Alibaba started taking the lead in China, simply enough, by connecting big Chinese manufacturers(制造商)with big buyers across the world. Its business-to-business site, Alibaba.com allowed business to buy almost everything. Alibaba’s advantage wasn’t hard to identify: size. Alibaba is just big, even by Chinese standards. Its marketplaces attract 231 million active buyers, 8 million sellers, 11.3 billion orders a year—and Alibaba is just the middleman. It encourages people to use its markets—not charging small sellers a percentage of the sale.
If you want a quick look into the influence of Alibaba on daily Chinese life, take my experience. I moved to Beijing almost a year ago and quickly got tired of visiting small stores across the crowded, polluted city of 20 million people in search of new electronics, bathroom furnishings, and anything else my wife wanted. “You’re looking for what exactly? Why not try it? ” my Chinese teacher asked me one day. With that, my wonderful new relationship with Alibaba began.
Alibaba’s original business-to-business model now is secondary to(对…来说是次要的) consumer buying. Chinese retail(零售)buying makes up 80% of Alibaba’s profit, and leading that group is Taobao, with 800 million items for sale and the most unbelievable selection of things you’ll ever find. TMall.com is Alibaba’s other big site, where you can find brand name goods from Nike and Unilever near the lowest prices.
What I have a hard time explaining to friends and family back in the U.S. is how China has gone beyond traditional shopping—big-box retailers especially —in favor of online purchases on Taobao and a few other sites. In smaller towns than Beijing, where big retailers have not yet traveled, shopping online is shopping, and shopping is Taobao.
I have a list of some of my recent purchases on Taobao for a sense of how extensive(广大) the marketplace is. Almost everything arrived a day or two after ordering with free shipping. I’m not even a big buyer, because I need friends to help me search the Chinese-language site. When I was searching my purchase history on my Chinese teacher’s iPad, which helps me buy goods, I looked through with great difficulty about 10 of her purchases for every one of mine.
What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 2 refer to?
A.Alibaba | B.a new store |
C.a business | D.a foreign website |
What can be inferred from the passage?
A.The author’s Chinese teacher is also an online purchase lover. |
B.Taobao has no obvious advantage over other similar online sites. |
C.Alibaba’s business-to-business service earns more money than retail now. |
D.TMall.com provides more profit than Taobao. |
What is the passage mainly about?
A.Shopping online is TaoBao. |
B.Alibaba greatly influences people’s daily purchase in China. |
C.The influence of shopping online goes beyond traditional shopping. |
D.How the author purchases online in China. |
What can we learn from the underlined sentence in the passage refer to?
A.Alibaba acts as a bridge between buyers and sellers. |
B.Alibaba will continue to develop. |
C.Alibaba stands out as the best online site. |
D.Alibaba is of middle size among all the online sites. |
“High income is not as good as high age ,and high age is not as good as high spirits.”
Generally speaking , the rich are happier because money can purchase goods and services and it is the consumption(消费) of these materials that increases one’s enjoyment of life . Especially nowadays , money seems to be one thing that drives the people around . “Human beings live for money while birds die for food.”—a well-known Chinese saying is quite quotable(适宜引用的)to interpret the present society. Some people try every means to make money at the expense of others interests . These people harm others to benefit themselves. They think the more money they make , the happier they will be.
In addition to money, people’s happiness was affected by other factors. High age is what many Chinese are dreaming of . Longevity(长寿) is the very term that the people often use to pray for their dears and elders. So there are many books and theories that introduce the way of living longer. Dancing , jogging , dieting , even singing and shouting together are said to do good to one’s health.
Nevertheless , some people think that high spirits is vital to the quality of one’s life . If you are in high spirits , you’ll find everything pleasing and comfortable in life: warm sunshine , blue sky, white clouds , happy birds ,comfortable breeze , sweet smiles ,and so on . You seem to have the friends across the world. Your life will be happy at every moment. You will have a good health and can make more money if you live longer.
In one word , let’s keep ourselves in high spirits , thus we could keep longevity and make considerable money at the same time.
63.The rich are happier because .
A. they have the hobby of saving money.
B. they can gain all the things in the world
C. they help the poor by giving them a lot of money
D. the consumption can increase their enjoyment of life
64.What does the Chinese saying“Human beings live for money while birds die for food” tell us?
A. It tells us that people try every means to make money at the expense of everything.
B. It tells us that the more money people make ,the longer they will live.
C. It tells us that to live is to make more money.
D. It tells us that people will die for making more money, just as birds die for food.
65.The author thinks that is the most important.
A. high income B. high age C. high spirits D. the quality of one’s life.
Most Chinese people these days know what it is like to have an “English teacher”, since almost all pupils study English from their third year. Usually that first English teacher will be a young and lovely lady in primary school. But my first English teacher is no other than my father. Looking back, I can see that, when I was only a little girl, he created an English environment by providing me with flashcards(识字卡),fun English- language toys and even dolls which can sing English songs! My interest in English had certainly been awakened(唤起) when I began to learn English at school. Just imagine, he went a step further and asked me to learn New Concept English by myself! I was confused and even angry. I could not understand why a father could be so strict with his little girl. All the same, he never gave up and he gently insisted that I follow through with his idea. At first, I read stories with tears and I actually hated them because they were too difficult for me. In the end, I came to love the funny stories and, to be honest, my father was always there with a helping hand. I am sure that my English would never have got so far without his support. And that’s why my father is not only my first English teacher but also my lifelong teacher. He is the one who awoke my interest, who gave me confidence and who offered me much needed help.
Most pupils in China begin to learn English________.
A.in primary school | B.from parents | C.at three years old | D.at home |
The underline part ‘no other than my father’ in the passage probably means________.
A.like my father | B.not my father | C.my father himself | D.not only my father |
From the whole passage we can see that________.
A.the girl preferred playing to learning English |
B.the girl hates her father because he was strict |
C.the girl is very thankful to her father |
D.the father gave up after knowing his daughter could not understand |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A.The girl’s father is her first English teacher. |
B.The girl had been interested in English before going to school. |
C.The girl’s father was always ready to help her with her English. |
D.The girl could have learned English well by herself without her father. |
What would be the best title for the passage?
A.How I learned English at school |
B.My father---my first and lifelong English teacher |
C.The relationship between my father and I |
D.I’ve made progress in English learning |
A new study shows that fat people in the United States suffer direct economic and social effects because of their size . The findings are from an 8-year study of about 100,000 people . The people studied were between the ages of 16 and 25 when the research began .
The researchers who carried out the study say they consider the people fat if they are in the top of 5% of the measurement in which weight is connected with height . For example , fat women in the study were about 160 centimeters tall and weighed about 90 kilograms . Fat men in the study were about 175 centimeters tall and weighed 100 kilograms . The researchers say that more than 1,000,000 Americans are that big . The researchers found that fat young women were more likely to lose social and economic power even if they were from wealthy families . The fat women also were 20% less likely to get married and they earned an average of about $6,700 a year less than other women . The study showed less severe effect on fat men . They earned an average of about $3,000 a year less than other men . Fat men also were 11% less likely to get married .
64. From this passage we know fat people in America were
A. admired B. respected C. unhealthy D. unpopular
65. Which of the following was not mentioned in this passage ?
A. The reason why fat people suffered .
B. The cause that caused people to be fat .
C. The standard of fat people .
D. The number of fat people .
66. The underlined word “severe” means .
A. economic B. social C. serious D. favorable
67. Fat people were inferior to(比……差)other people in .
A. brain , human rights and payment
B. income , marriage and political rights
C. brain , education and marriage
D. marriage , getting jobs and income
Q My daughter is a junior in high school and has been on an individualized education program since fourth grade. She plans to go to college and intends to finish with a master’s degree. Her performance is fairly good, but test scores are very low. She has held many leadership and volunteer positions. We have been advised to have her write an essay about how her learning disability is a barrier that she has overcome. Will that help or hurt her chances for admission?
—Deborah
A First let me answer the question on low standardized test scores (ACT/ SAT). There are hundreds of colleges that are “test optional” which means students can choose not to release their test scores in the application process. Admission decisions at these colleges for students who do not submit their test scores are made based on other factors. A list of test optional colleges can be found at fairtest.org. It is important, however, to make sure that the college is the right fit academically regardless of the test optional policy.
You also asked if your daughter should write about her disability and if this would hurt her chances of being admitted. Please know that colleges do not deny admission based on disability. “Disclosing” a learning disability in a personal statement within the college application can certainly help. By writing a personal statement, students can potentially demonstrate, for example, their understanding of the challenge they face. They might also demonstrate an improved grade trend in that subject area, and show interest in more complex courses in spite of this disability. More importantly, a student disclosure can show self-confidence, motivation and an understanding of the disability.
—Ms. Kravis
What do we know about Deborah’s daughter?
A.She is applying for a master’s degree. |
B.She is very active in her high school. |
C.Her disability prevents her studying well. |
D.She has difficulty overcoming her learning disability. |
According to Ms. Kravis, what can Deborah do about her daughter’s low test scores?
A.Keep them secret | B.Explain the reasons |
C.Stress other aspects | D.Work hard to improve |
What is Ms. Kravis’ attitude toward one’s declaring his/ her learning disability?
A.Supportive | B.Opposed | C.Doubtful | D.Unconcerned |
According to the text, Ms. Kravis is probably .
A.an editor | B.a school leader |
C.a psychological | D.an educational expert |
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 |
The film stars out as a normal day at a typical American high school. Friends chat in the dining room and boys play football. But there's big surprise when the movie ends with two students going crazy in the school-shooting and killing people.
This is Elephant. It stars real school kids. American director Gus Van Sant had no ready-made lines. The student actors made up their own dialogue, with Van Sant asking them to base their characters on their own lives.
Although it may not sound very high quality, the film won the Palme d'Or (金棕奖) for Best Film and the award for Best Director at the Cannes film festival.
The film is based on the shootings at a high school in the US, where two boys killed 13 people and then themselves in 1999.
The title of the movie refers to the old expression about a problem that's as hard to ignore as an elephant in the house.
The film takes a close look at a few hours in the lives of the victims and the killers. It shows how high school is a different experience for everyone---fun and friendly, or hard and lonely.
In many ways, the two boys, who carry out the shooting, act like ordinary kids. They joke around with one boy's mother as she serves them cakes and play the piano.
But there're hints of the anger they feel inside. One of the boys is bullied (欺负) at school. The other plays violent video games. But Van Sant isn't blaming their killings on either bullying or violent games. In fact, the film doesn't offer any reason for why school violence happens.
"I didn't want to explain anything. It's up to the audience to draw its own conclusions," said the 51-year-old director.
The lines of the film were ________.
A.given by the director |
B.created by student actors |
C.thought out by the director during the acting |
D.carefully designed by professional people |
The film doesn't tell why school shootings happen________.
A.so as to leave room for the audience to think and judge |
B.because life itself is the problem maker |
C.because the mental problems of students are hard to explain |
D.but there are some hints of the reasons |
The film is named Elephant because ________.
A.an elephant is always gentle and never causes trouble |
B.an elephant is a symbol of big problems in American schools |
C.elephant is used to suggest that the school crime is a big problem |
D.the two boys liked elephants when alive |
What’s the passage mainly about?
A.It shows American school life. |
B.It introduces the film Elephant. |
C.It tells people to be careful while in peace. |
D.It reports a school killing in a US school. |
As you grow older,you’ll be faced with some challenging decisions--like whether to cut class or try cigarettes.Making decisions on your own is hard enough,but when other people get involved and try to pressure you one way or another it can be even harder.People who are your age,like your classmates,are called peers.When they try to influence how you act,to get you to do something,it’s called peer pressure.
Peers can have a positive influence on each other.Maybe another student in your science class taught you an easy way to remember the planets in the solar system.Maybe you got others excited about your new favorite book,and now everyone’s reading it.These are examples of how peers positively influence each other.
Sometimes peers influence each other in negative ways.For example,a few kids in school might try to get you to cut class with them; your soccer friend might try to convince you to be mean to another player and never pass him the ball.
It is tough to be the only one who says “no” to peer pressure,but you can do it.Paying attention to your own feelings and beliefs about what is right and wrong can help you know the right thing to do.
You’ve probably had a parent or teacher advising you to “choose your friends wisely.” Peer pressure is a big reason why they say this.If you choose friends who don’t cut class,smoke cigarettes,or lie to their parents,then you probably won’t do these things either,even if other kids do.
If you continue to face peer pressure and you’re finding it difficult to handle,talk to someone you trust.Don’t feel guilty if you’ve made a mistake or two.
For whom is the passage most probably written?
A.Students |
B.Parents |
C.Teachers |
D.Doctors |
In the last three paragraphs,the author mainly_____.
A.explains why friendship is so important |
B.gives advice on how to deal with peer pressure |
C.discusses how peers influence us |
D.shows how to make more good friends |
Which of following may help handle peer pressure?
A.Spending more time with classmates. |
B.Taking up more relaxing hobbies. |
C.Choosing friends with no bad habits. |
D.Helping others who are in trouble. |
What is the topic of the passage?
A.Friendship |
B.Making decisions |
C.Self-confidence |
D.Peer pressure |
阅读下列短文,选出最佳选项。 Three-year-old Teddy Lasry was sleeping in his cowboy outfit (套装) yesterday at his family’s Fifth Ave.apartment when he shot up in bed screaming.A 3-foot-long black-and-white snake twisted around his left arm and had just bitten his little finger.
“The babysitter (a person taking care of children while their parents are away for a short time) was frightened to death,” said Teddy’s father, David Lasry, who, along with his wife, Evelyn, was at work when the snake appeared about 4:00 pm.
The horrified babysitter called 911 and the building’s doorman.The doorman and two cable TV workers helped take the snake off the boy’s arm and put it in a garbage bag.Police rushed Teddy to Mount Sinai Medical Center, where he spent two hours attached to a heart monitor as a precaution in case the snake was poisonous.It wasn’t.Experts at the snakebite treatment center at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx, where policemen took the snake, found out it was a non-poisonous California king snake.
But how did it end up in Teddy’s bed?
A little detective work determined that the snake had escaped two weeks ago from its cage in the apartment of a doctor whose family lives four floors below the Lasrys.The apologetic owner said his son’s pet snake likely traveled up the water pipes and into his neighbor’s apartment.“It’s a very gentle, very harmless snake,” he said.“It’s handled by our family all the time.”
David Lasry believed the pet was simply hungry after two weeks of wandering.Evelyn said her son seems to have overcome his fright by thinking of himself as a hero cowboy as he rode in the back of the police car to the hospital.
“I told Teddy he’s a pretty snake, a nice pet snake who got out of his cage,” Evelyn said.“But he asked, ‘Why did he bite my finger, Mamma?’ And I said, ‘Because he saw that you are a big boy, Teddy, in your cowboy outfit and he got scared.’”
What did the babysitter do after Teddy was bitten by a snake?
A.She ran out of the apartment. |
B.She called the TV company. |
C.She made an emergency call. |
D.She took the snake off Teddy’s arm. |
We can learn from the passage that the snake _______.
A.was poisonous |
B.was kept in a cage by its owner |
C.was deserted by its owner |
D.escaped to the apartment |
From the passage, we know _______.
A.Teddy needed a heart machine to stay alive for two hours |
B.Teddy was awake when the snake arrived |
C.Teddy’s mother was at home when the snake turned up |
D.the snake was used to being touched |
Teddy probably believed he was attacked because _______.
A.his parents weren’t at home |
B.he was asleep the snake |
C.was scared of him |
D.the snake was hungry |
B
Populations and Land (1987) |
||||
|
Area in |
Percent |
Population |
Percent |
|
Square miles |
Cultivated |
In millions |
forested |
United States |
3615104 |
20 |
243.8 |
28 |
Canada |
3851792 |
5 |
25.9 |
33 |
United Kingdom |
94525 |
29 |
56.8 |
9 |
Australia |
2967896 |
6 |
16.2 |
14 |
India |
1269340 |
51 |
800.3 |
21 |
China |
3705390 |
11 |
1062.0 |
14 |
Which two countries are the closest to each other in area?
A.The US and Canada | B.The US and China |
C.China and Canada | D.India and China |
_____ has the highest population density(密度), and _____ has the second highest.
A.China, India | B.India, China |
C.India, the US | D.China, the US |
Which two countries have the closest percentage of cultivated land?
A.The US and the United Kingdom. |
B.The US and China |
C.Australia and Canada. |
D.Australia and China |
There are _____ countries whose cultivated land percentage is larger than the forest percentage.
A.2 | B.3 | C.4 | D.5 |
For those who make journeys across the world, the speed of travel today has turned the countries into a series of villages. Distances between them appear no greater to a modern traveler than those which once faced men as they walked from village to village. Jet plane fly people from one end of the earth to the other, allowing them a freedom of movement undreamt of a hundred years ago.
Yet some people wonder if the revolution in travel has gone too far. A price has been paid, they say, for the conquest (征服) of time and distance. Travel is something to be enjoyed, not endured . The boat offers leisure and time enough to appreciate the ever-changing sights and sounds of a journey. A journey by train also has a special charm about it. Lakes and forests and wild, open plains sweeping past your carriage window create a grand view in which time and distance mean nothing. On board a plane, however, there is just the blank blue of the sky filling the narrow window of the airplane. The soft lighting, in-flight films and gentle music make up the only world you know, and the hours progress slowly.
Then there is the time spent being “processed” at a modern airport. People are conveyed like robots along walkways; baggage is weighed, tickets produced, examined and produced yet again before the passengers move again to another waiting area. Journeys by rail and sea take longer, yes, but the hours devoted to being “processed” at departure and arrival in airports are luckily absent. No wonder, then, that the modern high-speed trains are winning back passengers from the airlines.
Man, however, is now a world traveler and can not turn his back on the airplane. The working lives of too many people depend upon it; whole new industries have been built around its design and operation. The holiday maker, too, with limited time to spend, patiently endures the busy airports and limited space of the flight to gain those extra hours and even days, relaxing in the sun. Speed controls people’s lives; time saved, in work or play, is the important thing—or so we are told. Perhaps those first horsemen, riding free across the wild, open plains, were enjoying a better world than the one we know today. They could travel at will, and the clock was not their master.
What does the writer try to express in Paragraph1?
A.Travel by plane has speeded up the growth of villages. |
B.The speed of modern travel has made distances relatively short. |
C.The freedom of movement has helped people realize their dreams. |
D.Man has been fond of travelling rather than staying in one place. |
How does the writer support the underlined statement in Paragraph2?
A.By giving instructions. |
B.By analyzing cause and effect. |
C.By following the order of time. |
D.By giving examples. |
According to Paragraph 3, passengers are turning back to modern high-speed trains because______.
A.they pay less for the tickets |
B.they feel safer during the travel |
C.they can enjoy higher speed of travel |
D.they don’t have to be “processed” |
What is the main idea of the passage?
A.Air travel benefits people and industries. |
B.Train Travel has some advantages over air travel. |
C.Great changes have taken place in modern travel. |
D.The high speed of air travel is gained at a cost. |
When I was a child, I often dreamed of the time when I could leave home and escape to the city. We lived on a farm and, in the winter especially, we were quite cut off from the outside world. As soon as I left school, I packed my bags and moved to the capital. However, I soon discovered that city life has its problems too.
One big disadvantage is money---it costs so much to go out, not to mention basics like food and housing. Another disadvantage is pollution. I suffer from asthma(哮喘), and at times the air is so bad that I am afraid to go outside. Then there is the problem of travelling round. Although I have a car, I seldom use it because of the traffic jams. One choice is to go by bicycle, but that can be quite dangerous.
Of course there are advantages. First, there is so much to do in the city, whatever your tastes in culture or entertainment. Besides, there are wonderful jobs and greater chances of moving to a more important job or position. Finally, if you like shopping, the variety of goods is very surprising---and, what is more, shops are often only a short walk away.
Is life better then, in the city? Perhaps it is, when you are in your teens(十几岁) or twenties. However, as you get older, and especially if you have small children, the peace of the countryside may seem preferable. I certainly hope to move back there soon.
What was the writer always thinking about when he was a child?
A.Staying on the farm |
B.Moving to the countryside |
C.Leaving home for the city |
D.Running away from the school |
Which of the following is true about the writer?
A.He is very old now. |
B.He is in good health. |
C.He prefers driving a car. |
D.He lives in the city now. |
In the passage, the writer tries to _______.
A.express his opinions about way of life |
B.describe his life in the countryside |
C.show an interest in the outside world |
D.persuade the reader to live in the city |
How is the passage mainly developed?
A.By inferring | B.By comparing |
C.By listing examples | D.By giving explanations |
A friend is better than fortune. A friend is worse than poison in some cases.
The two sentences above have opposite meanings and seem to be unreasonable, but they can be explained as follows: the first refers to all good friends who drive us towards good while the second all bad ones who lead us into bad ways.
My ideal friend is of course a good friend whose goodness is shown below — he has no bad habits, such as smoking and drinking. He lives in frugality (节俭). He studies hard so as not to waste his golden time. At home he honors his parents and loves his brothers; at school he respects his teachers and shares the feelings of his classmates. He treats those truly who are true to him. In a word, he has all the good characteristics that I don’t have. I can follow him as a model. With his help I can be free from all difficulties.
Indeed, if I have such a person as my friend, I shall never fear difficulty and I shall never know the existence of the word “failure”.
This passage tells us ____.
A.how to make friends with others |
B.how to help friends |
C.what kind of person the writer’s friend is |
D.what kind of person we should make friends with |
According to the writer, an ideal friend refers to _______.
A.a friend without bad habits |
B.a famous man |
C.a perfect man |
D.a respectable man |
From the passage we can learn that ________.
A.the writer and his ideal friend have a lot to learn from each other |
B.the writer has a lot to learn from his ideal friend |
C.the writer’s ideal friend has a lot to learn from him |
D.the writer has only a little to learn from his ideal friend |
From the second paragraph, we can infer the writer is sure that _______.
A.friendship means a great deal to him |
B.nothing can be done without friends |
C.he who does not smoke or drink must be a good friend |
D.good friends should always help each other |
There seems never to have been a civilization without toys, but when and how they developed is unknown. They probably came about just to give children something to do .
In the ancient world , as is today ,most boys played with some kinds of toys and most girls with another .In societies where social roles are rigidly determined, boys pattern their play after the activities of their fathers and girls are being prepared, even in play , to step into the roles and responsibilities of the adult world .
What is remarkable about the history of toys is not so much how they changed over the centuries but how much they have remained the same . The changes have been mostly in terms of craftsmanship ,mechanics, and technology . It is the universality of toys with regard to their development in all parts of the world and their persistence to the present that is amazing .In Egypt ,America ,China ,Japan and among the Arctic (北极的)people, generally the same kinds of toys appeared. Variations depended on local customs and way of life because toys imitate their surrounding. Nearly every civilization had dolls, little weapons, toy soldiers, tiny animals and vehicles.
Because toys can be generally regarded as a kind of art form, they have not been subject to technological leaps that characterize inventions for adult use .The progress from the wheel to the cart to the automobile is a direct line of ways up. The progress from a rattle (拔浪鼓) used by a baby in 3000BCto one used by an infant today , however , is not characterized by inventiveness. Each rattle is the product of the artistic tastes of the times and subject to the limitations of available materials.
The reason why the toys most boys play with are different from those that girls play with is that .
A.their social roles are rigidly determined |
B.they like challenging activities |
C.most boys would like to follow their fathers’ professions |
D.boys like to play with their fathers while girls with their mothers. |
One aspect of “the universality of toys ”lies in the fact that .
A.the basic characteristics of toys are the same all over the world |
B.technological advances have greatly improved the durability of toys |
C.the exploration of the universe has led to the creation of new kinds of toys |
D.the improvement of craftsmanship in making toys depends on the efforts of universities |
Which of the following is the author’s view on the historical development of toys?
A.Toys are playing an increasingly important role in shaping a child’s character. |
B.The toy industry has witnessed great leaps in technology in recent years. |
C.The craftsmanship in toy-making has remained essentially unchanged. |
D.Toys have remained basically the same all through the centuries. |
Regarded as a kind of art form, toys .
A.reflect the pace of social progress |
B.are not characterized by technological progress |
C.follow a direct line of ascent |
D.also appeal greatly to adults |
Here’s an amazing way to get a hard-boiled egg into a bottle, even though the mouth of the boiled is smaller than the egg! What’s more, you don’t even need to touch the egg to get it to go in!
For this experiment you will need:
·a hard-boiled egg
·a glass bottle with a mouth just slightly smaller than the egg (a fruit-drink bottle works well)
·a 8-cm by 8-cm(3-inch by 3-inch)piece of newspaper
·a match
Remove the shell from the egg. Set the egg on the mouth of the bottle to see that the egg does not fit through the mouth.
Light the paper. Remove the egg from the mouth of the bottle and drop the burning paper into the bottle. Before the fire goes out, set the egg back onto the mouth of the bottle. Within a few seconds the egg will squeeze(挤) through the mouth and into the bottle.
As it entered the bottle, the egg may have broken into pieces. This happens when the diameter(直径) of the egg is more than about 0.5 cm(about 3/16 inch) larger than the diameter of the bottle’s opening.
Why does the egg slide into the bottle, even though no one is pushing it? Because the pressure of the air is pushing it. Before the burning paper is put into the bottle, the pressure of the air inside is the same as outside. The burning paper, however, heats the air inside. This causes the air inside to expand. When the egg is placed on top of the bottle, it seals(封住) the bottle. When the fire goes out, the air inside cools. As it cools, the air contracts(紧缩), and the pressure of the air inside becomes less than the pressure outside. Then, the higher outside pressure pushes the egg into the bottle!
The best title of this passage can be .
A.An interesting story | B.The pressure of the air |
C.Egg in a bottle | D.Egg, bottle and match |
What don’t you need in this experiment?
A.Eggs. | B.Water. | C.Bottles. | D.Paper. |
Why will the egg break into pieces while entering the bottle?
A.Because of the burning paper. |
B.Because the diameter of the egg is too larger than that of the bottles opening. |
C.Because it is cool inside the bottle. |
D.Because the pressure of the air inside is larger. |
What is the most important to get the egg into a bottle?
A.A match. | B.A fruit-drink bottle. | C.The pressure of the air. | D.The burning paper. |