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[
"They're all treasures of a city.",
"They all date back several centuries.",
"Their production processes are all painstaking.",
"They all win popularity in most European countries."
] |
They're all treasures of a city.
|
For the Travel section, writers and editors selected special items to profile from a dozen cities.
Brussels: Chocolate.
Nearly half the chocolate consumed in the world is eaten in Europe, and Belgium--with average consumption of 14.99 pounds per person a year--certainly covers its fair share. While Brussels, the country's capital, is home to hundreds of chocolate makers, what makes a visit necessary is the rich heritage of traditional chocolate makers.
Budapest: Paprika
The job of preparing Hungarian paprika was once considered too dangerous for mothers to do. A woman who touched her children upon returning from work risked burning them, so only the elderly and unmarried were allowed the delicate task of separating the skin from the flesh. But by the early 20thcentury, sweeter varieties and a machine turned paprika into a common feature of all Hungarian cuisine.
Lisbon: Tiles
Is there a bluer country than Portugal? The blue sky and Atlantic Ocean embrace the land. The blue moods of Fado, the dark folk music, form the national soundtrack. And all across Portugal, the typically--blue designs of azulejos--ceramic tiles--are spread across churches, castles, palaces, university halls, parks. The result is a beautiful land of Christian saints, Portuguese kings, historical glories, aristocrats at leisure, seascapes and so on.
Madrid: Guitars
Walking into one the Madrid's storied guitar makers' workshops can feel like stepping into the past. Curly wood shavings, from the palest pine to ebony, fall onto the floor as artisans turn some humble wood into works of art. It's painstaking work--all done by hand--with classical guitar models and the methods of making them changing little over the last century.
|
What's the similarity of the four items?
|
[
"his story of playing chess",
"the way of learning Italian",
"the history of America",
"his success in politics"
] |
his story of playing chess
|
Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706 in Boston, America. He is best known as a scientist and politician today. One of his most famous inventions is the lightning rod .And he is also regarded as "the Founder of the United States" because of his success in politics. However, he is not just an inventor and politician.
Franklin is a great chess player. He started playing chess in 1733 and this made him the first chess player in the American history. He wrote a book about his story of playing chess in December,1786. In this book, he hoped to find connections between chess and life. He and his friend even used chess to learn Italian. It was a very interesting experience in his early life.
Not only a great chess player, Franklin is also known to play the violin ,the harp , and the guitar. He used some glasses to produce a clear and sweet sound just like birds' singing.
Benjamin Franklin died at his home in the USA at the age of 84. There were about 20,000 people who were present at his funeral . People respect him, love him and believe he is one of the four greatest men in the world.
|
In December 1786, Franklin wrote a book about _ .
|
[
"to have a better teacher",
"to have a worse teacher",
"to become a dance teacher",
"to see the sixth teacher"
] |
to have a better teacher
|
Mr. Lewis was a dance teacher. He was a nice man and always had a lot of students. One year he moved to a new town, and was soon teaching many students in the dance school there, but he decided to move again to a big city. He would have more work there.
When one of his students heard that he was going to leave, she said to him, "The new teacher won't be as good as you are." Mr. Lewis was happy when he heard this, but he said, "Oh no. I'm sure he'll be as good as I am ---- or even better." The student said, "No. Five teachers have come and gone while I've been here, and each new one was worse than the last."
|
From the story we can conclude that the student wished _
|
[
"won the race by his own hard working",
"took a risk by agreeing to run a race",
"was not given a fair chance in the race",
"in fact did win the race luckily"
] |
in fact did win the race luckily
|
I was telling my boy Sonny the story of the hare and the tortoise . At the end I said, " Son, remember: Be slow and steady , and that will win the race. Don't you think there's something to learn from the tortoise?"
Sonny opened his eyes wide, "Do you mean next time when I'm entering for the 60-metre race I should wish that Billy, Tony and Sandy would all fall asleep halfway?"
I was shocked, "But the tortoise didn't wish that the hare would fall asleep!"
"He must have wished that," Sonny said, "Otherwise how could he be so foolish as to race with the hare? He knew very well the hare ran a hundred times faster than he himself did."
"He didn't have such a wish," I insisted. "He won the race by perseverance , by pushing on steadily."
Sonny thought a while. "That's a lie," he said. "He won it because he was lucky. If the hare hadn't happened to fall asleep, the tortoise would never have won the race. He could be as steady as you like, or a hundred times steadier, but he'd never have won the race. That's for sure."
I gave up. Today's children are not like what we used to be. They're just hopeless.
|
Sonny believed that the tortoise _ .
|
[
"Save money for a rainy day",
"Good advice is beyond all price.",
"Earn your bread with your sweat",
"God helps those who help themselves"
] |
Earn your bread with your sweat
|
Two things changed my life: my mother and a white plastic bike basket. I have thought long and hard about it and it's true. I would be a different person if my mom hadn't turned a silly bicycle accessory into a life lesson I carry with me today.
My mother and father were united in their way of raising children, but it mostly fell to my mother to actually carry it out. Looking back, I honestly don't know how she did it. Managing the family budget must have been a very hard task., but she made it look effortless. If we complained about not having what another kid did, we'd hear something like, "I don't care what so -and -so got for his birthday, you are not getting a TV in your room a car for your birthday a lsvish sweet 16 party." We had to earn our allowance by doing chores around the house. I can stil l remember how long it took to polish the legs of our coffee table.My brothers can no doubt remember hours spent cleaning the house .Like the two little girls growing up at the White House,we made our own beds (no one left the house unitil that was done)and picked up after ourselves.We had to keep track of our belongings ,and if something was lost ,it was not replaced.
It was summer and ,one day ,my mother drove me to the bike shop to get a tire fixed---and there it was in the window, White, shiny, plastic and decorated with flowers ,the basket winked at me and I knew ----I knew---I had to have it.
"It's beautiful," my mother said when I pointed it out to her,"What a neat basket."
I tried to hold off at first ,I played it cool for a short while. But then I guess I couldn't at and it any longer:"Mom, please can I please ,please get it? I 'll do extra chores for as long as you say, I'll do anything ,but I need that basket,I love that basket.Please ,Mom .Please?"
I was desperate.
"You know," she said ,gently rubbing my back while we both stared at what I believes was the coolest thing ever," If you save up you could buy this yourself."
"By the time I make enough it'll bu gone!"
"Maybe Roger here could hold it for you," she smiled at Roger ,the bike guy.
"He can't hold it for that long ,Mom .Someone else will buy it .Please, Mom,Please?"
"There might be another way," she said.
And so our paying plan unfolded. My mother bought the beautiful basket and put it safely in some hiding place I couldn't find. Each week I eagerly counted my growing saving increased by extra work here and there (washing the car ,helping my mother make dinner, delivering or collecting things on my bike that already looked _ without the basket in front).And then ,weeks later ,I counted ,re-counted and jumped for joy. Oh ,happy day ! I made it! I finally had the exact amount we'd agreed upon....
Days later the unthinkable happened. A neighborhood girl I'd played with millions of times appeared with the exact same basket fixed to her shiny ,new bike that already had all the bells and whistles. I rode hard and fast home to tell my mother about this disaster. This horrible turn of events.
And then came the lesson . I've taken with me through my life:"Honey, Your basket is extra-special," Mom said, gently wiping away my hot tears."Your basket is special because you paid for it yourself."
|
What is the life lesson the author learned from her mother?
|
[
"friendship between the writer and a young man",
"the power of a simple compliment",
"a grocery store",
"a diligent assistant"
] |
the power of a simple compliment
|
Yesterday I went to our local grocery store. I often go to their deli counter, and I understand that it can get a little confused for the workers. So normally none of them ever take the time to smile or seem overly friendly. But yesterday it was completely different. I was pleasantly surprised to be greeted with a very welcoming smile by the young man behind the counter. He never sighed heavily or slumped back and forth like he didn't want to be there. He was all by himself and quite a long line. But not once did he act concerned about it. He just did his job efficiently and acted very kind the entire time.
I was so impressed that I approached the manager. I explained to her that I often visit the deli counter and I have never been greeted with such kindness. She agreed with me that he was a wonderful person and she thanked me for sharing my feelings with her.
As I was walking away,I could hear her approaching the young man with,"I just got a wonderful compliment(praise) about you." I couldn't hear everything she was saying,but I knew that she did thank him. I couldn't help but smile!
Later I had to pass by the deli counter to get onions. There was no one there,except the diligent young man. He didn't say anything,he just smiled at me. I realized that I hadn't done a huge deed that day,but that small deed made a small difference to someone.I love seeing people smile. I just received my smile cards and I wish I had one with me that day. _ It's amazing how good I felt after that.
So,friends,the next time you are in a grocery store,retail store,restaurant,or anywhere that someone is working hard,letting them know in some way can mean so much. I hope you get a smile out of it like I did!
|
The passage is mainly about _ .
|
[
"To introduce digital education's role and value.",
"To prove even a small country has a great dream.",
"To call on all the countries to carry out digital education.",
"To persuade American government to carry out digital education."
] |
To introduce digital education's role and value.
|
The South Korean Ministry of education is investing $ 2.4 billion into making the country's school system completely digital. The plan is to get rid of textbooks and replace them with digital learning materials stored in a central database, which students would get into with PCs. Though some digital education programs have been tried in the U.S. and other countries, few can match the South Korean plan. While it will certainly be interesting to spread out, a completely paperless school system will surely stand for other countries to follow. Perhaps the digital learning revolution will have its start in Seoul.
The digital developments have improved our personal lives. It was a matter of time before they would finally have an effect on other fields. It's an exciting time in education--whether you're a CEO setting plans for growth, an IT expert making new technology decisions or an educator giving lively courses. All of us are connected by the movement of a more digital campus. Today's generation has integrated web-based technology into their daily lives. Expectations are forming: lively content-anytime, anywhere and on any equipment. And those expectations aren't just for fun--they're spreading into the educational space as well. Expanding our digital footprint isn't just an excitement-it's a necessity. And CEOs and IT experts aren't the only ones feeling the pressure to improve--educators are as well.
More and more studies report a change from teaching to learning--moving away from giving lectures of facts to encouraging skills of self-study, analysis and learning paths ; from courses built using a single textbook to numbers of available publisher materials ; and from dull content to lively digital advantages that connect the learners, providing real-time response. Students aren't the only ones benefiting from this change. Educators can now easily build lively online courses while increasing student outcomes.
|
Why does the author take the South Korean's decision for example?
|
[
"They need to write an essay about their exchange experience.",
"They need to submit a blog about their situation.",
"They need to submit 3-5 photos once a week for language camp programs.",
"They need to submit 3-5 photos once a week for study abroad programs."
] |
They need to submit 3-5 photos once a week for language camp programs.
|
Greenheart Travel Correspondent Scholarship
Greenheart Travel offers the opportunity for high school students to broaden their perspective through studying abroad.
Greenheart Travel Correspondent Scholarship Opportunities:
US $3,000 scholarship award for a High School Study Abroad program in China
US $1,000 scholarship award for a Teen Summer Language Camp in France
US $1,000 scholarship award for a Teen Summer Language Camp in Germany
US $1,000 scholarship award for a Teen Summer Language Camp in Italy
*Applicants are only able to apply for ONE scholarship opportunity
Deadline for Application: April 1, 2015
Summary of Submission Requirements of the Scholarship:
In addition to completing the teen program online application, applicants must also submit the following:
Official High School Transcript:
Applicants must have a minimum academic standing of a 3.2 GPA to be _ .
Teacher/Coach Referral:
Applicants must provide the name and phone number of an educator or coach that will be able to recommend the student as a good candidate for the scholarship award. Greenheart Travel will contact this referral prior to announcing the scholarship winner.
Written essay:
In a 500-to 800-word essay, please explain how this cultural exchange experience will benefit both you and your local community.
Summary of Participant Requirements:
Pre-program
Submit one blog or video 2 weeks BEFORE your program Start Date introducing yourself and why you are excited to travel on your program and what you hope to learn while abroad.
During Program
For study abroad programs: submit a written blog post and 3-5 photos or a video, once every 2 weeks by discussed deadlines.
For language camp programs: submit weekly written blog post and 3-5 photos or a video, by discussed deadline.
After Program
Submit one blog or video 2 weeks AFTER your program End Date reflecting on what you learned, your favorite part of the program and tips for anyone wanting to travel abroad.
|
What do participants need to do during the program?
|
[
"The Development of STA Travel",
"The Pioneers of the Gap Year",
"Brief History of the Gap Year",
"Origination of the Gap Year"
] |
Brief History of the Gap Year
|
The origination of the "gap year" concept came in the decade following the Second World War when youth travel and cultural exchange was discussed among governments as a useful tool to create more of a global understanding to prevent future global wars. However, the first gap years actually started in the UK in the 1960s when the Baby-Boomer generation in the midst of the Swinging Sixties headed off to India on the infamous Hippie Trails ,inventing the independent travel market.
Australian Graham "Screw" Turner, based in London in 1973, loaded a double-decker bus with the first paying customers and drove them to Kathmandu. They arrived three weeks late. Top Deck Travel, the company he founded, still exists today. In 1979 another Australian, Dick Porter, founded STA Travel to bring in the final piece of the puzzle. It was a high street travel agent for students and youth (those under 26) with which he was able to develop global youth travel as he opened student travel agencies around the world.
In the UK in the 1980s the Baby-Boomers were accustomed to family life with their young children and so traveling less, and the next generation were influenced by the addiction to money, careers and wealth. The housing market crash meant fewer funds available for parents to fund youth travel. But steady UK and global growth continued as STA Travel opened up branches around the world.
A combination of the Baby-Boomer's children reaching 18 (whose parents encouraged world travel as they did in their youth), the UK coming out of decline and new, exciting, color1ful media channels to bring gap year products to market resulted in an explosion of activity in the UK in the 1990s as gap year travel and gap year volunteering took off pre-, during, and post-university. Demand grew, prices for air travel fell, and the roots of it becoming a tradition of growth were set.
The modern gap year pioneers came in the form of Tom Griffiths and Peter Pedrick who brought the gap year market onto the web in 1988 with the launch of www.gapyear.com. The two pioneers have invented products, offerings, phrases, and concepts that form the frame of the global gap year industry seen today. Known as the gap year guru. Tom Griffiths is recognized as a global authority on gap years and acts as a media spokesperson around the world.
|
Which would be the best title for the passage?
|
[
"whether she could do well at school",
"when she could have sleepovers",
"what should be written in the book",
"how long she practiced the violin"
] |
how long she practiced the violin
|
Has Tiger Mom gone soft? One year after the release of her book, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, Amy Chua is back in the spotlight, reflecting on how overnight infamy affected her life, her family and her parenting.
"I have changed a lot," she told the Huffington Post. "In October, we had 30 kids at our house! We have hosted parties with lots of food and music."
Last January, the Wall Street Journal published an excerpt from Chua's book with the headline "Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior". In the excerpt, Chua described how her daughters were never allowed to have sleepovers , appear in school plays, or earn any grade lower than an A. Chua, an author and professor at Yale Law School, spent much of 2011 on the defensive. In fact, many of her interviews seemed to lend fuel to her critics' fire.
Now, with the book out in paperback, she said, "I put passages in the book and used very harsh words that I regret. Everybody has those moments you wish you could take back."
For those who still read Battle Hymn as an advice guide, Chua argues that so-called tiger parenting should be employed mainly during a child's early years, ideally between the ages of 5 and 12. These "super-strict parenting tactics" are not meant for all ages. Remaining strict after middle school makes you a helicopter parent, according to Chua. And she is quick to point out how different that is from being a tiger mom.
"By the time kids get to high school, helicopter parents are hiring all these tutors, carrying their kids' sports bags. I never checked older daughter Sophia's papers because I knew she knew how to sit down and focus," Chua said.
As for younger daughter Lulu, 15, the rebel for whom the book was written, Chua has really backed off. Instead of forcing Lulu to practise violin for hours a day--the source of their biggest fights, Chua "let her give that up". "My compromise is that I'm going to still be as strict academically, but in exchange she has a lot of social freedom. Lulu has had four sleepovers in the last two months!" Chua said. Chua predicts she'll only get more easygoing with age.
|
Lulu quarreled with her mother mainly over _ .
|
[
"your hands are freed to do other things.",
"they can hold as many things as you want to carry.",
"they can be very large.",
"you do not have to carry things with you."
] |
your hands are freed to do other things.
|
Backpacks are convenient. They can hold your books, your lunch, and a change of clothes, leaving your hands free to do other things. Someday, if you don't mind carrying a heavy load, your backpacks might also power your MP3 player, keep your cell phone running, and maybe even light your way home.
Lawrence C. Rome and his colleagues from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia2 and the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole3, Mass. 4, have invented a backpack that makes electricity from energy produced while its wearer walks. In military actions, search-and- rescue operations, and scientific field studies, people rely increasingly on cell phones, global positioning system (GPS)5 receivers, night-vision goggles, and other battery-powered devices to get around and do their work. The backpack's electricity-generating feature could dramatically reduce the amount of a wearer's load now devoted to spare batteries, report Rome and his colleagues in the Sept. 9 Science6.
The backpack's electricity-creating powers depend on springs used to hang a cloth pack from its metal frame. The frame sits against the wearer's back, and the whole pack moves up and down as the person walks. A gear mechanism converts vertical movements of the pack to rotary motions of an electrical generator, producing up to 7.4 watts.
Unexpectedly, tests showed that wearers of the new backpack alter their gaits in response to the pack's oscillations, so that they carry loads more comfortably and with less effort than they do ordinary backpacks. Because of that surprising advantage, Rome plans to commercialize both electric and non-electric versions of the backpack.
The backpack could be especially useful for soldiers, scientists, mountaineers, and emergency workers who typically carry heavy backpacks. For the rest of us, power-
generating backpacks could make it possible to walk, play video games, watch TV,and listen to music, all at the same time. Electricity-generating packs aren't on the market yet, but if you do get one eventually, just make sure to look both ways before crossing the street!
|
Backpacks are convenient because
|
[
"children whose parents care about them",
"children whose parents give them more freedom",
"children whose parents direct them over watching TV",
"children whose parents stop them watching TV"
] |
children whose parents care about them
|
The regular use of text messages and e-mails can lower the IQ more than twice as much as smoking marijuana . Psychologists say that sending/receiving messages or looking through the many menu options your mobile phone has, lowers a person's IQ by almost 10 points. British researchers have named this situation "infomania". Instead of fixed on what they are doing, people's minds are constantly focused on reacting to the technology surrounding them. This means they don't pay full attention to the work they are paid to do. The report also added that the brain can not do so many things at once. If you try to do too many things, mistakes begin to occur. And while modern technology can have huge benefits, too much use can be damaging not only to a person's mind, but to their social life.
The more televisions 4-year-old children watch, the more likely they are to become bullies later on in school, a newest U.S. study said. At the same time, children whose parents read to them, take them on outings and just generally pay attention to them are less likely to become bullies, said the report from the University of Washington. Researchers also found gaps in learning and understanding such things as social skills early in life makes it more difficult for children to relate with other children. Watching violence on television leads to aggressive behavior.
You could soon be able to add your favorite perfume to your e-mails. UK net provider Telewest Broadband is testing a system to let people send e-mails over the Internet with sweet smell. It has developed a kind of hi-tech air freshener that plugs into a PC and sprays a smell linked to the message. Telewest says it could be used by supermarkets to attract people with the smell of fresh bread or by holiday companies seeking to stir up images of sun-kissed beachers.
|
.
|
[
"sent to the college that the students chose",
"more important to the students than the American College Test",
"decided by the College Entrance Examination Board",
"used as criteria of the American College Test"
] |
sent to the college that the students chose
|
The most common use of intelligence test scores is to predict degree of academic success. Such scores are used in some communities as bases for admitting able children to schools at ages younger than normal, and they are very generally used to determine admissions to schools beyond public secondary school. Another use common in elementary schools involves comparing such scores with performances in various subjects to identify children who are working below capacity.
The greatest problem in using intelligence tests for the purpose of prediction is that no dependable criterion of their accuracy exists. The ideal criteria would be objective and reliable achievement tests following instruction in each subject, but there are few such tests, especially at the college level. Studies have shown that correlations between intelligence tests and achievement tests in various subjects through secondary school range roughly from 0.5 to 0.8. Such correlations are fairly high, but they do not suggest anywhere near complete agreement.
At the college level there are two major tests used as criteria of admission. By far the more important is the College Entrance Examination, constructed by the Educational Testing Service authorized by the College Entrance Examination Board. These tests are returned to the Educational Testing Service for scoring, and the results are then made available to the various colleges authorized by the students to receive them. The second test of this type is the American College Test, which operates in essentially the same fashion.
Both tests constitute measures of certain skills, abilities, and knowledge that have been found to be related to success in college. Their correlations with academic success are limited for three outstanding reasons. First, measures of achievement in college are themselves perhaps no more reliable than those in elementary and secondary schools. Second, intellectual factors do not alone determine academic success, especially at the college level. Many students drop out of schools because they are inadequately motivated or because they dislike the instructional programme. Third, correlations are lowered because the use of such tests for denying admission to some students means that the range of scores for those admitted is restricted, and such restriction tend to reduce correlation.
|
The results of the College Entrance Examination will be _ .
|
[
"his friend",
"the President",
"the Union supporter",
"the Confederate Government"
] |
the Confederate Government
|
Many presidents have exhibited senses of humor throughout our nation's history. None,
however, is any better known for his humour than Lincoln. No matter the situation, it always
reminded him of a story, and more often than not, the story was amusing.
It seemed that his passion for humor appeared early in life and his humor never seemed to
fade, even under the most difficult situations. Following are some favorite Lincoln stories. All
are fun to read.
Abe Needs His Hair Combed
President Lincoln had the ability to laugh at himself and he greatly enjoyed telling stories in
which he was the object of the joke. He especially liked this one: when I was nominated at
Chicago, I had never before sat for a photograph. One fellow thought that many people might
like to see what I looked like, so he immediately bought the camera and began selling
photographs of me all over the country. I happened to be in Springfield when I heard a boy
selling them on the streets. "Here's your likeness of "Abe" Lincoln!",he shouted to Lincoln.
"Only two shillifigs!He'll look a lot better once he gets his hair combed!"
Nobody Ever Died in Here!
A man was complaining to the President that a friend of his had been driven away from
New Orleans because he was a Union supporter. When the man asked to see the paper by which
he was driven away, he was simply told that the Confederate Government would do nothing
illegal, and so they had issued no papers. They were simply hoping to make him go on his own
free will. Naturally, that reminded Lincoln of a story, and he remarked that he had known of a
hotel keeper in St. Louis who boasted that nobody ever died in his hotel. "Of course,"
Lincoln said with a twinkle in his eye, "anytime a guest appeared to be in danger of dying he
was carried out to die outside."
Let the Elephant Run
Assistant Secretary of War Charles A. Dana had learned that a man named Jacob Thompson,
who had been causing the government many problems, was about to escape to Liverpool. Dana
approached Lincoln with the news. Lincoln asked Dana what Secretary of War Edwin Stanton
thought about it. Dana answered, "He thinks we should arrest him."
Lincoln replied, "I disagree. If you have an elephant on your hands that wants to run away,
you'd better let him run."
|
In the second story, Lincoln compared the hotel keeper to _
|
[
"Because he didn't expect to see so many happy dogs.",
"Because he didn't know there were 1,000 mirrors in the house.",
"Because he was always in a mixed mood.",
"Because he saw so many dogs smiling at him."
] |
Because he didn't expect to see so many happy dogs.
|
Long ago in a small town, there was a place known as the House of 1,000 Mirrors. A small, happy little dog learned of this place and decided to visit.
When he arrived, he bounced happily up the stairs to the doorway of the house. He looked through the doorway with his ears lifted high and his tail wagging as fast as it could. To his great surprise, he found himself staring at 1,000 other happy little dogs with their tails wagging just as his. He smiled a great smile, and was answered with 1,000 great smiles just as warm and friendly. As he left the house, he thought to himself, " This is a wonderful place. I will come back and visit often."
In this same village, another little dog, who was not quite as happy as the first one, decided to visit the house. He slowly climbed the stairs and hung his head low as he looked into the door. When he saw the 1,000 unfriendly looking dogs staring back at him, he growled at them and was horrified to see 1,000 little dogs growling back at him. As he left, he thought to himself, "This is a horrible place, and I will never go back there again."
All the faces in the world are mirrors. What kind of reflections do you see on the faces of
the people you meet?
|
Why was the first dog surprised when he entered the house?
|
[
"27 June",
"28 July",
"27 July",
"12 August"
] |
27 July
|
London has held two Olympic Games , in 1908 and 1948, with a third one in 2012. The thirtieth Olympic Games will make London the first city to have held the modern Games of three Olympics and it's the only city in the United Kingdom to have ever held the Olympics.
The Games will start on 27 July local time, which is 28 July Beijing time. And it will end on 12 August. Athletes from different countries and areas will take part in 300 events and have a good time.
When talking about London Olympic Games, "London Bowl" is often mentioned . It is not the bowl that Londoners use to eat during the Olympics, but the main place where athletes take part in the games.
Do you still remember "You and Me", the theme song of the Beijing Olympic Games ? For the London Olympic Games, you will hear another song called "Passion" .
The Olympic Games will begin in 2 months, but the ticket price is still unknown. It's said that half of the tickets will be less than 20 pounds each. So would you like to go?
|
The London Olympic Games will start on _ local time.
|
[
"almost never moves while watching TV and gets very fat",
"is fat and dying and can not take exercise",
"likes eating potatoes on a couch while watching TV",
"is frozen in front of the black box"
] |
almost never moves while watching TV and gets very fat
|
Do you know what couch-potato means? Well, in America, the word is now often used. The American couch-potato becomes maybe even a part of the American tradition! You see, in America, many people often spend their free time sitting on a couch watching TV. As there are many channels to choose, the TV can be quite interesting and very addictive . One may sit and watch TV for hour and hour without stop! Well, these people who do nothing all day except watching TV are called couch-potatoes.
In America, when one watches TV, he is most often sitting on a couch. While watching TV, most of these people look so frozen that they almost look dead! Everyone is sitting still with eyes looking right into the same black box. Also because these people are addictive to TV, they don't take exercise and usually get very fat. So in many ways, these people look like real potatoes! Well, because they look so still and fat, and watch TV on a couch, they are all called couch-potatoes. Now you know what couch-potato means. The next time if you see someone watching TV too long, just say, "What a couch-potato!"
|
Why does a couch-potato look like a real potato? Because he or she _ .
|
[
"long trips",
"journeys",
"everyday life",
"sport"
] |
everyday life
|
Now cities are full of cars. Some families even have two or more cars. Parking is a great problem, and so is the traffic in and around the cities. Something will have to be done to change it.
What will the cars of tomorrow be like?
Little cars may some day take the place of today's big cars. If everyone drives little cars in the future, there will be less pollution in the air. There will also be more space for parking cars in cities, and the streets will be less crowded. Three little cars can fit in the space now needed for one car of the usual size.
The little cars will cost much less to own and to drive. Driving will be safer, too. What is more, these little cars can go about 65 kilometers per hour.
Little cars of the future will be fine for getting around a city, but they will not be useful for long trips. If big cars are still used along with the small ones, two sets of roads will be needed in the future. Some roads will be used for the big, fast cars, and other roads will be needed for the slower small ones.
|
Little cars are very fine for _ .
|
[
"Baymaxs awkwardness actually makes him more adorable and popular.",
"Baymax was invented by Hiro, a robotics genius.",
"Baymaxs physical appearance doesnt quite match his personality.",
"Baymax looks like a typical Marvel superhero."
] |
Baymaxs awkwardness actually makes him more adorable and popular.
|
ON a scale of one to ten, how would you rate your pain?
Baymax, the plus-sized white robot, asks the question each time he detects his patient's pain. Considering that he is hardly like a typical Marvel superhero, how could this robotic caregiver from Big Hero 6 have stolen viewers' hearts and taken home this year's best animation Oscar?
Set in fictional San Fransokyo, the film follows Hiro, a 14-year-old robotics genius . After his brother dies, he goes on a journey to save his city from an evil masked man with his brother's invention, Baymax.
Baymax was named "Disney's most straightforwardly adorable character" in years by The Telegraph. He has a pure white pear-shaped body and stumpy elephant legs. And his eyes -just two black dots with a line through them - can blink quickly or slowly. Baymax's physical appearance "works with his personality because he's purely good and naive ," co-director Don Hall told The Hollywood Reporter.
Sometimes Baymax is awkward. Moving in tight spaces gets challenging with his potbelly . And when his batteries run low, he behaves like an amusing drunk. "This means that he is not at all intimidating and is easy to like," commented The Straits Times in Singapore.
Baymax is a comforting friend, the kind that perhaps everyone needs.
After he diagnoses Hiro with feeling sorrow, he says: "Physical comfort helps too," and pulls Hiro into a hug. He pats his head, saying: "There, there."
The team's car crashes into the water at one point, and they have to walk shivering back home. Baymax notices that everyone's body temperatures are low, so he turns on his internal heaters. Everyone cuddles up with him. "This is like spooning with a warm marshmallow ," says Fred, one of the characters.
One minute, he is used as a bouncy castle , and the next he transforms into a superhero.
To fight against the villain, Hiro upgrades Baymax so that the robot can attack and fly. The robot has a hard time figuring out these new skills, but after he realizes that Hiro is happy with his improvement, he immediately becomes an expert. "The treatment is working,"he says.
Tencent Entertainment calls the amazing Baymax a "perfect companion"."He is quiet, clumsy, and adorable. But at important times, he steps up and stops at nothing to protect his friends from harm, even if it means that he has to sacrifice his life. This is an idealized relationship in harsh reality," the site commented.
|
Which of the following is TRUE about Baymax?
|
[
"Climate change includes rising sea levels and more violent storms.",
"All the industrialized nations will carry out their promises under Kyoto to reduce their climate-changing industrial emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, and to put new, larger emission curbs on the table.",
"Tim Gore thought highly of the efforts by England, Germany and Sweden to increase their climate aid and expects other nations to follow.",
"The U.S., Canada, Japan, even Australia didn't make announcements to be responsible for the climate changes."
] |
All the industrialized nations will carry out their promises under Kyoto to reduce their climate-changing industrial emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, and to put new, larger emission curbs on the table.
|
The United Nations climate talks in Doha, Qatar, continued into their second week, Wednesday, as delegates from nearly 200 countries struggle to craft a replacement for the Kyoto Protocol, the global agreement on climate change that expires at the end of this month.
The negotiations are deadlocked over demands by poorer nations for financial help in coping with climate change.
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on delegates at the United Nations Conference on Climate Change to speed up their work on an agreement to address a warming planet.
"Let us be under no illusion , this is a crisis, a threat to us all, our economies, our security and the well-being of our children and those who will come after," he said. "No one is immune to climate change, rich or poor."
Delegates from nearly 200 countries --- rich and poor --- are in Doha to extend the Kyoto Protocol, the 1997 global climate change agreement that expires at the end of this month, and to begin to _ a new agreement to replace it.
Two issues block the way forward. Developing countries are demanding that industrialized nations fulfill their pledges under Kyoto to reduce their climate-changing industrial emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, and to put new, larger emission curbs on the table.
The developing nations, led by China, are also insisting that rich nations provide more aid to poorer countries to help them cope with the effects of climate change, including rising sea levels and more violent storms.
In Doha Wednesday, Tim Gore, a climate change policy advisor for Oxfam International, a confederation of groups working on social justice issues, applauded efforts by England, Germany and Sweden to increase their climate aid and expects other nations to follow.
"Those announcements are truly welcome. And they shine a spotlight on those that have remained silent: the U.S., Canada, Japan, even Australia," Gore said. "But we need to be very clear as well that those types of announcements made in press conferences can be no substitute for clear commitments in the text that poor countries have come here to negotiate."
|
Which of the following is Not true?
|
[
"are likely to increase in number",
"are mostly over 65 years old",
"will be trained to respond to sound triggers",
"will be able to live a relatively normal life"
] |
are likely to increase in number
|
They already guide blind and disabled people; now dogs are to be trained to help people with dementia or Alzheimer's.Alzheimer's can make people confuse night and day or forget basic things such as washing or drinking enough water.
The dogs will be trained to respond to sound triggers in the home that cause them to perform tasks.The duties will include reminding their owners to take medicine, as well as encouraging them to eat, drink and sleep regularly.
The idea was developed by design students at the Glasgow School of Art and will now be put into practice by Alzheimer's Scotland and Dogs for the Disabled.The first dogs will be distributed to four Scottish couples, where one of the partners is in the early stages of dementia.Some 670,000 people in Britain have dementia and one in three over 65s will develop the condition.By 2021 this is expected to rise to one million.
Joyce Gray of Alzheimer's Scotland said, "People in the early stages of dementia are still able to live a relatively normal life, and dogs help to maintain routine." Another advantage of using the pets as companions is that dogs can give them a sense of silent support and companionship.Ms Gray said, "The evidence is that people may forget familiar faces but not pets.It's such a strong bond that people often remember _ longest.People don't need to communicate verbally but they can still interact.You can have a speechless bond."
Helen McCain, director of Dogs for the Disabled, said, "People with dementia often forget to take the medicine.If a dog presents them with a bag with pills in it there's a greater chance of them taking it.The dog would also encourage the owner to take them out for walks, ensuring they keep exercising and interacting with other people."
|
In Britain people with dementia _ .
|
[
"Because in that way they won't hurt if they fight.",
"Because in that way they will feel comfortable.",
"Because in that way they won't fall and can keep the schools clean.",
"Because in that way they won't make any noise when walking."
] |
Because in that way they won't fall and can keep the schools clean.
|
All schools have their own rules. The rules change from one school to another. Some schools are much stricter than others. There are also some rules that are strange or funny to us. Here are some funny school rules:
Strict Japanese rules
Most schools ask students to wear uniforms, such as sports suits or skirts. But Japanese schools even have rules about the colour of underwear ! They also require that girls' socks should be folded in a certain way and boys' heads should be shaved .
Other Japanese schools tell students that they can't go to the movies after sunset.
Different shoes in the USA
At some American schools, students have to change their shoes when they go into the schools every day. This makes sure students won't fall over on the floors and keeps the schools clean.
No strange hair in the UK
Strange hairstyles are not allowed in some British schools. But they might allow students to wear certain hairstyles during the World Cup years. There were two students who had special hairstyles during the 2002 World Cup. After the World Cup, their teachers asked them to go to the barber's at once.
|
Why do students in the USA have to wear indoor shoes?
|
[
"A science textbook.",
"A travel guide.",
"A news report.",
"A traffic rule."
] |
A news report.
|
BEIJING - For the first time in decades, Chinese drivers will enjoy a toll-free journey home during the upcoming eight-day holiday, which begins on Sunday.An 820-km drive from Beijing to the coastal city of Dalian takes travelers through four toll stations and costs a total of 380 yuan ( $ 60) in toll fees, while a sleeper train is just 240 yuan.
Amid growing calls, the State Council, or China's cabinet , issued a tollfree road policy in August, allowing passenger cars with seven seats or less to travel forfree on toll roads during four major holidays.The first toll-free holiday will be the upcoming eight-day Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday.
The removal of toll fees will not only make travel cheaper and more convenient, but will also _ the service industry, as people will spend more money on related services, such as food and accommodation.
Hu Fangjun, an expert from the China Academy of Transportation Sciences, said companies funded by the toll fees will lose about 20 billion yuan each year throughout the four extended holidays due to the toll-free policy. However, new revenues earned from increasing spending during the longest holiday season will likely compensate for the losses. The companies that run the toll booths are largely state-owned, while the sector has been named as one of the most profitable in China.
Roads are public. Every citizen has the right to be on the road. The toll-free policy during holidays will give the roads back to the public. and is also a way of returning wealth to the people, which will eventually boost the public's trust toward the government. China's financial revenues have enjoyed rapid growth for decades. The government is capable of offering more welfare to its people.
|
Where is this passage probably taken from?
|
[
"Countries must work together to track satellites.",
"There are now about 70 tracking stations in the United States.",
"The tracking network covers many more route miles now than before.",
"Nobody has orbited the earth besides Glenn."
] |
Nobody has orbited the earth besides Glenn.
|
One night in February 1962, John H. Glenn. Jr., flew over Australia. The man in the Mercury capsule was alone, but friendly voices reached him by radio. On the dark land 100 miles below, he saw a sprinkling of light. They marked the city of Perth, where people had turned on their lights as a greeting to him.
In Friendship7, Glenn radioed, " The lights show up very well. Thank for everybody for turning them on." His capsule raced on to the east.
During his three orbits(......) of the earth, Glenn could always reach one of eighteen tracking stations. Some of them were on ship at sea. Others were in the United States.
Many of the stations had been built with the help of other countries. These countries allowed Americans to bring in radio equipment and set it up. Without the help of such lands as Nigeria , Zanzibar(,), and Mexico, there would have been breaks in the worldwide radio network.
John H. Glenn. Jr., was the first America to orbit the earth. For his flight, the tracking network covered 60,000 route miles. Five hundred men worked in the stations along the route. Since his flight, the network has grown. Today, it covers more than 100,000 route miles and has about one hundred stations. One-third of these stations are outside of the United States.
|
Which of the following is not true?
|
[
"lives a great life",
"is busy every day",
"likes the food very much",
"hates watching television"
] |
hates watching television
|
My name is woof. You think that we have a great life,right?Wrong!I am going to tell you why.
First of all,we are bored. Bored. bored. And bored. Do you ever think about what a dog does all day? Nothing. Nothing at all. Our owners are busy,you know,working,going to school,away from home all day. So what are we supposed to do?Watch the house or apartment?Sure. That is like watching paint dry or grass grow. Boring. That's why we get so excited when our owners come home. We bark and run around and act as if we are very happy. But we only do this because we are bored all day. If we are lucky,our owner take us for a walk.
Then there is the food. We eat the same food,meal after meal,day after day,week after week,month after month. Help!Would you like to eat the same thing all the time?No,you would not. So what makes you think we dogs like it?We don't. We hate it.
Another thing-television. Another thing-television. Dogs hate television. Our owners watch these stupid programs,hour after hour,night after night. Are there any programs for dogs on television?No. Not a single one.
So what can we do?What else can we do but sleep?And so we sleep. We dogs are not lazy,we are bored.
|
From the passage,we know that Woof_.
|
[
"ride",
"fight",
"sing",
"knit"
] |
knit
|
Nick is a knight . But he doesn't like to ride and he doesn't like to fight. Nick likes to read and write, and he likes to knit .
One night, there was a knock at the door. "I need you to fight a dragon !" cried King Kareen.
"But I'm the wrong kind of knight!" said Nick. "I don't like to fight."
"Never mind! Hurry up!" cried the King.
"The dragon is in my bed!" said the King. Nick's knees were knocking. He lifted the blanket and saw a little dragon. "I'm freezing." The dragon said.
Nick quickly started knitting. He knitted a coat, some long socks and some pants for the dragon. The dragon was glad. "Thank you!" he said and off he went.
"I think you're the right kind of knight!" said the king.
|
Nick likes to read ,write and _ .
|
[
"Chinese men in the eyes of Western women.",
"Foreign film stars and Chinese film stars.",
"Chinese women in the eyes of Western men.",
"Chinese film stars in Hollywood films."
] |
Chinese men in the eyes of Western women.
|
Chinese female film stars, like Gong Li and Zhang Ziyi, due to the charm of their films, have set a good image for Chinese women in the world. Compared with Chinese women, the image of Chinese men is not so good in the eyes of Western women, the Shanghai Evening Post reported.
In March 2006, Zhang Jiehai, a doctorate holder at the Sociology Institute of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, led a research team to investigate how Western women look at Chinese men. The survey shows that many Western women think Chinese men are mostly known for their care for the family. Chinese men, as the Western women say, are willing to spend money for women. As to their shortcomings, Western women think that Chinese men do not have good manners and that some Chinese men have the habit of spitting everywhere, keeping nails and hair long, picking their noses and ears in public places, and not cleaning their teeth thoroughly. These bad habits make many Western women think that Chinese men are unwilling to take care of their personal image.
The survey was carried out in two ways, by questionnaires and interviews. All the respondents agreed that Chinese men show much tender loving care for the family and that many Chinese men do know how to respect women. They open the door for women and carry their handbags for them. For some American women, the bad image of Chinese men in the world is largely because of Hollywood films. In many Hollywood films, Chinese men usually do not have a good image. But this has been changed by Hong Kong film star Chow Yun-Fat. After the Chinese filmCrouching Tiger,Hidden Dragon was shown in cinemas in the United States in 2002, many Westerners began to change their impression of Chinese men.
|
What does the passage mainly deal with?
|
[
"Miya, Volunteer in Costa Rica",
"Miya, Teach English in Costa Rica",
"Miya, Work in an Orphanage in Costa Rica",
"Miya, Study at Yale University"
] |
Miya, Volunteer in Costa Rica
|
Miya volunteered abroad in Costa Rica with World Endeavors assisting at an orphanage and teaching English at a school.
As a freshman at Yale University, Miya had plans to go to medical school.Knowing that her next two summers would be occupied doing research, Miya decided to go abroad the summer after her freshman year."I wanted to improve my command of the Spanish language and learn about the culture and history of another country," she explained.In the summer of 2014, Miya volunteered for six weeks in the World Endeavors program in Atenas, Costa Rica, working in an orphanage and teaching English to children in grades one through six.
"A long time before I left, I had positive expectations for the trip," said Miya.But as the date grew closer she found herself getting more and more nervous."I thought, what if my host family doesn't like me? What if I get sick?"
Her fears, as fears often are, turned out to be unfounded."The people were so supportive and loving," said Miya."I felt like I was part of the family."
Miya's host family had a large network of cousins who all lived within shouting distance. The family would cook together, and at night would go dancing, talk or eat ice cream.She noted that the World Endeavors staff on location--Diego and Mercedes, and Mercedes' husband and daughter -were particularly helpful, taking her right to her neighborhood from the airport, and checking up periodically to make sure everything was going well.
While her nights were spent dancing, cooking, and talking with her host family, Miya's days were occupied with the children of her host city."I would teach in the morning, and work in the orphanage in the afternoon," said Miya, whose placements were within walking distance from her host family.While the children were a lot of work, Miya felt a strong connection to the kids in the orphanage.
Miya noted that Costa Rica is one of the more developed countries in Central America. A nearby Internet cafe, for example, helped her to stay in touch with her family while she was away.And now, back in the United States, the Internet helps her keep in touch with her host family.Their correspondence continues in Spanish.And her host parents, Rosario and Jorge, recently sent Miya a Christmas card through the mail.
Back at school, Miya continues to pursue her instinct to improve education through volunteering. She participates in a mentoring group and works on a community health education program for high school students.Her time in Costa Rica, she says, "fits right into my interests in global health."
|
What is the best title for the passage?
|
[
"She concerned herself with current social problems.",
"She motivated students to learn music with her creativity.",
"She has taught music at the elementary school for 22 years.",
"She made great efforts to amuse students' interest in literature."
] |
She motivated students to learn music with her creativity.
|
When Andrea Peterson landed her first teaching job, she faced the daunting task of creating a music program with almost no money for equipment or supplies in a climate where standards-based learning was the focus and music just provided a break for students and teachers. For her drive and creativity in overcoming those challenges, she's been named national teacher of the year.
Principal Waynes Kettler said he's worked with many outstanding teachers in his 22 years as an educator, but Peterson is "just that one step above anybody I've ever worked with before."
Kettler and others at Monte Cristo Elementary School talk about the ways she has introduced the learning from other classrooms into her music program and her creativity in working around things such as the lack of money for new music.
When students were reading S.E. Hinton's novel The Outsiders in their regular classroom, Peterson helped them write a 30-minute play with scenes from the book. Then they chose three Broadway tunes that focused on race, equality and social justice, the themes of the book. Peterson composed two other songs herself after classroom discussions about the play and the book. The honor means a lot to residents of Granite Foils. It's inspiring to know that people from small towns even win national honors.
As national teacher of the year, Peterson will spend the more years outside the classroom, as a national and international spokeswoman for education. She said it's essential for schools to offer classes such as art or music and physical education because for some kids one of those subjects is the only thing that attracts them to come back to school day after day.
|
What is the most important reason that Peterson won the award?
|
[
"a hamburger",
"an umbrella",
"a raincoat",
"a dollar"
] |
an umbrella
|
A train stops at a station. Many people come out to buy food and fruits. A young man wants to come out, but it starts to rain. A boy stands under an umbrella. The young man says to the boy.
"Can you go and get us two hamburgers, one for you and one for me? Here are two dollars. Be quick!"
"Great!" says the boy and then he goes to buy hamburgers.
After some time, the boy is back. He eats a hamburger.
"Where is my hamburger?" asks the young man.
"Oh, there is only one hamburger left. So I eat my hamburger. Here is your dollar."
|
The boy goes to buy hamburgers for him because he has _ .
|
[
"a driver from the US",
"a cook from the US",
"a teacher from the UK",
"a gas station worker from the UK"
] |
a teacher from the UK
|
There are many differences between British English and American English.I used to teach a course about the differences between the two.We speak English on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean but we have many differences in our common language.We have examples of the same words having very d ifferent meanings,differing spellings of the same words as well as completely different words for the same things.Here are some examples.
A cookie in the US is called a biscuit in the UK.A biscuit in the US is a small cake in the UK.Crisps in the UK,are known as chips,but we British people eat a plate of chips that you call fries in the US.In the UK,a pie can be made from either meat or fruit,while in the US pies are normally made from fruit;pot pies are made from meat.Most things are measured in grams and kilograms in the US,not pounds and ounces.
One very obvious difference is the side of the road we each choose to drive on.Petrol in the UK is gas in the US.The place where we fill up our cars,in the UK,is a garage;while in the US,it's a gas station.The term garage is also used as a place to store your car next to or close by your house.In the UK we call a lorry what is known as a truck in the US.
An elevator in the US is called a lift here,and the first floor in the US,is calle d the ground floor here,so many visitors get off on the wrong floor in British hotels.
I could continue with this. There are countless examples of differences within our one shared language.With so many differences,no wonder it's hard to understand each other well.
|
It's implied in the passage that the author may be _ .
|
[
"fashionable",
"popular",
"friendly",
"Warm"
] |
Warm
|
Your mom tells you to put on your hat and gloves. But as the cold winter season gets closer, it's so cold that even mom's advice does not work.
That means it's time to put on your qiuku! This is a kind of "thermal underwear " or long underpants that keep people warm in the coldest months of the year.
In Western countries, qiuku is usually known as long johns, but they aren't popular. Long johns in the US are usually two pieces, a long-sleeved shirt and long pants, worn under other clothing or sometimes even used as pajamas .
Long johns first appeared in England during the 17thcentury. We call them long johns because the US boxer John L. Sullivan wore them while he boxed. But this is not a historical fact.
In the US, it gets quite cold and snowy in many places. And while parents often push kids to wear more clothes and long underwear, _
Part of the reason might be because it's not very fashionable and another reason might be because people don't spend much time outside during the cold months. So they just deal with the freezing temperatures when they have to leave the warm building. But in their parents' eyes, staying warm is more important than looking nice.
|
People wear qiuku to be _ .
|
[
"a Chinese student",
"an American student",
"a Chinese teacher",
"an American teacher"
] |
an American student
|
Aside from doing schoolwork and studying, American students must also participate in various extra-curricular activities. Many students get involved in their communities by doing volunteer work at various local organizations. In fact, the school I attend even requires students to perform a certain number of hours of volunteer work per semester. It is part of our study hall grade, as well as a graduation requirement.
There are many places to do volunteer work in the community. Some of my classmates volunteer at the local animal shelter, the community table (which provides free meals for needy families), charity stores, and many others. Finding a suitable place to volunteer usually depends on what's available, as well as personal interests. For example, a friend of mine who enjoys swimming volunteers at the recreation center to teach young children how to swim.
With all these options out there, I ended up doing most of my volunteer work at a school library and a non-profit bookstore called Friends of the Library. This bookstore sells donated books at cheap prices, and all the profits made are donated to the local library.
I thought it was very fitting that I do my volunteer work at a library and a bookstore, because reading has always been very important to me. I love working in the bookstore now, because every sale we make helps our public library expand, and gives it the funds needed to purchase new books.
I think everyone should have the opportunity to read, and that we each should do our part to help those who don't have the chance. There is a charity event, called One Book for A Window of Opportunity, in which Chinese students can donate a book to the children of the poor village Fangmaping. They don't have a lot of resources, so reading can be a challenge. To find out more about this event, please visit: http://bbs.enfamily.cn/thread-739278-1-1.html.
|
This passage is written by _ .
|
[
"Because it was their normal work.",
"Because the family asked them to do it.",
"Because the trailer could no longer be repaired.",
"Because they thought it was a perfect gift for the family."
] |
Because the trailer could no longer be repaired.
|
At the age of sixteen, I went on my first volunteer program in West Virginia to repair or build homes for poor families. When we arrived, we discovered that the family we were going to help was living in a trailer that was in poor condition, no bigger than two parking spaces. A group of people had been working on it for two weeks, but every time they finished one problem, another appeared.
We soon decided that the only way was to build a new house. It was something unusual because normally our goal was to repair old homes. The family was pleased with their new house that was 20 by 30 feet with three bedrooms, a bath and a kitchen.
On Tuesday of that week, I asked the family's three boys, Josh, Eric and Ryan, "What do you want for your new room?" Kids in the families we had helped usually wanted toys or posters, so we were surprised when Josh, the oldest boy said, "We just want beds." The boys had never slept in a bed. That night we had a meeting and decided that beds would be the perfect gift. On Thursday night, a few adults in our group drove to the nearest city and bought beds and new bedding.
On Friday when we saw the truck coming, we told the family about the surprise. They were very excited.
That afternoon, while we were setting up the beds, Eric ran into the house to watch us with wide eyes. As Maggie, a member of our group, put one of the pillows on the bed, Eric asked, "What is that?"
"A pillow," she replied.
"What do you do with it?" Eric went on asking.
"When you go to sleep, you put your head on it," Maggie answered softly. Tears came to our eyes as she handed Eric the pillow.
"Oh . . . that's soft," he said, holding it tightly.
Now, when my sister or I start to ask for something that seems very urgent , my dad always asks, "Do you have a pillow?" We know exactly what he means.
|
Why did the writer's group build a new house for the family?
|
[
"have found out that it is warm and wet on Mars",
"were sent to Mars to find some stones",
"were the first two American robots that landed on Mars",
"are the only machines that have landed on Mars so far"
] |
were the first two American robots that landed on Mars
|
For a long time, humans have used technology to study the world around us, and Mars is the latest place we're using machines to explore. Besides the earth, the "red planet" is seen, as the one place in our solar system most likely to have life.
Early last month, the first American robot, Spirit, landed on Mars without any problem. Opportunity, the second robot, landed on the planet more than a week ago. Scientists are very excited about these machines' safe landing on Mars. It means that now we have an excellent chance to look for water and other signs of life. So far, the robots have found some stones that could show Mars was once a wet and warm planet.
But the trips made by Spirit and Opportunity were dangerous. Mars is often called the "death planet", because in the past its environment has been unfriendly to the robot explorers. Before Spirit and Opportunity, nearly forty spaceships had been sent to Mars since the 1960s. Two-thirds of them failed. The first spaceship, Korabl, sent in 1962 by Russia was among them. It broke apart near the earth.
|
The two robots _ .
|
[
"to love life",
"to be a man",
"to study hard",
"to leave drugs"
] |
to study hard
|
On January 11, 2007, as students sat and listened, a very important guest speaker named Richard, spoke to the students in the lecture hall. He not only showed the potential within young adults, but encouraged them to work hard at their lessons.
Richard was a young child when his mother died and his father walked out. He was forced into many different foster homes where he felt unhappy. He did not know that his life was taking a turn for the worst.
His uncle, after getting out of prison, got him into drugs and alcohol. His uncle taught him that his place in life was either to be in prison or die trying to be "a man." His uncle's teaching almost started affecting him until a very important person came into his life: a teacher. This teacher taught him there is a place in the world for everyone and it isn't related to drugs.
Richard is now a Harvard University graduate and has a great and loving family. Why? He was taught to have respect not only for others, but for himself.
After the meeting, it was hoped that the students realized within them there is a potential, and within everyone around them, is knowledge. As Richard reminded them, "Knowledge is power."
|
Richard encouraged the students _ .
|
[
"the support they get from the society",
"the effect bullying has on them",
"the way they react to provocation",
"the type of bullying they receive"
] |
the way they react to provocation
|
The age at which kids first fall victim to bullying could influence how strongly they are affected,suggests a new study. And,surprisingly,it is not the youngest kids who are hurt the most in the long term.
Bullying can have long-lasting effects,but particularly when it begins in adolescence,the researchers say. People subjected to either verbal ( )or physical bullying are known to be at greater risk of developing depression,anxiety disorders or to behave violently. But not everyone reacts in this way.
Children bullied for the first time before they hit adolescence seem to get over it, but those who are bullied for the first time later on in adolescence seem to become more aggressive or are more likely to turn to drink as a means of coping. These are the conclusions of psychologist Matthew Newman and colleagues from the University of Texas at Austin,US.
The team gave questionnaires to nearly 1,500 college students regarding their experience of physical and psychological bullying before adolescence--before high school--and in late adolescence--at high school. They assessed mood and mental state,judging by signs of anxiety or depression,such as sleeplessness. The group was also questioned about how they would react to certain challenges,such as humiliation.
People who were bullied all revealed slightly higher levels of stress. But while those bullied earlier in life seemed to respond normally to provocation ,people bullied for the
first time late in adolescence are more withdrawn and sensitive to violence.
There are also sex differences between those bullied for the first time during adolescence, with females more likely to react aggressively when provoked and males are much more likely to turn to alcohol to escape bad situations.
The best solution in all cases was strong social support,whether from friends,family or school. Those with no one to share their problems with suffered the most.
So perhaps it is best not to shelter children completely from bullying early on,suggests Newman. "They may get stressed,but unhealthy coping really jumps out when they are bullied for the first time later on. "
|
The sex differences between people bullied for the first time during adolescence are reflected in _ .
|
[
"It might inspire aircraft companies to think of ways to improve efficiency.",
"It has proved that the \"V\" formation can improve in efficiency in many fields,",
"It has led scientists to discover that birds' heart rates go down when they fly in a \"V\".",
"It shows that the best formation of jet fighters in battle should be a \"V\" formation."
] |
It might inspire aircraft companies to think of ways to improve efficiency.
|
Scientists have been puzzled by the phenomenon that migrating birds fly not just in groups all the time, but in "V" formations and they have tried to figure out what benefit birds get from this particular formation. Now, a research group from University of London may have found the answer -- migrating birds fly in a "V" to save energy, according to a study published in the journal Nature.
When a bird flaps its wings, it stirs the air around it and causes it to move indifferent directions. Scientist found in the study that the air creates an upward-moving wave at the tips of the wings, which means that if a bird flies around the wingtips of another bird, it can get a boost from the rising air and therefore use less energy to stay in the air.
Apart form the "free ride" strategy, scientists were also surprised to observe that migrating birds timed their wing beats and adjusted their positions in a very precise way to maximize the lifting effect while avoiding areas where the air move downward.
"They're able to sense what's going on from the bird in front, where this 'good air' is coming from and now how to position themselves perfectly in it," lead researcher Steven Portugal told BBC.
In fact, the "V" formation has long thought to help birds fly more efficiently . A previous study showed that birds' heart rates went down when they were flying together in a "V" formation. Jet fighters were also found to be able reduce their energy use by up to 18% by staying near the wingtips of other jet fighters. Both of these findings led scientists to suspect that the "V" formation had an efficiency purpose, but until now they still lack proof.
"For scientists, the new study provides an insight into an interesting natural phenomenon. But it could mean even more for aircraft companies -- helping them understand how they can _ that with their plane formations to save fuel, said Portugal."
|
What is the significance of the new study according to this article?
|
[
"will last five days in all",
"is intended to pick out works for story-books",
"can strengthen the relationship between illustrators and publishers",
"is held by the Bologna Children's Book Fair"
] |
can strengthen the relationship between illustrators and publishers
|
The aims of the Illustrators Exhibition, staged as part of the Bologna Children's Book Fair, organized by BolognaFiere and held from 23 to 26 December, are to bring illustrators and publishers together and to promote illustrators and their works among publishers.
QUALIFICATIONS
*Individual illustrators or groups of illustrators of any nationality, if they were born before 31st December 1996, whose artwork is intended for use in children's books, are qualified to enter the Exhibition, either directly or through publishing houses or schools.
*Please state in the application form whether you are entering work for the Fiction or Non Category. Illustrators may only enter one category.
`*Artwork previously presented to the Exhibition may not be re-entered.
*The confirmationform must be filled in and a photograph attached, then presented together with illustrations no later than15 October.
SHIPMENT
Entries may be delivered by post, express delivery service or by hand. From abroad, please use the following forms:Form "A" for registered mail or post by air;Form "B" if using an international forwarding agent or airline. To avoid delays, material should not be sent by normal post. Material should be sent "carriage paid", including any customs and delivery costs.
BolognaFiere may not be held responsible for the non-arrival or late arrival of artwork.
All published works must be accompanied by a declaration bearing the ISBN number, publisher's name and address.
REQUIREMENTS
The illustrations (i.e. the size of the sheet)must not exceed the following dimensions:
Fiction: 32*42cm (or 42*32cm) Non-fiction: 50*70cm (70*50cm)
Illustrations in larger formats will not be considered, nor will they be returned by BolognalFiere.
The illustrations must be on paper or flexible board, maximum thickness 2mm.
|
According to the text, the Illustrators Exhibitions _ .
|
[
"being honest with the partner and oneself",
"help from the website",
"difference in languages and places",
"difference in cultures"
] |
being honest with the partner and oneself
|
To all of you at Chinese love links, I am 44 years old and never married. I have always wanted to find that perfect someone that I dream about. For about the last five years I have almost given up the hope of ever finding the one I truly wish to spend the rest of my life with.
I have always tried to be a nice guy. I had found your website some four or five months before. I did not know what to expect. I don't know how to speak Chinese and never thought truly of how I was to an Asian woman.
Well, I had a lot of replies from some very nice and pretty women. I had a hard time finding only a couple to write to. But one stood out from the rest. She was cute, nice and seemed to hold a lot of the same values as I do. In a short time I had decided to write only to her. We communicated via e - mails 2 - 3 times a day and phone calls once or twice a week.
I went and met her and her family only a week ago. Her name is Ying and she lives in prefix = st1 /Nanning. I foundNanningto be one of the most beautiful cities I had ever been to. We had even decided to marry and to bring her to theUSAunder the fiancee visa. Not only did she meet everything I had ever hoped to find in someone else but turned out to be what every woman should be like, at least the ones I have met. We plan to marry as soon as she is here and start a family together as neither of us has children but we both want them.
So to anyone out there reading this, I can only say this: You may not find what you are looking for if you're not honest with your partner and yourself. This site worked for me mostly because I was honest with something that I wanted in someone else. When I did find her, love can work even across the other side of the world, between language differences and cultural differences. I wish you all luck in finding your perfect match. I have finally found mine and wishto give all my thanks to those at Chinese love links to help make it happen.
Sincerely yours,
Arthur
|
Arthur thinks _ is the most important in finding someone one wants to marry.
|
[
"Five.",
"Seven.",
"Thirty-five.",
"Forty."
] |
Thirty-five.
|
We live in the computer age. People use computers to do much of their work, such as playing games, listening to music, shopping and so on. But few people know how to take care of them. Please remember the following when you use your computer:
1.Keep your computer in a dry cool room. Too much heat is bad for computers.
2. Do not smoke near your computer. Smoking is also bad for them.
3. Do not drink or eat near computers. A little water and pieces of food in the keyboard are also bad for a computer.
4. Keep your screen clean and do not have it too bright. They are bad for your eyes. Make sure the screen is not too far or too near your eyes when you use a computer.
|
Where should computers be put?
|
[
"It is written words.",
"It cannot be removed easily.",
"It is much uglier.",
"It is easier to believe."
] |
It cannot be removed easily.
|
High school students have always spread gossip in the halls, on the walls and on the phone. Now it's on the Internet, too. On various message boards, kids write about whom they hate, whom they think have fallen in love with each other and record other often hurtful things that may or may not be true.
Sixteen-year-old Jessica remembers once when some kids at her school wrote cruel things about her on the web. "They were just making fun of me," she says. They said she's really ugly, she's this, she's that, blah-blah-blah.
Jessica's 11-year-old sister, Emma, admits she's used the web to write bad things about another girl, though she regrets it now. "After a while, you may feel like, how could I have been so mean? Or, why did I do that?" she says.
Experts say gossip on the Internet can be more harmful than the old fashioned kind. It lasts longer and is taken more seriously. And, unlike ugly words on the bathroom wall, there's no way to get rid of it.
If your kids are victims of online gossip, Dr. Commanday suggests putting the gossip in to perspective . "Point out to them how what's being said on the screen differs from what everyone knows about you as a person," Dr. Commanday says.
You can also try what worked from Emma: keep your kids off the offensive website! "When she was using it all the time, her name was there all the time. People were writing things about her," explains Patti Thrift, Emma's mother, "Since she has no longer had access to that, she's no longer a topic of conversation."
|
According to the passage, why is online gossip more hurtful?
|
[
"Soft music.",
"Classical music.",
"Sad music.",
"Rock music."
] |
Soft music.
|
Have you ever thought about why malls, restaurants, and even theaters have music? Well, to understand this, you simply just look back at how you felt when you heard music in these places. Music is known to improve the mood of people. Often music helps us pay attention to what we are doing. Music helps patients feel good and helps them recover faster and better.
Depression is a state of mind that most of us experience at some point of time. There are some periods in our life when everything seems difficult. It seems that everything is getting worse and we have no control over our life. Studies have shown that music can be an important mood lifter in such situations. Music also plays a great role in making us feel less nervous or worried. Anxiety can often cause loss of sleep and other illnesses.
Music is often known as an international language. We may not know the language another person is speaking, but most of us respond to music in the same way. Music can often be the best way to connect with someone.
Music is one of the best ways to improve your moods, but this can depend largely on the kind of music you listen to. While happy music can certainly make you feel better, sad music can further lower your spirits. Listening to classical music can often make you feel a lot more powerful, while soft music can be the perfect way to relax at the end of a long way. If you want to use music to change the way how you are feeling, you need to understand the role of it, learn to recognize the kind of music that lifts your mood and helps you feel better. Once you realize the kind of music you can use, you can use it to change the way you feel. The right kind of music can be the perfect way to help us feel happier.
|
According to the passage, which kind of music can relax ourselves from a long day's work?
|
[
"It has a keyboard and a mouse.",
"It has a 9.7-inch touch screen.",
"People can read e-books with it.",
"People can play games with it."
] |
It has a keyboard and a mouse.
|
One Saturday morning, Apple Inc's iPad table computer went on sale in the United States stores across the country. The iPad can be bought in more than 200 U.S. Apple stores from Apple. Many fans even waited overnight outside some Apple stores, hoping to be the first to get one. Dozens of the people were waiting before the door opened at 9:00 a.m. Hiro Kishimoto, a Japanese computer researcher who had a meeting in San Francisco, came as early as 5:00 a.m. He wanted to read books and magazines with the iPad. " It's much more comfortable than a laptop . Because the laptop is too heavy to carry all the time, when you are in the living rooms, maybe the iPad is the best one to use." He said. The iPad models that hit the U.S. Market on Saturday with price starting from 499 dollars, only have Wi Fi link to the Internet. Apple models that have both Wi Fi and 3G will be on sale in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Swizland and the UK in late April. With a 9.7 -inch touch screen like books and magazines, iPad can let users finish many tasks including making the web, watching videos, playing games and reding e-books. Apple is trying to remake the tablet computer. The iPad doesn't support Adobe's Flash software that is used to watch many of the videos on the web. " It is short of a keyboard, a mouse, USB ports and mwlti-tasking." some researchers said.
|
Which of the following is not true about the iPad?
|
[
"Expensive tigers.",
"More space for tigers.",
"Tigers and cattle.",
"A kind-hearted farmer."
] |
More space for tigers.
|
I've reported about tigers on the news, however, nothing could have prepared me for what I found in India. I didn't know what to expect, so when I saw my first tiger in the wild, I was shocked. What a beautiful and powerful creature it is!
But they live with a price on their heads -- a single tiger skin is worth up to PS8,000, and their bones possibly more. Another problem is that farmers need to clear a large number of areas of the forest for their cattle. This means deer are losing their living places. As a result, tigers are losing their natural prey, so they end up eating the cattle.
Tigers are not easy to live close to. I met a farmer who had been _ by one. But despite that, he told me everything had its place in the world and he had no right to kill the tiger. He was really kind.
Those who work for the Tigers Forever Project realize that to ensure their survival, tigers don't only need space. They need space away from people.
They are working to stop the conflict between tigers and people by separating them. I visited a new town. People had been moved to it from a settlement in the forest. And it really has worked. It has given tigers a better life and better opportunities for the children of the resettled people.
Only 2,500 tigers are now left in the wild in India. Three out of eight tiger sub-species have already disappeared. Tigers that once lived across Asia only survive in 7% of their original living places now.
|
What's the best title of the passage?
|
[
"thought highly of her parents' habits",
"often helped her parents fix old things",
"often threw things away without being noticed",
"at times hated it when her parents fixed old things"
] |
at times hated it when her parents fixed old things
|
I grew up in the 1950s with very practical parents. My mother washed aluminum foil after she cooked in it, and then she reused it. She was the earliest recycle queen before people had a name for it.
My father was no different. He preferred getting old shoes fixed to -buying new ones. Their marriage was good and their dreams were focused .Their best friends lived just a wave away. Though my parents have passed away, I can see them now - Dad in trousers, a T-shirt and a hat and Mom in a house dress, lawnmower in one hand and dishtowel in the other.
It was the time to fix things -a curtain rod ,the kitchen radio, the screen door, the oven door, and so on. They fixed all things we had. It was a way of life, and sometimes it made me crazy. All that re-fixing and renewing made me want to scream.1 wanted just once to be wasteful. Waste meant being rich. Throwing things away meant you knew there'd always be more. I often thought like that.
But then my mother died, and on that clear summer night, in the warmth of the hospital room, I learned that sometimes there isn't any more. Sometimes, what we care about most gets all used up and goes away and it will never return. So, while we have it, it is the best that we love it, care for it, fix it when it's broken and cure it when it's sick.
This is true for marriage, old cars, children with bad report cards, dogs with bad hips and aging parents and grandparents. We keep them because they are worth it and because we are worth it.
|
We can learn that when the writer was young, she _ .
|
[
"Will the 2020 World Cup Be Held in the Middle East?",
"Qatar's 2022 World Cup in High Temperature",
"Will Man-Made Clouds Provide Shade at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar?",
"Artificial Clouds at High Cost Promising Comfortable Season"
] |
Will Man-Made Clouds Provide Shade at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar?
|
With the World Cup always held in the European off-season in June and July, when the tiny nation of Qatar beat out USA Australia, Japan and South Korea, as the venue of the 2022 World Cup Soccer, there were gasps of surprise from the fans - it was not just because of the size of the competitors, but also the fact that Doha sees an average top temperature of 41 degrees Celsius in June and July with the possibility of top temperatures as high as 50degC.
Since the World Cup cannot be moved to the 'cooler' season in January or to a neighboring country with milder weather, Qatar has to figure out a solution to make the game more comfortable. A team of engineering scientists from Qatar University (QU) have taken a more high-tech approach to solving the problem - they've reportedly developed a type of artificial "cloud" designed to float above the World Cup venues and provide fans and players with relief from the blazing sun.
The artificial clouds system was invented by a team led by Dr Saul Abdul Ghani, Head of the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department at QU, who told Gulf News that the "clouds" would be made from a lightweight carbon structure carrying a giant envelope of material containing helium gas. The "cloud" would also feature solar panels on its upper surface to power engines that allow the cloud to be moved via remote control. While the country officials have promised to improve some of the issues with solar-powered stadiums capable of reducing the temperatures inside, to a comfortable 20degC, there is still concern of how the players will be able to function in the practice fields.
The system would initially cost around US$500,000, with prices coming down with commercial scale production. However, since Qatar needs to find a solution, the money is probably to the issue. The bigger question is, will this team of scientists actually be able to conjure up something that they have promised? We will all find out in about eleven years!
|
Which of the following can best serve as the title of this passage?
|
[
"Spend their free time hanging or playing out",
"Get a lot more free time from their parents",
"Have a right amount of free time with permission",
"Get more free time from school work sometimes"
] |
Have a right amount of free time with permission
|
This is the age of being busy. Many of us live in busy places and have busy lives. Even the roads are busy as we try to get from here to there. Adults are busy going to jobs and taking care of their families. Kids are busy, too, going to school and doing a lot of homework after school and on weekends.
Busy isn't bad, necessarily. If you are not busy enough you might be bored. But if you are too busy, you might break down. For example, if you have a soccer game that runs late on a school night and you haven't eaten dinner or done your homework, that's a not-so-fun kind of busy. We wanted to know what kids thought, so we did a kidsPoll about being busy with 882girls and boys aged 9 to 13.
Almost all of them said they felt stressed because they were too busy. About half said they felt this way once in a while or some of the time. But 17% said they felt this way most of the time and 24% said they felt this all the time! Oh dear, that's no fun.
Only 4% of kids said they wanted less free time and 18% said they already had just the right amount. But, no big surprise, 61% of kids wish they had a lot more free time. If they had more time, most would spend it hanging out or playing with friends.
Often, adults plan large parts of a kid 's day, especially during the school year. kids can't tell their parents they'll be skipping school today to get more free time! But they can tell their parents they'd like to play a game or read a book during their free time instead of watching TV.
|
From the passage, we can infer that the writer agrees kids can _ .
|
[
"a burglar in his house",
"the bedroom window closed",
"Ellen lying on the floor, blood all over",
"Ellen waiting for him in the concert hall"
] |
Ellen lying on the floor, blood all over
|
The judge thought Geoffrey Payne killed his wife. Now for the first time Payne wrote to a magazine from the prison about what happened on the night of 13 October 1999.
I had to stay late at the hospital that night to do an operation. I finally left at about 11p.m.. I drove home slowly because the wind was blowing and it was raining heavily. I was running into our road when a man suddenly ran in front of my car. I almost hit him but I stopped just in time. I was scared and the man looked scared, too. I got out of the car but he ran away before I could ask if he was all right. It was very strange.
When I got home, the lights were on but it was very quiet. I called to my wife but there was no answer. Then I remembered that she was out at a concert.
I was still very unhappy about what happened on the road, so I made myself a drink. Then I went upstairs to have a bath. I saw that the window in the bedroom was open. This was strange because my wife always locked the doors and windows before she went out. She was afraid of burglars. When I went to close it, I found Ellen. She was lying on the floor. There was blood everywhere. I rushed over for her pulse but she was dead. I was so scared. I sat on the floor beside her body without knowing what to do.
The next thing I knew was that the sky was getting light. I can't remember a thing about that night. In the morning I phoned the police. They arrived half an hour after I phoned them. But it seemed like hours. During that time I tried hard to remember anything I could about the night before. I couldn't stop thinking about the man in the road. What was he doing at that time of night in our quiet neighborhood?
|
When Payne got home, he found _ .
|
[
"How to Be a Good Cook?",
"Cooking Meals With the Sun",
"How to Save Energy?",
"Different Ways of Cooking"
] |
Cooking Meals With the Sun
|
Millions of people around the world cook their food on fire every day. People must spend lots of money on cooking _ . However, there is a much easier and cheaper way to cook food using energy from the sun.
Sun-cookers have been used for centuries. A Swiss scientist made the first sun-cooker in 1777. Today, people are using sun-cookers in many countries around the world. People use them to cook food and to heat drinking water.
There are three kinds of sun-cookers. The first is a box cooker. It is designed with a special wall that collects sun-shine into the box. A box cooker is good for slow cooking of a lot of food.
The second kind of sun-cooker is a panel cooker. It has several flat walls that concentrate the sun-shine on the food. People can build panel cookers quickly. They do not cost much. In Kenya, for example, panel cookers cost just two dollars.
The third kind of sun-cooker is a parabolic cooker. It has rounded walls that concentrate sunlight into the bottom of the cooker. Food cooks quickly in parabolic cookers. However, these cookers are hard to make. They must be moved again and again to follow the sun. Parabolic cookers can also cause burns and eye injuries if they are not used correctly.
You can make sun-cookers from boxes or heavy paper. They will not catch fire. Paper burns at 232degC. A sun-cooker never gets hotter than that. Sun-cookers cook food at low temperatures over long periods of time. This allows people to cook food and do other things at the same time.
|
What is the best title of this passage?
|
[
"Those who buy only for its beauty.",
"Those who buy for its inimitability.",
"Those who 'buy for its authenticity.",
"Those who buy for its scarcity."
] |
Those who buy only for its beauty.
|
Art robbery and art forgery are both major themes in crime movies and literature.In the 2012 comedy movie Gambit, British actor Colin Firth plays an art curator who cheats his abusive boss into buying a fake Monet. In reality, art crimes are no less interesting and exciting.
According to The New York Times, over the past 15 years, Glafira Rosales fooled two local commercial art galleries into buying 63 false works of art for more than $30 million.She passed off fake paintings as works by 20th century modernist masters such as American artists Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollock.But in fact, these so called "newly discovered works" were all produced by a single man, a Chinese immigrant named Qian Peishen.
The art world was shocked by Rosales' deception.But to the public, it was amusing and most satisfying to see wealthy people get tricked.
So what decides the value of a piece of art? Is it beauty? Is it the artist's talent and craftsmanship? Or is it just because the artist is famous?
We should take beauty out. If the buyers were buying paintings only for their beauty, they'll be content displaying good fakes on their walls. They wouldn't be so upset when a forgery is exposed.
The art market claims that great artists are inimitable, and that this inimitability justifies the absurd price of their works. We can't deny that most famous artists are good at what they do, but forgers like Qian show that their works are imitable.Otherwise, the difference between the original and the copycats would be obvious and Rosales would not be able to fool anyone.
According to an article in the Economist, expensive paintings are what economists call positional goods. They are valuable because other people can't have them. With other goods, a higher price reduces demand.But art turns down the laws of economics. "When the goods that is really being purchased is evidence that the buyer has paid a lot, price increases cause demand to boom," explained the article.
That's why scarcity and authenticity are so important in the art market. Artists sometimes forget this.Demien Hirst, the British pop artist, is famous for his spot paintings. But they dropped in value when it became clear that they had been produced in quantities so vast that nobody knew how many were out there.The art market lost faith in these paintings because no one could be sure which of them were authentic and which were fake.
|
What kind of art buyers should not be unhappy with its high prices when a forgery is exposed according to the author?
|
[
"How Charlotte makes friends with Wibur",
"How to make Charlotte lovely",
"Whether Charrlotte should die",
"Whether Wibur should be killed"
] |
Whether Charrlotte should die
|
Sometimes two very different individuals become the best friends. For example,, who could have thought that a spider would become friends with a pig? But in American writer E.B.White' novel Charlotte's Web, this is exactly what happens
Wibur the pig grows up in a barn and makes many friends, including a spider called Charlotte. One day a sheep tells Wibur that he will finally be served up as dinner. But Charlotte decides to save her friend. To help Wibur,Charlotte writes words like "terrific", "radiant" and "humble" on her web to praise Wibur. This makes the farmer believe that is too important to kill.Wibur is saved, but Charlotte is so tired that she dies.
The book was first published in 1952. In over 60 years Charlotte has become one of the most famous spiders of all time. She teaches us about love and promise. "She is very, very loving under that crusty ,that ugly look," Peter Neumeyer, writer of The Annotated Charlott's Web
The book's success drew the attention of Hollywood filmmakers , however, they wanted a happier ending. White was strongly against this idea and as a result the film, like the book, ends with Charlotte's death.
Jen Doll, reporter with The Atlantic, believe that "death is a part of life". She says this is one of the main messages of the book.
As Charlotte tells Wibur, "You have been my friend. That in itself is a wonderful thing. I wove my webs for you because I like you. After all, what's a life, anyway? We're born, we live a little while and then we die. A spider's life can't help being something of a mess , with all this trapping and eating flies. By helping you, perhaps I was trying to lift up my life a little. God knows anyone's life can stand a little of that."
|
What is the disagreement about Charlotte's Web between Hollywood filmmaker and White?
|
[
"The three movies are all based on South Korean TV shows.",
"Where are We Going, Dad? II is directed by Wang Yuelun.",
"Running Man has made people laughed 86 times while watching the 88-minute movie",
"Emperor's Holidays was screened on the first day of the Chinese Lunar New Year."
] |
Where are We Going, Dad? II is directed by Wang Yuelun.
|
This year's lunar New Year holiday season is likely to see the fierce competitions at the country's box office among three movies that come from reality TV programs instead of legends, novels and original stories.
The Chinese movies Running Man, Where are We Going, Dad? II and Emperor's Holidays are all based on South Korean TV shows.
Where are We Going, Dad? hit an amazing box-office run of 700 million yuan in 2014, and it was one of the most popular Chinese-language movies last year. And this year's Where are We Going, Dad? II shows four famous fathers trying to "survive" with their children on an island of the Republic of Fiji .
Running Man was also one of the most well-known shows from last October to this January. It has got 227 million yuan at the box office in the first three days after it was on in the cinema. It's reported that people laughed 86 times while watching the 88-minute movie.
Emperor's Holidays is directed by Wang Yuelun, who was a celebrity father in the fatherhood series' first season. The movie was screened in Chinese theaters on Feb 19, the same day as Dad II and also the first day of the Chinese Lunar New Year.
For these kinds of movies, different people have different opinions. Some may think it is not worth spending money watching them, because the producers just want to make money. However, others may think whatever the producers' aim is, these movies can inspire people to live more healthily and make them keep laughing and happy. So they choose to enjoy them in the cinema.
|
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
|
[
"When choosing between \"today\" and \"tomorrow\", you'd better enjoy tomorrow.",
"If you work hard today, you'll have a better life in the future.",
"What you can only choose is to work hard today rather than tomorrow.",
"The only choice you make is that you should enjoy a better tomorrow."
] |
If you work hard today, you'll have a better life in the future.
|
Life comes in a package.This package includes happiness and sadness, failure and success, hope and _ .Life is a learning process.Experiences in life teach us new lessons and make us a better person.With each passing day we learn to deal with various situations.
Love plays a main role in our life.Love makes you feel wanted.Without love a person could become cruel.In the early stage of our life, our parents are the ones who show us with love and care.They teach us about what is right and wrong, good and bad.But we don't always care about it.It is only after marriage and having kids that a person understands others' feelings.
Happiness can bring people a peaceful mind.No mind is happy without peace.Sadness is the cause of the death of a loved one or the failure.But all of these things will pass away.
Failure is the path to success.It helps us to touch the sky, teaches us to survive and shows us a specific way.Success brings in money, pride and self-respect.
Hope is what keeps life going.Parents always hope their children will do well.Hope makes us dream.Hope builds in patience.Life teaches us not to despair even in the darkest hour, because after every night there is a day.
Life teaches us not to regret over yesterday, for it has passed and is out of our control.Tomorrow is unknown, for it could either be bright or dark. _
|
What's the meaning of the last sentence of the whole passage?
|
[
"you will certainly get what you want",
"it's no use dreaming but be practical",
"you should never be satisfied with what you have",
"it's essential to be ambitious"
] |
it's no use dreaming but be practical
|
You may have heard some respectable elders say, "It's not what you want in this world, but what you get."
Psychology teaches that you do get what you want if you know what you want and want the right things.
You can make a mental blueprint of a desire as you would make a blueprint of a house, and each of us is continually making these blueprints in the general routine of everyday living. If we intend to give a dinner for friends, we plan the menu, make a shopping list, and decide which food to cook first, and such planning is essential and necessary for any type of meal to be served.
Similarly, you can make a blueprint for your could-be-job, take a sheet of paper, and write a brief account of yourself. In making a blueprint for a job, begin with yourself, for when you know exactly what you have to offer, you can intelligently plan where to sell your service.
This account of yourself is actually a description of your working life and should include education, experience and references. Such an account is valuable. It can be referred to filling out standard application blanks and it is extremely helpful in personal interviews. While talking to you, your could-be employer is deciding whether your education, your experience and other qualifications will pay him to employ you, and your abilities must be displayed on an orderly and reasonably connected manner. When you have carefully prepared a blueprint of your abilities and desires, you have something exact to sell. Then you are ready to hunt for a job.
Get all the possible information about your could-be job. Make your eyes and ears open, and use your own judgment. Spend a certain amount of time each day seeking in the employment you wish for, and keep in mind: Obtaining a job is your job now!
|
When the elders say, "It's not what you want in the world, but what you get", they mean _ .
|
[
"seventh years old.",
"seven-years-old .",
"seven years old .",
"17 years old."
] |
seven years old .
|
John likes chocolates very much, but his mother doesn't give him. They're bad for his teeth, she thinks. John has a very nice grandfather. The old man loves John very much and sometimes he buys John some chocolates. Then his mother let him eat them. Because she wants to make the old man happy.
One Sunday evening before his seventh birthday, he shouts, "Please, God , let them give me a big box of chocolates for my birthday." His mother says, "God can't hear you. Don't shout ! "
"I know," says the clever boy with a smile. "But my grandfather is in the next room. And he can."
|
John is _ .
|
[
"gave the correct answer",
"chose the right hand side",
"chose the left hand side",
"remembered the patterns of dots"
] |
chose the right hand side
|
People are more likely to lie or cheat during the afternoon because self control reduces during the day, according to researchers.
Volunteers taking part in two experiments where they could benefit by cheating were more likely to do so if the tests took place after midday, researchers found.
The findings back up previous studies which have shown that our capacity for self-control declines during the day, due to tiredness and repeatedly making decisions.
Psychologists from Harvard University first showed a group of volunteers various patterns of dots on a computer screen, asking them to decide whether there were more dots on the left or the right hand side.
Instead of being rewarded for getting the answer right, the participants were paid based on which side they chose, earning ten times as much for choosing the right hand side as the left.
People who were tested after midday were significantly more likely to select the right hand side, even if there were clearly more dots on the left, than those who took part during the morning.
In a second test, participants were shown a series of word fragments , such as "--ral" and "e--c--" and asked which words they associated with them.
In morning experiments, participants were more likely to form the words "moral" and "ethical" while during the afternoon the words "coral" and "effects" were most common.
Further tests conducted online showed that people were more likely to send dishonest messages or claim to have solved an unsolvable problem in the afternoon than in the morning.
Writing the Psychological Science journal, the researchers said the difference was particularly _ in people with higher ethical standards, who always behaved morally during the morning but slipped during the afternoon.
In contrast, those who were able to "morally disengage", or behave unethically without feeling guilty, tended to cheat whatever the time of day.
Dr. Maryam Kouchaki, one of the lead authors, said "Unfortunately, the most honest people, such as those less likely to morally disengage, may be the most susceptible to the negative consequences associated with the morning morality effect."
The findings could be relevant to organizations that should be more alert about the behavior of customers and employees during the afternoon, she added. "Our findings suggest that mere time of day can lead to a systematic failure of good people to act morally."
|
Volunteers can get more money when they _ .
|
[
"there will be 3.62 billion people going home",
"many people have to buy railway tickets from scalpers",
"the railway system will break down as usual",
"not railways but cars are the best choices for traveling"
] |
many people have to buy railway tickets from scalpers
|
Around every Lunar New Year holiday, China becomes a country on the move. The holiday crush this year is estimated to be even heavier than before.
Government officials suggest that Chinese people will take to the air, roads and railways 3.62 billion times over a 40-day period around the nation's most important holiday this year as people push their way home for family gatherings or to satisfy their new-found passion for travel.
Getting tickets to all those would-be travelers is a _ challenge that tries your patience annually. And the pressure for the railway system is always the greatest. Railways are the transport of choice for low-cost long-distance travel, and that's where the ticketing system regularly falls down.
Much of the criticism has focused on the railway's online purchasing system, which has been unable to keep pace with the huge demand and also failed to stop scalpers from easily getting many of the hard-to-find tickets.
Railway officials believed that online sales were the fairest way to get tickets for travelers, and told reporters that the public need to be patient. While by now the railway service is far from satisfying, efforts are being made to provide online identity checks that would reduce the ticket scalping problems, and the situation is expected to get better in a few years. Meanwhile, for those traveling by car, good news is that the country's extremely expensive highway tolls will be removed for the period of the official holiday.
|
We can learn from the text that around the New Year holiday, _ .
|
[
"the writer is smart enough to learn much",
"the writer has a good memory about learning",
"the writer has a good understanding of things in life",
"the writer was taught there were many secret things in the world"
] |
the writer has a good understanding of things in life
|
I don't have too many memories of my father because he was so sick in the last years of his life. But there aresome that I am often reminded of and which may have developed my love ofscience.
When I was small, I was somewhatafraid of lightning and thunder . My father explained it. The explanation wasin words that a child could understand but was basically correct. I gained a betterunderstanding and learnt something from him.
What he said was that there was electricity in the cloudsand it traveled to the ground like a spark . When it traveled through the air, it made the air so hot that it burned. Then there was nothing where the air had been and the air all around rushed in to fill the space. Saying this, he clapped his hands together very loudly, pretending to be the air rushing in, and said that makes the thunder. When I hear thunder, I can still hear that clap clearly.
He also explained why a cloudy winter night was warmer than a clear one. When there were clouds, they were like blankets which kept the earth and us warm. He said that if there were no clouds, we had no blankets and were _ to the universe. Our warmth was going toheat the whole universe. Even today, I still feel on the edge of space on a very clear night.
I am sure there were many other lessons that Itook but no longer remember most of them now. What I didlearn, in general, was that there were explanations and that the more I understood them, the more comfortable the world was to live in. I was not taught that there were mysteries but that there was understanding if you looked for it. This may be why I have always takenaninterest in science.
|
We can know from the passage that _ .
|
[
"to wear more clothes in winter",
"to stop riding bikes on the hard ice",
"to protect the environment",
"to save water and electricity"
] |
to protect the environment
|
Many children love to play with snow in winter. But Long Chuan has come to hate it.
This year his hometown suffered from snowstorms for nearly a month. The heavy snow stopped cars and trains, broke the electricity tower and turned tap water to ice.
Every day Long Chuan had to walk several kilometers to carry drinking water. "I couldn't ride a bike and it took me 3 hours to walk to school. I can't remember how many times I slipped on the hard ice, " said Long Chuan.
Long is not alone. This year millions of people in central and southern China had a freezing winter without enough water and electricity. The biggest snowstorms in 50 years killed more than 100 people. They also cost the country 111.1 billion yuan.
Experts say a special type of climate condition , La Nina, caused the storms. During a La Nina, the water in the Pacific Ocean near the equator becomes colder than usual. It changes the weather around the world.
Besides China, Canada, the US and Middle Eastern countries also met with heavy snowstorms this winter. The special climate caused the recent flooding in Australia, too.
However, experts say that people have destroyed the environment . Global warming may be causing these terrible weather events to happen more and more often.
|
The passage tells people around the world _ .
|
[
"The reasons why people like smoking.",
"Some important facts about cigarettes.",
"Effects of smoking on the health of teens.",
"Ways for people to say 'no' to cigarettes."
] |
Effects of smoking on the health of teens.
|
According to a recent study performed by the Office of Applied Science, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, every day about 3,900 children and teens under the age of 18 try their first cigarette . Among the teens who continue to smoke into their adult years, about one out of three will die as a result of the habit.
Because of the nicotine content in tobacco products, smoking not only becomes a habit for teens, but an addiction . The nicotine in the tobacco is addictive. Once a teen develops the habit of smoking, it is difficult for them to quit without help. The American Lung Association reports smokers who start early in life find it more difficult to quit because of the addiction.
Teens that smoke often do as a way of dealing with social situations or as a result of pressure from people of their age. The results of a Duke University study show teens with brothers and sisters who smoke are more likely to engage in smoking and other risky actions. The components of tobacco products have documented effects on behavior. Nicotine is known to increase fights in teens and adults.
The center for Young Women's Health at the Children's Hospital of Boston states that tobacco products contain about 4,000 chemicals, some of which are poisonous. Breathing these poisons into the lungs quickly affects a teen's entire body. Outward changes include dry, wrinkled skin, yellow teeth and nails, and bad breath. Teen smokers are three times more likely to have bad teeth than non-smokers of their age, the Center further reports. External effects are often present soon after smoking becomes a habit.
|
What is this passage mainly about?
|
[
"tell people to love their life",
"earn money",
"give people some good advice on how to",
"say something about America"
] |
give people some good advice on how to
|
Books which give instructions on how to do things are very popular in the United States today. Thousands of these "How to" books are available; in fact, there are about four thousand books with titles that begin with the words "How to". One book may tell you how to earn more money, another may tell you how to save or spend it, and another may explain how to give your money away. Many "How to" books give advice on careers . They tell you how to choose a career and how to succeed at it. If you fail, however, you can buy a book called "How to Turn Failure into Success". If you would like to become very rich, you can buy the book "How to Make a Million". If you never make any money at all, you may need a book called "How to Live on Nothing?"
One of the most popular types of books is one that helps you with personal problems. If you want to have a better love of life, you can read "How to Succeed at Love Every Minute of Your Life?". If you are tired of books on happiness, you may prefer a book called "How to Make Yourself miserable?".
Many of these books help people use their time better. Some people want books which will give them useful information about sports, hobbies, and travel. Other people use their free time to make repairs and improvements on their homes. They prefer books which give step by step instruction on how to repair things like plumbing and electrical wiring, or on how to redecorate or enlarge a house.
Why have "How to" books become so popular? Probably because life has become so complex. Today people have far more free time to use, more choices to make, and more problems to solve. "How to" books help people deal with modem life.
|
These "How to" books are written to _ .
|
[
"can drive his own car but it must be fit for the road.",
"is usually asked to drive on roads for some time",
"has to be examined only in car driving skills",
"can drive around for more than an hour"
] |
can drive his own car but it must be fit for the road.
|
In Britain you're allowed to drive a car when you're seventeen. You have to get a special two-year driving license before you can start. When you're leaning, someone with a full license always has to be in the car with you because you aren't allowed to drive the car on the road alone. You don't have to go to a driving school --- a friend can teach you. The person with you isn't allowed to take money for the lesson unless he's got a teacher's license.
Before you're allowed to have a full license, you have to take a driving test. You can take a test in your own car, but it has to be fit for the road. In the test you have to drive round for about half an hour and then answer a few questions. If you don't pass the test, you're allowed to take it again a few weeks later if you want to. In 1970 a woman passed her fortieth test after 212 driving lessons! When you've passed your test, you don't have to take it again, and you're allowed to go on driving as long as you like. Britain's oldest driver was a man who drove in 1974 at the age of 100.
Before 1904 everyone was allowed to drive, even children. Then from 1904 car drivers had to have a license. But they didn't have to take a test until 1935. On the early days of car driving, before 1878, cars weren't allowed to go faster than four miles an hour and someone had to lead the car with a red flag.
|
In the driving test, one _ .
|
[
"Red.",
"Orange.",
"Blue.",
"Green."
] |
Orange.
|
It helps to choose the colors you plan to live with in your home with awareness of how different colors affect your emotional and physical states. Every color has a unique meaning, and this can significantly affect how you feel in a room.
A room that is painted red will energize, inspire activity and movement, help passion, and be powerful and stimulating. A red room can also be exhausting and overpowering, and stressful for those who are anxious.
Orange rooms encourage happy, joyful, social gatherings. While an orange dining room or family room can stimulate the appetite, it is a great choice for such gathering places. Orange enhances parties, communication, positive feelings, and general good cheer.
Yellow rooms inspire intellectual clarity, organization, clear -headed thinking, and happy energy. Yellow is considered a color for the logical left side of the brain. Yellow is also very bright and somewhat energizing.
Blue rooms are often chosen for bedrooms and meditation rooms because its cool energy is very calming, restful, peaceful, and spiritual. Blue helps inspire a quiet meditative quality, and color therapy with blue has been found to reduce blood pressure. Blue is also useful to make one to sleep.
Green rooms are very restful but combine with an energizing quality. Green is the color of outdoors, calm and active at the same time. Green brings balance and harmony to a room, and can be used as a calming place for people who are troubled or in need of refreshment.
|
If you are going to hold a family gathering, which color of the room can best enhance your atmosphere?
|
[
"to make less cars",
"to make gas-saving cars",
"to develop a good transportation system",
"to develop train service"
] |
to make gas-saving cars
|
Cars are the most important part of life in the United States. Without a car most people feel that they are poor. And even if a person is poor he doesn't feel really poor when he has a car.
Henry Ford was the man who first started making cars in large numbers. He probably doesn't know how much the car was going to affect American culture. The car made the United States a nation on wheels. And it helped to make the United States what it is today.
There are many reasons that the car became so popular in the United States. First of all, the country was a large one and Americans like to move around in it. The car provides the most comfortable and cheapest from of transportation. With a car people can go to any place without spending a lot of money.
The second reason that cars are popular is the fact that the United States never really developed an efficient and inexpensive form of public transportation. Long distance trains have never been as common in the United States as they are in the other parts of the world. Nowadays there is good system of air service provided by planes. But it is too expensive to be used frequently.
The third reason is the most important one. The American spirit of independence is what really made cars popular. Americans don't like to wait for a bus, or a train or even a plane. They don't like to have to follow an exact schedule. A car gives them the freedom to plan their own time. And this is the freedom that Americans want most to have.
The gas shortage has caused a big problem for Americans. But the answer will not be a bigger system of public transportation. The real solution will have to be a new kind of car, one that does not use so much gas.
|
The real solution to the gas shortage problem is _
|
[
"Deng Nannan prefers porridge to milk.",
"Deng Nannan likes drinking milk all the time.",
"Deng Nannan began to drink milk because of her mother's advice.",
"Deng's favorite milk brands were Mengniu and Sanyuan."
] |
Deng Nannan began to drink milk because of her mother's advice.
|
Deng Nannan, 15, used to hate drinking milk for breakfast. But she had to drink it because her mom, as well as many others, said that milk was good for her growing body. Besides, milk and bread made up a convenient diet that saved her parents a lot of time after Deng entered junior school and had to arrive at school early in the morning. After that, Mengniu and Yili became her favorite brands of morning milk and yoghurt after dinner.
However, she has been forced to change her diet since the recent milk crisis. Many best-selling milk brands such as Mengniu, Yili and Bright were discovered to contain melamine , which is usually used to make plastic. The bad milk products have sickened more than 5,300 babies and killed four.
"I shifted to rice porridge," she said. "My mom has to get up at 5:50 am to prepare my breakfast and make sure that it cools down when I get up."
Deng has become addicted to milk, so she doesn't quite enjoy her morning meal these days although she knows that it's a tiring job for her working mom.
"I'll turn back to Mengniu and Yili when they finally improve their products," she said.
However, right now Deng's mom tries to adjust her eating habits by cooking different foods. Besides rice porridge, noodles, egg soup and soybean milk are prepared as her breakfast.
|
Which of the following statements is true?
|
[
"It is a kind of polar bear.",
"It is a white variant of the North American black bear.",
"It is a walking contradiction.",
"It's found mainly in the Great Bear Rainforest."
] |
It is a kind of polar bear.
|
With a wildlife guide, I stepped on a journey to find one of the rarest creatures in the world ----the spirit bear, a walking contradiction--a white black bear. Neither albino nor polar bear, the spirit bear is a white variant of the North American black bear, and it's found almost exclusively here in the Great Bear Rainforest. At 25,000 square miles ---- one and a half times as big as Switzerland--the region is a spooky , wild, mysterious place: there are wolves here that fish. Deer that swim. Western red cedar trees that have stood a thousand years. And a black bear that is white.
Scientists know how black bears are born white. They're just not sure why. The phenomenon, known as Kermodism, is caused by a recessive mutation at the MC1R gene, the same gene associated with red hair and fair skin in humans. To be born white, a bear must inherit the mutation from both parents. The parents themselves don't have to be white. They just need to carry the recessive mutation. So it's not uncommon for white bears to be born to black parents.
White fur happens in only one of every 40 to 100 black bears on the British Columbia mainland coast, but the feature is especially distinct on certain islands in the Great Bear Rainforest. For example, on Princess Royal Island, one in ten black bears is white, and on Gribbell Island, directly north of Princess Royal, it's one in three.
It's unclear how the feature arose. One theory was the "glacial bear" hypothesis that the spirit bear represented a remaining adaptation from the last great ice age, which ended here 11,000 years ago. At that time most of modern-day British Columbia was still icebound, and a white coat may have offered camouflage . But the "glacial bear" theory raised a question: Why didn't the white fur feature die out when the glaciers _ ?
Researchers have recently proved that the spirit bear's white coat gives it an advantage when fishing. Although white and black bears tend to have the same success rate after dark, there is a difference during the daytime. White bears catch salmon in one-third of their attempts. Black individuals are successful only one-quarter of the time. "The salmon are less concerned about a white object as seen from below the surface," a scientist guesses. That may answer part of the question about why the white-fur feature continues to flourish today. If salmon are a coastal bear's primary fat and protein source, a successful female can feast on salmon to store more fat for winter, potentially increasing the number of cubs she can produce.
|
Which of the following about the spirit bear is NOT true?
|
[
"To set up a club.",
"To provide part-time jobs.",
"To organize key-cards.",
"To introduce a new banking service."
] |
To introduce a new banking service.
|
Winners Club
You choose to be a winner!
The Winners Club is a bank account specially designed for teenagers.It has been made to help you better manage your money. The Winners Club is a transaction account where you receive a key-card so you can get to your money 24/7--that' s 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!
It' s a club with impressive features for teenagers:
* No account keeping fees!
You' re no millionaire so we don' t expect you to pay large fees. In fact, there are no account keeping or transaction fees!
* Excellent interest rates!
You want your money to grow. The Winners Club has a good rate of interest which gets even better if you make at least two deposits without taking them out in a month.
* Convenient
Teenagers are busy--we get that. You may never need to come to a bank at all. With the Winners Club you can choose to use handy tellers and to bank from home using the phone and the Internet...You can have money directly deposited into your Winners Club account. This could be your pocket money or your pay from your part-time job!
* Mega magazine included
Along with your regular report, you will receive a FREE magazine full of good ideas to make even more of your money. There are also fantastic offers and competitions only for Winners Club members.
The Winners Club is a great choice for teenagers. And it is so easy to join. Simply fill in an application form. You will have to get permission from your parent or guardian(so we can organize that cool key-card)but it is easy. We can' t wait to hear from you. It' s the best way to choose to be a winner!
|
What is the purpose of this text?
|
[
"hand in at once",
"check spelling mistakes",
"worry about our points",
"check with classmates"
] |
check spelling mistakes
|
Do you want to do well in exams? Sometimes your knowledge is not enough, you also need good strategies. Here are some for you:
Before you answer the questions, if you feel a little nervous, take a few deep breaths to help you relax. Always read the question carefully and make sure that you understand it. Read it a few times if possible. Find out how much each question is worth or how many points you need. If it asks to give one answer, only write one.
If there is a difficult question, don't worry. Go on to the next question and come back to it if you have time later. Try not to leave questions unanswered when you finish the test. Sometimes a guess may get your points.
When you finish, go back and check your answers. You will need to check your writing or spelling mistakes.
|
When we finish answering all the questions, we need to _ .
|
[
"sleeping is very important",
"breakfast is the most important meal of the day",
"getting well with our friends is very important",
"exercise can help us study better"
] |
breakfast is the most important meal of the day
|
"Eat your breakfast. It's the most important meal of the day!" Why are parents always saying that?
Well, a person is like a car. After a long night of sleeping, there is no fuel in your fuel tank . Breakfast is like the fuel. It makes you work or walk on the road.
What should you eat? Any breakfast is better than no breakfast, but try not to have hamburgers or dessert all the time. They don't have the necessary nutrients . And if you have a hamburger for breakfast, you won't feel full for long.
Try to eat all kinds of foods like grains, fruit, vegetables and drink some milk. Oh, try to eat more apples because an apple a day can help to keep the doctor away.
|
This passage tells us that parents always say _
|
[
"It can pronounce the words.",
"It can send e-mail.",
"It can be used as a dictionary.",
"It can phone somebody."
] |
It can phone somebody.
|
Don't you think your schoolbag is too heavy to bear? The e-schoolbag will free you from the weight.
It is said that e-schoolbags are going to be brought into use in Chinese middle schools soon. An experiment with several hundred e-schoolbags will begin in seven cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Dalian, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Taiyuan and Shijiazhuang. And the e-schoolbags are going to cover all over China if the experiment proves to be successful. In fact, the e-schoolbag should perhaps be called an e-notebook. It is a small hand-held computer for school students.
Heavy schoolbags have long been a serious problem for school students. The average schoolbag of middle school students weighs up to 5 kilos. But the e-schoolbag will change everything. It is much lighter than a usual schoolbag, weighing under 1 kilo.
Also, it is no bigger than a usual book, but it can still hold all the things for study, such as a textbook, a notebook and exercise book. They could be made into chips that are as small as a stamp. The students can read the text page by page on the screen. They can still take notes using a special electronic pen. If they want to know the meaning or the pronunciation of a new word, or even e-mail their teachers, it's just a press of a button.
In some foreign countries, it is becoming common. But it is hard to tell when people will receive this new form of study. Some say that e-textbooks can be easily broken, some say that it is not good to students' eyesight to look at the screen for long. But only time will tell.
|
The e-schoolbag has many functions EXCEPT _ .
|
[
"confused",
"excited",
"peaceful",
"disappointed"
] |
excited
|
"Can you take me golfing sometimes?" my 13-year-old son asked.
I had a bathroom to remodel . I wanted to say no. "Sure," I said."What did you have in mind ?"
"Well, maybe you could, like, pick up Jared and me after school on Friday and take us out to Oakway."
"Sounds good."
Friday came. In front of the school, Ryan and Jared piled in. Ryan looked confused.
"What's with the golf hat, Dad ?" he asked
It was, I thought, a silly question, like asking a diver: "What's with the swim fins ?"
"Well, I thought we were going to play some golf."
There was a strange pause. "Uh, you're going, too ?" He asked. Suddenly, it struck me that I hadn't been invited. Thirteen years of parenting flashed before my eyes.
All these memories sped by in about two seconds, leaving me about three seconds to reply.
I had to say something. I wanted to say this: "How could you do this to me? We have always been a team." But I said: "Me? Play? No. You know I'm up to my ears in the remodel project."
We drove on in silence for a few moments. "So, how are you planning to play for this?" I asked, my wounnded ego reaching for the dagger
"Uh, could you loan me $7?"
Oh, I get it. He doesn't want me, but he'll gladly take my money.
"No problem, " I said.
I dropped him and Jared off, wished them luck, and headed for home. Life would never be the same.
I walked in the door. "What are you doing home?" my wife asked.
"I wasn't invited." I replied.
Another one of those strange pauses came. Then my wife laughed. Out loud. At first, I was hurt. Then I, too, laughed.
I went back to the bathroom remodel and realized that this is what life is all about: change.
A few hours later, I heard Ryan walk in the front door.
"Dad," he said, "My game stinks . Can you take me golfing sometime ? I need some help."
I wanted to hug him and shout: "I'm still needed!"
Instead, I got one of those serious-dad looks on my face and said: "Sure, Ry, anytime."
|
When his son Ryan asked him for help playing golf, the author felt _ .
|
[
"the basic family needs are included in her model program",
"she hopes to draw more people's attention to the RSSO",
"they are the necessities for the out-of-school children",
"she wishes to improve local people's living standard"
] |
they are the necessities for the out-of-school children
|
As a school teacher, Inderjit Khurana used to take the train to work. And one day, at the station, she saw dozens of children who spent their days begging from train passengers rather than going to school. She learned that it was not a rare problem and that millions of children in India lived on the streets.
Realizing that these children would never be able to escape poor life and homelessness without education, and that it would be impossible to send these children to school, Inderjit decided to create a model program---taking the school to the most out- of-school children.
Khurana's train platform schools aim to provide a creative school form and give children the basic levels of education. Her last goals reach far beyond the 20 platform schools she and her colleagues have created in India's Bhubaneswar region. She is determined that her program will become a model for changing the lives of the poorest children throughout India and the world.
Khurana founded the Ruchika Social Service Organization(RSSO) in 1985. The teachers gather the children together between the stops of the train for reading, writing, maths and history taught through songs and other teaching tools.
Khurana recently comes to realize that the education of these children is impossible when the most basic needs of their families are not being met. So she also provides food and medicine for their families.
Khurana insists that every child have the right to an education and that if a child cannot come to the school, then the school must come to him or her.
|
Khurana also offers free food and medicine to the children because _ .
|
[
"My School",
"My Family",
"My Teacher",
"My Friend"
] |
My Family
|
I am Jerry. My family is in New York. We have got a big house. There are three bedrooms . One is for my parents. One is for my sister Betty. One is for my brother Tony and me. I haven't got any grandparents, aunts or uncles in my family.
My father is forty-three years old. He is a hotel manager. My mother is forty. She is a secretary in a factory. Betty is sixteen years old. Tony is nine years old and I'm twelve years old. We are students. I love my family.
|
_ is the best title for this passage.
|
[
"father",
"mother",
"brother",
"father and mother"
] |
father
|
Joan is an American girl. She lives in China now. She is in my class. Her parents work in China, too, but her brother works in the U.S.A. He often writes letters to them. Joan likes Chinese class very much, and likes speaking Chinese with us after class. Her father teaches us English well. We all like his class. Her mother is a nurse. On Sundays, Joan goes to the People's Park with her father and mother. Sometimes she goes shopping with her mother. They like the Chinese food very much. It's a happy family.
|
Joan's _ is an English teacher.
|
[
"Free of charge.",
"Two hundred dollars.",
"One hundred twenty dollars.",
"Thirty dollars."
] |
Two hundred dollars.
|
Just getting accepted to an American college or university does not guarantee that you will get a visa. And getting a visa just lets you arrive in the United States. It does not guarantee that an immigration officer will permit you to enter the country.
If you are requesting a visa for the first time, you will probably have to go to an American embassy or consulate . You will need to bring a government form sent to you by your American school that shows you have been accepted.
You will also need banking and tax records that show you have enough money to pay for your education. And be prepared to provide evidence that you will return to your home country after your studies end.
All of this is important in satisfying the requirements to get a visa. A consular official will also take your picture and your fingerprints.
Foreign students must contact their local embassy or consulate to request an interview and to get other information. This includes directions about how and where to pay the visa application charge. The cost is two hundred dollars.
You should apply for the visa as soon as you have been accepted to a school in the United States. The government needs time to perform a background investigation.
You cannot receive a visa more than one hundred twenty days before the start of your program. And if you are coming as a student for the first time, you cannot enter the country more than thirty days before classes begin.
Once you come to the United States, you can stay for the length of your period of study. Your school is required to provide the Department of Homeland Security with reports on your status as a student.
|
How much will you be charged for the visa application?
|
[
"they were polite",
"they were rude",
"annoyed with the mac"
] |
they were rude
|
Kai handed back the computer. They didn't like using a Mac.
|
How would others feel as a result?
|
[
"Young people should focus an career - building.",
"The strongest relationships between people won't be damaged.",
"We should attend to the needs in relationships.",
"Successful people don't care about relationships with others."
] |
We should attend to the needs in relationships.
|
As you probably know, J.Paul Getty was one of the richest and moat successful American industrialists in history.Quite ambitious from an early age, Getty made his first million at age 23 in 1916.He later went on to found the Getty oil company, In 1957, Fortune magazine named him the richest living American and in 1966, the Guinness Book of Records named him as the world's richest private citizen.
Although he is highly regarded by vast numbers of people for his financial success, as a younger man, his drive to acquire power and money had a _ l impact on other aspects of his life, particularly in his relationships with women.He was, at one point quoted assaying "A lasting relationship with a woman is only possible if you are a business failure." He married five times, having children with four of these wives.He couldn't seem to keep a marriage going for very long.His obsession with having a fortune and power alienated each of his wives, eventually driving them away. His marriage with his first wife Jeanette lasted for only three years, with Allene for two years, Adolphine, four years, Ann, four years, and finally Louise, nineteen years.
Perhaps as a young man, Getty was willing to pay whatever price for financial success.Yet Paul came to feel some regret in regard to his life priorities as he approached his later years when he Wrote: "I hate and regret the failure of my marriages.I would gladly give all of my millions for just one lasting marriage success."
At the end of Getty's life, all of the wealth that he had got meant very little to him.It was only then that he became wise enough to understand what really mattered most.Despite all of his accomplishments, he died with great regret.
It' s a sad story and a cautionary tale for those of us who may have chosen to make career building our highest priority , thereby ignoring our relationships.Like any other living organism, relationships require care and attention in order to grow.Even the strongest relationships will he damaged, if there is not enough care.
|
What is the author's conclusion from the passage?
|
[
"hobby classes",
"personal classes",
"school uniform",
"basketball playing"
] |
school uniform
|
How do you like your school? Have you ever written to your headmaster to express your idea? Here are some letters written by students from different schools.
Luke, 14, from Jiangsu
I will give some suggestions about our school uniform. In our school, we students have to wear uniform every day. But the yellow and green sports kit looks really dark and old. It can't stand for young and lively spirit. We can add some red or orange colors and make a new type of uniform. I hope our headmaster will think about it.
Danny, 14, from Zhejiang
I have two suggestions for my headmaster. First of all, I think we should have more hobby classes in science , such as plane model making class and computer programming class. It is really boring to study basic subjects all the time. And second, I hope we can have more PE lessons or more time for physical exercise. Lots of students now don't have a strong enough body.
Sam, 15, from Shanxi
I'd like to say thank you to my headmaster. About one week ago, I got a bad cold after playing basketball. Our headmaster came to me after he knew about it. He took care of me until my parents came. I really want to thank him for that.
Helen, 14, from Shandong
In the letter I wrote, I want to talk about the possibility of personal classes. Now many middle schools are trying the "personal class" system. Students don't have regular classes. They can choose lessons they want to take. _ And it is also good for exercise. We don't have to stay in one classroom all the time.
|
Luke gives some suggestions about _ in his letter.
|
[
"tell readers where to go shopping in Asia",
"introduce some attractive tourist cities in Asia",
"tell readers about the history of some Asian cities",
"give readers some tips on traveling in Asia"
] |
introduce some attractive tourist cities in Asia
|
No matter where you travel in Asia, you'll find yourself faced with a new culture, amazing food and special and friendly people. Here are some of these wonderful cities.
Beijing, China
Beijing serves as the capital of China. The city is old. In fact, almost all buildings have some cultural or historical significance --no matter how small they are. Throughout the city you can find temples, palaces, and works of art that can make you breathless.
Siem Reap, Cambodia
The wonderful town of Siem Reap is actually a good place to visit, though most people regard it only as a base point for further trips to Angkor and other nearby attractions. Visitors will be amazed by the beautiful temples and artworks that still exist today.
Kathmandu, Nepal
Located in the heart of the Himalayas, Kathmandu, the largest city and the capital of Nepal, is considered to be one of the most beautiful cities in existence today. It is well-known for its beautiful views of the Himalayas. The shopping districts are world-famous and the hotels in Kathmandu are among the best in the world.
Kyoto, Japan
The city of Kyoto served as the capital of Japan from 794 to 1868. No longer the capital, it is known as the seventh largest city in Japan instead. Kyoto was destroyed many times throughout history by fires and wars. Now the city is home to more than 1.4 million people and presents a modern look to the world.
|
The purpose of the author in writing the text is to _ .
|
[
"10 to 11 hours.",
"8 to 9 hours.",
"8 to 13 hours.",
"As long as possible."
] |
10 to 11 hours.
|
Do you get enough sleep? With so much homework it's often difficult to get the rest you need. But you need to try, because sleep keeps you healthy and it stops you getting fat.
Recently, a group of US scientists did a study of kids aged between 8 and 13. The study found that if kids sleep for just one extra hour each day, the chance of their getting fat is cut by about 30 percent .
Why? When people don't get enough sleep, they become tired. When they are tired, they don't exercise enough. Also, kids like snacks: If they are awake an extra hour or two each day,they have more time to eat snacks or other unhealthy foods.
So, how much sleep should you get? Scientists suggest 10 to 11 hours a night for kids aged 5 to 12. For older kids, _ .
|
If you are under 10, how long do the scientists advice you to sleep?
|
[
"They are not at school",
"They are in different schools",
"Yes, they are",
"No, they aren't"
] |
Yes, they are
|
This is a teacher's family. The father's name is Lake Smith. He's forty - four. The mother's name is Kate Green. She's forty - two. The Smiths have a son, Jim, and a daughter, Ann. Jim is fourteen, and Ann is twelve. The son looks like his father, and the daughter looks like her mother. They are all in No.4 Middle School. But the Smiths are teachers; the son and daughter are students.
|
Are Jim and Ann in the same school? ---- _ .
|
[
"they don't know how to use computers",
"they think computer newspapers take too much time to read",
"they think the new technology is bad",
"they have been trained to write For traditional newspapers"
] |
they have been trained to write For traditional newspapers
|
Sometime in the next century, the familiar early-newspaper on the front porch will disappear. And instead of reading your newspaper, it will read to you. You'll get up and turn on the computer newspaper just like switching on the TV An electronic voice will distribute stories about the latest events, guided by a program that selects the type of news you want. You'll even get to choose the kind of voice you want to hear. Want more information on this brief story? A simple touch makes the entire text appear. Save it in your own personal computer if you like. These are among the predictions from communication experts working on the newspapers of the future. Pictured as part of broader home-based media and entertainment systems, computer newspapers will unite print and broadcast reporting, and offer news and analysis with video images of news events.
Most of the technology is available now, but convincing more people that they don't need to read a newspaper is the next step. But resistance to computer newspapers may be stronger from within journalism. Since it is such a cultural change, it may be that the present generation of journalists and publishers will have to die off before the next generation realizes that the newspaper industry is no longer a newspaper industry. Technology is making the end of ' traditional newspapers unavoidable.
Despite technological advances, it could take decades to replace newsprint with computer screens. It might take 30 t0 40 years to complete the changeover because people need to buy computers and because newspapers have established financial interests in the paper industry.
|
It can be inferred that journalists are against computer newspapers because _ .
|
[
"Clinton was rich",
"the supper was good",
"it was a large gold coin",
"they were happy"
] |
it was a large gold coin
|
Two years after the First World War (1914-1918), a small group of soldiers left the army and returned to their hometown in France. Most of them lived well, but one of them was poor. His name was Clinton. Once a year they had supper in Barton's house. Barton was very rich.
One evening Barton showed his friends a large gold coin at the supper table. The coin was passed around and praised by everyone. At the same time they were talking and talking. They soon forgot about the coin. After supper, Barton asked for his coin, but nobody could tell where it was. It was lost. One man said that everyone must be searched. One by one they turned their pockets inside out. Only Clinton refused, however."I didn't steal the coin, and I will not be searched," he said.After that, people turned their heads away from Clinton when they met him. He grew poorer. Soon his wife died.
A few years later, Barton had his house repaired. The lost coin was found under the floor. Barton felt sorry and went to Clinton to apologize. "But," he asked, "you knew the coin was not in your pocket. Why did you refuse to be searched?" "Because I was a thief," Clinton answered. "My pockets were full of food at that time. I had taken some food from the table to carry to my hungry wife and children."
|
The coin was passed and praised because _ .
|
[
"have food and drink",
"take photos",
"touch the things",
"talk loudly"
] |
take photos
|
Hi, boys and girls! Welcome to our museum. It's free. You don't have to pay any money. But we have some rules for you. Please remember them and do as I say. Firstly, don't have food or drink here. You may make our museum dirty. Secondly, you can take photos here, but don't touch the things here. Thirdly, keep quiet in the museum. Don't talk loudly. Fourthly, the museum is not open after five o'clock in the afternoon. Please leave before five. Have a good time here! Thank you.
|
Students can _ in the museum.
|
[
"Because she lives in the U.S. Now.",
"Because she can talk with friends.",
"Because she has drunk tea so long.",
"Because her tastes has changed."
] |
Because she can talk with friends.
|
Asia has long tradition of tea- drinking. And China is no exception.
However, lately more and more Chinese people are turning to a different drink. Coffee has become an increasingly popular choice of Chinese people living abroad and in the country's huge cities. It is also a popular crop among those living in the mountains of southern Yunnan Province.
In big cities such as Beijing, coffee shops seem to be on nearly every major street corner. These shops are not just selling drinks from Starbucks, the world-famous coffee company. Coffee businesses from South Korea, Taiwan, HongKong and Britain are also operating in China.
Tea-drinking is steeped in the culture and traditions of many countries, like China and Japan. But is that changing? Are young people from Asia now choosing a cup of coffee instead of tea?
BeiBei Su is from China. She has been living in the United States for the past eight years. Before that, she lived in Italy for two years. Ms. Su says she likes tea better than coffee. But she adds that may not be true among the young generation in China. Many young Chinese people drink coffee socially --when meeting with friends. Yang Lin lives in the U.S. but comes from an area in China famous for growing tea. She used to only drink tea while in China. But now, she says, she drinks both and for different reasons.
Yang Lin says that drinking coffee for her is a social event. She and her co-workers like to sit in a cafe and talk over a cup of coffee. Voyo is another Chinese woman who now lives in Washington, D.C. She says that after moving to the U.S. Her tastes changed. We would call her a coffee _ , someone who now chooses to drink coffee.
With more people drinking coffee, many see an economic opportunity for Chinese -grown beans. China-grown coffee could be a money- maker even if most of the coffee on sale in China is imported.
|
Why does YangLin drink coffee?
|
[
"that can work as a teacher",
"that can be used as textbooks",
"that can cheat students.",
"that can hurt students"
] |
that can be used as textbooks
|
Who wants to carry a _ bag to school? No children. Nobody wants one shoulder to be lower than the other, and paining too. In India, most of us would look at the reduction of textbooks as a way out. But in a country like America, there are always more choices. A company called Goreader has created a "school bag" which is the size of a laptop computer, weighing about 2.5kg. The Goreader has a colour screen and can "hold" all the textbooks that a student may need, says a report in "The Asian Age" newspaper.
The company plans to work closely with the publishers of test books so that these books can be supplied on the Internet. All the students will have to download their textbooks. Making notes and marking important parts of a lesson can be done just as lots of students have done on their textbooks before.
At present, the plan is being tested out in a university. Richard Katzmann, the owner of the company is having his creation tested at Chicago's DePaul University, where he studied. Does that mean it is goodbye to the newspaper, and the smell of the black ink?
|
The Goreader may be a machine _ .
|
[
"Vermont Adventure Camps.",
"Indianhead Ranch.",
"Acting for Teens.",
"International ESL Camp."
] |
Indianhead Ranch.
|
ACTeen-Acting for Teens
The nation's first on-camera acting program developed for teens(ages 13--15, 16--20). Now celebrating our 30th year. June, July, August, or. Saturday summer academies offer full or part-time curriculum. 14 + electives, including film & television acting, theater, musical theater, auditioning, Shakespeare, speech &voice, movement, script writing.
Working grades, small classes(12 maximum per workshop). Safe, convenient location. Application required. Out of town applicants may submit long distance application.
Cost/Week: $500$649
Indianhead Ranch
Sharpen your H unting Skills over one or two weeks at Indianhead Ranch in Del Rio, Texas. You will experience the outdoors, expand your knowledge in gun safety and learn practical camping hunting and survival skills.
Cost/Week: $1000$1999
Vermont Adventure Camps
Six-Day Adventure Camps
We offer 8 six-day adventure camps for teens l1 to 13. The kids go stay in rustic cabins at our camping site in Andover VT and on adventures each day. A discount of 10%will be given to the team with over 3 persons.
Two-Week Adventure Camps
We also offer 4 two-week adventure camps for teens 14 to 17. The teens will go on an adventure each day and then come back to our quaint Adventure Lodge.
Cost/Week: $650
International ESL Camp
The site is in close proximity to New York, Philadelphia, and Princeton University. Campers will receive three hours per day of English language instruction, a full range of planned activities including sports, arts and crafts, and weekly excursions.
Cost/Week: $650$999
|
According to the passages, which camp offers hunting skills?
|
[
"Ugly",
"Lonely",
"Kind",
"Good-looking"
] |
Kind
|
Once upon a time there was a monster . He was very ugly and had no friends. No one wanted to talk to him. Even other monsters thought he was ugly.
He lived alone and was very unhappy because he was so lonely.
"I wish I had a friend." He said to himself every day, "One friend would be enough. Someone to talk to."
He wrote a letter to a magazine. The magazine gave people advice.
"Dear Editor," he wrote, "I am a ugly monster. How can I find a friend?"
"Dear monster," the Editor replied, "Advertise for a friend in this magazine." The monster wrote an advertisement.
"Monster wants a friend, male or female. I have two heads, four arms, six legs and three tails. I have one blue eye, one green eye and one brown eye. Smoke comes out of my nose. But I am really a kind monster and will be a good friend to someone. If you would like to meet me, please stand outside Blake's Store at 6 p.m. on Friday, May 7th. Write to Mr. A, Box 45, everybody's Magazine."
A few days later he went to the magazine.
"Do you have any letters for Box 45?" he asked.
The clerk looked in Box 45.
"Yes, there is one." She said, and gave it to him.
The monster opened the letter, and read, "Dear Monster, I think a person's character is more important than his appearance. I will wait outside Blake's Store on Friday. Please carry a flower so that I will recognize you. Yours sincerely, Miss Alice Thwaite."
|
How did the monster describe him in the advertisement?
|
[
"they had no jobs to do",
"they didn't have much money",
"they didn't believe Booker would succeed",
"they didn't wish Booker to go to school"
] |
they didn't have much money
|
Booker T. Washington was born in a black slave family in Virginia of the USA in 1856, seven years before slavery was abolished by Abraham Lincoln in January, 1863.
He wrote a book about his life called Up From Slavery, which was published in 1901. In the book, he said that he had no choice but to work in a coal mine when he was 16 years old. He had no chance to go to school. He heard two coal miners talking about a school for black children which was called the Hampton Institute.
He determined that he would go there. He gave up his job and told other members of his race that he was going to school across the state. The older people had spent their best years as slaves and were poor. However, some gave Booker some pocket money or a handkerchief. Hardly had anyone expected any of their race to leave home to attend a boarding school. He took a train to Richmond, Virginia, where he ran out of money. It was 82 miles from the Hampton Institute. He slept under a wooden sidewalk . He helped unload pigs and iron from a ship for some money and when he had enough, he continued his journey, arriving at school with 50 cents.
This diligence pushed him to graduate and become a teacher at the Hampton Institute. When he was 25 years old, he was asked to start a new school for black children in Alabama. called the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute. Thirty-four years later, this school had 1,500 students and 200 teachers and Booker T. Washington became the most influential black leader of his generation.
|
The older people didn't give Booker much money because _ .
|
[
"who was organizing the event",
"where the event was to take place",
"how one could get admitted",
"how old the lecturer was"
] |
where the event was to take place
|
Geoff Hoon is one of prefix = st1 /Britain's most experienced politicians.
Mr Hoon joined the Foreign and Commonwealth office in May 1999 as Minister of State with responsibility for Asia, the Pacific, the Middle East and North Africa; he was then made Minister for Europe. Later, in 1999, Mr Hoon joined Tony Blair's Cabinet as Secretary of State for Defence, where he oversaw four major deployments of British troops, including to Iraq. After the 2005 general election he became leader of the House of Commons and earlier this year (2006) he was appointed as Minister for Europe again.
On Friday 24thNovember Mr Horn is visiting Nottingham to address Forum. He will speak about his experience in the public spotlight, and explain what life as a Cabinet Minister is really like.
There will be an opportunity for questions after the talk, which is open to all students and staff at NottinghamUniversity. Please arrive early as there are limited spaces and nobody will be admitted once the event had begun.
FRIDAY 24THNOVEMBER
4 O'LOCK
A48 SIR CLIVE GRANGER (GEOGRAPHY & ECONOMICS)
FREE ENTRY
www.nottingham.forum.org
|
By "A48 SIR CLIVE GRANGER", the writer gives information about _ .
|
[
"A 35-year-old man.",
"A 8-year-old girl.",
"A 90-year-old granny.",
"A 5-year-old boy."
] |
A 5-year-old boy.
|
If you like adventurous cartoons, then Koala Kid is the movie for you.
Koala Kid tells us a story of a white koala named Johnny. It lives in a community of the gray koalas. He is not confident because of his color. But he thinks he has special talents. So the goes on a magic trip.
On his trip he meets Miranda, Hamish and Lokie. And they become friends. They fight with their wits against Bog.
I think this movie tells us: whatever you look like, you can become a hero.
I give the movie five stars. It is a great movie for ages six and up. Because there are some scary parts in the movie, I wouldn't recommend it to kids under the age of six.
,.
|
Who can't watch the movie?
|
[
"It's the clouds",
"It's space",
"It's air",
"It's nothing"
] |
It's space
|
What is the sky? Where is it? How high is it? What lies above it? These questions are difficult to answer, aren't they?
Is the sky blue? The sky has no colour. We know that there is air around the world. When planes fly, they need air to lift their wings. Planes cannot fly very high because when they go higher, the air gets thinner. If we go up about 1,200 kilometres from the earth, we find there is no air.
Perhaps we can answer some of our questions now. The sky is space. In this space there is only the sun, the moon and all the stars.
|
What is the sky? _ .
|
[
"Tourists cannot provide clothes for the peeing boy.",
"The Manneken Piss has attracted many visitors.",
"The peeing boy is the national treasure of Belgium.",
"Local people make money by selling souvenirs."
] |
Tourists cannot provide clothes for the peeing boy.
|
Paris has the Eiffel Tower; New York has the Statue of Liberty; and prefix = st1 /Brussels, the Manneken Piss.
Think of the Belgian capital and, if anything, you think of the small peeing boy _ a 60-meter-high bronze figure standing on a block, supplying a constant stream of water to the basin under him.
Some might laugh. But for Jacques Stroobants, the statue is up there with the best of them.
"I'm proud of him. People come from all around the world to see him," says 60-year-old Stroobants with a fatherly glance at the little boy.
As the most famous landmark of Brussels, Manneken Piss has a very special place in the heart of Belgians.
The original Manneken Piss dates back to 1388, but the statue tourists see today dates from 1619 when the city built a second one after the original was destroyed.
Many stories go round Manneken Piss. Nobody knows why he was made. One story is that he saved Brusselsby putting out the flames of a deadly fire with his well-aimed piss. But the most believable story is that the boy, the son of a wealthy man, was kidnapped. The father had a statue built in honor of the way his son was found-peeing against a tree.
Perhaps best-known for his naked beauty, the "peeing boy" has also been clothed in some of the finest clothes money can buy.
Stroobants has been changing his clothes for the last 29 years. On average, he has clothes on 300 days a year. And on special days, he pees beer.
A few of the ways he's been dressed are; a football player, Mozart and an army general. Now, he has more than 600 pieces of clothes.
There is no strict charge for those wishing to provide clothes for the little boy. But certain conditions must be met.
"The clothes cannot include either advertising or political message," said Stroobants, because they would cheapen the national treasure.
But Manneken Piss is still something local people can make money from _ by selling all kinds of souvenirs.
|
Which of the following is not true according to the passage?
|
[
"They can get more chances to gain a good job.",
"They can get more financial aid.",
"They have nothing to lose.",
"They have less to lose and more to gain."
] |
They have less to lose and more to gain.
|
For the most part, it seems, workers in rich countries have little to fear from globalization, and a lot to gain. But is the same thing true for workers in poor countries? The answer is that they are even more likely than their rich-country counterparts to benefit, because they have less to lose and more to gain.
Traditional economics takes an optimistic line on integration and the developing countries. Openness to foreign trade and investment should encourage capital to flow to poor economies. In the developing world, capital is scarce, so the returns on investment there should be higher than in the industrialized countries, where the best opportunities to make money by adding capital to labour have already been used up. If poor countries lower their barriers to trade and investment, the theory goes, rich foreigners will want to send over some of their capital.
If this inflow of resources arrives in the form of loans or portfolio investment , it will top up domestic savings and loosen the financial restriction on additional investment by local companies. If it arrives in the form of new foreign-controlled operations, FDI, so much the better: this kind of capital brings technology and skills from abroad packaged along with it, with less financial risk as well. In either case, the addition to investment ought to push incomes up, partly by raising the demand for labour and partly by making labour more productive.
This is why workers in FDI-receiving countries should be in an even better position to profit from integration than workers in FDI-sending countries. Also, with or without inflows of foreign capital, the same gains from trade should apply in developing countries as in rich ones. This gains from trade logic often arouses suspicion, because the benefits seem to come from nowhere. Surely one side or the other must lose. Not so. The benefits that a rich country gets through trade do not come at the expense of its poor country trading partners, or vice versa. Recall that according to the theory, trade is a positive sum game. In all these trades, both sides--exporters and importers, borrowers and lenders, shareholders and workers can gain.
|
Why are workers in poor countries more likely to benefit from the process of globalization?
|
[
"many men left the farm to work in the factory in the 19th century",
"most women are less likely to get married and act as housewives",
"modern industries now prefer talented women rather than men",
"able women prefer to raise a family rather than follow a career"
] |
many men left the farm to work in the factory in the 19th century
|
Many would consider it crazy, but what has caused the sudden popularity of the DINK (double income,no kid) lifestyle? Mr. Buchanan lists three factors that lead to the DINK lifestyle and help explain why today's culture _ the old idea that "the good tile for a woman means a husband and a houseful of kids."
The first factor is what is generally called"the greatest movement of the 20th century".The movement of women from their homes to offices,which is similar to the 19th century migration of men from the farm to the factory.
The second factor is some women begin choosing to follow a career rather than raise a family.Modern industries offer well-paid jobs to able women,who can compete successfully with men. With more women working,families become wealthier and smaller.
The third factor is the end of the"family wage". Before 1964,employers paid a man a "family wage" enough to support a wife and family However, as women's pay has greatly increased.men's pay has dropped,and the traditional marriage and family have suffered Young women are now more likely to be financially independent and more likely to delay their marriage,or just not marry at all Some choose to be DINKs.
Though not necessarily the best,to be a DINK has become an increasingly popular lifestyle choice,one that has gained more and more recognition in our society.
|
According to Mr. Buchanan,
|
[
"The support of their teachers.",
"The support of their friends.",
"The support of their parents.",
"The support of their schools."
] |
The support of their parents.
|
Teenage life is interesting, adventurous and difficult. Teenagers have to go through many problems. It may probably be a family problem or a school problem. It is important to learn how to deal with those problems.
Be grateful of your parents' support. When you have a problem, ask your parents to support you. When a child is thirteen, he feels like he has grown up. As a part of a family, teenagers do not want their parents to involve in their personal activities and they think they are able to be independent .
It is very normal and parents should also cooperate with their kids. They should try to get to know what their child needs. Sometimes a child may be hesitating to tell something but they should try to know what the matter is. Parents' support is the greatest support for a teenager.
Learn to live in society. Society plays a very important role in everyone's life. What teenagers see from society has a big influence on their characters.
As a teenager, you should know what is wrong and what is right. Never be impatient in making a decision. Always keep cool and calm , take advice from your parents and you will make a good decision. Don't let the bad things of society influence you. Instead, get to learn good things from society.
Learn from school. School is like a second home. We learn a lot from our school, and at the same time, it is the hardest part of a teenager's life.
*First are the studies. You should know what you want to do. Don't come under pressure in making choices.
*Learn to take your own stand . If you don't do well in exams, don't feel broken. Be strong-minded and spend more time on your studies.
*Share your problems with your friends. Your friends are always ready to help. If you are confused in your life, talk about what all you've done and what you want to do with your friends.
|
What's the greatest support for teenagers?
|
[
"How to make space food",
"The history of space food",
"A food incident in the Gemini capsule",
"The process of making space food"
] |
The history of space food
|
What do astronauts eat in space, and why? How did astronaut food come into being? How do astronauts preserve food for long periods of time in space? NASA(the National Aeronautics and Space Administration) has been researching food for space travel since the 1960's to find the best way of keeping astronauts from going hungry.
The research could date from an accident that took place on the first manned Gemini mission in 1965. astronaut John Young managed to sneak a corned beef sandwich onto the Geminni III capsule to eat during its orbit around Earth. To Young's surprise, the sandwich plan did not go as expected; instead the sandwich began to break apart and scatter through the Geminni IIIcapsule. This could have resulted in disaster, since a small piece of food could have stuck in the air vents and other equipment. The sandwich was stuffed into a pocket to avoid the further mess inside the small space capsule This incident caused NASA to enforce strict rules on what types of food can be taken into space.
Space food has come a long way since then. During the Gemini period, the astronauts mostly ate cubed, compressed foods high in calories and lightweight.
NASA expects a long shelf life for space food. The majority of food taken into space has been dried out or heat-treated. These process and use of sodium , make the food taken into space last longer. Research is ongoing into space food to seek out healthier ways to preserve it. Too much sodium is unhealthy, and can badly change the taste of some foods.
|
What is the text mainly about?
|
[
"What Heroes Do",
"Who Are Heroes",
"How Heroes Live",
"Where Heroes are"
] |
Who Are Heroes
|
Much has been said and written recently about heroes, mainly because many people think we have too few of them. There are many different kinds of heroes, but they all seem to have two things in common. First, heroes, by their actions, show the great possibilities of human nature. Second, heroes can also stand the test of time, and their achievements will not be easily forgotten. Because of these good points, we need to choose our heroes carefully.
Olympic sports star Jackie Joyner-Kersee, who is believed to be a hero, warns young people to be careful of making athletes heroes. She hopes that if someone tries to copy her, it will be because she has achieved her goals by working hard. Joyner-Kersee says that a hero should be someone who has an influence on another person's life.
Poet Maya Angelou believes that a hero encourages people to treat others well and to be concerned about the greater good. A hero should show politeness, courage, patience, and strength all the time. A hero should encourage others to follow him with actions that improve the world, even if only in small ways.
Author Daniel Boorstin suggests that, " _ are people who make news, but heroes are people who make history." Thus, if a person is truly worthy to be called a hero, he or she will not be soon forgotten.
We all need heroes. We need to be able to respect people who have been there, done that, and succeeded. Many times the greatest heroes are the people we deal with every day -- relatives , friends, and neighbors -- who will keep going when it is easier to give up. The parent who puts her or his family ahead of herself or himself, the teacher who will make more money at another job but chooses to help others -- all these people can be considered as heroes. A hero quietly and continuously sets a good example, an example that inspires others to follow.
|
The best title for this passage is _ .
|
[
"persuade his friends to take the train",
"inform us of the good news",
"make clear who is responsible for the environment",
"try to advise us all to protect our environment"
] |
try to advise us all to protect our environment
|
It's you and I who are to blame for the state of the earth. No question about it. It's our life-style that is threatening life on Earth, so we must make the changes. The good news is that many of those changes are really quite simple, even enjoyable, but for every careful step we take as individuals , we must press government and industry to take a big step on our benefit . And we must start now. Tomorrow's too late.
My aim this year is to persuade as many of my friends and colleagues as possible to choose the train, and leave their cars behind too. My gardens have been pesticide -free zones for years and I enjoy seeing more wildlife on my doorstep as a result; I've tried to reduce my contribution to water pollution too, by using environment-friendly, phosphate -free washing powder , and by no longer thinking of the toilet as a suitable waste-disposal point .
I ran after a young lady through town recently to give her back the piece of paper she had carelessly thrown away. She disappeared into a shop, and when I followed her inside and made my presentation, she was doubly embarrassed--she worked there, and the boss gave her a ticking-off too. I've started asking fellow drivers at gas stations why they aren't using unleaded petrol . These are small things, but we have to start somewhere, and every little does help .
|
The purpose of this passage is to_.
|
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