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.
1. According to the passage ______.
A. sweet-meats and sweetbreads are different things
B. there should be egg in an eggplant
C. pineapples are the apples on the pine tree
D. boxing rings should be round
2. Which of the following is the correct plural?
A. Beeth. B. Geese. C. Meese. D. Tooth.
3. Which of the following includes two items which have the similar meaning?
A. A wise man and a wise guy. B. Overlook and oversee.
C. Quite a lot and quite a few. D. Hot as hell and cold as hell.
4. The underlined words “wind up” in the last paragraph probably mean “______”.
A. blow B. roll up C. get hurt D. finish
5. Through the many paradoxes in the English language, the writer wants to show that human beings are ______.
A. clever B. crazy C. lazy D. dull
It must have been around nine o’clock when I drove back home from work because it was already dark． As I came near to the gates I turned off the head lights of the car so as to prevent the beam from swinging (摆动) through the window and waking Jack, who shared the house with me． But I needn’t have done so． I noticed that his light was still on, so he was awake anyway—unless he had fallen asleep while reading． I put the car away and went up the steps．
Then I opened the door quietly and went to Jack’s room． He was in bed awake, but he didn’t even turn towards me．
“What’s up, Jack﹖” I asked．
“For God’s sake, don’t make a noise,” he said．
The way he spoke reminded me of someone in pain who is afraid to talk in case he does himself serious injury．
“Take your shoes off, Neville,” Jack said．
I thought that he must be ill and that I had better give way to him to keep him happy． “There is a snake here,” he explained． “It’s asleep between the sheets． I was lying on my back reading when I saw it．I knew that moving was out of the question． I could not have moved even I’d wanted to．” I realized that he was serious． “I was depending on you to call a doctor as soon as you came home,” Jack went on． “It has not bitten me yet but I dare not do anything to upset it． It might wake up． I’m sick of this,” he said．“I took it for granted that you would have come home an hour ago．”
There was no time to argue or apologize for being late．I looked at him as encouraging as I could and went to telephone the doctor．When he got home, Neville found that ＿＿＿＿＿．
| A．Jack had fallen asleep while reading | B．Jack had been reading for some time |
| C．Jack’s light was not turned off | D．Jack was ready to answer the doctor |
The underlined phrase in Paragraph 6 means ＿＿＿＿＿．
| A．impossible | B．no problem | C．no doubt | D．without difficulty |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage﹖
| A．Neville and Jack lived in the same house． |
| B．Neville thought that Jack had fallen ill． |
| C．Neville really believed that Jack was not making a joke． |
| D．Neville refused to argue or to make an apology for being late． |
The reason why Neville thought that Jack must be ill is that Jack ＿＿＿＿．
| A．asked Neville to take off his shoes |
| B．made a gesture to show the presence of the snake |
| C．was afraid to upset the snake sleeping between the sheets |
| D．behaved strangely as if he were badly hurt |
According to the passage, Neville should have been home at ＿＿＿＿．
| A．7 p．m． | B．8 p．m． | C．9 p．m． | D．6 p．m． |
A young woman was driving through the lonely countryside. It was dark and raining. Suddenly she saw an old woman by the side of the road, holding her hand out as if she wanted a lift.
“I can’t leave her out in this weather,” the woman said to herself, so she stopped the car and opened the door.
“Do you want a lift?” she asked. The old woman nodded and climbed into the car. After a while, she said to the old woman, “Have you been waiting for a long time?” The old woman shook her head. “Strange,” thought the young woman. She tried again. “Bad weather for the time of year,” she said. The old woman nodded. No matter what the young woman said, the hitchhiker(搭车者) gave no answer except for a nod of the head or a shrug(耸肩).
Then the young woman noticed the hitchhiker’s hands, which were large and hairy. Suddenly she realized that the hitchhiker was actually a man! She stopped the car. “ I can’t see out of the rear screen,” she said, “Would you mind clearing it for me?”
The hitchhiker nodded and opened the door. As soon as the hitchhiker was out of the car, the terrified young woman raced off.
When she got to the next village she pulled up. She noticed that the hitchhiker had left his handbag behind. She picked it up and opened it. She gave a gasp. Inside the bag was a gun.The woman stopped the car because _______.
| A．the old woman asked her to | B．she recognized the old woman |
| C．she knew what the woman wanted | D．she wanted to helped the old woman |
What made the woman feel strange about the old woman?
| A．That she kept nodding her head | B．That she was unable to speak |
| C．That she gave no answer to her questions | D．That she had large and hairy hands |
The young woman asked the hitchhiker to clear the rear screen because _______.
| A．this is the way she thought of to get rid of him | B．the hitchhiker frightened her |
| C．the hitchhiker was very helpful | D．she couldn’t see out of the rear screen |
The hitchhiker left the bag with a gun in it behind because_______.
| A．he wanted to give her a warning |
| B．he had not expected the woman would leave him behind in the rain |
| C．it was his present for her |
| D．he wanted to kill her with the gun |
Brazil is the greatest football nation in the world. There are 170 million Brazilians. How many of them are football fans? 100 million! All of them think they know all about football. This makes life very difficult for the Brazilian team managers. When things go bad for the Brazilian team, the newspapers would demand that the team manager should leave his job. “If we win, they me in heaven,” a manager once said. “If we lose, they put me in hell(地狱).”
You can’t escape football in Brazil. There are football matches on every street and beach. On television, the results of football matches come before the main news programs. There are six television channels(频道) in Rio de Janeiro. On Sundays each channel shows a different football match.
Brazil is not the richest country in the world, but the government spends lots of money on football. It cost more than one billion pounds to prepare for the 1978 World Cup. That’s 10 pounds for every Brazilian man, woman, and child. And many Brazilians don’t earn as much as 10 pounds a week. Is it worth it?
“Brazil must have a great football team,” says one journalist. “If it costs one billion pounds, that’s all right. If the government doesn’t give us a good team, then it will become unpopular. Football is more than a game in Brazil.”
Football is more than a game in Brazil. This is certainly true in its largest city, Sao Paulo. The most popular team is Corinthians. Corinthians’ fans are the most loyal and emotional in Brazil. When Corinthians win, production(产量) in the Sao Paulo car factories increases by fifteen per cent. When they loses, it drops. At one time Corinthians won the national championship for the first time, for four days fans danced and sang in the streets,
Why are people so loyal to one football team? What makes a football fan? One man says, “Without Corinthians my life would be sad. Corinthians bring some joy and excitement into my life. We all need that, don’t we?”In Paragraph 1, what the manager said means_______.
A, he is respected by newspapers B,. he will probably be killed by fans
C. he is judged on his team’s results D. it’s difficult for him to get good scoresAll the following statements about the Brazilians and football are true EXCEPT _______.
| A．all the Brazilians know all about football |
| B．football has an influence on politics in Brazil |
| C．the Brazilians spend a lot of money on football |
| D．Corinthians’ fans are always supporting their team |
Some people danced and sang in the streets for four days in Sap Paulo because_______.
| A．production in the Sao Paulo car factories increased | |
| B．Corinthians won a national football championship | |
| C．Corinthians won the World Cup | D．the newspapers put a team manager in heaven |
People are loyal to their football team mainly because _______.
| A．it brings joy and excitement to their life | B．they could always count on it |
| C．it can increase the car production | D．they could see hope in it |
Opening week specials at Munchies Food Hall
At the corner of Green and Brown Streets in the city
Monday 7th of January until Sunday, 13th of January 2
008
Feast until you’re full ! Come down to Munchies this week to enjoy the special dishes on offer at all of our food outlets. Order from the following:
·Succulent chicken rice ·Spicy satay beef
·Delicious noodle dishes ·Plump park chops
·Seafood specialties ·Crunchy vegetables
·Sweet tropical fruit
Halal food is available at the stall Malay Food Heaven
Win Prizes and Gifts !
·Spend $ 20.00 or more and win instant prizes from our lucky draw box.
·Collect a free party balloon and whistle for each young diner.
·Enjoy a free meal if you are the first customer of the day at any of our stalls.
·Win a holiday to Western Australia. A free raffle ticket is given with every receipt. Just fill in your information and place your entry in the box provided.
Winner to be announced in The Straits Times on the 15th of January.
Join in the Fun !
Between 7:00 pm and 8:00 pm each evening until the 10th of January, your favorite Channel 3 television actors and singers will entertain you:
·May Lee ·Jackie Chen
·Kim Yap ·Kamal
Autograph sessions will follow each performance ! And who will be our extra special mystery star? Come down on Saturday at noon to find out.The prices at Munchies are__________.
| A．lower than usual | B．bargain prices for the opening |
| C．lower for two people | D．lower if you spend $ 21.00 |
Everyone who eats at Munchies will receive a _________.
| A．free raffle ticket | B．lucky draw coupon |
| C．free meal | D．balloon and whistle |
I will find out who has won the trip to Western Australia when I _________.
| A．watch Channel 3 television |
| B．come down to Munchies at noon |
| C．read The Straits Times on the 15th of January |
| D．attend the lucky draw at Munchies Food Hall |
I was loading (装载) my truck to go to the market when I hurt my left eye. The pain was like a hot sword(剑) being shoved through my head. I fell down on my hands and knees, and I knew it was bad.
I was taken to the Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga, and the doctors operated on me several times but couldn’t save my left eye. When they told me the news, I wanted to die.
Even after I got my fake（假的） eye, I couldn’t shake the sadness. To make matters worse, I lost my job as a transportation officer because of my lost eye. But one morning, I woke up and the TV was on, and there was a 16-year-old girl who had been badly burned on her face and legs. Her situation was much worse than mine. She wore a big smile and seemed to look right at me and said, “You can’t ever give up.” At that moment, I thought, “This is just an eye. Get over it.” And I did.
It’s been almost 12 years since my accident, and there’s nothing I can’t do now that I used to do. And although I didn’t get my old job back, I got my license again.
I read a story once. In that story, a man was feeling bad because he had no shoes until he met a man who had no feet. No matter how terrible your problem is, remember there’s always someone somewhere who’s worse off. So cheer up and smile at life!Because of the accident, the writer _______.
| A．lost both of his hands. | B．lost one of his eyes |
| C．was paid a lot of money | D．knew he was not a good driver |
According to Paragraph 2, when the writer heard the bad news, _______.
| A．he decided to refuse the fake eye | B．he accepted the fact immediately |
| C．he decided to live a happier life | D．he felt extremely sad |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．The writer got his old job back | B．The writer can’t see things clearly |
| C．The writer is not strong-minded | D．The writer has got over the accident |
By writing his story, the writer most probably wants to _______.
| A．tell us his unusual experience |
| B．ask people to help the disabled |
| C．advised us to be positive（积极乐观的） about life |
| D．tell us that accident can happen anytime |
Children lie on couches or sit on floors, nearly hypnotized(迷住) by all kinds of messages coming from the television. This scene has become all too familiar. Increasingly, young children are adopting a watching-TV lifestyle, at s stage in life when activity is important to their growth. Furthermore, family time is being destroyed by too much TV time. Here are some facts you need to know:
*Research shows that children spend between five and six hours per day watching TV, and they go to bed before having any communication with other family members.
*Time spent in front of a screen is reducing the amount of time children spend sleeping.
*The more time a youth spends in front of a screen, the more likely he or she is to be overweight.
Experts(专家) offer the following advice to parents on how to stop their children from becoming addicted to television:
*Do not put a TV in a child’s bedroom.
*Make meal time, family time -----turn off the TV during a family meal time. Better yet, remove the TV from the eating area.
*Make TV time active time by doing simple exercise during advertisement breaks.
*Help your kids be clever TV watchers by teaching them to recognize a sales trick in advertisements(广告).
*Create family memories by planning fun activities instead of always watching TV with your family.
*_______. Limit your own TV watching to less than two hours per day. The best way to learn is to follow; this is especially true for children.Which fact is not mentioned(提到) as a result of watching TV in this passage?
| A．Family time has been destroyed. |
| B．Children who watch too much TV are often overweight. |
| C．Children spend less time sleeping because of watching TV. |
| D．Children’s study can be badly influenced if they watch too much TV. |
Which of the following is one piece of advice given in this passage?
| A．Parents should teach children to judge TV advertisements. |
| B．TV should be removed from homes that have children. |
| C．The family should watch TV together while eating. |
| D．Parents should not allow children to watch TV. |
The sentence in the blank in the last advice should be “_______”.
| A．Be a good role model | B．Limit children’s TV time |
| C．TV time should not be over 2 hours. | D．Watching too much TV is bad for children |
According to a report by the China News Weekly, Chinese white collars are becoming fully occupied in the office. They pursue many of their activities in the office building, eating, doing exercise, resting, playing games or even dating.
In large cities such as Shenzhen, Shanghai and Beijing, where economy is developing at a fast speed, office workers face an increasing work pressure day by day and many of them have begun to make office their home.
As the young generation in society, most of them are aged between 25 and 45. In the eyes of outsiders, they enjoy a comfortable life: they lead the fashion trend in the city and earn a high salary; they enjoy a flexible working schedule and a very good working environment; having a good education background, they don’t have to worry that one day they will lose their jobs.
However, only the white collars themselves know what others see as a good life is in fact a boring life. They often work extra hours, suffer from loss of creative ability and have little time to make friends. When they go off from work late at night, somethimes they might think of asking for a leave the next day and having a holiday somewhere. However, when a new day begins, they find everything back to normal and themselves pushed by new tasks.
In fact, even if they don’t work extra hours in the office, they have no place to go. Many of the young people are fresh from college, or have come to work in large cities from their hometowns. As newcomers, they haven’t established （建立）a social network. They have few friends to go dating. Meanwhile, many of them face a great pressure for earning money to buy a house or a car. If they cannot afford to buy these, they still have to work to pay for high apartment rents and communication fares.The underlined sentence probably means _______
| A．Chinese white collars are not allowed to get out of the office |
| B．The office is crowded with Chinese white collars |
| C．Chinese white collars make the office filled with odds and ends |
| D．Chinese white collars spend most of their time in the office |
The followings are all reasons why white collars want to have a rest EXCEPT that _______
| A．They have to continue to stay at office after work |
| B．They feel more and more difficult to think up a good idea |
| C．They have no interest in anything |
| D．They have little time to make friends |
The main idea of the third paragraph is that_______
| A．white collars are admired by other people |
| B．white collars needn’t worry about losing jobs |
| C．white collars can earn high salary and work freely |
| D．white collars are in the lead in the way of behaving |
From the passage , we can infer that _______
| A．white collars are all workaholics who regard the office as home |
| B．white collars suffer from material and mental pressure in life |
| C．white collars are the models of young people in society |
| D．people have a good understanding of what white collars’ life is |
The painter Georgia O’keeffe was born in Wisconsin in 1887 and grew up on her family’s farm. At seventeen she decided she wanted to be an artist and left the farm for schools in Chicago and New York, but she never lost her bond with the land. Like most painters, O’Keeffe painted the things that were most important to her, and nearly all her works are simplified portrayals of nature.
O’Keeffe became famous when her paintings were discovered and exhibited in New York by the photographer Levered Stieglitz, whom she married in 1924. During a visit to New York in 1929, O’Keeffe was so moved by the bleak（荒凉的） landscape and broad skies of the Western desert that she began to paint its images. Cows’ skulls and other bleached（变白的） bones found in the desert figured prominently（突出的） in her paintings. When her husband died in 1946, she moved to New Mexico permanently and used the horizon lines of the desert, colorful flowers, rocks, barren(贫瘠的) hills, and the sky as subjects for her paintings. Although O’Keeffe painted her best known works in the 1920’s, 1930’s and 1940’s, she continued to produce tributes（贡品、颂词） to the Western desert until her death in 1986.
O’Keeffe is widely considered to have been a pioneering American modernist painter. While most early modern American artists were strongly influenced by European art, O’Keeffe’s position was more independent. She established her own vision and preferred to view her painting as a private endeavor. Almost from the beginning, her work was more indentifiably American than that of her contemporaries in its simplified and idealized treatment of color, light, space, and natural forms. Which of the following best tells what this passage is about ?
| A．O’Keeffe was a distinctive modern American painter. |
| B．O’Keeffe was the best painter of her generation. |
| C．O’Keeffe liked to paint only what was familiar to her. |
| D．O’Keeffe used colors and shapes that are too reduced and simple. |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned as an influence on O’Keeffe’s paintings ?
| A．Her rural upbringing | B．Her life in the West |
| C．The works of European artists | D．The appearance of the natural landscape |
Which of the following is most similar to O’Keeffe’s relationship with nature?
| A．A photoghrapher’s relationship with a model. |
| B．A writer’s relationship with a publisher. |
| C．A student’s relationship with a teacher |
| D．A carpenter’s relationship with a hammer. |
Why is O’Keeffe considered an artistic pioneer ?
| A．Her work became influential in Europe. |
| B．She painted the American Southwest. |
| C．Her paintings had a definite American style. |
| D．She painted things that were familiar to her. |
A NATIONWIDE BESTSELLER
It’s likely that everything you learned about America’s ancient history is wrong.
The new book, 1491, completely changes our understanding of the Americas before the arrival of Columbus in 1492.
When Columbus landed there were probably more people in the Ameicas than there were in Europe.
The peoples of North America had such healthy lifestyles that as late as the 19th century they continued to be the tallest people on earth.
Facts have shown that the Americas were populated as long as 33000 years ago.
4000 years ago Mesoamerican farmers developed corn in a feat （技艺）of genetic engineering that still isn’t completely understood.
Comments On 1491
“In the tradition of Jared Diamond& John McPhee, a totally new view of pre-Columbian America.”
------ Richard Rhodes
“Attractively written and really absorbing… Charles C. Mann has produced a book that’s part detective story, part epic（史诗） and part tragedy（悲剧）. He has taken on a vast topic: thousands of years, two huge continents, and cultures.”
------Charles Matthews, San Jase Mercury News
“Powerful and challenging.”
------ Alan Taylor, Washington Post
“A pleasure to read as well as a wonderful education.”
------ Howard Zinn On the whole, 1491 is a book mainly about Amerca’s _______
| A．life-style | B．population | C．history | D．agriculture |
Which of the following is NOT TURE about the comments on the book 1491?
| A．It is interesting and instructive. | B．It is attractive and culturally related. |
| C．It is challenging and revolutionary. | D．It is humorous and persuasive |
From this passage, we can learn _______.
| A．people settled in the Americas a little earlier than 1492 |
| B．North Americans were the tallest in the 18th century in the world |
| C．Mesoamerican farmers knew genetic engineering 5000 years ago |
| D．the population in the Americas was smaller than that in Europe in 1492 |
阅读下面一篇短文，根据所读内容在文后表格中的空白处填入恰当的单词。注意：每一个空只填一个单词。
Diversity means the differences between things or people; the variety makes us unique.
People have a great deal of diversity. Even though our basic body structure is the same (head, eyes, heart, arms, legs, feet, etc.), our physical characteristics are different. For instance, the color of our skin, hair, and eyes are different. Also, our height and shape provide some diversity too. Even our fingerprints are unique and different.
People have to develop their own thoughts ,opinions, feelings, and ideas about different topics and beliefs.We are influenced by different people, places, and experiences in our lives which may influence us when we have to make a decision. A person has to keep open-minded when developing an opinion. Gathering information is also crucial（决定性的） to make a decision. The more you know about a topic, the easier it will be to make a good decision. As people grow up, they may even change their previous opinions and have new ideas.
Every person has unique talents, characteristics, and challenges to share with the world. Some people are good at reading and writing. Other people are talented at art and music. Some people are good at working with numbers or science. Others are talented by sharing their creativity. Some people have challenges to work with like being deaf, blind, or learning differently than others. It is important to remember that no matter what a person is good at or struggles with, we are all special in our own way.
When we are used to other people’s differences, we are showing respect. And we can find that we belong to the world and can give any thing a reason throughout the world. We can learn about a variety of cultures, places , and different ways to look at the world.
Title: The _______ in the world
| Definition |
Diversity means the differences between things or people |
|
| Types of diversity |
The physical diversity |
Our |
| The |
We have our own different viewpoints and |
|
| We make different decisions when we are facing the same situation. |
||
| Our opinions |
||
| The personal diversity |
We have different |
|
| We have different |
||
| The benefits from |
We can let other people know that we respect them. |
|
| We become |
||
| We can |
A new study has found no evidence that sunscreen, commonly used to reduce the risk of skin caner, actually increases the risk.Researchers from the University of Yale based their findings on a review of 18 earlier studies that looked at the association between sunscreen use and melanomas (黑素瘤). They said that they found flaws in studies that had reported associations between sunscreen use and higher risk of melanoma.Most health experts believe that by protecting the skin from the harmful effects of the sun, sunscreen helps prevent skin cancer, which is increasing in incidence (发生率) faster than any other cancer in the United States.But questions have been raised about sunscreen and whether it may have the opposite effect, perhaps by allowing people to remain exposed to the sun longer without burning.The researchers said that among the problems with some earlier studies is that they often failed to take into account that those people most at risk for skin cancer—people with fair skin and freckles (雀斑), for example—are more likely to use sunscreen. As a result, it may appear that sunscreen users get cancer more often.The studies, which generally relied on volunteers to recall their sunscreen use, were also unable to prove how well the products had been applied, said the new study.The underlined word “flaws” in the 2nd paragraph most probably means .
| A．evidences | B．facts | C．faults | D．failures |
People with fair skin and freckles .
| A．seldom use sunscreen | B．are more in danger of skin cancer |
C．can be free from the harm of the sun | D．often expose themselves to the sun |
We can learn from the passage that .
| A．sunscreen users get skin cancer more often |
B．the volunteers have prov ed the effect of sunscreen |
C．the new study was based on the experiences of volunteers |
D．the number of skin cancer patients is increasing in America |
Which of the following can be the best title for this passage?
| A．Sunscreen to Prevent Skin Cancer | ||
| B．Sunscreen to Increase Skin Cancer |
C．Skin Cancer Caused by Sunscreen |
D．Skin Cancer Caused by Freckles |
任务型阅读（阅读下面短文，完成下面表格，每格一词，共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）
Third-generation mobile phones, known as 3G, are the next big step for the telecom industry. Data speed in 3G networks is much quicker than that in present technology. This means users can have high-speed Internet access and enjoy video and CD-quality music on their phones.
“Mobile data is not a dream; it’s not an option but a requirement,” said Len Lauer, head of a US communications company, Sprint PCS, at a 3G conference in Bangkok earlier this month.
With 3G, you can forget about text messages telling you yesterday’s news; a 3G phone can receive video news programs, updated four times a day. Internet access will also be much quicker, making it easier to surf the Web on your phone than on your computer at home.
Face-to-face video calls
Don’t worry about getting lost. 3G phones offer map services so you can find a new restaurant just by pressing a few keys on your handset.
However, the most impressive part of 3G technology is video calling. With live two-way video communication, you can have face-to-face talks with friends and family on your mobile phone.
Many European countries have already launched the service. In May 2000 the US Government issued five license to run 3G wireless services, while the first 3G phones arrived in Italy in March this year.
International telecom companies can’t wait to sell 3G in China, the world’s largest mobile telecommunications market. But they will have to be patient. At the moment, China is busy testing its 3G-based technologies, networks and services. This will be followed by a trial period before the phones can finally hit the shops.
“We need to create a pool of 3G customers before the large-scale commercial launch of the service,” said Fan Yunjun, marketing manager for Beijing Mobile. “We expect that the 3G licenses will be seen late next year.”
| Third-generation mobile phones (3G mobile phones) |
|
| A．Data speed: B．Video and C．Video news programs: D．Internet access: quicker and |
|
| Impressive functions |
A．Offer B．Provide two-way video |
| 3G phones in China |
A．China is busy B．3G phones should go through a C．3G phones are expected to be seen |
A cheap drug that can stop bleeding in people recently injured in an accident could potentially save the lives of tens of thousands worldwide, a new study says.
Researchers studied the effects of tranexamic acid （凝血酸）, or TXA, in more than 10,000 injured people in 40 countries who received the drug within 8 hours of being injured. The study was published in the medical journal Lancet. Doctors found that patients who got TXA had a 15percent lower chance of dying from hemorrhage than those who didn’t get it . They also had a 10 percent lower chance of dying from any other cause, including organ failure and a head injury. The study was paid for by the British government.
The drug is commonly used in wealthy countries during elective surgeries(外科手术) to stop bleeding , but isn’t used for accident victims. TXA is off-patent and made by many companies. It costs about $4.5 per gram, and a typical dose is two grams. It is usually given via an injection（注射） and would be relatively easy to introduce, even in poor countries, experts said.
Previous tests of the drug regarded its use in elective surgeries, such as heart operations, but this was the first study to test the drug on accident victims. Doctors were worried it might increase side effects such as blood clots （凝块）in the heart and lungs, strokes, or heart attacks. There was no evidence of that in the Lancet study, though the authors said it was possible they might have missed some of these incidents.
For people between 5 and 45, accidents are the second leading cause of death worldwide after AIDS, and about 600,000 injured patients bleed to death every year. Experts estimated that if TXA were readily available, between 70,000 and 100,000 lives a year could be saved. Though the drug wasn’t tested on children , experts said it would almost certainly work with them as well.The underlined word” hemorrhage” in Paragraph 2 probably means ________
| A．serious illness | B．heart disease | C．heavy bleeding | D．lack of drug |
What can we learn about TXA from the passage?
| A．It can only be made in England | B．It was only used in operations before |
| C．It is a patented drug | D．It is mainly used in poor countries |
Doctors were worried about using TXA because ________
| A．a lot of patients died unexpectedly after using it |
| B．it has no treatment effect on patients |
| C．it can cause blood clots or stroke |
| D．they hadn’t used it on accident victims before |
What do we know from the last paragraph?
| A．It is a pity that TXA wasn’t widely used on injured patients before |
| B．Tests have proved that TXA can be used on children |
| C．People between 5 and 45 should be injected with TXA every year |
| D．Accidents are the first leading cause of death worldwide. |
Sometimes just when we need the power of miracles to change our beliefs， they materialize in the places we’d least expect. They can come to us as a drastic alteration in our physical reality or as a simple synchronicity in our lives. Sometimes they’re big and can’t be missed Other times they’re so subtle that if we aren’t aware， we may miss them altogether. They can come from the lips of a stranger we suddenly and mysteriously encounter at just the right instant. If we listen carefully, we’ll always hear the right words，at the right time， to dazzle us into a realization of something that we may have failed to notice only moments before.
On a cold January afternoon in 1989，I was hiking up the trail that leads to the top of Egypt’s Mt. Horeb. I’d spent the day at St. Catherine’s Monastery and wanted to get to the peak by sunset to see the valley below. As I was winding up the narrow path，I’d occasionally see other hikers who were coming down from a day on the mountain. While they would generally pass with simply a nod or a greeting in another language，there was one man that day who did neither.
I saw him coming from the last switchback on the trail that led to the backside of the mountain. As he got closer，I could see that he was dressed differently from the other hikers I’d seen. Rather than the high-tech fabrics and styles that had been the norm，this man was wearing traditional Egyptian clothing. He wore a tattered， rust-colored galabia and obviously old and thick-soled sandals that were covered in dust. What made his appearance so odd，though，was that the man didn’t even appear to be Egyptian！ He was a small-framed Asian man, had very little hair，and was wearing round，wire-rimmed glasses.
As we neared one another，I was the first to speak.“Hello，”I said，stopping on the trail for a moment to catch my breath. Not a sound came from the man as he walked closer. I thought that maybe he hadn’t heard me or the wind had carried my voice away from him in another direction. Suddenly he stopped directly in front of me on the high side of the trail， looked up from the ground， and spoke a single sentence to me in English，“Sometimes you don’t know what you have lost until you’ve lost it.”As I took in what I had just heard，he simply stepped around me and continued his descent down the trail.
That moment in my life was a small miracle. The reason is less about what the man said and more about the timing and the context. The year was 1989，and the Cold War was drawing to a close. What the man on the trail couldn’t have known is that it was during my Egyptian pilgrimage， and specifically during my hike to the top of Moses’s mountain，that I’d set the time aside to make decisions that would affect my career in the defense industry，my friends，my family，and，ultimately，my life.
I had to ask myself what the chances were of an Asian man dressed in an Egyptian galabia coming down from the top of this historic mountain just when I was walking up，stopping before me，and offering his wisdom，seemingly from out of nowhere. My answer to my own question was easy： the odds were slim to none！ In an encounter that lasted less than two minutes on a mountain halfway around the world from my home， a total stranger had brought clarity， and the hint of a warning， regarding the huge changes that I would make within a matter of days. In my way of thinking，that’s a miracle.
I suspect that we all experience small miracles in our lives every day. Sometimes we have the wisdom and the courage to recognize them for what they are. In the moments when we don’t，that’s okay as well. It seems that our miracles have a way of coming back to us again and again. And each time they do，they become a little less subtle，until we can’t possibly miss the message that they bring to our lives！
The key is that they’re everywhere and occur every day for different reasons， in response to the different needs that we may have in the moment. Our job may be less about questioning the extraordinary things that happen in our daily lives and more about accepting the gifts they bring.Why did the author make a pilgrimage to Mt. Horeb in Egypt?
| A．He was in search of a miracle in his life. |
| B．It was a holy place for a religious person to head for. |
| C．He intended to make arrangements for his life in the future. |
| D．He waited patiently in expectation of meeting a wise person. |
What does the underlined part “my own question” refer to in Paragraph 6?
| A．For what reason did the man stop before me? |
| B．Why did the Asian man go to the mountain? |
| C．What change would I make within a matter of days? |
| D．What was the probability that others told us the right words? |
Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word “subtle” in Paragraph 7?
| A．Apparent. | B．Delicate. |
| C．Precise. | D．Sufficient. |
The author viewed the encounter with the Asian man as a miracle in his life in that .
| A．the Asian man’s appearance had a deciding effect on his future life |
| B．his words were in perfect response to the need he had at that moment |
| C．what the Asian man said was abundant in the philosophy of life |
| D．the Asian man impressed on him the worth of what he had possessed |
What might be the best title for the passage?
| A．Can you recognize a miracle? |
| B．Is a miracle significant to us? |
| C．When might a miracle occur? |
| D．Why do we need a miracle? |
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