underlined word "embraced" in the 3rd paragraph means _ ___.
A.taken something willingly | B.held something tightly |
C.disliked something badly | D.tried out something hard |
From the 2nd paragraph we can see consumers .
A.don’t care if they are charged money |
B.enjoy the service of the Net Library |
C.don’t like other people borrowing books |
D.complain about the limited number of the new books |
What does the last paragraph mean?
A.Net Library is not a good way for the consumers. |
B.There is no need for consumers to have a whole book. |
C.E-Brary is not a good library for the consumers. |
D.It’s reasonable to charge the consumers money for copying some pages. |
Blogs are being used more and more by teachers. Many Internet services now offer free and easy ways to create personal Web pages.
Through comments on blogs, or Web logs, teachers can share their classroom experiences. They can exchange ideas and discuss successes and failures. They can debate educational policies. Or they can just sympathize with each other.
A teacher in the American state of North Carolina recently wrote on her blog: “Apparently the teachers at my school use too much paper. So my principal yelled at everyone at the last staff meeting for, like, ten minutes. Now, I’ve just been told, we are not getting anymore paper for the rest of the year.”
This unidentified blogger is now in her third year of teaching, but still calls her site firstyearteacher.blogspot.com.
A blogger who calls himself Minister Lawrence works as a substitute teacher. In April he wrote about a disputed plan to split the Omaha, Nebraska, public schools into separate systems for black, Latino and white students. Supporters say minority parents do not have enough power over their children’s education.
But Minister Lawrence wrote at teachersparadise.blogspot.com: “I’m afraid that what this says’ to a lot of people is that blacks, whites and Hispanics are not equal, and “reinforces” racist beliefs among people.”
Educators did not become involved with blogging right away. Many were concerned with privacy issues and security. But now, thousands of teacher blogs can be found on the Internet. Many teachers do not identify themselves, and they change the names of students and co-workers.
What are teachers not doing through blogs?
A.They discuss educational problem. | B.They send money to the poor students. |
C.They share teaching ideas. | D.They comfort each other. |
What is the main idea for the passage?
A.More and more teachers are using blogs. | B.It is exciting to use blogs. |
C.Blogs are popular with students. | D.Educational problems are settled through blogs. |
Why some teachers do not identify themselves? Because ___
A.they are forbidden to identify themselves. |
B.they are forbidden to write something through blogs |
C.they want to ensure their security |
D.they want to amuse others. |
Which of the following is the result of the teachers’ using blogs?
A.Paper consuming is declining. | B.Teaching is improving. |
C.Classes are more active. | D.Government is against it. |
Minister Lawrence’s blogs are about___
A.classroom experiences | B.teaching plans |
C.educational policies | D.the black minority |
阅读下面短文,将标有A~F的段落或句子插入文章中题号为1~5的恰当位置,使全篇文章意义完整,结构连贯。注意:1)有一个选项是多余的;2)如选E请填涂AB;选F请填涂CD.
Freezing can keep food fresh and safe to eat. Freezing lowers the food temperature below zero degree Celsius. That is the point where water turns to ice. , it is important to lower the temperature to between minus fifteen and minus twenty degrees Celsius as quickly as possible. The faster the freezing process is, the fresher the taste of the food.
Fruits and vegetables can be spread out inside the freezer. Once the food is frozen, . Fruits are usually not cooked before they are frozen. This allows them to keep their fresh taste. The simplest way to prepare fruits is to cut them up and place them in a container inside the freeze before putting it in the container. This will keep it from sticking to the container. This is called the “dry pack” method.
, The fruit is prepared along with some of its liquid or juice. You can ad some sugar to fruits that are naturally juicy. The sugar sweetens the fruit and brings out its natural juices.
. Blanching means placing the vegetables in boiling water for a few minutes and then quickly placing them into very cold water. Blanching slows down the natural chemical aging process. All extra water should be removed before placing the vegetables into containers and freezing. .
A.it should be placed in containers and then stored at a temperature of about minus twenty degrees Celsius |
B.Vegetables are either cooked or blanched before freezing |
C.To start the freezing process |
D.To keep them fresh for a long time |
E. The second way is the “wet pack” method
F. Most foods can be stored frozen for up to one year
.
California is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by land area, after Alaska and Texas. California is located on the West Coast of the United States, bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the northeast, Arizona to the southeast, the Mexican state of Baja California to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Its four largest cities are Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, and San Francisco. The state is home to the nation’s second and sixth largest census statistical areas as well as eight of the nation’s fifty most populous cities. California has a varied climate and geography, and a diverse population.
California’s geography ranges from the Pacific coast to the Sierra Nevada mountain range in the east, to Mojave desert areas in the southeast and the Redwood — Douglas fir forests of the northwest. The center of the state is dominated by the Central Valley, one of the most productive agricultural areas in the world. California is the most geographically diverse state in the nation, and contains the highest (Mount Whitney) and lowest (Death Valley) points in the contiguous United States. Almost 40% of California is forested, a high amount for a relatively arid state.
Beginning in the late 18th century, the area known as Alta California was colonized by the Spanish Empire. In 1821, Mexico, including Alta California, became the First Mexican Empire, beginning as a monarchy, before shifting to a republic. In 1846 a group of American settlers in Sonoma declared the independence of a California Republic. As a result of the Mexican-American War, Mexico ceded California to the United States. It became the 31st state admitted to the union on September 9, 1850.
In the 19th century, the California Gold Rush brought about dramatic social, economic, and demographic change in California, with a large influx of people and an economic boom that caused San Francisco to grow from a hamlet of tents to a world-renowned boomtown. Key developments in the early 20th century included the emergence of Los Angeles as center of the American entertainment industry, and the growth of a large, state-wide tourism sector. In addition to California’s prosperous agricultural industry, other important contributors to the economy include aerospace, petroleum, and information technology. If California were a country, it would rank among the ten largest economies in the world, with a GDP similar to that of Italy. It would be the 35th most populous country.
46. Which of the following is TRUE about California?
A. The population in California is larger than that in any other state in the US.
B. A state of Mexico lies to the southeast of California.
C. Eight biggest cities in California are among the most developed ones in North America.
D. Few races of people live in California except the white and black people.
47. What is the second paragraph mainly about?
A. California’s culture B. California’s history
C. California’s location D. California’s geography
48. How did the United States admit California as its 31st state?
A. By occupying the land. B. By colonizing the land.
C. By winning a war against Mexico. D. By offering aids to Mexico.
49. Why did San Francisco grow from a hamlet of tents to a world-famous boomtown?
A. Because it became the center of the American entertainment industry.
B. Because it had the best growth of a large, state-wide tourism.
C. Because a large number of people rushed there in search of gold.
D. Because it developed many such important contributors to economy as IT.
50. What if California were a country?
A. It would be richer than Italy, a European country.
B. It would be one of the ten richest countries.
C. Its population would be larger than that of 34 countries.
D. It would have a better economy than it has now.
.
Saving the Planet with Earth-Friendly Bamboo Products
Jackie Heinricher’s love with bamboo started in her backyard. “As a child, I remember playing among the golden bamboo my dad had planted, and when there was a slight wind, the bamboos sounded really musical.”
A fishing biologist, Heinricher, 47, planned to work in the industry in Seattle, where she lived with her husband, Guy Thornburgh, but she found it too competitive. Then her garden gave her the idea for a business: She’d planted 20 bamboo forests on their seven-acre farm.
Heinricher started Boo-Shoot Gardens in 1998. She realized early on what is just now beginning to be known to the rest of the world. It can be used to make fishing poles, skateboards, buildings, furniture, floors, and even clothing. An added bonus: Bamboo absorbs four times as much carbon dioxide as a group of hardwood trees and releases 35 percent more oxygen.
First she had to find a way to mass-produce the plants—a tough task, since bamboo flowers create seed only once every 50 to 100 years. And dividing a bamboo plant frequently kills it.
Heinricher appealed to Randy Burr, a tissue culture expert, to help her. “People kept telling us we’d never figure it out,” says Heinricher. “Others had worked on it for 27 years! I believed in what we were doing, though, so I just kept going.”
She was right to feel a sense of urgency. Bamboo forests are being rapidly used up, and a United Nations report showed that even though bamboo is highly renewable, as many as half of the world’s species are threatened with dying out. Heinricher knew that bamboo could make a significant impact on carbon emissions (排放) and world economies, but only if huge numbers could be produced. And that’s just what she and Burr figured out after nine years of experiments—a way to grow millions of plants. By placing cuttings in test tubes with salts, vitamins, plant hormones, and seaweed gel, they got the plants to grow and then raised them in soil in greenhouses.
Not long after it, Burr’s lab hit financial difficulties. Heinricher had no experience running a tissue culture operation, but she wasn’t prepared to quit. So she bought the lab.
Today Heinricher heads up a profitable multimillion-dollar company, working on species from all over the world and selling them to wholesalers. “If you want to farm bamboo, it’s hard to do without the young plants, and that’s what we have,” she says proudly.
72. What was the main problem with planting bamboo widely?
A. They didn’t have enough young bamboo.
B. They were short of money and experience.
C. They didn’t have a big enough farm to do it.
D. They were not understood by other people.
73. What does Heinricher think of bamboo?
A. Renewable and acceptable B. Productive and flexible.
C. Useful and earth-friendly. D. Strong and profitable.
74. The underlined word “renewable” in Paragraph 6 probably means “________”.
A. able to be replaced naturally B. able to be raised difficultly
C. able to be shaped easily D. able to be recycled conveniently
75. What do you learn from the passage?
A. Heinricher’s love for bamboo led to her experiments in the lab.
B. Heinricher’s determination helped her to succeed in her work.
C. Heinricher struggled to prevent bamboo from disappearing.
D. Heinricher finally succeeded in realizing her childhood dream.
第三部分:阅读理解(共20小题,共40分)
第一节(共15题, 每小题2分,满分30分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A,B,C和D)中,选出最佳选项。
We often hear the phrase: “You have a greater chance of being struck by lightning.”It is used to describe something that hasn’t got much chance of happening.However, the common saying undermines(掩盖)the very real dangers of lightning.
Last Friday, at least 5 people were killed by lightning in Nepal(尼泊尔).
Lightning strikes are the second most common cause of deaths during natural disasters in the US.The first is floods.Around 400 people nationwide are struck by lightning each year, and of those, 70 people die.That is, more people are killed by lightning than by tornadoes and hurricanes.
Because lightning kills only one or two people at a time, its danger does not receive as much attention as other disasters.
“If you hear thunder, you are in danger from lightning, ”said Rocky Lopes, a disaster educator at the American Red Cross.
“Thunder means that lightning is close enough to hit you at any time, so you should move indoors immediately and stay there until the storm has ended.The most important thing to remember is to seek shelter,”Lopes said.
Summer is the peak time for lightning storms, so when lightning strikes across the sky, remember these safety tips:
*Stop working, fishing, swimming or playing in open fields.
*Do not stand under a tree.
*Get off bicycle and motorcycles.
*Crouch down(蹲下)if there is no shelter.
*Avoid open spaces, wire fences, metal objects and electrical objects such as hair driers.
56.Of the people who are struck by lightning each year in the U.S.A., about ____ people are lucky enough to continue to live.
A.400 B.330 C.70 D.5
57.If you hear the thunder, the most important thing you do is to _____.
A.find shelter to hide in B.stand still in the open spaces
C.stand under a tree D.stop working in the fields
58.Which of the following is NOT true?
A.If you hear the thunder, you needn’t move indoors right away.
B.Fewer than 70 people are killed by tornadoes and hurricanes each year in the U.S.A.
C.People don’t pay as much attention to the danger of lightning as that of floods.
D.Floods are the first most common cause of deaths during natural disasters in the U.S.A.
B
London - Police are monitoring social networking sites popular with teenagers such as Bebo, Facebook and MySpace after claims that they are being used to organize mass brawls (对骂).
Kent Police believe that teenagers have been using the Internet to arrange “fight club” contests watched by up to 100 spectators in a public park.
At least six organized fights have taken place in Brenchley Gardens in Maidstone, Kent, according to one teenage blogger. (59) During one of the fights a 14-year-old boy was arrested for carrying a hunting knife. Kent Police have now ordered specialist officers to monitor sites such as Bebo.
Chief Inspector Ian Hall said: “(60) We are aware of attempts to organize fights using technology such as websites and mobile phones. Pupils from some schools in the area may be involved in this type of anti-social behavior and we are working with schools to eradicate (根除) the problem.”
According to one blogger the fights usually take place on Saturday nights. The contests are named after the Hollywood film Fight Club starring Edward Norton and Brad Pitt. The central characters fight for the adrenaline rush but the film has an ironic twist (歪曲) apparently lost on some of its audience.
This week police in Macclesfield, Cheshire, arrested six teenagers on suspicion of public order offences after an investigation into a series of assaults (袭击). The youths, aged 16 and 17, were released on police bail (保释). The officers discovered that attacks had been discussed and possibly even prearranged using the Bebo websites.
In Collumpton, Devon, last weekend police intercepted (阻止) 30 pupils going to a mass brawl carrying metal bars, pieces of wood and chain.
Questions 56—58: Answer the following questions briefly.
56. What is the main idea of the passage?
57. What does the underlined word “monitoring” mean?
58. Please find a sentence in the passage which can replace the following one.
It is likely that the teenagers had used the Bebo websites to discuss and even plan the attack.
Questions 59—60: Translate the underlined sentences in the passage into Chinese.
You’re in a department store and you see a couple of attractive young women looking at a sweater. You listen to their conversation:
“I can’t believe it —a Lorenzo Bertolla! They are almost impossible to find. Isn’t it beautiful? And it’s a lot cheaper than the one Sara bought in Rome.”
They leave and you go over to see this incredible sweater.It's nice and the price is right.You've never heard of Lorenzo Bertolla, but those girls looked really stylish.They must know.So, you buy it.You never realize that those young women are employees of an advertising agency.They are actually paid to go from store to store, talking loudly about Lorenzo BertoHa clothes.
Every day we notice what people are wearing, driving and eating.If the person looks cool, the product seems cool, too.This is the secret of undercover(暗中影响的) marketing.Companies from Ford to Nike are starting to use it.
Undercover marketing is important because it reaches people that don't pay attention to traditional advertising.This is particularly true of the MTV generation----consumers between the age of 18 and 34.It is a golden group.They have a lot of money to spend, but they don't trust ads.
So advertising agencies hire young actors to "perform" in bars and other places where young adults go.Some people might call this practice deceptive, but marketing executive Jonathan Ressler calls it creative."Look at traditional advertising.Its effectiveness is decreasing."
However, one might ask what exactly is "real" about of young women pretending to be enthusiastic about a sweater? Adverting executives would say it's no less real than an ad.The difference is that you know an ad is trying to persuade you to buy something.You don' t know when a conversation you overhear is just a performance.
The two attractive young women were talking so that they could ________.
A.get the sweater at a lower price | B.be heard by people around |
C.be admired by other shoppers | D.decide on buying the sweater |
Lorenzo Bertolla is __________.
A.a very popular male singer | B.an advertising agency |
C.a clothing company in Rome | D.the brand name of a sweater |
Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
A.The two girls are in fact employed by the Lorenzo Bertolla Company. |
B.The MTV generation tend to be more easily influenced by ads. |
C.Traditional advertising is becoming less effective because it's too direct. |
D.Undercover marketing will surely be banned soon by the government. |
Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A.Two Attractive Shoppers | B.Lorenzo Bertolla Sweaters |
C.Ways of Advertising | D.Undercover Marketing |
It’s good to make mistakes, and here is why.
First of all, mistakes are a clear sign that you are trying new things. It’s always good to try new things because when you are trying new things you are growing. If you never try anything new, how can you improve? How can you expand? The simple answer is “You can’t”. Look around you. With very few exceptions (例外), either everything you see in your physical world or every single detail of every single thing is the result of someone trying something new.
Another good thing about mistakes is this: When you are making mistakes, you are learning. Consider this: Edison failed 10,000 times before he perfected the light bulb. When asked how it felt to fail that many times, he said that he hadn’t failed 10,000 times, but rather had learned 10,000 things that didn’t work.
Finally, when you make a mistake you are much closer to success. Why?
Because when all is said and done, you will have tried some number of things before you succeeded. Every time you make a mistake you eliminate one of those things and are one step closer.
But this all doesn’t mean that you should go ahead without considering the consequences of a mistake. Quite the contrary, when you try something new you have to be willing to set some reasonable limits so that in the event that it doesn’t work out the way you want it to, you will be in a position to try again.
We all have limited resources in the form of time and money so don’t blow them all on one approach to a problem. Realize that it probably won’t be perfect the first time and allocate (分配) these resources appropriately so you can learn, make corrections, and try it again. Only by accepting and using your mistakes in this way can you make significant advances in your business and your career.
There is an old saying that goes, “If you’re not making mistakes, you’re not trying hard enough.”
So go forth and make mistakes. And learn. And grow. And prosper(成功).
From the second paragraph, we can conclude that _______.
A.mistakes are unnecessary for development |
B.we are afraid of trying new things |
C.it’s common for people to make mistakes |
D.mistakes are better than not trying |
The underlined word “eliminate” means _______.
A.avoid | B.dismiss | C.accept | D.solve |
According to the article, one thing you should pay attention to about making mistakes is _______.
A.avoiding making the same mistakes | B.accepting the punishment willingly |
C.taking consequences into account | D.trying things out one by one |
The article is mainly about _______.
A.how to deal with mistakes | B.what benefits mistakes bring |
C.how to achieve success | D.how to make use of your mistakes |
What would the writer probably suggest we say to ourselves when we make a mistake?
A.Never mind, I can always try again. | B.I’d better stay out of trouble. |
C.Great! Now I can learn something. | D.Look at this mess. Anyone would be upset. |
If you feel at present that you don’t have enough friends in your life, one reason may be that you have let yourself become too busy to make time for the relationships you already have. Starting and keeping friendship requires effort and commitment.
Many of us let our lives become so busy with work and other commitments that we don’t get around to scheduling time for pleasure and renewal(叙旧)with the friends, relatives and acquaintances we already have.
Making the effort to call your friends more regularly and to accept more of the invitations you receive from others can improve your social life in a hurry!
Are there any people you could call right now and be assured of a pleasant welcome? Are there people that you could count on to help you in time of difficulty? Can you have close talks with them? Do you have fun when you are together? Are you happy to have them in your life?
If you haven’t seen much of them lately, is it because you have become too busy? Have you grown apart? Was there an argument?
If the main reason you haven’t been getting together with the people you already know is that you have got too busy, take a good look at how you spend your time. Compare it with your real values and priorities(优先考虑的事)in life. Is your busy lifestyle really bringing you the quality of life that you want?
If you have become too busy for friends, why has this happened? Are you seeking material toys in your life at the expense of relationships with other human beings? Have you allowed your time to be over-committed because you never say “No” to anyone? Do you insist on doing things yourself that could be appointed to others? If so, why? Do you believe that everything depends on you?
Examine whether the way you are now spending your time accurately reflects your deepest values and priorities. Make sure that you schedule adequate time for the things that are truly most important to you.
If you really want to keep friends in your life, make a space in your schedule, and a space in your heart for them.
In this passage the author mainly discusses ____.
A.how to balance friendship and work |
B.how to spend our spare time |
C.whether we should keep friendship |
D.whether we should invite friends to dinner |
Which of the following doesn’t indicate a good relationship?
A.You have someone to count on when you are in trouble. |
B.You have someone to have close talks with. |
C.You have fun when you are with someone. |
D.You feel depressed with others in life. |
The reason why you have become too busy for friends may be the following EXCEPT that ____.
A.you spend too much time seeking material toys in your life |
B.you feel it difficult to keep friendship |
C.you stick to doing everything all by yourself |
D.you never refuse whatever other people ask you to do |
Which would be the best title for the text?
A.Too Busy for Friendship? | B.Too Busy with Work? |
C.How to Spend Your Time | D.How to Make New Friends |