The US will seek to expand its own oil production in an attempt to reduce dependence on imported oil and bring down fuel prices , President Obama says . New contracts for exploration will be signed in non-protected areas of Alaska and in the Gulf of Mexico.
In his weekly speech , the President insisted the US could reduce its need for imported oil and improve safety. Using his speech to tell Americans that he understood their concerns about rising prices, President Obama focused particularly on the price of fuel, which has risen in recent months.
US consumers have historically enjoyed cheap fuel , but have seen prices rise in recent months even though US oil production in 2010 reached its highest level for seven years.
Although the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 was serious, Mr Obama said the Gulf remained a key part of the country’s future energy supply.
The President’s proposals (议案）come after Republicans (共和党人） introduced a series of proposals that would expand and speed up oil and gas production.
The White House has criticized the Republican proposals for safety reasons , but Mr Obama was clear in his speech that he felt safety and environmental standards could be maintained even though production might rise.
“ I believe that we should continue to expand oil production in America —even as we increase safety and environmental standards ,”he said.
“As a nation, we should be investing in the clean, renewable sources of energy that are the solution to high gas prices.”
Mr Obama has previously called for a step-change in energy policy, saying the US must move towards getting 80%of its electricity from clean energy sources by 2035.Which of the following is NOT included in Mr Obama’s speech?
| A．The dependence on imported oil. |
| B．Improving safety standards |
| C．The reason for the rising oil prices . |
| D．Expanding oil production. |
Mr Obama thinks the Republican proposals are ______.
| A．Not safe enough | B．Not environmentally friendly |
| C．Practical | D．Clear |
What can we learn from the text ?
| A．The US has got most of its electricity from clean energy. |
| B．US oil production is too small to keep the present low fuel prices. |
| C．The US produced the most oil in 2010 in its history. |
| D．The Gulf is still important in energy supply in spite of the oil spill in 2010. |
Which of the following can serve as the title?
| A．Obama: US will seek oil in Alaska and Gulf of Mexico. |
| B．Obama: US will import less oil to improve safety and environmental standards . |
| C．Obama: the time of high fuel prices will be gone. |
| D．Obama: clean, renewable sources of energy are the solution to high gas prices |
According to an English newspaper, scientists could begin cloning human embryos in Britain in 2001. It is understood that the government has already agreed to use Frankenstein’s technology, believing the benefits are more important than ethical （伦理的）concerns .Researchers think it will be possible to grow brain tissue to cure the diseases that are likely to get worse as time passes like Alzheimer’s , and produce “spare part” organs like hearts and kidneys for transplant （移植）.
Ministers are aware that the change in the law will be as controversial as the law which legalized abortion (堕胎）more than 30 years ago. Some politicians reacted angrily , arguing that the government had already made up its mind without discussion. Church leaders and anti-abortion campaigners have long expressed their horror at the plans, arguing that even the earliest embryos are forms of human life.They believe that getting an embryo from cells is morally unacceptable . And it will also cause arguments about how far scientists should interfere with nature and lead to accusations that they are “playing God”.
The cloning of human embryos to provide spare parts is regarded by most experts to be the most important step forward in the 21st century medicine. Scientists say treatment of diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s will be the first application of cloning. The ability to clone embryos was first achieved by scientists in Scotland in the late 1990s and now the ability to grow stem cells into tissues and organs is being developed by American researchers. Combining the two technologies will mean an end to long waits for organs from donors and problems caused by rejection (排异反应） of transplanted tissues by the body.
Ian Wilmut, the man who cloned Dolly the sheep, has warned that British experts will go to America, where such work is legal, if the government does not permit it. The government has decided to allow scientists to clone human embryos because they think that ____.
| A．Frankenstein’s technology is advanced |
| B．Its advantages are more important than its disadvantages |
| C．Diseases like Alzheimer’s are a serious problem in their country |
| D．They can make a lot of money from it |
The underlined word “they”in Paragraph 2 refers to ______.
| A．Ministers | B．Scientists |
| C．Church leaders | D．Anti-abortion campaigners |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Most experts think that the cloning of human embryos is beneficial. |
| B．Politicians were in favour of the government’s decision. |
| C．It is legal for scientists to clone embryos in America now. |
| D．American researchers are developing the ability to grow stem cells into tissues and organs. |
What’s the best title for this passage ?
| A．Science of cloning. |
| B．Cloning and abortion |
| C．Cloning human embryos |
| D．the argument between politicians and scientists |
In 2016, athletes from around the world will compete for gold medals in the Summer Olympics. Even though the games are three years away, Brazil’s residents already feel like winners.
The nation was named to host this important sporting event in October,2009. It will be the first Olympics held in South America.
The games will take place in Rio de Janeiro. The city beat out three other sites, Madrid, Tokyo and Chicago, to host the event. When the International Olympic Committee chose Rio de Janeiro, cheering people flooded the city’s streets. “This is huge for Rio and for the whole country,” says resident Sueli Ferreira.
The Olympics are expected to attract tens of thousands of people. Brazilian officials have already started to prepare for the crowds. “ We know what we need to do,” explains Brazil’s president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. “ The words from now on are work, work and work.”
Officials want to fix up local sports centers before Rio de Janeiro steps into the spotlight. They also want to reduce the amount of crime.
They hope hosting the games will improve life in Brazil. About 30 percent of people there live in poverty, or poor conditions. Tourism during the Olympics is expected to create more than 2 million jobs.
“ It’s going to be good for the economy, good for the people,” Ferreira says. “ This gives us hope that things will be better here.”According to the passage, the 2016 Olympics will be held in ______.
| A．Europe | B．Asia | C．North America | D．South America |
The feeling of Brazilians can be described as _________.
| A．proud | B．surprised | C．worried | D．nervous |
The underlined word “flooded” in Para.3 means_______
| A．crossed | B．filled | C．visited | D．cleaned |
According to Brazil’s president, we can know________.
| A．the government needs help from the Brazilian public |
| B．the government will begin to prepare for the Olympics soon |
| C．Brazilian officials will try hard to prepare for the Olympics |
| D．Brazilian official are now too busy to prepare for the Olympics |
We can learn from the last two paragraphs that___________.
| A．Brazilians’ life will be better because of the Olympics |
| B．not all Brazilians are interested in the Olympics |
| C．most Brazilians are now living in poor conditions |
| D．Brazilians worry about losing jobs during the Olympics |
A couple of years ago, before a trip to China, Nicole Davis and her US women’s volleyball teammates were warned about the prominence (显著、突出) of coach “Jenny” Lang Ping in her native country.
“I was pushed over by Chinese journalists while I was just trying to put my luggage on the bus,” said Davis.
Known as the “Iron Hammer” for her punishing spikes(扣球),Lang made it possible for China to dominate in the sport in the early 1980s. She was a key player on China’s 1984 Olympic gold medal winning team.
When the US team arrived for the Olympics, Lang, 48, who is from Beijing, had to take a different route to avoid a crowd of reporters and fans.
Then came the greatest moment to Lang：While the US team was playing in a packed gym, at least 8,000 Chinese fans unfurled an American flag.
“That really says it all,” Davis said. “They look at her as an icon(偶像). I’m sure it’s hard for them to see her coaching another country, but they love her so dearly that her success is their success.”
The loyalty of the Chinese fans was tested on Friday, when China lost a match to the US.
“It’s a pity that China lost the match, but I’m still glad that Lang Ping’s team won, since she is the pride of China’s volleyball,” said Liu Chengli, a spectator. “We also cheered for Lang’s victory.”
Lang said she just tried to stay professional when the two teams meet. “It doesn’t matter if we play China or any other team. It’s the same.” Lang said.
Davis said she and her teammates could not have imagined the passion for volleyball among Chinese because the sport was lack of popularity in the US. The reception from Chinese fans has touched the US players, said US volleyball player Lindsey Berg.
“It’s such an honor to be here and play for our coach here in China,” she said. “The amount of support that the Chinese give to her and us has been tremendous. The whole event has been unbelievable.”
What’s the passage mainly about?
| A．Staying professional. |
| B．Cheering for the Iron Hammer. |
| C．A match between China and the US. |
| D．Lang Ping’s career as a coach. |
Lang Ping avoided meeting the reporters and fans probably because she ________.
| A．was afraid to be questioned about her strategy |
| B．didn’t want to be paid much attention to |
| C．disliked to be with her fans |
| D．didn’t want to disturb public order |
What does the underlined word “unfurled” exactly mean?
| A．destroyed completely | B．tore into pieces |
| C．spread out to the wind | D．rolled up |
What does Lang Ping mean by saying “It doesn’t matter if we play China or any other team.”?
| A．American Volleyball Team will beat any team. |
| B．Chinese Volleyball Team is the same as other teams. |
| C．She just tried to stay professional. |
| D．The results of each match will be the same. |
Thousands of people living in the Chinese capital will celebrate the start of the Chinese New year by heading for the ski resorts (滑雪场). Never mind that Beijing’s dry weather seldom produces snow. It is cold enough in winter for snow-making machines to make a covering for the hills north to the capital. And the rapid growth of a pleasure-seeking middle class has formed the basis for this new craze(热潮）.
Since Beijing’s first ski resort was opened ten years ago, the sport has enjoyed astonishing increase. There are now more than a dozen resorts. Clothes markets in the city have added bright colored ski suits to their winter collections. Mr. Wei, a manager of a newly-opened ski resort in Beijing, sees the growth of an industry that could soon lead Chinese to head for the ski resorts of Europe. In recent years ski resorts offering natural snow have opened in China. But many are in faraway areas of the country and can’t really match the equipment and services of some ski resorts in Europe.
Beijing’s skiing craze is partly a result of the recent increase in private cars. This has led to the growth of a leisure industry in the capital’s suburbs, which until the late-1990s were unreachable to ordinary people. According to Mr. Wei, about 40% of the visitors to his resort come in their own cars. The rest are bused in by schools, businesses or government offices.
The problem is making money. Starting ski resorts requires quite a lot of money: hiring land from the local government, preparing the hills, buying snow machines, making sure there are enough water and electricity to run them, and buying ski equipment for hiring out to customers.
The ski resort where Mr. Wei works cost nearly $4m to set up. And, as so often in China when someone comes up with a good idea, many others rush in and price wars break out. Beijing now offers some of the cheapest ski training classes in the world, though with most people rather new to the sport, expecting a few more doing the same job.What does this text mainly talk about?
| A．Convenience for skiers brought about by private cars. |
| B．Skiing as a new way of enjoying one’s spare time. |
| C．Things to be considered when starting a ski resort. |
| D．A sudden increase of ski training classes in Beijing. |
Why are some Chinese likely to go skiing in Europe?
| A．To visit more ski areas. |
| B．To ski on natural snow. |
| C．For a large collection of ski suits. |
| D．For better services and equipment. |
What is the main problem in running a ski resort?
| A．Difficulty in hiring land |
| B．Lack of business experience |
| C．Price wars with other ski resorts |
| D．Shortage of water and electricity |
The only survivor of one of the two Sandy Hook Elementary School first-grade classrooms where Adam Lanza shot and killed 20 children tricked the gunman by playing dead，the girl’s pastor(牧师)said.
“She ran out of the school building covered from head to toe with blood and the first thing she said to her mom was,“Mommy，I’m OK but all my friends are dead” Pastor Jim Solomon told ABC News’ Lara Spencer this weekend
“Somehow，at that moment, by God’s grace，she was able to act as she was already dead.”he said.
The girl, a 6-year-old whose name is not being announced for privacy(隐私)reasons，was the first student to appear from the lockdown(封锁)at Sandy Hook，Solomon said．He said the young girl described the shooter to her mom in a way that only a young child can．
“Well, she saw someone who she felt was angry and someone she felt was very mad，”Solomon said. “I think it's impossible without the help of God. She has wisdom beyond her years, for sure’’
Of the 20 children killed on Friday in the Newtown，Conn., school, eight were boys and l2 were girls Six staff members，all female, were also killed. The gunman,whose mother was also killed by him before he went to the schoo1 classrooms, was found dead at the present spot.
“The mom told me—and I thought this was very insightful(有深刻见解的)—that she was suffering from what she felt was survivor’s guilt because so many of her friends no longer have their children but she has hers,” Solomon said how the girl’s mother and father are handling the trauma(伤害)．“I don’t know whether l would have the type of faith that they have if the same thing happened to me.”How did the girl manage to avoid being shot?
| A．She pretended to be dead |
| B．She hid herself under the desk |
| C．She rushed out of the school building in time |
| D．She persuaded the shooter into not shooting her． |
Which of the following best describes the girl ?
| A．Talented and innocent | B．Serious and insightful |
| C．Active and happy | D．Clever and brave |
The killing case which happened in Sandy Hook Elementary School .
| A．ended up with the shooter being killed |
| B．was a shooting by a group of people |
| C．was due to the gunman getting angry with the pupils |
| D．was not open to the public for the moment |
Which of the following is TRUE about the girl’s mom?
| A．She was disappointed with the pastor |
| B．She felt very dissatisfied with other parents |
| C．She felt terribly sorry for those who had lost their children |
| D．She strongly condemned the police． |
What can we know from the text?
| A．It is not difficult for the parents to handle the trauma. |
| B．The girl’s parents have asked for help from their pastor． |
| C．The girl has helped the police in catching the gunman. |
| D．The gunman has worked in the school. |
The environmental group 350.org has launched a new campaign called Climate Name Change that proposes to revise to how hurricanes are named: call them after policymakers who say that humans are not to blame for global warming.
This will save the Katrinas and Sandys of the world from the injustice of having their names attached to major disaster, the group says. And, as a bonus, it will produce some peculiar weather reports.
“Rick Perry leaves trail of death,” appears under a broadcast titled “Rick Perry: The Tragedy.”
“Michelle Bachman is incredibly dangerous. If you value your life, please seek shelter from Michelle Bachman,” says an official while addressing a news conference.
The campaign is unlikely to influence the World Meteorological Organization, which has since 1954 named Atlantic tropical storms from an official list.
But the campaign’s goal seems less to actually name a hurricane after the speaker of the house, and more to call attention to an issue that this month has reached an alarming level of seriousness. The campaign comes just a month before the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change will release its most recent report on the state of global warming and a week after a draft（草稿）of the report was given away to Reuters.
In the draft, scientists concluded with near certainty – about 95 percent sure – that humans are to blame for the worldwide temperature hikes over the last few decades. That was a revision from the 2007 report, which put scientific certainty that human activities were driving global climate change at about 90 percent.
And global warming, the report said, is not slowing down – it, actually, is accelerating. That means that sea levels could balloon upward as much as three feet by the end of the century, if emissions(排放量) continue at their current pace.
Still, as the Washington Post Climate notes, hurricanes are not the best sign of global warming. Though current data suggests that global warming will in the future stir up terrible super storms, there is still not enough evidence to support the idea that climate change strengthens the recent hurricanes that have torn at the US’s eastern coastline. It can be inferred that__________ is one of the policymakers who believe that humans are not to blame for global warming.
| A．Katrina | B．Rick Perry | C．Flossie | D．Sandy |
350.org has launched the campaign with the real purpose of _________________.
| A．changing the ways of naming hurricanes |
| B．introducing the methods of naming hurricanes |
| C．reminding policymakers to change their attitudes |
| D．calling attention to the coming report on global warming |
The draft of the global warming report tells us that _____________.
| A．global warming is speeding up at the same rate |
| B．it is human beings that have caused global warming |
| C．the new report has a more accurate data than the one in 2007 |
| D．human beings are not the only one to blame for global warming |
The writer of the passage seems to believe that______________.
| A．policymakers should be blamed for the global warming |
| B．the campaign will cause the change of naming hurricanes |
| C．global warming has no necessary relation to terrible hurricanes |
| D．global warming will surely cause terrible super storms in the future |
A towering South American plant that is believed to kill animals with its spikes(尖刺) and use their rotting bodies as fertilizer is about to bloom(开花) in England. A rare Puya chilensis was planted at a greenhouse in Surrey, a county in the southeast of England about 15 years ago. However, despite its frightening description, the tall, spiked plant is considered a threatened species.
The Royal Horticultural Society has been feeding the plant a diet of liquid fertilizer. “In its natural habitat in the Andes it uses its razor sharp spikes to snare and trap sheep and other animals, which slowly starve to death and rot at the base of the plant, providing it with a bag of fertilizer,” reads a description on the RHS website, which adds that the plant gives off a “gruesome scent.”
But does the plant actually trap and eat sheep? Other sources have simply said it is “believed” that the plant traps small animals with its spikes. After the animals die of starvation, the plant is "believed" to then use their rotting bodies as fertilizer to feed itself.
"I'm really pleased that we've finally persuaded our Puya chilensis into producing flower," horticulturalist Cara Smith said in a press release on the RHS site. Regardless of whether it actually traps sheep, the plant does have sharp spikes that can grow up to 12 feet high and 5 feet wide. However, it’s not all death and danger for this plant. Its flowery blooms reportedly provide nectar(花蜜) for bees and birds.
The Puya chilensis blooms annually in its native land of Chile, but this is the first time it has done so after more than a decade of cultivation efforts from the RHS. "We keep it well fed with liquid fertilizer as feeding it on its natural diet might prove a bit problematic,” Smith said. "It's growing in the dry section of our glasshouse with its deadly spines well out of reach of both children and sheep alike."From the passage we learn that in England the Puya chilensis _____.
| A．feeds on man-made liquid fertilizer |
| B．often kills sheep and other animals |
| C．has once bloomed 15 years before |
| D．uses animals' rotting bodies as fertilizer |
The underlined word “snare” in the second paragraph probably means“_________”.
| A．catch | B．stop | C．fight | D．kill |
We can infer from the passage that _____.
| A．it's dangerous to feed the plant |
| B．it's certain that the plant kills sheep |
| C．it's difficult for the plant to bloom in England |
| D．it's rare for the plant to bloom in South American |
What does the writer mainly tell us?
| A．A new plant is discovered in Chile. |
| B．How a rare plant is fed in England. |
| C．A rare plant is going to bloom in England. |
| D．How a plant traps animals in South America. |
April 11, 2003 12:44 a. m. PST, Associated Press The respiratory(呼吸系统) virus known as SARS has appeared to spread in the United States only to family members of health workers with close contact to a sick person.
On Thursday, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there might be a case of severe acute respiratory syndrome（综合症） spreading through the workplace.
Dr. Julie Gerberding said a suspected SARS virus patient who became ill after traveling to Asia might have infected a co-worker in Florida, which made her “very worried”.
So far, a dozen people—nine family members and three health workers—were infected after coming into close contact with the person with SARS. The rest of the 166 suspected American cases have something to do with people who were infected while traveling in Asia.
In the Gainesville, Fla. area, a 47-year-old woman was believed to have been infected at work by a 60-year-old woman who was the nation’s first suspected SARS case, said Tom Belcuore, director of the Alachua County health department.
Since the World Health Organization announced a worldwide warning last month about SARS, the United States has started infection control in hospitals and among families of suspected cases.
Florida officials said a school in Okaloosa County went through a cleaning after a 6-year-old boy suspected of having SARS appeared at school with slight symptoms. “Health officials are watching the boys’ contacts at school to make sure no one else is infected,” said Rob Hayes, health department spokesman, “The boy may have been infected from a family member,” Hayes said, “We immediately became aware of it and had the child sent home. He’s staying at home with his family until 10 days after symptoms disappear.”
The researchers guessed that the virus might have come from animals. However, the scientists have not ruled out the possibility that some other microbe might also help make SARS more serious or easier to catch.The best title for this text is _______.
| A．A Worldwide Warning |
| B．Suspected SARS Cases |
| C．What Is SARS |
| D．Possible Spread of SARS in the USA |
The writer wrote this text mainly to _______.
| A．discuss the danger of SARS |
| B．report research result about SARS |
| C．inform people of the spread of SARS |
| D．explain to the readers what SARS is |
How many cases of suspected SARS are there in the U.S.A. according to the text?
A. 166. B.178. C. 12. D. 181.
An Israeli law banning too skinny models went into effect with the start of 2013. The law, approved last March in Israel, requires models to prove they have maintained a Body Mass Index (BMI) of at least 18.5 for three months before a fashion show. That means a woman who is 5'8'' tall can weigh no less than 119 pounds.
“This law is another step in the war against eating disorders,” said physician Adatto. “Underweight models,” he explained, “can no longer serve as role models for innocent young people who copy their false image of being skinny.”
But some critics in this country say it is misguided, focusing on weight instead of health. They also say the Israeli ban is bound to fail because of the strong power of the fashion industry. “I think it’s an approach that isn’t going to work.” Said eating disorder expert Susan Ice, who worked with an organization which creates a healthy working environment for models.
But Adatto told the reporter that he began to concern the issue after meeting an ambitious model who looked like she needed to be hospitalized. He said. “I realized that only legislation can change the situation. There was no time to waste, so many girls were dieting to death.”
However, the efforts to regulate models’ weight in Spain and Italy have not resulted in significant changes in part because of difficulties in determining reliable methods of measuring weight and health.
Still, folks including Ice say there’s no denying that images from Hollywood and the fashion industry can be difficult for young women to deal with. “Certainly I don't believe the modeling industry has caused the rise in eating disorders, but it makes it harder,” she says. “It’s a difficult recovery environment, worshiping thinness as the beauty ideal.”What does BMI in the first paragraph refer to?
| A．A new show held by those skinny models. |
| B．A worldwide prize for the healthiest model. |
| C．A measure of body health based on height and weight. |
| D．A kind of medicine to cure eating disorders. |
One benefit the new Israeli law may bring is ________.
| A．to change the working conditions of models |
| B．to prevent models from suffering from eating disorders |
| C．to lower the chance of skinny models’ death |
| D．to provide guidance for women worshiping thinness |
In the opinion of the critics, the law won’t succeed because .
| A．the fashion industry is much too influential |
| B．it misleads young women to form a bad eating habit |
| C．it doesn’t provide a proper approach that can work well |
| D．it doesn’t create a healthy working environment for models |
According to the passage, the new Israeli law banning skinny models is .
| A．practical | B．acceptable | C．reasonable | D．controversial |
Disease, poverty, hate, love-Charles Dickens' stories opened his readers' eyes to the most important themes of his age．Two hundred years on, his stories still speak volumes across the world, proving that Dickens' legacy （遗产） was far greater than just "great literature"．
February 7 marks the 200th anniversary of the writer's birthday．To mark this date, BBC writer Alex Hudson listed six things Dickens gave the modern world．Let's take a look at two of them．
A while Christmas
Dickens is described as "the man who invented Christmas" -not the religious festival, but the cultural aspects that we associate with the festive （喜庆的） season today．
In the early 19th century, Christmas was barely worth mentioning, according to critic and writer Leigh Hunt．The committee which ran the Conservative Party even held ordinary business meetings on Christmas Day - unthinkable in the West nowadays, when everyone, but the most necessary workers takes at least three days off．
Many people believe that Dickens' popular depictions（描绘） of the festive period became a blueprint for generations to come．In his classic novel, A Christmas Carol, he not only put forward the idea of snow at Christmas,but also painted a picture of glowing warmth-“home enjoyments, affections and hopes"．
In his biography of Dickens, Peter Ackroyd wrote, "Dickens can be said to have almost single-handedly created the modern idea of Christmas．"
"Dickensian" poverty
Dickens was one of the first to take an honest look at the underclass and the poor of Victorian （the period during British Queen Victoria's reign from 1837 to 1901） London．
He helped popularize the term "red tape" to describe situations where people in power use needless amounts of bureaucracy （官僚作风） in a way that particularly hurts the weaker and poorer members of society．
"Dickensian" has now become a powerful word for describing an unacceptable level of poverty．In 2009, when the president of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers in the UK wanted to talk about deprivation in some areas, of Britain, she did not use words like "terrible" or "horrific", but rather described it as "life mirroring the times of Dickens"．What is the main idea of the article?
| A．Charles Dickens' impact on the world． |
| B．An introduction to Charles Dickens' classic novels． |
| C．Charles Dickens' amazing characters． |
| D．Why Charles Dickens is popular across the world． |
Why is Dickens called "the man who invented Christmas"?
| A．Because he created the religious festival. |
| B．Because one of his novels helped to shape Christmas celebrations． |
| C．Because many of his novels have something to do with Christmas． |
| D．Because he was the first man to have proposed celebrating Christmas． |
According to the article, the phrase “red tape” refers to __.
| A．rules or procedures that are required to accomplish a task |
| B．a situation in which poor members of society are hurt |
| C．conflict between people in power and weaker people |
| D．pointlessly time-consuming official procedures |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Dickens is still popular today in Britain． |
| B．everyone takes at least three days off at Christmas． |
| C．Dickens invented Christmas |
| D．Dickens gave the modern world six things． |
It is found that American students spend less than 15% of their time in school. While there’s no doubt that school is important, a number of recent studies reminds us that parents are even more so. A study published earlier this month by researchers at North Carolina State University, for example, finds that parental involvement — checking homework, attending school meetings and events, discussing school activities at home — has a more powerful influence on students’ academic performance than anything about the school the students attend. Another study, published in the Review of Economics and Statistics, reports that the effort put forth by parents (reading stories aloud, meeting with teachers) has a bigger impact on their children’s educational achievement than the effort devoted by either teachers or the students themselves. And a third study concludes that schools would have to increase their spending by more than $1,000 per pupil in order to achieve the same results that are gained with parental involvement.
So parents matter. But it is also revealed in researches that parents, of all backgrounds, don’t need to buy expensive educational toys or digital devices for their kids in order to give them an advantage. They don’t need to drive their offspring (子孙，后代)to enrichment classes or test-preparation courses. What they need to do with their children is much simpler: talk.
But not just any talk. Recent research has indicated exactly what kinds of talk at home encourage children’s success at school. For example, a study conducted by researchers at the UCLA School of Public Health and published in the journal Pediatrics found that two-way adult-child conversations were six times as potent in promoting language development as the ones in which the adult did all the talking. Engaging in this reciprocal（双向的) back-and-forth gives children a chance to try out language for themselves, and also gives them the sense that their thoughts and opinions matter.
The content of parents’ conversations with kids matters, too. Children who hear talk about counting and numbers at home start school with much more extensive mathematical knowledge, report researchers from the University of Chicago. While the conversations parents have with their children change as kids grow older, the effect of these exchanges on academic achievement remains strong. Research finds that parents play an important role in what is called “academic socialization” — setting expectations and making connections between current behavior and future goals. Engaging in these sorts of conversations has a greater impact on educational accomplishment.Parents are even more important than schools because ______.
| A．parental involvement makes up for what schools are not able to do |
| B．teachers and students themselves do not put in enough effort |
| C．parental involvement saves money for schools and the local government |
| D．students may well make greater achievements with parents' attention |
It can be inferred from the 2nd paragraph that ______.
| A．educational toys are unaffordable nowadays |
| B．digital devices can give children an advantage |
| C．some parents believe in enrichment classes |
| D．talking with children is a very simple task |
The word "potent" is closest in meaning to ______.
| A．powerful | B．difficult | C．necessary | D．resistant |
Which of the following will more encourage children's success at school according to the passage?
| A．Parents order their children to stop playing video games. |
| B．Parents discuss with their children the possible future career. |
| C．Parents lecture their children on getting too low marks on tests. |
| D．Parents introduce colleges around the US to their children. |
The iPhone, the iPad: each of Apple’s products sounds cool and has become a fad(一时的风尚). Apple has cleverly taken advantage of the power of the letter “i” –-- and many other brands are following suit. The BBC’s iPlayer --- which allows Web users to watch TV programs on the Internet ---used the title in 2008. A lovely bear --- popular in the US and UK --- that plays music and video is called “iTeddy”. A slimmed-down version(简装本) of London’s Independent newspaper was started last week under the name “i”.
In general, single-letter prefixes(前缀) have been popular since the 1990s, when terms such as e-mail and e-commerce(电子商务) first came into use.
Most “i” products are targeted at （针对）young people and considering the major readers of Independent’s“ i”, it’s no surprise that they’ve selected this fashionable name.
But it’s hard to see what’s so special about the letter “i”. Why not use “a”, “b”, or “c” instead? According to Tony Thorne, head of the Language Center at King’s College, London, “i” works because its meaning has become ambiguous. When Apple uses “i”, no one knows whether it means Internet, information, individual or interactive, Thorne told BBC Magazines. “Even when Apple created the iPod, it seems it didn’t have one clear definition（定义）,” he says.
“However, thanks to Apple, the term is now connected with portability (轻便) .”adds Thorne.
Clearly the letter “i” also agrees with the idea that the Western World is centered on the individual. Each person believes they have their own needs, and we love personalized products for this reason.
Along with “Google” and “blog”, readers of BBC Magazines voted “i” as one of the top 20 words that have come to define the last decade(十年).
But as history shows, people grow tired of fads. From the 1900s to 1990s, products with “2000” in their names became fashionable as the year was connected with all things advanced and modern. However, as we entered the new century, the fashion disappeared. People use iPlayer to __________.
| A．listen to music | B．make a call |
| C．watch TV programs online | D．read newspapers |
We can infer that the Independent’s “i” is designed for _________.
| A．young readers | B．old readers | C．fashionable women | D．engineers |
The underlined word “ambiguous” means “__________”.
| A．popular | B．uncertain | C．clear | D．unique |
Nowadays, the “i” term often reminds people of the products which are __________.
| A．portable | B．environmentally friendly | C．advanced | D．recyclable |
The writer suggests that __________.
| A．“i” products are often of high quality |
| B．iTeddy is alive bear |
| C．the letter “b” replaces letter “i” to name the products |
| D．the popularity of “i” products may not last long |
Chinese media and Internet users on Monday condemned(谴责) a lack of morals in society after a toddler(学步的小孩)was struck twice by two different vans and left bleeding on the road as more than a dozen bystanders did nothing to help the seriously injured girl.
The incident, captured by a surveillance camera and aired by Southern Television Guangdong (TVS), showed the two-year-old girl was knocked down and run over by a white van on a narrow market street on the afternoon of Oct. 13, in Foshan City of Guangdong Province.
The driver fled the scene of the accident, leaving the girl to bleed on the sidewalk. Over the next six minutes, more than a dozen people walked by the girl, yet not one individual did anything to help her. The girl was then hit a second time by another van before an elderly trash collector came to her aid and brought the attention of the girl’s mother, according to the video and eyewitnesses.
Doctors said that the girl, who was put on life support after being hospitalized, remains in a deep coma. The girl’s parents, who are migrants living in the city, are now with her. Police said the drivers of both vehicles have been arrested. However, the indifference of the bystanders shown in the video has shocked the public, as Internet forums have boiled with anger, and people are questioning the morality of society.
High moral standards were once triumphed as national pride in China where individuals known for selflessly helping others were adored by the public. But in recent years, the perception of a decline of morals has become a hot topic as profit and materialism are recognized to be affecting society’s values.
On Sept. 2. an 88-year-old man in central China collapsed, his face striking the pavement. Yet, no one came to his aid, and he ended up choking to death on the blood from his nose. Some have linked the absence of good models to a previous case in which a man trying to help an elderly woman who fell was accused of harming her.
A strong chorus of opinion on the Internet says laws should exempt（免除）models from responsibility, yet laws themselves cannot solve society’s morality dilemma.
Cao Lin, a China Youth Daily commentator, said in a signed article published on Monday that the worry of responsibility should not be an excuse for not helping, and this case exposes the decline of humanity in Chinese society.What happened to the two-year-old girl?
| A．Nobody helped her after she was struck by two different vans. |
| B．She died immediately after she was hit a second time. |
| C．An old trash collector saved her and attracted her mother’s attention. |
| D．Journalists from TVS captured her story by using a camera. |
From the passage, what would happen if someone helped others selflessly in the past?
| A．The public would feel proud of him/ her and showed love and respect for him/ her. |
| B．He/she would be awarded by the government. |
| C．He/she would be condemned by the public. |
| D．He/she would have to worry about legal responsibility. |
In recent years, society’s values are believed to be affected by________.
| A．people’s awareness |
| B．the indifference of bystanders |
| C．profit and materialism |
| D．the morals of society |
According to Cao Lin, what is the fundamental reason for not helping the girl?
| A．The worry of responsibility. |
| B．Lack of laws that exempt role models from responsibility. |
| C．The fear of being accused of harming her. |
| D．The decline of humanity in society. |
Where is the article probably taken from?
| A．A news report. | B．A fashion magazine. |
| C．A science fiction. | D．An education column. |
With his game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer, Jeremy Lin (林书豪) finished the New York Knicks' dramatic reversed(扭转) victory to defeat the Toronto Rapters.
The Knicks have won six games in a row, and Jeremy Lin has put up impressive numbers during the continuous period of competitions. Although the season is still young, the Knicks have reversed course in just one week from the NBA's most disappointing team to a playoff (季后赛) contestant. Lin, not team's high-paid stars, has saved the Knicks season and likely coach D'Antoni's job.
After nearly 15 years of disappointing, sometimes unsuccessful seasons, Madison Square Garden is alive again, and New York City can't stop talking about the Knicks. To put things into perspective（角度）, consider this: Just several years back, Knicks fans protested nightly outside of the Garden calling for the team's ownership to fire their resented coach Isiah Thomas.
Now, Madison Square Garden Co. shares are at a record high, the Knicks' average household television rating is up 70 percent since Lin joined the starting lineup (首发阵容), and jersey sales are increasing very quickly. I watched the Knicks-Lakers game at a bar in Harlem, and have not felt that kind of energy from fans since the great playoff between the Knicks and Miami Heat in the late 1990s.
Beyond the Knicks, Lin may be saving the NBA as well. Just a few months back, the NBA took a massive credibility（威信）hit during a multi-month lockout（停工）, where the owners did not allow the players to go back to play until they accept the new salary levels. As a consequence, the season did not even begin until Christmas Day. Over the past few years, LeBron James' (勒布朗﹒詹姆斯) relatively long and unpleasant free-agent (自由职业球员) events, combined with poor play around the league, have angered fans and damaged the league's brand.
Lin is leading a one-week NBA basketball revival. His legendary story has inspired Asian-Americans, increased NBA sales in China, and turned the basketball world upside down. The passage is mainly about______
| A．why the New Yorkers thought well of Jeremy Lin |
| B．why Jeremy Lin became a member of the Knicks |
| C．how the Knicks defeated its opponents in a great playoff |
| D．how Jeremy Lin saved the Knicks, probably including the NBA |
According to the passage, Jeremy Lin's excellent performance saved the following except___
| A．The NBA |
| B．Coach Isiah Thomas |
| C．The Knicks |
| D．Madison Square Garden Co.’s shares |
The underlined word “young” in Paragraph 2 probably means "______"
| A．not old yet. | B．not completely grown. |
| C．in the development | D．in the early stage |
The NBA suffered the credibility crisis months ago because____
| A．The NBA delayed the season because of players’ wage disagreements |
| B．the NBA was disappointed at James’ free-agent event. |
| C．The NBA canceled the basketball match for the coming Christmas |
| D．James had a bad performance in the basketball court |
Which one of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．These Knicks’ stars who were paid well saved the Knicks season |
| B．The Knicks didn’t satisfy its fans for nearly 15 years until this season |
| C．The fans objected to dismissing Coach Isiah Thomas outside the Garden |
| D．The owners and the players didn’t agree on raising the TV ratings |
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