阅读理解E
Do you have a sore throat, a running nose and a headache? Do you keep coughing and sneezing? If you do, the chances are that you have a cold or perhaps flu---but which one? Although both colds and flu are caused by viruses, they are very different illnesses.
Colds, which usually last about a week, affect the nose most. They commonly cause a running nose and sneezing. Sometimes, they cause a headache, a cough and slightly aching muscles.
Flu is a much more serious illness and is caused by different groups of viruses. People with flu usually get all the symptoms(症状) described above. However, they also get a high fever, a dry cough and much worse aching. Fever is one of the characteristic symptoms of the flu for all ages. The symptoms also last much longer. Sometimes they don’t disappear for at least two weeks.
Flu can be a deadly disease. The elderly(年长的), who are weaker and less healthy than most younger people, can die from flu. This is one reason why old people are advised to have a flu injection(预防针) before the start of winter when flu is most common. This injection is inexpensive and definitely(明显地)worth it.
If you have a cold or flu, you must always deal with used tissues(手巾纸) carefully. Don’t leave dirty tissues on your desk or on the floor. Someone else has to pick these up and viruses could be passed on. And finally, remember to cover your nose and mouth when you sneeze! You don’t want to see the small drops of liquids blown(喷) out of your nose and mouth when you sneeze, do you? Disgusting(令人作呕), eh? Now you can understand why it’s a good idea to cover your nose and mouth when you sneeze!
In paragraph 4, we learn that ________.
A.flu injection can cause death |
B.most old people die from flu |
C.flu can kill old people easily |
D.flu is most common in summer |
Dealing with used tissues properly(正确地) is important because ________.
A.it helps keep your classroom tidy |
B.it prevents the spread of colds and flu |
C.people hate picking up dirty tissues |
D.picking up lots of tissues is hard work |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A.Both colds and flu last the same time. |
B.Both colds and flu can be prevented by injection. |
C.Both colds and flu are caused by the same viruses. |
D.Both colds and flu have an aching symptom. |
Which is probably the best title for the passage?
A.Colds and Flu |
B.The Different Symptoms of a Cold and Flu |
C.Prevention Is Better Than Cure |
D.Cover Your Nose and Mouth When Sneezing |
Researches show what we already suspected: Three out of four babies who died of SIDS(婴儿猝死) involved co-sleeping. We’ll say it again. The safest course is not to sleep with babies.
We know the argument: Bad parenting, not co-sleeping, is to blame for the dozens of babies’ deaths. Some parents stick to co-sleeping because it helps them bond with their newborns. They say those who give co-sleeping a bad name either had been drinking, used drugs or were too tired to notice that they rolled over on their children.
But, most of the cases did not involve drugs or alcohol. There’s a “but” here, however. Submitting to a test for drugs or alcohol in these cases is voluntary, so it’s difficult to know with certainty.
Organizations like the Black Health Coalition and others have explained the safe way to co-sleep. While we understand those arguments, we also know that mistakes can happen and that it only takes one time for something to go terribly wrong. The risk outweighs the benefit.
In all likelihood, parents will continue to co-sleep, and some will do so without ever having an incident, but babies are too vulnerable(易受伤的) for parents to take such chances. Therefore, the best place for babies to sleep is in their own beds, on their backs, with no pillows, blankets or toys. No parent wants a tragedy(悲剧) to occur. The best way to make sure the tragedy doesn’t happen is to allow babies to sleep alone in their own cribs(摇篮).
According to the author, most of the SIDS cases happened because of ________.
A.drugs |
B.co-sleeping |
C.drinking |
D.bad parenting |
Some parents think sleeping with their babies can ________.
A.keep the babies healthy |
B.give co-sleeping a good name |
C.prevent themselves from drinking |
D.develop a good relation with their babies |
The author holds the opinion that ________.
A.parents can sleep with babies, but cautiously |
B.co-sleep helps to bring babies closer to parents |
C.parents can’t take chances to sleep with their babies |
D.accidents only happen to those careless parents |
Which of the following best describes the structure of the text?
A.① | B.①② | C.① | D.① |
↙↘ ↓ ↙↓↘ ↙↓↓↘
②③④ ③④ ②③④ ②③④⑤
↘↙ ↓ ↘↓↙
⑤ ⑤ ⑤
阅读理解D
The deserts of the world are not all covered with sand. Many of them have surfaces of rock or clay(黏土) or small stones. They are not flat, either. They often have high hills and deep valleys. There is some plants’ life in many parts of the desert. There is little rain in the desert, but it does fall often enough for most plants.
The deserts of the world are not uninhabited(无人居住的). People also live outside oases(绿洲), but these people are not farmers. They have camels, goats, donkeys, sheep, etc. These animals can live on the desert plants and do not need much water.
The people of the desert have to move constantly from place to place, they must always look for grass or desert plants for their animals. They usually live in tents. When there is no more food for their animals, they fold up their tents, put them on their camels and donkeys, and move to another place. In good years, when there is enough food for their animals, they trade their skins and their goats and camel hairs with the people of oases for wheat and fruit. But in bad years, when there is not enough food for their animals, the people of the desert would attack the oases people. But they are also hospitable, no man in the desert would ever refuse to give a stranger food and water.
According to the passage, deserts are mostly made up of ________.
A.clay | B.rock | C.stones | D.sand |
The underlined word “hospitable” has the meaning of being ________.
A.kind | B.brave | C.cruel | D.strange |
In the desert ________.
A.It rains in spring only. |
B.it rains for a short time every month |
C.the rainfall is just enough for the plants |
D.there is some rain, but far from enough |
People live ______.
A.only inside the oases | B.both inside and outside the oases |
C.only outside the oases | D.in places with regular rainfalls. |
We often hear the phrase: "You've a greater chance of being struck by lightning." It is used to describe something that hasn't got much chance of happening. However, the common saying undermines(掩盖) the very real dangers of lightning.
Last Friday, at least 5 people were killed by lightning in Nepal(尼泊尔).
Lightning strikes are the second most common cause of deaths during natural disasters in the US. The first is floods. Around 400 people nationwide are struck by lightning each year, and of those, 73 people die. There are more people killed by lightning than by tornadoes and hurricanes.
Because lightning kills only one or two people at a time, its danger does not receive as much attention as other disasters.
So to raise awareness, the US has made June 22-28 National Lightning Safety Week. It aims to warn the public of the dangers of lightning and provide safety tips during thunderstorms.
"If you hear thunder, you are in danger of lightning," said Rocky Lopes, a disaster educator at the American Red Cross.
"Thunder means that lightning is close enough to hit you at any minute, so you should move indoors immediately and stay there until after the storm has ended. The single most important thing to remember is to seek a hiding place," Lopes said.
Summer is the high time for lightning storms, so when lightning strikes across the sky, remember these safety tips:
Stop working, fishing, swimming or playing in open fields.
If you can count less than ten seconds between a thunder and a lightning flash, take cover inside the nearest building.
Do not stand under a tree.
Get off bicycles or motorcycles.
Crouch down(蹲下)if there is no hiding place.
Avoid open spaces, wire fences, metal objects and electrical objects such as hair driers.
The popular opinion about being struck by lightening is that ______.
A.there’s a greater chance for being killed by lightening than any other natural disaster |
B.it is the most dangerous among all the natural disasters |
C.the chance for a person to be struck by lightening is very small |
D.it is impossible for people to be killed by lightening |
The average death rate of being struck by lightening in US is about _______.
A.18% | B.50% | C.30% | D.73% |
thunder in the open air______.
A.just stand by your bicycles and motorcycles |
B.quickly find a place to go inside |
C.count ten seconds between a thunder and a lightening |
D.don’t have a hair drier in your hand |
According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
A.There are more people killed by tornadoes and hurricanes than by lightening in US each year. |
B.There are on average 5 persons killed by lightening in Nepal each day. |
C.The death rate of being stuck by lightening is much higher than by other natural disasters. |
D.The National Lightening Safety Week is made to warn the public against the lightening. |
A serious problem for today’s society is who should be responsible for our elderly(老年人) and how to improve their lives. It is not only a financial problem but also a question of the system we want for our society. I would like to suggest several possible solutions to this problem.
First, employers should take the responsibility for their retired employees. To make this possible, a percentage of profits should be set aside for this purpose. But when a company must take life-long responsibility for its employees, it may suffer from a commercial disadvantage due to higher employee costs.
Another way of solving the problem is to return the responsibility to the individual. This means each person must save during his working years to pay for his years of retirement. This does not seem a very fair model since some people have enough trouble paying for their daily life without trying to earn extra to cover their retirement years. This means the government might have to step in to care for the poor.
In addition, the government could take responsibility for the care of the elderly. This could be financed through government taxes to increase the level of pensions(养老金). Furthermore, some in-situation should be created for senior citizens, which can help provide a comfortable life for them. Unfortunately, as the present situation in our country shows, this is not a truly viable answer. The government can seldom afford to care for the elderly, particularly when it is busy trying to care for the young.
One further solution is that the government or social organizations establish some working places especially for the elderly where they are independent.
To sum up, all these options(选择)have advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect that some combination of these options may be needed to provide the care we hope to give to our elderly generations.
What is the passage mainly about?
A.The problems faced by the old in society. |
B.Why we should take responsibility for the old. |
C.How we can improve the lives of the old. |
D.Where the old can go to get their pensions. |
According to the passage, how can the government help to improve the lives of retired people?
A.Set aside some profits to help people with problems after they retire. |
B.Increase savings levels of people during their working years. |
C.Increase the discounts for food and transport for the old. |
D.Make available pensions for those who have retired. |
The underlined word “viable” most probably means “__________”.
A.impossible | B.practical | C.useful | D.successful |
What can be concluded from the passage?
A.Taking care of the old is mainly an issue of money. |
B.Employers should allow their workers to retire at a later age. |
C.Becoming independent should be the goal of most old people. |
D.There is no single solution to the problems of the old. |
What is the writer’s main purpose in writing this article?
A.To point out the need for government support for old people. |
B.To make general readers aware of the problems of retired people. |
C.To discuss some possible solutions to an important social problem. |
D.To instruct retired people on how they can have a happier life. |
Although many Chinese students say that their knowledge of English grammar is good, most would admit that their spoken English is poor. Whenever I speak to a Chinese student they always say, “My spoken English is poor.” However, their spoken English does not have to remain “poor”! I would like to suggest that there may be some reasons for their problems with spoken English.
First, they fail to find suitable words to express themselves due to a limited vocabulary. Obviously the better answer is to expand their vocabulary. However, you can speak with a limited vocabulary, if your attitude is positive. Others will follow you as long as you use the words that you know.
Second, they are afraid of making mistakes. Sometimes they make mistakes when they are speaking because they are shy and nervous. Yet students should remember that their goal should be FLUENCY NOT ACCURACY(准确性). Your aim in writing is to be accurate following the rules for grammar and using the right words and spelling them correctly. However, in speaking your aim is fluency. You want to get your message across, to talk to someone in English, as quickly and as well as you can, even though sometimes you may use a wrong word or tense, but it doesn’t matter because the person you are speaking to will understand you and make allowances for any mistakes he hears.
The third reason is that not enough attention is paid to listening. You have one mouth but two ears! All that hearing was necessary for you to start speaking.
Fourth, most Chinese students are reactive rather than proactive language learners. Instead of actively seeking out opportunities to improve their spoken English, they passively wait for speaking opportunities to come to them and wonder why their English always remains poor. If you have this proactive outlook, then you will see English opportunities wherever you go.
If you do not use your English beyond the classroom, you will forget what English you know. Remember: USE IT OR LOSE IT! You can learn how to speak English better by speaking English more.
What is most probably the writer’s purpose in writing the passage?
A.To improve your reading. |
B.To improve your listening. |
C.To improve your spoken English. |
D.To improve your vocabulary. |
It can be inferred from the third paragraph that______.
A.don’t be fluency , Just be accuracy |
B.don’t be nervous ,don’t be shy . Just write! |
C.don’t be afraid of making mistakes . Just speak! |
D.don’t be shy ,don’t be fluency. Just listen and write! |
The last paragraph is possibly close to the meaning of “_____”.
A.more hurry, less speed | B.better late than never |
C.silence is gold | D.practice makes perfect |
The text is most probably taken from a ______.
A.teacher’s diary | B.report on study |
C.sports newspaper | D.movie magazine |
As prices and building costs keep rising, the “do-it-yourself” (DIY) trend in the US continues to grow.
“we needed furniture for our living room,” says John Ross, “and we just didn’t have enough money to buy it. So we decided to try making a few tables and chairs.” John got married six months ago, and like many young people these days, they are struggling to make a home at a time when the cost of living is very high. The Rosses took a 2-week course for $280 at a night school. Now they build all their furniture and make repairs around the house.
Jim Hatfield has three boys and his wife died. He has a full-time job at home as well as in a shoe-making factory. Last month, he received a car repair bill for $520. “I was deeply upset about it. Now I have finished a car repair course. I should be able to fix the car by myself.”
John and Jim are not unusual people. Most families in the country are doing everything they can to save money so they can fight the high cost of living. If you want to become a “do-it-youselfer”, you can go to DIY classes. And for those who don’t have time to take a course, there are books that tell you how you can do things yourself.
We can learn from the text that many newly married people_______.
A.find it hard to pay for what they need |
B.have to learn to make their own furniture |
C.take DIY courses run by the government |
D.seldom go to a department store to buy things |
John and his wife went to evening classes to learn how to ______.
A.run a DIY shop | B.make or repair things |
C.save time and money | D.improve the quality of life |
Jim decided to become a do-it-yourselfer when______
A.his car repairs cost too much |
B.the car repair class was not helpful |
C.he could not possibly do two jobs |
D.keeps house and looks after his children |
You are walking down the street, minding your own business when you see a snowball. No big deal, right? Except the snowball is as tall as you are. And weighs about a ton. Did we mention that it is June?
That’s the experience thousand of Londoners had when they crossed paths with “ Snowball in Summer,” Goldsworthy makes sculpture (雕塑)from all sorts of things he finds outside – leaves, earth, and rocks, as well as ice and snow. He wanted to find out how busy people would react to an unexpected snowball melting in their midst.
During the winter of 2008, he rolled 13 giant snowballs near his home in Scotland. He filled each one with a surprise in the center – such as berries, feathers, little stones or sheep’s wool – which would appear as the snow melted. The finished snowballs were stored in a deep freeze until summer, then transported to London in refrigerated trucks. At midnight on June 21, 2008, while the city slept, Goldsworthy and his helpers rolled their snowballs into place.
People walking to work or school must have thought the sky was falling when they stumbled across snowballs the size of baby elephants. Some of them had never even seen snow in real life, and they couldn’t help touching them in great surprise. As the snow started to melt, things got even more interesting. The perfectly round snowballs took on different shapes as the stuff inside began to poke through. Two days later, most of Goldsworthy’s snowballs were gone, and their fillings scattered. But Londoners were left with a really good story about that odd summer day when the snowball came.
What is really special about the snowballs is that ______________________.
A.they lie in the street |
B.they are in the shape of baby elephants. |
C.they have berries, feathers, little stones and feathers in them. |
D.they appear in June. |
What was the purpose of Goldsworthy in making the snowballs?
A.To find out people’s reactions to them |
B.To call up people’s memory of the cold winter. |
C.To show off his skills in sculpture. |
D.To let people experience the cold winter. |
Why did Goldsworthy and his helpers roll their snowballs into place at mid-night?
A. They didn’t want to disturb other people.
B. It was quite at that time.
C. They wanted to avoid the traffic jam.
D, They wanted to give people a surprise.
The “Sepik Spirit”, constructed in 1989, is built specially to suit the demands of a shallow riverboat for guiding inland waterways. Its shallow draft allows passengers into distant corners of the Sepik Region and areas not otherwise accessible to larger boats. It was refurbished(装修) in early 2006 to ensure that the Sepik Spirit meets the expectations of the modern travellers. The refurbishment includes new interior and improved noise resistance.
The Sepik Spirit holds 18 passengers in 9 twin bedrooms each with private bathroom. Onboard facilities include a dining room, living room, bar, video and covered upper observatory deck(甲板). The entire boat is air-conditioned. Because the Sepik Spirit is designed to operate in this unique environment, she is the ideal size for exploration. This, combined with small passenger numbers, allows the travellers an excellent experience to little visited areas.
Day trips from the Sepik Spirit are done in an 18-seater riverboat, also designed for the operation. Their open-air design gives the travellers a sense of place, a feeling for the river and its people.
Areas that the Sepik Spirit and her guests may visit are the Karawari River, Blackwater Lakes, Chambri Lakes, the Middle Sepik and the Upper Sepik. The river banks where the boat operates are dotted with many large traditional villages each with its own unique “Haus Tambaran” or spirit house decorated with ancestral figures. Mix with the friendly people and experience a culture that meets very few outsiders.
Please E-Mail if you want to know more about us.
Please note that private touring and transfers are not available on the Sepik Spirit.
Please note that Sepik Spirit departure and termination(终结,终点) points sometimes change without notice.
AIR TRANSFER COST: US$375.00 one way
The “Sepik Spirit” is a riverboat ________.
A.specially designed and built for the local transportation |
B.built and refurbished in 1989 |
C.providing good conditions for a small number of tourists |
D.traveling in the day only |
The Sepik Spirit boat is most possibly named after ________.
A.a person |
B.an animal |
C.a building |
D.a river |
A passenger chooses to travel on the Sepik Spirit most possibly because he is interested in ________.
A.boat making |
B.river traveling |
C.the unique scenery and culture in this area |
D.the excellent conditions and service of the boat |
Which of the following factors about taking the Sepik Spirit is right?
A.You can send an E-mail for further information. |
B.You can rent the boat for yourself if you please. |
C.The schedule of the boat trip will be strictly followed. |
D.A Sepik Spirit trip will cost you US$375.00 one way. |
Detectives often look for footprints when they try to solve crimes. Scientists use footprints, too—dinosaur footprints when they try to figure out how dinosaurs lived and moved.
Dinosaurs died out about 65 million years ago. Today scientists work to solve the mysteries of these ancient animals.
Footprints, or tracks(脚印), are an important way to learn about dinosaurs. Christian Meyer of the Natural History Museum in Basel, Switzerland, calls dinosaur tracks “the closest thing to a movie” of dinosaurs.
“They tell us something about the size of the animal, the way they were walking…they tell us something about their speed,” Meyer said.
Tracks also show that dinosaurs sometimes traveled in groups. Traveling in groups probably helped dinosaurs protect themselves from enemies. Plus, some meat-eating dinosaurs may have hunted in groups, much like wolves do today. Being in a group could help dinosaurs work together to kill large animals.
Dinosaur footprints can be as small as a few inches across, but they can also be as big as a few feet across. Dinosaur footprints have been found throughout the world at over 1,500 sites, including a T. Rex footprint in New Mexico. “Trackways” are groups of footprints.
And scientists aren’t the only ones finding dinosaur tracks—kids can, too! Eleven-year-old Mark Turner and nine-year-old Daniel Helm discovered dinosaur tracks in British Columbia, anada. Soon scientists began studying the tracks.
Scientists and other people interested in studying dinosaurs are working to save the trackways from activities like construction and mining.
The passage mainly tells us that_______.
A. there were really dinosaurs on the earth millions of years ago
B. dinosaurs were the most frightening animals in the past
C. dinosaur footprints are important in learning about dinosaurs
C. why dinosaurs died out millions of years ago
By studying footprints scientists can know the following EXCEPT _______.
A.how big the dinosaur was | B.what color the dinosaur was |
C.how fast the dinosaur could run | D.how the dinosaur walked |
By working in groups, some meat-eating dinosaurs_______.
A.made the hunting of large animals easily |
B.could travel a long way without being lost |
C.could protect themselves from being hunted by wolves |
D.could get to a place faster |
From the last paragraph we can infer that some human activities like mining_______.
A.are helpful to the study of dinosaurs |
B.can help scientists solve many mysteries |
C.can lead to the discovery of the footprints |
D.can destroy the footprints of the dinosaur |
Once an Englishman named Jack Brown went to Russia for a holiday. He stayed there for several months and then came home again. Some of his friends visited him a few days after he got back. “I had a very dangerous trip while I was in Russia.” Jack said to them. “I wanted to see a friend of mine in the country and the bad weather made me very late. So I was still travelling through a forest in sleigh<雪橇>when the sun went down. It was a long way from my friend’s house when about 20 wolves began to follow my sleigh. It was very dark in the forest. There was thick snow on the ground. It was cold, and there were no houses for miles and miles. First I heard the wolves, and the noise was terrible! The horses heard them, too. They were frightened and began running faster. Then I saw long, grey forms among the trees, and soon the wolves were near us. They were running very fast, and they didn’t seem to get tired like the horses.” “What did you do?” one of his friends asked. “When the wolves got very near,” Jack answered, “I put up my gun and shot the first wolf. The sleigh was moving about, but I hit the animal and killed it. Then all the other wolves stopped and ate it, so our sleigh got away from them for a few minutes.” “Then they finished their meal, and I heard them coming again. The moon was shining brightly on the snow, and after a few minutes I saw them among the trees once more. They came nearer again, and then I shot another of them, and the others stopped once more to eat it.” “The same thing happened again and again, and my horses became more and more tired and ran slower and slower until, after about two hours, only one wolf was still alive and following us.”
“Wasn’t it too fat to run?” one of his friends asked.
Jack told his friends what happened to him when he was______________.
A.in England one winter evening | B.in Russia one winter evening |
C.in America one winter morning | D.in Russia one winter morning. |
In the sentence “They finished their meal.” “meal” here means ___________.
A.the food Jack had brought with him | B.the meal prepared by Jack’s friends. |
C.the wolf which had been killed by Jack | D.the dead animals on the way |
According to what Jack said, the last wolf ______________.
A.had eaten up all the other wolves | |
B.ran much faster than the other wolves | |
C.was the strongest of all | D.was very fat and didn’t run fast. |
From what Jack’s friend said we know that _____________________.
A.all the wolves had been shot by Jack. |
B.the last wolf was too fat to run |
C.Jack was telling the truth |
D.the friends did not believe what Jack had said. |
The holiday's upon us. Finally, after months of study, you have some time to yourself. so, why not read a book? Well, some people will say, "Why bother with books? We have the Internet and other media that offer a lot more colorful entertainment. Books are history!" But don't be fooled. There's still a lot to be said for reading.
One clear reason is that a well-chosen book is a wonderful source of vocabulary, so long as you have a good dictionary, of course. Believe me, it's far easier to get new English words and phrases from a book or article than it is from the TV or the Internet.
But an even more important point is that books give you something that modern media simply can not. The average webpage is picture-heavy and the text is often designed to make it as easy to read as possible. While "easy" may be attractive, unfortunately it's little use for many long-term development of reading skills and the general language level. For that, there's still no substitute (替代品)of a book.
But perhaps the best single reason is that simply choosing what you read and doing it independently means that it's something you do by yourself. You can choose what you want to read. It's hard work, but something down the line, you will find that what once seemed like a duty is now a pleasure. We asked three bookworms -- an English teacher, a book editor and a film critic - to pick some favorite reads for you.
How many reasons for reading a book does the author mention in the passage?
A.One | B.Two | C.Three | D.Four |
According to this passage, we basically need a ______ in reading.
A.computer | B.dictionary | C.notebook | D.pencil |
In the author's opinion, reading on the Internet may ________
A.develop long-term reading skills | B.improve the general language ability |
C.not take the place of reading books | D.be an effective way of reading |
The passage is written mainly to ____________.
A.share the pleasure of reading books | B.advise readers to read books |
C.stress the importance of reading online. | D.help readers to choose good books. |
BEIJING,Oct.14(Xinhua)——A total of 120 middle school students from 35 countries will attend the final of an international China language contest,to be held in southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality from Oct.16 to 30.
The candidates,aged from 15 to 20,must be from foreign countries and not native Chinese speakers,said a statement issued by the Chinese language Council (CLC),the contest’s organizer,here Thursday.
All of the candidates have passed the preliminary contests(初赛)held in their own countries.
According to the organizer,the competition will have a top prize,five second prizes,10 third prizes and a dozen prizes for special talents.The organizer will also launch an online vote for“the most liked candidate.”
It was the third year China has held the contest.
“The competition not only tests the proficiency of Chinese language but also the candidates capability to communicate across different cultures.”the statement said.
All the candidates in the final will receive scholarships from the Chinese goverment.said Hu Hangyu,an official with the Education Bureau of the Chonqing Municipality,jointly organizing the contest.
They will also meet local Chinese students and live with Chinese families,Hu said.
“The competition is to meet the increasing demand for Chicese learning by foreign youngsters.”said Xu Lin.the CLC director.
The CLC has also hosted similar contest for foreign college students since 2002.
China has been working to promote Chinese language learning abroad over the past few years.According to the CLC,the.country had 282 Confucius Institutes and 272“Confucius Classrooms”in 88 countries and regions as of 2009 since the first one was established in 2004.
The text is intended to .
A.show the popularity of Chinese language learning in the world |
B.introduce an international Chinese language learning test system |
C.make readers aware of the importance of Chinese language learning |
D.report an international Chinese language contest to be held |
The candidates must be .
A.foreign college students | B.non—native middle school students |
C.native Chinese students | D.students from Confucius Institutes |
According to the text,the competition is .
A.organized by the Chongqing Municipality government |
B.mainly to test the candidates’Chinese language competence |
C.held every three years in Chongqing Municipality |
D.to provide foreign students with a chance to know China |
What has China been doing to promote Chinese language learning abroad according to the text?
A.Thousands of Chinese teacher are sent abroad to teach the language. |
B.282 Confucius Institutes are established in China to teach Chinese. |
C.The Chinese language contests for foreign students are regularly held. |
D.Many Chinese students are sent abroad for culture exchanges every year. |
In which part of the newspaper is the text most likely to be found?
A.Education | B.Advertisement | C.Business | D.Entertainment |
“Dr.Papaderos,what is the meaning of life?”
The usual laughter followed,and people stirred(骚动)to go.Papaderos held up his hand and stilled the room and looked at me for a long time,asking with his eyes if I was serious and seeing from my eyes that I was.
“I will,answer your question.”
Taking his wallet out of his hip pocket,he fished into a leather billfold and brought out a very small round mirror,about the size of a quarter.And what he said went like this:
“When I was a small child,during the war,we were very poor and we lived in a remote village.One day,on the road,I found the broken pieces of a mirror.A German motorcycle had been wrecked in that place.
I tried to find all the pieces and put them together,but it was not possible,so I kept only the largest piece.This one,and,by scratching it on a stone.I made it round. I began to play with it as a toy and became fascinated by the fact that I could reflect light into dark places where the sun would never shine——in deep holes and crevices(裂缝)and dark closets. It became a game for me to get light into the most inaccessible places I could find.
I kept the little mirror,and,as I went about my growing up,I would take it out in idle moments and continue the challenge of the game.As I became a man,I grew to understand that this was not just a child’s game but a metaphor for what I might do with my life.I came to understand that I am not the light or the source of light.But light——truth,understanding,knowledge——is there,and it will shine in many dark places only if I reflect it.
I am a fragment(碎片)of a mirror whose whole design and shape l do not know.Nevertheless,with what I have I can reflect light into the dark places of this world——into the black places in the hearts of men—and change some things in some people.Perhaps others may see and do likewise.This is what I am about.This is the meaning of my life.”
On hearing the author’s question,Dr.Papedotes at first.
A.laughed at his foolishness | B.wasn’t sure of the answer |
C.doubted his seriousness | D.wasn’t interested at all |
How did Dr.Papaderos get the small round mirror when he was a child?
A.He found it on the road and made it round. |
B.A dying German soldier gave him as a present. |
C.He chanced to find it in the street while playing. |
D.He put the broken pieces together and made it. |
Why did Dr.Papaderos like the small round mirror so much as a child?
A.Because he was too poor to afford other toys. |
B.Because it could shine the places where tke sun couldn’t reach. |
C.Because he believed it would bring good luck to him. |
D.Because it tofd him a lot about what life really meant to him. |
The underlined“metaphor”in the 7th paragraph most probably means .
A.symbol | B.source | C.light | D.purpose |
Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?
A.A Special Game in the Childhood | B.A Broken Piece of Mirror |
C.Dr.Papaderos’Experience | D.The Meaning of Life |
The website YouTube was created in 2005 and became an overnight success.Google bought YouTube for more than $1,600,000 the following year.In May,YouTube announced that two billion videos were watched each day.
In June,the Guggenheim Museum in New York City announced it would hold a competition among YouTube videos.Now,the judges have chosen the top 125 videos.
The Guggenheim and YouTube launched the competition called“YouTube Play.A Biennial(两年一度)of Creative Video.”The information technology companies HP and Intel are supporting the event.23,000 videos entered the competition.They represented 91 countries and every possible style of movie making.
The rules of the competition were few.Video makers had to be eighteen years or older.They could enter only one video.It had to be no more than ten minutes long.Any language,subject,sound,and style were considered.
Eleven people are judging the videos.They include artists,musicians,and filmmakers.Laurie Anderson is all three.She says all her art starts with a story,so she looks for a story as she judges the videos.
Other judges include the filmmaker Darren Aronofsky,the band Animal Collective,and artist and filmmaker,Shirin Neshat.
New Jersey artist Dahlia Elsayed’s video is one of the finalists.She used the camera in her computer to record herself describing her daily food desires for one month.The video is simple,short,and interesting.
A frightening,but beautiful video came from Chile.The video by Niles Atallah,Joaquin Cocina Varas.and Cristobal Leon is called“Luis”.It is an animated ghostly story of a tense,angry boy.It is very dark,but impossible to stop watching.
“Mars to Jupiter”is a video from Canada by Sterling Pache.It is about a survivor of the 1994 genocide(种族屠杀)in Rwanda.The video explores how her past still haunts(萦绕) her.
Other chosen videos are from France,Spain,Taiwan,Australia,and Israel.Almost thirty countries are represented.You can see them if you link to YouTube Play from our website at voaspecialenglish.com.
People can also see the 125 videos at the Guggenheim museums in New York;Bilbao,Spain;Berlin,Germany;and Venice,Italy.
On October 21,the YouTube Play judges will announce the final twenty winning videos at a special event at the Guggenheim in New York.The Videos will be on View there until October 24.
Accoding to the text,YouTube might be .
A.a video sharing website |
B.a supporting company of the event |
C.a museum in New York City |
D.a frightening,but beautiful video |
Who were supposed to enter the contest according to the text?
A.Video makers in English—speaking countries. |
B.Video makers from New York City. |
C.Video makers all over the world. |
D.Video makers under the age of 18. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the text?
A.The rules of the competition were quite complicated. |
B.Twenty videos will finally be picked out as the best. |
C.The style of video was strictly limited. |
D.Only artists can judge the competitio. |
is a simple and relaxing story about daily life.
A.“Mars to Jupiter” | B.Niles Atallah’s video |
C.“Luis” | D.Dahlia Elsayed’s video |
The text is mainly about .
A.a famous wetsite | B.a famous museum |
C.some interesting videos | D.a video competition |