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[
"they were badly treated",
"they did not do farm work",
"they had enough food to eat",
"they enjoyed better health care"
] |
they had enough food to eat
|
The American population was the tallest in the world from about the American Revolution to World WarII -- that's a long time. The U.S. had a very resource rich environment, with _ , fish and wildlife. In fact we have data on disadvantaged people in America, such as slaves. They were obviously among the most mistreated populations in the world, but given the resource abundance,and given the fact that the slave owners needed their work, they had to be fed ly fairly well. So the slaves were taller than European peasants. It's no wonder that Europeans were just flooding to America.
Americans today are no longer the tallest people in the world. After World WarII,many Western and Northern European countries began to adopt favorable social policies. There is universal health insurance in most of these societies -- that, of course, makes a difference in health care. You can also consider income inequality in the U.S., since people who are at the low end of the totem pole have considerable adversity making ends meet. I suspect the difference in height between Americans and Europeans is due to both diet and health care.
Americans today suffer from an additional problem: obesity . If children are too well nourished, then they're not able to grow best. There are certain hormones that control the start of the adolescent growth and the start of adolescence. Nutrition is one of the factors, along with genetic and hormonal ones which are associated with the start of puberty . And if puberty comes too early, then the youth will peak out sooner, and will not become as tall in adulthood as someone who had better nutrition.Also, the overload of carbohydrates and fats in a fastfood diet may hinder the consumption of micronutrients necessary to growth.
|
Slaves in America were taller than European peasants because _ .
|
[
"a son and a daughter",
"Jack and Kate's sister",
"three children",
"a family of five"
] |
a son and a daughter
|
This is a photo of Mr. Black's family. The man with glasses is Mr. Black, the father. The woman is the mother. They have a son and a daughter. The son is behind(....) Jack and Kate are in the same school, but they are in different grades. Jack is in Grade Three and Kate is in Grade One. They are good students.
|
Mr. and Mrs. Black have _ .
|
[
"how to use our arms or legs",
"how to read and write",
"how to have a good memory",
"how to learn from the people"
] |
how to have a good memory
|
If you do not use your arms or your legs for some time, they will become weak, when you start using them again, they slowly become strong again. Everybody knows that. Yet many people do not seem to know that memory works in the same way.
When someone says that he has a good memory, he really means that he keeps his memory in practice by using it. When someone else says that his memory is poor, he really means that he does not give it enough chance to become strong.
If a friend says that his arms and legs are weak, we know that it is his own fault. But if he tells us that he has a poor memory, many of us think that his parents may be blamed , and few of us know that it is just his own fault. Have you ever found that some people can't read or write but usually they have better memories ? This is because they cannot read or write and they have to remember things, they cannot write them down in a small notebook. They have to remember days, names, songs and stories, so their memory is the whole time being exercised.
So if you want to have a good memory, learn from the people: practise remembering things in a way as other people do.
|
The writer wants to tell us _ .
|
[
"there are many people like Mrs. Ward",
"the store the author visited treated the disabled equally",
"most employees in the supermarket are disabled",
"the store manager ignored people with disabilities"
] |
the store the author visited treated the disabled equally
|
I spotted (;) him at the checkout counter, bagging at No.14. His arms shook violently as he placed a box of eggs into a plastic bag. He wore a name card upon which he had wiritten "Jerry" in kindergarten handwriting. He looked middle-aged but his mental age must have been about 12.
Ever since I smiled at him the first time he bagged my groceries at my local supermarket, Jerry has followed me around like an adoring fan. His lack of boundaries makes me uncomfortable. I don't know how to avoid being noticed by him. I don't want to speak to the manager -- my complaint could get him fired. So I started avoiding him.
I can still remember the hurt I felt when I was 10 and our neighbor Mrs. Ward didn't respond when I said hello with David and Diane. Instead, she hurried out of the supermarket, leaving me holding my brother and sister's hands. I realized at that moment that I hated Mrs. Ward's reaction. Why, then, years later, was I acting as she had?
I picked up a magazine Real Simple. The beautiful photos did nothing to straighten out the guilt in me. I was being ridiculous. The last three times I have seen Jerry, I rushed. There are other stores, but I chose this one because it employs people with disabilities. I want people like my brothers to have jobs. I don't want them to be ignored, the way I am avoiding Jerry.
|
We can infer from the text that _ .
|
[
"twelve years",
"twenty weeks",
"twelve months",
"twenty years"
] |
twenty years
|
Mrs. Brown's old grandfather lived with her and her husband. Every morning he went for a walk in the park and came home at half past twelve for his lunch .
But one morning a police car stopped outside Mrs. Brown's house at twelve o'clock, and two policemen helped Mrs. Brown to get out . One of them said to Mrs. Brown . " The poor old man lost his way in the park and phoned to us for help , so we sent a car to bring him home . " Mrs. Brown was very surprised , but she thanked the policemen and they left .
" But , grandfather , "she then said " you have been to that park nearly every day for twenty years . How did you lose your way there ?"
The old man smiled , closed one eye and said , " I didn't quite lose my way , I just got tired and I didn't want to walk home !"
,.
|
The old man had been to the park every day for _ .
|
[
"Because the woman found that the author didn't respect her.",
"Because the woman realized that the author made up a story.",
"Because the author hadn't been a cook before or got a reference.",
"Because the woman had already hired a more suitable cook."
] |
Because the author hadn't been a cook before or got a reference.
|
Since my family were not going to be helpful about my taking a cooking job, I decided I would look for one all by myself and not to tell them about it till I'd got a permanent one.
I had seen an agency advertised in a local paper, so as soon as there was no one about to say "Where are you going?" I rushed out of the house in search of it. I was wildly excited, and as nervous as if I were going on the stage. Finding the place quite easily, I tore up three flights of stairs, and swung breathlessly through a door which said "Enter without knocking, if you please."
The simple atmosphere of the office calmed me, and I sat down on the edge of a chair. The woman at the desk opposite looked carefully at me. Then she questioned me in a low voice. I answered softly and started to feel helpless. She wondered why I was looking for this sort of job, so I felt I had to give her the idea of a widowed mother struggling against poverty. But I felt more helpless when she told me that it would be difficult to get a job without experience or references. Suddenly, the telephone on her desk rang. While having a mysterious conversation, she kept looking at me. Then I heard her say:
"In fact, I've got someone here who might suit." She wrote down a number, and my spirits rose as she held out the paper to me, saying: "Ring up this lady. She wants a cook immediately. Cook a dinner for ten people tomorrow. Could you manage that, I wonder?"
"Oh, yes," say I--never having cooked for more than four. Then I rushed out and called the lady, Miss Cathy. I said confidently that I was just what she was looking for. "Are you sure?" she kept saying. Anyway she decided to employ me and a permanent position if I carried out the promise of my self-praise. I asked her what tomorrow's menu was to be.
"Just a small, simple dinner: lobster cocktail, soup, turbot Mornay, fruit salad and a savory." In a rather shaken voice I promised to turn up in good time tomorrow and rang off.
|
Why didn't the woman give the author the job at first?
|
[
"He had heard a strange dream for the kid.",
"He thought the writer was a coward kid.",
"He thought he dressed up as an alien successfully.",
"He found out the truth about the alien last night."
] |
He thought he dressed up as an alien successfully.
|
It was a dark and stormy night. I was about to go to bed when I heard a tapping sound on my window. "Who's there?" I shouted. Suddenly there was a flash of lighting; I saw a face at the window. It looked like an alien that I have seen on the television show.
I felt very scared. I ran to my bed and pulled my blanket over my head. I started to shout for my parents but there was no reply. Then I remembered that they were at a dress party.
After a while my head showed up out of my blanket but it was too dark to see anything. Then I heard footsteps. They were getting louder and louder. It was dark but I knew the way to drawer where I kept my camera. I ran there and took out my camera and started to take pictures in the direction of the window. Soon the footsteps _ , maybe because of my taking picture.
The grandfather clock struck...It was 12 midnight. I went back to my bed and tried to sleep. But I couldn't sleep. I felt too frightened. I sat up; my mind was full of thoughts. Time passed, one o'clock, two o'clock, ... Finally, I fell asleep.
I woke up only after eight and decided to find out the truth. I found some footprints outside my bedroom window. I measured them with a tape and found them to be exactly the same size as my father's shoes. The footprints ended at the door of my house. I then went to town to get the film developed . But when I saw the photos, they were black and I could hardly see anything. Then I remembered that I did not use the flash.
When I reached home, I told my father the whole matter and he started to laugh. I also started laughing when he told me that he had dressed up as an alien for the party.
|
Why did the writer's father laugh?
|
[
"the writer's family is poor",
"the writer's father is ill",
"the writer's father died",
"the writer felt happy when he lived with his mother"
] |
the writer felt happy when he lived with his mother
|
Dear Mom,
We had a nice time in the park last week, Mom, but you left the day before yesterday. Where did you? What happened to you?
When we were together, we went shopping, flew kites, went swimming ... You bought me a T-shirt in a store. You helped me with my homework. And you made sandwiches for me. We also slept together every night. You never said you would leave me. I began to look for you when I found you left, but I failed.
Mom, thank you for teaching me so much. I hope to see you again. It's time for bed. I miss you!
Yours,
Jim
|
From the passage we know _ .
|
[
"was disappointed at her students' performance",
"was very confident in her students",
"felt she didn't teach them much",
"felt very confident in herself at first"
] |
felt very confident in herself at first
|
I arrived in the classroom,ready to share my knowledge and experience with 76 students who would be my English literature class. Having taught in the US for 17 years,I have no doubt about my ability to hold their attention and to impress on them my admiration for the literature of my mother tongue.
I was shocked when the monitor shouted, "stand up!" The entire class rose as I entered the room and l was somewhat confused about how to get them to sit down again,but once the embarrassment was over, I quickly regained my calmness and admiration. I went back to my office with the rosy glow which came from a strong sense of achievement.
My students kept diaries. However, as I read them the rosy glow was gradually replaced by a strong sense of sadness.The first diary said, "Our literature teacher didn't teach us anything today perhaps her next lecture will be better." Greatly surprised.I read diary after diary, each expressing a similar theme. "Didn't I teach them anything? I described the entire Western _ and laid the historical background for all the works we will study in class," I complained. "How should they say I didn't teach them anything?"
It was a long term, and it gradually became clear that my ideas about education were not the same as those of my students. I thought a teacher's job was to raise interesting questions and provide enough background so that students could draw their own conclusions. My students thought a teacher's job was to provide exact information as directly and clearly as possible. What a difference!
However, I also learned a lot,and the experience with my Chinese students has made me a better American teacher, knowing how to teach in a different culture.
|
We can know that on the first day the writer _ .
|
[
"he wouldn't die",
"he would die",
"he couldn't sleep",
"he could sleep"
] |
he would die
|
Two old men lived in a room on the third floor of an old people's home. Both men were very old and badly ill, and they spent 24 hours a day in bed in the room.
Luckily, one of the old men had his bed by the window, and every day he spent hours telling his friend far from the window what he could see through the window. He told him about the traffic going by, the children playing in the park opposite, and the birds flying in trees. The old man far from the window got a lot of pleasure from hearing about the world outside, but after a time he began to get rather unhappy. How nice it would be, he thought, if he had the bed by the window and could see everything for him, instead of just hearing about it.
One night, the man by the window called to his friend, "Quick! Pull the alarm by your bed; I don't think I can get through the night!" But his friends, expecting an empty bed by the window, did nothing---he just closed his eyes and went back to sleep.
The next morning, the nurse found the man dead in his bed by the window.
The old man was very excited as they moved him into the empty bed by the window. He sat up in bed, pulled back the curtain, looked out --- and saw only a wall.
|
The old man by the window thought _ that night when he asked his friend for help.
|
[
"the U.S. technology is advanced",
"the environment is politically stable",
"the labor cost there has been reduced",
"the market in the U.S. is very attractive"
] |
the market in the U.S. is very attractive
|
The combined sales of the 100 largest foreign investing companies in the U.S. increased by 40% in the two years between 1987 and 1989, and the number has continued to increase steadily. In 1990, South Africa proved to be the largest financial investor in the U.S., controlling about $19.2 billion in sales. The Netherlands and the U.K. follow as second largest investors--and Germany next. New of the list of the top 100 foreign investors are 12 banking and finance and insurance companies--the largest, the Hong Kong-Shanghai Banking Corp from Hong Kong. The number of Latin American companies engaged in business here is growing steadily, often through third country holding companies.
Why are so many firms coming to the U.S.? There are many reasons. One of the greatest attractions, of course, is a market of over 200 million consumers with a high average per capital income. In addition, with the devalued dollar the cost of American labor has declined markedly, relative to many foreign labor costs. Some firms seeking to avoid bureaucratic and/or political pressures at home find the U.S. a politically stable environment in which to work. Many hope they may be able to continue selling to the American market even if the U.S. Government restricts imports further, or if major price changes occur due to currency fluctuations . Many foreigners are attracted by U.S. technology, its modern management methods, its labor saving and mass production techniques.
|
The most important reason why so many companies come to the U.S. is that _ .
|
[
"Try to take full advantage of kids' creativity.",
"Take pride in them and show them to others.",
"Ask kids to make them with great care and love.",
"Allow kids to make them entirely by themselves."
] |
Take pride in them and show them to others.
|
The holidays are coming up, and if you are looking for some great things to do with your kids to celebrate the season, look no further. The more you let them in on the holiday planning fun, the more exciting it will be for them, and the more pride they can take in a successful holiday. There is a tendency to exclude kids from the holiday preparations for many reasons: we want everything to be perfect or maybe we don't trust that they'll do it right. However, involving kids in holiday preparations can be good for them, as well as fun for you.
Kid-created decorations are often the best part of any holiday table. People always love the handmade decorations the best, because they are truly made with love, and they're usually the most fun. Find small things your kids can do, like creating centerpieces or paper rings, and direct their creations. Be sure to put these things out where people can see them when they come over, because there's nothing worse than creating something you're proud of and having it hidden. Let them show your guests what they've made and talk about it. They'll be happy to do so!
What is a better way to get into the spirit of the season than to go shopping? Kids love to pick out gifts for others. Let them choose whatever they think the person they're buying for would like. This will help them to be proud of their gifts, as well as try to budget according to the amount of money you have given them. You can also let them pack their own gifts. Give them options of gift bags or packing paper and watch them go to town. It may not be perfect, but it will be precious, for sure.
Kids love to cook. They love to get their hands dirty and create fun meals with the help of their parents. They also feel a sense of pride in the food items they create, and they love it when people eat what they make and talk about how delicious it is. Allowing your kids into the kitchen can help them learn cooking and baking, and can also give them ownership of the holiday meal. Of course, you'll have to help them along the way, but taking that time can really make a kid's day.
Holiday crafts are the best. Creating centerpieces and ornaments is fun, but you can also look to nature for inspiration. Leaf collages or prints are a fun way to capture the fall. Jack-o'-lanterns are an excellent way to celebrate Halloween, and there is endless inspiration to take from the first snowflakes that fall in winter. Your imagination is the key!
|
What should parents do as for the handmade decorations?
|
[
"they cure diseases caught from soil",
"they are part of the school uniform",
"they prevent children's feet from being injured",
"children may not grow normally without them"
] |
they cure diseases caught from soil
|
In 2006, young businessman Blake Mycoskie went to Argentina on vacation. He went back to America with a business plan that would help thousands of children. While on vacation, Mycoskie saw children who couldn't afford even one pair of shoes. Their feet suffered cuts, and he wanted to help. He noticed the shoes that Argentinean farmers wore. Inspired by those simple shoes with rope bottoms, he had an idea. Mycoskie wanted to give these children the shoes they needed. He gave his new plan a name --- TOMS. For every pair of shoes he sold, he would give a new pair to a needy child. One for one.
It was a slap in the face to traditional business practices. How could he make a profit by giving so much away? However, he started selling shoes out of his apartment. When he had sold 10,000 pairs of shoes, he returned to Argentina with 10,000 pairs to give away.
Although often taken for granted, shoes play an important role. Children without shoes easily injure their feet. They can catch a disease through soil that could make them sick or slow down their growth. Some children can't attend school without shoes because they are part of the uniform.
TOMS, together with other charity organizations, continues to find communities that will get benefit. Since that first "shoe drop" in Argentina, TOMS has contributed new shoes to communities in Asia, Africa, and Central and South America.
Mycoskie's special principle is all about giving. This has attracted a lot of media attention, saving money on marketing. When people hear about TOMS' purpose, they buy the shoes and then share the story with a slogan of "shoes for a better tomorrow".
|
All the following facts show that shoes are important EXCEPT that _ .
|
[
"To come up with the question for the further discussion.",
"To explain the main idea of the following passage.",
"To tell us the whole meaning of the passage.",
"To advise us to make friends in different way."
] |
To come up with the question for the further discussion.
|
Both are so much related to each other. And both are so dissimilar! What are the differences between friendship and love? Is platonic friendship possible between persons of opposite sex? Let us try and understand.
What is friendship? Why do we call a person our friend? When do we call someone a very good friend? If we care for a person, if we are always ready to help that person and if we share most of our thoughts with a person, they are our good friends. We can always count upon our good friends in an emergency. We are always sure that our friend will understand why we acted in a certain way. We need not explain anything to our very good friends. The friendship is so deep and the relationship is so close, that most of the things are automatically understood by our friends.
What about love? In a relationship of deep love, all the sharing that we discussed above are taken for granted. But love transcends(,) all these. During love, we are attached with a particular person, while in friendship, one may have many friends. A loving relationship makes one so much attached to the other, that one gets pained if his/her beloved is hurt! Love also involves a physical element. Friendship does not have that. This is a vital difference. Nature gives us love so that the species can go forward. Nature does not give us friendship.
Your heart beats will never increase in expectation of meeting your friend. You will not lie awake at night thinking about your friend. You will not feel totally lost, if you don't meet your friend for a few days. You will not have dreams in your eyes thinking about your friend. But in love, you will do all these and much more. Indeed, there is no comparison between love and friendship.
|
What's the function of the first passage?
|
[
"South China",
"Dragon-boat racing",
"how to row the boat",
"the Dragon Boat Festival"
] |
the Dragon Boat Festival
|
The Dragon Boat festival is very popular in China, it usually comes in May or June. On that day, people eat a special food--- rice dumplings. It is known as dragon-boat racing. Dragon-boat racing is the most popular activity during the festival. A dragon boat looks like a dragon, and is painted in red, white, yellow or black. Usually, a dragon boat is 20 to 40 metres long, and needs 20 people to row. Boatmen row the boat in cadence with the drumbeats , and a man in the front of the boat waves a small flag to help coordinate the rowing.
Dragon-boat racing becomes a popular activity in South China. International dragon-boat racing is held in Guangzhou and Hong Kong every year.
|
This passage is about _ .
|
[
"Xiong Bingqi",
"Chen Lei",
"Dong Wen",
"Yuan Guiren"
] |
Dong Wen
|
BEIJING -- China's education authority will tighten the widely criticized policy of "extra credits" for the national college entrance examination to ensure a fairer chance for all exam-takers.
Under the policy, high school students who win awards in national Olympic competitionscould get ''extra credits', up to 20 points for the national college entrance exam. Students with talentin sports and students who are from ethnic groups can also benefit from this policy. The extra creditshave increased these students' chances of being admitted by famous universities. Some parents werefound to have helped their children fabricate award experiences or falsify qualifications to getextra credits.
"It has harmed education equality," the ministry said.
Xiong Bingqi, vice-chief of the 21st Century Education Research Institute, said the policy isdesigned to help students who have special talents but may be weak in academic performance tohave a chance to receive higher education. It will still be needed but it is time to make the rulesfairer," he said.
The ministry said it will reduce the range of competitions whose winners can get extra credits,and limit the winners, privileges.
The new policy will apply to students who begin high school in 2011, it said.
Chen Lei, a mother of a 10-year-old girl, said she welcomed the ministry's policy adjustmentas she does not want her daughter to become an Olympic competition _ .
But not all the Chinese parents welcomed the new policy. "It is like a thunderbolt for me. My 13-year-old son has spent so much time studying Olympic math, and participated in so manytechnological competitions during vacations. It is useless now," said Dong Wen, a 43-year-oldmother.
A student said, "Many students have changed the current study plan, and they can abandon thecompetition. I will be interested in learning the courses which can improve my abilities."
Yuan Guiren, minister of education, told China Daily that the reform is an attempt to consider the overall quality of an applicant. "But the country will not stop the national college entrance examination as it is still the most objective way to evaluate talent in China," he said.
|
Which person in the passage was strongly against the new policy?
|
[
"It is made up of eighty-five letters.",
"It uses at least two letters to symbolize a sound.",
"was created in the early eighteenth century.",
"It was the same as the English alphabet at first."
] |
It is made up of eighty-five letters.
|
Sequoyah was born in the 1770s and grew up in the Cherokee village of Tuskegee, Tennessee. He was good at working with silver jewelry . One day Sequoyah was asked to put his name on the jewelry he made. However, he couldn't write his name because Cherokee was only a spoken language. Sequoyah decided to learn how to write his name, so he asked one of his customers to teach him. From then on, Sequoyah signed his work in English.
Then Sequoyah realized that a written language was necessary for his people. In 1809, he started by making small drawings, and tried creating a letter for each sound in the Cherokee language. First, Sequoyah picked out all the sounds in the Cherokee language. Then he gave each sound a symbol. Unlike English, however, no two sounds shared the same symbol.
Sequoyah's work was difficult and took a lot of time. What's worse, few people around him understood him. However, Sequoyah didn't stop working. In 1821, Sequoyah completed his alphabet . Each symbol in the alphabet symbolized one of the eight-five sounds in the Cherokee language. By saying the name of each symbol, a person could read the spoken word.
Sequoyah taught his six-year-old daughter, Ayoka, the symbols. One day they visited the elders of the Cherokee Nation. Sequoyah asked Ayoka to leave while he wrote down what the elders said. When Akoya returned, she read out what Sequoyah had written. The elders were stunned because she was able to repeat the words without being present. Sequoyah's alphabet was soon accepted as the written language of the Cherokee Nation.
|
What can we learn about Sequoyah's alphabet?
|
[
"To show a father's love to his son.",
"To introduce the song, Where has the Time gone?",
"To show what we should do when our parents are old.",
"To complain that their children are too busy to look after them."
] |
To show what we should do when our parents are old.
|
Where has the Time gone? is the hottest song that has moved thousands of Chinese. Chinese parents give their children endless love and want nothing from them. However, sometimes, daughters and sons are too busy growing up and forget that their parents are getting older and older. What should we do? Let's have a look at a letter of a father's.
Dear son,
One day if you see me old and I am not myself, have patience and try to understand me. If I get dirty when eating.. ., if I cannot dress.. ., have patience. Remember the hours I spent teaching it to you. If, when I speak to you, I say the same things one thousand and one times, do not stop me and listen to me. When you were small, I had to read to you one thousand and one times the same story until you get to sleep.
When I do not want to have a shower, neither shame me nor scold me. Remember when I had to chase you with a thousand excuses I made, in order that you wanted to bath.
When you see me meet something new, give me the necessary time and don't laugh at me. I taught you how to do so many things _ to eat well, to dress well... to face life.
If I do not want to eat, do not force me. I know well when I need to and when not. When my legs do not allow me to walk, give me your hand the same way I did when you gave your first steps.
When sometimes I lose the memory during our conversation, let me have the necessary time to remember. And if I cannot do it, do not become nervous because the most important thing is not my conversation but to be with you and to have you listen to me.
Yours,
Father
|
Why does the writer write this passage?
|
[
"The king of Lilliput.",
"The king of Blefuscu.",
"Gulliver.",
"One of the bad men."
] |
The king of Lilliput.
|
Lemuel Gulliver enjoyed travelling. He was a ship's doctor. On May 4, 1699, they were going to the Far East in the ship called the Antelope. One night, his ship crashed against the rocks, Gulliver was washed to the land. He found himself a prisoner of tiny people. They were less than 6 inches tall and lived in the island country of Lilliput. After he promised to behave well, they set him free and he could visit the city. The people of Blefuscu wanted to attack Lilliput. The king of Lilliput turned to Gulliver. He stopped Blefuscu attacking Lilliput by pulling its ships to Lilliput. The king was happy. _ wanted to make the people of Blefuscu his slaves , so he asked Gulliver to bring some more ships. Gulliver did not like this plan. The king got angry. Some bad men in Lilliput wanted to kill Gulliver. Gulliver had to run away from Lilliput to Blefuscu.
He was welcomed by the king of Blefuscu. They soon became good friends. Three days after that , he asked king to send him twenty of his largest ships and two thousand men to pull the boat to the shore. In this boat, he set sail for England.
On the third day he saw a big ship to the southeast. He called out to the ship. The ship was moving very slowly. They raised a flag .His heart was full of happiness when he saw the English flag .
|
" _ wanted to make the people of Blefuscu his slaves". Who is he in this sentence?
|
[
"Her father.",
"Her friend.",
"Her aunt.",
"Her mother."
] |
Her mother.
|
It's a Sunday morning. Mary doesn't need to go to school. She says to her mom, "I need some clothes. Can we go to Nice Girls' Store?"
"Well, what do you need, Mary?" Mom asks her. "My skirt is small, so I want to buy a skirt. And I need a pair of sports shoes, too," Mary says.
"I see. Let's go and see now." In the store, Mary sees a blue skirt. It's nice .So she asks the _ ,"How much is it?"
The clerk says, "It's twenty dollars." "OK. Let me think about it. Thanks."
Mary asks her mom, "What do you think of that blue skirt, Mom?"
" _ s nice, but I don't think blue is nice on you. What about this green skirt, Mary? "
"Oh, it's nice! " Mary says.
They take it at a good price. Only 12 dollars! They buy a pair of green sports shoes, too. It's 32 dollars.
|
Who goes to the store with Mary?
|
[
"point out your friend's mistake",
"calm yourself down",
"start a proper conversation",
"run away from it"
] |
start a proper conversation
|
Life is filled with challenges. As we get older, we come to realize that those challenges are the very things that shape us and make us who we are. It is the same with the challenges that come with friendship. When we are faced with a challenge, we usually have two choices. We can try to beat it off, or we can decide that the thing presenting the challenge isn't worth the trouble and call it quits. Although there are certainly times when calling it quits is the right thing to do, in most cases all that is needed is commitment and communication.
When we are committed to something, it means that no matter how painful or how uncomfortable something is, we will always choose to face it through instead of running away from it. Communication is making a space for discussion and talking about how you feel as opposed to just saying what the other person did wrong. If you can say to a friend, "I got my feelings hurt", rather than "You hurt my feelings", you are going to be able to solve the problem much faster.
In dealing with many challenges that friendship will bring to you, try to see them for what they are: small hurdles you need to jump or get through on your way through life. Nothing is so big that it is impossible to get over, and hurt only serves to make us stronger. It is all part of growing up, it happens to everyone, and some day you will look back on all of this and say, "Hard as it was, it made me who I am today. And that is a good thing."
|
If your friend hurts your feelings, you are advised to _ .
|
[
"had few good friends",
"was afraid of his illnesses",
"seldom contacted the author",
"was loved by everyone who knew him"
] |
was loved by everyone who knew him
|
The phrase "live, love and laugh" was one my cousin Roger lived by every day of his life. Even in his sickness, he found the positive in what some would see as a negative situation. He enjoyed life. He loved to laugh and most importantly, he lived life to the absolute fullest. He loved to travel, learning new things about different people and their culture.
Roger was born and raised in Alabama, and he then moved to Buffalo, New York where he lived for many, many years until he relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, his final resting place.
Whether his travels were long visits or short visits, large cities or small towns, his favorite souvenir item was T-shirt. Everywhere he went he would buy a T-shirt to remind him of his travels. Every T-shirt he owned had a story behind it that he would share with others.
As long as he was laughing, living and traveling, he was happy. He loved everybody he came in contact with and everybody loved him. The old saying, "He never met a stranger", definitely applied to Roger and his life.
His last few years of life were in and out of the hospital at least 10~15 days a month, sometimes more. Two weeks before he passed away, I spoke with him on the phone, and even then he managed to tell jokes about life.
I know he left this world happily; he refused to allow anything or anyone to hold him down, even his severe illnesses. He was definitely a model to look up when it comes to not allowing any situation to keep you from moving forward in life.
I will forever miss his smile and his love for life. My cousin Roger knew the true meaning of the phrase "live, love and laugh".
|
We can learn from the text that Roger _ .
|
[
"In Austria",
"In Canada",
"In Australia",
"In North America"
] |
In Austria
|
In two days, I will be turning 30. And I was not looking forward to a new decade . I was afraid that the best years of my life were behind me.
One day, I met with my friend Nicholas. He was a 79-year-old man. He noticed something was different about me and asked if anything was wrong. I told him what I was anxious about and asked him: "What was the best time of your life?"
Without hesitation, Nicholas replied: "Well, Joe, when I was a child in Austria and everything was taken care of for me, that was the best time of my life."
"When I was going to school and learning the things I know today, that was the best time of my life."
"When I got my first job and got paid for my work, that was the best time of my life."
"When I met my wife and fell in love, that was the best time of my life."
"World War IIcame, and my wife and I had to leave Austria to save our lives. When we were together and safe on a ship, that was the best time of my life."
"When I became a young father and watched my children grow up, that was the best time of my life."
"And now, Joe, I am 79 years old. I have my health, I feel good and I am just as in love with my wife as I was the day we met. This is the best time of my life."
|
Where did the old man live when he was a kid?
|
[
"Northward.",
"Southward.",
"Eastward.",
"Westward."
] |
Southward.
|
Guangzhou (Xinhua)----12 people were killed and 20 injured early yesterday morning when they jumped from a burning train car into the path of an oncoming goods train in Southern China. When No. 247 Wuchang----Guangzhou passenger train was passing the Dayaoshan Tunnel in Guangdong Province, South China at 00 :17 hours yesterday, a fire caused by passengers' smoking broke out on No. 17 car. They wanted to extinguish fire. As the train stopped some frightened passengers jumped from windows. 12 people were crushed to death and 20 others injured by a northward passing goods train(No. 1766).
|
In which direction did the passenger train travel?
|
[
"how some children fought against the pirate-Captain Hook",
"the care-free life the children led in Neverland",
"how peter Pan looked for a real mother for the Lost Boys",
"how the Lost Boys return to Neverland for more adventures"
] |
how the Lost Boys return to Neverland for more adventures
|
What if you could fly like a bird just by thinking happy thoughts? Or you could disappear to a faraway land, never grow old and fight pirates every day? For Peter Pan and his friends, the Lost Boys, these dreams come true.
More than 100 years after this playful boy was "born", Peter Pan and his friends are to continue their adventure in a sequel to J.M. Barrie's original novel. "Peter Pan in Scarlet" ,written by British author Geraldine McCaughrean, was published earlier this month.
The sequel brings all the original characters back. Peter Pan's friends, the Lost Boys, are now grown up and live in the real world. What's more, at the end of the first book, Peter Pan thinks he has killed his enemy, Captain Hook. But ,new readers discover he is not so dead at all.
For those who are unfamiliar with the original story, Peter Pan lives in faraway Neverland with a group of orphans. But they are eager for a real mother and Peter Pan flies to London with a fairy , Tinkerbell, to find one. They visit a young girl, Wendy, who loves to read stories, and bring her and her two brothers back to Neverland to live with them. In Neverland, children never have to grow up, and there are no parents to tell them what to do.
Many teenagers dream of a world where they don't have to grow old and take responsibility. But, the author explains such a world is not the paradise when it first appears: adventures can be scary and often dangerous, and, though we all sometimes dream of running away, we all need someone to love and look after us too.
|
"Peter Pan in Scarlet" is about _ .
|
[
"Six.",
"Four.",
"Two.",
"No classes."
] |
No classes.
|
108 Wensan Road London, 85 A 100 England
March 1st, 2013
Dear Lin Tao,
I am writing to you in English. I hope you can understand it.
I love studying in London and I have many new friends. Most of them are my classmates. From Monday to Friday, we have English, math, physics and P. E. in the morning. I like English and physics, because they're interesting. I don't like math. It's too boring. At noon, I have to have lunch at school because my home is far from my school. We usually have two classes in the afternoon--art and politics. We finish our classes at 3:30 p. m. After school, my friends and I always play football on the playground. And then we go home by bus.
On weekends, we have no classes. We often go to the park and sometimes we go to the movies in the evening. We see movies twice a month. I like some famous actors like Jackie Chan.
Oh, I have no time to write more. Please write back soon.
Best wishes,
Wang Gang
,.
|
How many classes does Wang Gang have on weekends?
|
[
"Her father opposed her.",
"She was a woman.",
"She had no social position.",
"She did not come from an artist's family."
] |
She was a woman.
|
"I would almost rather see you dead," Robert S. Cassatt, a leading banker of Philadelphia, shouted when his twenty-year-old eldest daughter announced that she wanted to become an artist. In the 19th century, playing at drawing or painting on dishes was all right for a young lady, but serious work in art was not. And when the young lady's family ranked among the best of Philadelphia's social families, such an idea could not even be considered.
That was how Mary Cassatt, born in 1844, began her struggle as an artist. She did not tremble before her father's anger. Instead, she opposed him with courage and at last made him change his mind. Mary Cassatt gave up her social position and all thought of a husband and a family, which in those times was unthinkable for a young lady. In the end, after long years of hard work and perseverance , she became America's most important woman artist and the internationally recognized leading woman painter of the time.
|
What made Mary Cassatt's "struggle" to become a recognized artist especially hard?
|
[
"show care for them",
"introduce their life",
"solve traffic problems",
"raise the topic"
] |
raise the topic
|
In Los Angeles, drivers spend sixty-one hours every year stuck in traffic.These drivers know all too well how bad the traffic can be."There're too many cars, and you can't move around a lot."
Professor Cyrus Shahabi also knows about traffic jams.He lives more than 65 kilometers from his office at the University of Southern California, in Los Angeles.He is always late even with the help of a navigation system.
He decided to develop a program called ClearPath for that.He says his program uses historical data to predict traffic conditions even before the driver leaves the house. "What's unique is that we use a lot of data that's currently become available including traffic data, weather data, and we analyze that so that we can predict what's going to happen in front of you when you leave home."
Professor Shahabi says his system does more than just respond to current traffic conditions.With ClearPath, he says, a driver can decide what time he wants to leave, and ClearPath will give the fastest route.It looks at the entire road network, including surface streets as well as highways, before the driver hits the road.Professor Shahabi hopes to have ClearPath available nationwide and overseas once they can collect traffic data from other cities.
"I always thought thatLos Angeles had the worst traffic, but now I know that Shanghai, Beijing, Seoul, Tokyo, believe it or not, Singapore, Hong Kong certainly are examples that can immediately use this."
Professor Shahabi hopes to share this new technology with companies that already have navigation systems, such as Google and Apple.
|
Drivers in Los Angeles were mentioned in order to _ .
|
[
"Disapproving.",
"Respectful.",
"Admiring.",
"Doubtful."
] |
Disapproving.
|
Four people in England back in 1953, stared at Photo 51,It wasn't much--a picture showing a black X. But three of these people won the Nobel Prize for figuring out what the photo really showed -the shape of DNA The discovery brought fame and fortune to scientists James Watson, Francis Crick, and Maurice Wilkins. The fourth, the one who actually made the picture, was left out.
Her name was Rosalind Franklin."She should have been up there," says historian Mary Bowden." If her photos hadn't been there, the others couldn't have come up with the structure." One reason Franklin was missing was that she had died of cancer four years before the Nobel decision. But now scholars doubt that Franklin was not only robbed of her life by disease but robbed of credit by her competitors
At Cambridge University in the 1950s, Watson and Click tried to make models by cutting up shapes of DNA's parts and then putting them together. In the meantime, at King's College in London, Franklin and Wilkins shone X-rays at the molecule . The rays produced patterns reflection the shape.
But Wilkins and Franklin's relationship was a lot rockier than the celebrated teamwork of Watson and Crick, Wilkins thought Franklin was hired to be his assistant .But the college actually employed her to take over the DNA project.
What she did was produce X-ray pictures that told Watson and Crick that one of their early models was inside out. And she was not shy about saying so. That angered Watson, who attacked her in return, "Mere inspection suggested that she would not easily bend. Clearly she had to go or be put in her place."
As Franklin's competitors, Wilkins, Watson and Crick had much to gain by cutting her out of the little group of researchers, says historian Pnina Abir-Am. In 1962 at the Nobel Prize awarding ceremony, Wilkins thanked 13 colleagues by name before he mentioned Franklin, Watson wrote his book laughing at her. Crick wrote in 1974 that "Franklin was only two steps away from the solution."
No, Franklin was the solution. "She contributed more than any other player to solving the structure of DNA . She must be considered a co-discoverer," Abir-Am says. This was backed up by Aaron Klug, who worked with Franklin and later won a Nobel Prize himself. Once described as the "Dark Lady of DNA", Franklin is finally coming into the light.
|
What is the writer's attitude toward Wilkins, Watson and Crick?
|
[
"turning off the electricity when it isn't needed can do good to the environment",
"electricity won't cause great trouble to our environment",
"cars using less energy will not put greenhouse gases into the air",
"recyclable products are marked with the ENERGY STAR label"
] |
turning off the electricity when it isn't needed can do good to the environment
|
Learning about the environment is very important. There are many good books that will help you learn. To get started, ask your teacher or your friends for some advice. You can also look at some good websites with information about the environment and climate change. Climate change may be a big problem, but there are many little things we can do to make a difference.
Driving a car or using electricity is not wrong. We just have to be smart about it. Some people use less energy by sharing a car. For example, four people can ride together in one car instead of driving four cars to work. Whenever we use electricity, we put greenhouse gases into the air. By turning off the lights, the television, and the computer when they aren't needed, you can help a lot.
Don't buy products that use too much energy. Some products, like certain cars, are made specially to save energy. These cars can travel longer on less gasoline . They don't pollute as much, either. Products like computers, TVs and VCRs with the ENERGY STAR label are made to save energy. Buying products with these labels will help protect the environment.
Buy recyclable products instead of non-recyclable ones. Recyclable products are usually made out of things that have already been used. It usually takes less energy to make recyclable products than to make new ones. So when you go shopping, look for the recycle mark on the package. The less energy we use, the better.
|
From the passage, we can learn that _ .
|
[
"Cheating is strictly banned(. only in American high schools.",
"Teenagers in America can be allowed to drive after sixteen years old.",
"Schools encourage all students to take part in sports.",
"English, social studies, math, science, and physical education are elective subjects."
] |
Schools encourage all students to take part in sports.
|
In America, after middle school comes high school, which includes grades 9 through 12. Students are required to take compulsory subjects like English, social studies, math, science, and physical education. In addition, they choose among elective subjects to complete their high school education. Electives include subjects in technology, music, art, and foreign languages.
Each student in the school has their own locker for books and personal items. This convenience saves students from carrying textbooks, and allows students a small space they can decorate with(......)posters and favorite objects.
Cheating in any form is strictly prohibited in American schools. And in fact, high school students usually don't cheat. If they are caught cheating, they will have to face severe punishment.
Each school holds certain yearly activities for all school students, such as homecoming , prom night , holiday celebrations, etc.
Most high schools have at least one sports team that competes in local games, and all students are encouraged to take part in athletics. Schools often offer football, baseball and softball, basketball, volleyball, tennis, and soccer. Some may even have sports like golf, swimming, gymnastics and cross-country skiing.
Many high school students have part-time jobs by the age of 15 or 16, some even earlier. Their first jobs are often babysitting or cutting lawns , but later they will likely get a job at a fast-food restaurant, video store, or clothing shop.
Sixteen years old is legal driving age in most states, and students usually want to own a car as soon as they can. Some parents allow their children to drive a family car, and may even buy a car as a graduation present. Others prefer that their sons and daughters earn enough to buy a used car. Many teenagers feel it's necessary to own a car, and will do whatever it takes to be able to drive.
|
Which statement is right according to the passage?
|
[
"music school",
"music store",
"neighbor's house",
"lunch",
"drawing room"
] |
neighbor's house
|
piano
|
Where can you go to use a piano in your neighborhood if you don't have one?
|
[
"useless",
"easy",
"necessary",
"impractical"
] |
necessary
|
Many crimes and social problems are caused by children. Despite the damage these teenage criminals cause, parents are not responsible in most countries. This article will discuss whether parents should be forced to pay for their children's crimes.
There are many reasons why parents should not be responsible for crimes committed by teenage children. First of all, teenagers today are independent. They often move out of the parents' house at 18 years of age or younger. They are expected to learn to take care of themselves and make their own decisions, and not to stay like small children attached to their parents. Secondly, parents are working. They cannot watch their adolescent children all the time. A third point is that even children from good families can sometimes commit crimes. Parents should not be responsible if they have worked hard to raise their children properly.
However, young troublemakers cause many problems, and I feel we should make parents responsible. Firstly, most juvenile crimes are committed by adolescents whose parents do not care or make any effort to control their children. If parents had to pay fines , they might make more effort. Another point is that even though the children may seem mature, they are not really able to make good decisions. Parents should be responsible for raising and teaching their children until they are fully grown. Furthermore, if children know that their parents will have to pay, they will think carefully before getting into trouble.
In summary, there are good reasons both for and against making parents pay for acts committed by their children. However, I feel strongly that if we want to reduce the number of such crimes, we need to make parents take more responsibility.
|
The author thinks that making parents pay for their children's crimes is _ .
|
[
"Determined.",
"Modest.",
"Shy.",
"Brave."
] |
Determined.
|
When middle-aged Alex quit his job and made up his mind to become a self-employed writer, no one could tell for sure whether he would succeed or not.He found a cold storage room in a building, set up a used typewriter and settled down to work.
After a year or so, however, Alex began to doubt himself.He found it was difficult to earn his living by selling what he wrote.But Alex determined to put his dream to the test--even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure.This is the shadowland of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there.
One day Alex got a call, "We need an assistant, and we're paying $ 6,000 a year." $ 6,000 was real money in 1960.It would enable Alex to get a nice apartment, a used car and more.Besides, he could write in his spare time.As the dollars were dancing in Alex's head, something cleared his senses.He had dreamed of being a writer ?full time."Thanks, but no," Alex said firmly and swiftly, "I'm going to stick it out and write."
After Alex got off the phone, he pulled out everything he had: two cans of vegetables and 18 cents.Alex put the cans and cents into a paper bag, saying to himself," There's everything you've made of yourself so far.I'm not sure I ever felt so low."
Finally his work was published in 1970.Instantly he had the kind of fame and success that few writers ever experience.The shadows had turned into focus of attention.
Then one day, Alex found a box filled with things he had owned years before.Inside was a paper bag with two cans and 18 cents.Suddenly he pictured himself working in that cold storage room.It reminds Alex, and anyone with a dream, of the courage and persistence it takes to stay the course in the shadowland.
|
What kind of person is Alex?
|
[
"send an E-mail",
"visit the office on weekdays",
"send a letter not later than today",
"make a call on weekdays only"
] |
send an E-mail
|
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|
If you want to contact Harcourt Learning Direct,you can_.
|
[
"lottery",
"person's hand",
"baseball stadium",
"movie",
"kitchen"
] |
baseball stadium
|
ticket
|
If you have a ticket and you are planning to eat hot dogs, where would you go?
|
[
"6 hours",
"90 minutes",
"2 days",
"21 hours"
] |
90 minutes
|
Yang Liwei circled the earth 14 times in 21 hours on October 15 and 16, 2003, landing on the grasslands of Inner Mongolia. Looking a little tired, Yang stepped out of Shenzhou V, smiling and waving at the waiting people. "I feel very good." Yang said to Premier Wen Jiabao on the phone. Yang said to a newspaper, "For our motherland and me, this is a great moment."
China's _ of Shenzhou V shows a higher starting point. It has two special systems to protect the spaceman, but neither Russian rockets nor American ones have.
Yang didn't know that he was chosen as China's first spaceman until just before the launch. Although Yang was excited at the news, he still slept at 8p.m. as usual and was woken up at 8p.m. the next morning. Before the launch, Yang ate Chinese traditional food-dumplings. We all know that travelers usually eat them before going on a journey for good luck.
A stamp Success of China First Manned Space Flight was issued on October 16, 2003, making China the third country to send a spaceman into outer space.
|
It took Yang Liwei _ to travel around the earth every circle.
|
[
"they can attract potential students",
"they can defeat academic cheating",
"they offer students online help",
"they offer many online courses"
] |
they can defeat academic cheating
|
While Jennifer was at home taking an online exam for her business law class, a monitor a few hundred miles away was watching her every move.
Using a web camera equipped in Jennifer's Los Angeles apartment, the monitor in Phoenix tracked how frequently her eyes moved from the computer screen and listened for the secret sounds of a possible helper in the room. Her Internet access was locked - remotely - to prevent Internet searches , and her typing style was analyzed to make sure she was who she said she was: Did she enter her student number at the same speed as she had in the past? Or was she slowing down?
In the battle against cheating, this is the _ and a key to encourage honesty in the booming field of online education. The technology gives trust to the entire system, to the institution and to online education in general. Only with solid measures against cheating, experts say, can Internet universities show that their exams and diplomas are valid - that students haven't just searched the Internet to get the right answers.
Although online classes have existed for more than a decade, the concern over cheating has become sharper in the last year with the growth of "open online courses." Private colleges, public universities and corporations are jumping into the online education field, spending millions of dollars to attract potential students, while also taking steps to help guarantee honesty at a distance.
Aside from the web cameras, a number of other high-tech methods are becoming increasingly popular. Among them are programs that check students' identities using personal information, such as the telephone number they once used.
Other programs can produce unique exam by drawing on a large list of questions and can recognize possible cheaters by analyzing whether difficult test question are answered at the same speed as easy ones. As in many university classes, term papers are scanned against some large Internet data banks for cheating.
|
For Internet universities, exams and diplomas will be valid if _ .
|
[
"waitresses in the Holiday Inn are all students.",
"waitresses are required to buy a good pair of shoes before they go to work.",
"waitresses should be familiar with the food there.",
"it is more important for the waitresses to know much about people than food."
] |
it is more important for the waitresses to know much about people than food.
|
For a small town, Mantattan, Kansas has some big surprises. And one of them is the Holiday Inn Hotel, with rooms built around a swimming pool and a friendly atmosphere.
The Holiday Inn is where Manhattan people often go for a special party, or a night out. A lot of them choose to eat in the bright-lit restaurant near the pool, And many of them will be served by Ellen Logan, who has worked as a waitress here for more than two years.
Ellen, like most of the waitresses, is also a student. She comes from Nebraska, but she's planning one day to be a veterinary surgeon, and to care for small animals. But in order to support herself at college, she works twenty hours a week at the Holiday Inn.
Ellen soon learned what every waitress finds out. Your best friend has a good pair of shoes. She paid forty-five dollars for hers, much more than she would usually spend. She's discovered something else too. You don't have to know much about food to be a good waitress, but you do have to know a lot about people.
"A lot of business people always stay here when they come to Manhattan", she explains. "They like you to recognize them and remember their favorite dishes. But some couples come for a night out together. They just want to be left alone. Then there are people who can't make up their minds. They look down the menu and say,'What do you suggest?'So I ask them how hungry they are. If they say,'Not very.'I suggest the salad bar, with soup, salad, bread, and a fruit plate. But if they say they're very hungry, I suggest a Kansas Strip Steak, with potatoes or rice. You get salad and bread as well. It's very nice. Real good value".
Ellen may get tired sometimes, but at least she's learning too much about people. She's learning too much about people. She'll probably make a good animal doctor, but if she finds she doesn't like it after all, she can become a psychiatrist instead.
|
From the passage we can infer that_.
|
[
"Clever but boring.",
"Talented but lazy.",
"Creative and hardworking.",
"Careless and stupid."
] |
Creative and hardworking.
|
So far, there have been so many successful men and women in the world. And it's no surprise for many of us to dream of doing business when we grow up. However, Moziah Bridge tells us quite different story.
Moziah Bridges is now the CEO of his Mo's Bow's company. He has already earned $200,000 by selling bow ties and other men's fashion accessories . The boy designs all the bow ties together with seven other workers in the company, including his mother and grandmother.
"Mo is the CEO of the company, but I am the CEO of Mo," Bridges' grandma said.
About four years ago, when Bridges went shopping for bow ties, he found they were in ugly" black and red. He wanted a change. So he asked his grandma to teach him to sew and finally he developed the talent of creating bow ties. Though his very first bow tie didn't look nice, the young sewer kept on practicing. He used colorful cloth with different pictures. Then his parents and friends started to like his works.
At first he tried to sell them online to several stores in the south. Soon Mo's bow ties became popular. With the help of Dayond John, CEO of the famous US clothes brand FUBU, Bridges built his own company. Not only did Daymond John provide money for him, but also produced Bridges to the circle of fashion and business industries.
Now the 13-year-old's business has developed rapidly. So you can just start now! You don't have to wait till you're older. If you have a dream, go for it!
|
What kind of person is MoZiah Bridges ?
|
[
"It is one of the best folk festivals in the UK.",
"It has a long history and is held every year.",
"It is the best summer festival in the UK.",
"It is attractive and joyful for many families."
] |
It is attractive and joyful for many families.
|
Glastonbury Festival:
Time and place: 22nd~26th June, Pilton, Somerse. Recognized as the best summer festival season, Glastonbury is one of the biggest and oldest festivals in the UK. Last year's 40th anniversary was their best ever, even though the supergroup U2 canceled last minute because of Bono injuring his back.
Latitude Festival:
Time and place:14th~17th July, Henham Park, Suffolk. Now in its sixth year, this festival is the choice for more families. It is providing visitors with a range of entertainment to accompany the music, including comedy, show, theatre and literature.
Shrewsbury Folk Festival:
Time and place: 26th~29th August, West Mids Show Ground, Shrewsbury. Announced as one of the best folk festivals in the UK, this festival is only in its sixth year. It takes place over the 4 days of the August bank holiday weekend, and moved to Shrewsbury in 2006.
Download Festival:
Time and place: 10th and 12th, June, Donington Park Derby. It is a three-day rock music festival held every year. The name Download was chosen for the festival for two reasons. Downloading was a dirty work in the music industry at the time because of file sharing and rock is seen as a rebellious type of music.
|
What is special about Latitude Festival?
|
[
"It can remove space junk completely.",
"It can save a large amount of money.",
"It can create a large amount of space.",
"It can develop robotic technology."
] |
It can save a large amount of money.
|
Since people first sent rockets into space in the 1950s, we have been leaving behind all sorts of things. Some of them, like the camera, were lost by astronauts while they did work outside their spaceship. But much of the space junk is made up of little pieces of things that were once bigger objects, until they struck each other and broke apart.
Some things we send into space fall back toward the earth and burn up in the atmosphere. But larger pieces sometimes survive the extreme heat and hit the ground or the ocean at great speeds. So there is always concern that something may fall from the sky and do some harm.
But space junk falling on housetops is not the biggest worry. Scientists are concerned about what happens when an empty rocket strikes another while orbiting the earth. Two big things become many smaller things. They then hit other things. The pieces get smaller and smaller until they form a cloud of junk that blocks the path of future space vehicles.
So what can be done to clean up the space around our planet? Marco Castronuovo, an Italian researcher, talks about sending a satellite into space that would get very close to some of the larger pieces of space junk. The satellite would connect a small rocket to the useless object. When the rocket explodes, it pushes the junk into a lower and slower orbit, nearer the earth. After a time, the junk burns up in the atmosphere.
Mr. Castronuovo has proposed using a number of small satellites with robotic arms. One arm would catch the space junk, and another arm would connect the rocket. He imagines that each satellite would jump from one large piece of junk to another. He thinks this method could destroy about ten large objects each year.
Scientists have been concerned about space junk for many years. Right now, the costs of the clean-up have been too great. Mr. Castronuovo says his system could be put in place for a much more reasonable amount of money.
|
What does Marco Castronuovo think of his system?
|
[
"have many goals",
"is very generous",
"wins every spelling bee",
"does not appear proud"
] |
does not appear proud
|
It seems that the key to winning any contest is in the belief that you can win. This belief is what inspires one to do one's best. If we have this belief, we work tirelessly to accomplish our goals, and make whatever sacrifices which are necessary. Whether it's a hot-dog eating contest or a spelling bee, the winners have not just been the ones with the most skills, but those with the greatest desire to win. Much can be said for positive thinking. An entire movement is based on the idea that if you visualize your goals on a daily basis, you will accomplish them, no matter how difficult they may seem. Most life coaches recommend writing down a list of all of your goals on a poster, and then displaying it where you'll see it every day. This way these goals will become so much a part of your life that you will find yourself driven to accomplish every one of them. The same strategy applies to winning any contest.
Practice is, of course, also part of winning. If you're not devoted enough to practice, then you have no hope anyway. Don't take the other contestants for granted. They're working just as hard as you are, and you have to keep practicing all the way up to the moment of competition if you really want to win.
Finally, show grace in victory. Always be generous in your praise of the other contestants. The positive energy of their good will toward you will carry you to countless additional victories. Be proud in you heart that you worked so hard to accomplish your goals, and that you deserve the reward you've just gotten, but accept the reward with a modest and gracious manner.
|
A true winner _ .
|
[
"hungry",
"happy",
"kind",
"worried"
] |
kind
|
In England, people don't often talk much. You can get on a bus or a train,and everyone sits looking out of the window.
Often they read books and papers, but they don't talk much. When you meet English people they often talk about one thing--weather . So when you meet somebody in England, you can say, "Nice weather for the time of year!" "But it is a little cold today," somebody may answer. "But it will be a little warmer later,"you can say. Talk like this, and the English people will think," How friendly you are !"
|
The English people talk with you about the weather to show you they are _ .
|
[
"the factories which modern cars are making at",
"the factories where cars are made by modern workers",
"the new factories at which cars are being made",
"the factories where modern cars are made"
] |
the factories where modern cars are made
|
Motor cars were first made in England just before 1900. The parts for the bodies and engines were hand-made and the cars were built from these. One at a time. This took a long time, and the cars cost a lot of money. Then a quicker and cheaper way of making cars was found. Instead of making all the parts at their own works, some car factories asked other factories to make some of them. All the parts were then fitted together in the car factories.
Modern car-making factoriess are so large that each one is really a lot of factories close together. Each workshop makes some parts. The pieces of a car body are joined together by welders . All the bits and pieces that make up each car are collected and put ready for the assembly line , where they are fitted together.
|
"Modern car-making factories" means " _ ".
|
[
"To introduce the general information of staycatons.",
"To compare staycatons with other vacations.",
"To persuade more people to have staycations.",
"To provide different ways of staycations."
] |
To introduce the general information of staycatons.
|
A staycation is a vacation when you do not travel at all. Some people use a staycation to just stay at home, and others prefer to experience the attractions around them without traveling very far.
There are many choices for staycations. Any town or city has plenty of choices for things to do if you know where to look. If the weather is nice, you can visit the local gardens or forests for a hike. You can look online for several historic places and create your own history tours. Of course, you can also visit other attractions in the areas like museums, restaurants, bars, parks, beaches, and so on. Often, if you drive just a few hours, you can find a city that you can walk around and see. Then by driving home you can save the cost of a hotel and a plane ride.
Others take the term "staycation" word for word and do not leave their houses at all. Some choices for this can include taking time off to cook a great meal and enjoy it together or spending all day at a pool.
Just as a coin has two sides, staycation has its advantages as well as disadvantages.
Since you are not traveling or staying in a hotel, a staycation can be unbelievably costeffective . You don't have to pay for a hotel, so that cost has been completely _ . You are also saving by not driving very far and by not taking an airplane anywhere. Travel costs have become really high, and the farther you go, the higher they are. By staying close to home, you cut that cost by quite a bit. You are also pushing money back into your local economy by spending your money at local businesses rather than in cities that are far away from home. Finally, any stress that you feel with travel, whether that is from driving long distances or looking for an airport, will completely disappear.
|
For what purpose is the text written?
|
[
"why maths is difficult to do",
"ways of getting help with maths homework",
"using reference books to do maths homework",
"using a computer to do maths"
] |
ways of getting help with maths homework
|
It's nine o'clock on a Tuesday night.You are trying to finish your maths assignment.
You have only two problems left to go.Almost done!You are looking forward to a nice snack and your favorite TV show.You read the next problem and groan.You don,t have a clue how to do it .You may check your notes from class .Or you may try reading your text-book .But the problem might as well be written in a foreign language.
Does this sound familiar? Most people who have taken any kind of maths class have had this experience.What do you do when you get stuck? Perhaps you call a friend.Or you ask a family member for help.But what if it's late at night?
Years ago there were very few ways to get help if you were stuck on a maths problem. Maths is different from other school subjects.You often cannot find what to do in a book.A dictionary or even an encyclopedia probably won't help you.You need someone to show you the steps.Learning most kinds of maths is something like learning to play a musical instrument.You need a coach to show you what to do.
In many areas there are homework telephone lines.These hot lines have volunteers.They can help you do homework in all subjects.A maths volunteer can explain the steps in a maths problem that has you stumped*
Today you can also get help on the Internet.There are several homework help programs and Web pages .In some,you leave your question on a message board.Or you write it in an e-mail note.In other maths-help programs there are live volunteer teachers.You can wait for a real maths teacher to help you do the problem.
|
This passage is mostly concerned with _ .
|
[
"Keep them secret",
"Explain the reasons",
"Stress other aspects",
"Work hard to improve"
] |
Keep them secret
|
Q My daughter is a junior in high school and has been on an individualized education program since fourth grade. She plans to go to college and intends to finish with a master's degree. Her performance is fairly good, but test scores are very low. She has held many leadership and volunteer positions. We have been advised to have her write an essay about how her learning disability is a barrier that she has overcome. Will that help or hurt her chances for admission?
--Deborah
AFirst let me answer the question on low standardized test scores (ACT/ SAT). There are hundreds of colleges that are "test optional" which means students can choose not to release their test scores in the application process. Admission decisions at these colleges for students who do not submit their test scores are made based on other factors. A list of test optional colleges can be found atfairtest.org. It is important, however, to make sure that the college is the right fit academically regardless of the test optional policy.
You also asked if your daughter should write about her disability and if this would hurt her chances of being admitted. Please know that colleges do not deny admission based on disability. "Disclosing" a learning disability in a personal statement within the college application can certainly help. By writing a personal statement, students can potentially demonstrate, for example, their understanding of the challenge they face. They might also demonstrate an improved grade trend in that subject area, and show interest in more complex courses in spite of this disability. More importantly, a student disclosure can show self-confidence, motivation and an understanding of the disability.
--Ms. Kravis
|
According to Ms. Kravis, what can Deborah do about her daughter's low test scores?
|
[
"Use fields",
"Function",
"The cost",
"The size"
] |
The cost
|
Mary Masterman hasn't decided where she will attend college, but when she does, she'll have plenty of money to pay for it. The 17-year-old took home a $100,000 scholarship Tuesday as the top winner of the 2007 Intel Science Talent Search.
"It was a complete surprise," said the senior at Westmoore High School in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. "I wasn't expecting it." Masterman earned first place at this year's competition by building a low-budget spectrograph -- an instrument that identifies the unique characteristics, or "fingerprints," of different molecules. Spectrographs are used in a variety of fields, including astronomy, medicine, and law enforcement. They can sense the presence of explosives or drugs, and they can also help determine the age of a piece of artwork.
Normally, the cost of a spectrograph can run as high as $100,000.Mary, however, built her device--which she crafted from lenses, a laser, aluminum tubing, and a camera--for just $300."I wanted to build one that was lower-costing so it would be more available to anyone interested in spectrography," she said.
Sticking to a budget was only half the battle. Getting the machine to work was another challenge. "I had to keep coming up with creative ways to adjust or change something," Mary admitted. "It took three months to build and another three months before it actually functioned properly."
Mary competed with more than 1,700 other high school seniors in this year's science challenge. Forty finalists were invited to Washington, D.C., where they presented their projects at the National Institute of Science. In all, 10 students took home awards for their innovative projects.
|
_ is the biggest difference between Mary's spectrograph and the normal one?
|
[
"it is nearby and convenient",
"it is a great place for meeting friends",
"it is far more comfortable than a bar to have a drink",
"it is easy to bump into people they know in a pub ,"
] |
it is a great place for meeting friends
|
Whether I'm looking for a good chat with some old Mends or a quiet place to meet a colleague, the pub will be the place I always choose.
I could, of course, go to a bar. But a pub, I always find, is far more comfortable and has a more relaxed atmosphere.
Many people in the UK also have a favorite pub at the end of the road where they live or nearby to where they work. I can almost always guarantee that I'll bump into someone I know at my "local", as we British call our nearest pub.
In fact, many people from the UK say that the pub is a cornerstone of British life. Coming together over a drink, usually of beer, is generally considered the best way to catch up with friends. For those who are a little reserved , as the British sometimes are, it's the best way to open up and get chatting.
However, this habit is slowly changing among some British people. According to a survey completed in August by UK trade magazine The Publican, eating, rather than drinking, has become the main source of income for our 52,000 pubs.
The gastropub , with its greater emphasis on food, is primarily responsible. All over the country, this more expensive type of pub has been springing up, providing a place for more formal meetings with business partners. Wine is often drunk instead of the traditional beer.
But not everyone's happy. Many people hate the fact that some local pubs are closing because new gastropubs are proving more profitable. "Beer sales are sinking and many pubs are struggling to survive," Rob Haward, of the British Beer and Pub Association, told UK newspaper The Daily Mail.
For my part, I'm going to do all I can to keep the local British pub alive. It will be the first place I visit when I go back home.
|
. Many British people say that the pub is a cornerstone of British life because _ .
|
[
"Because the rich tend to decide a thing.",
"Because money can tell us something.",
"Because it is hard to earn much money.",
"Because everyone loves to have money."
] |
Because the rich tend to decide a thing.
|
People often say that money talks. They mean that a person with a lot of money can say how he or she wants things done. But it is not easy to earn enough money to gain this kind of power.
Ask anyone in business. They will tell you that it is a jungle out there. The expression probably began because a jungle is filled with wild animals and unknown dangers that threaten people.
People in business have to be careful if they are to survive the jungle out there. They must not be led into making bogus investments. Bogus means something that is not real.
Nobody is sure how the word got started. But it began to appear in American newspapers in the 1800s. A newspaper in Boston, Massachusetts, said the word came from a criminal whose name was Borghese. Borghese wrote checks to people although he did not have enough money in the bank. After he wrote the checks, he would disappear. So, people who were paid with his checks received nothing. The newspaper said Americans shortened and changed the criminal's name Borghese to Bogus.
People trying to earn money must be also aware of the risk of being ripped off. A writer for a magazine said he first saw the expression used in 1971. It was on a sign that a student carried during a protest demonstration at a university. The message on the sign was that the student felt cheated.
To be successful, a person in business works hard and tries to get down to brass tacks. This expression means to get to the bottom or the most important part of something. For example, a salesman may talk about his product without saying the price. You get down to brass tacks when you say, "it sounds good, but how much does it cost?"
Word expert Charles Funk thinks the expression comes from sailors on ships. They clean the bottom of a boat. When they have removed all the dirt, they are down to the copper pieces that hold the ship together. So, if we get down to brass tacks, we can prevent rip-offs and bogus ways of earning money in that jungle out there. And, some good luck will help, too.
|
Why do people say money talks?
|
[
"good health means not having any illness",
"health has different meanings for different people in different periods",
"health has always been viewed in terms of the social, economic and environmental contexts in which people live",
"health has always been considered a major resource for social, economic and personal development and an important dimension of quality of life"
] |
health has different meanings for different people in different periods
|
The concept of health holds different meanings for different people and groups. These meanings have also changed over time. This change is no more evident than in Western society today, when notions of health and health promotion are being challenged and expanded in new ways.
For much of recent Western history, health has been viewed in the physical sense only. That is, good health has been connected to the smooth mechanical operation of the body, while ill health has been attributed to a breakdown in this machine. Health in this sense has been defined as the absence of disease or illness and is seen in medical terms.
In the late 1940s the World Health Organization challenged this physically and medically oriented view of health. They stated that health is a complete state of physical, mental and social well-being and is not merely the absence of disease (WHO, 1946). Health and the person were seen more holistically (mind / body / spirit) and not just in physical terms.
The 1970s was a time of focusing on the prevention of disease and illness by emphasizing the importance of the lifestyle and behaviour of the individual. Specific behaviours which were seen to increase risk of disease, such as smoking, lack of fitness and unhealthy eating habits, were targeted. Creating health meant providing not only medical health care, but also health promotion programs and policies which would help people maintain healthy behaviours and lifestyles. While this individualistic healthy lifestyle approach to health worked for some (the wealthy members of society), it was of little benefit to people experiencing poverty, unemployment, underemployment or who had little control over the conditions of their daily life.
During the 1980s and 1990s there has been a growing swing away from seeing lifestyle risks as the root cause of poor health. While lifestyle factors still remain important, health is being viewed also in terms of the social, economic and environmental contexts in which people live. This broad approach to health is called the socio-ecological view of health.
At the Ottawa Conference in 1986, a charter was developed which outlined new directions for health promotion based on the socio-ecological view of health. This charter, known as the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion, remains as the backbone of health action today. In exploring the scope of health promotion it states that:
Good health is a major resource for social, economic and personal development and an important dimension of the quality of life. Political, economic, social, cultural, environmental, behavioural and biological factors can all favour health or be harmful to it. (WHO, 1986)
|
From the passage, we can infer that _ .
|
[
"watercolor was more costly, but was better",
"oil painting lasted less long, but clearer and brighter",
"watercolor was not suitable for finished works",
"oil painting was difficult to use"
] |
watercolor was not suitable for finished works
|
Watercolor is the oldest paints known. It dates back to the early cave men who discovered they could add lifelike qualities to drawings of animals and other figures on the walls of caves by mixing the natural colors found in the earth with water.
Fresco , one of the greatest of all art forms, is done with watercolor. It is created by mixing paints and water and applying these to wet plaster . Of the thousands of people who stand under Michelangelo's heroic ceiling in the Sistine Chapel, very few know that they are looking at perhaps the greatest watercolor painting in the world.
The invention of oil painting by the Flemish masters in the fifteenth century made fresco painting go down-hill, and for the next several centuries watercolor was used mainly for doing sketches or as a tool for study. It was not until the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries that English painters put back watercolor as a serious art form. The English have a widely-known love for the outdoors and also small, private pictures. The softness of watercolor had a remarkably strong attraction for them.
The popularity of watercolor continued to grow until in the twentieth century. The United States passed England as the center for watercolor, producing such well-known watercolor artists as Thomas Eakins and Andrew Wyeth.
|
In 16th and 17th centuries the artists thought _ .
|
[
"Different cultures can have the same properties of colors.",
"If you feel emotions for a color, note them and remember them.",
"All humans perceive colors' natural properties in the same way.",
"Marco Polo disclosed the psychological effects of colors."
] |
Different cultures can have the same properties of colors.
|
Most of the time, we choose colors for decorating based on our personal taste and our sense of aesthetics . But, a number of color experts believe that colors have an effect on our emotions and that it would be wise of us to be conscious of that before settling on a definite choice.
Some of the effects of colors are well known and accepted by most people. In fact, those effects have been the subject of serious research and experiments and have been scientifically proven. But not all scientists agree on the validity of the results.
When we become interested in the psychological effects of colors, it is important to know that not all societies share our opinion of those effects on our emotions. What we hold as an "objective" observation on a color is often nothing more than a reflection of our cultural belongingness, which has attributed properties to that color for generations.
Why is it not possible for us to hold a really objective discourse on the subject? In part, because it is very difficult to separate the psychological from the symbolic, the symbolic aspects are definitely cultural. Often, and this without our realizing it, they influence our understanding of colors and the following emotions - both psychological aspects. Black and white are good examples. In western countries, black is considered serious, dramatic and sometimes sad. People are warned against its potentially depressing effects on decoration. Black is the traditional color of mourning. White, on the other hand, is associated with purity, peace and optimism. For those reasons, white is the traditional color of bridal dresses. No one would think of attending a funeral in white. Any more than it would occur to a bride to wear black. We simply remain convinced that it is not in the "nature" of those colors. Yet, in certain oriental countries, it is white, not black that is the color of mourning.
That having been said, there is some "overlapping" in the properties different cultures attribute to certain colors. For example, Feng Shui, the traditional Chinese philosophy that distinguishes between good and evil influences explains colors much in the same way as the majority of western color specialists. Is that to say that colors have real natural properties which all humans perceive in the same way or is the phenomenon an example of the cross-influences that affect the thinking of cultures brought closer to one another by a certain Venetian called Marco Polo? It is difficult to say.
But, be that as it may, colors do affect us. And if you feel emotions for a certain color, note them and remember them. You may even wish to consider them next time you are planning to decorate. The decision is yours!
|
According to the author, which of the following statements is certain?
|
[
"They travel at a very high speed.",
"They are difficult to track by satellites.",
"They can blow up into millions of pieces.",
"They are as soft as a ball in the air."
] |
They travel at a very high speed.
|
Satellites play big roles in modern life. Some look downward to monitor environmental conditions on Earth.Others look outward in search of major solar flares that can trouble the transmission of electrical power to homes and businesses. Some spy on our enemies. Others relay communications around the globe. But all of these million-dollar wonders of technology can be knocked out by a collision with space junk ---debris ( )from satellites and other earthly technology orbiting high above the planet. Now,a teen from Jordan has designed a satellite to chase down space junk , collect it and then deal with it.
Even bits of space junk as small as dots of paint pose a threat , says Dana. That's because this debris orbits our planet at speeds up to some 28,200 kilometers per hour. Such high speed explains why tiny paint dots have damaged the windshields of space shuttles so badly that they needed to be replaced.
Researchers have come up with many ideas for getting rid of space junk. Some have suggested vaporizing small bits with lasers. Others have proposed launching satellites to collect the debris. Dana's design falls into this category.
Here's how hers would work : A radar system aboard the satellite would scan and find a piece of space junk.Then,thrusters would change the satellite's orbit so that it could chase down _ . As the satellite closed in on its prey, cameras would keep it on target.
At the last minute,a door that leads to a container would open. This container needs to be strong so that it doesn't break apart when the satellite swallows the space junk,Dana explains. Finally,when the trash container was full,it would be lowered toward the earth on a kilometer-long cable and its contents released into the upper atmosphere. There, the space junk would harmlessly burn up just like a meteor does. Meanwhile, her satellite would roll the container back up so that it could collect more trash.
|
Why can small pieces of space junk threaten satellites?
|
[
"a new fishing method",
"an experiment with fish",
"how to train fish",
"how to feed fish"
] |
a new fishing method
|
For a long time, people who fish have had to rely on luck to catch fish. Even big fishing ships, fitted out with radar and modern equipment, have their share of bad days. Wouldn't it be nice if fish could be trained to come at the call of a whistle the way some days are trained?
Well, the days of "fish whistle" may be just _ . Japanese companies are working on methods that will train fish to return to harvest areas at the sound of an underwater whistle.
The method works like this: First, fish eggs are hatched in a laboratory. Whenever feeding time arrives, a whistle sounds. The young fish learn to return to their feeding areas at the sound of the whistle.
Later, the fish are set free at sea, near special-made under water "barns". There, the whistle-plus-feeding program continues. Being well fed and sheltered, the fish continue to live around the barn. So when fishing time arrives, all the harvesters need to do is to sound the whistle, drop their nets, and draw in a lot of fish.
Many countries have closed their offshore fishing waters to ships from other countries. With fish whistle and barns, Japan hopes to become less dependent on importing fish from other countries.
|
On the whole, the passage is about _ .
|
[
"Good equipment.",
"Nursery for newly-born babies.",
"Various less expensive medicines.",
"Well trained staff members."
] |
Nursery for newly-born babies.
|
Riding School:
You can start horse-riding at any age. Choose private or group lessons any weekday between 9 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. (3:30 p.m. on Saturdays). There are 10 kilometres of tracks and paths for leisurely rides across farmland and open country. You will need a riding hat.
Opening Hours: Monday through Friday:9:00 a.m. ~ 8:30p.m.
Phone: (412) 396-6754 Fax: (412) 396-6752
Sailing Club:
Our Young Sailor's Course leads to the Stage Sailing qualification. You'll learn how to sail safely and the course also covers sailing theory and first aid. Have fun with other course members afterwards in the clubroom. There are 10 weekly two-hour lessons (Tuesdays 6p.m.~ 8p.m.)
Opening Hours: Tuesdays: 6:00p.m.~ 8:00p.m
Phone:( 412)396-6644 Fax: (412) 396-6644
Diving Centre:
Our experienced instructors offer one-month courses in deep-sea diving for beginners. There are two evening lessons a week, in which you learn to breathe underwater and use the equipment safely. You only need a swimming costume and towel. Reduced rates for couples.
Opening Hours: Monday and Friday: 6:30p.m.~ 8:30p.m
Phone: (412)396-6312 Fax: (412) 396-6706
Medical Center:
The staff of the Medical Center aim to provide convenient and comprehensive medical care to students and staff of the university. The center is well equipped and the staff here are trained to deal with a broad range of medical problems. Both female and male doctors as well as nursing staff are available for consultation. Also, all kinds of medicines are sold here and are cheaper for students than other drugstores.
Opening Hours: 24 hours from Monday to Sunday
Phone: ( 412)396-6649 Fax: (412) 396-6648
Watersports club:
We use a two-kilometre length of river for speedboat racing, and water-skiing. A beginners' course consists of ten 20-minute lessons. You will learn to handle boats safely and confidently but must be able to swim. The club is in a convenient central position and is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with lessons all through the day.
Opening Hours: Monday through Friday: 9:00a.m.~ 4:00p.m
Phone: (412)396-6899 Fax: (412) 396-6890
|
Which is NOT the convenience that the Medical Center provides?
|
[
"It makes everybody time-conscious.",
"It is a convenience for work and life.",
"It may have a negative effect on creative work.",
"It clearly indicates the fast pace of modern life."
] |
It may have a negative effect on creative work.
|
When it's five o'clock, people leave their office. The length of the workday, for many workers, is defined by time. They leave when the clock tells them they're done.
These days, the time is everywhere: not just on clocks or watches, but on cell-phones and computers. That may be a bad thing, particularly at work. New research shows that clock-based work schedules hinder morale and creativity.
Clock-timers organize their day by blocks of minutes and hours. For example: a meeting from 9 am to 10 a.m., research from 10 a.m. to noon, etc. On the other hand, task-timers have a list of things they want to accomplish. They work down the list, each task starts when the previous task is completed. It is said that all of us employ a mix of both these types of planning.
What, then, are the effects of thinking about time in these different ways? Does one make us more productive? Better at the tasks at hand? Happier? In experiments conducted by Tamar Avnet and Anne-Laure Sellier, they had participants organize different activities--from project planning, holiday shopping, to yoga--by time or to-do list to measure how they performed under "clock time" vs "task time." They found clock timers to be more efficient but less happy because they felt little control over their lives. Task timers are happier and more creative, but less productive. They tend to enjoy the moment when something good is happening, and seize opportunities that come up.
The researchers argue that task-based organizing tends to be undervalued and under-supported in the business culture. Smart companies, they believe, will try to bake more task-based planning into their strategies.
This might be a small change to the way we view work and the office, but the researchers argue that it challenges a widespread characteristic of the economy: work organized by clock time. While most people will still probably need,and be, to some extent, clock-timers, task-based timing should be used when performing a job that requires more creativity. It'll make those tasks easier, and the task-doers will be happier.
|
What does the author think of time displayed everywhere?
|
[
"was due to Toltecs's godlike behavior",
"occurred prior to Quetzalcoatl's appearance",
"was a relatively recent development",
"was yet to be established"
] |
was a relatively recent development
|
The Toltec---as they were now called ---began to know great abundance and enjoy the
generous gifts of the land, as had been foretold by Quetzalcoatl.
"He has great powers.He has made us rich.We have not known hunger since he arrived.Where he places his eyes and hands,everything is abundance and beauty."
They were happy, they were proud. At that time they all still worked at the jobs Quetzalcoatl assigned to them.
Tula grew. People came from far away to admire its growth. Many asked permission to settle down and enjoy its abundance,which was distributed according to the needs of the people.
Topiltzin was in charge of distributing the riches,under the orders of Quetzalcoatl, so that no one would want. They were all content because they all had more than they had ever had. Many worked.They were busy all day.
Quetzalcoatl had spent six years among the Toltecs. The house for the heart of the people was almost finished and the granaries full when he decided.
"There is prosperity and abundance in all the land.Let us extend it beyond the mountains.We shall go to the land of the Chichimecs.It is time to take my mission to them. I shall make them better,I shall make them live together,I shall gather them in towns,I shall teach them to till the land and to build their homes."
"Let us leave them in their land as they are now ,"Topiltzin argued,"They are savages ;their life is violent and disorderly.They move freely,like the wind in the mountains and the plains,with nothing to keep them.Leave them where they are.There is much that we must do in our own land.
"I do not belong to this land alone.They are all my brothers,I am to give all of them, I shall look for them. I shall take the gods of Tula to them,"Quetzalcoatl said.
"Think carefully about what we shall do.You do not know them.They do not understand words. They are like savage animals,like jaguars," Topiltzin insisted.
"I shall go,"said Quetzalcoatl."My life must be accomplished.This time you will not accompany me because you do not have the will to go.I shall leave soon with some of my followers."
"Do not go with so few people! I shall accompany you with skillful warriors who are used
to killing Chichimecs and avoiding their traps." Topiltzin insisted.
"I am not going there with violence. I shall go to them as I came here,to take them the gifts of life and the doctrine of sin and redemption ."
"You have not spoken of sin and redemption for a long time," Tattle remarked. He had been listening attentively to the dialogue,and was then close to seventeen years of age."You have not come near the Tree you planted in the square in a long time.The Tree has no shoots,it has not grown,it looks sad and lonely."
"During this time,Tattle,I have often thought of it.There was confusion in my spirit.Now the Tree orders me to spread good in other lands,to make other brothers happy. It will soon have shoots."
|
Accroding to the passage, the prosperity of Tula _ .
|
[
"living with parasites",
"replacing their skin and fur naturally",
"climbing trees or rocks",
"having a bath in a river or lake"
] |
replacing their skin and fur naturally
|
How would you like to brush a crocodile's teeth? Or give a shark a bath? Cats are well-known for the way they keep themselves clean by licking , but other animals have their own ways to stay clean as well. And tidiness can be important for their survival. Even cockroaches have to keep their feelers clean to help them into food.
Many animals in the wild, such as deer, wolves and bears, have an automatic cleaning system. Insects like to attach themselves to animals to feed on the skin or blood. These parasites can be unhealthy. But their "host" animals are constantly dropping skin and fur by a natural process. They also like to rub up against trees or rocks to comfort themselves, and this removes additional skin and fur. Along with old fur goes the dirt and parasites living in the fur. While these animals may sometimes take a bath when they enter or cross a river or lake, they don't need the water to stay clean. They don't get sweaty, because they don't have sweat glands all over their bodies the way people do. Growing new skin and fur is enough to keep them clean.
Some animals and birds use dust to get clean. Chinchillas, a kind of small animal that lives in the mountains of South America, have a very fine fur. (They are raised for their fur, in fact.) If they took water baths, they might get too cold. So, instead, they roll around in fine dust, raising quite a cloud as they "bathe". The dust helps to keep their fur and skin dry. This protects them from bacteria and parasites that enjoy warm and wet places. And the fine dust doesn't stick in their fur for long. It falls off or blows away.
As for lions and tigers, their rough tongues act like combs and can remove dirt and loose fur. Why is it important for them to stay clean and smooth? It helps them stay cool in very hot summer or feel warm in cold winter.
|
According to the passage, such animals as deer, wolves and bears clean themselves by_.
|
[
"for about two weeks",
"for about two months",
"for about one and a half months",
"for about a month"
] |
for about two months
|
Dear Fang,
How are you these days? I have been in England for two months. It's not a long time for a newcomer, and there are still a lot of things to do. Sorry for not being able to write to you soon.
London is an old but beautiful city. There are lots of places of interest to visit. Last weekend I went along Thames River with some friends from Japan, Korea and some other countries. The modern skyscrapers among the old buildings impressed(...) us deeply. The classes started two weeks after I arrived here alone. Besides the language, I'm trying to learn about the culture as well. British people are quite different from the Chinese. Do you know the people here do not shake hands as much as we do in China? And it's never a good habit to make noise when you eat. They think it's impolite.
There is so much to say, but I have to stop.
I will write to you soon again.
Love,
Harry
|
Harry has studied in London _ .
|
[
"Wash your hands before you eat and after you use the toilet, touch animals or animals waste.",
"Cover your nose and mouth with your elbow when coughing.",
"Have a good rest and do some exercise to make your body strong enough.",
"All of above."
] |
All of above.
|
The weather is getting warmer and warmer. It is fun to play outside, but people are afraid to play outside these days, because of the H7N9 virus. The H7N9 virus is one type of influenza A H7 viruses. It is a new type of bird flu. Influenza A H7 viruses mainly affectbirds but sometimes they can also affect humans. Most people infected with H7N9 virus look like they had a common flu. They had a fever, a cough and shortness of breath. Some had bad pneumonia. This March, H7N9 virus hit Shanghai, Anhui, Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Up until April 11th, the number of people infected had reached 35. Nine of these people died.
But don't be afraid , some cases are curable. A 4-year-old boy in Shanghai and a 67-year-old man in Hangzhou got the virus, and they are getting better. Besides, it's not easy to be infected by the H7N9 virus.
There are some ways to save ourselves from this. First, wash your hands with soap and running water before you eat and after you use the toilet. You should do the same after you touch animals or animal waste. Second, cover your nose and mouth with your elbow when coughing. Third, you should have a good rest and do some exercises, so your body can become strong enough to beat the virus.
|
How can we save ourselves from the H7N9 virus?
|
[
"They built 5 bamboo storehouses to store food for pandas.",
"They were unprepared and had a shortage of bamboo.",
"They handled this earthquake more smoothly.",
"They let pandas out on the grounds."
] |
They built 5 bamboo storehouses to store food for pandas.
|
(By CCTV correspondent Vanessa Duffy 04/28/2013 08:36)
It's been eight days since a 7.0-magnitude strong earthquake hit China's Lushan Ya'an Sichuan Province.How the earthquake has affected one of Sichuan Province's special residents --pandas.How are the animals living? And do they have enough food to eat?
There are more than 80 pandas living here at the Chengdu Panda Breeding Base .The quake was felt strongly in Chengdu.Fortunately,all of the pandas here were out on the grounds when the earthquake hit,so they were very safe.
Several days have passed and the earthquake seems to have made no negative impact on the pandas.These two baby pandas Chengshuang and Chengdui are playfighting with each other and climbing trees.When they climbed too high,the breeders have to _ them from the trees.
The quake zone is not only the home of these pandas,it's also the source of their food.Fortunately,enough bamboo has been stored away in five bamboo storehouses for the pandas,so there are no worries about food supplies.
Wu Kongju,Breeder,Chengdu Panda Breeding Base,said,"When the Wenchuan earthquake happened on May 12,2008,we were unprepared and had a shortage of bamboo.But we've been able to handle this earthquake event more smoothly.There are no problems with the food supply."
|
How did the Panda Breeding Base deal with the food supply after the earthquake in Wenchan in 2008?
|
[
"only does homework",
"only plays sports or music",
"only studies",
"also helps others, play sports and music"
] |
also helps others, play sports and music
|
Hello, everyone! I am Zhang Xin. Do you know what I see in America? Well, it is really an interesting trip. Now, 1et me tell you what I find in this trip.
In China, I have five English classes every week. When I study English,my teacher teaches me to say "I am fine" when people ask me "How are you?" But in the US., I find people say "I am good," or "I' m not so good."
One day, someone says to me with "What's up?" But I don't know what to say.
All the girls want to be nice. US girls like to get at a _ in the sun. But in China, girls only want to get white.
In China, study comes first, so we study hard and that's it. But in the US, a "good" student also does much for others , and they play sports or music after school.
After I come back from the US, I think for a long time. I can't forget this trip!
|
A good American student _ .
|
[
"Kids are easily distracted on the Internet.",
"Most kids pretend to be doing online reading.",
"Most kids like to read on a smartphone or tablet.",
"Kids rarely use the Internet to do serious research."
] |
Kids are easily distracted on the Internet.
|
Harry potter and The Hunger Games haven't been big hits for nothing. Lots of teens still read quite a lot. But a study shows a clear decrease over time. Nearly half of 17-year-olds say they read for pleasure no more than one or two times a year. That's way down from ten years ago.
The digital revolution means there are more platforms than ever to read on. Jim Steyer has been studying the effect of technology on children. He has four kids and has seen the trend most with his 16-year-old. "I start to see it in our 10-year-old as well, because he is reading less and less, and more and more attracted to some of the digital media platforms that he has access to, and that he didn't have access to when he was 6 or 7 years old," he says.
The studies don't say that kids are reading less because they're spending more time online. But Steyer is convinced that's at least part of the answer.
"First of all, most children now have access to e-readers, or other smart electronic devices like phones and tablets ," he says. " And they're spending time on that. Many reports show the increasing use of new technology platforms by kids. It just strikes me as extremely logical that that's a big reason.
Researchers want to know more about how teens are spending their time in the digital age. But Kathryn Zickuhr of the Pew Research Center says it's tricky. If a kid is looking at a book, you may think he or she is reading. But when it comes to looking at a smartphone or tablet, who knows?
"We've heard from middle and high school teachers that sometimes the Internet is wonderful for enthusiastic students to do deep research," says Zickuhr. "But on the other side, obviously there are many distractions on the Internet."
However, Jim Steyer says, "Kids with parents who read, who buy or take books out of the library for their kids, and who then set time aside in their kids' daily schedule for reading, tend to read the most -- whether it's on a book, an e-book or some other devices."
|
What statement may Kathryn Zickuhr agree to?
|
[
"there was an Easter basket in the food basket",
"someone knew what the young man needed",
"one of the baskets was filled with more bread than others",
"he found that the young man's name was on the basket"
] |
there was an Easter basket in the food basket
|
Directions: Read the following three passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are 4 choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage.
"Excuse me",said a young man,standing shyly at the open church door. "I'm here to pick up an Easter basket for my daughter. Am I in the right place?""Well,we have baskets,but they're not Easter baskets for kids;they're food baskets,"I explained.
That morning I arrived at St.Michael's Church in Carmichael,California,to help give out the baskets to needy families for Easter. To make sure every family would receive one,we had handed out numbers to them that matched the basket they were supposed to receive. Each one contained a whole ham,potatoes,bread,vegetables,and a pie--enough food to help feed a family for a week.
"Why don't you come in?"I said to the man. He looked disappointed. He shook his head and said,"I can't...My daughter is waiting for me over there. I'm grateful for the food,but when I heard you were giving away baskets for Easter...well,I thought they would be Easter baskets for children." He continued,"I promised my daughter one,and I wanted to surprise her."
I felt bad,but there was nothing I could do. The man handed me his number,and I walked over to the baskets. A bulge in one of the baskets caught my eye. "What is that?"I wondered. Leaning over and looking more closely,I could see,unmistakably,an Easter basket--filled with candy,chocolate,and Easter eggs. One of the volunteers must have added it by mistake!I thought. Then I looked at the man's number in my hand. Well,he'll be...
"Happy Easter,"I said to the man,handing him the only food basket with an Easter basket inside--the very same basket with his number on it. "Someone knew just what you needed."
|
What surprised the author was that _ .
|
[
"Some online file-sharing services are responsible for music piracy.",
"Napster, a famous music website, broke down because of its piracy.",
"There have been no perfect measures to put an end to piracy.",
"Legal sharing of music is available at Apple's iTune Music Store."
] |
Napster, a famous music website, broke down because of its piracy.
|
Exchanging music over the Internet is fun and easy. Better yet, it's free, which means you don't have to pay for any more expensive music CDs. Several online file-sharing services make it easy for music lovers to exchange their favorite tunes with one another.
However, this
sharing of music -- a form of music piracy -- is doing harm to the music industry. Industry experts estimate that US$4.3 billion in worldwide sales was lost to music piracy last year. These lost profits could force record companies to stop producing the music of many popular artists. That would hurt both musicians and music fans alike.
Music producers are puzzled about how to fight music piracy. Their efforts to fight piracy using the law have had only limited success. The music industry did win a legal victory against Napster, a famous music website. The courts ordered Napster to stop giving away copyrighted music from their site. But a number of other music-sharing networks have sprung up in its place.
These new networks are made up of thousands, or even millions, of individuals. Unlike Napster, there's no one company controlling the distribution of music over each network. So it's nearly impossible to stop the illegal activities.
Now people in the music industry have decided that " if you can't beat them, join them." They've begun to offer legal alternatives to online music piracy. Major music producers have given companies like Apple Computer permission to sell their music online. Apple's iTune Music Store allows computer users to legally download any song for 99 cents.
Will these new measures save the music industry from piracy? That depends on whether music fans are willing to pay 99 cents fro a song that they can download illegally for free. Unfortunately, many people believe music should be free. The music industry, however, hopes to persuade these music fans to change their tune.
|
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
|
[
"Should boys be involved in housework?",
"Present for my future daughter-in-law.",
"I'm proud I've raised a curious son.",
"Dependent or independent."
] |
Present for my future daughter-in-law.
|
One evening last summer, when I asked my 17-year-old son, Ray, for help with dinner, his response surprised me, "What's a colander ?" he asked.
I could only blame myself. Nobody's hands went in the sauce except my own. But that night, as I explained with a touch of panic that a colander is the thing with holes in it, I wondered what else I hadn't prepared Ray for.
As parents, while we focus on our child's confidence and character, we perhaps don't always consider that we are also raising someone's future roommate, boyfriend, husband, or father. I wanted to know that I'd raised a boy who would never ask the woman in his life, "What's for dinner?" So I came up with a plan: I would offer Ray a private home economics course. I was delighted to find that he didn't say no.
For two hours, three days a week, Ray was all mine. One day, as his tomato sauce reduced on the stove, he washed and seasoned a chicken for roasting. Then he rolled out the piecrust and filled it with apples, all while listening to my explanation on the importance of preheating an oven.
I knew that he would rather have been shooting hoops I the driveway than learning to mend socks with his mother -- he tried to beg off sewing lessons, even though I insisted that one day, someone would find the sight of him fixing his own shirt very attractive -- but it couldn't be denied that he was learning, and _ . "I appreciate more what you do as a mom," he told me one day.
Ray now understands the finer points of cooking, and more important, he realizes there's nothing masculine about being helpless. Not only can he make his own dinner, he can make it for his family, too. That's what I call a man.
|
What would be the best title for the text?
|
[
"Chinese families will go to the cinema together",
"there may be more family films in prefix = st1 /China",
"making family films in Chinais not easy",
"family films are about love"
] |
there may be more family films in prefix = st1 /China
|
TWENTY-FIVE years ago director Stephen Spielberg captured the hearts of Western audiences with his family classic.E.T.Now his Hong Kong director Stephen Chow is trying to do the same trick in China.
Chow's latest movie CJ7(<<>> ),in cinemas now,is a heart-warming story about a poor migrant worker and his son.When a strange alien enters their lives,father and son learn a lesson about the value of family.Chow hopes his movie will help to make family films more popular in China.
Family films have been the main part of the Hollywood market for the last 40 years.They have given audiences movies like E.T., Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park.However, there are few of these movies in China, where expensive history films are more popular.
A family film is not simply a children's movie.It is a film that is not only suitable for children, but appeals to the whole family.
According to Raymound Zhou,a famous film critic,these films are rare in China because "very few families go to the cinema together".Because of this,there is little demand for movies that appeal to the whole family.
However, in the West,it is common for the family to sit down and watch a movie together.Tim Bridges, from London,says:"I love it at Christmas when I sit down and watch a movie with my family."
All family films contain similar messages about being honest, remaining positive and learning there is more to life than money.According to the American movie reviewer,Dave Johnson, this is because "When parents watch a movie,they want their children to be learning good values".
Just like when the alien in Spielberg's E.T.phones home to make contact with his family, Chow will hope Chinese audiences are tuned in and ready to receive his family movie message.
|
It can be inferred that in the future,_.
|
[
"Attracting more talented people.",
"Good image of the business.",
"Better cooperation with universities.",
"Further training of employees and business growth."
] |
Further training of employees and business growth.
|
Today, there are many chances for those who wish to continue their education. However, nearly all require some break in one's career in order to attend school full time.
Part-time education, that is, attending school at night or for one weekend a month, tends to drag the process out over time and puts the completion of a degree program out of reach of many people. Additionally, such programs require a fixed time commitment which can also impact negatively on one's career and family time.
Of the many approaches to teaching and learning, however, perhaps the most flexible is that called distance learning. Distance learning is an educational method which allows the students the flexibility to study at his or her own pace to achieve the academic goals which are so necessary in today's world. The time required to study may be set aside at the student's convenience. Additionally, the student may enroll in distance learning courses from actually any place in the world, while continuing to pursue their chosen career. Individual assistance may be available via regular airmail, telephone, fax machine, teleconferencing and over the Internet.
Good distance learning programs are characterized by the inclusion of a subject evaluation tool with every subject, so a student doesn't need to travel away from home to take a test. Another characteristic of a good distance learning program is the equivalence of the distance learning course with the same subject materials as those students taking the course on the home campus. The resultant diploma or degree should also be the same whether distance learning or on-campus study is employed. The individuality of the professor/student relationship is another characteristic of a good distance learning program. In the final analysis, a good distance learning program has a place not only for the individual student but also the company or business that wants to work in partnership with their employees for the educational benefit, professional development, and business growth of the organization. Supporting distance learning programs for their employees gives the business the advantage of retaining career-minded people while contributing to their personal and professional growth through education.
|
What benefit will distance learning program bring to a business?
|
[
"Kenya, Africa",
"Hawaii, the US",
"Indonesia, Asia",
"an undnown city, in Latin America"
] |
Hawaii, the US
|
History Has Arrived
Nine-year-old Barack Obama was looking through magazines. But the African-American boy was shocked by a series of photos. The pictures were of a black man who destroyed his skin with chemicals that promised to make him white.
For the first time, the boy began to doubt who he was. "I stood in front of the mirror and wondered if something was wrong with me,"Obama said.
However, now the boy who used to struggle with his identity doesn't see it as a problem any more, but an advantage for his career. Obama made history by being elected as the first black president of US. He defeated John Ma Cain in a landslide victory.
Obama's story started in opposite corners of the world. His white mother was born in the heartland of the US. His black father grew up in a tiny village in Kenya. They met during in Hawaii, but his father left the family when Obama was just two years old and his mother moved to Indonesia.
At 10, Obama moved back to live with his white grandparents in Hawaii where his sense that he didn't belong grew. At his class a white boy asked Obama if his father ate people. Out of embarrassment ,Obama lied to his classmates that his father was a prince. "I kept asking who I was and I ended up trying drugs and drinking,"Obama recalled.
Things came to change after the young man made friends with those with a similar background at college. Their experiences back in Africa helped Obama to finally face up to his African origin. He worked hard to become a star at Harvard Law School and the third black senator in US history.
At the beginning of his campaign for the White House, few people viewed Obama favorably. Many doubted his unusual background, which left him neither black enough nor white enough.
But Obama turned his pain of growing up into a tool to make Americans believe:"There is not a black America, an Asian America. There's the United States of America."
Barack Obama's victory is"a historic vicotory that promised changes and overcame centuries of prejudice ."His success realised Martin Luther King's dream that a man should be judged not by the color1 of his skin, but by the content of his character.
|
From the above passage we can know that Barack Obama was born in_.
|
[
"you should write something useful",
"you must be a US student who is under 16",
"you'd better write a short introduction of yourself",
"you must send your information to an e-mail address"
] |
you should write something useful
|
This US competition is for camping related articles in which you share your tips, advice, experience, etc.
Closing: When we've received 100 articles -- so you'd better be quick.
Prizes: $100,$75,$25 -- all in VISA Gift Cards.
How to enter our writing competition
In your own words, write an article on a camping topic such as: how to's, reviews, tips and advice, or any topic camping related.The best articles will include useful information about camping, in an interesting and well-written way.Remember that it should be no less than 200 words.
Other requirements
1.Fill in all the information required, including your article, on our webpage CampTrip.com and then submit it.
2.You must be 16 years old or over to take part in the competition.
3.You must be a student who is now studying in the US.
And what's in it for you?
We are giving out a VISA Gift Card for first, second and third best articles.Simply share your experience with others and try to win a VISA cash card.The writing competition is limited to 100 articles which gives you a better chance of writing.So why don't you take up this chance?
|
If you want to enter for the competition, _ .
|
[
"employees' extra five days of work will certainly boost the output of the economy by about two percent.",
"not getting enough breaks from work may cause workers less productive",
"in order to boost output in the economy, employees should give up some holidays",
"the more leave the employees take, the better the economy will become"
] |
not getting enough breaks from work may cause workers less productive
|
According to a report , more than a million workers will fail to take their full annul leave this year in UK. That's to say, totally, those workers will give up 6.2 million days of vacation, with an average of five days for each worker. For their employers, they feel happy because that is equal to a potential $500 million of 'free' work, which, according to an economist will boost the output of the economy by about two percent.
The report also showed that the main reasons employees give up their remaining annul leave are due to pressures at work and their failing to appreciate that taking a break could make them more productive and, in turn, boost the economy in the long term.
The research, done by price comparison website Travel Supermarket, found that more than one in four of those who will give up their remaining holidays (28 percent) will do so due to pressures at work. Bob Atkinson, travel expert for Travel Supermarket said: "As the economy is not so satisfying, it's no surprise that people are cautious to take all their leave, especially if they feel stressed and uncertainty at work." Nine percent of the 2,020 people surveyed also said they would feel guilty about taking the leave because their work would have to be taken care of by their colleagues. A further three percent said they would be concerned about how taking time off would look to their employer, while the same percentage said they did not want to miss anything interesting or beneficial at work in the time they would be away.
Vicky Redwood, chief UK economist at Capital Economics, said: "Suppose that there are about 250 working days in a year, getting an extra five 'free' days of work from their employees could in theory boost the output of the economy by about two percent. On the other hand, if workers are less productive as a result of not getting enough breaks from work, taking all the annual leave, in fact, will perhaps increase the economy."
|
From what Vicky Redwood said, we can infer that _ .
|
[
"the teacher was fired and couldn't continue her career in teaching",
"the parents complained about the discipline of the school",
"the little pupils felt disappointed after hearing the news told by the teacher",
"in reality,Santa Claus exists and gives out presents once a year."
] |
the little pupils felt disappointed after hearing the news told by the teacher
|
A primary school teacher who left a class of 25 pupils in tears after she told them Santa Claus did not exist has been fired. When excited youngsters became _ as they talked about Santa,the supply teacher said out suddenly,"It's your parents who leave out presents on Christmas Day."
The class of sevenyearolds at Blackshaw Lane Primary School,Royton,Greater Manchester burst into tears and told their parents when they arrived home. Mothers and fathers then complained about the incident and were sent a letter by the school saying the teacher,who only worked at the school for one day last week,has been disciplined .
The school has now said it will not hire her again.
One father said,"My son came home and said that his teacher had told the class that Santa doesn't exist and it's their mum and dad that put out presents for them. Obviously,they were all talking about Christmas and being a bit rowdy. She just came straight out with it."
"My son was in tears and so was everyone else in the class--especially as it was so close to Christmas. I thought it was wrong. He was crazy about it. He's only seven years old and it's part of the magic of Christmas to him."
"We told him that she did not believe in Father Christmas because of her religion and he's fine now."
"The father described the incident as 'shocking' and believed it was done with malicious intent .A lot of parents were angry and complained to the school. The teacher,who was supplied by Rochdale and Oldham Supply Agency,is still listed and will work with other schools,"the agency said.
However,the head teacher in Angela McCormick refused to comment on the incident.
|
We can infer from the passage that _ .
|
[
"How to Dance the Tango",
"The History of the Tango",
"How to Promote the Tango",
"The Modern Tango Boom"
] |
The History of the Tango
|
Argentina in the late nineteenth century was an exciting place.Around 1870,it was experiencing an economic boom,and the capital,Buenos Aires,attracted many people.Farmers,as well as a flood of foreigners from Spain and Italy,came to Buenos Aires seeking jobs.These jobs didn't pay well,and the people felt lonely and disappointed with their new life in the city.As the unhappy newcomers mixed together in the poor parts of the city,the dance known as the tango came into being.
At the beginning the tango was a dance of the lower classes.It was danced in the bars and streets.At that time there were many fewer women than men,so if a man didn't want to be left out,his only choice was to dance with another man so that he could attract the attention of the few available women.Gradually,the dance spread into the upper classes of Argentinean society and became more respectable.
In Europe at this time,strong interest in dance from around the world was beginning.This interest in international dance was especially evident in Paris.Every kind of dance from ballet to belly dancing could be found on the stages of the Paris theaters.After tango dancers from Argentina arrived in Europe,they began to draw the interest of the public as they performed their exciting dance in cafes.Though not everyone approved of the new dance,saying it was a little too shocking,the dance did find enough supporters to make it popular.
The popularity of the tango continued to grow in many other parts of the world.Soldiers who returned to the United States from World War I brought the tango to North America.It reached Japan in 1926,and in 2003 the Argentinean embassy in Seoul hired a local tango dancer to act as a kind of dance ambassador,and promote tango dancing throughout South Korea.
|
What can be the best title for the text?
|
[
"front; back",
"back; back",
"front; front",
"back; front"
] |
back; front
|
In our city, there is a big zoo. There are a lot of different animals in it. There are some scary tigers and lions. They like eating meat and they eat much meat every day.
There are also two big elephants and a baby one. Children like to ride one of them. The elephants are very kind and friendly. They eat much grass and bananas.
In the zoo, we can see different kinds of bears : brown bears, black bears and white bears. They are all shy and clumsy . They stand on their back legs and lift their front legs to ask for food They like cakes very much.
Do you like pandas? There's only one in the zoo. Her name is Lingling. She is very cute. She likes eating bamboos a lot. She is kind of shy, She's very interesting and lovely.
|
Bears stand on their _ legs and lift their _ legs to ask for food.
|
[
"Lettuce is the easiest crop to grow in your garden.",
"The lettuce is not hard to plant and store.",
"We can plant lettuce in a two-centimeter-high tray.",
"We should water lettuce at least twice a day."
] |
The lettuce is not hard to plant and store.
|
Lettuce has been eaten for over 4,500 years, and was known to the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. Now, people in some countries start the meal with lettuce as part of a salad. There are hundreds of kinds of lettuce. The main ones include head lettuce, such as iceberg, leaf lettuce,Boston, bibb and romaine.
Experts say lettuce is one of the easiest crops to grow in your garden. The best time to plant the seeds is during cool weather. The University of Illinois Extension advises that the best planting temperature is 150C.
Lettuce seeds are small, so do not place them too deep in the ground. If you plant some seeds every week or two, you will have crops ready to eat one after another.
To start the seeds inside, you can use a seed tray in your home or other shelter. This container should be deep enough to hold at least three centimeters of soil or more. There should be about one centimeter of space between the soil and the top of the container. The container should have holes in the bottom so the extra water can flow out. Drop the seeds over the surface and cover them lightly with soil. If the soil is not already a little wet, give it some water. But do not drown the seeds.
Next, cover the seed tray with paper. When the seedlings have come up far enough to touch the paper, take it off. You can transplant the seedlings into the garden when they are about two to three centimeters tall. Do this when the weather is not too hot and not too cold. Take out as much soil as you can with the seedlings, Then dig a hole in the ground bigger thanthe lettuce roots. Water the plants but not too heavily.
Harvest leaf lettuces when the leaves are big enough to eat. Pull the leaves from the outside of the planting so the inside leaves will keep growing. Or, you can cut off the whole plant. Leave about two or three centimeters above the ground so the plant will re-grow. Cut off head lettuces at ground level.
Lettuce is best when served fresh, so make a salad and enjoy. Experts say lettuce is one of the easiest crops to grow in your garden.
|
What can we infer from the passage?
|
[
"doesn't need to stop to eat",
"is afraid of hot weather",
"seems very tired at last",
"should fly less than 7000 metres"
] |
doesn't need to stop to eat
|
The bar-tailed godwit has just broken its own record for the world's longest non-stop flight, including humans in planes, according to a report made by Lund University Press. The bird can fly non-stop for eight days, while the most impressive man-made airplane can only remain in the sky for 82 hours without a stop.
The bar-tailed godwit's journey, from Alaska to New Zealand, covers over 6,835 miles. It completes this trip twice a year, in autumn going to New Zealand, and in spring back to Alaska. The tireless bird ends the trip without stopping once for food or rest. All other birds can only finish trips that are twice as short as what the bar-tailed godwit travels.
One reason for the bar-tailed godwit's success is that it has made the best use of its fuel, which is only 0.41 percent of its body weight over each hour of any given long flight. Hedenstrom, a professor from Lund University, says, "This figure is extremely low compared with other birds." The bird also has a special body shape that helps it fly easily. It stores body fat and protein to manage its trips. It also travels fast, compared to other birds and animals.
Many questions remain about this bird record holder that never gets lost in the air. Researchers wonder whether it has an inside compass that helps it to know the direction. Please watch how beautiful bar-tailed godwits look as they come in for a landing, along with other birds.
|
For the flight from Alaska to New Zealand, the bar-tailed godwit _ .
|
[
"tolerance",
"disappointment",
"carelessness",
"admiration"
] |
admiration
|
When I was watching a sports event yesterday, I met with an amazing sight. It was not a gold medal, or a world record broken, but a show of pure courage and determination.
The event was swimming. I watched a man dive off the blocks and knew right away that something was wrong. I'm not an expert swimmer, but I can tell a good dive from a poor one, and this was not exactly medal quality. When he resurfaced, it was evident that the man was not out for gold -- his arms were waving in an attempt at freestyle.
I heard the crowd begin to laugh at this poor man who was clearly having a hard time. Finally he made his turn to start back. It was pitiful. He made a few desperate strokes and you could tell he was worn out. But in those few awkward strokes, the crowd changed. No longer were they laughing, but beginning to cheer. Some even began to stand and yell things like, "Come on, you can do it!" He did. The crowd went wild.
Just a short year ago, he had never even swum, let alone race. His country had been invited to take part in the event. Even though he recorded the slowest time, this man gave more heart than any of the other competitors--a man that gave his all, knowing that he had no chance but to compete because of the spirit of the games.
|
The author's attitude towards the swimmer is that of _ .
|
[
"21",
"18",
"20",
"19"
] |
19
|
When most people turn 21, they spend too much time partying and having fun. But when Adele turned 21, she did something completely different.
After going through a tough breakup , the British singer turned her pain into glory and recorded one of the most moving albums of the year.
The album,21, which was _ in January, has already hit the charts in 14 countries, according to the Billboard magazine.
It also noted that Adele made history as the first artist since the Beatles to have two top five singles and two top five albums in the charts at the same time (Adele's first album,19, was released in 2008. Each album is named for her age when she wrote it).
Now, after touring around the world for almost a year, the DVD of her live concert, released on November 29, is Adele's latest work.
Having topped the pre-order list ofAmazon. comfor over a month already, this one seems set to stay on top for a while.
Born in north London, Adele sang her way up honestly: In 2006, she was signed by England's XL Recordings on the strength of a three-song demo a friend of hers had posted on MySpace;within two years she had won the BRIT Awards 'Critics' Choice prize and been tipped by the BBC as the "Sound of 2008".
In 2009 she got the best new artist Grammy Award, and went on a world tour in support of the album19with a sold-out show in Los Angeles.
According to Adele herself, much of the inspiration of her music comes from one single breakup.
That's probably what has made the singer's success-that emotional certitude , according to Dickins.
"The key to great singers is believing every single word they sing, " he said. "And I think you believe every word that comes out of Adele's mouth. You can feel her life force through her voice. "
|
When she wrote album19, she is at the age of _ .
|
[
"how Chinese parents name their babies",
"the importance of standardizing Chinese characters",
"a ban on names using Arabic numerals and foreign languages",
"the problems caused by uncommon characters used in Chinese names"
] |
the problems caused by uncommon characters used in Chinese names
|
A Chinese couple tried to name their baby "@", saying the character best represents their love for the child, according to an official trying to standardize the national language. The unusual name stands out especially in Mandarin, which has no alphabet and instead uses tens of thousands of multistroke characters to represent words. "The whole world uses it to write emails, and translated into Chinese it means 'love him'," the father explained, according to the deputy chief of the State Language Commission Li Yuming.
While the @ symbol is familiar to Chinese email users, they often use the English word "at" to sound it out. With a drawnout "t", this sounds something like "ai ta", or "love him", to Mandarin speakers. Li says the name is an extreme example of people's increasingly adventurous approach to Mandarin, as commercialization and the Internet break down conventions .
Another couple tried to give their child a name that in English sounds like "King Osrina".
Li did not say if officials accepted the "@" name. But earlier this year the government announced a ban on names using Arabic numerals and foreign languages. Sixty million Chinese face the problem that their names use ancient characters so uncommon that computers cannot recognize them _ , said Li, according to a report on the government website. One of them is the former Premier Zhu Rongji, whose name has a rare "rong" character that gives newspaper editors headaches.
|
The passage is mainly about _ .
|
[
"to become active during sleep",
"to tell the difference between smell",
"to learn new words and scientific facts",
"to make sound-smell connections"
] |
to make sound-smell connections
|
Scientists have proved that sleeping and learning go hand in hand. Even a short nap can boost our memory and sharpen our thinking. But the relationship goes deeper than that.
"The brain is not passive while you sleep," scientist Anat Arzi said. "It's quite active. You can do many things while you are asleep."
Arzi and her coworkers didn't try to teach the sleeping volunteers any complex information, like new words or facts. Instead, the scientists taught volunteers to make new connections between smells and sounds.
When we smell something good, like a flower, we take deep breaths. When we smell something bad, we take short breaths. Arzi and her co-workers based their experiment on these reactions.
Once the volunteers fell asleep in the lab, the scientists went to work. They gave them a whiff of something pleasant and meanwhile played a particular musical note. They didn't wake up, but they heard--and sniffed deeply. Then the scientists gave the volunteers a whiff of something terrible and played a different musical note. Again, the volunteers heard and smelled--a short snort this
time--but didn't wake up. The researchers repeated the experiment.
After just four repetitions, volunteers made a connection between the musical notes and their paired smells. When the scientists played the musical tone that went with good smells, the sleepers breathed deeply. And when the scientists played the musical tone that went with bad smells, the sleepers breathed briefly--despite there being no bad smell.
The next day, the volunteers woke up with the sound-smell connection. They breathed deeply when hearing one tone and cut their breaths short when hearing the other, which must have been unusual for them. Imagine walking down the street and taking a deep breath upon hearing a particular sound!
|
In the study, the volunteers were taught _ .
|
[
"There is no paper in the future.",
"People don't like reading books.",
"They are very expensive.",
"We can read passages from computers."
] |
We can read passages from computers.
|
Computers are very important to modern life.Many people think that in the future computers will be used in lots of everyday life.It is thought that we won't have to go shopping because we will be able to get most things which are sold in shops on the Internet.There will be no more books because we will be able to get all texts from computers.The Internet will be used to play games, see films and buy food.Most telephone calls will be made by computers, too.
Some people are glad about those new ways of shopping and communicating .Others do not think that computers will replace our old ways.
Some people think that one day we will not read books made of paper. Instead, we will buy and read books using computers, which will keep many different books in them at the same time.We won't need to turn lots of pages and paper will be saved.Computerized books will be used more and more.
While many people say it is a pleasure to go into shops and look at things you want to buy.It is also unlikely that many people will want to read large texts on our computers. Because paper books will perhaps be more friendly.Maybe computers won't change these two habits.
|
There will be no more books because _ .
|
[
"To see the restaurant.",
"To see the fashion.",
"To see a film.",
"To see the stars crying and laughing."
] |
To see the stars crying and laughing.
|
Do you know what Oscar is? When did it start? Maybe you can find the background of the awards in the following passage.
The awards started in 1929. Their full title is "The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Awards". The Academy is a group of people who have worked in the film industry for many years. They decide who will receive the awards. The awards are often referred to as the "Oscar". This is a nickname given to the awards by a lady called Margaret Herrick. She was once the director of the Academy and she once said that the little gold statue reminded her of her uncle Oscar!
The Oscar is always an exciting event. Each year, at least one unusual thing happens. When the Italian actor and director Roberto Benigni won an Oscar for best foreign film, he danced on stage! When Gwyneth Paltrow, the star of Shakespeare in Love won the Oscar for best actress, she could not make her acceptance speech because she was crying so much with happiness!
In 1987, Roberto Benigni won the award for best director for a film about the last emperor of China. Since then, Chinese film and actors have started to make an impact at the award. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was a huge success and it won the award for best foreign language film in 2001. It also won several technical awards for its amazing "flying" people. We expect to see more awards for Chinese film in the near future.
It's time for the Oscar again. Once more, the stars will dress up in their finest and go to Kodak Theater. There, they will find out who had won the awards for best actor, best actress and best director. Millions of people watch the awards every year to find out who the winners are. Some people watch it to see the stars crying and laughing as they receive their awards.
|
Why do some people watch Oscars?
|
[
"Because he needed to eat something as lunch.",
"Because he was very thirsty.",
"Because he had to refresh himself for the classes in the afternoon.",
"Because he wanted something hot to drink."
] |
Because he had to refresh himself for the classes in the afternoon.
|
As a substitute teacher, my daily routine involves driving to a new school almost every day so I'm usually unable to anticipate the day's events, good or bad!
On one particular day, I was teaching in a very difficult classroom. I was managing behavior all morning and by lunch time, I knew I needed coffee to even consider surviving the afternoon. So on my lunch break, I drove to a nearbyplaza to get a cup of coffee. Upon returning to the car I realized I had locked my keys and my phone inside! I had about 15 minutes to get back to the school which was a good 4 or 5-minute drive away. I contemplated sprinting back, but it being winter, I thought a nasty fall on ice would only make the situation much worse.
So I ran into a McDonald's which was in the same plaza and asked the man at the counter who happened to be the manager to please call me a cab. I briefly explained my situation to him, and I could tell by the look in his eyes, that he empathized. He hurried to the back to use the phone while I paced in the restaurant. I had less than 10 minutes to get back to my school at this point.
The manager returned only to tell me that the cab company had put him on hold and then the line got disconnected, and that he was now on hold again, but had not yet been able to request the cab yet. My expression, I assume, began to resemble some combination of hopelessness and fear.
Without a thought, he grabbed his coat and offered to drive me to the school. Without hesitation, I followed him into his car and made it back into my classroom with 2 minutes to spare before the bell!
Upon arriving at the school, I thanked this man endlessly. His calmdemeanor and kind nature made me think he was probably a wonderful manager to work for, and also a wonderful human being to have on this earth. This experience makes me realize that out of every seemingly hopeless situation, there is the opportunity for acts of kindness totranspire , which can have an unimaginable impact on those who receive them.
|
Why did the author go to get a coffee?
|
[
"Because a T-bar was going to hit him.",
"Because he was hungry and wanted milk.",
"Because Debbie choked something in her throat.",
"Because there was danger in her house."
] |
Because there was danger in her house.
|
When Debbie Parkhurst choked on a piece of apple at her Maryland home, her dog jumped in, landing hard on her chest and forcing the piece of apple to pop out of her throat. Debbie Parkhurst's husband, Kevin, was at his job at a Wilmington, Del., chemical firm when she took a midday break from jewelry and bit into an apple. When the Keesling family of Indiana were about to be overcome by carbon monoxide(CO), their cat clawed at wife Cathy's hair until she woke up and called for help.
For their timely acts, Toby, a golden 2 1/2-year-old dog, and Winnie, a gray-eyed American shorthair, were named Dog and Cat of the Year by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Neither Parkhurst nor Keesling could explain their pets' timely heroics,though Parkhurst suggested it might have been guided by God intervention . "That's what our veterinarian said,"she said. "He wasn't making a joke; he's very spiritual, and now I have to agree with him."
But both pets were themselves rescued in baby, Toby as a 4-week-old baby thrown into a garbage bin to die, and Winnie as a week-old orphan hiding under a barn, so helpless that Keesling's husband, Eric, had to feed her milk.
As the Keeslings recalled it, a gas-driven pump spread carbon monoxide through the house. By the time Winnie moved into rescue spot, the couple's 14-year-old son, Michael, was already unconscious. "Winnie jumped on the bed and was clawing at me, with a kind of angry noise," Cathy Keesling said. "When I woke up I felt like a T-bar had hit me across the head."
State police and officers responding to her 911 call said the family was only minutes from death, judging by the amount of poisonous gas in the house.
|
Why did Winnie try to wake Cathy Keesling up?
|
[
"Her father had a decisive effect on her painting",
"Her painting featured scenes of everyday living",
"She used various colors and long lines in her works",
"She studied the paintings of the masters in U.S.A"
] |
Her painting featured scenes of everyday living
|
Mary Cassatt is one of the first great women American painters. At first her father did not want her to become an artist. But she followed her dreams and became an artist.She was born on
May 22, 1844, and lived in Europe for several years as a child.
Her family returned to the United States and, at age 16, Mary attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Four years later she decided she couldn't learn anything fresh and practical in Philadelphia, so she returned to Europe. There she studied the skills of the masters in Rome, Seville, Antwerp, and Paris.
Mary received the chance of a lifetime at the age of 33 when the famous French painter, Edgar Degas, asked her to join a group of painters that included now-famous artists like Manet and Renoir. Their style of painting is called Impressionism. They used primary colors and short brush strokes in their work. They recognized Mary 's spirit and powerful talent and invited her to exhibit in the Impressionist art shows.
Mary painted what she saw: gardens, and paintings of persons , especially of mothers and children involved in everyday living. One of her paintings, "Young Mother and Two Children," was given to the White House in 1954 where it hangs today.
Mary never married and, in 1877, her parents and sister moved to Europe to join her. Mary devoted much of her time to them for the next 18 years to their care. Mary painted until 1914 when her failing eyesight made it impossible to continue. She spent the later years of her life in Paris. She died in 1926 at the age of 82. Unfortunately,all her life, she refused to accept students.
|
Which of the statements about Mary Cassatt is supported by the passage?
|
[
"an instructor",
"a waitress",
"a coo",
"an artist"
] |
a coo
|
This March is a busy month in Shanghai.There's a lot to do.Here are the highlights.
Live Music - Late Night Jazz
Enjoy real American jazz from Herbie Davis, the famous trumpet player.He's coming with his new 7-piece band, Herbie's Heroes.Herbie is known to play well into the early hours, so don't expect to get much sleep.This is Herbie's third visit to Shanghai.The first two were sold out, so get your tickets quickly.
PLACE: The Jazz Club DATES: 15---23 March
PRICE: Y=80,120 TIME: 10:00p.m.till late!
TEL: 6466--8736
Scottish dancing
Take your partners and get ready to dance till you drop.Scottish dancing is fun and easy to learn.Instructors will demonstrate the dances.The live band, Gordon Stroppie and the Weefrees, are also excellent.
PLACE: Jack Stein's DATES: every Monday
PRICE: Y60 including one drink TIME: 7:00 ---0:00 p.m.
TEL: 6402-1877
Exhibitions - Shanghai Museum
There are 120,000 pieces on show here.You can see the whole of Chinese history under one roof.It's always interesting to visit, but doubly so at the moment with the Egyptian Tombs exhibition.There are lots of mummies and more gold than you've ever seen before.Let us know if you see a mummy move!
PLACE: Shanghai Museum PRICE: Y=30 (Y= 15 for students)
TEL: 6888-6888 DATES: daily
TIME: Monday - Friday 9:00a.m.- 5:00p.m., Weekends 9:00a.m.--- 9:00p.m.
Dining - Sushi chef in town
Sushi is getting really big in Shanghai.In Japan, it's become an art form.The most famous Sushi 'artist' is Yuki Kamura.She's also one of the few female chefs in Japan.She'll be at Sushi Scene all of this month.
PLACE: Sushi Scene in the Shanghai Hotel DATES: all month
PRICE: Y=200 TIME: lunchtime
TEL: 6690-3211
For a full listing of events, see our website.
|
From the text we may learn that Kamura is _ .
|
[
"compare Sherlock Holmes with Superman",
"explain how Holmes solves cases",
"ask people to learn from Sherlock Holmes",
"explain why Holmes is so popular"
] |
explain why Holmes is so popular
|
The world's greatest detective, Sherlock Holmes, is back on our screens.
The new BBC TV series of Sherlock was broadcast in the UK on Jan 1. But the history of Sherlock dates back 127 years.
Since the creation of Holmes in 1887, he has been taking us on adventures one after another.
The Sherlock series is a playful drama, covered in crimes and mystery. It gives us a modern Sherlock for a new generation, who solves cases with the help of the Internet, cell phones and GPS.
People look to Sherlock for both adventure and inspiration . Each case sends us on a mysterious journey with Holmes. The stories give life and color to our imagination: as he checks the crime scene, we join him and become detectives too, looking out for hidden clues.
Yet Holmes is no Superman. He cannot fly, or turn invisible . But his powers are within all of us: reason, logical thinking and paying attention to detail. While an artist's painting is his art, Sherlock's art is his intelligence . He is human, and this is what makes Holmes a true hero for all of us.
In the new series of Sherlock, most people thought Holmes was dead. But he returns after two years of hiding in the shadows. Now the whole city of London is in danger. What can Holmes possibly do? Uncover the mystery yourself by watching the new series!
|
The writer wrote the passage to _ .
|
[
"The bus driver stopped to pick up more passengers.",
"The bus driver said he couldn't go through the traffic.",
"The bus driver did nothing to help.",
"The bus driver sent the girl to the hospital."
] |
The bus driver sent the girl to the hospital.
|
Officials of the Chicago Transit Authority said they were investigating. The child, Nicole Hobson, was being taken by her mother to Children's Memorial Hospital about 11 P. M., Wednesday to check her recently inserted pacemaker.
The child was stricken about a mile from the hospital. Her mother, May Hobson, 40, said, "I told the bus driver that my baby had just had heart operation and that she was having a heart failure. He said he couldn't go through the traffic."
Ted Garretson, 28, a passenger who had tried to bring back Nicole's life, said the driver did nothing to help and stopped once to pick up more passengers.
When the driver reached a corner where he was to make a turn, a block from the hospital, he told Mrs. Hobson to get off, she said.
A transit spokesman said the driver should have made radio call to the control center for help.
|
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
|
[
"English",
"Chinese",
"art lesson",
"swimming lesson"
] |
English
|
Hi. I'm Lingling. I'm a student at No. 14 Middle School. Do you want to know my life? Let me tell you about it. I usually get up at 7:00 in the morning. I have my breakfast at 7:10. My parents always prepare the breakfast for me. I go to school at 7:30. We have seven lessons every day from Monday to Friday. I like English lessons very much .After school, I like playing table tennis and basketball with my friends. There is a very big playground in our school.
|
I like _ very much.
|
[
"would become very angry.",
"threw the work on the floor, and shouted across the room",
"threw the book at the boy.",
"went red in the face"
] |
would become very angry.
|
My grandfather was a teacher. He was the headmaster of a school for boys between thirteen and eighteen. I know that he was a kind and gentle man at heart, because when I was young, he gave me presents, and seated me on his knee, and told me stories. But I believe the boys at his school were afraid of him.
At school, when he walked into a room full of noisy boys, there was silence at once. When he looked at a boy with a certain look in his eyes, the boy went red in the face, and looked down at his shoes. If a boy brought him poor, careless work that was not the best the boy could do, my grandfather would pick up the boy's book and throw it across the room, shouting, "Do it all again, and bring it back to me in the morning!" If the boy was late, or if he forgot to bring the work, he had to do it again, and again, and yet again. My grandfather never forgot.
He was a very different man at school from the man I saw day by day in his own home.
|
When he received poor work, my grandfather _ .
|
[
"admires the spheres very much",
"doesn't believe the spheres were once made by humans",
"tells us a discovery",
"thinks highly of the spheres"
] |
tells us a discovery
|
Strange stones of prefix = st1 /Costa Rica
One of the strangest mysteries in archaeology was discovered in the Diquis River Delta, in southern Costa Rica. Since the 1930s, hundereds of stone balls have been found. They range in size from a few centimetres to over two metres. Who made these perfect spheres and how they made them remains a mystery. Some researchers believe the stones were made by extreme heating followed by cooling. People could have _ the spheres with sand or leather. The ancient Costa Ricans had no written language so there is no written record of just how they made the spheres, Almost all are made of granite , a hard stone created by volcanoes. The granite quarries were 25 to 30 miles away from the largest stones, which weigh more than 10 tons each. Nobody knows how people moved them. Many of the stones have been found near the remains of houses or graves. Some believed that the stones contained hidden treasures and a few have been smashed but nothing has been found inside. Despite these losses, the National Museum of Costa Rica has recorded 130 spheres. However, many stones are not included because they have been removed from their original sites and used as ornaments in homes, gardens and churches. Clearly, there are also many stones that lie undiscovered.
|
The writer _ in this passage.
|
[
"art should be treated as a joy rather than a burden",
"the ordinary backstage work can help one succeed",
"you can only get better at something if you practice",
"parents should encourage their children to create art"
] |
art should be treated as a joy rather than a burden
|
My father' s family is not a musical family. They are a family of words. My brother has my father's dark hair, his love of a good argument. I take after my mother. From her I inherited a curious nature, a sense of adventure, bright red hair. I did not, contrary to her hopes, inherit a talent for the piano. That fact was established beyond doubt after unsuccessful attempts to draw music from me.
The piano lessons began when I was four. My mother was convinced that I would be a child Mozart. She found the ideal teacher--Madame Oblenka, a strict Russian woman, whose pursed lips were enough to frighten a wild horse into submission. Madame Oblenka, who expected a little Mozart, was not very delighted to find a little girl banging her fists on the keys.
I tried to please her. "Feel the music," she urged. I "felt" it and winced my ear--for what is more unpleasant than a series of wrong notes played continuously? She "felt" my music, too, which is why she always left with an angrier expression than when she came.
Once, when I was ten, I managed to record one of my own rehearsals . In order to escape my practice sessions, I would close myself behind the door of the piano room, put on the tape recording, and read until the tape had finished. That method worked for a week, until my mother began to wonder why I always missed the same B-sharp. She knocked on the door, and, receiving no answer, came in to check on me and found that I had fallen asleep while the tape of my performance played on and on.
I was twelve when my parents finally acknowledged that my hidden talent was not about to _ any time soon. My mother, refusing to admit defeat, told me to pick another instrument. "Choose anything you want, Honey," she said, assuming that freedom of choice would inspire devotion. I thought long and hard and chose the drums. My parents, sensitive to noise, would be less than overjoyed by a daily bombardment of playing. I imagined my father in his study, cotton wads in his ears.
I worked my way through several other instruments before my mother hit on another idea. Maybe I wasn't meant to be an instrumentalist. Realizing that drama might be more suited to my talents, Mom took me to a drama teacher. However, he put me backstage, painting scenery. Once I recovered from my sense of injury, I realized the wisdom of his choice. I loved the active, practical backstage world, and I discovered that I had a knack for constructing and painting. I loved the challenge of taking our scanty supplies and using them to make something beautiful. Imagining a scene and then seeing it emerge before me--this, to me, was close to magic.
I'm a sculptor now, and every day I experience afresh the joy of being fully absorbed in the act of artistic creation. It's a wonderful, blissful feeling. I realize that my parents, in their misguided attempts to interest me in music, were trying to give me this feeling. And now I feel grateful. Perhaps they went about it in the wrong way, but their hearts were in the right place.
|
We can learn from the passage _ .
|
[
"Modern societies have written down all the rules for behavior.",
"Plants themselves have no culture.",
"Disagreement between two societies always leads to war.",
"Strong emotions that connect us to our society should be got rid of."
] |
Plants themselves have no culture.
|
Our culture is the system we use to build our identity. All living creatures are part of a culture. Even animals have a culture! So what is culture? It's the way we behave in a group. It begins with each individual family. Within our families we do things to build relationships with each other. This can include routines for doing things. It also includes traditions. Traditions are activities that are repeated on a regular basis.
Culture is not limited to individual family groups. The real strength of culture is in larger community groups. These larger groups are called societies. Every society makes rules for itself. It decides how people should act in different situations. Some of these rules are written down. Some are just things that are automatically expected of all members of that society. Often, cultures can be identified by what the people believe. Cultures are also known by what they choose to include in their art. Sometimes a society forms around people who speak the same language. Cultures may also be known for their customs, including the foods they make and the things they do.
Our cultures help us understand who we are and what we believe. There are very strong emotions connecting us to our own society. Two different cultures may disagree on something, especially if they both feel strongly about it. When that happens, war is a common result. People are learning better ways to communicate with each other. The more we learn, the more we appreciate the differences in cultures.
|
Which of the following is true?
|
[
"the writer likes singing songs aloud at any time",
"songs and poems can help get over bad emotions",
"the writer's native language is English",
"the writer like songs better than poems"
] |
songs and poems can help get over bad emotions
|
Why read, and sometimes even write poetry? That question is not difficult to answer if we change the word poetry to songs.
I sing when I feel good. When I sing my favorite songs, I feel even better. Sometimes when I am listening to music and to the song words, I feel that it was written for me. A good song always makes me feel something. There are songs that I sing in my head between classes and songs that I want to sing when the school bell rings by the end of the day. They help me get through the day.
_ I like songs about love and friendship. The extraordinary thing is that my feelings are more special when I sing my favorite songs in English.
I also like reading. I used to avoid poetry until an e-friend told me I should recite poems and not look up the meaning of the words. Poetry uses many difficult words and idioms, but the best thing is to just forget about them. In the beginning I felt quite strange. Now I always lock the door. Reading aloud gives you a strange feeling, but when you have some practice and fall into the rhythm, and the sounds of the words, it is really a special experience.
I started with small poems, but now I think I most like long poems. I have different feelings with different poems. When I have had a bad day at school, I read Keats and forget everything. When I am sad I read Wordsworth by the light of a candle. When the poem is finished, I close the book and my sadness is gone.
|
What we can infer from the passage is that _ .
|
[
"It's a name of a club.",
"It's the name of famous movie.",
"It's the home for children who have no brothers.",
"It's an organization for boys who don't have fathers."
] |
It's an organization for boys who don't have fathers.
|
Each country has many kind people who volunteer to take care of others. For example, some high school and university students in the US often spend many hours as volunteers in hospital or old people's homes. They read books for the people or they just visit them and play games with them or listen to their problems.
Other young volunteers go and work in the homes of the sick people. They clean up their houses or do the shopping. For boys who don't have fathers there is an organization called "Big Brothers". University students and other people take these boys to play baseball games and help them get to know things that boys usually learn from their fathers.
Each city has a lot of clubs where boys and girls can go to play games or take part in other activities. Some of these clubs show movies or have short trips to the mountains, the beaches or the museums. Most of these clubs use a lot of high school and university students as volunteers because they can understand the problems of these boys and girls more easily.
Volunteers believe that some of the happiest people in the world are those who help to bring happiness to others.
|
What is "Big Brothers" ?
|
[
"do well in tests",
"be considered inferior",
"be more effective than others",
"do research when faced with a task"
] |
do well in tests
|
Three years ago I listened to a lecture on cognition that changed the way I think about intelligence. There are two types of cognition, and the first is normal cognition the ability to regain knowledge from memory. The second type of cognition is metacognition the ability to know whether or not you know.
Does this affect intelligence? In traditional education, intelligence is measured by cognitive ability. Some people can easily produce everything they know on a test. But others are awarded with poor grades and considered inferior (not as good as). But does this inability make them any less intelligent? If the question came up on a task, they could refer to a book or a quick Google search. In reality they're just as effective as the people that ace a test. They just can't prove it as easily.
Metacognition is more important to success than cognition. A person with poor cognitive ability, but great metacognitive ability might do poorly in school, but when faced with a challenge, they understand their abilities and _ . For example, when faced with a question, a person with strong metacognitive ability will deal with it like this. If he knows the answer, but can't come up with it, he can always do a bit of research. If he knows for sure that he doesn't know, then he can start educating himself. Because he's aware of his ignorance, he doesn't act with foolish confidence. These people might not seem intelligent at first glance, but because they know what they know, they make better decisions and learn the most important things.
However, people with great cognitive ability but poor metacognitive ability may be considered excellent at a young age for acing every test and getting great SAT scores. Unfortunately, they've been ruined by poor metacognition they think they know everything but they really don't. They are arrogant (overconfident), fail to learn from mistakes, and don't understand the slight differences of personal relationships, showing disregard for persons with lower cognitive ability. They may make the worst decisions.
The most important mental power is the ability to know what you don't know .The recognition of a fault is the first step to improvement. Don't try to hide a lack of knowledge. For intelligent people this is the toughest lesson to learn.
|
People with great cognitive ability tend to _ .
|
[
"he doesn't have any friends",
"he has a poor memory",
"he usually likes generous friends",
"he doesn't want others to share his food"
] |
he usually likes generous friends
|
What's a good friend like? One may have different answers to this question at different ages.
When he is very young, he may think a good friend must be together with him all day. And they can share everything together. If his friend doesn't give him food to eat once, he doesn't think they are good friends any more. But they will play together happily again very soon.
When he grows older and studies in a middle school, his idea about a good friend changes. He thinks a good friend should be helpful and honest. A good friend should always help him with his lessons. A good friend should come to him when he is sad. And he is always ready to tell everything to his friend. If his friend tells others about his secrets, he may hate the friend.
When he grows up, he may not think it's necessary for a good friend to be always honest. Everyone has his secrets. If the truth may hurt the friend, it's better to keep it secret from him than tell him about it. And he may think a good friend can give him some good advice when he has problems. He comes to understand that he shouldn't just ask friends for help and that he should also learn to do something for his friends.
|
The writer thinks when a person is very young, _ .
|
[
"if you are to take risks, the earlier, the better",
"it's better for the young to take any risk than the older",
"that they should make big purchases such as a house when they get older",
"if you don't take risks when young, your youth will be dumb"
] |
if you are to take risks, the earlier, the better
|
Being young is great. Most of the parts of your body still work great, you have a full head of hair, you're energetic, and you have a world of opportunity in front of you. However, there's going to come a time when you start to get older. And as you get older, you'll have new responsibilities, complete independence, and perhaps most importantly, less time to recover from mistakes.
You see, we all make mistakes in life. Maybe you spent more money than you should have on a car, you passed up on a great job opportunity, or you didn't try as hard as you could have in school. It's a part of life and we learn from it. But there are certain mistakes that are much better made while you're still young and have plenty of time to recover.
I'm definitely not telling you that you should purposely go out and make these mistakes (because they're a pain to recover from). But these are all mistakes that are much better made when you're younger so that you can learn from them and not have them ruin your entire life.
Starting the wrong career
Wouldn't you hate to be 45 years old and discover that you absolutely hate what you do for a living? It's a reality that a lot of people face and it can be difficult to fix. You see, when you're 23 and find out you don't like the career path you've chosen, you can easily explore new career options.
We no longer live in an age when people are expected to stay with one company until they retire. You can bounce around a little bit and find out what you want to do. When you get older, just switching careers whenever you want isn't as simple.
You have to consider your family, retirement, the difficulties you might run into with starting from the bottom in a new industry, and plenty of other issues that someone in their early 20's just doesn't have to deal with.
Dating the wrong person
The divorce rate in the U.S is extremely high. Other parts of the world aren't doing too much better either. While everyone gets divorced for their own reasons, I think we can all agree that it's better to find out that the person you're with is wrong for you sooner rather than later.
Hopefully you find out whether or not the person you're with is right for you before you tie the knot, because around 50% of first marriages end in divorce.
Messing up your credit
Ruining your credit is never a good idea. Even if you ruin it while you're young, it could affect you in the future. The upside of having bad credit while you're young instead of older is that you have time to build it back up.
It can take 7-10 years to rebuild your credit if you have a history of late payments, loan defaults, foreclosures, or bankruptcy. During those 7-10 years, you'll have a hard time financing anything unless you have a cosigner or put down a substantial down payment.
Most people tend to make most of the bigger purchases in life when they get older such as a house or their dream car. If you have bad credit, you can kiss all of that goodbye.
Making bad investments
If you're investing money for your retirement, making bad decisions can mean you'll be working your entire life. Whether you choose to pay someone to do the investing for you or handle it all yourself, it's a lot better to take risks when you're younger.
If you invest in stock or even real estate while you're young and the market takes a hit, you're not ruined. Investing is a long-term venture, so the younger you start, the more fluctuation you can withstand and still come out with a positive return.
Blowing your money
What would you do if you went broke at 60 years old? You would be working your behind off when you really should be relaxing and getting ready to retire soon.
But if you're 25 and broke, you still have plenty of time to earn more money. Also, nobody will judge you because it's not unusual for people in their 20's to not have money these days. You might have blown your money on a nice car or have an obsession with all the newest gadgets.
When you get older, you'll be able to look back and realize how dumb you were for spending $20,000 on a brand new car when you were only 20 years old. But when you're older and waste your money, you'll REALLY have nothing to show for it.
|
The author wrote this article mainly to tell the young _ .
|
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