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[
"make profits from them",
"prove the technology useful to them",
"make them live longer",
"learn about their physical condition"
] |
prove the technology useful to them
|
Since the 1970s, scientists have been searching for ways to link the brain with computers.Brain-computer interface(BCI) technology could help people with disabilities send commands to machines.
Recently, two researchers, Jose Millan and Michele Tavella from the Federal Polytechnic School in Lausanne, Switzerland, demonstrated a small robotic wheelchair directed by a person's thoughts.
In the laboratory, Tavella operated the wheelchair just by thinking about moving his left or right hand.He could even talk as he watched the vehicle and guided it with his thoughts.
"Our brain has billions of nerve cells.These send signals through the spinal cord to the muscles to give us the ability to move.But spinal cord injuries or other conditions can prevent these weak electrical signals from reaching the muscles," Tavella says."Our system allows disabled people to communicate with external world and also to control devices."
The researchers designed a special cap for the user.This head cover picks up the signals from the scalp and sends them to a computer.The computer interprets the signals and commands the motorized wheelchair. The wheelchair also has two cameras that identify objects in its path.They help the computer react to commands from the brain.
Prof.Millan, the team leader, says scientists keep improving the computer software that interprets brain signals and turns them into simple commands."The practical possibilities that BCI technology offers to disabled people can be grouped in two categories: communication, and controlling devices.One example is this wheelchair."
He says his team has set two goals.One is testing with real patients, so as to prove that this is a technology they can benefit from.And the other is to guarantee that they can use the technology over long periods of time.
|
The team will test with real patients to _
|
[
"more than 160 years ago",
"more than two centuries ago",
"less than 100 years ago",
"about 100 years ago"
] |
more than 160 years ago
|
Have you ever posted letters to your friends or parents? If so, you must have put stamps on the letters before you sent them. But, how did people receive letters before stamps were invented, and who came up with the idea of using stamps?
In the past, stamps and envelopes were not used. When people wanted to send a letter, they would close the paper with a seal . The person who got the letter had to pay for it. Because costs at that time were very high, most people refused to accept letters. In fact, the sender would often place secret marks on the outside of the letter. The person who was sent the letter would read the secret message. Then, they would refuse to accept the letter and did not have to pay for it.
In Britain, Sir Rowland Hill introduced the "Post Office Reforms" in 1837. He decided that letters could go to any place in the country for a penny even if the letter had to go far away. The cost was to be paid by the sender of the letter. Payment was recorded by placing a small piece of coloured paper on the letter, the stamp! On May 6,1840, the first stamp called the "Penny Black" was born. Because the stamp was printed in black, the stamp became known as the "Penny Black". This is now the world's most famous stamp. This new system spread fast.
|
The first stamp was made _ .
|
[
"put it inside of a trash bag or trash can",
"throw it away from you."
] |
put it inside of a trash bag or trash can
|
how do you throw something away?
|
Which solution is correct?
|
[
"Toothless",
"hairless",
"unusual",
"small"
] |
unusual
|
There once lived in China a very foolish king and queen. One day the queen had a baby daughter. When they saw their baby, they both cried out, "My goodness! How small it is! It's hairless and toothless! It's a monster!" They sent for all the doctors in the country and ordered them to prepare some medicine for her.
"When she drinks your medicine, she must grow to the right size and have hair and teeth," the king said, "If you don't do this, you'll have a beating."
The doctors thought it impossible, but they dared not say anything against the king's order. Just then and old doctor stepped forward. "Oh, we shall certainly obey your order," he said, "but it takes time. We have to dig a mineral from the Kun Lun Mountains when the snow melts for the second time. The snow melts on those mountains only once in six years. So we need twelve years."
At last the king agreed and the doctors took away the little princess. On her twelfth birthday, they brought her back to her parents with long black hair and beautiful teeth. The king and queen were very happy and gave the doctors expensive presents.
|
Which of the following words makes the sentence untrue? The baby was _ .
|
[
"Around 20 hours.",
"Over 40 hours.",
"About 30 hours.",
"Only 6 hours."
] |
About 30 hours.
|
In Britain, children go to school from Monday to Friday. School usually starts nine o'clock in the morning and finishes at about three o'clock in the afternoon. Most schools ask their students to wear a school uniform.
School always starts with registration. What is registration? Every child going to school each morning and afternoon is recorded in a special book. The teacher reads out each child's name in turn. On hearing his/her name, the child makes a reply and the teacher writes in the book. From the book, you can see whether the child is in school or not.
At 9:10, children go to the meeting place. There they sing songs, listen to a story and pray .
The first lesson begins at 9:20. They have break time from 10:20 to 10:35. During break time, the children have a snack and play games outdoors. After that, they go back in for another lesson until lunch at 12:00. Afternoon lessons begin at 1:10 and end at 3:15, and children go home. They don't have a break in the afternoon.
|
How much time does a British student usually spend at school in a week?
|
[
"He is now living in England",
"He is a student in Hong Kong",
"His level of English is very low.",
"He is studying at London University."
] |
He is a student in Hong Kong
|
An experienced teacher is offering private lessons in English.
Please email me at the address below and tell me:
*Your age
*Reasons for learning English
*Your level of English
*Areas that you need to focus on - grammar, listening, speaking, reading, writing, etc.
Mrs. Daniels( daniels _ [email protected])
From: Li _ [email protected]
To: daniels _ [email protected]
CC...:
Subject: English Lessons
Dear Mrs. Daniels,
I recently saw your advertisement on the university website offering private English lessons. I'm very interested in your private lessons and would like some more information.
I am a student at Aston College here in Hong Kong studying English, so my language level is already quite good.
However, I feel that I need to improve my listening and speaking skills. This is because I'm planning to study at London University in England next year and I think your lessons will help me to live and study abroad.
Could you send me some more information about the lessons offered, such as where and when they will be held and how much they cost? Also, I would like to know whether you teach students in groups or one-on-one.
I would be glad to supply any further information you might need.
Regards,
Li Hua
|
What can we learn about Li Hua from his email?
|
[
"British teenagers who are interested in fashions",
"UK companies targeting products at children",
"a social problem concerning teenagers in the UK",
"products that aim at young people in England"
] |
a social problem concerning teenagers in the UK
|
Well, more and more companies are beginning to create products and services for teenagers. The Disney Company sells the Hannah Montans television show, music, film and merchandise to teenagers and their parents. You can get everything from branded lunchboxes and mobile phone covers, to monthly fan magazines and clothing. The High School Musical series of films is also intended for a teenage audience. So, it's all about sales, which tells us teenagers must have more money, freedom and influence upon their parents than they've ever had before.
UK teenagers never used to be worried about spending money on clothes and fashion accessories . That's changed. Now, they are much more fashion conscious and concerned about their image. In a world of television programmes that promise overnight success and fame at a young age (for example, the shows Britain's Got Talent and American Idol), some people think it's extremely important to look fashionable.
So what does teenage fashion look like? Well, it's quite horrible really, but then I'm a bit too old to appreciate it, I suppose. It's lots of brightly coloured materials, particularly pink, and usually plain, not patterned. There are plenty of bows, necklaces and bracelets , too. It's all very cute , if that's your taste.
Surely none of the above is a good thing, is it? Can it really be healthy for us to encourage kids to be like adults at such a young age? Are we stealing childhoods in return for a bit of profit? Well, the UK government is certainly concerned, and for that reason has strict laws preventing companies from explicitly marketing their products and services at children.
Even the rest of UK society is concerned. Now that people are aware of the problem, there is a popular backlash against the exploitation of children by commercial marketing.
|
The passage is mainly about _ .
|
[
"Japanese cellphone companies are unsuccessful.",
"Japan has more cellphone users than the US.",
"Japanese cellphone industry intends to expand overseas markets.",
"Going global--a difficult task for Japanese companies."
] |
Japanese cellphone industry intends to expand overseas markets.
|
TOKYO-- At first glance, Japanese cellphones are young people's favorites, with elegant design and quick access to the Internet. However, despite years of competition in overseas markets, Japan's cellphone makers have little presence beyond the country's shores.
The only Japanese cellphone maker with any meaningful global share is Sony Ericsson, and that company is a London-based joint venture between a Japanese electronics maker and a Swedish telecommunications firm.
And Sony Ericsson has been hit by big losses. Its market share was just 6.3 percent in the first quarter of 2009, behind Nokia of Finland, Samsung Electronics and LG of South Korea, and Motorola of Illinois.
This year, Mr Natsuno, who developed a popular wireless Internet service called i-Mode, invited some of the best minds in the field to debate how Japanese cellphones could go global.
"The most amazing thing about Japan is that even the average person out there will have a very advanced phone, "said Mr Natsuno. Japan has 100 million users of advanced third-generation smart phones, twice the number of the United States, a much larger market. Many Japanese rely on their phones, not a PC, for Internet access.
Indeed, Japanese cellphone makers thought they had positioned themselves to dominate the age of digital data. But they were a little too clever. In the 1990s, they set a standard for the second-generation network that was refused everywhere else. Then Japan quickly adopted a third-generation standard in 2001. However, it made Japanese phones too advanced for most markets.
Several Japanese companies are now considering a push into overseas markets, including NEC. Panasonic, Sharp, Toshiba and Fujitsu are said to be planning similar moves.
"Japanese cellphone makers need to either look overseas, or exit the business", said Kenshi Tazaki, a managing vice president at the consulting firm Gartner Japan.
|
Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
|
[
"a big city in the southwest of England",
"only known for its heavy industry",
"interesting only if you like football",
"a very popular place now"
] |
a very popular place now
|
Manchester is the "capital" of the northwest of England. Situated on the east bank of the River Irwell, it is a lively busy city with a large student population. Although it was once seen as only a dull industrial place, in recent years Manchester has become the "in" place. It is well-known for its clubs, its fashion and its music, not to mention its world -famous football team, Manchester United.
There is plenty to see in Manchester and something to suit all taste. For example, you have a taste of the Orient in Chinatown, home to Manchester's large Chinese population. Another place to visit is the historical Eastlefield area, which contains the first urban heritage park in Britain. Here you can walk around the museums and experience the atmosphere of the 19thcentury Manchester.
Football fans need not feel left out; they can always make a trip to the Old Trafford Manchester United Museum which also contains a coffee shop and a souvenir shop
It's easy to find your way around the city center and you're never too far away from a bus, which will take you wherever you want to go. However, many people prefer walking in a city where there's so much to see, and much of it is off the main travel lines.
If you get tired with all that walking, you can refresh yourself at one of the many cafe bars in the city. There's a wide variety of homely and old-fashioned ones
Whatever you do, you won't have a dull moment in the place which was awarded the title of "most interesting city in Europe ". Despite _ unpopular industrial image in the past, Manchester is becoming more and more popular as a tourist destination nowadays.
|
According to the passage, Manchester is _ .
|
[
"The leader in Zhongrong Metal Products Company.",
"A worker in Zhongrong Metal Products Company.",
"Someone works for Kungshang government.",
"The wife of one of the wounded ."
] |
A worker in Zhongrong Metal Products Company.
|
An explosion( ) from a factory in Kunshan killed at least 69 people and more than 120 people got hurt. China had its worst accident in industry on a Saturday in 2014.
The accident happened in Kunshan city, Jiangsu Province in China. And the explosion was from Zhongrong Metal Products Company, who makes car wheels for the U.S. The Kunshan government told us 264 workers were there when the explosion happened and 44 died at once. "We heard a really loud explosion at about 7 a.m. this morning, so we rushed out of our rooms, " said Zhou Xu, a 26-year-old worker at that company. Another worker said, "First the ambulance came and then many wives rushed to the factory to see if their husbands were okay."
Now, Shanghai government is sending doctors to Kunshan to save the wounded. And the doctor said the number of the dead may increase.
Chinese government is looking into the cause of the disaster. And President Xi also paid special attention to it. He said, " Those who are found responsible must be punished."
|
Who is Zhou Xu?
|
[
"immediately admitted that he had stolen the horse",
"received them warmly",
"said he had lost a horse, too",
"didn't want to give the horse back to Washington"
] |
didn't want to give the horse back to Washington
|
Once a neighbour stole one of Washington's horses. Washington went with a police officer to the neighbour's farm to get the horse, but the neighbour refused to give the horse up; he claimed that it was his horse.
Washington placed both of his hands over the eyes of the horse and said to the neighbour, "If this is your horse, then you must tell us in which eyes he is blind."
"In the right eye," the neighbour said.
Washington took his hand from the right eye of the horse and showed the police officer that the horse was not blind in the right eye.
"Oh, I have made a mistake," said the neighbor. "He is blind in the left eye."
Washington then showed that the horse was not blind in the left eye, either.
"I have made another mistake," said the neighbor.
"Yes," said the police officer, "and you have also proved that the horse does not belong to you. You must return it to Mr. Washington."
|
When Washington and the police officer reached the neighbor's farm, the neighbor _ .
|
[
"our ability to use language",
"the miracle of technology",
"the amazing power of nature",
"our ability to make noises with mouth"
] |
our ability to use language
|
Every day we experience one of the wonders of the world around us without even realizing it. It is not the amazing complexity of television, nor the impressive technology of transport. The universal wonder we share and experience is our ability to make noise with our mouths, and so transmit ideas and thoughts to each other's minds. This ability comes so naturally that we tend to forget what a miracle it is.
Obviously, the ability to talk is something that marks humans off from animal. Of course, some animals have powers just as amazing, Birds can fly thousands miles by observing positions of the stars in the sky in relation to the time of day and year. In Nature's talent show, humans are a species of animal that have developed their own special act. If we reduce it to basic terms, it's an ability for communicating information to others, by varying sounds we make as we breathe out.
Not that we don't have other powers of communication. Our facial expressions convey our emotions, such as anger, or joy, or disappointment. The way we hold our heads can indicate to others whether we are happy or sad. This is so-called "body language". Bristling fur is an unmistakable warning of attack among many animals. Similarly, the bowed head or drooping tail shows a readiness to take second place in any animal gathering.
Such a means of communication is a basic mechanism that animals, including human beings, instinctively acquire and display. Is the ability to speak just another sort of instinct? If so, how did human beings acquire this amazing skill? Biologist can readily indicate that particular area of our brain where speech mechanisms function, but this doesn't tell us how that part of our bodies originated in our biological history.
|
According to the passage, the wonder we take for granted is _ .
|
[
"see more clearly",
"drive fast and well",
"make \"her\" speak",
"throw \"her\" out"
] |
throw "her" out
|
A young woman was driving through the lonely countryside. It was dark and rainy. Suddenly she saw an old woman by the side of the road, holding up her hand as if she wanted a lift .
"I can't leave her out in this weather," the young woman said to herself. She stopped the car and opened the door.
"Do you want a lift?" she asked. The old woman nodded and climbed into the car. After a while, she said to the old woman, "Have you been waiting a long time?" The old woman shook her head. "Strange!" thought the woman. She tried again. "Bad weather for the time of year," she said. The old woman nodded. Then the young woman noticed the old woman's hands, which were large and hairy . Suddenly she realized that "she" was a man! She was frightened at first. Then she stopped the car. "I can't see out of the rear screen ,"she said. "Would you mind cleaning it for me?"
"The old woman" nodded and opened the door. As soon as "she" was out of the car, the frightened young woman drove off as fast as she could.
When she got to the next village, she stopped. She noticed "the old woman" had left "her" handbag behind. She picked it up and opened it. Inside was a gun
|
The young woman asked "the old woman" to clean the rear screen in order to _
|
[
"three",
"four",
"five",
"six"
] |
five
|
Dear Sally, Please take these things to your brother Bob: his dictionary, pen, notebook, keys, and a baseball. The dictionary is on the bed. The pen is in the pencil case. I put the pencil case on the sofa. The notebook is on the desk. The keys are on the dresser. The baseball is under the bed. Thanks, Grandma
,.
|
Grandma tells Sally to take _ things to Bob.
|
[
"are often insulted",
"often suffer from coldness",
"are often left outdoors waiting",
"are often asked to polish their shoes"
] |
are often left outdoors waiting
|
When companies do business overseas, they come in contact with people from different cultures.These individuals often speak a different language and have their own particular custom and manners.These differences can create problems.
For example, in France, business meetings begin promptly at the designated time and everyone is expected to be there.Foreign business people who are late are often left outside to cool their heels as a means of letting them know the importance of promptness.Unless one is aware of such expected behaviors, he may end up insulting the people with whom he hopes to establish trade relations.
A second traditional problem is that of monetary conversions .For example, if a business deal is conducted with Russia, payment may be made in rubles.Of course, this currency is of little value to the American firm.It is, therefore, necessary to convert the foreign currency to American dollars.How much are these Russian rubles worth in terms of dollars? This conversion rate is determined by every market, where the currencies of countries are bought and sold.Thus there is an established rate.although it will often change from day to day.For example, the ruble may be worth 0.75 on Monday and 0.72 on Tuesday because of an announced wheat shortage in Russia.In addition, there is the dilemma associated with converting at 0.72.Some financial institutions may be unwilling to pay this price, feeling that the ruble will sink much lower over the next week.As a result, conversion may finally come at 0.69.These "losses" must be accepted by the company as one of the costs of doing business overseas.
A third unique problem is trade barriers.For one reason or another, all countries impose trade barriers on certain goods crossing their borders.Some trade barriers are directly related to exports.For example, the United States permits strategic military material to be shipped abroad only after government permission has been obtained.Most trade barriers, however, are designed to restrict import.Two of the most common import barriers are quotas and tariffs .
|
In France, if business people arrive late, they _ .
|
[
"Where are you off to with your friends this weekend?",
"Who played the best in your football match today?",
"What science project are you doing at the moment and can I help with it?",
"What are the names of the toys you played with today?"
] |
What are the names of the toys you played with today?
|
After commuting, cooking dinner and doing household chores, the average parent has just 30 minutes to devote to their children in the evenings, according to a new study. One in four working parents worry that half an hour simply isn't enough, while almost half fret that they aren't a good enough parent during the week.
However, parenting experts believe just 12 minutes a day may be enough for mothers and fathers to fully _ with their child -- as long as they ask the right questions. Child psychologist Dr Claire Halsey said asking a series of open-ended questions can help improve parents' relationship with their children.
Among the questions recommended in the research are: "How many times have you smiled today -- what made you laugh?"; "Can you act out what you did at breaktime?"; "Who is taller -- mummy or your teacher?" and "What are the names of the toys you played with today?" Parents of older children are advised to start up a conversation with: "I've got a great story for you but I want one in return... you first!" or "Tell me some school gossip ... _ !"
Dr Halsey, working with the makers of Ribena Plus, who commissioned the research, said: "There is no one as tough on their own parenting skills as a parent -- but this study shows there is no need for parents to be so harsh. It's hard for working parents to juggle all their responsibilities and it can feel like guilt is simply a parent's lot -- but it's absolutely not. By using clever tactics such as a little preparation alongside use of open-ended questions -- such as 'Tell me what the best bit about your day was?' -- parents can reduce the time worrying about chores and work and spend more time learning about their children's day."
|
Which of the following open-ended questions is for a three-year-old child?
|
[
"was the first man to start the Olympic Games",
"helped start the modern Olympic Games",
"believed that sports were less important than studies",
"failed to begin the modern Olympic Games"
] |
helped start the modern Olympic Games
|
Baron Pierre de Coubertin was a Frenchman. At his time sports were not taught in French schools. De Coubertin believed that sports should go hand in hand with studies. He had an idea. His idea was to begin the Olympics all over again.
Sports teachers of other countries liked de Coubertion's ideas. So in 1896, the modern Olympic Games were held in Athens , Greece. Since then the Olympics have been held once every four years, except three times, when there were wars.
Before the start of the Olympic Games, runners carry lighted torch through many nations towards the stadium where the games will be held. These sportsmen are from different countries. Yet they work together to carry the Olympic torch. It is passed from runner to runner. When the last runner enters the stadium, he or she places the torch in a special basin filled with oil. It catches fire. It is then, only then, that the Olympic Games can begin.
The Olympic flame burns throughout the games. It is the flame of peace.
|
De Coubertin_.
|
[
"One hundred and twenty yuan.",
"One hundred and sixty yuan.",
"Two hundred yuan.",
"Eighty yuan."
] |
Two hundred yuan.
|
Visit Dongqian Lake Zoo
Come and see big elephants from Yunnan and tigers from the northeast. The African giraffes are waiting for you. Clever monkeys are going to make you laugh. A lot of other animals you have never seen are waiting to meet you.
Tickets:
Grown-ups: Y=80
Children: Y=40
Under Six: Free
Opening Hours
From Monday to Friday: 8:30 a.m.---4:30 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday: 8:00 a.m.---5:30 p.m.
Keep the zoo clean.
Do not feed or go near to the animals.
|
Now Mr. and Mrs. King are going to the zoo with their seven-year-old son and five-year-old daughter. How much will they pay for the tickets?
|
[
"05139463862",
"01208265211",
"01480466716",
"01271863636"
] |
01480466716
|
The National Trust has many campsites in scenic locations all over the UK. Make the most of the last days of summer by living outdoors and taking in these beautiful landscapes. Here are some of the most popular places to go.
Low Wray, Cumbria
Low Wray is a lovely campsite situated on the western shore Windermere in the Lake District. There are magnificent views across the water to Wansfell Pike and the Fairfield Horseshow and the site is an ideal base for water sports with on-site access for launching.
Phone 05139463862 or _ .
Houghton Mill, Cambridgeshire
This site is situated on the banks of the Great Ouse with spectacular views across the river to the Trust's Houghton Mill, the last working mill on this river. Mill demonstrations are held every Sunday during the season and the site is situated near the picturesque village of Houghton. There are plenty of footpaths for walkers, horse riders and cyclists along the waterways.
_ or phone 01480466716.
Wasdale Head, Cumbria
Wasdale is a great base for climbers of all abilities. The site is nestled under the Scafell mountain range at the head of beautiful Wastwater, the deepest lake in England. Canoeing is possible on Wastwater although limited to no more than 15 on the lake at a time.
Phone 01212765416 or _ .
Highertown Farm, Cornwall
A small, basic campsite situated in the quiet hamlet of Lansallos with fine views of the south-east Cornwall coast and not far from a secluded beach. Bookings may be necessary at peak time.
Email or phone 01208265211
Lundy, Bristol Channel
Lundy Island is an unspoilt island, home to a fascinating array of wildlife amidst dramatic scenery. There are passages from Bideford and Ilfracombe according to the tides, 1 April-31Oct and a winter helicopter service 1 Nov-31 March.
Email or phone 01271863636 for more information.
|
If you are interested in cycling, which number would you like to dial?
|
[
"PS2030",
"PS1316",
"PS1869",
"PS1211"
] |
PS1869
|
Wilderness activity week, Finland
Set off on a really wild adventure to Finland, where night is a distant memory during the endless days of summer.
From your cottage, set high in the hills above Koli National Park, you can explore a perfect wilderness, and pull over at a lakeside beach whenever you like a dip .
Horseriding in the Tarn France
Learn to ride, or perfect your horse-riding skills at Les Juliannes in the Tarn Valley. Activities include everything from show-jumping to hacking through the rolling hills and medieval villages. Between sessions, you can relax by the pool, cycle along the country lanes or roam the grounds. Guests stay at a rural 17th-century farmhouse.
Learn to sail in Greece
Sunvil Sailing has live-aboard learn-to-sail breaks off the island of Lefkas that are designed for both the complete novice as well as those with a degree of sailing.
|
How much would a family of two adults and a ten-year-old boy pay altogether if they join in Horseriding in the Tarn, France?
|
[
"One.",
"Two.",
"Three.",
"Four."
] |
Three.
|
This column is part of a series on websites that are useful for English language learning.Activities for ESL Students
Includes various types of tests, exercises and puzzles designed to help people studying English as a second language (ESL).The activities include grammar, vocabulary and idiom tests at easy, medium and difficult levels.The specially designed Chinese-English vocabulary tests can help Chinese memorize English words.
http://a4esl.org/
Interesting Things for ESL Students
Contains a comprehensive list of audio clips from the Special English programs of Voice of America (VOA).The list covers news of all kinds on VOA.The listening and vocabulary exercises and the word list designed with the clips will help English learners improve listening ability and increase vocabulary.
http://www.manythings.org/voa/
World-English
This site provides a list of radio or TV channels offering English news clips.It includes the BBC radio program clips from England, CNN and ABC news clips from the US, and other news clips from other English-speaking countries.Click on the links and you will be taken to channels where you can listen to clips.This is a good way to practice listening.
http://www.world-english.org/listening.html
Listen to English
Offers a large number of materials for English learners to practice listening.The materials include business English, English literature, history, movies, and politics.Students can improve their English while enjoying the beauty of the English of literature, songs, movies, and news in different countries.
http://eleaston.corn/listen, html
|
How many of the four websites can you use to improve your English as well as to learn about recent news?
|
[
"nothing",
"air everywhere",
"everything",
"only the sun, the moon and all the stars"
] |
only the sun, the moon and all the stars
|
What is the sky? Where is it? How high is it? What lies above it? These questions are difficult to answer, aren't they?
Is the sky blue? The sky has no colour. We know that there is air around the world. When planes fly, they need air to lift their wings. Planes cannot fly very high because when they go higher, the air gets thinner. If we go up about 1,200 kilometres from the earth, we find there is no air.
Perhaps we can answer some of our questions now. The sky is space. In this space there is only the sun, the moon and all the stars.
|
In space there is _ .
|
[
"Greek",
"Dutch",
"French",
"English"
] |
Dutch
|
Alex Rawlings, from Oxford University, Has been named the UK's most multilingual person. The 21-year-old British student can speak 11 language and is learning a 12th, He knows English, Greek, German, French, Dutch, Afrikaans, Spanish,Catalan,ltalian, Russian and Hebrew.Rawlings' mother, who is half Greek, spoke to him in English, Greek and some French when he was growing up. Rawlings is studying German and Russian at university now. He taught himself other languages like Dutch because he wanted to talk to people on his travels or simply because he thought the language was interesting or beautiful."When I was a kid, I always wanted to speak different languages," Rawlings said. "My parents often took me to my mom's family in Greece. My dad worked in Japan for four years. I was always frustrated that I couldn't talk to other kids in those countries because of the language. "
Thanks to his talent for languages, Rawliings has made many friends. He also thinks that picking up new languages getseasier over time.Rawlings plans to perfect his Russian while studying in the small Russian city of Yaroslavi and the next language he plans to learn is Arabic."No matter how many languages I Iearn, my favorite language is always Greek because I have spoken it since childhood," he said.
|
Alex Rwlings' mother spoke to him in the following languages EXCEPT _ when he was young.
|
[
"Mice, crops, birds' eggs.",
"Pests, frogs, some animals, plants.",
"Birds' eggs, frogs, all animals, other snakes.",
"Mice, frogs, pests, some animals, other snakes."
] |
Mice, frogs, pests, some animals, other snakes.
|
Some snakes eat other snakes, even poisonous ones. The poison does not do them any harm . Snakes can swallow things that are bigger around than they themselves are. This is possible because the jawbones are loosely joined, and the mouth can stretch to make room for a fat animal. The snake's slim body stretches to make space for the animal when it is inside.
Many snakes eat birds' eggs or frogs . Others eat pests , mice and other animals that harm crops on farms. Because snakes do this valuable work, you should never kill one. It is too dangerous for you to kill a poisonous one. Leave that job to experts.
|
Which of the following groups of food is usually had by a snake?
|
[
"try to find your friends",
"stay where you are",
"walk around the forest",
"try to find a house"
] |
stay where you are
|
If you go into the forest with your friends, stay with them. If you don't, you may get lost. What should you do if you really get lost? You should sit down and stay where you are. You mustn't try to find your friends. Let them find you. If you want your friends to find you, you need to stay in one place. You can also shout three times. Then stop. Then shout three times again. Keep up shouting. Always three times together. When people hear you, they will know you need help and where you are.
If you don't think that you can get help before night comes, you should make a little house with some small trees or branches or something else. And make yourself a bed with leaves or grass. When you need some water and you have to leave your little house to look for it, don't just walk away. Leave small branches or something else on the way and then you can find your way back easily.
|
If you get lost in the forest, you should _ .
|
[
"Three.",
"Four.",
"Five.",
"Six."
] |
Four.
|
This is Mr Brown's family. In his family there are four people:Mr Brown, Mrs Brown, their son Tony and their daughter Sally.
Mr Brown is sitting in a chair. He is reading a newspaper. Mrs Brown is sitting at the desk. She is writing a letter. Tony is lying in the bed. He is reading a storybook. Sally is sitting on the floor. She is playing with her toy car. There is a cat under the desk. What is the cat doing? It is sleeping.
|
How many people are there in Mr Brown's family?
|
[
"how to have your baby eat more for its future height",
"how to guide your children to finish all the plates",
"why you should award your children more sweets",
"how to have your son be a real \"good eater\""
] |
how to have your son be a real "good eater"
|
Remember, from the moment they are born, our children have the ability to know when they are hungry - and they cry to let us know too! Of course, they also cry to let us know they are wet, hurt, or bored, but we soon learn to tell the difference and try to meet each need somehow. When we begin to feed them solid foods, they let us know when they have had enough by turning away from the spoon - or refusing the food back at us!
Why is it that once children are old enough to sit at the table their parents are often heard bargaining with them or threatening them to finish all their dinner? When we make our children eat up the plate that we filled, we don't pay attention to their born ability to know how much, and what, their bodies need. Instead, we should allow them to use their own hunger feelings to determine how much they need, while we provide a balance of nutritious and "fun" foods. When we teach them about moderation and set a great example by living an active, healthy lifestyle, they will be less likely to develop weight problems later in life. Think of your slim friend who eats whatever she wants -but will refuse ice cream if she has had enough to eat!
"Eat all your dinner if you want dessert" translates to "you must overeat so I will reward you by letting you overeat some more!" By using sweets as a reward for good behavior, kids begin to believe sweets are really special and they may want them even more. Instead, by making dessert just another (small) part of an enjoyable meal, kids learn to "save room for dessert" instead of becoming a member of the "clean plate club."
|
The next passage may tell us _ .
|
[
"Hopeful.",
"Excited.",
"Anxious.",
"Disappointed."
] |
Anxious.
|
It was the day when the UPSR results would be released. Sleepless nights, pounding hearts... Pupils were laughing with their peers or talking non-stop as their eyes searched for their parents. They looked pale, as if someone had squeezed the air from their lungs. Now I was among the anxious parents. I sat behind my daughter. She looked back, saw me and waved. I nodded.
As the teachers walked in, the noise subsided. The year's results were read out. Then came the moment of truth. Pupils who had scored 5As were called out one by one and each of them stepped up on stage. When my daughter went up, I felt fine, but she was crying. I wondered why; maybe she didn't expect to score 5As. Anyway, I said a thankful prayer quietly. After the last name was called, what I saw made an impact on me. One mother just dashed from the back, crying. I thought she was the parent of the last pupil, but I was wrong. She hugged her daughter seated in the front row, saying it was all right that she hadn't scored all As. Her kid was crying. This morn kissed her daughter's forehead and walked straight to the back of the hall, wiping her tears as she walked. She didn't care about the other parents looking at her.
How much pressure do we put on these 12-year-olds? All they did was studying and doing endless homework and countless practice questions. Where was the joy that they rightfully needed? As a parent, I think scoring top marks is not the main thing in life. Survival skills are more important than just chewing school texts and regurgitating them in an exam. So let your kids be kids. Let them play, cycle and climb trees. They will be children only once in their lifetime, so don't rob them of their childhood. Let's teach our kids how to be human, how to interact with others, how to help others and recognize "bad people". Teach them how to survive in this cruel world!
|
How did most parents feel when waiting for the UPSR results?
|
[
"It can be use for decoration.",
"It can stop birds from flying into windows.",
"It can helps students become more patient.",
"It can organize a paper cutting art competition."
] |
It can organize a paper cutting art competition.
|
The corridor windows at the Hangzhou Entel Foreign Language School look a bit different from other schools. They are all decorated with beautiful paper cutting art. But they are not just for decoration. They are also to stop birds from flying into windows.
Chen Zitong, 14, a Junior 3 student at the school came up with the idea. In early January, she wrote a letter to the headmaster and suggested this. She often saw birds fly into the clean windows and get hurt. After some online research, she found this solution. "Some people decorated windows with stickers or posters. Then I thought of replacing them with our traditional paper cutting art," Chen said.
To Chen's surprise, the headmaster took her advice. The school organized a paper cutting art competition. Students' works that got awards were pasted on the corridor windows.
In fact, there have been paper cutting art classes since 2011. "We have classes once a week for a month to teach paper cutting," said Fan Ming, an art teacher. The teaching building even has a display wall to show students' works.
Through the class, Shi Jiawei, 14, fell in love with the art of paper cutting. "It's very fun. I can design my own patterns and present interesting things through it," she said. She created many works like bears and magpies .
Paper cutting also helps students become more patient. Wang Yiyou, 12, was once an active boy. But now, he can carefully design a delicate paper cutting work with scissors and gravers . "I am so proud that I can make it look perfect," he said.
(By Wu Qian, 21st Century Teens Staff)
|
Which of the following statements is NOT the function of the papercutting art according to the passage?
|
[
"retailers are strongly against the policy",
"it's a policy pushed by some health advocates",
"people all over the world are shocked at the news",
"they should demand compensation from the government"
] |
they should demand compensation from the government
|
SYDNEY --- Tobacco companies will be forced to use plain, logo-free packaging on their cigarettes in order to make them less attractive to smokers under laws introduced Thursday by Australia's government.
The rules, which will take effect on 1 July 2012, will ban tobacco companies from including logos, promotional text or color1ful images on cigarette packages. A government health warning will be displayed instead, with the brand name at the bottom.
The government also announced it would raise the cigarette tax by 25 percent, driving up the price of a pack of 30 cigarettes by about A$2.16(PS1.30).
Tobacco companies immediately decided to fight it in court. "Introducing plain packaging just takes away the ability of a consumer to identify our brand from another brand and _ is of value to us," an Imperial Tobacco Australia spokeswoman, Cathie Keogh, told ABC, adding the company plans to take legal action. Retailers said the tax increase would hurt their businesses and encourage the cigarette black market.
"It's a policy being pushed by some health advocates," said Mick Daly, the national chairman of Australian supermarket chain IGA. "That is a direct attack on approximately 16 percent of Australians who have made legal lifestyle choices."
Time Wilson, director of intellectual property and free trade at Australia's Institute of Public Affairs, said tobacco companies were likely to demand compensation over the forced packaging changes, which could cost taxpayers around A$3 billion a year.
"Under Australia's constitution, if the government basically takes someone's property rights, including intellectual property such as trademarks, they have to provide compensation," Wilson said. "I'd be shocked if they didn't seek compensation, because if it happens here, it'll happen all over the world."
Opposition leader Tony Abbott said he wanted evidence that changing the packaging would reduce smoking.
"I'm not in the business of defending smoking, I want to make that ly clear. But I also want to make ly clear that this is not a health policy - this is a tax grab ," Abbott said.
Australia has banned tobacco ads from print, television and radio for years. Internet advertising will also be forbidden.
|
According to Tim Wilson, tobacco companies will take legal action because _ .
|
[
"lost interest in cooking",
"took more phone calls",
"played more games",
"began to use it"
] |
took more phone calls
|
When I learned that my 71-year-old mother was playing Scrabble--a word game--against herself, I knew I had to do something. My husband suggested we give her a computer to play against. I wasn't sure my mother was ready for it. After all, it had taken 15 years to persuade her to buy an electric cooker. Even so, we packed up our old computer and delivered it to my parents' home. And so began my mother's adventure in the world of computers.
It also marked the beginning of an unusual teaching task for me. I've taught people of all ages, but I never thought I would be teaching my mother how to do anything. She has been the one teaching me all my life; to cook and sew; to enjoy the good times and put up with the bad. Now it was my turn to give something back.
It wasn't easy at the beginning. There was so much to explain and to introduce. Slowly but surely, my mother caught on, making notes in a little notebook. After a few months of Scrabble and other games, I decided it was time to introduce her to word processing . This proved to be a bigger challenge to her, so I gave her some homework. I asked her to write me a letter, using different letter types, colors and spaces.
"Are you demanding this with your kindergarten pupils?" she said.
"No, of course not," I said. "They already know how to use a computer."
My mother isn't the only one experiencing a fast personal growth period. Thanks to the computer, my father has finally got over his phone allergy . For as long as I remember, and time I called, my mother would answer, Dad and I have had more phone conversations in the last two months than we've had in the past 20 years.
|
After the computer was brought home, the author's father _ .
|
[
"making money",
"environmental protection",
"planting crops",
"children's education"
] |
environmental protection
|
I live in a town. In the past, the air wasn't fresh. There was a river. People put rubbish in it. The water went bad. The fishes in the river died. There was much rubbish in the streets which weren't wide. It smelt terrible. People lived in low old houses with trees all around and had a terrible life. The children couldn't have many chances to go out to cities, not to say, have a good education. Farmers worked only with their hands. They worked very hard all year round. They planted crops with the help of animals. The poor people went anywhere on foot, and only some rode bikes. Few visitors came here to spend their holidays.
At present, things have been greatly changed. People have moved into big bright houses or beautiful buildings. There is a big factory. Many people work in it. They are getting richer. Different kinds of cars and buses are running in the big streets. It is faster and easier to travel. People plant many fruit trees and get much money. People plant crops with the help of machines which can save lots of work. Students can study in a modem school. People pay more attention to the environmental protection. The mountains are becoming greener, water much cleaner. What around us is the clearer sky and greener water. As a result, many visitors come here to spend their holidays. People enjoy their modern life. But with the development of the industry, we have fewer trees. Air and water pollution is becoming more and more serious. We must do something to stop pollution to make our town more and more beautiful.
|
In the modern life, people pay more attention to _ .
|
[
"He won the competition finally.",
"He was buried under the mountain.",
"He loved his work very much.",
"He said nothing before his death."
] |
He won the competition finally.
|
On the day of a big event, many people came to Big Bend Mountain to watch. John Henry and the salesman stood side by side. Even early in the day, the sun was burning hot.
The competition began. John Henry kissed his hammer and started working. At first, the steam-powered drill worked two times faster than he did. Then, he started working with a hammer in each hand. He worked faster and faster. In the mountain, the heat and dust were so thick that most men would have had trouble breathing. The crowd shouted as clouds of dust came from inside the mountain.
The salesman was afraid when he heard what sounded like the mountain breaking. However, it was only the sound of John Henry at work. Polly Ann and her son cheered when the machine was pulled from the _ of the mountain. It had broken down. Polly Ann urged John Henry to come out. But he kept working, faster and faster. He dug deep into the darkness, hitting the steel so hard that his body began to fail him. He became weak, and his heart burst.
John Henry fell to the ground. There was a terrible silence. Polly Ann did not move because she knew what had happened. John Henry's blood spilled over the ground. But he still held one of the hammers. "I beat them," he said. His wife cried out, "Don't go, John Henry.""Bring me a cool drink of water,"he said. Then he took his last breath.
His friends carried his body from the mountain. They buried him near the house where he was born. Crowds went there after they heard about John Henry's death.
Soon, the steam drill and other machines replaced the steel-drivers. Many laborers left their families to look for work. They took the only jobs they could find. As they worked, some sang about John Henry.
|
What do we know about John Henry?
|
[
"the plane was very good",
"the plane was ready to take off",
"they were going to land on the ground",
"they were thankful to the ground crews"
] |
the plane was ready to take off
|
The "Thumbs-Up"
While Western culture has become used to the thumbs-up as a positive signal (probably coming from World War II pilots using the signal to communicate that they were "good to go" with ground crews), there are cultures where a thumbs-up may land you in trouble. In West Africa, as well as Greece, Italy and Middle East, the thumbs-up is pretty much the biggest insult .
Rather more charming is a thumbs-up in Germany and in parts of Japan --they just see it as the hand signal for the number one.
The "A-OK"
This sign is mainly used by divers to mean "OK"(to prevent being confused with the thumbs-up sign, which means "rise"). Basically the meaning comes out as "great", or "completely fine". However, in a few countries in Europe, people may think you're telling them that you think they're a 'zero'.
The "V Sign"
The sign comes in two formats: one with the palm faced outwards, and one with the palm inwards. In America they mean the same thing --"victory". However, if the outside of your hand is facing your target, you're giving somebody a long-established insult in Great Britain and many English-speaking countries such as Australia, Ireland and New Zealand. Winston Churchill famously used the "incorrect" version of the V sign during the early years of the war, turning the outside inside later. The V sign is also considered rude in Italy.
The "Corna"
The corna hand gesture has most recently been adopted by fans of rock and heavy metal music.Nowadays many Americans use the gesture simply to mean "rock on", or in support of the University of Texas in Austin (known as the "Hook'em Horns"). Today it is still popular in Spain, Brazil and Slovakia . Historically, however, the symbol possibly dates back to Ancient Greece.
|
The pilots in World War II used to make the "Thumbs-Up" sign to show _ .
|
[
"share some ways to slow down and relax before sleeping",
"guide readers to improve their quality of sleep",
"tell readers the importance of getting a good night's sleep",
"publish the results of a recent survey on quality of sleep"
] |
guide readers to improve their quality of sleep
|
About 45 percent of Americans don't get enough sleep, according to a recent survey. However, the benefits of getting enough sleep far outweigh the thrill of watching TV for one more hour or surfing the web. Getting a better night's sleep will help you lose or keep your weight more effectively. Try these simple steps to improve your quality of sleep.
Take time to relax
So many of us go-go-go until it's time for bed, but it's important to take time to slow down and relax before sleeping. Do relaxing things, such as listening to soothing music or deep breathing. Avoid stimulating activities such as writing e-mails, talking on the phone and watching TV. Some guidelines : no e-mail after 8 p.m. and no TV or phone calls after 9 p.m..
Darker is better
Your body regulates your sleep cycle in response to the presence and absence of light, so dim the lights as evening approaches. Try getting ready for bed by candlelight. When you're ready to sleep, make sure your room is as dark as possible.
Put your thoughts to bed
We all need time to process our day, but bed is not the place to do it if you want to sleep well. Take 10 to 15 minutes to record your thoughts in a journal. This effective technique will capture what's in your mind so you don't lie awake. Tell yourself you're putting your thoughts to bed so that you can go to bed.
No sugar or alcohol before bed
These may wake you up. If you need a snack before bed, make it protein.
Try to get more sleep
Get an extra hour or two of sleep every night for a week and see how you feel. You'll notice the difference!
|
The purpose of writing this text is to _ .
|
[
"Mona Lisa case",
"Last Judgment case",
"Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum thirteen paintings case",
"none"
] |
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum thirteen paintings case
|
Art theft is an ancient and complicated crime. When you look at some of the most famous cases of art thefts in history, you see thoroughly planned operations that involve art dealers, art fakers, mobsters, ransoms, and millions of dollars. Here you can read about some of the most famous cases of art theft in the history.
The First Theft:
The first documented case of art theft was in 1473, when two panels of altarpiece of the Last Judgment by the Dutch painter Hans Memling were stolen. While the triptych was being transported by ship from the Netherlands to Florence, the ship was attacked by pirates who took it to the Gdansk cathedral in Poland. Nowadays, the piece is shown at the National Museum in Gdansk where it was recently moved from the Basilica of the Assumption.
The Most Famous Theft:
The most famous story of art theft involves one of the most famous paintings in the world and one of the most famous artists in history as a suspect. In the night of August 21, 1911, the Mona Lisa was stolen out of the Louver. Soon after, Pablo Picasso was arrested and questioned by the police, but was released quickly.
It took about two years until the mystery was solved by the Parisian police. It turned out that the 30x21 inch painting was taken by one of the museum employees by the name of Vincenzo Peruggia, who simply carried it hidden under his coat. Nevertheless, Peruggia did not work alone. The crime was carefully conducted by a notorious con man, Eduardo de Valfierno, who was sent by an art faker who intended to make copies and sell them as if they were the original painting.
While Yves Chaudron, the art faker, was busy creating copies for the famous masterpiece, Mona Lisa was still hidden at Peruggias' apartment. After two years in which Peruggia did not hear from Chaudron,
. Eventually, Peruggia was caught by the police while trying to sell the painting to an art dealer from Florence, Italy. The Mona Lisa was returned to the Louver in 1913.
The Biggest Theft in the USA:
The biggest art theft in United States took place at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. On the night of March 18, 1990, a group of thieves wearing police uniforms broke into the museum and took thirteen paintings whose collective value was estimated at around 300 million dollars. The thieves took two paintings and one print by Rembrandt, and works of Vermeer, Manet, Degas, Govaert Flinck, as well as a French and a Chinese artifact.
As of yet, none of the paintings have been found and the case is still unsolved. According to recent rumors, the FBI are investigating the possibility that the Boston Mob along with French art dealers are connected to the crime.
|
Which case among those mentioned in the passage is still a mystery?
|
[
"Getting good onions.",
"Cutting up the onions.",
"Making the soup look good.",
"Buying the ingredients."
] |
Cutting up the onions.
|
One thing we love about soup is that it's easy to make and it only needs a few simple ingredients .Here are four of our favorite, simple homemade soups.Enjoy!
|
What is the most difficult part when making French onion soup?
|
[
"Germans Like Reading Books.",
"Germans Like Buying Books",
"Germans Like Watching TV",
"Germans Like Having Parties"
] |
Germans Like Reading Books.
|
In Germany ,about 70% people like reading. They often read .They read in their homes. They read in libraries. They read in their schools. They also read in hospitals .Parents often read books for their kids.
You can buy all kinds of books in Germany. There are many bookstores there. A bookstore can sell many books every day. People also like to buy books on the Internet now.
In Germany ,people often have reading parties. They are happy at the parties. But you must follow the rules at the parties. For example, don't arrive late for the parties. Don't eat at the parties. Don't listen to music at the parties. Don't talk at the parties.
|
What is the best title for the passage?
|
[
"Try to take a rest for 20 minutes when watching the screen.",
"Try to use traditional ways to learn as often as possible.",
"Try to take a break every twenty minutes if possible.",
"Try to learn through digital ways less than 2 hours a day."
] |
Try to take a break every twenty minutes if possible.
|
How do you study each day? You may answer it in one second: have classes at school, take notes and do homework. Feeling a little bored? There are other ways that can make learning interesting and varied. It's called digital learning.
Digital learning is a way to help students learn by using the Internet. There are three important kinds of digital learning. Apps are computer software applications . People can download them on their mobiles. The other two kinds are social networking services, including weibo and WeChat and websites. Every one of them is like your teacher. They help you _ what you learn at school.
Compared with traditional learning ways, digital learning has its advantages. Digital learning is also varied. It covers almost every school subject. More importantly, it always offers students the newest resources to learn from.
Digital learning is also personalized. You can choose what you like to learn. If you don't master what you have learned at school, you can learn again through digital ways.
However, digital learning also has disadvantages. When you use digital ways to learn, you've got little chance of talking with teachers and classmates. As digital learning uses computers or smartphones, watching the screen too long may be bad for your eyes. It is better to take a rest every 20 minutes.
|
How can you protect your eyes when learning in digital ways?
|
[
"The Dodo, Rhino and Giant Panda.",
"The Rhino, Whale and South China Tiger.",
"The Rhino, Panda, Whale and Tiger.",
"The Dodo and the Bali, Javan, and Caspian tigers."
] |
The Dodo and the Bali, Javan, and Caspian tigers.
|
Many animal and plant species have become extinct and many more are in critical danger. Finding ways to protect the earth's wildlife and conserve the natural world they inhabit is now more important than ever.
Dodo
The Dodo is a classic example of how human caused damage to the earth's biology. The flightless Dodo was native to the Island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. It lived off fruit fallen from the island's trees and lived unthreatened until humans arrived in 1505. The easily controlled bird became a source of food for sailors and was attacked by animals introduced to the island by humans such as pigs, monkeys and rats. The population of Dodos rapidly decreased and last one was killed in 1681.
Rhinos
The Rhino horn is a highly priced item for Asian medicine. This has led to the animal being hunted in its natural habitat. Once widespread in Africa and Eurasia, most rhinos now live in protected natural parks and reserves . Their numbers have rapidly decreased in the last 50 years, and the animals remain under constant threat from poachers .
The Giant Panda
The future of the World Wildlife Fund's symbol is far from certain. As few as 1000 remain in the wild. The Chinese government has set up 33 panda reserves to protect these beautiful animals and made poaching them punishable with 20 years in prison. However, The panda's distinct black and white patched coat fetches a high price on the black market and determined poachers still pose one of the most serious threats to the animals continued existence.
Whales
The International Whaling Commission is fighting to ensure the survival of the whale species. Despite the fact that one-third the world's oceans have been declared whale sanctuaries , 7 out of 13 whale species remain endangered. Hunted for their rich supply of oil, their numbers have decreased to just 300. Collisions with ships, poisonous pollution and being caught in fishing nets are other major causes of whale deaths.
Tigers
The last 100 years has seen a 95% reduction in the numbers of remaining tigers to between 5000 and 7000 and the Bali, Javan, and Caspian tigers are already extinct. The South China tiger is precariously close to disappearing, with only 20 to 30 still alive. Like the Rhino horn, tigers' bones and organs are sought after for traditional Chinese medicines. These items are traded illegally along with tiger skins.
|
Which group of the following animals has already ceased to exist according to the text?
|
[
"Japanese people like to take photos.",
"This kind of stamps must be used to mail letters.",
"Japanese people can get this kind of stamps easily after the stamp exhibition.",
"This service is more popular in Japan than in other places."
] |
This service is more popular in Japan than in other places.
|
Japanese people,who never miss a chance to be photographed,were lining up to get their pictures on a postage stamp.Vanity stamps with personal photographs went on sale for the first time in Japan as part of an international postage stamp exhibition.The customer's photo was taken with a digital camera and then printed on stamp sheets,a process that takes about five minutes.Sold in a sheet of 10 stamps for $8.80,little more than the cost of lunch in Tokyo,each stamp printed a different scene from a traditional painting along with the photo.
The stamps can be used normally to mail a letter,and postal officials hope they will help encourage interest in letter writing in the Internet age."Certainly e-mail is a useful method of communication,but letters are fun in a different way,"said Hatsumi Shimizu an official in the Post Ministry."We want to show young people that letters can be fun too."[
While similar stamp sheets appeared in Australia in 1999 and are now sold in some nations and territories,Japan's fondness for commemorative photos is likely to make them especially popular here.Indeed,officials had prepared 1 000 sheets but they were sold out in less than 30 minutes.Although the stamps are currently only available as a special service during the exhibition,postal officials said they may start selling them on a regular basis in the future.
|
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
|
[
"the American rowing team beat the Canadian team in less than 16 seconds in 1924.",
"Rockefeller was the first American medal winner.",
"James Stallman Rockefeller founded the National City Bank and was the first president.",
"His grandson thought Rockefeller had long life because of a regimented lifestyle."
] |
His grandson thought Rockefeller had long life because of a regimented lifestyle.
|
James Stallman Rockefeller, the oldest-known U. S. Olympic medal winner and the former head of the bank that became Citigroup, died Tuesday. He was 102. Records of the U. S. Olympic Committee show that Rockefeller was the oldest American medal winner. He was the captain of Yale University's eight-man rowing team with coxswain that won gold at the 1924 Paris Olympics - beating the Canadian team by less than 16 seconds. The oars from the winning race and the gold medal were prominently displayed in Rockefeller's house. "I think he was really proud of that - probably more than the bank career," said his grandson.
Rockefeller suffered a stroke on Thursday, said his grandson, who lived with him at his Greenwich home for two years, attributed his long life to a regimented lifestyle: breakfast at eight a. m. , lunch at 1 p. m. , cocktails at 6 p. m. and dinner promptly at 7 p. m. . He liked plain food, without sauces or cheese, and plenty of fresh vegetables, including those grown in the garden of his estate. Rockefeller was in good health until shortly before he died. He drove his car up until last year and would review documents from the various charities and businesses he helped lead.
Rockefeller, born on June 8, 1902, was a grandson of William Rockefeller, who founded Standard Oil with his brother, John D. Rockefeller. He graduated from Yale in 1924 and served in the Airborne Command during World War II. He started at the bank, and then called the National City Bank, in 1930, following his uncle and grandfather, who were leaders of the bank. He became president in 1952, chairman in 1959 and retired in 1967. In 1955, under Rockefeller's leadership, the bank merged with the First National Bank of New York to form Citigroup. Rockefeller also was a director of numerous companies, including Pan American Airways, Northern Pacific Railroad, NCR and Monsanto, and served on the boards of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and the American Museum of Natural History.
Rockefeller and his wife. Nancy Carnegie Rockefeller, had four children. His wife died in 1994.
|
We can learn from the passage that _ .
|
[
"She knew his father would die soon.",
"She felt sorry for leaving his father.",
"She loved her father deeply too.",
"She was sure his father would be well soon."
] |
She loved her father deeply too.
|
A great man married a woman and they had a little lovely girl.
When the little girl was growing up, the man usually hugged her and said, "I love you, little girl." The Little girl would say, "I'm not a little girl any more." Then the man would laugh, "But to me, you'll always be my little girl."
The little girl later left her home and went into the world. No matter where she was, the man would call her and say, "I love you, little girl."
One day the little girl received an unexpected phone call. The great man became ill. He couldn't talk, smile, walk, hug or dance.
So she went to the side of the great man. He looked at her and tried to speak, but he could not. She sat next to the great man, and drew her arms around his useless shoulders . Her head on his chest , she thought of many good memories. She felt sad as she couldn't hear the words of love that had comforted her.
And then she heard from within the man, the beat of heart. The magic happened. She heard what she wanted to hear. His heart beat out the words that his mouth could no longer say... I love you, little girl... I love you, little girl.
|
What can we learn from what the girl had done after seeing his father?
|
[
"go to bed early",
"stay up late",
"get up late",
"work far into the night"
] |
go to bed early
|
A good way to pass an examination is to work hard every day in the year. You may fail in an examination if you are lazy for most of the year and then work hard only a few days before the examination. If you are taking an English examination, do not only learn rules of grammar.
Try to read stories in English and speak English whenever you can. A few days before the examination you should start going to bed early. Do not stay up late at night studying and learning things. Before you start the examination, read the question paper over carefully. Try to understand the exact meaning of each question before you pick up your pen to write. When you have at last finished your examination, read your answers over. Correct the mistakes if there are any and make sure that you have not _ anything _ .
|
A few days before the examination it is suggested that you should _ .
|
[
"having qualities of parents",
"having qualities of women",
"having defensive qualities",
"having extraordinary qualities"
] |
having qualities of women
|
How is it that siblings can turn out so differently? One answer is that in fact each sibling grows up in a different family. The firstborn is, for a while, an only child, and therefore has a completely different experience of the parents than those born later. The next child is, for a while, the youngest, until the situation is changed by a new arrival. The mother and father themselves are changing and growing up too. One sibling might live in a stable and close family in the first few years; another might be raised in a family crisis, with a disappointed mother or an angry father.
Sibling competition was identified as an important shaping force as early as in 1918. But more recently, researchers have found many ways in which brothers and sisters are a lasting force in each others' lives. Dr. Annette Henderson says firstborn children pick up vocabulary more quickly than their siblings. The reason for this might be that the later children aren't getting the same one-on-one time with parents. But that doesn't mean that the younger children have problems with language development. Later-borns don't enjoy that much talking time with parents, but instead they harvest lessons from bigger brothers and sisters, learning entire phrases and getting an understanding of social concepts such as the difference between "I" and "me".
A Cambridge University study of 140 children found that siblings created a rich world of play that helped them grow socially. Love-hate relationships were common among the children. Even those siblings who fought the most had just as much positive communication as the other sibling pairs.
One way children seek more attention from parents is by making themselves different from their siblings, particularly if they are close in age. Researchers have found that the first two children in a family are typically more different from each other than the second and third. Girls with brothers show their differences to a maximum degree by being more feminine than girls with sisters. A 2003 research paper studied adolescents from 185 families over two years, finding that those who changed to make themselves different from their siblings were successful in increasing the amount of warmth they gained from their parents.
|
The word "feminine" (in Para. 4) means " _ ".
|
[
"After she heard the:robber's words.",
"When she met the sailor Fatih.",
"After she graduated from school.",
"After she finished the tour of Aruba."
] |
After she finished the tour of Aruba.
|
One day several years ago,Josie went to collect her sister from her local Harvester pub in Brentwood,Essex,where they both worked.A few men came up with gulls in their hands.The robbers then tied up their arms and legs and told them to get down on the ground,while they _ the restaurant,fleeing withPS1,000.
"As I lay on the ground I felt helpless and ashamed as they took time out to laugh at me,calling me fat cow,''Josie said.Shortly after that she was able to untie herself and raise the alarm,but it was just the beginning of her nightmare.
"I was too terrified to go back to work,so I had to leave.I slept with the light on for more than a year.My confidence was totally destroyed.At school people would call me fatty and shout nasty things.When the robber called me fat that night,it just brought all those horrible memories back.''Over the next few months Josie ate more and piled on more pounds as she tried to cope with the sufferings.
Two years went by and Josie stuck to the same bad habits,which worried her family a lot.In order to wipe the cloud off and cheer her up,her sister suggested a trip.It wasn't until returning from the family holiday on the island of Aruba that she decided to take action once and for all and signed up for Weight.Watchers the next day with her sister.
Eighteen months 1ater,a slimmer and happier Josie flew to Turkey in summer in 2012 with her family,where she met sailor Fatih,26,at a party and the pair:plan to get married next summer."If you had told me three years ago that I would be marrying a handsome Turkish man, and looking for a size 10 wedding dress,I would have never believed you."
|
When did Josie decide to lose weight?
|
[
"there is some fire on it",
"it is near the sun, too",
"there is a big mirror on it",
"it can get light from the sun"
] |
it can get light from the sun
|
When you look at the sky at night, the moon looks bigger than the stars. Actually, the moon is much smaller than the stars and the sun. It's much smaller than the earth. But the moon is much closer to us than any star. That is why it looks so big. If you hold a coin close to your eye, it looks big. If you look at it across the moon, it looks small.
The moon moves around the earth. It makes one trip in about four weeks. The moon looks flat to us. But it is a round ball, like the earth.
People once thought the moon had fire on it. They thought the fire made it bright. Now we know the moon is like a mirror. It gets its light from the sun.
Our sunlight comes from the sun, too. What is the sun? The sun is a star. The stars we can see have their own light. There are many big stars we cannot see. Their light had burned out. Others are still bright, but they are so far away that we cannot see them. The sun looks bigger and much brighter than other stars because it is the nearest of all stars. The sun and the other stars we see are very hot, but the air around us saves us from the heat of the sun.
The sun gives us light and warmth. It makes plants grow and turns leaves green. It makes life possible on our earth. It is a life giving star.
|
The moon is bright because _ .
|
[
"eyesight",
"intelligence",
"language",
"emotion"
] |
language
|
Dyslexia is a problem that restricts the ability to recognize words and connect sounds with letters when people read. People with this learning disorder may also have problems when they write. Dyslexia is not related to eyesight or intelligence. The problem involves areas of the brain that process language. Brain scientists are studying whether they can predict which young children may struggle with reading to provide them with early help. John Gabrieli at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is leading the study of five-year-olds in about twenty schools in the Boston area.
They studied in the schools with kindergartens. And for all the children joining in the study, they give them a brief set of paper-and-pencil tests to look at which children appear to be at some risk for struggling to read. So far, fifty of them have been examined in a scanner, a special machine, to show brain activity. Written tests are not always able to identify dyslexia or other problems, while brain scans may offer a more scientific way to identify problems. And with reading problems, early identification is important. When it comes to helping children overcome reading difficulties, the younger the child, the more effective they are.
Reading problems are not usually identified until a child is in the third or fourth grade. The later children are recognized as poor readers, the less treatment can help. And, as Professor Gabrieli points out, poor reading can make education a struggle. Reading is everything. Even math and science have textbooks.
While the children are given tasks related to reading, the brain scans measure the extent to which certain parts of the brain become active while the children do the work. The scientists say they are pleased with early results from the study, but have a long way to go.
|
Dyslexia affects the part of brain concerning _ .
|
[
"she cared more about the children",
"they were on a remote mountain top",
"the weather was not good enough",
"it was not easy for her to drive there"
] |
it was not easy for her to drive there
|
Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, "Mum, you must come and see the daffodils before they are over."
I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Lake Arrowhead. "I will go next Tuesday," I promised, a little unwillingly, on her third call.
The next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. Still, I had promised, and so I drove there. When I finally walked
into Carolyn's house and hugged and greeted my grandchildren, I said, "Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! Theroad is invisible in the cloud and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and thesechildren that I want to see!"
My daughter smiled calmly and said, "We drive in this weather all the time, Mum. You will never forgive
yourself if you miss this experience."
After about twenty minutes, we turned onto a small road and I saw a small church. On the far side of the church, I saw a hand-lettered sign that read "Daffodil Garden"?We got out of the car and each took a child's hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path. Then, we turned a comer of the path, and I looked up amazed. Before me lay the most beautiful sight. Flows of flowers of different colors seemed poured down the peak and slopes. There were five acres of flowers! A seas of daffodil! It was like a fairyland all beyond description.
"But who has done this?" I asked Carolyn. "It's just one woman," Carolyn answered. That's her home, "Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A-frame house that looked small and modest in the midst of all that glory. We walked up to the house. On the patio , we saw a poster." Answers to the Questions I KnowYou Are Asking" was the headline.
The first answer was a simple one. "50,000 bulbs " it read. The second answer was, "One at a time,by one woman." The third answer was, "Began in 1958."
I thought of this woman whom I Had never met, who, more than fifty years before, had begun-one bulb
at a time-to bring the beauty and joy to the mountain top. Just planting one bulb at a time, year after year, had changed the world where she lived and created something of magnificence, beauty, and inspiration.
When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small amounts of daily effort, we too can accomplish great things. Everyone can do something to change the world.
|
The writer wasn't going to see the daffodils at first because _ .
|
[
"active",
"concerned",
"cold",
"surprised"
] |
concerned
|
Vienna-In spite of Iraq's decision to stop oil deliveries, the 11- nation Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries(OPEC)will not increase production to make up the shortfall, ministers decided Tuesday in Vienna.
The 11 oil ministers decided to meet again on July 3 to discuss the effects of the Iraq temporary stop. The organization's president, Charkid Kheria of Algeria, said after the meeting that stocks were high and prices were stable, so quota increases were not necessary.
The E.U. Commission has expressed concern about Iraq's output stop. A speaker said OPEC had to take all possible measures to keep or lower the oil price.
Saudi Arabia's Oil Minister Ali Al-Nuaimi had earlier said there would not be any shortfall of oil in the market. The organization had already taken steps to fill the gap, he said. OPEC Secretary General Ali Rodriguez added that the period of Iraq's output stop was not known, so other exporters were not going to lift quotas yet. If the market was destabilized (......), a suitable response could be made.
Iraq on Monday stopped shipments of crude oil to protest against the U.N. Security Council's decision to extend the oil-for-food programme by only a month, instead of the normal six-month renewal. Just before the Vienna meeting, oil prices had gone up, with a barrel of OPEC crude oil selling for 27.05 dollars, up from 26.81 dollars last Friday. North Sea oil was at 29.26 dollars Monday evening.
OPEC wants the oil price to stay within a margin of 22 to 28 dollars and achieved that with cuts in January and March that reduced 2.5 million barrels per day off quotas .
|
The attitude the E.U. Commission took towards Iraq's output stop is _ .
|
[
"choosing a good leader for a group.",
"assessing the performance of a leader.",
"qualities of a good group leader.",
"team members' appreciation of a leader."
] |
qualities of a good group leader.
|
Anyone can try to lead a group, but not every individual is cut out for leadership. The better leaders possess a few qualities that can mean the difference between the success and failure of the group. These aret he qualities the leader of higher rank will look for when choosing a leader for a group, or when evaluating the performance of a leader. They're also the qualities team members want in a group leader, and appreciate when they find them.
Take Responsibility
Group leaders might share tasks around a group as necessary, but eventually a group leader needs to be able to accept that responsibility lies on her shoulders. That means that if things go wrong in a group project, she's the one who must accept the consequences and work out what mistakes were made. The group leader won't always have the power to control everything group members do, but she should be ready to admit any mistakes the group has made as a result of her leadership.
Concern for Members
The group leader has a commitment to the task or project at hand, but perhaps more importantly, he has a real concern for each and every person who is part of his group. This means getting to know the strengths, weaknesses and goals of team members, as well as making time to build the group through collective activities. The group leader should make sure that everyone is included, even if an individual is new to a group.
Good Listener
The group leader needs to be able to listen to the suggestions, complaints and ideas of group members. Not only will this allow complaints to be addressed and potentially suitable ideas to be put into practice, but a leader who listens will also encourage group members to share their concerns and thoughts,creating an atmosphere of free speech and productivity.
|
The passage is mainly about _ .
|
[
"To train more excellent soldiers.",
"To change former soldiers into teachers.",
"To train teachers to teach better",
"To increase the employment rate"
] |
To change former soldiers into teachers.
|
Did you have a very strict teacher at school? I did. I'll never forget 'Mr. Strict'. If you didn't get your geography right, you would wish to run to the end of the earth to be far away from him. That tall man with a very loud voice knew how to frighten you and put the fear of God into you. Nobody dared to be late for his class. No one dared to chat in his class no matter how boring the subject was. And not even the naughtiest pupil would dream of cheating in his tests.
I thought about my old teacher when I read about a new government program in England to train former soldiers with no degrees to become a teacher. They can act either as secondary school subject teachers or as primary teachers. From next January those selected for the program will earn a salary and train on-the-job four days a week and one day at university. In two years they will be considered 'newly qualified teachers'.
Education Minister David Laws said: "We know that our highly-skilled soldiers can inspire young people." He believes that values in the army such as leadership, discipline , energy and teamwork would benefit children.
But not everybody is happy with the government plans. Brian Lightman, from an organisation called the Association of School and College Leaders, thinks the training offered to the former soldiers who want to be teachers is not enough.
Christine Blower, of the National Union of Teachers, believes that teachers need to understand how children develop. According to her, teachers need a high level of education themselves and thorough teacher training before they can educate the young.
I'm not sure how much 'Mr. Strict' knew about child development. What I know is how happy he was when we did well. I'll never forget the broad smile on his face when I got a very high mark. My teacher was a soldier, but to me his smile was a medal for bravery in our war against ignorance !
|
What does the new government program in England want to do?
|
[
"She is a bad-tempered woman",
"She believes money can grow on a tree now",
"She is a writer",
"She is hard-working in housekeeping"
] |
She is hard-working in housekeeping
|
For years I wanted a flower garden.But then we had Matthew.And Marvin.And the twins, Alisa and Alan.And then Helen.Five children.I was too busy raising them to grow a garden.
Money was tight, as well as time.Often when my children were little, one of them would want something that cost too much, and I' d have to say, "Do you see a money tree outside? Money doesn't grow on trees, you now."
Finally, all five got through high school and college and were off on their own.
One spring morning, on Mother's Day, I was working in my kitchen.Suddenly, I realized that cars were tooting their horns as they drove by.I looked out the window and there was a new tree, planted right in my yard.I thought it must be a weeping willow, because I saw things blowing around on all its branches.Then I put my glasses on-and I couldn't believe what I saw.
There was a money tree in my yard!
I went outside to look.It was true! There were dollar bills, one hundred of them, taped all over that tree.Think of' all the garden flowers I could buy with one hundred dollars! There was also a note attached: ''IOU eight hours of digging time.Love, Marvin."
Marvin kept his promise, too.He dug up a nice ten-by-fifteen foot bed for me And my other children bought me tools, ornaments , a trellis , a sunflower stepping stone and gardening books.
That was three years ago.My garden's now very pretty, just like I wanted.When I go out and tend my flowers, I don't seem to miss my children as much as I once did.I feel like they're right there with me.
I'm still not sure that money grows on trees.But I know love does!
|
What do we know about the mother according to the text? _ .
|
[
"The biggest health issue is exposure to Sunshine.",
"Research showed a change in the size of their eyes.",
"The right eye was affected less than the left.",
"Men were more affected than women."
] |
Men were more affected than women.
|
Human beings have a natural desire to explore the unknown. People with a strong interest in space like to say it is the last place left to explore. But scientists are warning that space exploration for long periods is not going to be easy. They say the human body is not designed to stay in space over an extended period.
The New York Times recently published a report about scientists who are preparing astronauts for a trip to the Moon. The newspaper said the scientists want to make sure that their crews return home in good health. But there are many problems to be solved before people are ready for long trips to the Moon, an asteroid or even the planet Mars.
Humans developed on a planet with a surface that is more than 70 percent water. Our bodies are also about 70 percent water. When there is no gravity that water moves up toward the head, raising pressure in the skull. Arms and legs grow weaker at what is called zero gravity because they no longer need to push against the force of gravity.
Five years ago, astronauts who spent weeks in space reported a change in their eyesight. These astronauts were members of the crew on the International Space Station. Research showed a change in the shape of their eyes. Normally-round eyeballs had become flat during time in space. The research also showed that the right eye was affected more than the left, and that men were more affected than women. Scientists could not find an explanation for the differences.
Bone loss was one of the problems first reported by astronauts returning to Earth after longer stays in space. So scientists designed exercise machines to use on the space station. Tests showed that the exercise equipment helped space travelers keep their bones almost as strong as when they left Earth.
There are other health issues for astronauts who spend a long time in space. They may have problems eating and sleeping. But the biggest health issue is exposure to radiation. On Earth, human beings are protected by the atmosphere and the planet's magnetic field. In outer space, there is no such protection.
|
What is true according to the passage?
|
[
"To have a wrap-up gala.",
"To raise money for men's health.",
"To set a Guinness World Record.",
"To remove the moustache professionally."
] |
To raise money for men's health.
|
Wait for it...that sigh of relief you hearing is wives, girlfriends and partners across London celebrating the end of Movember.
This year's annual moustache-growing campaign in London will surpass 2014 fundraising numbers.
Last year, London men grew enough facial hair to raise S 200,000. As of Thursday, 2015 fundraising sat at $250.000, with additional money still expected to roll in.
"Well, I think London is a pretty charitable community," said Lincoln McCardle, president of the London chapter. "Whether it is a food drive or Movember, we always step up and either meet or surpass the goal."
As a result of last year's success, London was awarded a wrap-up gala , which took place Thursday night at Jim Bob Ray's on Richmond Street.
"Up until now, the galas have been happening in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary," said McCandle. "We wanted to have a gala. I told the guys in head office in Toronto, to pick a number - not to tell me - but if we hit it, I want a gala in London. And we did. It is a chance to thank the people who registered, hand out a few awards and have some fun. "
This year, 60 percent of the money collected in Canada will still go to prostrate cancer research with the remaining 40 percent being directed towards men's mental health.
For men looking for a professional to take off their month-long growth, there are a number of "shave-off" events around the city Friday. One will be at David E. White at the corner of Richmond Street and Queens Avenue. For a $20 donation, your prized moustache will be professionally removed. Organizers are hoping to set a Guinness World Record for the most number of shaves given in a day.
Started in Australia in 2003, the craze found its way to Canadian men by 2007, and in the last couple of years, Canada has collected more, setting the pace in terms of fundraising. Money raised has traditionally gone toward prostate-cancer research, which is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in men, according to Health Canada.
|
What's the aim of moustache-growing campaign?
|
[
"he was really interested in it",
"he wanted to help his friend",
"his mother allowed him to go to the farm",
"his mother promised to buy him some video games"
] |
his mother promised to buy him some video games
|
Luke Dollar has spent many years in Madagascar studying lemurs .
Reporter: What were you like as a kid?
Dollar: As a kid, I was an explorer. I lived with my grandparents on a farm in Alabama. It wasn't unusual for me to go to the woods. And I enjoyed that. From the time I was 6 to 16 years old I was an actor. My mom asked me to audition
for a show in Birmingham. I asked my mom to buy me some video games and she promised , so I got the part. Later, I became a professional actor. So for several years I went everywhere from the Alabama farm to many other cities -- all over the USA doing stage productions.
Reporter: How did you get into your field of work?
Dollar: I grew up on a farm and I was really a wild child and came to love wild things. I did a lot of photography in high school. I became a photographer and did photography for the local paper. Then I became a student of Duke University. Duke has a primate centre -- Lemur Centre. I got a job there as a work study student and met lemurs there for the first time.
Later I had a chance to go to Madagascar and decided to study lemurs.
Reporter: What's the one thing you can't travel without?
Dollar: A sense of humour or a can-do attitude is necessary, but my first response was soy sauce. If we run out of soy sauce, the journey is over.
,.
|
Luke decided to audition for the show because _ .
|
[
"feces",
"feces of an infected person",
"water",
"mucus"
] |
feces of an infected person
|
Do you know HFMD? It's short for Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease. This year, in China, thousands of children were suffering from it. What's HFMD? How to prevent it? Now, read the passage please.
HFMD usually affects babies who are 1~4 years old, but adults can also be infected. Both EV71 and Cox A16 can cause HFMD, which usually starts with a slight fever followed by blisters and ulcers in the mouth and rashes on the hands and feet.
It can be spread through people with the mucus or feces of an _ person. It usually appears during the summer and autumn months. HFMD isn't Bird Flu, SARS or Mad Cow Disease, but it's not a new one, either. It first appeared in New Zealand in 1957. About forty years later, it appears in Asia. It's reported that it breaks out every 2 or 3 years.
HFMD is very terrible and there is no vaccine now, but we can do something helpful to prevent it. 'Children with HFMD should seek medical treatment as early as possible', experts say. They also suggest that parents keep the air fresh in a child's room, which should be kept clean, tidy and dry. Children should be taught to wash their hands regularly. Staying away from crowded public places is also basic.
|
HFMD is usually spread with _ .
|
[
"Many of his friends",
"Few people",
"Everyone",
"All his friends"
] |
Few people
|
Peter wondered why he didn't have many friends. The reason was he was always taking, never giving. One day Peter told Bill, "I'd like to give a party on Saturday, I'd like you to come and bring Martha, too." "Thanks, Peter. We' d be happy to come." " Perhaps you'd like to bring your violin. You and Martha sing well together. I'm sure everyone will want you to sing for us." That was how Peter began to plan his party. Next he asked another friend, Betty, to bring a cake. "You make the best cake in the world, Betty, and I like to eat your cake better than have one from the bakery." Peter invited a few other friends to come to his party. He didn't forget to ask something from each one of them. He even asked Jim and Mary Jackson to let him give the party at their house! They agreed . The party was a big success . However, as the guests were leaving, they said "Thank you" to Bill and Martha for the music, Betty for the cake, the Jacksons for the use of the house and to others for their hard work. To Peter they just said, "Thanks for the invitation ."
|
_ liked Peter.
|
[
"connect them to libraries",
"access the Internet",
"work at home",
"use for their schoolwork"
] |
use for their schoolwork
|
Laptop computers are popular all over the world.People use them on trains and airplanes, in airports and hotels.These laptops connect people to their workplace.In the United States today, laptops also connect students to their classrooms.
Westlake College in Virginia will start a laptop computer program that allows students to do schoolwork anywhere they want.Within five years, each of the 1500 students at the college will receive a laptop.The laptops are part of a $10 million computer program at Westlake, a 110-year-old college.The students with laptops will also have access to the Internet.In addition, they will be able to use e-mail to "speak" with their teachers, their classmates, and their families.However, the most important part of the laptop program is that students will be able to use computers without going to computer labs.They can work with it at home, in a fast-food restaurant or under the trees--anywhere at all!
Because of the many changes in computer technology, laptop use in higher education, such as colleges and universities, is workable.As laptops become more powerful, they become more similar to desktop computers.In addition, the portable computers can connect students to not only the Internet, but also libraries and other resources.State higher-education officials are studying how laptops can help students.State officials are also testing laptop programs at other universities, too.
At Westlake College, more than 60 percent of the staff use computers.The laptops will allow all teachers to use computers in their lessons.As one Westlake teacher said, " Here we are in the middle of Virginia and we're giving students a window on the world.They can see everything and do everything."
|
The main purpose of the laptop program is to give each student a laptop to _ .
|
[
"Before this extending there were 108 direct passenger flights a week.",
"Before Nov 4 last year, passengers only obtained flights on weekends and the four major traditional festivals.",
"After January this year, air and sea connections incluing mail, had to be through Hong Kong.",
"Among the 27 mainland cities, 25 will launch scheduled direct passenger flights."
] |
After January this year, air and sea connections incluing mail, had to be through Hong Kong.
|
The Chinese mainland and Taiwan today extended the number of regular cross-Straits direct passenger flights from 108 to 270 a week.
Six cities, which are Hefei, Harbin, Nanchang, Guiyang, Ningbo and Jinan, are joining another 21 mainland cities in operating direct passenger flights to Taiwan, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said.
The 108 direct passenger flights previously operated were all classed as chartered flights. The new services will contain both regular chartered and scheduled flights.
Among the 27 designated mainland terminals , 25 will launch scheduled direct passenger flights from Monday to Saturday, to Taipei's Taoyuan or Kaohsiung airports.
Scheduled direct _ flights will belaunched between Shanghai, Guangzhou on the mainland and Taoyuan, Kaohsiung, which will bring the total number of weekly chartered and scheduled cargo flights to 28, according to the CAAC.
The mainland and Taiwan began direct air and sea transport links and postal services on Dec 15 last year. Previously, air and sea connections, including mail, were routed through a third location, usually Hong Kong.
On Nov 4 last year, the mainland and Taiwan agreed to regular direct passenger charter flights across the Straits. Before that, flights were only offered on weekends and during the country's four major traditional festivals - the Spring Festival, Tomb-Sweeping Day, Dragon Boat Festival and the Mid-Autumn Festival. (Xinhua Agency)
|
Which description is Not true according to the passage?
|
[
"The farm was small",
"The old house looked like his own.",
"Living conditions were poor in the fields.",
"Animals were free in the fields."
] |
Living conditions were poor in the fields.
|
Michael was a farmer in Texas.His parents moved to the USA from Ireland in the 1940's, and they became very rich.Michael decided to go back to Ireland to meet his old grandfather, who was still living on the same farm.
Michael booked his ticket,flew to Shannon airport,hired a car and drove to the small village where his parents had been born.He asked for directions to the Ohagan farm,and in the end he drove up a bumpy path.He was shocked by what he saw:a small field,and in the middle of it was an old house,which looked as if it was falling down.Animals were wandering in and out of the front door,and on the porch an old man was smoking a pipe.
"Are you Mr. Ohagan?"asked Michael.
"Yes,"replied the old mall.
"I'm your grandson,Michael,"said Michael.
"A--ha,"replied the old man.
"Is this your farm?"asked Michael.
"Yes,all the way to the wall over there,"said the old man.
Michael was astonished."Grandfather,"he said,"I have a farm in Texas.I can get into my car and drive all day and I still haven't reached the end of the farm."
"Yes,"said his grandfather."I used to have a car like that."
|
Which of the following shocked Michael?
|
[
"doubtful",
"passive",
"objective",
"supportive"
] |
objective
|
Publicity offers several benefits. There are no costs for message time or space. An ad in prime-time television may cost $250,000 to $5,000,000 or more per minute, whereas a five-minute report on a network newscast would not cost anything. Publicity reaches a mass audience within a short time and new products or company policies are widely known.
Credibility about messages is high, because they are reported in independent media. A newspaper review of a movie has more believability than an ad in the same paper, because the reader associates independence with objectivity. Similarly, people are more likely to pay attention to news reports than to ads. For example, Women's Wear Daily has both fashion reports and advertisements. Readers spend time reading the stories, but they skim through the ads. Furthermore, there may be 10 commercials during a half-hour television program or hundreds of ads in a magazine. Feature stories are much fewer in number and stand out clearly.
Publicity also has some significant limitations. A firm has little control over messages, their timing, their placement, or their coverage by a given medium. It may issue detailed news releases and find only portions mentioned by the media, and media have the ability to be much more critical than a firm would like.
For example, in 1982, Procter & Gamble faced a massive publicity problem over the meaning of its 123-year-old company logo. To fight this negative publicity, the firm had a spokesperson appear on Good Morning America to disprove the rumor . The false rumors were temporarily put to rest. However, in 1985, publicity became so troublemaking that Procter & Gamble decided to remove the logo from its products.
|
What's the author's attitude towards publicity?
|
[
"A person's body temperature and will speed.",
"Wind speed and a person's strength.",
"Air temperature and wind speed.",
"The location and air temperature."
] |
Air temperature and wind speed.
|
Have you ever walked outside thinking it was one temperature but quickly discovered it felt colder? That is because of the "wind chill" effect.
Wind chill is how cold people and animals feel when they are outside, not the actual temperature on the thermometer . It is based on how quickly your body loses heat when it is exposed to wind and cold. When the wind is strong, your body quickly loses heat, making the temperature of your skin drop.
When scientists first started calculating wind chill, they used research conducted in 1945 by explorers to Antarctica who measured how quickly water froze outside.
But water freezes faster than exposed skin, so the wind chill index based on that data wasn't accurate.
In 2001, the US government began to measure wind chill more precisely by testing how quickly people's skin froze.
Twelve volunteers were placed in a chilled wind tunnel. Equipment was stuck to their faces to measure the heat flow from their cheeks, forehead, nose and chin while they walked three miles per hour on a treadmill .
The experiment revealed how quickly exposed skin can be damaged, particularly unprotected areas like your fingers, toes, the tip of your nose and your ear lobes. In fact, 40 percent of your body heat can be lost through your head! Signs you might have frostbite are when the skin turns white or pale and you lose feeling in that area.
The information collected from the volunteers helped scientists work out the math to compute wind chill. It involves wind speed and air temperature.
If, for example, the temperature outside is zero degrees Fahrenheit and the wind is blowing at 15 miles per hour, the wind chill is calculated at 19 degrees below zero. At that wind chill temperature, exposed skin can freeze in 30 minutes.
You can find a calculation table at www.nws.noaa.gov/om/windchill/index.shtml.
Experts advise in cold weather that you wear loose-fitting, lightweight, warm clothing, worn on top of each other. Air caught between the clothes will keep you warm. The best cold-weather coats have head coverings made of woven material that keep out water. So next time the temperature drops and you want to play outside, listen to your parents when they tell you to wrap up warm!
|
What factors influence wind chill?
|
[
"clever",
"rich",
"friendly and kind",
"lazy"
] |
friendly and kind
|
Do you have to be very smart to live a happy life? The character of McDull tells you that this is not true. He is famous for having a birthmark on his right eye. He is not very clever, but he has a heart of gold. He is also happy, with lots of dreams. McDull wanted to visit the Maldives . But his mother didn't have enough money for a trip there. So she lied to him and took him to a place called Hong Kong. The place has a sign that says, "Go to the Maldives." It made McDull very happy. He thought he was really excited in the Maldives!
McDull is just a common pig. He has many dreams, but they never come true. That doesn't stop him trying. McDull lives his life in a simple and happy way. His idea towards life is "Never give up".
The cartoon pig character was created in Hong Kong by Alice Mark and Brian Tse. McDull first showed up as a character in the McMug comics. McMug is another cartoon pig. But McDull is more popular with a huge number of fans everywhere!
|
McDull is a very _ pig.
|
[
".",
".",
".",
"."
] |
.
|
There was once a young man called Paul in a village in the USA. Paul was very lazy because his father was a rich farmer and he didn't have to work. Mr Smith, a neighbour of his, was a blacksmith . He used to work in his shop all day. Paul spent hours and hours watching how the blacksmith worked every day. "Young man, why don't you try your hand to make a shoe tack , even it is only to pass the time?" said the blacksmith one day, " Maybe it will be useful to you some day." Finally, the lazy boy began to have a try. After practicing some times, he becameskilledand could make very nice tacks.
Years later, Paul's father died and he lost all the things because of a war . He had to move to another country and live by himself. It happened that there were many shoemakers paying high prices to buy tacks for the shoes, because in that part of the country there was a great need of tacks for soldiers' shoes. Paul went to talk with them. He told them that he would make the tacks if they could help him find a workshop in the village. The shoemakers agreed. Then Paul made a lot of money by making tacks. "How funny it is!" he said to himself, "Even by making shoe tacks, one can become rich."
|
What's the Chinese meaning ofskilled?
|
[
"toy",
"girl",
"boy",
"cat"
] |
toy
|
There is a nice girl in our class. She is twelve. She is not tall and is not short. She is a little fat . She has a round face like an apple. She has big black eyes and a small nose. Her mouth is small, but her ears are big. Her hair is short and black. She likes red. She is often in a red skirt. But today she is in a yellow T-shirt, blue pants and brown shoes. She has a toy dog. It's her friend.
,.
|
Her good friend is a _ .
|
[
"Almost everyone listens to what the weatherman says.",
"People often look for the weather they want.",
"The weatherman never makes a mistake.",
"Many people begin their talks by talking about the weather."
] |
The weatherman never makes a mistake.
|
An American writer, Mr Green once said, "Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it." It is true that everybody talks about the weather. Many people begin their talks by saying, "Isn't it a nice day?" "Do you think it will rain?" "I think it's going to snow."
Many people think they can tell what the weather is going to be like. But sometimes they don't agree with each other. One man may say, "Do you see how cloudy it is in the east? It's going to rain tomorrow." Another man will say, "No, it's going to be fine tomorrow."
People often look for the weather they want. When a farmer needs water, he looks for something to tell him it's going to rain, and he doesn't look for anything else. When friends have a picnic, they hope the weather is going to be fine and they can sit eating their lunch under the blue sky.
Almost everyone listens to what the weatherman says. But he doesn't always tell us what we want, and sometimes he makes a mistake. Still, he is right most of the time.
|
According to the passage, which is NOT RIGHT?
|
[
"rob the bank",
"steal some money",
"borrow some money",
"see his friends"
] |
rob the bank
|
An old woman went out shopping last Tuesday. She came to a bank and saw a car near the door. A young man with dark glasses got out of it and went into the bank. She looked into the car and found some keys in it.
The man took a gun out of his pocket and said to the man in the bank, "Give me all the money." But the woman didn't see this. She went to the young man and put the keys in his hand, "My boy," she said, "Don't leave your keys in your car! Someone is going to steal it."
The young man looked at the old woman for a few minutes. Then he took his keys, ran out of the bank, got into his car and drove away quickly without taking any money.
|
The young man went into the bank and tried to _
|
[
"It has cost NASA around $10 billion.",
"It is expected to be conducted on Mars in 2030.",
"It aims to explore new lands in the universe.",
"It is a project first raise by Steven Hawking."
] |
It aims to explore new lands in the universe.
|
The US space agency NASA is looking for people to go to Mars, and stay there. This attractive career is for people who want a huge change of scenery and planet. The project is called the Hundred Years Starship, which aims to colonize other lands such as the red planet Mars.
Settlers would travel to the red planet and live there forever. NASA says it would be too expensive to bring humans back to Earth. The space agency can afford, however, to send supplies to the astronaut pioneers from Earth. Astronauts would be landed on the planet's surface and would never be able to return home due to the cost.
NASA has started the project with $1.6 million, and hopes to attract investment from space-living billionaires. Google co-founder Larry Page told NASA he would be interested if the cost of a one-way ticket can go down from $10 billion to $2 billion.
The journey to Mars could take 4 months. Setting on the red planet would be extremely dangerous, especially given the freezing temperatures there. The thin atmosphere would be another problem as it is mostly carbon dioxide, so oxygen supplies are a must. A director in NASA said that he believed the trip might start with visiting Mars's moons first. He claimed that humans could be on Mars's moons by 2030.
Many scientists think colonizing space is absolutely necessary. Steven Hawking believes we must move to other planets to survive as a species. He said: "Once we spread out into space and establish independent colonies, our future should be safe." Scientists Dirk' Schulze-Makuch and Paul Davies also call it a "desirable goal", though there surely are huge risks to explore new lands.
|
Which of the following is TRUE about the Hundred Years Starship?
|
[
"How to Make Friends",
"A Famous Book",
"Friendship First",
"John Donne and Dale Carnegie"
] |
A Famous Book
|
"No man is an island" is a well-known line from John Donne's Devotion. It was written more than three hundred years ago. Even now people still agree with him. No one can live a completely lonely life. Without other people, life will become empty and sad. We all need to have friends.
For some of us, although making friends is not difficult, feeling shy, we may not want to make the first move. It is also difficult at times to keep the friends we already have.
There are many books about friendship, but Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People, written in 1936, is the most famous. This "how to" book about getting along with other people became a best seller. It was later put into 28 languages.
Dale Carnegie's advice seems to be simple, but can his advice help you? Do you need to change the way you act? Here is the list of advice from his book:
Be friendly and polite.
Always greet with a smile. Begin with "Excuse me" or "Would you please" when you want to ask somebody. Remember to say "Thank you" and try to be as helpful as you can.
Go out of your way to be nice.
Find some time to do special things for other people. Making some soup for a sick neighbour may seem like a little thing to you, but it will make your neighbor feel a lot better.
Remember names.
They say that the sweetest music to a person's ears is the sound of his or her own name.
Be open-minded.
Try to understand other people's ways and ideas and learn something from them.
Listen patiently.
When someone is talking to you, look at him or her, listen carefully and say something when necessary.
|
The best title for the passage should be _ .
|
[
"students have to share the bedrooms with others",
"students needn't pay for heat and water",
"most of the houses have just been decorated",
"students don't have the right to choose the room size"
] |
students have to share the bedrooms with others
|
The companies below offer student accommodation all around London, no matter what university you are attending. And they limit the complications that other rental companies can have (such as paying for heat and hot water, paying your rent yearly and so on).
CRM Students has 12 different properties to choose from in London with various size choices depending on your budget and requirements. Prices start from PS 140 per week.
International Students House is unique because they offer twin, triple and quad rooms, which means they are cheaper per week than others. Of course, you will be sharing your bedroom with up to three other people. Prices start from PS 78.4 per week.
Prodigy Living has several properties in London (most of which have just been decorated) and offers en-suite rooms in flats and one-bedroom flats. Prices start from PS 209 per week.
Scape Living has properties in Greenwich, Surrey and Shoreditch, with the latter two being new apartments as of 2015, which means they will be in pretty good condition. Prices start from PS 185 per week.
Unite Students offers student accommodation in various areas of London, from en-suite rooms to two-bedroom flats, with lots of sharing choices available. Prices start from PS169 per week.
These student housing associations are the best I found on the Internet for cheap student accommodation in London; however, I am aware that new ones are appearing every day. For a full list of associations like these (but most are more expensive than those listed above), I recommend checking out UCL's alternative accommodation page.
Note: Most rooms require a small deposit , which is typically the same value as your weekly rental price ( for example, PS 200 per week =PS 200 deposit before you move in).
|
The rent of the houses that International Students House offers is cheaper than others because _ .
|
[
"The graduates in the rural areas start a family as early as possible.",
"Many of the graduates regard living close to family as a priority.",
"A rural teen's educational opportunities may also depend on gender.",
"Most young adults with low educational backgrounds lose the chance easily."
] |
Many of the graduates regard living close to family as a priority.
|
The vast, rural stretches of the United States have, in many ways, defined the American spirit. Up until the 20th century, the majority of Americans lived in the countryside, in what's called --Middle America or the Heartland.
But research has shown that growing up in America's Heartland can put students at a disadvantage when it comes to their college education. This, in turn, can hinder (to make it difficult for something to develop or succeed) their social mobility.
A 2015 study released by the US Department of Education investigated the gap between urban and rural college students, by concentrating on a group of high school graduates from Indiana.
US' national statistics had previously shown that only 27 percent of rural students enroll in college, compared to 37 percent of city kids.
What the study found was that urban and rural students left high school with similar academic backgrounds. Yet, the rural students were more inclined to settle for two-year colleges or less selective universities, even though they had the potential to attend to better schools.
The researchers say distance heavily influenced the students' decisions. The farther rural graduates high schools were from colleges, the more likely rural graduates were to enroll in a two-year college or to undermatch with a college, the report read. Many of the rural students indicated that living close to family was a priority.
But the researchers also noted that resources were scarcer for the rural students. Selective universities tended to concentrate their recruitment efforts on dense, urban centers, where there were more students to meet.
A rural teen's educational opportunities may also depend on gender. Casey Quinlan, writing for The Atlantic, notes that rural women are more likely to marry sooner. Early marriage occurs most frequently among young adults with low educational background, Quinlan said, citing a 2010 study.
But the problem of social mobility isn't limited to the rural population. The United States has one of the highest rates of income inequality among developed nations. And by some measures, rural residents might have an advantage.
Stanford University's 2015 Poverty and Inequality Report found that poverty was hardest to escape in the American South, and in places with high racial segregation. It concluded that urban areas actually--tend to have lower rates of social mobility than rural areas.
The successful children growing up in rural areas do not just ' _ ' but also generally move out. That is, they typically move to large metropolitan areas, often out of their state of birth, the report explained.
Rural areas are also hoping to give their residents a boost up the social ladder. In Kansas, graduates can get $15,000 (95,297 yuan) to pay off their student debt if they move to a rural county. They keep more money in their pockets and get to enjoy more economic freedom as a result.
|
What is the main reason that the rural graduates choose to enter two-year college or to undermatch with a college?
|
[
"didn't make any mistake in the performance",
"felt better at the beginning of the performance",
"paid all attention to nothing but her performance",
"lost her concentration sometimes during the performance"
] |
paid all attention to nothing but her performance
|
My first performance in front of an audience was coming up soon.
I tried as hard as I could to remain calm, but my heart was racing. I stared down at my sweat-covered, shaking hands.
I looked up again at the audience, realizing that these were real people. They were not just my mum and dad, who would say, "Good job!" even if I messed up the entire piece.
What if I had the wrong music? What if I played the wrong notes?
As it turned out, I was never able to answer these questions because the spotlight was waiting for me. I grasped my hands tightly together, drying off the sweat.
Slowly I walked to the mud-brown piano in the center of the room. It contained 88 demanding keys, which were waiting impatiently to be played. I swallowed the golf-ball-sized lump in my throat and sat down. Slowly, I opened the music. Next, I rested my still shaking hands on the ivory keys.
As my fingers played across the keys, I was becoming more unsure of my preparation for this moment. But the memory of my years of training came flooding back. I knew that I had practiced this piece so many times that I could play it backwards if requested.
Although at one point I accidentally played two keys instead of the intended one, I continued to move my fingers automatically .
My eyes burned holes into (were fixed on) the pages in front of me.
There was no way that I was going to lose my concentration. To keep this to myself, I leaned forward and focused carefully on the music.
When I came to the end of the page, a warning went off inside my head: DON'T MAKE A MISTAKE WHEN YOU TURN THE PAGE!
Needless to say, I obeyed myself with all my heart and mind. And, proud of my "page-turning" feat , I finished the rest of the piece without making a single mistake.
After the final note died away, a celebration went into action inside my head. I had finished. I had mastered the impossible.
|
The author _ .
|
[
"Write letters.",
"Sing.",
"Play the piano.",
"Use the computer."
] |
Play the piano.
|
Lily has a pen friend in America. Her name is Alice. They write to each other every week. They tell each other about their lives. Here is a letter from Lily.
Dear Alice,
Thank you for your letter and telling me about your best friend. In this letter, I'm going to tell you about my friend. Her name is Cathy. She has long brown hair and blue eyes. She is the same age as me, but a little taller .She is always happy. We sit together in class and help each other with our homework. We always play together after school and play computer games for an hour. Cathy thinks quickly and does better than me. She is learning to play the piano .I am learning to play the piano, too. We play together every day. It's fun. We always have a good time.
Please write to me soon.
Love,
Lily
|
What else do they do together every day?
|
[
"one meaning",
"several meanings",
"few meanings",
"no meaning"
] |
several meanings
|
Most dictionaries will tell you a number of things about a language. There are three important things. These three things are spelling, pronunciation and meaning.
First, a dictionary will tell you the spelling of a word. If you are not sure about the spelling of a word, you can try to find the correct spelling in a dictionary. Words are listed in an alphabetical order--- a, b, c and so on. For example, on a dictionary page the "poor" comes before "poverty" and the word "poverty" comes before the "power". The words are always given in alphabetical order. The second thing, a dictionary will tell you the pronunciation. Most dictionaries give phonetic , or sound alphabet. The phonetic alphabet shows pronunciation. The third thing, a dictionary will tell you the meaning of words. You can look up a word and find out what it means. Many words have more than one meaning, and a good dictionary will tell you all of the word's meanings. For example, in English the common word "get" has over 20 different meanings.
|
Many words have _ .
|
[
"The Church Gift",
"A Special Note",
"The White Envelope",
"A Christmas Card"
] |
The White Envelope
|
A small ,white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree and it has been there for the past ten years or so.
It all began because my husband Justin hated Christmas--oh, not the true meaning of Christmas.Overspending was one thing, but compared to the difficult experience of choosing gifts--running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Harry and a pair of gloves for Grandma...,spending money is nothing. I felt too tired to think of any special gifts.
Knowing Justin felt the same way, I decided one year not to buy the usual shirts, sweaters, ties and so on. I reached for something special just for Justin. The inspiration came in an unusual way.
Our son Kevin, who was 12 that year, was wrestling at the junior level at the school he attended; and shortly before Christmas, there was a match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church.These youngsters, dressed in such worn-out shoes that shoe strings seemed to be the only thing holding them together, while our boys were in their blue and gold uniforms and new wrestling shoes.
As the match began, I was shocked to see that the other team were wrestling without wearing helmets to protect their ears. Well, our boys ended up defeating them. We took every weight class.
Justin, seated beside me, shook his head sadly, "I wish just one of them could have won," he said. "They have a lot potential , but losing like this could take the heart out of them." Justin loved kids--all kids, and he knew them, having coached little league football and baseball. That's when the idea for his present came. That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought different kinds of wrestling helmets and shoes. I sent them to inner-city church without leaving my name.
On Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Justin what I had done and that was his gift from me. His smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year and since then the envelope has become the highlight of our Christmas.
|
Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
|
[
"be portable",
"float away",
"get heavy",
"1ose weight"
] |
get heavy
|
Peyton,an 11-year-old boy from Florida,has the enthusiasm of scientific invention and the-gift of Thomas Edison.
The sixth-grader put his math and science skills as well as some real-life experience to use and created something that could benefit our world a lot ---- the sandless sandbag.Today he was named the winner of the Young Scientist Challenge for his sandbag.
"I had a really terrifying experience with a hurricane," said Peyton."When I was 4,I experienced Hurricane Wilma.When it hit Florida in October 2005,my family and I crowded in a closet and watched the storm bring damage and death to our area,feeling terrible and hopeless."
Saltwater flooding caused great damage,which made him think about how people can prepare for floods.Peyton,who has been solving math problems since he was 3,eventually came up with the sandless sandbag.
"Instead of filling it with sand,I filled it with just the right amount of chemicals and salt,"he said."What's amazing is that when you pick these bags up and they're not wet,they only weigh a pound or two."
Unlike regular sandbags,Peyton's is light and easy to carry.They only expand when doused with water.The bags are portable when dry and will not float away when wet.
Experts praised his invention and said that the sandless sandbag could someday save a lot of lives and possessions."He understands the big picture.He thinks in terms of the influence on society and safety for the people around this area,"said Dr.Antonio,the engineering chairman at the University of Miami."We'd love to have him at our university."
Peyton has to get through middle school and high school first,but until then,the young scientist will continue thinking and inventing.
|
when the sandless sandbag is wet,it will _ .
|
[
"only when Backster Started to destroy plants",
"when Backster destroyed plants or other living things",
"only when he destroyed things such as insects",
"only when Backster placed the galvanometer on the leaves of the plants"
] |
when Backster destroyed plants or other living things
|
Because plants cannot move or talk, most people believe that they have no feelings and that they cannot receive signals from outside. However, this may not be completely true.
People who studied plants have found out that plants carry a small electrical charge . It is possible to measure this charge with a small piece of equipment called "galvanometer". The galvanometer is placed on a leaf off the plant, and it records any changes in the electrical field of the leaf. Humans have a similar field which can change when we are shocked or frightened.
A man called Backster used a galvanometer for his studies of plants and was very surprised at his results. He found that if he had two or more plants in a room and he began to destroy one of them - perhaps by pulling off its leaves or by pulling it out of its pot - then the galvanometer on the leaves of the other plants showed a change in the electrical field. It seemed as if the plants were signalling a feeling of shock. This happened not only when Backster started to destroy plants, but also when he destroyed other living things such as insects .
Backster said that the plants also knew if someone had destroyed a living thing some distance away, because they signalled when a man who had just cut down a tree entered the room.
Another scientist, named Sauvin, achieved similar results to Backster's. He kept galvanometers fixed to his plants all the time and checked regularly to see what the plants were doing. If he was out of the office, he telephoned to find out about the signals the plants were sending. In this way, he found that the plants were sending out signals at the exact times when he felt strong pleasure or pain. In fact, Sauvin could cause a change in the electrical field of his plants over a distance of a few miles simply by thinking about them.
|
The plants sent out signals _ .
|
[
"300",
"200",
"90",
"60"
] |
200
|
The oldest and hardest cow beef may be made as tender and tasty as young and choice met. "This declaration was made by the French physicist Denis Papin in book published in 1681, which described his "New Digester" or pressure cooker. It was a cast iron pot with an air-tight lid, which allowed liquids to boil at a higher temperature than usual, and so it cooked food in a quarter of the time. The food was cooked by pressurized steam being forced through it at about 121degC. All pressure cookers were made of cast iron until 1905, when the first aluminum model was made in America. In 1938, Alfred Vischer, a man from Chicago, U. S. A., designed a simple interlocking pan and lid, and an improved pressure-tight seal --a replaceable rubber sealing ring. When Vischer's patent expired in 1954, many companies entered the field, and the rapid pressure cooker became popular with people with people who had little time to cook or had to supply food for unexpected guests.
|
From the passage we can learn pressure cooker made of cast iron lasted at least _ years.
|
[
"He feels very lonely on campus.",
"He will promote close-in culture.",
"He will spend the Spring Festival with relatives.",
"He will spend the Spring Festival with on-line friends."
] |
He will spend the Spring Festival with on-line friends.
|
As most university students are packing their bags,boarding trains or flying home for the Spring Festival,some will stay behind to spend the holiday on campus.
Zhou Yunyun,22,a senior finance major at Jilin University,has decided that instead of traveling to Hainan province,he will kill the time by playing computer games with his online friends.
"I'm used to chatting and playing with them every day.It's just fun to make friends this way,"he said."When I returned home in past years,my relatives always asked me a lot of questions about my plans after graduation.They had high expectations of me,which made me feel stressed," said Zhou.
The campus,usually lively,will probably turn into a death town,with most restaurants,shops and student centers closed during the break.But there are also a few advantages,according to Jia Debao,2 1,a junior majoring in administration at China Agricultural University."I might feel a bit lonely,but at least I can stay away from my parents' complaining and enjoy the peaceful and quiet stay," he said."More importantly,I can enjoy the high speed of the Internet,I can always find empty seats in classrooms,and I don't have to wait to use the bathroorm" But education experts recommend students who stay on campus to come up with more interactive plans.That's because communication on the Internet can't replace real life interpersonal relationships.
Society has promoted a kind of" _ " or close-in culture among some young people, according to Shi Tongyu, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. He warned that this kind of lifestyle can damage students' mental and physical development.
"When you constantly stare at a computer screen and type on your keyboard,you gradually lose the ability to socialize and survive normally,"said Shi."A human's most important task is to survive,which cannot be completed by staying at home all the time. Instead,it must be achieved through real life experience and communication."
|
What can we learn about Zhou Yunyun?
|
[
"brought living areas and places of entertainment close together",
"separated recreation facilities far from home",
"improved recreative possibilities in the neighborhood",
"enabled people to reach the best standard of living"
] |
separated recreation facilities far from home
|
Greenspace facilities are contributing to an important degree to the quality of the city environment. Fortunately it is no longer necessary that every lecture or every book about this subject has to start with the proof of this idea. At present it is generally accepted, although more as a self-proved statement than on the base of a closely reasoned scientific proof. Recognizing the importance of greenspaces in the city environment is a first step on the right way, this does not mean, however, that enough details are known about the functions of greenspace in towns and about the way in which people are using these spaces. As to this subject I shall within the scope of this lecture, enter into one aspect only, namely the recreative function of greenspace facilities.
The theoretical separation of living, working, traffic and recreation which for many years has been used in town and country planning, has in my opinion resulted in more attention for forms of recreation far from home, while there was relatively little attention for improvement of recreative possibilities in the direct neighborhood of the home. We have come to the conclusion that this is not right, because an important part of the time which we do not pass in sleeping or working, is used for activities at and around home. So it is obvious that recreation in the open air has to begin at the street door of the house. The city environment has to offer as many recreation activities as possible, and the design of these has to be such that more required activities can also have recreative aspect.
The very best standard of living is nothing if it is not possible to take a pleasant walk in the district, if the children cannot be allowed to play in the streets because the risks of traffic are too great, if during shopping you can nowhere find a spot for enjoying for a moment the nice weather, in short, if you only feel yourself at home after the street door of your house is closed after you.
|
For many years town and country planning has _ .
|
[
"He stayed in bed.",
"He asked his wife for help.",
"He called the doctor",
"He went to the hospital with his wife"
] |
He went to the hospital with his wife
|
Mr Black works in an office. He's very busy and he has no time to rest. Every evening, When he comes back from his office, he always feels tired and wants to go to bed early, but his wife often has something interesting to tell him after supper. She keeps talking until it's too late. But Mr Black has to get up early in the morning.
One day Mr Black felt terrible and couldn't go to work. He went to see a doctor with Mrs Black. Before he said what the matter was him, his wife told the doctor all. The doctor got the reason and said to Mrs Black, "Here is a bottle of medicine for your husband and some pills for you."
"For me?" the woman said in surprise, "I'm fine. I don't need any medicine!"
"I don't think, madam," said the doctor, "They're sleeping pills . Your husband will soon be all right if you take them!"
|
What did Mr Black do when he was ill?
|
[
"It's hard.",
"It's boring.",
"It's happy.",
"It's rich."
] |
It's hard.
|
Amy is an American student in Des Moines, Iowa. She is nine years old and she is in Grade Four this year. Now she and her friends are pen pals of the students in India.
In their letters, Amy learns that life of Indian children is difficult. And they don't have money to buy desks for school. She is surprised and wants to help them.
She and her friends collect $711. A charity group helps them buy 75 desks. "We have many good things in our country," said Amy. "We should help others." She also hopes to raise money to build a well for them. Then the students can get clean water from it. It may be a good gift for the Indian children.
|
How is the students' life in India?
|
[
"Asian people tend to save more money.",
"Asian children depart from their diet tradition.",
"Asian children eat big meals on more occasions.",
"Culture contributes to the fatness of Asian children."
] |
Asian people tend to save more money.
|
You are what you eat and fats are a main food for Asia's fast-food generation. Dr.Chwang, director of the Department of Food Nutrition, says children are consuming more meat and soft drinks. That is a thorough departure from the traditional diet of vegetables and rice and little meat." They like big pieces of fried meat with a soft drink. So although they may eat the same volume of food, their calorie intake has increased. Now that 40 to 45 percent of their calories come from fat," says Chwang.
Although on the whole Asians tend to thinness, culture--namely Asians' hospitality--is a reason for the fatness of today's generation, according to Chwang. "Asian people love food," she says." Eating and drinking are important social and family functions." In the past, however, big meals were only hosted on special occasions, as people were more careful with money. In today's climate of wealth and remarkable consumption,10-course meals are no longer reserved for significant occasions.
"In the past, people had four or more children--now, they have one or two, so they tend to spoil them," says Chwang. "The earliest way is to give them quality food. Parents think feeding them well is showing their love. They feel bad when their children look thin."
When describing the physical condition of most overweight Asian children, Chwang says: "there is a clear relation between fatness and indoor play. Children get fat because they don't move, and eventually, they don't want to move because they are fat."
Thanks to technology, a growing army of children prefer video games to old outdoor sports. "What do children do when watching TV or sitting in front of the computer playing video games? They eat chocolate and drink Coke," says Chwang.
|
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
|
[
"ignored everyone who visited him",
"became unpleasant toward other people",
"was left alone to get full rest",
"no longer wanted to live"
] |
became unpleasant toward other people
|
Four days after Dad's 67thbirthday, he had a heart attack. Luckily, he survived. But something inside him had died. His enthusiasm for life was gone. He refused to follow doctor's orders, and his sour attitude made everyone upset when they visit him. Dad was left alone.
So I asked Dad to come to live with me on my small farm, hoping the fresh air would help him adjust. Within a week after he moved in, I regretted the invitation. He criticized everything I did. I became frustrated. Something had to be done.
One day I read an article which said when given dogs, depressed patients would be better off. So I drove to the animal shelter that afternoon. As soon as I got there, a pointer's eyes caught my attention. They watched me calmly.
A staff member said: "He got here two weeks ago and we've heard nothing. His time is up tomorrow."
I turned to the man in horror. "You mean you're going to kill him?"
"Ma'am," he said gently. "We don't have room for every unclaimed dog."
The police's calm brown eyes awaited my decision. "I'll take him," I said.
I drove home with the dog on the front seat beside me. I was helping it out of the car when Dad walked onto the front porch. "Look what I got you!" I said excitedly.
Dad wrinkled his face. "I don't want it," he muttered, turning back towards the house. Then, suddenly, the dog pulled free from my grasp. He sat down in front of my Dad.
Dad's anger melted, and soon he was hugging the dog.
This was the beginning of a warm friendship. Dad named the dog Cheyenne. Together they spent long hours walking down dusty lanes and relaxing on the banks of streams.
Dad's bitterness faded, and he and Cheyenne went on to make many friends. Then, late one night two years later, I felt Cheyenne's cold nose burrowing through my bed covers. He had never before come into my bedroom at night. I ran into my father's room and found that he had passed away.
Two days later, my shock and grief deepened when I discovered Cheyenne lying dead beside Dad's bed. As I buried him near their favorite stream, I silently thanked the dog for restoring Dad's peace of mind.
|
After the author's father survived the heart attack, he _ .
|
[
"A fight between two people on Google.",
"A way to make sure you win an argument.",
"A website showing how many hits two different things have.",
"A list of all the websites on Google."
] |
A website showing how many hits two different things have.
|
Googlefight is a simple service available on the Internet which offers you the chance to compare two different items and see how many hits they get on the Google search engine. The seemingly simple device has proved invaluable to users, especially to help win arguments.
For example, imagine that you and your friends are arguing about who are the most popular music or movie stars, you can decide the argument by writing the names in the Googlefight boxes. Let's say that you are arguing about Jackie Chan and Jet Li. You will quickly discover that Jet Li is mentioned 16 million times on Google pages, whereas Jackie Chan is mentioned a mere 12 million times! In this unscientific way, you can claim victory for one Star over another.
But teachers have come up with ways of using Googlefight which are much more useful from an academic point of view, particularly when it comes to studying languages. You can, for example, find out the frequency of two words with the same meaning, and deduce from the answers which one is more common. For example, let's take the words "buy" and "purchase", which mean the same thing (although "buy" is only a verb and "purchase" is both a verb and a noun). It is immediately clear from Googlefight that "buy" is much more commonly used, with a massive three and a half billion hits, compared to only one billion occurrences for the more formal word.
But the real value of Googlefight to the language learner is in determining which is the more common of two phrases. For example, "raining cats and dogs" is an old-fashioned English expression about the weather. Do English speakers still use it? Or are they more likely to say "pouring down"? Googlefight suggests the latter. "Pouring down" has 898,000 Google hits, whereas "raining cats and dogs" only has 326,000.
With phrases, it's important to remember that you need to use quote marks to make the search more accurate. For example, if you type in the similar phrases "look after" and "take care of " without quote marks, the second phrase seems to be more common, but with quote marks, the result is reversed.
|
What is Googlefight?
|
[
"think it hard",
"be important",
"be wrong",
"forget to answer"
] |
forget to answer
|
A good way to pass an exam is to work hard every day in the year. You may fail in an exam if you are lazy for most of the year and then work hard only a few days before the exam.
Do not remember only grammar when you are learning English. Try to read stories in English and speak in English as often as you can. A few days before the exam you should go to bed early. Do not study late at night. Before you start the exam, read carefully over the exam paper. Try to understand the exact meaning of each question before you pick up your pen to write. When you have finished your exam, read your answers again. Correct the mistakes if there are any and make sure you have not missed anything out.
|
In the last sentence "miss ...out" means _ .
|
[
"it is easier to say yes than to say no",
"it is easier to say no than to say yes",
"neither is easy-to say yes or to say no",
"neither is difficult-to say yes or to say no"
] |
it is easier to say yes than to say no
|
"It hurts me more than you," and "This is for your own good." These are the statements my mother used to make years ago when I had to learn Latin, clean my room, stay home and do homework
That was before we entered the permissive period in education in which we decided it was all right not to push our children to achieve their best in school. The schools and the educators made it easy to us. They thought that it was all right to be parents who take a let-alone policy. We stopped making our children do homework. We gave them calculators, turned on the television, left the teaching to the teachers and went on vacation.
Now teachers, faced with children who have been developing at their own pace for the past 15 years, are realizing we've made a terrible mistake. One such teacher is Sharon Klompus who says of her students - "so passive" - and wonders what happened. Nothing was demanded of them, she believes. "Television," says Klompus, "contributes to children's passivity. We're not training kids to work any more. We're talking about a generation of kids who've never been hurt or hungry. They have learned somebody will always do it for them. Instead of saying 'go look it up', you tell them the answer. It takes greater energy to say no to a kid."
Yes, it does. It takes energy and it takes work. It's time for parents to end their vacation and come back to work. It's time to take the car away, to turn the TV off, to tell them it hurts you more than them but it's for their own good. It's time to start telling them "no" again.
|
To such children as described in the text _ .
|
[
"Careers in teenagers' mind.",
"Choosing a good job is very important.",
"Teenagers in the UK like doctors.",
"The choice of career needs challenge."
] |
Careers in teenagers' mind.
|
"When I grow up, I want to be..."
Almost all of us have thought about, or been asked to think about, our future careers. Our answers may differ greatly. Even now your aspirations may have changed from when you were in primary school.
However, it seems career options aren't only based on personal taste. In a survey carried out by Teens, doctors, lawyers, and bankers were some of most popular careers that people said they hoped to follow. This is in line with a similar survey carried out in the UK in May 2011 by job website monster. Co.uk, in which medicine was the top choice among UK teenagers aged between 13 and 17.
Medicine and law are two of the oldest and best known professions. Their prestige may come from the fact that doctors and lawyers are some of the most esteemed members of society, and they make good money. Joining these high-profile professions is often seen as a sign of upward social mobility.
It is equally unsurprising that banking is now one of the most common career choices. Youngsters worldwide think of banking and see the money rolling in. Wealth is increasingly becoming one of the most important indicators of a successful career. British young men list the UK tycoon Alan Sugar, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg as their top role models "for their wealth". Just as Chinese teenagers see being a banker as a good and fun pathway to "wealth".
However, not every child has the makings of doctor, lawyer, or banker. They are those who see fulfillment and happiness in other areas, and many teenagers dare to ink more individuality into their career options. As the Teens' survey discovered, a variety of unconventional jobs---coffee shop owner, gourmet ,waiter at a fast food restaurant---are among teenagers' career choices. They can be equally interesting and rewarding jobs.
With every choice comes responsibility and challenge, and all career paths require specific education and training, you have to learn to balance optimism and confidence with being realistic about your particular talents and skills.
|
What is the passage mainly about?
|
[
"Students shouldn't do any chores in school.",
"Parents require students to do some chores in school.",
"Some parents think doing some chores is harmful to students.",
"Doing some chores can develop students' good qualities."
] |
Doing some chores can develop students' good qualities.
|
Students at a primary school in Fuzhou, Hast China's Fujian Province were required to clean the school toilets to help them develop good habits. But some parents are strongly against the idea. They can't see the advantages of students doing such chores . They think that the school should provide students with a proper education, not the chance to be school cleaners.
In fact, parents, schools and society play an equally important role in developing the character of students. It is good for schools to give students such tasks,because few of the students will do them at home. Their parents want them to do homework only.
In recent years, some parents will _ when students are asked to do some chores in schools. Some complain about the teachers if their kids get hurt in schools; some even challenge the schools' teaching methods and management. As a result, many primary schools, especially those in big cities, do not let students join in outdoor activities during breaks, fearing that they might get hurt. This is bad for the development of students' best qualities.
What the primary school in Fuzhou is doing is worth praising. Doing chores can put a sense of responsibility into students' minds and teach them the spirit of rules as well as teamwork. Also, it can make students' in-school experiences more meaningful.
|
What is the main idea of the passage?
|
[
"All the teenagers.",
"Children aged 4 to 14.",
"Middle-aged women in Africa.",
"Senior citizens with low income."
] |
Children aged 4 to 14.
|
Children grow quickly, especially their feet, but many families cannot buy new shoes each time a child needs them. As a result, about 300 million children around the world go barefoot. Those children risk picking up diseases and parasites from the soil.
An American man may have a solution for those barefoot kids -- a shoe that grows with the child. Kenton Lee is the creator of The Shoe That Grows. He explains how the shoe works and how it is able to last so long.
"It grows in three places: the front; it can also grow on the side with Velcro; and on the back with our buckle. It can last up to five years. The bottom is compressed rubber like tire rubber. The top is just high-quality leather." The shoe comes in two sizes: small that fits children aged 4 to 9 and large for children aged 9 to 14.
Lee says he got the idea for the shoe while working as a volunteer in an orphanage in Kenya. "... and there was a little girl in a white dress walking next to me. And I just remember looking down and seeing how small her shoes were. They were just way too small for her feet. They were so small that she had to cut open the front of her shoes to let her toes stick out. And I just remember thinking, wouldn't it be nice if there were a pair of shoes that could grow with her feet?"
However, Lee says it was not easy to turn his idea into a reality. "I kept writing down I should do this because of this or because of that. All these reasons why it really was important for me to try to make the shoes that could grow and try to help." Finally, in 2009 Lee founded a non-profit organization called Because International. In the office of Because International, Lee keeps a pair of his own shoes to help him remember his promise. "I told myself I would not get new shoes until the idea was done. So, those are the shoes that I wore for a little over five years."
|
Who is this kind of newly invented shoes intended for?
|
[
"He can't see and hear anything.",
"He always gives trouble to his family.",
"He was born without feet.",
"He often argues with his partners."
] |
He was born without feet.
|
When your dream is to become a footballer, nothing should get in your way--even if you have no feet.
Gabriel Muniz, an 11-year-old Brazil kid, was born without feet. Although his family thought he would have serious difficulties living a normal life, he started walking before he was one year old. His mother would go after him, expecting him to keep falling, but he never fell. It took him a while to make the jump from walking to playing football, but he did make it. And, in fact, there's nothing he loves more than playing football. In his school, the skillful youngster is not only the best player in his school team but also the captain of his gym team.
He knows that his disability means he'll never be able to play for a professional football team. So Gabriel is hoping that football will one day become a Paralympics sport. He proved to everyone there he could go head to head with any other boy. Watching him play is unbelievable. He's fast and he's got a big bag of tricks--he's very skilled and he does everything he can to copy his hero, Messi so much that he is invited to go to Spain to meet his hero Messi and show his talent in the Barcelona Football Club.
His coach says he is proving the disability only exists inside our heads and he is challenging the social
.
|
What's wrong with Gabriel Muniz?
|
[
"satisfied the old man",
"wanted to marry the old man's daughter",
"were successful",
"were tired of telling others lies"
] |
wanted to marry the old man's daughter
|
Once there was an old man who liked being told lies. He said "Any man who can tell me two lies which can satisfy me can marry my daughter." So all the liars in the countryside came to his house. But he said to all of them, "I am not satisfied with your lies. I would not give my daughter to any of you. One day, however, a young man came and said, "It will be very hot in summer, so you should go out now and dig a big hole under the street. Then when the hot summer weather comes you will sell the cool air from the hole and get a lot of money." Oh, that's a wonderful lie," answered the old man. "What's the next one?" The young man took out an old paper from his pocket, and said, "Your father borrowed one million from me before he died. He gave this paper to prove that he owed me the money. I didn't ask him to pay that to me." Now the old man did not know what to do. "If I say it's a lie, I must give my daughter, but if I say it's not a lie, I must pay him all the money." He said to himself. In the end he said, It's a lie." And the young man married his daughter.
|
All the liars in the countryside _
|
[
"is the name of a politician",
"is most frequently used sometimes",
"is not used any more",
"is still used as much as \"bobby\""
] |
is not used any more
|
The British policeman has several nicknames, but the most frequently used are"copper"and"bobby". The first name comes from the verb "cop" meaning "to take" or "capture", and thesecond comes from the first name of Sir Robert Peel, a 19th century politician, who was the founder of the police force. An early nickname for the policeman was "peeler", but this name had died out.
Visitors to England seem,nearly always, to be very impressed by the English police. In fact, it has become a joke that the visitors to Britain, when asked for his views of the country, will always say,at some point or other, "I think your policemen are wonderful."
Well, the British bobby may not always be wonderful but he is usually a very friendly and helpful character.
A music-hall song of some years ago was called, "If you want to know the time, ask a policeman." Nowadays, most people own watches but they still seem to find plenty of other questions to ask the policeman. In London, the policemen spend so much of their time directing visitors about the city that one wonders how they ever find time to do anything else!
|
One of the nicknames for the policeman, "peeler" _ .
|
[
"1964",
"1965",
"1969",
"1979"
] |
1964
|
A baby carrier is like a backpack for carrying a baby. Ann Moore introduced the idea of a baby carrier to American people nearly 50 years ago.
Ann spent two years in Africa in the early 1960s. She worked as a nurse there. Ann saw babies wrapped in bright cloth tied to their mothers' backs. The babies snuggled close to their mothers, and the mothers could use their hands to do other things.
In 1964, Ann had her own baby. She tried making a carrier like the one African mothers used. The carrier was like a backpack. Everywhere Ann went with her baby in the carrier, people asked, "Where can I buy one?" In 1965, Ann and her mother began to sell handmade carriers. Ann received a patent for the baby carrier in 1969. By that time, the baby carrier had leg holes and straps that could be made longer or shorter. It could also be worn on the back or front.
By 1979, the baby carriers were made in a factory. These baby carriers cost less to make and more than 25,000 were sold every month.
When Ann made her first baby carrier, she just wanted to keep her baby close and still have her hands free to do other things. Now all over the world babies ride in baby carriers, close to their parents, safe and happy.
,.
|
Ann Moore made her first baby carrier in _ .
|
[
"is in the suburbs of London",
"is the busiest street in London",
"contains various kinds of shops",
"is famous for its bookshops"
] |
is famous for its bookshops
|
Londoners are great readers. They buy vast numbers of newspapers and magazines and of books --- especially paperbacks, which are still comparatively cheap in spite of ever-increasing rises in the costs of printing. They still continue to buy "proper" books, too, printed on good paper and bound between hard covers.
There are many streets in London containing shops which specialize in book-selling. Perhaps the best known of these is Charring Cross Road in the very heart of London. Here bookshops of all sorts and sizes are to be found, from the celebrated one which boasts of being "the biggest bookshop in the world" to the tiny, dusty little places which seem to have been left over from Dickens' time. Some of these shops stock, or will obtain, any kind of book, but many of them specialize in second-hand books, in art books, in foreign books, in books on philosophy, politics or any other of the countless subjects about which books may be written. One shop in this area specializes only in books about ballet!
Although it may be the most convenient place for Londoners to buy books, Charring Cross Road is not the cheapest. For the really cheap second-hand books, the collector must _ , to Farringdon Road, for example, in the East Central district of London. Here there is nothing so impressive as bookshops. The booksellers come along each morning and pour out their sacks of books onto small hand carts. And the collectors, some professionals and some amateurs, have been waiting for them. In places like this they can still, occasionally, pick up for a few pence an old one that may be worth many pounds.
|
According to this passage, Charring Cross Road _ .
|
[
"Joan and Lily are students.",
"Lily is in a pink skirt.",
"Joan is in a yellow skirt.",
"Joan and Lily are in the same class."
] |
Joan and Lily are in the same class.
|
My name is Joan. I'm a student. I'm fifteen. My dad and mom are teachers. I have a sister. Her name is Lily. She is sixteen.She is a student,too.We are from Canada, but we are in Beijing now. Look! The man in a white coat is my dad. The woman in a red dress is my mom.The girl in a pink skirt is Lily and I'm in a yellow skirt. Are we cool?
,.
|
Which of the following sentences is NOT right?
|
[
"About one person in three West Virginians are overweight.",
"Over weight may cause a lot of diseases.",
"The problem of students'over weight has been realized.",
"There are only 157 middle schools inWest Virginia."
] |
There are only 157 middle schools inWest Virginia.
|
prefix = st1 /West Virginia--Public schools are using a dance video game to help get students in shape. In these schools, students are often told to turn off their video games and get some exercise. The schools have found a new way for their students to work out while playing a new video game. West Virginiais one of the heaviest states in the country. About half of its fifth-graders are considered to be overweight, and their parents are worried about that. To get them moving on a healthier path, the state's public schools are using a video game called "Dance Dance Revolution".
To use the game, players should stand on a special mat in front of a TV screen. Following arrows on the screen, players must move their feet to the specific symbols on the mat. Players must move quickly, touching symbols on the mat at just the right time. With each song, they get more exercise.
"It we can get children to change their behavior at a young age, they will hopefully grow up to be healthy and active adults," said Carl Callison of Mountain State Blue Cross, a health care company.
West Virginiais ranked among the top three heaviest states. About a third of West Virginians are considred to be obese. Even more are considered to be overweight. Extra weight can lead to serious health problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes, some cancers, and many other health issues.
"One out of three children born in West Virginia today will have diabetes by the time they grow up," said Nidia Henderson, a manager for the public employees' insurance program. "That's a terrible thing and not acceptable."
All ofWest Virginia's 157 middle schools are using the video game. School officials hope that all public schools in the state will use the game within the next three years. However, officials emphasize that the game is not meant to _ physical education and health classes. The game will be part of physical education classes and after-school programs.
|
According to the text, which of the following is not true?
|
[
"a big school",
"Miller's shop",
"a music club",
"a bus stop"
] |
a music club
|
Mrs Brown goes to see her son in London . Her son works in a music club there . Mrs Brown doesn't know London well . And she can't find her way .
She sees a man at a bus stop . She wants to ask the man the way . "Excuse me , but can you help me . please ?Which bus goes to Miller's shop ?" Mrs Brown asked .
The man is very friendly . He smiles . But he can't speak English .He can speak French . He is new in London . He puts his hand into his coat and takes out a small book . He opens it and reads something on it . " I'm sorry , I can't speak English ."
|
Mrs Brown's son works in _ .
|
[
"How animals survive a quake.",
"How animals differ from humans.",
"How animals behave before a quake.",
"How animals protect their young in a quake."
] |
How animals behave before a quake.
|
Mandara seemed to know something big was about to happen. So she let out a yell, caught hold of her 2-year-old daughter Kibibi and climbed up into a tree. She lives at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.
And on Tuesday, August 23rd, witnesses say she seemed to sense the big earthquake that shook much of the East Coast before any humans knew what was going on. And she's not the only one. In the moments before the quake, an orangutan let out a loud call and then climbed to the top of her shelter.
"It's very different from their normal call," said Brandie Smith, the zookeeper. "The lemurs (monkey-like animals of Madagascar) will sound an alarm call if they see or hear something highly unusual."
But you can't see or hear an earthquake 15 minutes before it happens, can you? Maybe you can -- if you're an animal. "Animals can hear above and below our range of hearing," said Brandie Smith. "That's part of their special abilities. They're more sensitive to the environment, which is how they survive."
Primates weren't the only animals that seemed to sense the quake before it happened. One of the elephants made a warning sound. And a huge lizard ran quickly for _ . The flamingoes (a kind of bird) gathered before the quake and stayed together until the shaking stopped.
So what kind of vibrations were the animals picking up in the moments before the quake? Scientist Susan Hough says earthquakes produce two types of waves -- a weak "P" wave and then a much stronger "S" wave. The "P" stands for "primary". And the "S" stands for "secondary". She said she thinks the "P" wave might be what set the animals off.
Not all the animals behaved unusually before the quake. For example, Smith says the zoo's giant pandas didn't jump up until the shaking actually began. But many of the other animals seemed to know something was coming before it happened. "I'm not surprised at all," Smith said.
|
What is the best title for the passage?
|
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