高中英语阅读理解

It's time for your family to relax and have fun! The following family adventures have links  for you to get more information．
Take the Rides of Your Life

Visit Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, to seek thrills "Even though it's located off the beaten track, experts regularly praise Cedar Point as the best overall theme park of the country," says U．S． News & World Report． The park calls itself the roller coaster capital of the world, and with 16 to choose from, it's hard to argue． It's open daily from May 10 through Labor Day; weekends only from Labor Day through November 2．
Tickets start at $ 48．99 per person if purchased online．
http://www．cedarpoint,com．
Wander Free on a Dude farm

Dust off your cowboy boots and ready your cowboy hats for a visit to this Rocky Mountains paradise． Located in Augusta, Montana, "The farm has everything an aspiring cowboy or girl could long for," says Sunset magazine, including hiking trails, fishing trips, campfires with sing-alongs, and, of course, horseback rides． The large farm operates from June through September; kids-only and adults-only
programs are available．
Total cost starts at $ 1,360 per adult, $ 1,276 per teen, and $ 1,168 per child．
http://www．triplejranch．com．
Dig for Dinosaurs

Most kids （and adults） love dinosaurs, and to make their wildest dreams come true, head to Fruita, Colorado． The Museum of Western Colorado offers Dino Digs for children ages five and older． You can choose from one-, three-, and five-day expeditions． "Imagine how your child will feel when she helps unearth the fossilized（化石） bones of ancient species," says Outside magazine． It lasts from May to October．
Digs start at $ 125 per person．
http://www．museumofwesternco．com
Surf Sand Dunes

Swap your snowboard for a sand-board, and head to Sand Master Park in Florence, Oregon． Real Simple recommends learning the basics at this private dune park, "which offers board rentals and lessons - often taught by world-champion sand boarders．" Then you 'can hit the ",slopes" to test your skills． From March to June, and September to November．
Rentals for a sand-board start at $ 10 per day; lessons start at $ 45 an hour per person．
http:/'www．sandmasterpark．com．
What is special about Cedar Point?

A．You can visit Cedar Point on weekends．

B．It has 16 roller coasters for you to choose from．

C．You can help unearth the fossilized bones of dinosaurs．

D．It offers lessons taught by world-champion sand boarders．

If you have a 3-day holiday in April, which of the following may interest you most?

A．Take the Rides of Your Life

B．Wander Free on a Dude farm

C．Dig for Dinosaurs

D．Surf Sand Dunes

Where will you probably find this passage?

A．A science fiction．

B．An adventure storybook．

C．A travel magazine．

D．A theme park advertisement．

The Cuban iguana is a species of lizard（蜥蜴） of the iguana family． It is the largest of the West Indian rock iguanas, one of the most endangered groups of lizards． This species with red eyes and a thick tail is one of the largest lizards in the Caribbean．
The Cuban iguana is primarily herbivorous; 95% of its diet consists of the leaves, flowers and fruits from as many as 30 plant species, including the seaside rock bush and various grasses． However, Cuban iguanas occasionally consume animal matter, and individuals have been observed eating the dead flesh of birds, fish and crabs, The researchers wrote that quite a few people on Isla Magueyes could have caused this incident．
The Cuban iguana is distributed throughout the rocky southern coastal areas of mainland Cuba and its surrounding islands with a wild population booming on Isla Magueyes, Puerto Rico． It is also found on the Cayman Islands of Little Cayman and Cayman Brac, where a separate subspecies occurs． Females guard their nest sites and often nest in sites half destroyed by Cuban crocodiles． To avoid the attack from them, the Cuban iguana often makes its home within or near prickly-pear cacti （仙人掌）．
In general the species is in decline, more quickly on the mainland than on the outlying islands． One of the reasons for their decline is habitat destruction caused by the over consuming of farm animals, housing development, and the building of tourist resorts on the beaches where the animals prefer to build their nests． Although the wild population is in decline, the numbers of iguanas have been sharply increased as a result of captive-breeding（圈养） and other conservation programs．
．The underlined word "herbivorous" （Paragraph 2） probably means          ．

A．dangerous	B．gentle
C．plant-eating	D．flesh-eating

．Why does the Cuban iguana build its nest near prickly-pear cacti?

A．To keep itself cool．	B．To get the food easily．
C．To stay away from people．	D．To avoid crocodiles' attack．

．How many reasons are mentioned for the habitat destruction?

A．Two．

B．Three．

C．Four．

D．Five．

．What's the author's purpose of writing the text?

A．To give us a brief introduction to the Cuban iguana．

B．To show he is concerned about the Cuban iguana．

C．To explain reasons for the Cuban iguana's decline．

D．To draw people's attention to the endangered Cuban iguana．

My 16-year-old son, Anton, had gone to the local swimming hole． Most of the kids swim there, and there are plenty of rocks for them to use as safe harbors, so I had no fears for his safety．
Still, the firefighter's first words "You need to come up here to the Stillwater River" made me catch my breath, and his follow-up words gave me relief: “ Your son is OK．”
When I got to the river, I immediately saw the firetruck, ambulance and Anton, wrapped with a towel about his shoulders, sitting quietly on a low platform of the fire engine．
I hurried over to him． "You OK?"I asked．
”Yeah," was all he said． But my eyes begged for an explanation, I didn't get it from my son, however, who tends to play his cards close to his vest．
The story was this: A woman was being swept under water． Hearing the cries, Anton and his friend Tyler, without hesitation, swam out to her, and brought her safely to shore．
In an age in which the word "hero" is broadcast with abandon and seemingly applied to anyone who make it through the day, I realized the real thing in my son． The teens are stubborn and self-centred, but that didn't mean they have no desire to do good．
Still shocked by my son's daring, I drove him home． Along the way, I tried to dig out some more information from him - but he had precious little to say． The only words he said were,
”What's for supper?"
I spent some time alone that evening, thinking about the tragedy that might have been． The next morning, when Anton got up, I half expected him to tell me the story． But all he did was toast some bread, pull himself together, and head for the door to start a new day． Watching from the window,1 was reminded that still water often runs deep．
Why did the mother allow her son to swim there?

A．He was an excellent swimmer．

B．The water of the river is shallow．

C．He was old enough to swim．

D．The rocks can be of help if there's danger．

The underlined part "who tends to play his cards close to his vest" probably means

A．Anton is a boy fond of swimming with other kids

B．Anton is unwilling to tell others what he thinks

C．Anton always has a desire to help others

D．Anton seldom changes his mind

In the mother's eyes, what her son did was

A．dangerous but interesting

B．unexpected and courageous

C．meaningful but difficult

D．awful and absurd

What might be the best title for the passage?

A．My Son, My Hero	B．Anton, A Silent Boy
C．A Good Deed	D．A Proud Mother

Up to two-fifths of a food crop is often wasted because it is “ugly”, a report on food waste has shown.
Produce grown in the UK that does not meet retailer(零售商) standards on appearance is often given to animals or thrown out even though it is healthy to eat.
The report from the UK’s global food security program also showed that the average household throws away more than 5kg of food a week, and nearly two-thirds of that waste is avoidable.
The waste costs £ 480 a year per household on average, and £ 680 per family.
Households throw away a fifth of the food they buy, wasting it for reasons ranging from cooking too much to not using it before it goes bad, the study showed.
Consumption is the top area where food is wasted in the UK, the study said.
Farmers respond to consumer demands for high-quality food with standards that can lead to the crop being wasted. Some supermarkets have started marketing “odd shapes and sizes” of fruit and vegetables, though.
Also, more UK consumers are prepared to accept “ugly” fruit and vegetables, amid concerns over sustainability(可持续发展) and food prices, the research said.
In developing countries, much of the loss of food occurs during post-harvesting storage, processing and packaging.
Tackling waste globally is necessary to feed a growing world population sustainably. One in eight people worldwide doesn’t have enough food, the report said.
Around a third of food produced globally is lost or wasted.
Professor Tim Benton, an expert on food security at the University of Leeds, said: “Over 5 million people in the UK live in poverty, where basic food provision is a daily challenge.”
Nearly 400,000 people used food banks last year, according to the Trussell Trust.
“At the same time, 15 million tons of food is wasted annually, with nearly half thrown away within UK households. Reducing the scale(范围) of losses and waste throughout the food system is a crucial step.”
The report highlights priorities(优先事项) for research to help reduce food waste, including improving harvesting and packaging technologies and seasonal weather prediction.
Food waste in developing nations is mainly due to       .

A．fast growing populations

B．huge demand for high-quality foods

C．poor technology in food industries

D．people’s lack of concern about food shortages

We can conclude from the article that       .

A．over half of the food produce in the UK is wasted within households

B．“ugly” fruits and vegetables are becoming more and more popular in the UK

C．avoiding food waste could, by itself, solve food shortage problems around the world

D．developing better farming and packaging technologies is key to reducing food waste

Which of the following statements might Professor Tim Benton agree with?

A．British farmers should keep up with their high growing standards.

B．The number of people living in poverty is growing too fast in Britain.

C．There is still much to do to improve British people’s awareness of food sustainability.

D．British supermarkets should be encouraged to sell food of odd shapes and sizes.

What is suggested in the report?

A．Cutting food prices.

B．Using different approaches to reduce food waste.

C．Improving the appearance of food.

D．Cooking at home more often.

Here is a task for you: try to make as many kinds of facial expressions as you can. How many can you come up with?
Facial expressions are like a window to your emotions inside. Scientists used to believe that we only have six basic emotions-happy, sad, fearful, angry, surprised and disgusted-and ,therefore, each of our facial expressions falls into one of the six categories.
But it turns out that this is just the tip of the iceberg. In a recent study, scientists from Ohio State University, US, mapped 21 different facial expressions, more than tripling(是……的三倍) the original number, reported Science Daily.
Restricting emotions to just six categories is like “painting only using primary colors”, said Aleix Martinez, the lead researcher. He believed that human emotions are much richer than that, which is why he and his team decided to use advanced computer technology for further investigation.
In the experiment, scientists photographed 230 volunteers-100 male and 130 female-while they made faces in response to different words such as “you smell a bad odor(气味)”. They then closely studied the images by examining key muscles on volunteers’ faces, such as the corners of the mouth or the outer edge of the eyebrow, and finally identified 21 different expressions. These included what seem to be contradictory emotions such as “happily disgusted” and “sadly angry”, which scientists call “compound(混合的) emotions”.
Take “happily disgusted” as an example.” Putting on a happy face is usually done by drawing up the cheeks and smiling while a disgusted face often involves a scrunched-up(皱起的) nose and eyes. So the “happily disgusted” emotion created an expression that combined the smile of happy with the scrunched-up eyes and nose of disgusted. It was the emotion test subjects felt when something “gross(恶心的)” happened that was also funny-for example, when people spill(洒出) a lot of food on their clothes.
Similarly, “happily surprised” is an expression for receiving unexpected good news. “Sadly angry” is the face we make when someone we care about makes us angry.
According to Martinez, the researchers’ next step is to study the pathways and chemicals in the brain that activate(激活) and recognize those emotions. He believes that this could lead to effective treatments for people who suffer from conditions such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD,创伤后应激障碍), which involves a lack of recognition of other people’s emotions.
The underlined part “this is just the tip of the iceberg” in Paragraph 3 probably means      .

A．this is a truth known to us all

B．this is the total amount of something

C．this is easily seen or discovered

D．this is only the smallest and most obvious part of something

How does the author explain the definition of “compound emotions” in the article?

A．With comparisons.

B．Through examples.

C．Through cause and effect analysis.

D．By presenting research findings.

According to the article, people are likely to become happily disgusted when      .

A．they receive unexpected good news

B．someone they don’t care about makes them happy

C．something unpleasant but also funny happens

D．they successfully escape from a dangerous situation

What can we conclude from the article?
A. There are several contradictory emotions we tend to overlook.
B. Females have more contradictory emotions than males do.
C. The chemicals in the brain that activate emotions are easy to identify.
D. Martinez’s next goal is to find an effective cure for people who suffer from PTSD.

Not long ago, few little girls imagined they could grow up to be astronauts. In 1983, that changed. Sally Ride made history by becoming the first American woman to travel into space.
Ride died at the age of 61. “Sally was a national hero and a powerful role model,” President Barack Obama said in a statement.
Ride became interested in space when she was a kid. “If you asked me when I was 12 whether I wanted to be an astronaut, I’m sure I would have said yes,” she told TFK in a 2010 interview. “But I didn’t even think about that as a possible career.”
After studying physics in college and graduate school, Ride got her chance. She was accepted into NASA’s astronaut training program in 1978, and then chosen to be the first American female in space. In 1983, she blasted into space aboard the Challenger shuttle. “There is no amusement park ride on Earth that even comes close. It can’t be more wonderful,” she said.
Ride returned to space on the Challenger a second time in 1984. In the two missions, she spent a total of 343 hours in orbit. After that, she remained involved with the space program and also worked to share her passion for space with kids. She wrote five science books about space for children, and started her own science education company.
Ride knew that she held a unique place in history. “I realized how important it was for a woman to break that barrier and open the door for other women to be able to do the same exciting things that men had been doing,” she said.
Since Ride’s historic trip, more than 40 other American women have traveled to space. They all had Ride to thank for opening the door to the final frontier.
Which of the following is true?

A．Sally was the first person to travel to space in America.

B．Sally wanted to be an astronaut even when she was a pupil.

C．Sally was interested in space, so she chose astronautics as her major.

D．Sally graduated from college and first traveled to space in 1983.

From the fifth paragraph, we know that Sally       .

A．was good at doing business

B．wanted to be rich by doing business

C．became a famous writer at last

D．had a lasting interest in space

What can we infer from the text?

A．Sally inspired many American women to travel to space.

B．Sally made great contributions to American economic development.

C．Women astronauts used to be looked down upon in American history.

D．The government did not allow women to become astronauts in the past.

Which of the following could be the best title for the text?

A．Sally Ride’s first space trip

B．A national hero flying in space

C．Sally Ride, a successful businesswoman

D．Sally Ride, a real educator for kids

Reading for pleasure is declining among primary-age pupils, and increasing numbers of "time poor" parents are dropping the practice of sharing bedtime stories with their children once they start school.
Research presented to a conference last week found that, while parents read to preschoolers, this later tails off, and by the final year of primary school only around 2% read to their children every day. Once children can read skillfully, parents tend to step back, and this usually happens at the age of seven or eight. The report also found that 82% of teachers blame the government's “target--driven" education policies for the fact that fewer children are reading for pleasure.
They believe that a straitjacket (束缚) of strictly organized schooling is containing young people's ability to read more widely. Two-thirds of teachers surveyed said they lacked time in the school day to introduce a variety of books and that this was a “major obstacle to being able to develop a level of reading". Teachers also cited as main factors the reduction in the number of school librarians, who could put interesting books before children, and the rise in "screen time", switching children from reading to playing games.
The majority of teachers said the curriculum's  (课程)  " emphasis on reading as a skill to be  mastered" was increasing the pressure. This was compounded by parents who saw reading just as a focus of learning, a skill critical to career advancement in a competitive world.
Reading habits and the digital revolution in publishing were key topics of debate at the conference. The theme of the lack of British culture was supported by children's writer Frank Cottrell Boyce, who wrote the scripts(手稿 ) for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2012 Olympics.
“We discovered the whole nation had forgotten that they did the industrial revolution," he said.
“Books are so central to it; books can be written by anyone. A lot of the pleasure of a book is listening to somebody read it to you. "
"We found a real love of reading among teachers, and a strong desire ,to encourage more   children to read for pleasure ,”said Rob Cheney," However, the teachers also had an overpowering sense of frustration with their situation." "Touch-screen phone and tablets ( 平板电脑）are naturally attractive to children ," the survey Said ,and predicted a period of awkwardness as everyone else adapts . By 2018, children's television will have adopted the presence of this second screen, and it "will be strange not to have children, at home drawing along on tablets and then having these appearing live in the show ".
The hope is “that user-friendly screens could, if material is adapted and downloaded easily, present an opportunity for more ambitious publishing - for example, books children can either read or choose to have read to them; or digital books with moving pictures instead of photos to clarify factual and scientific points. Parental controls that are easy to use would be key, the conference was told, such as "a warning for when devices use the Wi-Fi, especially after bedtimes", to allow parents to shut off access to children in the home.
What leads to parents' dropping the practice of sharing bedtime stories with their children?

A．Children have less time to spend with their parents after they start school.

B．Parents think it unnecessary to do so when children can read themselves.

C．The government’s education policies have placed much burden on children.

D．Children don't like parents reading stories to them when they are seven or eight.

Which of the following is not teachers' point of view?

A．Children are prevented from reading widely enough in school.

B．Schools pay attention to reading skills instead of reading for fun.

C．Playing video games reduces children's time spent on reading.

D．School libraries can't provide good books for lack of money.

The word "compounded" (Paragraph 4) most probably means ______.

A．worsened

B．preserved

C．reduced

D．improved

It can be inferred from the article that ______.

A．children don't like reading because books are not attractive

B．British people enjoyed reading books very much in the past

C．teachers forbid their students to read more books for fun

D．children should enjoy more freedom to use the Wi-Fi at home

What is the passage mainly about?

A．Parents should set a limit to their children's using electric devices at home.

B．Children are encouraged to read as many interesting books as they can.

C．Children miss out on pleasures of reading a good book in modern life.

D．Experts appeals to the government to reduce the heavy burden on children.

Some say college is wasted on the young. So many of us look back at our own college years and realize what we could have done differently to make the most of them. While we can’t go back, we certainly can offer our sons and daughters our best advice to help them make the right choices in college. Hopefully, they will have fewer regrets than we do. Following are five guidelines parents can share with their college-bound kids to put the whole experience in perspective.
EDUCATION IS YOUR FIRST PRIORITY
As soon as you arrive on campus, there will be competing interests. Feel free to check them out but always remember that you are there first and foremost for your education. Go to class prepared and on time. Be engaged during class. Make sure your professor knows you and realizes that you care.
BE RESPONSIBLE
There are many layers of responsibility. Do what you say you will do and, if you can’t, own up to it early and communicate clearly. But being responsible isn’t just about meeting your commitments; it is also about taking care of you, your body, and your friends. For example, more than 1800 college students die annually from alcohol-related injuries. Look out for yourself and other people. Make moderate, sensible decisions so you aren’t reeling from the consequences later.
TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY
Incredible opportunities will present themselves: studying abroad, interning at a unique place, trying new things. Don’t let fear prevent you from taking advantage of them. There may never be so much time or as many resources devoted to your betterment again in your life. Say yes to opportunities that will help you grow.
FIND AND BE A MENTOR
Some of the best lessons available to us can come outside of the classroom in the form of a mentor. One of the most powerful growth opportunities is being a mentor. Early on, find someone on campus who you feel can help you grow and develop a relationship with him or her. Also find someone for you to mentor. You will reinforce and enrich your own learning experience by teaching someone else.
GET THE JOB DONE
It is natural to occasionally feel you want to quit, when it makes more sense to you to go find a full-time job. Resist that urge. As Jocelyn Negron-Rios, a mother of two, who is currently completing her degree, advises, “No matter how difficult it seems, keep at it because however insurmountable it feels now multiply that by 10,000 and that is how it feels when you are in your thirties with a full-time job and a family and are trying to pursue a degree.”
According to the passage, the most important thing for college students is ______.

A．taking part in different activities

B．working hard to get a degree

C．seizing every chance to try new things

D．improving themselves by learning from the others

Which of the following about college life is true?

A．Passing on what you’ve learned in college can help you enrich your learning experience.

B．Make sure that you are responsible for yourself rather than others.

C．Professors will not assess your performances in class but the grades you get in exams.

D．You can make full use of the opportunity whenever you want.

What can we infer from the words said by Jocelyn in the last paragraph?

A．Persistence is the key to success when you meet with difficulties in your learning process.

B．It is better if you gain more working experience before you finish your education.

C．As long as you work hard, you can gain a degree even when you are in your thirties.

D．Youth is the best time to learn since you have less burden.

What is the main purpose of the passage?

A．To give some rules for the college students.

B．To call on the students to make full use of college years.

C．To summarize some tips for parents to share with their children.

D．To analyze the benefits and difficulties of college life.

By today's standards, my mobile phone is pretty rubbish. It's a Nokia 1616. If that doesn't mean much to you (it's not the kind of phone you see advertised on television), all you need to know is that it's a small, not very heavy device with which you can send and receive telephone calls and text messages. It also has a very handy torch on the top for when you can't find your keys, or when you drop something on the floor in the cinema. Other than that, my phone doesn't do much. Well, it has an alarm, and it probably has a calculator and things like that, but it's nothing compared to a smartphone. Why would I want one of those?
I have often been told that the big advantage of having a smartphone is that "you can do everything with them!"  But when was the last time you saw someone doing "everything" with a smartphone? Okay, so they may have an endless list of functions, but generally they are used for checking social networking sites, playing games, and receiving and replying to emails. I'm happy just doing all of those things at home on my laptop.
As far as I can tell, the best thing about having a smartphone is that you can be connected to the Internet all the time. Don't get me wrong, I love the internet, but I just don't see the point of constantly being online. I can't remember the last time I received a Facebook update which was so very urgent that I had to read it as soon as it appeared, and I can't imagine ever having a job which was so important that I would need to read work-related emails immediately.  I would think that if someone needed me urgently, they would just ring me rather than send an email. And my trusty Nokia can manage that.
One of the most peculiar effects of the smartphone is, in my opinion, the newly-found addiction to maps and navigation (导航) systems. Is there anything more boring than knowing exactly where you are all of the time?! How do you get to know an area if you don't get lost there a few times? And if you are dependent on online maps, what happens to those great places you find just by chance? You can't exactly find out from Google maps the journey from "here" to" that hidden cafe with the  tasty-looking cakes" , or to "that pond next to the church which looks really pretty in the evening sun. " It is, of course, true that we all occasionally need to be pointed in the right direction, but I find that there are often real life humans you can ask.
There are many benefits of having a very basic mobile phone, like the face that it cost me about twenty pounds, and that I don't have to worry too much about it being stolen .But the main benefit has to be the fact that it provides me with the word 'greatest excuse for my bad habits. Whether it's turning up late to events ,or getting lose on a trip ,or missing buses or trains ,or forgetting about an appointment at work ,I'm pretty sure I'm covered with the following explanation: “I’m really sorry, I don't have a smartphone."
The writer uses his Nokia 1616 mainly to _______.

A．play online games

B．do calculating work

C．check social network sites

D．make calls and text messages

It can be inferred from the above passage that_______.

A．work-related emails should be answered immediately

B．a laptop and a smartphone share many functions

C．smartphones should always be connected to the net

D．a Facebook update is usually very important

According to the passage, if you use navigation systems, you may _____

A．miss some really wonderful places

B．find a boring trip actually exciting

C．be persuaded to eat in a certain café

D．be misled to a totally wrong place

To the writer, one benefit of having a basic mobile phone is that__________.

A．it can remind him of important appointments

B．it can often be found back after it is stolen

C．it can be used as an excuse for his bad habits

D．it can save him the trouble of catching trains

The writer's purpose for writing this article is to_____.

A．explain why he doesn't want a smartphone

B．warn readers of the risks of using smartphones

C．complain about the troubles caused by smartphones

D．inform readers of the latest development of mobile phones

From bankers to factory staff, employees in the West face a cold prospect of losing their jobs as a global recession(衰退) starts to bite. For colleagues in the East, the pain is more likely to come through a pay cut.
Human resource experts say cultural differences explain why Asian companies try harder to preserve jobs in difficult times, which will prevent unemployment and may help Asian economies survive at a time of slowing exports. The East Asian attitude may also make it easier for companies to recover quickly from the economic downturn since they will not need to rehire or train new staff, but build up a more loyal and devoted group.
"In the Confucian mindset(儒家思想), the right thing to do is to share the burden（负担）, which is the sense of collective responsibility. While in the West, it's more about individual survival," said Michael Benoliel, associate professor of organizational behavior at Singapore Management University (SMU).
In contrast, local Western companies from General Motors to Goldman Sachs plan to lay off workers by the thousands, but at the Asian units of Western multinationals or western units of Asian groups, job cuts will probably be less severe.
Japan's jobless rate was 4 percent in September, up from 3.8 percent in January, while Hong Kong's was flat at 3.4 percent. But US unemployment is expected to have jumped to 6.3 percent last month from below 5 percent in January.
Experts say that while there are noticeable differences in labor practices in East and West, the gap will narrow as more firms become more multinational and competition forces firms to adopt the best practices of rivals(对手) from abroad.
The underlined word "prospect" in the first paragraph most probably means _________.

A．future	B．scene
C．weather	D．place

Compared with job cuts, pay cuts can bring the following benefits EXCEPT that _________.

A．it's helpful to the economy recovery

B．it can form a team working harder and more loyally

C．it will keep the experienced and skilled workers

D．it costs the company less money to survive

According to Michael Benoliel, the Confucian mindset focuses on _________.

A．human rights

B．personal profits

C．sharing responsibility

D．individual survival

The passage mainly tells us ________.

A．the difficulties all the companies around the world will meet with today

B．the different labor solutions of Asian and Western in global recession

C．the ways to cut down the cost of the companies in economic downturn

D．the cultural differences between Eastern and Western world at present

We were moving to a new state after my husband had been out of work for many months and we had no money. In fact, we had to borrow money to reach our destination town. Anyway, it was my husband, two boys aged four and two, and myself, seven months pregnant (怀孕), in an old Volvo station wagon. We had been driving for two days in the middle of winter (that car’s heater didn’t work), and we had taken a route that was very desolate. There was nothing around for miles－no cars, buildings or signs of civilization. Suddenly, our car started losing power and the gauges(汽油表) went all out of order. We saw a light in the distance and managed to roll to a stop in front of this property that looked like a small simple house. Our cell phones had not gotten reception for many miles, and it was freezing outside, so I didn’t know if we were going to make it out of this situation alive. My husband got out of the car to see if there was something he could do to get us rolling again, but it was not looking good. A short while later, a man came out of the house and spoke with my husband a bit before inviting us all into his home. He and his wife took us in, fed us, and made us feel at home as we struggled to find some way to get to our destination, which was still a few hours’ drive away. We were able to call a friend and get a ride, leaving our broken car behind, but not before the couple gave us food and water for our journey. One week later, this dear sweet couple pulled our car all the way to our place and refused to take anything in return, except for us to pay it forward－and we have, and will continue to do it forever.
We can learn from the text that the family________.

A．had a hopeless future

B．was in financial difficulty

C．suffered from a company crash

D．wanted to turn to their relatives for help

The underlined word “ desolate” probably mean________.

A．deserted	B．advanced
C．smooth	D．muddy

Knowing that the wagon had broken down, the author________.

A．called her friend several miles away for help

B．stopped the car in front of a simple service station

C．was afraid that they couldn’t overcome the difficulty

D．encouraged her husband and children to be confident

We can learn from the text that the family___________.

A．got out of their financial difficulty

B．met with more troubles after that

C．came back to thank the couple who had helped them

D．followed the couple’s example in return for their help

This is time of year when we think about giving and receiving presents. Can you find a little extra to give? On this page we suggest a few organizations you might like to help.
Littleton Children’s Home
We don’t want your money, but children’s toys, books and clothes in good condition would be very welcome. Also — we are looking for friendly families who would take our children into their homes for a few hours or days as guests. You have so much—will you share it?
Phone Sister Thomas on 55671.
Children’s Hospice
We look after a small number of very sick children. This important work needs skill and love. We cannot continue without gifts of money to pay for more nursing staff. We also need story books and toys suitable for quiet games.
Please contact The Secretary, Little Children’s Hospice, Newby Road.
Street Food
In the winter weather, it’s no fun being homeless. It’s even worse if you’re hungry. We give hot food to at least fifty people every night. It’s hard work, but necessary. Can you come and help? If not, can you find a little money? We use a very old kitchen, and we urgently need some new saucepans. Money for new ones would be most welcome indeed.
Contact Street Food, c/o Mary’s House, Elming Way. Littleton Phone 27713.
Littleton Youth Club
Have you got an unwanted chair?—a record player?—a pot of paint? Because we can use them! We want to get to work on our meeting room!
Please phone 66231 and we’ll be happy to collect anything you can give us.
Thank you!
The Night Shelter
We offer a warm bed for the night to anyone who has nowhere to go. We rent the former Commercial Hotel on Green Street. Although it is not expensive, we never seem to have quite enough money. Can you let us have a few pounds? Any amount, however small, will be such a help.
Send it to us at 15,Green St, Littleton. Please make check payable to Night Shelter.
Reading the passage, you might like to help these organizations which work for _________ .

A．homeless and sick children

B．hungry people who have no beds to sleep in

C．less lucky members of our society

D．friendly members of our society to help others

If you like children and you could offer a happy family to a homeless child, you may go to _____________ .

A．Street Food	B．Children’s Home
C．Night Shelter	D．Children’s Hospice

If you want to help but you have no extra to give, you may dial ________          and offer your help.

A．27713

B．55671

C．62735

D．66231

If your child has grown up, you may take the child’s things to ____________ .

A．Children’s Home and Children’s Hospice

B．Youth Club and Children’s Home

C．Children’s Hospice and Night Shelter

D．Youth Club and Night Shelter

All over the world people enjoy sports, Sports help to keep people healthy and happy, and to live longer.
Many people like to watch others play games. They buy tickets or turn on their TVs to watch the games. Often they get very excited when "their" player or team wins.
Some sports are so interesting that people everywhere go in for(参加) them. Football, for example, has spread around the world. Swimming is popular in all countries near the sea or in those with many rivers. What fun it is to jump into a pool or lake, whether in China, Egypt or Italy! And think of people in cold countries. Think how many love to skate or ski in Japan, Norway or Canada.
Some sports or games go back thousands of years, like running or jumping. Chinese wushu, for example, has a very long history. But basketball and volleyball are rather new. Neither one is a hundred years old yet. People are inventing new sports or games all the time. Water-skiing is one of the newest in the family of sports.
People from different countries may not be able to understand each other, but after a game together they often become good friends. Sports help to train a person’s character. One learns to fight hard but fight fair, to win without pride and to lose with grace(胜不骄，败不馁).
Why do some people get excited when they watch a game? Because _______.

A．they win the game

B．they get the good news

C．their favourite team wins

D．they can’t help themselves

Which of the sports has a long history?

A．Water-skiing.	B．Basketball.
C．Volleyball.	D．Long jump.

Why do people from different countries often become friends after a game together?
Because____________.

A．they train their character in the game

B．they are friendly to each other

C．they understand each other

D．they help each other

Friends play an important part in our lives, and although we may take the fact of friendship for granted, we often don’t clearly understand how we make friends. While we get on well with a number of people, we are usually friends with only a very few. For example, the average among students is about 6 per person.
In the beginning, it much depends on how people meet, and on good first impressions. As we get to know people, we consider things like age, race, looks, economic and social status, and intelligence. Although these factors are not of the greatest importance, it is more difficult to have a good relationship with people when there is a big difference in age and background.
We pay attention to actual behavior, facial expression, and the way a person speaks. Friends will stand closer together and soft voices also express friendliness, and it is because they may give the wrong signals that shy people often have difficulty in making friends. A friendly look with the wrong facial expression can turn into an unfriendly stare, and nervousness may be wrongly understood as unfriendliness.
Some relationships are a result of argument and discussion, but it is usual for close friends to have the same ideas and beliefs, the same opinions and interests — they often talk about “being on the same wavelength”. The more closely involved people become, the more they depend on one another. People want to do friends favors and hate to let them down. Equally, friends have to learn to make allowances for each other, to put up with annoying habits, and to accept differences in opinion.
In contrast with marriage, there are no friendship ceremonies to strengthen the relationship between two people. But the mutual support and understanding that results from shared experiences and emotions does seem to create a close and lasting relationship, which can overcome differences in background, and break down barriers of age, class or race.
Why should we consider such things as age and background when making friends?

A．Because people of different age can’t have the same interest.

B．Because people who enjoy different social status have nothing in common.

C．Because when making friends people need know these.

D．Because differences in age and background make it difficult to make friends.

From the passage we know that ______.

A．we should hold ceremonies to celebrate our friendship

B．we can’t make friends with the people of different races

C．friends should understand each other

D．argument and discussion may break down the friendship.

According to the author, unfriendliness may be caused by ______.

A．worried expressions	B．nervousness
C．different opinions	D．wrong words

People in several American states may be surprised to see cars on city streets without a driver. Experimental driverless vehicles now are legal in Florida, Nevada and California. They are pointing the way to a future that is not far down the road. The high-tech company Google has a number of self-driving cars, which had covered 480,000 kilometers by August. Volvo is among the companies doing road tests and says it plans to sell driverless cars by 2020.
In September, California Governor Jerry Brown signed an act to allow autonomous vehicles on the roads of his state. “Today we're looking at science fiction becoming tomorrow's reality-the driverless car.”The technology for these cars includes cameras, radar and motion sensors. The systems have been improved through competitions sponsored by the U. S. government agency DARPA. Engineer Richard Mason of the Rand Corporation helped design driverless vehicles for DARPA challenge races.
Cars have become much more fuel-efficient, and new electronic features are making Hondas safer, said Angie Nucci of Honda America. “A camera on the passenger-side mirror actually engaged on your guiding screen so you can safely change lanes.” Other safety features include warning systems on the front and the sides of the cars. The systems help drivers, but don't replace them. Curator Leslie Kendall of the Petersen Automotive Museum said autonomous cars will make the high ways safer.
“By taking out drivers, you also remove most risks of an accident,” Kendall said. He said consumers, however, may be unwilling to lose control. “It may take them time to come to realize that the technology is indeed reliable, but it will have to prove itself first.”
Mason said the technology already works and the biggest challenge now is getting down the cost for driverless vehicles from hundreds of thousands of dollars to something more affordable. He said this will happen as the technology is improved.
What can we learn from Paragraph 1?
A. Driverless vehicles are now legal in the whole USA.
B. Volvo will be the first to sell driverless cars.
C. Google’s self-driving cars have covered a long distance.
D. Driverless cars are pointing us a faraway future.
We learn that Governor of California Jerry Brown_________.

A．helped design self-driving cars.

B．supports self-driving cars on roads.

C．considers self-driving cars science fiction.

D．improved the self-driving car systems.

According to Richard Mason, what is the biggest challenge for driverless cars?

A．They are now too expensive for consumers.

B．Their technical problems remain to be solved.

C．They are not allowed to run on the road.

D．They are more dangerous for people on the street.

What's the best title of the passage?

A．The benefits of the self-driving cars.

B．The biggest challenge of the self-driving cars.

C．Self-driving cars-science fiction future is near.

D．Safer or more dangerous-self-driving cars.