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Question: Focus on class SOME US parents are sad that their high school children score badly in math , science and reading compared to kids in other countries. There has been an endless series of mostly fruitless education reforms to address this gap ( ). Now comes an approach based on the insights of a group of US exchange students. They spent a year in some of the most successful high schools in the world -in Finland, Poland and South Korea. Author and journalist Amanda Ripley followed three exchange students for her new book, The Smartest Kids in the World - and How They Got That Way. She argues that to improve academics, US schools should de-emphasize sports. Instead, students should bring their passion and intensity to academics , she concludes. "High school in Finland, Korea and Poland had a purpose, just like high school football practice in America," she writes. "There was a big , important contest at the end, and the score counted." Sports are a distraction ,Ripley argues, and most countries require them to take place outside of school. Trading in US school sports culture would be a huge change for people in the US , who respect teamwork and sportsmanship as training for life. But playing down sports could pay off, as it has elsewhere, if we redirect money , focus and glory to learning. Ripley is critical of memorization in South Korean education, but she praises the system's high goals and the free-dom its students have to fail and recover through hard work. Too often , we don't ask teachers to give our kids harder assignments -and we're quick to complain about a failing grade. What's working elsewhere is to set ambitious goals for kids ,and then allow them to discover that they have it within themselves to reclaim success from failure. Each of the countries in Smartest Kids came to education reform after an economic crisis . Finland was losing jobs after graduating just 10 percent of its teens from high school in the 1950s. Today , the graduation rate is 95 percent . Poland's wakeup came in 1999, as students consistently tested below average in reading. We've tried so many "reforms" in education. Maybe what we need is a truly radical shift away from sports in favor of schooling. What is the author's attitude toward education reform in US high schools ?
A. Indifferent.
B. Puzzled
C. Satisfied
D. Supportive.
Answer: D
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Question: Cats are creatures of habit. They like to go to sleep about the same time every day and for a certain length of time. They seem to have a natural clock inside them that tells them when to sleep. Cats increase their regular sleep with occasional cat naps . Some experts feel that humans could also benefit from this habit. Cat naps help to build up energy in the body. They are also a good way to get rid of trouble! Since cats have the same moods as humans, some experts believe that people can improve their moods. People might become happier. A number of famous people have copied cats by taking cat naps during the day. The naps would usually last from 15 to 30 minutes. Winston Churchill took cat naps. So did Presidents Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, and Lyndon B. Johnson. These famous men were known for their energy. They were also able to work long hours, often into the night. Napping was their secret. Naps usually last _ .
A. three hours
B. less than half an hour
C. forty-five minutes
D. fifty-five minutes
Answer: B
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Question: We all know that Taiwan is considered as Treasure Island 0f China. The scenery there is very beautiful. Recently we have been connected closely each other. Several months ago, a group of 19 Taiwanese children flew to Chengdu in order to begin a tour to study pandas. The middle school children were from Chiayi Country in southwest Taiwan and were chosen because of their excellent performance at school. During the visit, the children saw pandas up close. They were excited to see so many pandas at the same time. The children also traveled to the Mount E'mei scenic area and met local schoolchildren. At last, they said, "The pandas are very cute, and they are all happy." They also said the children in Chengdu are very friendly to them, and they all like there. They hope to visit Sichuan again. The children had a good chance to visit Chengdu because _ .
A. they were interested in it
B. they did well at school
C. they were performing different roles
D. they were not from the same country
Answer: B
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Question: At Christmas,1871,Edison,the famous American scientist,got married to Mary. Lots of their friends came to their wedding ceremony . At about two in the afternoon,Edison suddenly thought out a good way to solve the problem on the automatic telegraph after the wedding. So he said to the bride ,"I'll have to go to the factory because I have something important to do. Then I'll come back to have dinner with you."The bride had no way but to agree. On the night of the festival, other families were full of joy while the bride stayed in the house alone,just looking out of the window. How lonely she was! A worker went into the lab and said as soon as he saw Edison, "My goodness! I have never seen a bride-groom like you. It's already twelve now!"Edison was greatly surprised. "Twelve? Too bad! I said I would have dinner with Mary." he said as he ran downstairs. That's how hard Edison worked.He gave all his life to the invention of lights, films and over two thousand other things. A new invention came into being every fifteen days. Edison _ at Christmas in 1871 in American.
A. asked lots of his friends to come to his birthday party
B. became a famous scientist
C. got married to Mary
D. Stayed at home with his bride most of the time
Answer: C
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Question: Canadian short story writer Alice Munro won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Eighty-two-year-old Munro is only the 13th woman to win the 112-year-old prize. Munro didn't publish her first collection of short stories until she was 37 years old, but her stories have always been well-received. Lots of her stories share similar themes and characters, but each story has its own twists and turns. Even though she's won Canada's most famous literary award, the Giller Prize, twice, winning the Nobel Prize for Literature is the cherry on top of Munro's career. "It brings this incredible recognition, both of her and her career, and of the dedication to the short story," said one person. Along with the well-respected title comes 1.3 million dollars.Munro said everything was "so surprising and wonderful" and that she was "dazed by all the attention and affection that has been coming my way." Munro knew she was in the running-she was named the second-most likely person to win this year's prize, after Haruki Murakami of Japan-but she never thought that she would win. Munro's win also represents the long way Canadian writers have come."When I began writing there was a very small community of Canadian writers and little attention was paid by the world.Now Canadian writers are read, admired and respected around the globe," Munro said on Thursday. She is technically not the first Canadian to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, but many like to think that she is.In 1976 Saul Bellow, who was born in Quebec but moved to Chicago when he was still a child, won the prize.Even though he was born in Canada, he is mostly considered to be an American writer. "This is a win for us all.Canadians, by our very nature, are not very nationalistic," said Geoffrey Taylor."But things like this suddenly make you want to find a flag." She wasn't sure if she would keep writing if she won the prize, saying that it would be "nice to go out with a bang.But this may change my mind." For Munro, the Nobel Prize is an award for _ .
A. her love for Canadian culture
B. her devotion to the short story
C. her special form of writing
D. her career of editing short stories
Answer: B
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Question: Authorities will continue to take a hard line on Internet-based rumors and punish those creating fake information, a senior official said on Thursday. Authorities have removed more than 210,000 online posts and shut down 42 websites since mid-March in their latest crackdown on online rumors, said Liu Zhengrong, a senior official with the State Internet Information Office. Fake information or rumors spread through the Internet, especially on micro blogs, have harmed social order and residents' daily lives, he said at a news briefing in Beijing. Before the crackdown, six people who allegedly fabricated rumors about "military vehicles entering Beijing" had been detained and 16 websites closed for fake online information, according to police authorities. "What we've done and will do is to make sure residents can know what they want to know, say what they think and supervise our management in a reliable and useful network environment," Liu said. Liu disagreed that the Internet can police itself against rumors, and told China Daily that some netizens can't distinguish truth from fiction, "requiring government departments and website companies to take measures". On Monday, the Internet Society of China posted a proposal calling on Internet companies and websites to strengthen self-discipline and prevent the spread of online rumors. In response, three main Internet companies in the country - Sina, Baidu and Tencent - said they will target fake information with advanced technology and invest in manpower to supervise online information. Zhao Zhiguo, deputy director of the Telecommunications Administration under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said stricter self-management of websites will help banish online rumors. "Internet companies should take legal responsibility when operating their websites. They should not become a hotbed for rumors and provide opportunities for fake information," Zhao said, adding they will launch similar crackdowns to close illegal website companies and punish those responsible. Currently, people who make or spread rumors related to terrorism and securities trading, or information affecting State security and companies' commercial reputations, will face criminal punishment. Liu Honghui, a Beijing lawyer specializing in online cases, said he welcomed the government's action to curb online rumors. "Residents used online banks to shop or book flights, which needs a safe platform without fake information," he said. Yu Guofu, another lawyer from Sheng Feng Law Firm, said the key to reducing rumors is netizens themselves. "If micro-bloggers think twice before forwarding information, rumors will decrease." How many websites were shut down before mid-March in the latest crackdown on online rumors?
A. 42
B. 58
C. 16
D. 18
Answer: C
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Question: Dust on furniture may be bad news for waistlines . But it's far too early to add dusting to a weight-loss plan. Dietary fats and other materials that make up indoor dust can send a signal to human fat cells, telling them to grow. That process, in turn, might slow the body's rate of burning energy. Such changes could add to any weight problems a person might have. "We don't know what that means to long-term health and certain diseases yet," says Heather Stapleton, one of the study's authors. But she notes that her team's findings also raise a question of whether pollutants in dust might play some role in the growing, global problem of obesity . Stapleton and her colleagues collected dust from homes and offices. Studies found that some materials in the dust could turn on a protein called PPAR-gamma 1. It's found in many human tissues. Turning this protein on can cause fat cells to grow. Researchers think this protein may be involved in obesity. But a second study now finds evidence that certain fats are mostly to blame. Cooking oils may send out some of these fats into the air, where they eventually find their way into house dust. Or, the authors say, the fats might enter house dust as part of the hair or skin cells shed by people or pets. "While the findings are amazing," says Mitchell Lazar, another study author, "these findings need to be taken as very limited." Indeed, he adds several cautions about how the findings should be understood. "For one thing, people eat these fats in foods all of the time. That is likely to be a lot more than would be consumed from indoor dust," he said. What do we know about PPAR-gamma 1? _
A. It comes from dust.
B. It leads to weight gain.
C. It can help get rid of dust.
D. It only appears in human bodies.
Answer: B
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Question: Nutrition influences not only students' grades at school but their growth and development. Improper nutrition is one of the causes of childhood obesity. What can you do to help your child avoid childhood obesity? My first piece of advice is to look in your fridge. What are you buying at the grocery store? Think about it: if you don't buy junk food or snacks, your kids won't eat them at home. Now if you're like me -- both of your kids are at school, you'll know you can't police them every second of the day. This is the time when you'll need to talk to your children about their food choices. If you don't know the right food choices, there are so many free resources on-line to guide you. Try new things. I was very surprised to find out my 4-year-old daughter likes balsamic vinegar -- she calls it the "black sauce". She likes to have it with tomatoes and cucumbers. You just never know what your kids might like. Don't get stressed if you can't always prepare something healthy. You may sometimes leave the house and forget to take something out for dinner, or you are running late and there's no time to cook before you have to take one of the kids somewhere. However, you can still make healthy choices while dining out. Many of the fast food restaurants offer fruit and milk instead of soda. I like to buy organic frozen pizzas from the organic market -- for a quick dinner solution . All the ingredients are natural. What I do is to serve the pizza with something raw: lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, or fruit to try to give the kids something healthy with that meal. In closing, take baby steps. Don't try to change your family's eating habits in one go, or you'll go nuts. This passage is written mainly to _
A. explain why today's kids are overweight
B. tell us the importance of healthy eating
C. give parents some healthy eating tips
D. teach parents what to cook at home
Answer: C
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Question: Tony and Anna are brother and sister. They are Americans. Tony likes sports very much. He can play soccer, basketball and volleyball. Anna likes music very much. She can't play ball games. But they both like playing on computers. They like eggs, bread and milk for breakfast. For lunch, Anna likes eating vegetables and fruit, but Tony likes chicken and fish. They both like hamburgers. But they don't like ice cream or dessert. Tony likes _ and he can play _ .
A. sports; tennis
B. music; basketball
C. sports; volleyball
D. music; soccer
Answer: C
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Question: one's ability to hear their name being called across the room indicates the presence of
A. gas in the stove
B. water in the walls
C. atmosphere in the space
D. water in the ears
Answer: C
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Question: Burns can be caused by fire, the sun, chemicals, heated objects or fluids, and electricity. They can be minor problems or life-threatening emergencies. Distinguishing a minor burn from a more serious burn involves determining the degree of damage to the tissues of the body. If you are not sure how serious the burn is, seek emergency medical help. First-degree burns are those in which only the outer layer of skin is burned. The skin is usually red and some swelling and pain may occur. Unless the burn involves large portions of the body, it can be treated at home. Second-degree burns are those in which the first layer of skin has been burned through and the second layer of skin is also burned. In these burns, the skin reddens intensely and blisters develop. Severe pain and swelling also occur. Second-degree burns require medical treatment. Third-degree burns are the most serious and involve all layers of skin. Fat, nerves, muscles, and even bones may be affected. Areas may be charred black or appear a dry white. If nerve damage is substantial, there may be no pain at all. These burns require emergency medical attention. Follow these steps when treating minor burns at home 1) If the skin is not broken, run cool water over the burn for several minutes. 2) Cover the burn with a sterile bandage or clean cloth. 3) Take aspirin to relieve any swelling or pain. Seek emergency treatment immediately for major burns. Before an emergency unit arrives, follow these steps 1) Remove the person from the source of the burn (fire, electrical current, etc.). 2) If the person is not breathing, begin mouth-to-mouth resuscitation immediately. 3) Remove all clothing to stop further burning. If the clothing is stuck to the burn, do not attempt to remove it. 4) Cover the burned area with a cool, moist, sterile bandage or clean cloth. Do not place any creams, ointments or ice on the burned area or break blisters. 5) Monitor the patient for signs of shock, and treat accordingly. Burns are divided into different degrees according to _ .
A. what kind of treatment they need
B. what kind of tissue of the body is damaged
C. whether there is pain and what degree of pain there is
D. which layer of skin is burned
Answer: D
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Question: Hiking can be a pleasant as well as a not so pleasant adventure. You will have to take a number of measures so that your hike is a pleasant experience. Hiking Tip 1 -- Start Early Most hiking experts hold the opinion that it is rather sensible to start hiking at 3 or 4 in the morning, even if it is a full-day hike. Since most hikes are conducted at high altitudes, starting off early will make sure that you are back down during the afternoon hours. Hiking Tip 2 -- Be Light Since we are anyway talking about the load you will carry, another important hiking tip is to carry fewer loads. If you are going on a hiking trail on a familiar path, you will need reduced survival items, as chance that you will get lost or hurt yourself on these hiking trails is little. Hiking Tip 3 -- Reduce the Number of Breaks Once you start your hike, you should make sure you do not take too many breaks. You will need to maintain a consistent speed and minimize the number of stops which you take. Speed and rest stops help distinguish an inexperienced hiker from an expert hiker. An inexperienced hiker will have bursts of speed and energy and it will be followed by rest stops. This results in slowing down the general speed. Hiking Tip 4 -- Tip for Children Do you plan to take your kids along with you on the hiking trail? Well, then you must be looking for hiking tips for kids! You will have to educate them about nature and also get them into an exercise routine before taking them on a hike. Kids have a tendency to run in the beginning. This exhausts them and they have to be carried, which is certainly not the best of ideas. What should you do if you are going hiking on an unfamiliar trail?
A. Carry enough survival items.
B. Keep a high speed.
C. Start hiking in the afternoon.
D. Carry fewer loads.
Answer: A
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Question: Teofilo Stevenson was born in 1952 and grew up in a small town in Cuba.He started boxing as a teenager and, when he was 13, went to Havana to train at the national sports complex."I lost 14 of my first 20 fights," said Stevenson."I hated getting hit.What happened was that I decided I hated losing even more." When he was just 20, Teofilo went to the Olympic Games in Germany and won a gold medal.He was tall and powerful with a long "reach".His long arms could hit opponents before they could hit him.At the Games in Canada in 1976 he won the gold again.In the ring, boxers were afraid of Teofilo, they tried to stay away from him and not get too close to his powerful punches .He won another gold medal in Moscow in 1980.Only two of the fights he had at the Olympic Games lasted for the full three rounds.That means he either knocked his opponents to the floor and they were counted out or the referee stopped the fight because it was dangerous for the other boxer. Stevenson was such a good boxer that people wanted him to turn professional.After he had won his first gold medal, managers and famous promoters started to offer him money to fight around the world.Teofilo turned them all down.He wanted to stay in Cuba and didn't want to fight for money or fame. Lots of people think that Teofilo Stevenson was as good as the famous boxer Muhammad Ali, but the two fighters never fought each other.They did meet outside the ring and the two men are now friends.Teofilo thinks "it would have been a draw" if they had fought. Teofilo now works for the Cuban Ministry of Sport and he is also the vice president of the Cuban Boxing Federation.He likes spending his time with his family and he is still regarded as a legend around the world. What can be a proper title for the text?
A. Teofilo Stevenson--the most successful boxer
B. Teofilo Stevenson--Olympic boxing legend
C. Teofilo Stevenson's way of Olympic successes
D. A boxer star who failed to turn professional
Answer: B
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Question: Many more babies will be born before the Year of the Horse ends, because many couples in China try to avoid having babies in the Year of the Sheep, which starts on Feb 19, 2015. The reason: traditionally it is believed that "sheep babies" lead a difficult and suppressive life. The truth is, there is no evidence to prove that people born with the zodiac sign of sheep are destined for a difficult life. Apple co-founder, the late Steve Jobs, and movie stars Chow Yunfat and Zhang Ziyi were all born in the Year of the Sheep. Superstition, as its dictionary description says, is an unreasonable belief that an object, action or circumstance not logically related to a course of events influences its outcome. Many people regard black cats as unlucky when they are unlucky only for mice. The number 13 is considered unlucky in the West, but it was quite an lucky number in ancient China. The "rich" number " 8 " is viewed as lucky in China, yet it doesn't look different from any other number in the West. But such is the influence of superstition on some people that they undergo cesarean section , even without going into labor, to give birth before the onset of a year they consider unlucky. Doctors warn that premature cesarean section is a violation of the laws of nature which could affect the baby's brains and health, but some people ignore their advice. On the social side, the sudden increase in the number of births in one year will make it even more difficult for children to get admission to schools and drastically raise the demand for jobs when they grow up. Ironically, children born in a baby boom year can become a liability because they will be locked in a tougher competition for educational, natural and material resources. In more sense than one, their competition begins even before they are born, because their mothers have to wait longer for their regular medical check-ups and to secure a bed in a hospital for childbirth. In China where more often than not parents guide (or even force) their children to choose the subjects to study and the vocations to compete for, zodiac signs are of least or no importance. The real important thing is to encourage children to let their imagination fly and develop their unique skills. The writer uses facts from the following fields EXCEPT _ to support his point of view.
A. culture
B. science
C. politics
D. economy
Answer: C
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Question: A survey shows that the number of fires in government buildings each year is small compared to home fires. This is probably because such buildings are taken good care of and managed. However, at home after work fire safety is your own duty. For most of us who live in high-rise buildings, the safety of you and your family depends on how much you know to do with an emergency . When a fire happens, there is usually little time to decide what to do or how to act. The best thing is to make your emergency plan as soon as possible. Sit down with the family and prepare a careful escape project. Do remember that every fire is _ . Fire and smoke can move very quickly and the situations in any part of the building may change very quickly. Smoke is usually more dangerous than fire. It can spread throughout the building and enter your house when the fire is many floors away. Some information says it is best to leave your house immediately when there is a fire. Others say it is safer to stay there. Which is correct? Usually the best thing to do is to leave the building as soon as possible. However, do not try to leave your house a long time after the fire alarm has sounded. There is a higher chance that heavy smoke has already spread into stairways and hallways. Never travel through smoke. You must stay inside your house and place wet towels at the bottom of the door to stop smoke from entering. Call the Fire Services Department by dialing "119", tell them where you are and then move to the most smoke-free room. Open the window there to let in fresh air if possible. Hang a sheet from the window to show fire fighters where you are. If it is a long time since the fire alarm sounded, the proper thing to do is _ .
A. to try to put out the fire
B. to stay inside the house
C. to leave the house at once
D. to sit down with the family
Answer: B
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Question: Because of the stress and strains of modern life folks today would rather watch television than get together with neighbors. Their behavior doesn't mirror TV soaps like Coronation Street and East Enders. The Street's Ashley Peacock and Toyah Battersby know all their neighbors. But the Royal Mail survey shows that real-life under35s wouldn't dream of popping next door for a chat or to borrow a cup of sugar. Three out of ten say they wouldn't know their neighbors if they saw them in the street. The same proportion would only offer to help neighbors if absolutely necessary, while thirty-onepercent don't want to get to know them better. Twenty-six percent rarely or never speak to the person next door. Thirty-five percent only talk to neighbors occasionally, and six percent actively dislike them. The older generation are still sociable, with seventy percent of over55s taking time to chat to people next door. The report says: "In the past, the British tradition of village green gossip between neighbors was celebrated worldwide. But there's been a clear shift away from local links by the young generation." Londoners are least likely to be neighbors, with a third rarely or never chatting over the garden fence. People in the Midlands--where 65 percent often speak to their neighbors are most friendly. Sociologist Jane Blakeman said: "People are working longer hours than ever before, and are traveling further to work. It leaves them far less time at home." Gossip among neighbours is still common among _ .
A. people under35s
B. people between 35 and 55
C. people over55s
D. people of different ages
Answer: C
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Question: In Google's vision of the future, people will be able to translate documents instantly into the world's main languages with machine logic, not expert linguists, leading the way. Google's approach, called statistical machine translation, differs from past efforts in which it does without language experts who program grammatical rules and dictionaries into computers. Instead, they feed documents humans have already translated into two languages and then rely on computers to decide patterns for future translations. Though the quality is not perfect, it is an improvement on previous efforts at machine translation, said Franz Och, 35, a German who heads Google's translation effort at its Mountain View headquarters south of San Francisco. "Some people who have been in machine translations for a long time see our Arabic-English output, and then they say, that's amazing; that's a breakthrough ." Said Och. "And then other people who have never seen what machine translation was read through the sentence and they say, the first mistake here in Line Five-it doesn't seem to work because there is a mistake there." But for some tasks, a mostly correct translation may be good enough. Speaking over lunch this week in a Google cafeteria famed for offering free, healthy food, Och showed a translation of an Arabic Web news site into easily digestible English. Two Google workers speaking Russian at a nearby table said, however, that a translation of a news site from English into their native tongue was understandable but a bit awkward. Och, who speaks German, English and some Italian, feeds hundreds of millions of words from parallel texts such as Arabic and English into the computer, using United Nations and European Union documents as key sources. Languages without considerable translated texts, such as some African languages, face greater obstacles. "The more data we feed into the system, the better it gets." said Och, who moved to the United States from Germany in 2002. The program applies statistical analysis, an approach he hopes will avoid diplomatic embarrassing mistakes in diplomatic situations, such as when Russian leader Putin's translator annoyed then German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder by calling him the German "Fuhrer ("leader" in English)," which is forbidden in that context because of its association with Adolf Hitler. "I would hope that the language model would say, well, Schroeder is...very rare but Bundeskanzler Gerhard Schroeder is probably 100 times more frequent than Fuhrer and then it would make the right decision." Och said. Statistical analysis in this passage is conducted by _ .
A. hiring people who speak different languages
B. counting how frequently a word is used in the language
C. using the computer with its own grammatical rules
D. reminding users of the likely embarrassing mistakes
Answer: B
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Question: If you go to an American middle school on Wednesday morning, you will hear kids talking about the American idol show from the night before. Some have called it the most influential show in the history of television. American Idol has been extremely successful in the country since 2002. The show was number one for six years! The most popular episode had nearly 38 million _ . But why is the show so popular? The idea of the show is this: everyday people get a chance to show their singing talents to the world and become an "American Idol", a famous pop star. Anyone in the country(between the ages of 15 and 28) can have a try--a chance of becoming world famous. In fact, everyday people are the ones who are allowed on the show. If you are a professional singer--you cannot be an American Idol. The winners are regular people from small towns--people who sang in churches or bars but had bigger dreams. The winners of the contest don't get a prize of money. Instead, they get to record an album. Famous stars such as Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood gained fame from winning the show. So, it seems the contest really works. It is the idea that anyone can be a super star that draws people to this program. All those hours of practicing in front of the mirror could lead to fame and fortune .Even you could be the next "American Idol". ,. What does the story mainly tell us about?
A. How US kids spend their spare time.
B. Why the American Idol show is so popular.
C. What America's most successful show is.
D. How the American Idol show creates pop stars.
Answer: B
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Question: EACH of us fails from time to time. If we are wise, we accept these failures as a necessary part of the learning process. But all too often we convey to our children either by words or by actions that failure is something to be ashamed of, that nothing but top performance meets our approval. Donnie was my youngest third-grader. His fear of failure kept him from classroom games that other children played excitedly. He seldom answered questions - he might be wrong. He seldom finished his work because he repeatedly checked with me to be sure he hadn't made a mistake. I tried my best to build his self-confidence. But nothing changed until midterm, when Mary Anne, a student teacher, was assigned to our classroom. She was young and pretty, and she loved children. My pupils, Donnie included, adored her. But even enthusiastic, loving Mary was _ by this little boy who feared he might make a mistake. Then one morning we were working math problems. Donnie had copied the problems with painstaking neatness and filled in answers for the first row. Pleased with his progress, I left the children with Mary. But when I returned, Donnie was in tears. He'd missed the third problem. Mary looked at me in despair. Suddenly her face brightened. From the desk we shared, she got a canister filled with pencils. "Look, Donnie," she said, "I've got something to show you." She removed the pencils and placed them on his desk. "See these pencils, Donnie?" she continued. "They belong to Mrs. Lindstrom and me. See how the erasers are worn? That's because we make mistakes too. Lots of them. But we erase the mistakes and try again. That's what you must learn to do, too." She kissed him and continued: "I'll leave one of these pencils on your desk so you'll remember that everybody makes mistakes, even teachers." Donnie looked up with love in his eyes and just a glimmer of a smile. The pencil became Donnie's prized possession. That, together with Mary Anne's frequent encouragement and praise for even Donnie's small successes, gradually persuaded him that it's all right to make mistakes - as long as you erase them and try again. Which of the following words best describe Mary Anne as she is shown in the article?
A. Patient and inspiring.
B. Creative and modest.
C. Determined and strict.
D. Considerate and proud.
Answer: A
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Question: Not all think laughter is the best medicine, but it seems to help.So scientists carried on a new study of diabetes patients who were given a good dose of humor for a year to prove it. Researchers divide 20 high-risk diabetic patients into two groups.Both groups were given standard diabetes medicine.Group L viewed 30 minutes of humor of their choice, while Group C, the control group, did not.This went on for a year of treatments. By two months into the study, the patients in the laughter group had lower level of the hormones epinephrine , considered to cause stress, which is known to be deadly.After the 12 months, _ rises 26 percent in Group L but only 3 percent in Group C.In another measure, C-reactive proteins, a maker of heart disease, drop 66 percent in the laughter group but only 26 percent in the control group. "The best doctors believe that there is a physical good brought about by the positive emotion, happy laughter," said study leader Lee Berk of Loma Linda University.And other research has found that humor makes us more hopeful.Still, more study is needed, Berk said.The research by Berk found that humor can bring about similar changes in body chemistry, which was proved in the new study.The research result will be presented this month at the meeting in the US.Research at the University of Maryland School of Medicine shows that laughter causes the inner lining of blood vessels to expand, increasing blood flow in a way thought to be healthy. "Lifestyle choices have an important effect on health and these are choices which we and patients should pay attention to, rather than prevention and treatment," Berk said in a statement this week. After 12 months into the study, _ .
A. C-reactive proteins increase 66 percent in Group C
B. the level of the hormones epinephrine stays the same in both groups
C. the level of the hormones epinephrine has dropped
D. C-reactive proteins reduced 66 percent in Group L
Answer: D
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Question: Chinese scientist Tu Youyou on October 5 won the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine amongst a trio for discovering parasite therapies . 85-year-old Tu is awarded this world-renowned prize for her contribution to reducing the death rate of malaria, minimizing patients' suffering and promoting mankind's health. This is what science is all about. Tu's finding has saved millions' lives during the 40 years. This also proves the value of her research product. The reward is never too late in that aspect. The moment of joy and satisfaction came when she discovered the artemisinin( ) after all kinds of failures in experiments. As the first Chinese mainland Nobel Prize Winner of natural science award, Tu's winning completely surprised Chinese people, who have long been wondering when the first Chinese Nobel laureate in natural science would appear. Let's backtrack to 40 years ago. Tu accomplished the breakthrough findings without access to any advanced equipment, communication with outside world and papers to research. However, over the 40 years, improvements and innovations have transformed everything. Nowadays, Chinese scientists have the passion to invent. As Premiere Li Keqiang mentioned in his letter, "Tu's winning the prize signifies China's prosperity and progress in scientific and technological field". Tu's record-breaking winning serves as a reminder to those who are too eager for instant success. Science is never about instant success. There is no way to measure how much you spend on scientific research and compare it with how much reward you get. Which magazine this passage may be mostly selected from?
A. The Times
B. Science Fiction
C. Fortune
D. National Geography
Answer: A
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Question: What is the definition of "happiness?" Is it material wealth filled with fancy cars, a dream house or jewelry? Or does happiness simply mean having a roof over your head? Food in the fridge? Having a swimming pool? A designer Gucci bag? Love? Money? A perfect job? Do you recall a time----let's say when you were about 5 years old-----what defined happiness back then? Was it getting a puppy for Christmas? Or maybe, you were a child of divorce; and all you wanted was for Mom and Dad to get back together again? Then as you got older, you were hoping that someone would ask you to the party that would have made your day. During college, good grades made you happy, but it was short-lived. Because in the real world, you had to look for a job, and competition was fierce. But then, you got a perfect job, could you be happy? We like having and accumulating things. We work so we can pay our rents, credit card debts, school loans, car payments... The list goes on and on. And at some point, we realize that apart from having most of what we want, we still aren't happy. Now since we've learned to adapt to new standards which we've created for ourselves, we find that we have less time, less patience, less sleep, which leads to more stress and more anxiety. Therefore, don't stupidly make a conclusion that happiness is just based on "things". Sometimes, we trade our lives for not only basic necessities, but for excessive items and services as well. Certainly, you've heard of individuals trying to "find themselves", or to "rediscover themselves". But the point has been missed: happiness is already there. Disappointments and tragedies in life will come and go, but happiness never leaves you. We can lose our jobs, but be grateful for those who love us. We can lose our homes to nature, but be thankful to be alive. If we think we are happy, we are indeed happy. Happiness is merely a perception of each individual. Happiness is part of love, and love is an ocean. Go dive in and get some, and then share it with everyone, which can be an endless supply. But sharing happiness with people around demands skilful techniques. The author puts forward a lot of questions to _ .
A. ask readers for information
B. compare answers from readers
C. expect positive answers from readers
D. draw readers' attention to the topic
Answer: D
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Question: Chocolate was a box turtle. Lauren found her one day on the side of the road, hiding in her old, worn shell, frightened by the cars going by. Lauren picked Chocolate up to help her cross the street, because Lauren knew that turtles are very slow and cars are very fast. After Lauren got Chocolate to the other side of the road, Chocolate peeked her head out of her shell and looked at the little girl. Lauren saw that not only was Chocolate's shell worn, one of her eyes was shut. Lauren thought Chocolate needed more help from her, so Lauren took the turtle home. Lauren hid Chocolate in her bathtub, because she was worried that her mother would be mad. Lauren went to look up what turtles like to eat and left Chocolate alone in the bathtub. Lauren was still looking up turtle facts when she heard her mother call out, "Lauren, get in here now!" Lauren knew she was in trouble. But when Lauren came into the bathroom, her mother was smiling. Lauren's mom told her that she had a turtle when she was a little girl. Lauren and her mom took Chocolate to an animal doctor who treated sick turtles. The doctor gave them special drops to put in Chocolate's eyes. Lauren put the drops in Chocolate's eyes, like the doctor told her and soon the turtle's eyes were all better. Chocolate's shell was still old and worn looking, like an old shoe, but now her eyes were beautiful, like the golden jewels on Grandma's earrings. Lauren was glad that she helped Chocolate. Where did Lauren hide Chocolate?
A. in a closet
B. in a box
C. in her backpack
D. in the bathtub
Answer: D
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Question: My Garden -----by Nelson Mandela In early 1977, the authorities announced the physical labour and arranged some kind of work for us to do in the courtyard. The free time also allowed me to hunt what became two of my favorite hobbies in Robben Island---gardening and tennis. To survive in prison, one must develop ways to take satisfaction in one's daily life. One can feel fulfilled by washing one's clothes so that they are particularly clean. Just as one takes pride in important tasks outside of prison, one can find the same pride in doing small things inside prison. Almost from the beginning of my sentence on Robben Island, I asked the authorities for permission to start a garden in the courtyard. For years, they refused without offering a reason. But finally they gave in, and we were able to cut out a small garden in the prison. The soil in the courtyard was dry and rocky. In order to start my garden, I had to remove a great many rocks to allow the plant room to grow. The authorities supplied me with seeds. At first, I planned tomatoes and onions, because these plants did not require rich earth or constant care. The early harvests were poor, but they soon improved. I began to order books on gardening. I studied different gardening techniques and types of fertilizers . For a time, I tried to grow peanuts, and used different soils and fertilizers, but finally I gave up. It was one of my few failures. A garden was one of the few things in prison that one could control. The processes of planting a seed, watching it grow, taking care of it and then harvesting it offered a simple but long-lasting satisfaction. The sense of being the owner of the small patch of earth offered a small taste of freedom. Why did Mandela wash his clothes especially clean although he was in prison?
A. To show he could do it as well as others.
B. To get some sense of pride and satisfaction from it.
C. To show others that he preferred to be clean.
D. To gain the authorities' permission to start a garden.
Answer: B
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Question: Big Ben is not the name of a man. It is the name of a huge clock in London, London is the capital of the UK. This clock has four faces, so no matter where you stand, you can read the time on the face of Big Ben. Each face is the size of a double-decker bus. The hands are about four meters long. It is about the size of two people standing on top of each other. If you go to London, you may want to visit the House of Parliament . You will find Big Ben sitting at the top of the clock tower in the House of Parliament. You will hear it as well as you see it. The big clock makes such a loud sound, "Ding dong, ding dong," it goes every quarter of an hour. A big man gave the clock the name. He was Sir Benjamin Hail. He did much building work in London many years ago, You can read the time of Big Ben _ .
A. at the top of the clock tower
B. in the House of Parliament
C. on the hands of the huge clock
D. on the four faces of the clock
Answer: D
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Question: One day an ant was drinking at a small stream and fell in. She made desperate efforts to reach the side, but made no progress at all. The poor ant almost exhausted was still bravely doing her best when a dove saw her. Moved with pity, the bird threw her a blade of grass, which supported her like a raft, and thus the ant reached the bank again. While she was resting and drying herself in the grass, she heard a man come near. He was walking along barefooted with a gun in his hand. As soon as he saw the dove, he wished to kill it. He would certainly have done so, but the ant bit him in the foot just as he raised his gun to fire. He stopped to see what had bit him, and the dove immediately flew away. It was an animal much weaker and smaller than herself that had saved her life. The ant succeeded in getting on the bank with the help of _ .
A. a leaf
B. a piece of wood
C. a blade of grass
D. a raft
Answer: C
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Question: Good afternoon! I'm Alice. My last name is Smith. I'm in a red jacket. I'm in Xingfu Middle School. My phone number is 569-2679. This is Cindy Brown. She is my good friend. She is in a yellow jacket. She is in Xingfu Middle School, too. What's her phone number? It's 865-2397. What color is Alice's jacket?
A. Green.
B. Blue.
C. Red.
D. Yellow.
Answer: C
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Question: Since Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay climbed Mount Everest, Mount Qomolangma's peak is no longer a lonely place and is turning into a trash heap. So far, more than 350 climbers have successfully reached the peak. And they have complained about waiting for hours in the bottlenecks on the way to the peak, a situation that isn't just uncomfortable -- it's cold and windy up there -- but downright dangerous. If bad weather strikes, climbers can and do die. As a matter of fact, the dangerous crowds aren't the only problem on Qomolangma. All those climbers need to bring a lot of _ --and much of them ends up being left on the mountain, sometimes even the peak itself. Mount Qomolangma is becoming the world's largest dump. Here's mountaineer Mark Jenkins writing in National Geographic about the state of Qomolangma: "The two standard routes, the Northeast Ridge and the Southeast Ridge, are disgustingly polluted with oxygen cans and torn tents everywhere." But the good news is that some mountaineers are taking it upon themselves to clean up Qomolangma. Mountianeer Paul Thelen and his friend Eberhard Schaaf are part of the annual Eco Everest Expedition, which has been cleaning up rubbish from base camps to the peak since 2008. So far they've collected over 13 tons of garbage. Some of that rubbish is even being used for a higher purpose. As part of the Mount Everest 8844 Art Project, a group of 15 artists from Nepal collected 1.5 tons of garbage brought down the mountain by climbers. They've transformed the cans and oxygen tanks--and in one case, part of the remains of a helicopter--into 74 pieces of art that have already gone on exhibition in Nepal's capital. Part of the profit from sales will go to the Everest Peakers Association, which has helped collect tons of rubbish on the slopes of the mountain. What can be the best title for the text?
A. Eco Everest Expedition Proves Successful
B. Qomolangma Has Become A Huge Mess
C. Test Yourself Against Qomolangma
D. Recycle Rubbish On Qomolangma
Answer: B
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Question: Do you suffer from cybersickness? The rise of mobile phones has been blamed for a number of social ills, but your smart phone may also be making you physically sick as well. Scientists have identified a condition called "cybersickness", which they say is the digital version of motion sickness. The phenomenon, which affects up to 80 percent of the population who own smart phones or tablets, leads to feelings of sickness and unsteadiness. It is caused by seeing fast motion on a screen, which covers anything from a car chase in a film to scrolling through web pages on your phone. The more realistic the visual content appears to you, the higher your chances of getting cybersickness are . The condition was identified in a piece in the New York Times in which British and US experts said that it needed solving. Motion sickness leaves sufferers feeling ill because they feel movement in your muscles and your inner ear but do not see it. The mismatch in digital sickness is the opposite--you see movement on the screen but do not feel it. The effect is the same and the symptoms include a headache, wanting to throw up, confusion and the need to sit down. Often cybersickness shows itself in a subtle way and sufferers put it down to stress or eyestrain. Steven Rauch, a professor of otolaryngology at Harvard Medical School, said: "Your sense of balance is different from other senses in that it has lots of inputs. When those inputs don't agree, that's when you feel dizziness and sickness. " Some studies that have been carried out into cybersickness found that women are more _ than men, the New York Times reported. Those who have Type A' personalities--meaning they are confident and determined--are more likely to suffer from cybersickness as well. Among those who have reported experiencing the condition have been video gamers who spend hours playing fast paced games. Engineers at Oculus VR, the virtual headset manufacturer, have admitted that digital motion sickness is one of their biggest problems. This passage is most probably _ .
A. a science fiction
B. a newspaper ad
C. a book review
D. a science news report
Answer: D
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Question: Coupons to spend "How did you spend your coupons?" On their first day back to school, many students in Hangzhou greeted each other this way. The coupons referred to the 100 yuan coupons each student received form the city government before the Spring Festival holidays. Over 260,000 primary school and middle school students were given coupons. They could use them in local stores and supermarkets, or to see movies and buy books. The same coupons have also been given to low income families in Hangzhou. Other cities, including Chengdu and Nanjing, also gave coupons to their citizens. More cities are expected to follow their lead. Why are local governments doing this? These programmes are all part of a broader effort in China to increase domestic demand in the face of the global financial crisis. The crisis has seriously affected China's exports and investments . Many factories in southern cities have been closed down. Some companies are laying off workers or reducing their pay. The stock market and real estate market have been falling. In a time of financial crisis, people usually respond by saving money. They are uncertain about the future and are afraid that more difficult times may be ahead. Now many people are choosing not to spend money carelessly. Major chain stores have seen a sharp slowdown in sales, analysts say. But spending keeps an economy healthy. If people don't spend, there will be too many products in the market. Then shops will stop buying products from factories. When factories receive no orders, they close down. The workers there accordingly lose their jobs. Also, if people don't spend, the service industry suffers. The total result is that the whole economy breaks down. Issuing coupons is a practical and effective way to increase domestic demand in the current situation, said Jiang Zengwei, vice-minister of China's Ministry of Commerce. Hangzhou reported a rise in customers in local markets during Spring Festival holiday. However, issuing coupons is only a temporary measure. To increase consumers' confidence, the government needs to establish a sound secure social system in the long term. When people don't have to worry about education, health care and their pension, they will be more willing to spend instead of saving. Why are local governments issuing coupons?
A. To increase domestic demand in the face of the global financial crisis.
B. To enable students to use them in local stores and supermarkets, or to see movies and buy books independently.
C. To help those low income families in the global financial crisis.
D. To show the government's ability to solve economic problems
Answer: A
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Question: A man punished his 5-year-old daughter for wasting some expensive gold wrapping paper. Money was little and he became more upset when the child used the gold paper to decorate a box and put it under a Christmas tree. However, the little girl brought the gift box to her father the next morning and said, " This is for you, daddy." The father was embarrassed by his earlier anger, but he got angry again when he found the box empty. He spoke to her in a serious manner, "Don't you know young lady, when you give someone a present, there's supposed to be something inside the package?" The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and said, "Oh Daddy, it is not empty.I blew kisses into it until it was full." The father was moved. He fell on his knees and put his arms around his little girl and he begged her to forgive his unnecessary anger. An accident took the life of the child away only a short time later and it is told that the father kept the gold box by his bed for all the years of his life. Whenever he was discouraged or faced difficult problems, he would open the box and take out an imaginary kiss and remember the child who had put it there. What was in the box in the daughter's opinion?
A. She put something into the box
B. She had no money to buy gifts
C. She didn't know how to send gifts
D. She forgot to put gifts in the box
Answer: A
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Question: A year ago, August, Dave Fuss lost his job driving a truck for a small company in west Michigan. His wife, Gerrie, was still working in the local school cafeteria, but it was hard for Dave to find work, and the price of everything was rising. The Fusses were at risk of joining the millions of Americans who have lost their homes in recent years. Then Dave and Gerrie received a timely gift--$7,000, a legacy from their neighbors Ish and Arlene Hatch, who died in an accident. "It really made a difference when we were meeting difficulty ."says Dave. But the Fusses weren't the only folks in Alto and the neighboring town of Lowell to receive unexpected legacy from the Hatches. Dozens of other families were touched by what the Hatches had done. In some cases, it was a few thousand dollars; in others, it was more than $100,000. It surprised nearly everyone that the Hatches had so much money, more than $3 million--they were an elderly couple who lived in an old house on what was left of the family farm. Children of the Great Depression, Ish and Arlene were known for their habit of saving. They preferred comparison shopping and would go from store to store, checking prices before making a new purchase. Through the years, the Hatches paid for local children to attend summer camps when their parents couldn't afford it. "Ish and Arlene never asked if you needed anything," says their friend Sandy Van Weelden, "They could see things they could do to make you happier, and they would do them." Even more extraordinary was that the Hatches gave away their farmland. It was the Hatches' wish that their legacy--a legacy of kindness as much as one of dollars and cents--should enrich the whole community and last for generations to come. Neighbors helping neighbors--that was Ish and Arlene Hatch's story. Why would the Hatches go from store to store?
A. They decided to open a store.
B. They wanted to save money.
C. They couldn't afford expensive things.
D. They wanted to buy gifts for local kids.
Answer: B
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Question: Visit one of the most outstanding prehistoric sites in the United Kingdom, and enjoy amazing historic English attractions. Please notice that every tour starts and ends in London. Have a tour with Visiting Britain. Stonehenge Direct Tour Visit one of the most outstanding prehistoric sites in England and in the world: Stonehenge. Duration: 1 day Price: Adults PS29.99, Children PS28.99 Stonehenge and Bath Tour Enjoy a late breakfast before heading to the Stonehenge site and end your day with an original visit of the Roman Baths. Duration: 10 hours (departure 10:30 am return 8:30 pm). Price: Adults PS64, Children PS60 Stonehenge, Bath and Windsor Castle Tour Explore three of England's most popular sites to visit: Windsor Castle, Stonehenge and the Roman Baths. Duration: 1 day (return 8:30 pm) Price: Adults PS64.80, Children PS61.20 Stonehenge, Lacock and Bath Tour Come and feel the warmth of Bath, see the pleasant village of Lacock, and solve the mystery of Stonehenge. Duration: 1 day (return 6 pm) Price: Adults PS85, Children PS78 Stonehenge, Windsor and Oxford Tour Choose Stonehenge, Windsor and Oxford Tour and enjoy ancient mysticism, royal history and illustrious knowledge. Duration: 1 day Price: Adults PS72, Children PS68 Stonehenge, Bath and Stratford Tour Take a tour to make the most of the English historic attractions: the Stonehenge site, Bath and Stratford, the birthplace of playwright William Shakespeare. Duration: 1 day (return 8 pm) Price: Adults PS79, Children PS68 When can you come back to London after visiting Stonehenge and the Roman Baths?
A. At 6 pm.
B. At 7 pm.
C. At 8 pm.
D. At 8:30 pm.
Answer: D
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Question: Dear Sir, Just over six months ago, I saw an advertisement in the Morning Mail for a set of the complete works of William Shakespeare.Your company, Cosmo books Ltd , offered this set ( eight books of plays and two books of poetry) at a "remarkable" price: fifteen pounds and fifty pence, including postage and packing. I had wanted a set of Shakespeare's plays and poems for some time, and these books looked particularly attractive, so I sent for them. Two weeks later, the books arrived, together with a set of works of Charles Dickens which I had not ordered.So I returned the Dickens books to you, with a cheque for fifteen pounds and fifty pence for the works of Shakespeare.Two more weeks passed.Then there arrived on my door step a second set of the works of Shakespeare, the same set of novels by Dickens and a six book set of the plays of Moliere, in French.Since I do not read French, these were of no use to me at all.However, I could not afford to post all these books back to you, so I wrote to you right away instructing you to come and collect all the books that I did not want, and asking you not to send any other books until further notice. You did not reply to that letter. Instead you sent me a bill for forty two pounds, and a set of the plays of Schiller, in German.Since then, a new set of books has arrived every two weeks, the works of Goethe, the poems of Milton, the plays of Strindberg; I hardly know what I have.The books are still all in their boxes, in the garage, and my car has to stand in the rain outside. Please send no more books, send no more bills, send no more angry letters demanding payment.Just send one large lorry and take all the books away, leaving me only with the one set of the complete works of Shakespeare for which I have paid. Yours faithfully, SIMON WALKER It can be inferred that_.
A. Mr. Walker took some action after receiving the books he did not order
B. several sets of books have been sent to Mr. Walker free of charge
C. Cosmo Books have sent bills for books that they have not sent
D. Mr. Walker hasn't received the books that he ordered
Answer: A
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Question: A few years ago, Pioneer Hi-Bred International, where I was employed. purchased Norand Corporation. Pioneer's sales representatives in the field used Norand hand-held terminals to upload daily sales information and download new price and sales incentive information. Pioneer bought so many of these hand-held-terminals, the economies made the purchase of Norand look interesting. Owning Norand also allowed Pioneer to explore high-technology markets outside agriculture. But after a few years, the emerging laptop PC technology made the hand-held units obsolete . Pioneer sold Norand at a loss. Pioneer always took a given percent of the annual profits to divide equally among all employees, so our profit-sharing checks were lower than if Pioneer had not purchased Norand. Additionally, my Pioneer stock was lower than it had been before the purchase of Norand. I was not pleased. The CEO of Pioneer, Tom Urban, made annual formal visits to each of the Pioneer divisions to talk about the state of the business and to listen to employees' concerns. When he walked into the meeting room for his first visit after the sale of Norand, he acknowledged the group, remove his jacket, and neatly folded it across the back of the chair. He loosened his tie, undid his collar and rolled up his sleeves. _ . He said, "I made a mistake buying Norand and I am sorry. I am sorry your profit-sharing was lower because of the purchase, and I am sorry your stock was hurt by the purchase. I will continue to take risks, but I am a bit smarter now, and I will work harder for you." A great man and leader stood before us that day. As I sat listening to him, I knew I could trust him, and that he deserved every bit of loyalty I could give to him and to Pioneer. I also knew I could take risks in my own job. In the brief moment of silence before the questions started, I recall thinking that follow him into any battle. What did the employees feel after Tom Urban apologized to them?
A. They felt he was a stupid CEO.
B. They felt he did not deserve their loyalty
C. They felt he was more trustworthy.
D. They didn't want to take risks with him.
Answer: C
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Question: Ginny Ruffner is one of the best-known glass artists in the United States. Her one-of-a-kind pieces are colorful, detailed and often humorous. Over the years, she became famous for a method called lamp working, also known as flame working. It involves using a torch to melt and shape the glass instead of blowing on it. Ginny Ruffner almost died in a three-car accident in 1991. No one thought the Seattle-based artist would ever walk or talk again. An award-winning film documentary explores that period of her life. "It's scary when you can't talk, you can't do... all your life." said Ruffner. Ms. Ruffner was in a coma for five weeks and a wheelchair for five years. But she overcame her injuries. And although she still has difficulty walking and talking, she has willed herself back to work. Now, she has a team that helps bring her dream to life. Her team recently finished an eight point five meter-high flowerpot made of steel and aluminum. It is now in downtown Seattle. Ms. Ruffner was recently honored in Washington, DC. The Renwick Gallery presented a special showing of the film, "A Not So Still Life, the Ginny Ruffner Story." Ms. Ruffner says "it has been a long battle, but the hardest part has not been the physical problems. I hate being taken for granted, being ignored. The way I talk, people assume that I'm either really old, or kind of retarded , and that is so frustrating." But she is firm. She says "Fortunately I've done a lot of stuff in my life, so I know that the best thing is to be open to the mystery, who knows what great things will happen. I'm sure they're many more to come." Ginny Ruffner's art can be seen in more than forty museums around the world. Her work and her life continue to motivate people of all ages. From this passage we can learn _ .
A. Ginny Ruffner finished an eight point five meter-high flowerpot made of steel and aluminum himself
B. The Renwick Gallery made him a the film documentary , "A Not So Still Life, the Ginny Ruffner Story."
C. Ginny Ruffner's art is shown in more than forty museums in the United States
D. Ginny Ruffner's story has encouraged people to do what they want to
Answer: D
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Question: Every day from the time we wake up until the time we go to bed, we are bombarded with information from all sides, from TV, radio, newspapers and books; from family, friends, and colleagues. As a new cable television subscriber, I am ly amazed at the quantity and varying levels of information quality on cable television. Including the networks, there are eight TV "news" organizations vying to provide us with all the information we can possibly absorb. Newspaper, magazines, books, radio, the Internet, email, snail mail, and the telephone all compete for our attention and our minds. At the office conversations around the water cooler and coffee maker serve to spread even more items of information. There is valuable information out there about the world we live in, on topics as varied as health, safety, traffic, nutrition, business, finance, philosophy, nature, science, weather, history and the human condition. There is also a large amount of misleading and outright false information, not just on controversial subjects such as politics and religion but on any topic one can think of, including all of the topics mentioned above. With all this information coming at us from all directions, how does one sift through it all to sort out the facts from the fiction, the truth from the lies, the more important from the less important? Should we turn off the TV, cancel our newspaper subscriptions, disconnect our phones and modems to become information "hermits"? Probably not. A better method of sifting through the information wave without being overwhelmed and confused is to become a skeptical inquirer-or skeptic-with regard to the surrounding world. By "skeptic"-I do not mean a cynic-a person who rejects new ideas simply because they are new. A skeptic is one who questions the validity of a particular claim by calling for evidence to prove or disprove it. Skepticism is a method, not a position. It is a provisional approach to all factual claims. In terms of processing information, a skeptic needs to be able to grasp reality and acquire knowledge about the environment that agrees with reason, logic, and evidence. In other words, as skeptics, when we hear a claim that may or may not be fantastic, we should say, "That's nice, prove it." What does the author say is the more reasonable approach to processing the information wave?
A. A skeptical approach.
B. A subjective approach.
C. A cynical approach.
D. A philosophical approach.
Answer: A
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Question: Alice entered into a contract with Paul by the terms of which Paul was to paint Alice's office for $1,000 and was required to do all of the work over the following weekend so as to avoid disruption of Alice's business. For this question only, assume the following facts. Paul commenced work on Saturday morning, and had finished half the painting by the time he quit work for the day. That night, without the fault of either party, the office building was destroyed by fire. Which of the following is an accurate statement?
A. Both parties' contractual duties are discharged, and Paul can recover nothing from Alice.
B. Both parties' contractual duties are discharged, but Paul can recover in quasi-contract from Alice.
C. Only Paul's contractual duty is discharged, because Alice's performance (payment of the agreed price) is not impossible.
D. Only Paul's contractual duty is discharged, and Paul can recover his reliance damages from Alice.
Answer: B
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Question: Being an astronaut sounds cool, doesn't it?In space, they get to do some pretty amazing things, like floating in zero gravity. However,there are also plenty of things that astronauts can't do because of their weightless environment, and that's very sad. What's worse, they can't even let their sadness show--because it's impossible to cry in zero gravity. Of course, astronauts can still produce tears. But crying is much more difficult in space,reported The Atlantic in January. Without gravity, tears don't flow downward out of the eyes like they do here on Earth. This means that when you cry in space, your tears have nowhere to go--they just stick to your eyes. In May 2011, astronaut Andrew Feustel experienced this during one of his spacewalks."Tears," he said, "don't fall off your eye... They just kind of stay there." Besides making your vision unclear, this can also cause physical pain. Back on Earth, tears are supposed to bring comfort to the eyes.But that's not the case in space.The space environment dries out astronauts' eyes, and when tears suddenly wet the eyes, it can cause pain rather than comfort. "My right eye is painful like crazy." Feustel told his teammate during the walk. Since gravity doesn't work in space, astronauts need some extra help to get rid of the tears.Feustel chose to rub his eyes against his helmet to wipe the tears away. Another choice is to just wait--"When the tears get big enough they simply break free of the eye and float around,"astronaut Ron Parise told The Atlantic. There are lots of small things--things like crying--that we are so used to on Earth. We usually take them for granted, until they become a problem in a totally different environment,like space. There, astronauts can't talk to each other directly. They also can't eat or drink in normal ways. They can't even burp , because there is no gravity to hold the food down in their stomach. If they do burp, they just end up throwing up everything in their stomach,according to the UK National Space Center. Thus, perhaps it's only space explorers who can honestly say:"Gravity, you're the best." What effect do tears have on astronauts?
A. They cause physical pain.
B. They bring comfort to them.
C. They make their vision clearer.
D. They float around and cause trouble.
Answer: A
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Question: It seems that women and beauty go together. I think so. Look around yourself. Fashion ads are almost everywhere. Whether they have realized or not, a sea of. fashion is all around women. They are made to think that without beautiful clothes they will look old and lose their charm . So who doesn't want to dress up to be beautiful and young? But I don't agree with the opinion that women have to show their beauty through their looks. Their mind can be more beautiful and attractive than their looks. A woman has experienced many troubles and may be called "aunt", but she can still be beautiful if she has excellent qualities like knowledge, a kind heart and great courage . What's more,old and young, beautiful and ugly are relative. People who keep a young mind will never feel old. Knowing about new things and wanting to learn more,they can keep up with fashion. Simply dressed women are also beautiful in their own way. Reading and learning is the best way to keep one young. Good books can feed the flower of one's heart and looks. According to the writer, in order to stay beautiful, women should
A. follow fashion
B. do more exercise
C. keep their mind young
D. buy more clothes
Answer: C
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Question: Hello! My name is Bob Smith. I am an English boy. Here are some school things . This is my school ID card. Its number is 201289767. This yellow bag is mine. A yellow eraser, a purple pencil, a red pen and a book are in it. Oh, that dictionary is mine, too. Is the green pencil box mine, too? No, it isn't. It is my good friend Lin Hui's. His school ID card number is 201287967. Green is his favorite color. He is in a green jacket, and that green bag is his, too. There are _ things in Bob's schoolbag.
A. three
B. four
C. five
D. six
Answer: B
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Question: Mrs Green lives in a small village . Her husband is dead ,but she has one son .His name is Jack . He is twenty-one .He worked in the shop in the village and lived with his mother , but then he found a job in a faraway town named Green Sea .He went and lived there .Mrs Green was not happy about it . Last Sunday ,Mrs Green was angry .She got on a train and went to her son's house in Green Sea . Then she said to him,"Jack ,why do you never telephone me ?" Jack laughed , "But ,mother ,you don't have a telephone ." "No,"she answered, "I haven't , but you have one !" Last Sunday ,Mrs Green went to Green Sea _ .
A. by bike
B. by train
C. by air
D. by bus
Answer: B
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Question: Dukuly Dogbah, a 14-year-old Liberian boy, grew up in a war. He was born in the same year the Liberian war started. Since then fighting between the government forces and the rebel armies has not stopped. Dukuly is one of around 10,000 child soldiers in Liberia. At 10, Dukuly lost contact with his family in the war and had to fight for the rebels. During the war he learnt to kill people with guns. He has killed many people and seen many of his friends die. "You have to," he said, "because it is war." Lots of children had to join the army. Some did it out of their own will. They thought they would be safe with a gun. The army leaders use child soldiers because they are easy to control and do not get paid much. Child soldiers do terrible things. Most of them take drugs. "I cannot control myself because it makes me brave," Dukuly said. There are 120,000 child soldiers in Africa and 300,000 around the world. Many child soldiers die and nobody cares for them. According to a United Nation's report, 23 armies in the world use children. Some African and Asian countries often use child soldiers. Myanmar has the highest number of child soldiers in their army: around 50,000. Most of the child soldiers are under 18 years of age and the youngest is only 7 years old. The UN has called for the protection of children in war. The UN Children's Fund wants African countries to ban child soldiers. Many UN organizations are trying to take child soldiers away from war and send them back to school. There are _ child soldiers all over the world.
A. 120.000
B. 300,000
C. 420.000
D. 50,000
Answer: B
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Question: UGG boots have been a winterweather fashion for several years now, combining function, comfort, warmth and even some style. What many UGGenthusiasts don't know is that their boots are a breeding ground for bacteria and cause foot problems. Doctors believe the boots, which are particularly popular among young teenage girls, are leading to a rise in the number of people suffering pains in their feet and knees. Dr. Ian Drysdale, head of the British College of Osteopathic Medicine, believes because the foot does not get the proper support on the inside, it will lead to more ankle, knee, hip and back problems. "These boots are not designed for outside wear. Just because something becomes a trend or fashionable doesn't mean it's good or right," he said. "The particular problem with this type of footwear is that it is unsupported. It's a slipper. You wouldn't normally expect to be doing outdoor activities from something that's indoor. If you decide to wear your pajamas outside all the time, someone will come up and say it's not a good idea." Dr. Drysdale explained that the feet issues become a particular problem among young teenage girls, whose bones are "plastic" and developing when they are growing. "If that structure is developing in an inappropriate way," he said,"then the ultimate structure will be _ ." Mike O'Neill, a consultant surgeon, said,"As the foot slides around, you get wear and tear on the joints on the inside of the foot. The ankle is in the wrong position, the thigh bone also changes position, and you get an abnormal movement in the pelvis, which leads to back problems." UGG Australia, who makes the designer version of the boots, told The Daily Wirror that their boots are "comfort" rather than "performance" footwear and consumers should be aware of "knockoffs " which lack reinforced heels in their boots. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
A. Potential Harm of UGG Boots
B. The Popularity of UGG Boots
C. The Unique Design of UGG Boots
D. Benefits of UGG Boots
Answer: A
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Question: What if our babies could somehow tell us what they're thinking about, what they want, and what makes them unhappy? Robyn Holt, researcher for Baby Talk New Zealand, says they can. Holt heard about baby sign language through an advertisement and decided to go along to a workshop . "Sign language is something that's always interested me, and I thought, it could be really cool to try this with a baby because we are always guessing all the time what they actually want." Holt started using baby sign language with her baby son Benjamin, now 12, and within two weeks he started to sign the sign for milk. She has since used it with her two younger sons Dominic, 8, and Matthew, 3. Baby sign language is nothing new: the practice (which is based on adult sign language) has been out in America for more than 30 years. But it is enjoying a rebirth in New Zealand. The idea behind baby sign language is that babies do have the ability to communicate their needs if they are given the right tools to do so. Although many mothers develop an intuition about whether their baby's crying is from hunger, tiredness, or pain, baby sign language creates a direct form of communication that unlocks _ . When babies are between 6-months and 12 to 13-months, parents can begin to teach them sign language: use the sign for milk while feeding, and also talk about milk, so that the child begins to make the link in their brain. Then they can begin to add other signs, i.e. food, sick or pain. "I know of one parent. Her child was signing the sign for hurt by his mouth, and she realised his first teeth were growing. It makes life so much easier," said Holt. According to the text, baby sign language _ .
A. has been used in New Zealand for 30 years
B. can easily make the parents understood
C. has developed from adult sign language
D. was designed by Robyn Holt
Answer: C
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Question: As a society we might want to rethink the time and money spent on education,so that these resources can benefit a greater percentage of the population.Ideally,both high schools and colleges can prepare individuals for the ever-changing roles. High school degrees offer far less in the way of preparation for work than they might,or than many other nations currently offer,creating a growing skills gap in our economy.We encourage students to go on to college whether they are prepared or not,or have a clear sense of purpose or interest,and now have the highest college dropout rate in the world. We might look to other countries for models of how high schools can offer better training,as well as the development of a work ethic and the intellectual skills needed for continued learning and development. Meanwhile,the liberal arts become more important than ever.In a knowledge economy where professional roles change rapidly and many college students are preparing for positions that may not even exist yet,the skillneeded is one that prepares them for change and continued learning. Learning to express ideas well in both writing and speech,knowing how to find information,and knowing how to do research are all solid background skills for a wide variety of roles,and such training is more important than any particular major in a liberal arts college.We need to continue to value broad preparation in thinking skills that will serve for a lifetime. Students also need to learn to work independently and to make responsible decisions.The lengthening path to adulthood appears exacerbated by parental involvement in the college years.Given the rising investment in college education,parental concern is not surprising,but learning where and when to intervene willhelp students take more ownership of the outcomes of these increasingly costly educations. What is the feature of a knowledge economy?
A. People have to receive higher education to qualify for a professional position.
B. Students majoring in liberal arts usually have difficulty seeking a job.
C. New positions are constantly created that require people to keep learning.
D. Colleges find it hard to teach students how to cope with the changing economy.
Answer: C
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Question: A woman was at the cinema, and she was enjoying the film very much. But there was a man in the next seat, and he began looking on the floor under him. The woman was angry and whispered, "What are you doing there? What are you looking for?" "A piece of hard chocolate ,"the man whispered to her, "I dropped it on the floor." "A piece of chocolate?" the woman said angrily, "It's dirty now! Take this and be quiet, please! I'm listening to the film!" She gave the man a big piece of chocolate."But," the man said, "my teeth are in the piece on the floor!" The woman was angry because _ .
A. the man spoke loudly
B. the man didn't talk to her
C. she dropped a piece of chocolate
D. she couldn't listen to the film clearly
Answer: D
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Question: 2.26-meter-tall Yao Ming made his NBA debut on October 23, 2002 and got 6 points for the Houston Rockets in the game. The next day, he got 13 points in another game. Most people think that Yao Ming is a born basketball player. But Yao said, "When you watch it on TV, it looks very easy. But when you are playing in the NBA, it is really not so easy." He said that joining the Houston Rockets was a new start and a new challenge. "I hope that through very hard work I can make everyone happy and help the Rockets win more games," he said.Yao Ming speaks some English. Both he and his teammates can understand each other. They don't think there is a language problem. While Yao Ming faces this new challenge, the people of Houston have shown great interest in him and they hope Yao Ming will bring new energy to the Rockets. The team has started having lessons to learn more about China, and many people who work for the Rockets have learned to speak some Chinese. Yao Ming said that _ .
A. playing in the NBA was difficult
B. it was hard to watch NBA games on TV
C. he was an NBA star
D. it was boring to play basketball
Answer: A
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Question: When was the last time someone unexpectedly did something nice for you ? Not someone you knew, but a total stranger? It's happened to me a few times, but two instances really stand out. A few years ago, I was dining in a restaurant with a friend who kept talking about himself, completely not aware of the fact that I was sitting there in misery. It wasn't my friend's talks that made me suffer. I was recovering from a broken heart, and just sitting down to dinner reminded me of my last relationship. I could have burst into tears right there at the table. When we picked up the check, the waitress said, " Your meal was already paid for ." My friend and I didn't have a clue how it happened. Then I remembered a man I saw out of the corner of my eye. He was dressed in mostly white, sat down at the bar, had a beer, and stayed for maybe ten minutes. The waitress said, "Yes, the gentleman in white paid for you ." It felt like an angel was saying "I see you, honey. It's going to be okay." Just last year, I was running a half-marathon. With just 1 mile to go, I was out of gas. Runners call it " _ ". I thought I couldn't move another inch. Out of nowhere, a stranger came up to me and said, "What's your name, sweetie? Jennifer? Okay, Jennifer, let's go! Come on! It's just around the corner! You can do it!" And he ran with me until I picked up my pace. I found him at the finish line to thank him for the encouragement only to learn he wasn't even supposed to be in the race that day. I still shake my head when I think of these momentary angels that came to me at my point of need. Do you have any experiences like these? Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A. The kindness of strangers.
B. Valuable friendship .
C. Two special experiences .
D. Helping others is worthwhile
Answer: A
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Question: Monitoring global warming usually requires a Ph. D. and enough maths to glaze your eyes. But that Francisco Lopez and Ruby Nostrant track what climate change is doing to five different plants in Tucson, Arizona and they are only in the second grade. "We are collecting data because the weather is changing and the plants are blooming," Ruby explained. Scores of other students at Borton Primary Magnet School and Sunnyside High School in Tucson are heading outdoors to be part of a new scientific push to figure out how the biological timing of the earth is changing. It's a research project that the average person, even a kindergartner, can join in. The National Phenology Network is calling on volunteers to help track early spring blooms and eventually changes in animals caused by global warming. It's called Project Budburst. When it was first open to the public last year, thousands of people participated in 26 states. "All people can contribute to it by tracking the timing of flowering events or leaf-out events for plants and animals in their backyard," said Phenology Network director Jake Weltzin. He calls the volunteers "citizen-scientists." The idea is that tracking flowers blooming--especially lilacs ; which everyday people have helped track for decades--is fairly simple. The Website http://www.Windows.ucar.edu/ citizen _ science/budburst/index.html gives directions on what to look for in different parts of the country. University of Maryland professor David Inouye said it's so easy to figure out what's blooming that a lack of special knowledge isn't a problem. University of Arizona ecology graduate student Lisa Benton coordinated the Tucson high school students as they looked at plants five minutes from their high school. Each student has specific guidelines and she's been happy so far with the data she is getting. For his part, second-grader Francisco said he had fun helping out. "I like going out in the desert," he said. "I want to be an Einstein." Those who participate in Project Budburst are mostly _ .
A. ecology college graduates
B. high school students
C. common people
D. experts
Answer: C
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Question: If you go into the forest with friends, stay with them. If you don't, you may get lost. Sit down and stay where you are. Don't try to find your friends, but let them find you instead . You can help them find you by staying in one place. There is another way to help your friends or other people to find you. You can shout or whistle three times. Stop for a while. Then shout or whistle three times again. Any signal given three times is a help. Keep up shouting or whistling. Always three times together. When people hear you, they will know that you are not just making a noise for fun. They will let you know that they have heard your signal. They will give you two shouts or two whistles. When a signal is given twice, it is an answer to a call for help. If you don't think that you will get help before night comes, try to make a little house with branches . Make yourself a bed with leaves and grass. When you need some water, you have to leave your little branch house to look for it. Don't just walk away. _ When you are lost, the most important thing to do is stay in one place. If you get lost in the forest, you should _
A. try to find your friends
B. stay in one place and make signals
C. walk around the forest
D. shout as loudly as possible
Answer: B
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Question: China's female swimmer Fu Yuanhui came third in Women's 100 meter backstroke on Monday morning (Beijing time) at Rio Olympics. China's online community has gone crazy about the 1996-born girl, not because of her performance in the semifinal or her achievement, but because of her cheerful answer to her performance during an interview by CCTV. Finishing the 100 meter backstroke with 58.95 seconds, Fu, who thought it was 59 seconds, was quite surprised with the result. This was the first moment when she impressed Chinese audience with her surprising look and body language in front of the camera. The second time that the young swimmer amazed the audience was her honest and direct answer to a question raised by the reporter." We know that your body condition was not that good in the past year and it's not easy to have such a result. Do you think you are now as good as before?" asked the reporter." It is my best score ever. I have worked for three months on the recovery. Only the ghost knows what I have come through," said Fu, "It was so painstaking that sometimes I felt like I was going to die." In the interview, Fu used a phrase" Hong Huang Zhi Li"to describe the great efforts she has made in preparing for the competition, which soon became a popular word on the internet. Fu Yuanhui felt _ first when she knew the result.
A. surprised
B. excited
C. interested
D. happy
Answer: A
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Question: Sometimes, kindness is a simple answer in a difficult and challenging world. When my granddaughter, Skylar, was young, one day we went out and had a contest called "Who can make the most people smile. " And we continue it today. When shopping, we were walking in the supermarket and noticed someone walking down the aisle with her head down. Skylar walked up to her and gave her a big smile. I watched her walk down the aisle, turned around and smiled at Skylar again or perhaps smiled at someone else. Kindness is a chain that pulls us all together. Every single act of kindness has a ripple effect . In 2002, my dad had a series of strokes and other illness. My dad had been doing nice things for all sorts of people for years, from the street crossing guard, to the waitress in a restaurant, to a friend's mother. That same day, I made cookies for the janitor at the post office. When I gave him the cookies he actually looked a little embarrassed. "Why, Linda?" he asked. "Because I appreciate you!" I answered. "When I get here at 6 am and it is still dark out and it is a little scary, I know you are inside and I feel safe. And when I first moved here and my post office box was always empty, you always cheered me on. And you always keep this place clean." That evening his wife called me and said that he was overwhelmed . "No one even knows his name, let alone bakes him cookies!" she said. (278 words) What does the passage mainly talk about?
A. Kindness can always be passed on.
B. An experience in a supermarket.
C. The importance of having a kind dad.
D. Smile makes your life meaningful.
Answer: A
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Question: My son. The phrase felt difficult and strange the first time I said it, and I had to practice it a thousand times. I started saying the words to myself the day when the ultrasound told me we were having a baby. Finally, my son was born. The nurse came out of the delivery room, holding a tiny, howling human being wrapped in a white sheet, his small hands and delicate fingers shaking nervously. "Baby Sanchez?" she asked, looking at the room full of expectant fathers. I stood up, holding my breath. She showed me my baby. "My son," I whispered. The little guy screamed, "waaaaaaaaaah." But in my heart I heard him cry out, "Daaaaaaad!" I don't care if everyone in the room will swear they didn't hear my baby say that. I called him, "My son," and he called me "Dad," and that's that. People ask me, "What did you feel at that moment?" I can't even begin to answer. I'm a writer yet I try hard to find the right words. Joyful isn't powerful enough. Bliss is not sweet enough. Peaceful isn't calm enough. Happy isn't tense enough. After my son was taken away to the nursery, I sat down and shut my eyes. But tears escaped them away. Then out of the blue, my 80-year-old father entered, and we embraced. "Dad," I whispered. "My son," my heart heard him saying. Suddenly the past 33 years folded into the present and I was now the baby bundled in white, with my father standing over me. "My son," I imagined him saying. "Daaaaaaaaaad!" I cried my little lungs out. At that point, I knew I was going to be a great father. The old man in front of me seemed to agree. He smiled and we walked out of the room in search of the tiny human being that would change our lives for ever. We can learn the following from the passage EXCEPT that _ .
A. the author got his first baby
B. he probably had a lung disease
C. the author didn't really hear "Daaaaad" from his baby
D. the baby would change the author's life
Answer: B
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Question: Two people sit down to play Go . One of the players is an old man. He is now 89 years old. He has spent all of his life playing this game. The other person is a young woman. She has been playing Go for only three years. Before this, the woman was an expert at playing computer games. Now she plays Go the same way she played computer games---by becoming a machine herself. They will play many games, until they know who the winner is. The woman shows no feelings but thinking about all the possible ways of placing her next stone. The old man, on the other hand, looks at the movements of her hands and of her face. This has always helped him to win. He wins the first three games. She wins the next game, and the man is surprised. He has never lost to a woman. The old man worries about the way the young woman is playing the game. He can't read her face, he does not understand her way of playing. "The way I think about the game", says the woman, "is that it is steps for getting what I want." Again, the old man is surprised. For him, the game is a way of life itself, and not a model of life. "There is no more beauty any longer. Everything is science and rules. Everything is about winning. Nothing is about playing," he says. They cannot agree with each other, but it is not necessary. "Change is a necessary part of life", thinks the man. "Playing is as important as winning", thinks the woman. They start to play their final game. According to the passage, the Go games are played by _ .
A. Two Go beginners
B. two Go lovers
C. father and daughter
D. husband and wife
Answer: B
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Question: Apple a day may poison children Children who eat an apple or pear a day may be exceeding the pesticide safety limit because of remains on the fruit,according to research. Using data of the British Department of Environment on pesticides on fruit collected from supermarkets,scientists thought that each day some children would get a poisonous level of pesticides. The research,published on Sunday,says the government repeatedly claims that the levels of pesticide are safe because,instead of measuring individual apples, researchers buy 10,crush them and take an average reading to see if they are safe. This is the internationally agreed method of checking remains. But government figures show that the pesticide is not averagely spread across the batch ,and one or two apples could contain 90% or more of the pesticide in the batch. It used mathematical modeling to measure exposure to pesticides for children aged between 18 months and four years old. The pesticides involved can destroy children's hormones and some are suspected of causing cancer. The good news for British fruit growers is that samples grown in this country had lower _ level than imported fruit,so buying home-produced fruit will reduce the danger,said Emily Diamand,one of the Earth's senior food researchers and one of the authors of the report. Which of the following is NOT true?
A. The remains of the pesticides can do harm to the children's health.
B. The remains of the pesticides can do harm to the children's hormones.
C. Some remains of the pesticides are suspected of causing cancer.
D. For safety,we had better not import apples from Britain.
Answer: D
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Question: The survey was done among 29,760 students at 100 US high schools. The results suggest that in the past year, 30 percent of US high school students have stolen from a store. And 64 percent may have cheated on a test. However, 93 percent of the students said they were satisfied with their honesty. And 77 percent said,"when it comes to doing what is right, I am better than most people I know." Some teachers were unhappy about the survey results. Some, however, defended (......) today's students. "The competition is greater and the pressures on kids have increased greatly,"said Mel Riddle, who was a high school teacher and headmaster for 40 years."It is the pressures that make it easy for students to be dishonest." "I think these students are better than other generations,"he said."I find them more active, better to work with and more thankful for support."" We have to create situations where it's easy for kids to do the right things, "he added."We need to create classrooms where learning is more important than having the right answer." According to the survey results, _ percent of the students are satisfied with their honesty.
A. 30
B. 64
C. 77
D. 93
Answer: D
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Question: If you watch the sky for about an hour after the sun goes down , you may see some " moving stars". But they're not really stars. They're man--made satellites . And the biggest of all is the International Space Station(ISS). From May to July is the best season to watch the ISS flying over the earth. And people can see it with their eyes. The ISS is the biggest satellite and scientists want to live on it. They think that the best way to learn more about space is to live there. When the space station is finished , it will be like a city in space. People will stay and study there with many of the things they have at home. Laboratories, living rooms and power stations are being built. The ISS is the most expensive space program. Billions of dollars are being spent on it every year. Scientists hope that the ISS will be _ for future space exploration . "The ISS will help us understand the human body better, explore space and study the earth. It can help us make life on the earth better, " said Kathryn Clark , an ISS scientist. Sixteen countries are part of the program: the US, Russia, Canada, Japan, Brazil and 11 European countries. China isn't an ISS country , but it has helped with some of the experiments. In 2003 , China sent some rice up to the ISS to find out what space would do to it. ,. What is true about the International Space Station?
A. It is a big city in space.
B. It is the biggest man-made satellite.
C. It is a real moving star.
D. People can't see it with their eyes.
Answer: B
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Question: Honesty is the best policy, as the English saying goes. Unfortunately, honesty often leaves us when no one is watching, British psychologists reported last week. Researchers at UK's Newcastle University set up an experiment in their psychology department's coffee room. They set a kettle, with tea, coffee and milk on the counter and hung up a sign listing the price for drinks. People helping themselves to a cup of tea were supposed to put a few cents in the box nearby. The scientists hung a poster above the money box, and changed each week between pictures of gazing eyes and pictures of flowers. The researchers found that staff paid 2.76 times more for their drinks when the image of the eyes was hung. "We were shocked by the size of the effect," said Gilbert Roberts, one of the researchers. Eyes are known to be a powerful perceptual signal for humans, scientists say. "Even though the eyes were not real, they still seemed to make people behave more honestly," said Melissa Bateson, a behavioral biologist and leader of the study. Researchers believe the effect throws light on our evolutionary past. It may arise from behavioral characteristics that developed when early humans formed social groups to strengthen their chances of survival. For social groups to work, individuals had to co-operate, rather than act selfishly. "There's an argument that if nobody is watching us, it is in our interests to behave selfishly. But when we're being watched we should behave better. So people see us as co-operative and behave the same way towards us," Bateson said. The new finding indicates that people have a striking response to eyes. That might be because eyes and faces send a strong biological signal we have evolved to respond to, Bateson said. The finding could be put to practical use. For example, images of eyes could ensure ticket sales on public transport and improve surveillance systems to deter anti-social behavior. What is the best title for the passage?
A. You're being watched!
B. Pay for your drink, please!
C. Mind your behavior in public!
D. Look out for electronic surveillance equipment!
Answer: A
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Question: Protecting Copyright Having finished her homework, Ma Li wants some music. As usual, she starts her computer and goes to Baidu.com to download music files. But this time she is surprised when an announcement about protecting songs' copyright bursts onto the screen. The age of free music and movie downloads may have come to an end as Web companies like Baidu are accused of pirating copyright. Lawsuits have been filed against four websites offering free downloads. In September 2005, a Beijing court ordered Baidu to pay recording company Shanghai Push compensation for their losses. Baidu was also told to block the links to the pirated music on the website. This caused a heated discussion on Interact file sharing. "Baidu's defeat in the lawsuit shows it is not right to get copyrighted songs without paying. Down loaders may face lawsuits or fines," said an official. Like many teens, Huang Ruoru, an 18-year-old girl from Puning in Guangdong Province, doesn't think that getting music from websites is wrong. She always shares her favourite songs downloaded from Baidu with her friends. When told about the lawsuit, she began to feel a little guilty about obtaining others' work without paying. However, other teenagers have different ideas. Wang Yafei, a Senior 2 girl from Jinan, Shandong Province pointed out that file sharing is a good way to promote pop singers. "If I download a song and really like it, I will buy the CD," she said. "So what the recording companies really should concentrate on is improving their music, rather than file-sharers." What's the advantage of file sharing for recording companies?
A. Getting more money from web companies.
B. Making pop singers more popular.
C. Helping to improve the music.
D. Enabling people to download favorite songs.
Answer: B
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Question: I lived in a big city. It's noisy and dirty and I got very tried. At the weekends I like to leave the city and get some fresh air and a good rest. A few weekends ago I decided to see my parents. I was really looking forward to it. My parents live a long way away. I went to see them with James, a friend, and we drove down on Friday night. In the middle of the trip it began to rain. The roads became very wet and it was difficult to drive. We arrived home just after midnight, feeling tired. The next morning it was still raining. James took his car to the local garage which was very good. In the afternoon the weather became better. We wanted to go for a drive. My parents lent us their car. That was no good. Their car didn't work! We rang the garage. "Oh, no." they said, "your car won't be ready until tomorrow." So it wasn't possible to go for a drive. We decided to play a word game. When we didn't agree about a word we looked for a dictionary. It wasn't there. Suddenly my mother remembered. "I lent it to your sister. She took it with her when she left." The word game wasn't any good without a dictionary. On Sunday my mother dropped a suitcase on her foot and we had to hire a taxi to take her to hospital. When James and I drove back we got stuck in a traffic jam. Next time I want to have a rest. I'll stay in the city! My parents live _ .
A. in a long street
B. far from the city
C. near where I live
D. with me
Answer: B
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Question: That warm day was the only day of the week without rain.I opened the door,took a seat and began to enjoy the wonderful sunshine.Suddenly,I noticed that the house near mine had been sold.An elderly lady was in front of the door,with some beautiful flowers beside her.I walked to her.She looked to be in her early eighties and had the prettiest white hair. "Hi!My name is Karmen,"I said smiling brightly at the old lady.She smiled back and said,"Hello,Karmen.I 'm Henrietta."Her voice was very strong for someone at her age.Later,I learned she was alone and had no family or relatives to help her.From that day on,I often visited her and helped her with her housework and sometimes she gave me some delicious food.A year passed,and I considered Henrietta to be one of my best friends. One day,I walked over for my morning visit and knocked on the door,but there was no answer.I knocked again,and she still didn't _ .So I let myself in,using the key she had given me.I checked her living room and then her kitchen.I finally went into her bedroom,and she was lying peacefully on her bed.Beside her there were two notes.One was her will ,which said all that she had would be given to me.The other was a thank-you note.I went to her bedside and cried sadly. Though several years have gone by,I still miss her deeply.Whenever I look at the beautiful flowers in front of her house,I remember the wonderful friendship we had. The writer came out of the house to _ .
A. look at an old lady
B. enjoy some flowers
C. enjoy the sunshine
D. clean the house nearby
Answer: C
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Question: Winter is very cold in many countries. It's easy for you and me to keep warm. If we are cold, we can just buy a warm coat or use a heater and we will feel better. But what about animals? How do they keep warm in winter? Some animals migrate . This means they travel to places where the weather is warmer. Many birds leave before the winter starts. They fly in groups. If they fly together, the trip will be safer. They like to migrate to the same places every year. Do you know how they can find the same places? Scientists say that birds use the sun, moon and stars to help them. Other animals like moose also migrate. Fish and whales swim to warmer water. Some animals don't have leave their homes. They hibernate in winter. They fall into a very deep sleep. The animals' temperature drops and their breathing slows down. Before the winter, these animals must eat too much food that they get very fat. If they don't eat enough, they may die when they are hibernating. In winter, _ .
A. Animals like to use warm coats and heater.
B. The pets like dogs ad cats also migrate.
C. Birds like to migrate to different places every year.
D. Some animals migrate.
Answer: D
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Question: Last week John went to his sister's house, and it's also the house he was born in. Sue, his sister felt excited and surprised. She said to John, "You haven't changed a lot, John .Let me see, now...When did we meet last time?" "Ten years ago." John answered. "You haven't changed a lot, either." John said. It was polite for John to say so, but it wasn't true. Sue seemed like an old lady. The next day John walked through the small town alone. The place have already changed a lot. There was a new bus stop, a new post office, a new car park and lots of traffic signs. He remembered suddenly that the bus used to stop anywhere. You just put up your hand and it stopped. Everything has changed. To John's surprise, he didn't recognize anybody at all. Maybe everybody seemed old. He went into a shop and bought some things. Then he asked the boss, "Where are all the children and young people?" "Children?" he said, "They're in school, of course. There are three or four young families here." At lunch, Sue said, "Do you think it is still a beautiful place, John?" "It's all different, Sue. It used to be an exciting place, but now it's full of old people. I don't understand." John said. ,A, B, C, D. According to the passage, which sentence is WRONG?
A. John was a young man.
B. Sue is John's sister.
C. John bought some things in a shop.
D. Many old people moved into the small town.
Answer: D
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Question: A man walked to India from far away. When he got there, he saw a lot of fruit. Among them there was a big basket of very red, long fruit. And it was the cheapest in the shop. "I'd like a kilogram of this kind of fruit, please," he said to the shop keeper. After the keeper gave him the fruit, he began to eat some of it. "Oh, my God!" he shouted. His eyes watered, his mouth watered; his eyes were burning, his head was burning; and his face became red. As he coughed, he jumped up and down, saying, "Ah! Ah! Ah!" But he still kept eating the fruit! Some people looking at him and said, "You're crazy, man. Those are chilies ! You can't eat so many; they're not good for you! People use them as a _ , but only a little bit to put into food for taste. You can't just eat them like that; they're not fruit!" But the man said, "No, I can't stop! I paid money for them. It's my money!" Sometimes we do a lot of things like that. We still continue just because we've put money, time, effort and love into it. Just like the man who ate the chilies and felt so bad but couldn't stop because he didn't want to waste the money he had paid. What did the man think of the red, long fruit?
A. It was very delicious.
B. It was awful.
C. It was cheap and tasted nice.
D. It looked like a carrot.
Answer: B
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Question: The tough economy is bringing new shoppers to the secondhand market. Plato's Closet in Chaelotte, NC is a private company, which mainly buys and sells used clothes. While Charlotte has outstanding secondhand stores offering high-end and graceful brands for women, most of their stock applies to adults. Plato's closet targets teens and those in their 20s. Plato's Closet , with stores in Matthews and the university area, sells clothes and accessories that are currently popular at about one third the retail prices . The two hottest brands, for buying and selling, are Hollister and Abercrombie &Fitch. Even though the offerings tend to be suitable for young people, there are a variety of shoppers at Plato's Closet of varying ages. Women in their 30s, 40s, and older could easily find a purse, jacket or piece of jewelry they like. If you are selling Unlike higher-end resale stores which usually work on consignment ,Plato's Closet buys on the spot. Items can be gently used, but must be in very good condition. Clothes should be less than two years old and styles should be the same as those still being sold at the shopping center. There is no negotiation; prices are set company-wide. If what you sell amounts to $30 or less, they'll give you cash. More than that, you'll get a Visa cash card. Secondhand success Don't get discouraged if you can't find something on your first trip. Resale shops are always getting new lists of goods and change their styles with each season. Be sure to check each piece carefully before buying. Price comparison Jackets: New York & Company black blazer, $12; retail: $37 Pants: Express Editor-style pants, $12; retail: $69.90. Shoes: Nine West black peep-toe pumps, $12; retail: $89. Jewelry: Necklaces, $3-$5; retail: $18-$30. What is the difference between Plato's Closet and other resale shops?
A. They offer service for people of different ages.
B. The offerings in Plato's Closet are more expensive.
C. Plato's Closet only offers high-end brands for women.
D. Plato's Closet also sells books to customers.
Answer: A
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Question: Emotional eating is when people use food as a way to deal with feelings instead of to satisfy hunger. We've all been there, finishing a whole bag of chips out of boredom or eating cookie after cookie while _ for a big test. But when done a lot -- especially without realizing it -- emotional eating can affect weight, health, and overall well-being. Not many of us make the connection between eating and our feelings. But understanding what drives emotional eating can help people take steps to change it. One of the biggest myths about emotional eating is that it's prompted by negative feelings. Yes, people often turn to food when they're stressed out, lonely, sad, anxious, or bored. But emotional eating can be linked to positive feelings too, like the romance of sharing dessert on Valentine's Day or the celebration of a holiday feast. Sometimes emotional eating is tied to major life events, like a death or a divorce. More often, though, it's the countless little daily stresses that cause someone to seek comfort or distraction in food. Emotional eating patterns can be learned: A child who is given candy after a big achievement may grow up using candy as a reward for a job well done. A kid who is given cookies as a way to stop crying may learn to link cookies with comfort. We're all emotional eaters to some extent. But for some people, emotional eating can be a real problem, causing serious weight gain or cycles of binging and purging. The trouble with emotional eating (apart from the health issues) is that once the pleasure of eating is gone, the feelings that cause it remain. And you often may feel worse about eating the amount or type of food you did. That's why it helps to know the differences between physical hunger and emotional hunger. Next time you reach for a snack, check in and see which type of hunger is driving it. The author of the passage would agree that _ .
A. we can do nothing to change emotional eating
B. we should only eat when we are hungry
C. we should be careful with emotional eating
D. we should not seek for comfort in food
Answer: C
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Question: running turns carbohydrates into
A. fat
B. sweat
C. motion and heat
D. protein
Answer: C
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Question: When I was young,I liked to play jokes on people I knew, especially on my parents and friends. One day my mother was cooking and I was playing with my younger brother Tony. Suddenly I ran to my mother and said: "Tony fell from the open window!" She was very worried and ran out of the kitchen. Then I said: "Don't worry, I'm just joking." My mother shouted at me, "If you do it again, I'll hit you." Another day I went swimming with my friends in the sea. I wanted to play a joke on them. In the beginning I swam fast and I called out "Help!". All my friends came to help me. However, they found that I was joking. But half an hour later I wasn't joking. I was so fast, soon I got tired and couldn't swim on in water. I tried my best to call my friends for help, but this time nobody came to help me. In the end they found I was telling the truth. They came and saved my life. They took me to the hospital. This is the best lesson in my life. From then on I haven't joked on anyone. When he was young, the writer liked to _ .
A. play with his brother
B. help his mother cook
C. play jokes on people
D. go swimming with his friends
Answer: C
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Question: The early history of the city of Rome involves Romulus and Remus,two orphan boys who,legend says,were raised by a she-wolf.The boys' mother had been murdered by an evil king and the two babies tossed into the river Tiber.When the wolf found them they had washed up on the shore.She perhaps took pity on the crying of the babies and,gently picking them up in her teeth,she carried them back to her cave and fed them on her milk.The boys grew bigger and stronger and,eventually,were found by a herdsman who took them home.He and his wife raised the boys like their own children.When they reached manhood they sought revenge on the king who had killed their mother and driven them from their home. They decided to build a city.Unfortunately,they argued over the appropriate site and Romulus killed his brother Remus.Romulus ruled this city -- called Roma -- for thirty-seven years. The city of Rome is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world.If you travel there you can see a statue of the two baby boys feeding from their mother - the wolf. ...they sought revenge on the king who had killed their mother... means...
A. They attacked the king who had harmed their mother and made them orphans.
B. They went to court to sue the king for his crime against their mother.
C. They hired some gangsters to take care of their problem with the king.
D. They went to talk to the king about his crime against their mother.
Answer: A
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Question: Like the post-90s generation in China, today's teenagers in the UK have a problem with how they're represented. Most of them feel unfairly represented by the media and their lives are negatively influenced, says a recent survey. The survey was carried out by the UK Demos, in which more than 1000 14-17-year-old teens from England and Northern Ireland took part. The survey report shows that four-fifths of teens (81%) felt there was a false image of young people in the media and wider society. Most of them (85%) said that it is hurting both their self-esteem and chance of getting a job. By researching six UK newspapers over the past 10 years, Demos found that words most commonly connected with "teenagers" and "young people" were "binge-drinking", "yobs" and "crime". "The young people out there are doing good things for the community, but there are always bad things on the news. But we're not all like that, it's only a few," said Becky Brunskill, 18, member of Youth Parliament for Liverpool. The survey also found that 80% of UK teenagers believed they cared more about social issues than the older generation. This was a view shared by their teachers, 66% of whom agreed in a separate Demos survey of 500 teachers. The UK youth are also eager to make a difference. But rather than traditional politics, 87% of the teens believed social media was a good way to change society. Jonathan Birdwell, author of the Demos report, said "They could be the most active citizens we have seen in a generation." What can we tell from the passage?
A. Few young British people are doing good things for the community.
B. British teenagers care more about their parents than social issues.
C. Young Britons are inactive in trying to prove themselves.
D. Young Britons believe social media is a good way to change society.
Answer: D
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Question: Students who say they never or hardly ever used dictionaries may speak English well but usually write poorly, because they make many mistakes. The students who use dictionaries most do not learn especially well either. The ones who look up every new word do not read fast. Therefore they do not have time to read much. Those who use small two-language dictionaries have the worst problems. Their dictionaries often give only one or two words as translations of English. But one English word often has many translations in a foreign language and one foreign word has many translations in English. The most successful students are those who use large college edition dictionaries with about 100,000 words but do not use them too often. When they are reading, these students first try to get the general idea and understand new words from the context. Then they reread and use the dictionary to look up only key words that they still do not understand. They use dictionaries more for writing. If they are not sure how to spell a word, they always use a dictionary. Also, if they think a noun might have an unusual plural form, they check this in a dictionary. According to the passage, which of the following is WRONG?
A. Dictionaries have little effect on learning to speak English.
B. Whatever new words you meet while reading, never use dictionaries.
C. Small two-language dictionaries have serious shortcomings.
D. Reading something for the first time, you'd better not use dictionaries.
Answer: B
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Question: The age at which kids first fall victim to bullying could influence how strongly they are affected,suggests a new study. And,surprisingly,it is not the youngest kids who are hurt the most in the long term. Bullying can have long-lasting effects,but particularly when it begins in adolescence,the researchers say. People subjected to either verbal ( )or physical bullying are known to be at greater risk of developing depression,anxiety disorders or to behave violently. But not everyone reacts in this way. Children bullied for the first time before they hit adolescence seem to get over it, but those who are bullied for the first time later on in adolescence seem to become more aggressive or are more likely to turn to drink as a means of coping. These are the conclusions of psychologist Matthew Newman and colleagues from the University of Texas at Austin,US. The team gave questionnaires to nearly 1,500 college students regarding their experience of physical and psychological bullying before adolescence--before high school--and in late adolescence--at high school. They assessed mood and mental state,judging by signs of anxiety or depression,such as sleeplessness. The group was also questioned about how they would react to certain challenges,such as humiliation. People who were bullied all revealed slightly higher levels of stress. But while those bullied earlier in life seemed to respond normally to provocation ,people bullied for the first time late in adolescence are more withdrawn and sensitive to violence. There are also sex differences between those bullied for the first time during adolescence, with females more likely to react aggressively when provoked and males are much more likely to turn to alcohol to escape bad situations. The best solution in all cases was strong social support,whether from friends,family or school. Those with no one to share their problems with suffered the most. So perhaps it is best not to shelter children completely from bullying early on,suggests Newman. "They may get stressed,but unhealthy coping really jumps out when they are bullied for the first time later on. " What determines the degree of bullying's effect on people according to the study?
A. The reason why they are bullied.
B. The place where they are first bullied.
C. The age at which they are first bullied.
D. The person who first bullies them.
Answer: C
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Question: House buyers have three main choices: building from the ground up, moving into an old house or buying a new one. All the three are very different and should be considered carefully. Your budget will probably have the biggest effect on your choice. Comparing the three will help you make a good decision. New houses are untouched and fresh, which means they can suit your personality and you know exactly where all of the materials come from. New houses won't hold many unpleasant surprises, such as weak foundations, or other damaged areas. Most of these modern houses are also far more eco-friendly, with future decoration being just as easy to make and do as you like. Buying new houses is also a great way to save money, and you may find its benefit with the price going up in the future. Some buildings, such as those that are rare or in certain areas, are of value over the years. Sometimes it is the history that draws more buyers into older houses. A famous person may have lived there, or an important event may have taken place in the house. This may not add any value to the house, but it can add to the attraction. There may be more repairs which will need to be done in the old houses,so before you think you've found a great bargain, be sure to get a careful inspection. There are those who prefer building from the ground up. Building your own house can be a very rewarding, tiring, and expensive experience. While people have many expectations of planning and building their own houses, one thing is sure: it will take a while. There are always difficulties during construction, so you always find the construction time will be longer than your plan, not to mention the budget. Time can add up as well as materials and costs. Building is a good choice for those who are able and qualified. The writer seems to believe that building a house of one's own is _ .
A. easy
B. costly
C. interesting
D. impossible
Answer: B
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Question: Last Sunday, I waked into the house in the afternoon to find my brother rushing around in a hurry. As soon as I took my coat off, my little brother placed a bunch of papers in my hands and asked me to fold them up so they could fit into an envelope as quickly as possible. He said it needed to get done quickly before it turned dark. I was a little surprised that something could be so urgent on a Sunday. It wasn't until I was halfway through that I actually looked at what I was folding. After I read it, it put the biggest smile on my face. It was a lovely letter to all the residents in my neighborhood. My brother was asking everyone to let him know if anyone needed help. He left his contact information and said that anyone that needed help should get in touch with him and he would figure something out. He also asked people to get in touch if they were able to help out. London received an unusual amount of snow last week, and the city was completely under- prepared for it. So it was quite difficult to get anywhere. Only the major roads had been cleared, and smaller roads and pavements could be quite _ . There are a good number of old people in our little community. So my brother thought that the snow may have posed some difficulty for some of them, particularly because we live on a hill. A few elderly people got in touch with him asking for help for things they needed. One of them was especially grateful because his caregiver couldn't make it. To our surprise, he got more responses from people offering to help. Then he received help from people who wanted to help. Everyone was really touched and wrote to my brother wonderful email. One of our neighbors wrote email saying that although she wasn't able to help, she was "very proud of having a neighbor like him who puts other people's interests first." The author's brother wrote the letter to _ .
A. ask for help from his neighbors
B. give a hand to those in need of help
C. require his neighbors to clear the snow
D. raise money for the old people in his community
Answer: B
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Question: When Colonel Harland Sanders retired at the age of 65, he had little to show for himself, except an old Caddie roadster, a $105 monthly pension check ,and a recipe for chicken. Knowing he couldn't live on his pension, he took his chicken recipe in hand, got behind the wheel of hisvan ,and set out to make his fortune. His first plan was to sell his chicken recipe to restaurant owners, who would in turn give him aresidual for every piece of chicken they sold--5 cents per chicken. The first restaurateur he called on turned him down. So did the second. So did the third. In fact, the first 1,008 sales calls Colonel Sanders made ended in rejection. Still, he continued to call on owners as he traveled across the USA, sleeping in his car to save money. Prospect number 1,009 gave him first "yes". After two years of making daily sales he had signed up a total of five restaurants. Still the Colonel pressed on , knowing that he had a great chicken recipe and that someday the idea would _ . Of course, you know how the story ends. The idea did catch on. By 1963 the Colonel had 600 restaurants across the country selling his secret recipe of Kentucky Fried Chicken (with ll herbs and spices ). In 1964 he was bought out by future Kentucky governor John Brown.Even though the sale made him a multi-millionaire, he continued to represent and promote KFC until his death in 1990. The sentence "Of course, you know how the story ends" means _ .
A. you are sure to know the result of Colonel Sanders' business
B. You are sure to know Colonel Sanders had finished his story
C. It is certain Colonel Sanders ended his business
D. It is certain Colonel Sanders knew how to end his story
Answer: A
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Question: Dear Customers, I love slipping into a comfortable chair for a long read--as I relax into the chair, I also relax into the author's words, stories and ideas. The physical book is so elegant that it disappears into the background, and what remains is the author's world. Today, we at Amazon are excited to announce Mindle, a wireless, portable reading device with instant access to more than 90,000 books, magazines and newspapers. We've been working on Mindle for more than three years. Our top design objective was for Mindle to disappear in your hands--to get out of the way--so you can enjoy your reading. We also wanted to go beyond the physical book. Mindle is wireless, so whether you're lying in bed or riding a train, you can think of a book, and have it in less than 60 seconds. No computer is needed--you do your reading directly from the device. We chose the same wireless technology used in advanced mobile phones. But unlike mobile phones, there are no monthly wireless bills, no service or data plans, and no yearly contracts. There is no software to install (,). We want you to get lost in your reading and not in the technology. Mindle uses a new kind of display called electronic paper. Sharp and natural with no strong light, reading on Mindle is nothing like reading from a computer screen. Mindle weighs only 10.3 ounces--less than paperback--but can carry two hundred books. Enjoy learning about Mindle and many thanks! Jeff Bezos Founder & CEO This passage most probably is a(n) _ .
A. advertisement
B. news story
C. lab report
D. letter of thanks
Answer: A
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Question: Chinese car makers have narrowed the quality gap with their foreign rivals in the world's largest vehicle market to the smallest level in seven years, according to research. But the improvements have not been enough to see an obvious drop in the market share for local car companies this year, raising questions about their ability to be global competitors. The annual quality survey of China's car market by J.D. Power, a Californian market research company, tracks the number of mechanical and design problems reported per 100 vehicles by more than 21,000 Chinese drivers. It documented 131 problems per 100 domestic vehicles, compared with 95 per 100 foreign vehicles. The 36-point gap was the narrowest in the study's seven-year history. When China overtook the US as the world's largest car maker in the 2009, the gap between domestic and foreign cars was 145 points. "It's evidence to the improvements that domestic brands have been making," said Geoff Broderick, head of J.D. Power's operations. "By 2018 the domestic and the global brands will be equal in terms of quality." Despite the steady improvement in quality, local vehicle makers have been performing poorly this year. According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, domestic brand's share of the market for cars--not including SUVs--has fallen from about 25 percent to 20 percent. "Chinese customers are very picky in the world because they have been trained to distrust products," said Mr Broderick, citing scandals affecting baby milk powder and toys. "They go into a situation expecting there could be quality issues, whereas in the West we trust the brands. What was the gap between Chinese vehicles and foreign vehicles in 2016?
A. 131 points.
B. 145 points.
C. 95 points.
D. 36 points.
Answer: D
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Question: A "talking kitchen" teaches students how to cook French dishes and speak French. Researchers at New Castle University have developed the French Digital Kitchen. Professors Paul Seedhouse and Patrick Olivier led the project. Professor Seedhouse says that it works like a satellite navigation system in a car. The kitchen equipment and tools use motion sensor technology similar to the Nintendo Wii game system. The sensors help a computer guide the students through instructions in French. The system can tell whether you've done what you were asked to do or not. For example, the system tells you to take some butter and cut it with a knife. There's a sensor on the package containing the butter so it can tell where the butter's being moved. The sensor in the knife not only knows that the knife is moving, but it also knows what motion the knife is making. So it can tell whether the knife is being used. And so it doesn't go on to the next stage of the program unless you've done what it tells you to do. Students can ask the computer to repeat the instructions or translate them into English. There are vocabulary lessons before and after the cooking. Professor Seedhouse became interested in the idea after he visited a talking kitchen designed for a different purpose. "It was actually for communicating with people who suffer from dementia " .And so, for example, it can speak to those people and tell them that they've left the cooker on and they should turn it off." The original purpose of the talking kitchen is to _ .
A. ensure the safety in kitchen
B. make cooking more enjoyable
C. help particular persons with cooking
D. offer students chances to learn about French culture
Answer: C
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Question: Store shelves are filling up with so-called "green" products promising to benefit the environment. A recent argument shows that it can be as difficult for buyers to confirm such statement as for producers to defend them. The argument concerns the GreenPlug Electricity Saver. The GreenPlug is supposed to prevent energy waste by electrical equipment whose constant -speed motors operate at less full load---as is especially true of older refrigerators. Research showed that such motors can be made to do the same work with less heat, noise, and power consumption just by lowering the voltage of the power supply. John and Wyck Hay, started Green Technologies to apply that finding to home appliances. In the USA, there are more than 140 million refrigerators in use, accounting for an average of 16% of the household electric bill. Two years of research resulted in the GreenPlug. Connecting between wall socket and refrigerator, the equipment contains a minicomputer that gives a motor full power (120 volts on average) for start-up, then reduces the power to 106 volts. Older refrigerators are the most overpowered and, thus, save the most energy with a GreenPlug. Refrigerators less than two years old are already energy-saving that a GreenPlug actually makes them waste electricity. The higher the voltage, the larger the difference a GreenPlug makes. Higher power costs shorten the payback time. The population-weighted national average is 10 cents per kilowatt-hour. But some residents in Washington State pay 1.5 cents. Some in Alaska pay 41.6 cents. Then come highly individual household differences like the number of children or refrigerator -opening age. All in all, the GreenPlug should save the average consumer $20 a year. Although the GreenPlug lowered the voltage as it was designed to do,Consumer Reports, an influential magazine, questioned how quickly---if ever---electricity savings due to the plug would repay its cost. People would be better off buying a new, high-efficiency refrigerator, the magazine advised. Consumer Reports also said that the GreenPlug didn't give a promised 25% savings worth $50 a year. The savings on the oldest model was the best at 8.6%, worth $20 a year. Green Technologies ordered tests of the GreenPlug on up to 2,800 refrigerators through next year. The company will not put that data in stores. Instead, potential buyers will call to learn how their model of refrigerator performed. Meanwhile, there is little evidence of consumer dissatisfaction. Sales topped 45,000 units last month. The return rate is less than 0.2%. We can infer from the passage that the author _ .
A. feels optimistic about the future of GreenPlug.
B. believes the GreenPlug has cheated customers.
C. holds an objective attitude to the issue.
D. encourages further investigation.
Answer: C
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Question: There are two types of people in the world. Although they have equal degree of health and wealth and other forts of life, one bees happy and the other bees unhappy. This arises from the different ways in which they consider things, persons, events and the resulting effects upon their minds. People who are to be happy fix their attention on the convenience of things: the pleasant parts of conversation, the well prepared dishes, the goodness of the wine and the fine weather. They enjoy all the cheerful things. Those who are to be unhappy think and speak only of the opposite things. Therefore, they are continually dissatisfied. By their remarks, they sour the pleasure of society, offend (hurt) many people, and make themselves disagreeable everywhere. If this turn of mind was founded in nature, such unhappy persons would be the more to be pitied. The intention of criticizing and being disliked is perhaps taken up by imitation . It grows into a habit, unknown to its possessors. The habit may be strong, but it may be cured when those who have it realize its bad effects on their interests and tastes. I hope this little warning may be of service to them, and help them change this habit. Although in fact it is chiefly an act of the imagination, it has serious results in life since it brings on deep sorrow and bad luck. Those people offend many others; nobody loves them, and no one treats them with more than the most mon politeness and respect. This frequently puts them in bad temper and draws them into arguments. If they aim at getting some advantages in social position or fortune, nobody wishes them success. Nor will anyone start a step or speak a word to favor their hopes. If they bring on themselves public objections, no one will defend or excuse them, and many will join to criticize their wrongdoings. These should change this bad habit and be pleased with what is pleasing, without worrying needlessly about themselves and others. If they do not, it will be good for others to avoid any contact with them. Otherwise, it can be disagreeable and sometimes very inconvenient, especially when one bees mixed up in their quarrels. If such unhappy persons insist on keeping the habit, the author suggests that people should _ .
A. prevent any munication with them
B. show no respect and politeness to them
C. persuade them to recognize the bad effects
D. quarrel with them until they realize the mistakes
Answer: A
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Question: "Your son is one of the sickest kids we've ever had in intensive care," was what the nurse said to me after we had arrived in an ambulance, 20 minutes from Kingston Hospital to the Evelina in Westminster. The journey was the longest of my life. I had been told that my six-month-old son, my friend, my whole heart, was going to die. And I spent the whole time in the blue-lit vehicle wondering how on earth I would lift my wife from the black hole she was about to be plunged into. The nurse who gave me that bad news was to become a great friend. She told me that the noise my son was making in the back of the ambulance was the sound that babies made before they died. There were many more horrible words and terms. But my son survived. It wasn't just George who endured. In the three weeks of his hospital stay, I slept 20 hours in total. My wife hardly slept. I lost over two stone in weight in the five days he was in intensive care. And we've been treating him for three years now. I have collapsed 20 times--the fear, the anxiety and exhaustion. Even now, we wake at least five times a night, often staying awake to treat him for as long as an hour. My son has Type 1 diabetes . It's a little known condition. George had a simple, everyday virus. It caused his immune system to attack his pancreas. Now he needs constant insulin to stay alive. I wanted to raise awareness for George's condition. I wondered how I could do it. I've run a couple of marathons. But a marathon was never really going to get people's attention the way I hoped. Two marathons, back to back? Maybe three? Could I do it? How much could I endure? I started running at the age of 19 when I thought my heart was broken. I couldn't cope with the pain and I went for a run. I kept on going for a run. Each time I came back, it would hurt a bit less. It wasn't so long before I had completely forgotten about my broken heart. But I couldn't stop running. I found that any stress, frustration, anxiety would reduce when I went out on the road. When we finally brought my son home from hospital, my wife told me I had to go for a run. She knew that I had not allowed myself to show the emotions I'd been feeling. I fought very hard not to break. It was my worst nightmare playing out, but it was also my wife's. I did not want them to see the fear that I was feeling. When I got back from that first run, my wife simply said "Better?" and it was. I'm often asked how I motivate myself for running such distances. They assume I think about my son. But I can't really. If I did, I would weep the whole way round. The hard part of endurance running is mental. It's strange to choose an event that you will never win. The race will always be larger than the individual. And if you don't respect the distance, you will pay for it. The biggest mistake any long distance runner makes is to think about the finish line. Each time you do, the body falls apart. Actually, the brain falls apart. I know I can run two marathons. I also know that the third marathon will break me. And I will be staring at another sort of black hole. It will be then that I think of my son, and all that he endured and continues to endure every day. I know that I will start to think of giving up, the pain will be so great. My brain will fall to bits and my body will too. So I will picture my son. And I'll remember that he didn't give up. He never gives up. Why should I? Having heard what the nurse said to him, the writer must have felt .
A. desperate and fearful
B. special and different
C. bitter and lonely
D. disturbed and annoyed
Answer: A
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Question: American sign language has an interesting history. Although there have always been deaf individuals in America, the history really begins in 1817. Before 1817 deaf people communicated by using "home signs". Gestures were individually created and used within the home for simple communication. There were no schools or formal sign language training for the deaf. So, why was 1817 an important date? Well, the story begins with Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet. Gallaudet met his neighbor's daughter Alice Cogswell. Alice was the young deaf daughter of Dr. Mason Cogswell from Hartford, Connecticut. Gallaudet began teaching Alice to read and write a few simple words. Excited by the success Dr. Cogswell encouraged Gallaudet to establish a school for the deaf. Cogswell raised the money and Gallaudet traveled to Britain to learn the methods used there. However, the schools refused to share their instructional techniques and methods. While in London, there happened to be a demonstration of the French method of deaf education. Britain was using an oral method of instruction; however, the French method used signs. Gallaudet was fascinated with the method and was able to meet with the instructor, Sicard, and his two deaf pupils, Jean Massieu and Laurent Clerc. Sicard agreed to teach Gallaudet his method and Gallaudet went to Paris to learn French signs. After a while, Gallaudet wished to return home and convinced Clerc to go with him and help him establish the school. The trip home was a 52-day voyage during which Clerc taught Gallaudet French signs and Gallaudet taught Clerc English. On April 15, 1817, Laurent Clerc and Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet established what is currently known as the American School for the Deaf in Hartford, Connecticut. The opening of the first school for the deaf can be viewed as one of the most important events in current deaf culture. Before 1817 deaf people in America _ .
A. couldn't even communicate with their parents at home
B. could only have simple communication within home
C. could only communicate with an oral method
D. could only communicate with deaf people from other homes
Answer: B
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Question: Precipitation is the amount of
A. dew point
B. raindrops
C. flooding
D. barometric pressure
Answer: B
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Question: Today, one can trace Venice's rich past from its buildings. Most cities can claim at least a handful of outstanding churches, palaces or houses of historical interest, but in Venice very nearly everything is remarkable, from the magnificent Piazza San Marco (St. Mark's Square ) and the palaces that line the Grand Canal to the centuries-old homes of simple fishermen. It would be easy to say that the city itself is an enormous museum if it were not for the fact it is so obviously alive. At first sight, Venice looks unbelievably permanent, an apparently complete Renaissance city so untouched by time that there seems no reason why it should not go on forever. Now the city is slowly sinking, as the clay on which it is built loses its elasticity and the massive wooden piles rot away. Flooding, such a rare occurrence a hundred years ago now happens several times each winter. The damage caused by the flooding is immense, and the fabric of the ancient buildings is now being further damaged by pollution from the mainland town as well as by the wash produced by the constantly increasing number of motor boats that speed up and down the canals. A further threat to Venice comes from the Venetians themselves, some of whom are not particularly interested in preserving the city as one of the wonders of the world and would prefer to see it modernized. "What better place is there for the meeting of dear friends? See how it glows with the advancing summer; how the sky and the sea and the rosy air and the marble of the palaces all glimmer and melt together." Thus wrote the famous author Henry James, of Venice, which provided the setting for his story "The Aspern Papers", in the nineteenth century. The Splendor of Venice has captured the imagination of artists for centuries --- and not just of the great painters and novelists. How tragic now that she is faced with the double threat of man and nature. Venice indeed will be lucky to survive. The writer thinks that _ .
A. Venice can be regarded as a big museum
B. Venice is no longer a big museum
C. Venice is different from a big museum
D. Venice can never be a big museum because of its modernization
Answer: A
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Question: Never argue with one's own understanding. The whisper of intelligence is always there, whatever you do. If you create a time lag between the whisper of intelligence and understanding in you and your action, then you are preventing the brain from growing into a new size. When you argue with intelligence, when you postpone acting according to understanding then there is confusion, the brain gets confused. The voice of understanding, the voice of intelligence has insecurity about it. How do you know that it is the right thing? So we tend to ignore it. Instead we accept authority. We obey. But the brain cannot be orderly, competent, accurate and precise if you do not listen to it, if you have no respect. We are so busy with the outside world and its force that the world that is inside us does not command that respect and reverence , that care and concern from us. So one has to be a disciple of one's own understanding, and look upon that understanding as the master. Sometimes one may commit a mistake, it might be the whim of the ego and we might mistake the whim, the wish of the ego for the voice of silence and intelligence, but that we have to discover. Unless you commit mistakes, how do you learn to discriminate between the false and the true? In learning there is bound to be a little insecurity, a possibility of committing mistakes. Why should one be terribly afraid of committing mistakes? So instead of accepting the authority of habits and conditionings, while one is moving one watches, and when there is a suggestion, do not neglect, ignore, or insult the whisper from within and from one's own intelligence. The whole passage is developed by _ .
A. facts and ideas
B. reasoning and explaining
C. scientific experiments
D. arguing and debating
Answer: B
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Question: Five-year-old Susie loved to listen to her older sister, Emma, play the piano. Susie wanted to play it, too. But every time Susie asked to play, her mother would tell her how much work it needed to learn to play the piano well. Susie was sure she could learn to play it. She decided to make her mother believe that she was ready to learn to play the piano, so Susie helped her mom do the dishes and clean the house. "Mom, can I start taking the piano lesson?" asked Susie. "Susie, if you take the piano lesson, you must practice every day," said her mom. Susie was so excited. She could not wait to learn how to play her favorite songs! Susie was excited for her first piano lesson. When she was finally in class, she was surprised: her teacher had flashcards and a book for her. Susie didn't know there were so many other things to know about the piano first. During that first lesson, the teacher didn't let Susie play the piano. The next day, after Susie got home from school, she ran outside. "Where are you going?" asked her mom. "Outside to play volleyball," said Susie. "Bye, Mom!" "You must study your piano flashcards," said her mom. "Susie, this is what you wanted, now you have to do it." The next day after her first piano lesson, Susie wanted to _ after school.
A. read her book
B. play volleyball
C. study her piano flashcards
D. play the piano with Emma
Answer: B
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Question: Going green is something that affects every single one of us. Whether by recycling those plastic water bottles, or by cutting down on electricity in your home, the importance of going green on a personal level is extremely important. But, when you're a millionaire NBA basketball star, how do you help out the environment? Yao Ming is a basketball player that plays for the Houston Rockets and has spoken out against hunting of sharks for fins, a delicious food in his native China. He is also the United Nations' Environmental champion. His goal is to raise awareness of climate change and energy-saving. "I will work with young people across the world and try to inspire them to plant trees, harvest rainwater and to become environmental champions in their own communities." The Philadelphia Eagles, a professional American football team, are really doing their part to give back to the community. The Eagles Go Green page has a "Green Energy Calculator" and according to the web site fans have saved $ 73,674.90 a year and saved 666,320 pounds of CO per year. Also, the Eagles have set up a "Stop global warming virtual march on Washington", a march across America for one year, through the Internet with a goal to bring fans together and to urge leaders to deal with the serious problem of global warming now. Bob Burnquist, a Brazilian skateboarder, is a member of Action Sports Environmental Coalition and founder of a program that gets organic foods and farming into schools for healthy lunch programs. Bob also has a huge homegrown organic farm where he hosted a gathering in celebration of Earth Day. Kelly Slater is a surfer and eight-time champion, but he also supports saving the coral reefs world wide. He has founded the Kelly Slater Invitational Competition which raises funds and awareness for Reef Check, which is able to get its message out to a large group of guests including professional surfers, film and music stars, and other famous people. What have the Philadelphia Eagles done to help out the environment?
A. They have called on fans to do things to reduce global warming.
B. They have marched on Washington to bring fans together.
C. They have saved $ 73,674.90 for solving global warming.
D. They have reduced CO
Answer: A
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Question: Doctor Seuss was born in 1904. By the middle 1950s, he had become one of the best-loved and most successful children's book writers in the world. His books are very popular with young readers. They enjoy the invented words and the pictures of unusual funny animals and plants. In 1954, life magazine published a report about school children who could not read. The report said many children's books were not interesting. Doctor Seuss strongly hoped to help children and decided to write books that were interesting and easy to read. He used words with the same ending sound, like fish and wish. He did not receive training in art. Yet, he drew the pictures for most of his books. In 1957, Dr. Seuss wrote The Cat in the Hat. He used less than 230 words to write the book and even a six-year-old should be able to read it. It was a fun story and easy to read. Children loved it. Their parents loved it, too. Today it is still one of the stories they like best. The success of The Cat in the Hat made him want to write more books for children. In 1960, he wrote a book using less than fifty words. The book is called Green Eggs and Ham. In 1984, Doctor Seuss won a Pulitzer Prize . He was honored for the education and enjoyment his books provided American children and their parents. He died at the age of 87, but his influence remains. Millions of his books have been sold worldwide. People say his books helped change the way American children learned to read. Yet, his books are loved by people of all ages. Doctor Seuss once said, "I do not write for children. I write for people." He wrote the book The Cat in the Hat at the age of _ .
A. 50
B. 53
C. 56
D. 87
Answer: B
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Question: Dear Li Ming, I've been in England for two months now. I hope you don't think I have forgotten you. There have been so many places to see and so many things to do that I've not had much time to write letters. I will soon be starting my studies at King's College. So far I've been learning about England and British ways of living. I will tell you about London. One great thing about it is that it has lots of books you can read and lots of pictures you can look at. I am sure you'll be more interested to know what I think about the life here. I found some of the customs new and interesting. People here don't shake hands as much as we do in Germany. During the first few weeks I was often surprised because people didn't put out their hands when I met them. Men raise their hats to women but not to each other. Wang Gang The writer _
A. enjoys the life there
B. doesn't like the life there at all
C. knows nothing about the life there
D. says nothing about the life there
Answer: A
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Question: Bringing Art into Hospitals The medical world is gradually realizing that the quality of the environment in hospitals may play an important role in helping patients to get better. As part of nationwide effort in Britain to bring art out of the museums and into public places, some of the country's best artists have been called in to change older hospitals and to soften the hard edges of modern buildings. Of the 2500 national health service hospitals in Britain, almost 100 now have very valuable collections of present art in passages, waiting areas and treatment rooms. These recent movements first started by one artist, Peter Senior, who set up his studio at a Manchester hospital in northeastern England during the early 1970s.He felt the artist had lost his place in modern society, and that art should be enjoyed by a wider audience . A common hospital waiting room might have as many as 5 000 visitors each week. What a better place to hold regular exhibitions of art! Senior held the first exhibition of his own paintings in the out--patient's waiting area of the Manchester Royal Hospital in 1975.Believed to be Britain's first hospital artist. Senior was so much in demand that he was soon joined by a team of six young art school graduates. The effect is striking. Now in the passages and waiting rooms the visitor experiences a full view of fresh colours, playful images and restful courtyards. The quality of the environment may reduce the need for expensive drugs when a patient is recovering from an illness. A study has shown that patients who had a view onto gardens needed half the number of strong pain killers compared with patients who had no view at all or only a brick wall to look at. After the improvement of the hospital environment, _ .
A. patients no longer take drugs to kill their pains
B. patients don't have to stay long in hospital
C. patients need fewer pain killers when they suffer from an illness
D. patients feel happy in hospital
Answer: C
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Question: Which characteristic is affected by interactions with the environment?
A. weight
B. eye color
C. blood type
D. handedness
Answer: A
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Question: Saving water is an important part of going _ . As water becomes less and polluted more, conservation becomes more and more important. The less water you use, the less wastewater will end up in our rivers and lakes. Wasting water means that more water needs to be treated and cleaned, a process that requires quite a lot of energy. As it is said above, cutting down on water usage is one of the most important things you can do for your local environment and the planet as a whole. That is why more green households are going blue: cutting down their water footprint by conserving and harvesting water. It may seem like a big concept, but going blue starts with small changes that everyone can make. Something as simple as turning off the tap while you brush your teeth can save a lot of water. Wash your fruits and vegetables in a bowl rather than under a tap to save even more. Make sure that the taps are fully turned off every time you step away from the sink or the shower -- all those little drips can add up to a lot of water waste. Another way of reducing your water footprint is reducing your dependence on the main water supply. Rainwater harvesting can meet a lot of your home's water needs. Many of us already practice rainwater harvesting in a small way. Collecting water from your gutters is a great way to keep your garden green without running the sprinkler . From the passage, we can know that _ .
A. we can get enough water by harvesting
B. most people pay no attention to saving water
C. we can practice rainwater harvesting in a small way
D. harvesting water is more necessary than conserving it
Answer: C
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Question: The next generation telephone is called Superphone or personal Communication Network (PCN). Your superphone goes wherever you go, in your pocket. You can use it in the street, in an aeroplane, a boat, or a taxi; you can call from anywhere on the globe to anywhere else. Calls travel at the speed of light, via satellites using ultraviolet, high-frequency wave bands and each communication is automatically billed to your account. This new phone is the size and shape of a billfold . You unfold it to use it., making it long enough to reach from your ear to your mouth. There is a miniaturized touch pad, on which to enter the number you are calling. There is also a tiny liquid crystal screen on which you can read weather, news or financial reports. These news items are constantly updated by the company that sells the service. Letter keys on the touch pad also allow you to use this electronic marvel as a computer or word processor. You can plug it into your large home or office computer in order to transfer any data that you feed in during a business trip. The PCN also stores any useful information of your own that you might need as you travel, such as the names, addresses and phone numbers of several hundred people, important meetings, flight details and so on. When you need information, you simply call it up on the screen. You can even use your PCN to activate electronically controlled equipment at home. For example, you could switch your oven on or off, start the sprinkler system in your garden during a dry spell, get your video recorder to record a show on television, turn off the central heating, and so on. All of this from thousands of miles away, perhaps from the back of a camel in the desert. Prototypes are already being trialed. In spite of the complex technology, they will be cheap because of the enormous sales that will be made. The author's intention in mentioning "from the back...the desert" is to _
A. show the great impact of the new phone on the world
B. emphasize the strong remote control function of the new phone
C. demonstrate how to operate the new phone in such places
D. show travelers' affection for the new phone
Answer: B
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Question: Seeing the Horse Eat Fish Once an old man was walking in a street with his horse. It was raining hard. The old man was cold because he was walking in the rain. He wanted to stay in a restaurant. It was a quarter past three in the afternoon. The old man got to a small restaurant. There were a lot of people in it. The old man couldn' t come near the fire. He thought and thought. At last he said to the waiters, "Take some fish to my horse." The waiter and the people were very surprised. The waiter said, "A horse doesn't eat fish." The old man told the waiter, "This horse is very interesting. It can sing, dance and does all kinds of things. It can eat fish, too," So the waiter brought the horse some fish. All the people in the restaurant ran out to see the horse eat fish except the old man. Now the old man sat beside the fire. After a while the waiter came back and said. "Your horse didn't eat any fish." The old man said, "All right, take the fish back and put it on the table. I'll eat it." Note: stove waiter The old man felt very cold because _ .
A. it was a cloudy and windy day
B. it snowed
C. he had travelled in the heavy rain
D. he was hungry
Answer: C
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Question: John Smith,an office worker,lives in Washington.He inherited a million dollars when he was 23,but he wasn't happy at all.When his college friends were looking for their jobs,he didn't have to.Jack decided to living a simple life like everyone else.He gave $l0,000 of his money to a charity to help poor children live a better life.Today he is 36.He still wears cheap shoes and clothes and drives a small car only,but he is very happy. Up to now John has helped some children from poor countries all over the world,by sending them each $200 a month.The money was used for the children's study, food, medicine and clothing.John receives a report each year on the children's progress.They can write to each other, but usually the children do not speak English. When John first heard about these children,he wanted to help them."It was nothing special," he said."Until I went to these countries and met the children I was helping,I didn't know anything about their life." Once John went to meet a little girl in Africa.He said that the meeting was very exciting."When I met her.I felt very ,very happy."he said."And I saw that the money was used for a good cause.It brought me happiness.I want to do everything I can to go on helping those children." John has sent them each $200 a month to help some poor children _ .
A. near Washington
B. in European countries
C. only in Africa
D. throughout the world
Answer: D
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Question: The brown fur of the arctic hare turns white in winter. How does this color change most likely help the arctic hare?
A. It helps the animal save water.
B. It helps the animal hide from predators.
C. It helps keep the animal cool.
D. It helps protect the animal from disease.
Answer: B
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Question: Blair: Blair was the first to appear in movies in history. In 1905, Blair appeared in the movie Rescued by Rover . It is a British film that a baby is kidnapped by an old woman, but the faithful family dog Rover saves the baby at last. Though Rover is a common name, it became popular because of the dog hero in the movie. Lassie: lassie used to be the most famous dog in the world. She is a character who has starred in many movies, TV shows and books over the years. Lassie was created by Eric Knight and made her way into a short story in a newspaper in 1913 and into a novel in 1940. Laika: Laika is the first animal that has orbited the earth. On November 3, 1957, Laika was sent to space in the Soviet Union's Sputnik 2.(2). The Soviets admitted soon after the launch that the spacecraft would not return. It meant that the poor animal would die. People argued a lot about Laika's death. Several countries issued stamps in memory of Laika. She became the first animal to give her life for the exploration of space. Rin Tin Tin: Rin Tin Tin is the first American dog movie star. He first appeared in WhereThe North Begins in 1925. Rin Tin Tin went on to make 25 movies, he even signed his own contracts with paw prints . During his best time, he earned about 5 million dollars for those people who worked for him. Snoopy: snoopy may be the most famous cartoon dog in the world. As a hunting beagle from Charles Schultz' popular newspaper comic strip , Peanuts, snoopy first appeared in 1950. Though snoopy was at first a minor figure, he grew to become the strip's best-known character. He is famous for always sleeping on top of his doghouse and sometimes dressing up and pretending himself as a World War I airplane pilot. Snoopy appeared in the Peanuts comic strips until Schultz's retirement ( and death ) in February of 2000. Two dogs created by artists are _ .
A. Rin Tin Tin and Snoopy
B. Blair and Lassie
C. Rin Tin Tin and Lassie
D. Snoopy and Lassie
Answer: D
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Question: Hawking's Five Easy Steps for Making Yourself a Genius As we all know,Stephen Hawking writes the book A Brief History of Time that explains the origin of the universe. The book spent 147 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller List and has sold 10 million copies. He is,most agree,very smart. In his recently published autobiography My Brief History,Hawking offers five life lessons on how to become a genius. 1)Don't miss opportunities by being too cool "We showed an air of complete boredom and the feeling that nothing was worth making an effort for. One result of my illness has been to change all that. When you are faced with the possibility of an early death, it makes you realize that life is worth living and that there are lots of things you want to do. "Seize the moment,as Oxford types would say. 2)Keep it simple When writing A Brief History of Time,he tried to make science understandable for the rest of us. "I was sure that nearly everyone is interested in how the universe operates,but most people cannot follow mathematical equations . "He has trouble with them,too. "This is partly because it is difficult for me to write them down,but mainly because I don't have an inborn feeling for equations. My aim in the book was to describe these mental images in words. It is such an easy book that everybody can understand it." The moral:You don't have to be a genius to know everything. 3)Have fun Hawking has a long history of being a joker,and he has placed lots of bets with other scientists on the nature of black holes. One was with Cal-Tech scientist John Preskill. After paying off his bet by giving Preskill a baseball encyclopedia,Hawking wrote,"but maybe I should have just given him the ashes. "So lighten up! Geniuses like bad jokes too. 4) Always look for a silver lining (even if you are seriously ill) Hawking's disease has slowly robbed him of the ability to walk,move his arms,even speak. But,Hawking says,"in some ways I guess my disability has been an assist:I haven't had to lecture or teach students, and I haven't had to sit in meetings. So I have been able to devote myself completely to research."In other words,Hawking was given lemons,and he made Champagne. 5)Don't work too hard at school ...... The passage tells us the facts about A Brief History of Time EXCEPT that _ .
A. it included Hawking's five life lessons on how to become a genius
B. it has sold 10 million copies up to now
C. it spent 147 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller List
D. it explained the origin of the universe
Answer: A
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Question: There's a small town in the central part of England called Gotham. Some say it's a town of fools. Others say all the villagers are wise. Let me tell you about the people of Gotham so you can decide for yourself. Long ago, England was ruled by a cruel king named John. One day, the people of Gotham heard that King John and his men would soon be riding through their town.This worried the villagers, for they knew the greedy king would demand food and accommodation for his men. What's more, if he saw anything to his liking, he would surely take it. A town meeting was called. After much discussion, the townspeople decided to cut down a number of huge trees to block the roads leading into Gotham. When King John and his men reached the outskirts of the village, they could not pass. Angry, King John ordered his men to go into the town and punish the villagers. When the king's officers finally made their way over the trees, they found a village of fools. Some say that was because the people of Gotham had a plan--they had decided to act like fools since they had never heard of anyone being punished for being a noodlehead. Others say that's just the way they were. In the village, the king's men encountered a man riding a donkey. The man was bent over because he carried a huge bag of grain on his own shoulders. He looked exhausted. One of the king's men approached him and asked, "Why, in heaven's name, are you carrying that bag? Why don't you just put it behind you on your donkey's back?" "You see," replied the man from Gotham, "my donkey is feeling poor today. It's bad enough that she has to carry me, so I decided to lighten her burden by carrying the bag myself." The king's men said, "But sir, don't you see that if you're riding on top of the donkey, she's still carrying the weight of the bag?" The man didn't reply. He just looked at the king's men as if they were crazy and went on his way. The king's officers giggled at the foolishness of the man. Before long, they passed a pond where they found a number of villagers in the midst of a great argument. Two of them were holding a big eel. "Quiet down," commanded one of the king's men. "What's the problem here?" One of the villagers stepped forward and said, "Last year we took all the extra fish we [caught and put them in this pond so they would multiply. But this year when we came back, all we caught was this one huge eel. Obviously it has eaten all of our fish! Since then, we have argued long and hard over how to punish this bad eel. But we have finally agreed on the perfect punishment. We are just about to drown the eel in this very pond!" The king's officers couldn't believe their ears. Drown an eel whose home is in the water? These men were sillier than the first man they met! Before long, they reached the center of the village, where they were in for another surprise. There they found the rest of the townspeople building a towering stone wall. When the soldiers inquired what was going on, one of the villagers replied, "Every spring a cuckoo comes to live in our village. It always brings warm weather. When it leaves, the cold weather returns. Last year we decided that if we could get the cuckoo to stay here all year, we would always have warm weather. We built this stone wall, but it obviously wasn't high enough because the bird flew away. This year we're determined to build it so high that the cuckoo can't escape." The king's officers had heard enough. They couldn't bring themselves to punish such stupid people. They returned to King John and told him all about the fools of Gotham. Whether it's fair or not, the people of Gotham have been known as fools ever since. What do you think? Were the villagers of Gotham wise or foolish? Based on the story, why might the townspeople be considered wise?
A. They trick the king's men into thinking they are fools.
B. They think ahead by putting their extra fish into a pond.
C. They make sure their donkeys are healthy enough to work.
D. They realize the importance of warm weather to their crops.
Answer: A
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