Sports
All over the world people enjoy sports. Sports help to keep people healthy, happy and help them to live longer.
Sports change with the season. People play different games in winter and summer. Games and sports often grow out of people’s work and everyday activities. The Arabs use horses or camels in much of their everyday life; they use them in their sports, too.
Some sports are so interesting that people everywhere go in for them. Football, for example, has spread around the world. Swimming is popular in all countries near the sea or in those with many rivers.
Some sports or games go back to thousands of years, like running or jumping. Chinese boxing, for example, has a very long history. But basketball and volleyball are rather new. Both of them are just about a hundred years old. People are inventing new sports or games all the time.
People from different countries may not be able to understand each other, but after a game 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.From the passage we know that ______.
| A．people began to play sports about one hundred years ago |
| B．about 100 years ago people ran or jumped when they played |
| C．basketball has a longer history than volleyball |
| D．not all the games have a long history. |
According to this passage, which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Sports help to train a person’s character. |
| B．People from different countries may not be able to understand each other before a game. |
| C．People swim only because there are a lot of rivers in their country. |
| D．Sports and games can develop the friendship between people all over the world. |
The writer did NOT tell us in this passage that ______.
| A．basketball was invented in America |
| B．sports change with the season |
| C．games and sports often grow out of people’s work and everyday activities |
| D．football is played all over the world |
The writer writes about the Arab’s using camels in their sports to show that _____.
| A．it is a unique sport |
| B．it has a long history |
| C．sports help to train one’s character |
| D．some sports are closely related to people’s work and daily activities |
The underlined word “grace” in the last paragraph probably means “________” in Chinese.
| A．成功 | B．风度 | C．公平 | D．梦想 |
Statistics show that every year, about 4 million students fail to pass the national college entrance exam. However, as China recently publicized students’ scores for this year’s college entrance exam, it seems that schools, parents and society at large give more attention to students who succeed in the exam, few people care about those who fail, the China Education Daily reported.
Some students, after failing the exam, cannot get a timely support from their parents or teachers and begin to display some serious mental problems. How to help these students to get rid of the shadow on their mind has become a problem to be taken seriously.
First, students’ friends, parents and relatives should offer their sympathy and care to them in order to comfort their heart. At this time, parents should not blame students for their failure, otherwise they might bear more psychological (心理的) burden.
Secondly, teachers and the whole society should also offer more support to students who fail the exam.
Lastly, students themselves should also try to overcome their depressions and adjust their mood.
The newspaper urges the general public to offer their care, trust and support to these students. It also expects that students can face their failure bravely and try to start a new life happily.What can we infer from the passage?
| A．After the college entrance exam, more attention is paid to students who failed the exam. |
| B．Students who failed the college entrance exam may suffer from some mental problems. |
| C．People have done a lot to help students who failed the college entrance exam. |
| D．Students failing the college entrance exam know how to remove the shadow on their mind. |
What’s the writer’s attitude towards the students who failed the college entrance examination?
| A．He looks down upon them. |
| B．He expresses concern for them. |
| C．He doubts about their learning ability. |
| D．He feels positive about their optimism. |
What would do harm to students who failed the college entrance examination?
| A．Friends, parents and relatives show more concern for them. |
| B．Teachers and the whole society offer more support to them. |
| C．They themselves get over their depression and adopt an optimistic attitude. |
| D．Parents put the blame on them for their failure. |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Give more attention to students who failed the college entrance exam |
| B．Adjust your mood and start a new life happily |
| C．Who is to blame for their failing the college entrance exam? |
| D．How to get rid of the shadow of failing the college entrance exam |
Genetically modified (转基因 ) foods have become a focus point of agriculture throughout the news today. This has an effect on many different aspects of the agriculture world. From the seed dealer, to the farmer that buys the seed, to the workers that the farmer sells to; all are affected by the new technologies that are involved in this part of production agriculture.
Genetically modified foods have come under heavy fire lately. There are some countries that are against buying these types of foods. They are being tested for safety by the best scientific experts in Europe, the US and the rest of the world. They are not for sale until they have gone through this complete safety process. Since they are a new product, and any slight problem with them could affect a whole country, these tests are very necessary.
These safety tests are carried out because of the new rules that were made with the Novel Foods Regulation. Begun in May of 1997, the Novel Foods Regulation set up an EU-wide pre-market system for all novel foods. A novel food is described as one that has not been eaten by EU consumers widely in the past. By setting up this program the EU hopes to keep its consumers safe from any possible side effects of any new food products.
There are a variety of ways in which genetic modification has helped food producers. They can improve the nutritional (营养的) value or the storage conditions of the food. Today there are only two genetically modified foods that have been allowed for use, these are GM soybean and GM maize.
Despite any safety checks, many people are still cautious about eating genetically modified foods. By providing these people with the necessary information, we can allow them to make decisions about these foods.What do we know about the novel food?
| A．It’s very popular in EU. |
| B．It’s bad for people’s health. |
| C．It’s a new kind of food. |
| D．Its story has been published. |
Genetically foods are allowed to be sold if they are .
| A．tested for safety | B．of high quality |
| C．more nutritional | D．grown in Europe |
From paragraph 2, we can learn that genetically modified foods .
| A．do no harm to people |
| B．have caused some problems |
| C．are well received after being tested |
| D．are criticized and attacked by many people |
What’s the writer’s attitude towards genetically modified foods?
| A．We should warn people that they are too dangerous to be eaten. |
| B．We should give people information about them so that they can decide whether to buy them |
| C．We should encourage people to eat them because they are more nutritional. |
| D．We should tell people that they are trying to fool the farmers. |
A young man approached the foreman（工头）of a logging crew (伐木队) and asked for a job. “That depends,” replied the foreman. “Let’s see you fell (砍伐) this tree.” The young man stepped forward and skillfully felled a great tree. Impressed, the foreman said, “You can start Monday.”
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday went by — and on Thursday afternoon the foreman approached the young man and said, “You can pick up your wages on the way out today.” Shocked, the young man replied, “I thought you would pay me on Friday.”
“Normally we do,” said the foreman. “But we’re letting you go today because you’ve fallen behind. Our daily felling charts show that you’ve dropped from first place on Monday to the last place today.”
“But I’m quite hardworking,” the young man disagreed. “I am the first to arrive and the last to leave and even have worked through my coffee breaks!”
The foreman thought for a minute and then asked “Have you sharpened your axe?”
The young man replied, “No, sir. I’ve been working too hard to take time for that!”
Our lives are like that. We sometimes get so busy that we don’t take time to “sharpen” the axe. In today’s world it seems that everyone is busier than ever, but less happy than ever. Why is that? Could it be that we have forgotten how to stay sharp?
There’s nothing wrong with hard work. But we shouldn’t get so busy that we ignore the truly important things in life. We all need time to relax, to think, to learn and to grow. If we don’t take time to sharpen the axe, we will become dull and lose our effectiveness.By telling the story, the writer wanted to tell us .
| A．where there is a will, there is a way |
| B．all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy |
| C．hard work can make up for lack of intelligence |
| D．health is over wealth |
The young man got the job by .
| A．defeating others | B．giving promises |
| C．showing skills | D．answering questions |
Why did the foreman pay the young man on Thursday instead of on the normal Friday?
| A．He wanted the young man to have a rest. |
| B．He wanted the young man to work harder. |
| C．He wanted to reward the young man for his hard work. |
| D．He was unsatisfied with the young man and was to fire him. |
What can we learn about the young man?
| A．He is optimistic. | B．He is a little dishonest. |
| C．He is intelligent. | D．He is hardworking. |
Believe it or not, there’re always some people who like staying up too late. However, sleeping early can bring us many benefits.
1. Healthy heart. Staying up late in the night is a way to hurt your body with high blood pressure and cholesterol (胆固醇). These are the risks associated with the heart.
2. Reduce stress. A peaceful sleep in the night relieves physical and mental stress. It relaxes the body and mind. With insufficient sleep you’re risking your health with heart attacks and other diseases.
3. Improve memory. Sleeping early lets your mind arrange the thoughts well. Waking up early with a fresh mind will regain all of it.
4. Protect you from diseases. By sleeping late in the night you’re only stressing yourself, which will increase the blood pressure and cholesterol levels. So sleep early and let your body keep the pressure levels constant.
5. . Breakfast is very important to start the day. Most of the time as we wake up late we miss it.
6. Positive performance. Sleeping continuously for at least 7 hours in the night is necessary. Inadequate sleep will limit your ability to think creatively, handle stress and concentrate.
7. Help metabolism (新陈代谢). Our body needs to send away all the unwanted waste. Sleeping through the day till noon will disorganise the exile (排泄). We need to eat and sleep on time to keep energy.
8. Reduce the risk of cancer. Sleep in the dark. Light in the night reduces the melatonin (褪黑激素) level which’s supposed to cause sleep and prevent the risk of cancer.
9. Increase energy. Sleeping early will let you complete your 7 hours of sleep and make you fresh the next morning. It gives you the energy to perform better.
10. Keep weight. When you sleep too late your organism is disturbed. Sleeping for less than 7 hours a day is an invitation to being overweight.What kind of sleep can relieve the physical and mental stress?
| A．A peaceful sleep. | B．An insufficient sleep. |
| C．A continuous sleep. | D．An inadequate sleep. |
What should be filled in the blank in Paragraph 6?
| A．Breakfast is important | B．You might miss breakfast |
| C．Wait for breakfast | D．Give time for breakfast |
How many hours should a man sleep at least according to the text?
| A．9 hours. | B．8 hours. |
| C．7 hours. | D．6 hours. |
What will happen if you sleep less than seven hours?
| A．Losing weight. | B．Becoming sleepless. |
| C．Becoming active | D．Becoming fat. |
There was once an old wise man living on the top of a mountain. Whenever the villagers had a problem, they would climb up the mountain and ask the old man for advice.
One day a young man arrived. “Wise man,” he asked, “What makes a man truly great?”
The old man said, “Do you sincerely want to know?”
“Yes, yes!” the young man replied.
“Well,” the wise old man said to him, “Let me tell you in the form of a story.”
There was once a Greek man who suffered from a deadly disease. Knowing that he would die soon, he was the first to join the army when his country was in a battle with the enemy. Hoping to die in battle, he would fight in the front line, risking himself without any worry for his life. Finally they won the battle and he was still alive. His general (将军) was so impressed with his bravery which contributed much to the victory.
The general decided to promote him and award him with medals of bravery and honor. On the day of presentation (授予仪式), he was looking very down and sad. Curiously, the general asked him why he was so sad on a day he should be so proud. The soldier told him of his deadly disease. “How could I let such a brave soldier die?” the general thought. So the general hired the best physician and finally cured the soldier. But from that day on, the once valiant soldier was no longer seen at the front. He would always avoid danger and tried his best to protect his life.
“Young man,” the wise man said, “if you want to be truly great, you must not be afraid of dying, you must be daring.”The reason why the young man went to see the old man was that .
| A．he enjoyed the scenery of the great mountain |
| B．the old man was very good at telling stories |
| C．there was a difficult problem troubling him |
| D．he was not sure who the greatest man was |
The general decided to award the Greek man .
| A．after he realized the man’s serious illness |
| B．because the man fought bravely in battle |
| C．though he knew the man would die soon |
| D．so that he could find the man a good doctor |
The underlined word “valiant” is closest in meaning to .
| A．brave | B．polite | C．curious | D．proud |
What the old man really wanted the young man to do was .
| A．trying to be kind to the people in trouble |
| B．mastering the skills of telling |
| C．joining the army to fight for his country |
| D．learning a lesson from the Greek man |
I was very disappointed not to be able to go to the jazz (爵士音乐) concert last Friday. The advertisement (广告) in the paper said that you could buy tickets at the theatre box in Richland Hills any day between 10:00 and 4:00. Since I work from 9:00 to 5:30, the only time I could go to the theatre was during my 45-minute lunch break. Unluckily, the theatre is on the other side of the town, and the bus service between my office and Richland Hills is not very good. But if you are lucky, you can make the round (往返的) trip in 45 minutes. Last Monday, I stood at the bus stop for fifteen minutes waiting for the bus. By the time I saw one come around the corner, there was not enough time left to make the trip. So I gave up and went back to the office. The same thing happened on Tuesday, and again the next day. On Thursday, my luck changed. I got on a bus right away and arrived at the theatre in exactly twenty minutes. When I got there, however, I found a long line of people at the office. I heard one man say he had been waiting in line for over an hour. Realizing I would not have enough time to wait in line, I caught the next bus and headed back (奔回) across the town. By Friday I realized my only hope was to make the trip by taxi. It was expensive, but I felt it would be worth it to hear the concert. The trip by taxi only took 10 minutes, but it felt like an hour to me. When I got to the theatre, I was relieved to see that nobody was waiting in line. The reason, however, I quickly discovered, was that they had already sold all the tickets.The man learned that there would be a concert last Friday ________.
| A．from his friends | B．from one of his workmates |
| C．over the radio | D．from the newspaper |
One day the man took ________ to get to the theatre by bus.
| A．forty-five minutes | B．fifteen minutes |
| C．just twenty minutes | D．over an hour |
The underlined word “relieved” may best be replaced by “________”.
| A．worried | B．pleased | C．puzzled | D．sorry |
The writer mainly shows us his _____________.
| A．enjoyment of the concert |
| B．anger for buying the ticket |
| C．efforts to buy the ticket |
| D．disappointment at the concert |
California sea lions are the fastest of all the sea lions, reaching speeds of up to 40 kilometers an hour when swimming. Males are much larger than females, measuring 2 to 2.5 meters and weighing 200 to 453 kilograms. Females only measure 1.5 to 2 meters and weigh 50 to 113 kilograms. They can also move fairly well while on land.
California sea lions can be found living along the Pacific coast of North America. They prefer to live in waters near rocky and sandy shores. On land, they often gather in large groups as many as 1,000 of them. While at sea, they travel in much smaller groups of around 10 or more. They communicate with one another through a series of sounds.
Their diet consists of a wide variety of fish and other sea animals. They are able to hold their breath for up to 10 minutes by slowing down their heart rate, allowing them to hunt for their prey for a longer period of time. They have been known to continuously hunt for up to 30 hours at a time, with their eyesight and hearing playing an important part in finding their food. Being so large, they do not have that many natural predators (天敌) that they need to be on the lookout for.
Eleven months after getting pregnant, the female will give birth to one baby on land. If the baby can survive long enough, they can live to be 20 to 25 years old.
California sea lions are not listed as an endangered species. This is largely because of laws such as the US Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. Hopefully such acts will continue to show results.What do we know about California sea lions?
| A．They weigh at least 113 kilograms. |
| B．They swim faster than any other sea animal. |
| C．Males are much larger than females. |
| D．They usually move very slowly after leaving the sea. |
Which of the following descriptions about California sea lions might NOT be true?
| A．About 1,000 of them are often seen together on a shore. |
| B．Hundreds of them hunt together at sea. |
| C．They are often seen near rocky shores along the Pacific coast. |
| D．They make a series of sounds to communicate with each other. |
California sea lions slow down their heart rate in order to .
| A．swim faster at sea |
| B．have a rest while hunting |
| C．hunt for over 30 hours at a time |
| D．stay in water for a longer time |
What is the main reason why California sea lions aren’t endangered?
| A．That they are not worth much money. | B．That they have no natural enemies. |
| C．That they are protected well by laws. | D．That they are good at raising the young. |
You wake up in the morning, the day is beautiful and the plans for the day are what you have been looking forward to for a long time. Then the telephone rings, you say hello, and the drama starts. The person on the other end has a depressing (令人沮丧的) tone in his voice as he starts to tell you how terrible his morning is and that there is nothing to look forward to. You are still in a wonderful mood? Impossible!
Communicating with negative (消极的) people can wash out your happiness. It may not change what you think, but communicating long enough with them will make you feel depressed for a moment or a long time.
Life brings ups and downs, but some people are stuck in the wrong idea that life has no happiness to offer. They only feel glad when they make others feel bad. No wonder they can hardly win others’ pity or respect.
When you communicate with positive (积极的) people, your spirit stays happy and therefore more positive things are attracted. When the dagger (匕首) of a negative person is put in you, you feel the heavy feeling that, all in all, brings you down.
Sometimes we have no choice but to communicate with negative people. This could be a co-worker, or relative. In this case, say what needs to be said as little as possible. Sometimes it feels good to let out your anger back to a negative person, but all this is to lower you to that same negative level and they won’t feel ashamed of themselves about that.
Negativity often affects happiness without even being realized. The negative words of another at the start of the day can cling to (附着) you throughout the rest of your day, which makes you feel bad and steals your happiness. Life is too short to feel negative. Stay positive and avoid negativity as much as possible.How can negative people have effect on us?
| A．By telling US the nature of life. |
| B．By influencing our emotion. |
| C．By comparing their attitude to life with ours. |
| D．By changing our way of thinking. |
Some negative people base their happiness on ____________.
| A．other people’s pity for them |
| B．building up a positive attitude |
| C．making other people unhappy |
| D．other people’s respect for them |
According to the passage, to reduce negative people’s influence on us, we are advised __________.
| A．to change negative people’s attitude to life |
| B．to show our dissatisfaction to negative people |
| C．to communicate with negative people as little as possible |
| D．to make negative people feel ashamed of themselves |
What can we learn about negativity?
| A．Its effect can be completely avoided. |
| B．Its effect can last. |
| C．It hardly happens among family members. |
| D．Its effect is smaller than the effect created by a positive person. |
English is the most widely used language in the history of our planet. One in every seven human beings can speak it. More than half of the world’s books and three quarters of international mail are in English. Of all languages, English has the largest vocabulary — perhaps as many as two million words.
However, let’s face it: English is a crazy language. There is no egg in an eggplant, neither pine nor apple in a pineapple and no ham in a hamburger. Sweet-meats are candy, while sweetbreads, which aren’t sweet, are meat.
We take English for granted. But when we explore its paradoxes (探讨它的矛盾), we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square, public bathrooms have no baths in them.
And why is it that a writer writes, but fingers don’t fing, grocers don’t groce, and hammers don’t ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, shouldn’t the plural of booth be beeth? One goose, two geese — so one moose, two meese?
How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? How can overlook and oversee be opposites, while quite a lot and quite a few are alike? How can the weather be hot as hell one day and cold as hell the next?
English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects (反映) the creativity of human beings. That’s why, when stars are out, they are visible (能看见的); but when the lights are out, they are invisible. And why, when I wind up my watch, I start it; but when I wind up this essay, I end it.According to the passage _____________.
| A．boxing rings should be round |
| B．pineapples are the apples on the pine tree |
| C．there should be an egg in an eggplant |
| D．sweet-meats and sweetbreads are different things |
Which of the following is the correct plural form (复数形式)?
| A．Beeth. | B．Meese. | C．Geese. | D．Tooth. |
Which of the following has the similar meaning?
| A．Quite a lot and quite a few. | B．Overlook and oversee. |
| C．A wise man and a wise guy. | D．Hot as hell and cold as hell. |
Through the many paradoxes in the English language, the writer wants to show that human beings are ______.
| A．lazy | B．crazy |
| C．clever | D．stupid |
America is a mobile society. Friendships between Americans can be close and real, yet disappear soon if situations change. Neither side feels hurt by this. Both may exchange Christmas greetings for a year or two, perhaps a few letters for a while — then no more. If the same two people meet again by chance, even years later, they pick up the friendship. This can be quite difficult for us Chinese to understand, because friendships between us flow more slowly but then may become lifelong feelings, extending (延伸) sometimes deeply into both families.
Americans are ready to receive us foreigners at their homes, share their holidays, and their home life. They will enjoy welcoming us and be pleased if we accept their hospitality (好客) easily.
Another difficult point for us Chinese to understand Americans is that although they welcome us warmly in their personal everyday lives, they don’t show their politeness to us if it requires a great deal of time. This is usually the opposite of the practice in our country where we may be generous with our time. Sometimes, we, as hosts, will appear at airports even in the middle of the night to meet a friend. We may take days off to act as guides to our foreign friends. The Americans, however, express their welcome usually at homes, but truly cannot manage the time to do a great deal with a visitor outside their daily routine. They will probably expect us to get ourselves from the airport to our own hotel by bus. And they expect that we will phone them from there. Once we arrive at their homes, the welcome will be full, warm and real. We will find ourselves treated hospitably.
For the Americans, it is often considered more friendly to invite a friend to their homes than to go to restaurants, except for purely business matters. So accept their hospitality at home!The writer of this passage must be ______.
| A．an American | B．a professor |
| C．a Chinese | D．a student |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Friendships between Americans usually last for all their lives. |
| B．Friendships between Americans usually extend deeply into their families. |
| C．Americans will continue their friendships again even after a long break. |
| D．Americans always show their warmth even if they are very busy. |
From the last two paragraphs we can learn that when we arrive in America to visit an American friend, we will probably be ____________.
| A．warmly welcomed at the airport |
| B．offered a ride to his home |
| C．treated to dinner in a restaurant |
| D．treated hospitably at his home |
A suitable title for this passage would probably be “_____________”.
| A．Friendships between Chinese |
| B．Americans’ and Chinese’s views of friendships |
| C．Americans’ hospitality |
| D．Friendships between Americans |
When a tornado touched down in a small town nearby, many families were left completely destroyed. Afterward all the local newspapers carried many human-interest stories featuring some of the families who suffered the hardest.
One Sunday, a particular picture especially touched me. A young woman stood in front of an entirely shattered mobile home, a depressed expression twisting her features. A young boy, seven or eight years old, stood at her side, eyes downcast. Clutching (紧握) at her skirt was a tiny girl who stared into the camera, eyes wide with confusion and fear.
The article that went with the picture gave the clothing sizes of each family member. With growing interest, I noticed that their sizes closely matched ours. This would be a good opportunity to teach my children to help those less fortunate than themselves. I taped the picture of the young family to our refrigerator, explaining their difficulty to my seven-year-old twins, Brad and Brett, and to three-year-old Meghan.
“We have so much. And these poor people now have nothing,” I said. “We’ll share what we have with them.”
I brought three large boxes down from the room upstairs and placed them on the living room floor. Meghan watched seriously, as the boys and I filled one of the boxes with canned goods and foods.
While I sorted through our clothes, I encouraged the boys to go through their toys and donate some of their less favorite things. Meghan watched quietly as the boys piled up discarded toys and games.
“I’ll help you find something for the little girl when I’m done with this,” I said.
The boys placed the toys they had chosen to donate into one of the boxes while I filled the third box with clothes. Meghan walked up with Lucy, her worn, faded, much-loved rag doll hugged tightly to her chest. She paused in front of the box that held the toys, pressed her round little face into Lucy’s flat, painted-on-face, gave her a final kiss, then laid her gently on the top of other toys.
“Oh, Honey,” I said. “You don’t have to give Lucy. You love her so much. “
Meghan nodded seriously, eyes glistening with held-back tears. “Lucy makes me happy, Mommy. Maybe she’ll make that other little girl happy, too. “
Swallowing hard, I stared at Meghan for a long moment, wondering how I could teach the boys the lesson she had just taught me. For I suddenly realized that anyone can give their cast-offs away. True generosity is giving what you value most.
Honest benevolence (善行) is a three-year-old offering a valuable, though shabby, doll to a little
girl she doesn’t know with the hope that it will bring this child as much pleasure as it brought her. I, who had wanted to teach, had been taught.
The boys had watched, open-mouthed, as their baby sister placed her favorite doll in the box. Without a word, Brad rose and went to his room. He came back carrying one of his favorite action figures. He hesitated briefly, clutching the toy, then looked over at Meghan and placed it in the box next to Lucy.
A slow smile spread across Brett’s face. Then he jumped up, eyes twinkling as he ran to fetch some of his prized Matchbox cars.
Astonished, I realized that the boys had also recognized what little Meghan’s gesture meant. Swallowing back tears, I pulled all three of them into my arms.
Taking the cue from my little one, I removed my old jacket from the box of clothes. I replaced it with the new hunter green jacket that I had found on sale last week. I hoped the young woman in the picture would love it as much as I did.
It’s easy to give what we don’t want any more, but harder to let go of things we cherish, isn’t it? However, the true spirit of giving is to give with your heart.Why does the author give a detailed description of a particular picture in the Sunday newspaper?
| A．To create an atmosphere of fear and depression brought by the tornado. |
| B．To appeal to unconcerned people to donate for the poor families. |
| C．To show the helplessness and hopelessness of the family mentioned in the paper. |
| D．To stress what touched her and made her decide to help the hopeless family. |
Why did Brad and Brett also donate their favorite things finally?
| A．They were encouraged to donate some valuable things by the mother. |
| B．Meghan’s decision inspired them to donate their favorite things. |
| C．They also wanted to show generosity by giving away their valuable things. |
| D．Meghan’s gesture reminded them to replace their favorite things with new ones. |
By “swallowing hard”, the writer means that .
| A．she was deeply puzzled by what the little girl did |
| B．she had trouble persuading Meghan not to give away Lucy |
| C．she was greatly moved by Meghan’s unexpected decision |
| D．she was uncertain what consequences Meghan’s action would bring about |
What’s the best title for this passage?
| A．The Greatest Love | B．A Beautiful Heart |
| C．True Generosity | D．A Precious Gift |
Don’t be surprised if you see a group of people dancing or shouting on the square. They are a flash mob (快闪族). Confused by their name? Actually, a flash mob, organized with the help of the Internet or other digital communications networks, is a group of people who gather suddenly in a public place, do something unusual for a period of time, such as exchanging books, coming together to look at the sky, waving their hands and shouting something at the top of their lungs for 30 seconds, and then quickly disappear before the police can arrive.
Bill Wasik, senior editor of Harper’s Magazine, organized the first flash mob in Manhattan in May 2003 and the first successful flash mob gathered on June 3, 2003 at Macy’s department store involving 100 people gathering on Macy’s Department Store. Following this, about 200 people flooded the lobby of the Hyatt hotel, applauding in one voice for fifteen seconds, and next participants pretending to be tourists on a trip invaded a shoe shop in Soho. A later mob saw hundreds of people in Central Park making bird noises.
Wasik claimed that he created flash mobs as a social experiment designed to tease hipsters (追逐时尚的人), and highlight the cultural atmosphere of agreement and of being part of “the next big thing”. Many web logs, chat rooms and Web groups are devoted to the craze. Though flash mobs were originally regarded as useless, the concept has already developed for the benefit of political and social events. Flash mobbing takes advantage of the efficiency of communicating information on Websites and by email, and protesters can similarly use the “on and off” concept to be involved in political events. Such flash mob gatherings can sometimes shock or frighten people who are not aware of what is taking place. They also have enormous economic potential, such as using flash mobs to advertise a product.
The flash mob is now becoming more and more popular. People use it to do many things. For example, in 2009, hundreds of Michael Jackson’s fans took part in a flash mob to remember him, gathering outside the railway station in Liverpool, singing and dancing Michael’s famous song Beat It together. In another example, some people took part in a flash mob to warn people against negative words. Flash mobs give people from all walks of life an opportunity to come together to create a memory. The writer indicates that the flash mob .
| A．may perform some positive functions |
| B．is always a headache for the police |
| C．is now a social experiment to criticize fashion followers |
| D．helps to improve the efficiency of communication |
A flash mob is most likely to .
| A．give out leaflets of a brand bicycle to the passers-by |
| B．gather in public places performing and leave quickly |
| C．plan to go mountaineering on the first day of Horse Year |
| D．sit for days in front of the city hall for higher wages |
According to the passage, what contribute(s) most to the popularity of the flash mob?
| A．Harper’s Magazine | B．the government |
| C．political events | D．digital networks |
The purpose of the writing is .
| A．to amuse and interest | B．to argue and advise |
| C．to describe and introduce | D．to question and comment |
LONDON－Scientists have found an unusual way to prevent our planet from overheating: move it to a cooler spot. All you have to do is send a few comets (彗星) in the direction of Earth, and its orbit will be changed too. Our world will then be sent spinning into a safer, colder part of the solar system.
This idea for improving our climate comes from a group of U. S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) engineers and American astronomers. They say their plan could add another six billion years to the useful lifetime of our planet－effectively doubling its working life.
The plan put forward by Dr. Laughlin, and his colleagues Don Korycansky and Fred Adams, needs carefully directing a comet or asteroid so that it passes close by our planet and sends some of its gravitational energy to Earth.
“Earth’s orbital speed would increase as a result and we would move to a higher orbit away from the Sun,” Laughlin said.
Engineers would then direct their comet so that it passed close to Jupiter or Saturn. The comet would pick up energy from one of these giant planets. Later its orbit would bring it back to Earth, and the process would be repeated.
In the short term, the plan provides an ideal way to global warming, although the team was actually concerned with a much greater danger. The Sun is certain to heat up in about a billion years and so “seriously compromise” our biosphere (生物圈) －by cooking us.
That’s why the group decided to try to save Earth.
The plan has one or two worrying aspects, however. For a start, space engineers would have to be very careful about how they directed their asteroid or comet towards Earth. The smallest miscalculation (误算) in orbit could fire it straight at Earth--with deadly consequences.
There is also the question of the Moon. As the current issue of Scientific American magazine points out, if Earth was pushed out of its current position, it is “most likely the Moon would be stripped away from Earth”. This would greatly change our planet’s climate.
What makes the scientists plan to move Earth?
| A．A few comets are moving to the direction of Earth. |
| B．Earth’s working life is coming to an end soon. |
| C．Earth will become too hot for mankind to keep alive. |
| D．The moon is moving farther and farther away from Earth. |
If the plan is successful, Earth will have a working life of years.
| A．12 billion | B．6 billion |
| C．18 billion | D．24 billion |
What serious problems might the plan cause according to the passage?
| A．The comet might hit Earth and man might lose the Moon. |
| B．Earth might be moved too far away and man might be frozen to death. |
| C．The comet might hit Jupiter or Saturn and never return to Earth. |
| D．Earth’s working life might be greatly shortened. |
What does the underlined word “compromise” mean?
| A．Provide. | B．Recover |
| C．Share. | D．Endanger. |
Huttopia
Created in Europe, but tailored to perfection in Quebec, Huttopia tents provide convenient, comfortable accommodation in 16 of Quebec’s 23 national parks. Built atop a 4 by 7 meters wooden platform, the walls and roof enclose a roomy space that can sleep up to 5 people. Beds, lighting, heating, a small fridge, dishes, and an outdoor twoburner stove provide comforts. Open summer through fall, Huttopia tents can be booked for as little as $ 99 per night.
Tree Sphere
This creative option takes wilderness camping to a whole new level. Setting up camp in a Free Spirit Sphere you can sleep among the trees and stretch your wings in Qualicum Bay, Vancouver Island. Part tree house, part space capsule, founder Tom Chudleigh’s handcrafted wooden spheres gently dangle in the breeze thanks to a series of ropes tied to the forest’s cover. Suspended at 3.1, 4.3 and 4.6 meters off the ground, each of the three spheres offers comfortable and unique lodging for adults age 16 and over.
Four-Season Tents
Gatineau Park’s Philippe Lake has the perfect winter accommodation for you. Standing above the freezing ground on wooden platforms, two four-season tents are attractive with amenities (便利设施) that will keep you comfortable. With sleeping space for up to four people, the park’s four-season tents feature double-sized beds, a fridge and a stove for cooking meals.
Houseboats
Why limit your camping adventures to dry land? Lakeway Houseboat Vacations in New Brunswick offers grand accommodation in their “cottages on the water”. Choose from three luxurious floating vacation homes with full kitchens, full bathrooms, multiple bedrooms ( one boat sleeps 14!) , TVs, hot tubs, fireplaces and even waterslides. Sail along the St. John River, sunbathe on the upper deck, or stop at picturesque Mactaquac Provincial Park for a round of golf. Do as little or as much as you desire.Which of the following is the most popular in the Province of Quebec?
| A．Huttopia. | B．Tree Sphere. |
| C．Four-Season Tents. | D．Houseboats. |
Which statement is correct about the houseboat?
| A．It has only one type. |
| B．It is large enough for four to live in. |
| C．It is supplied with some baked food. |
| D．By house boat, you can find a place to play golf. |
The underlined word “dangle” in the second paragraph probably means .
| A．move | B．swing |
| C．escape | D．quake |
Which of the following is not the advantage of the Four-Season Tents?
| A．The large wooden platforms. |
| B．Convenient facilities. |
| C．The sense of floating. |
| D．The large sleeping space. |
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