Some young Cambodians are learning a new sport — skateboarding. The country’s first skateboard park is located on the grounds of a local charity group at the edge of Phnom Penh, the capital.
Sports like Khmer boxing and soccer are wildly popular in Cambodia. But Chea, who has been skating for 6 months, says skating has already become his favorite sport.
The skaters are learning tricks like launching off a jump or half-pipe and flying through the air on their narrow wooden boards.
A non-governmental organization called Skateistan Cambodia organizes weekly programs at the park. Skateistan started its work in Afghanistan years ago. Rory Burke is working with the group which expanded to Cambodia last year.
Rory Burke points out, “Yeah, it’s definitely not a typical Cambodian pastime (消遣). And I think the idea of ‘why skateboarding’ is that it’s not been done before here. We want to use skateboarding as something saying, ‘Hey, this is new, this is something different.And that kind of itself becomes a little bit of hook. People see it and they think and they say, ‘Wow, what is that?’ and they want to get involved. ”
Skateistan partners with local groups that work with young people. The park is on the grounds of the group known as PSE, where children attend school and learn a trade. There are almost one hundred twenty participants. They all come from troubled lives.
Seventeen-year-old Sang Rotha is a student at PSE. “Sometimes I don’t do well in subjects like math,” he says, “I feel bad when I find it hard to keep up with my lessons. So that is why I skateboard ---to improve my bad feelings. ’，
He says he began skateboarding more than a year ago. Before he started training, it seemed very easy. But it was very difficult to learn tricks, and he got hurt a lot from falling off.
Rory Burke says learning to deal with the difficulties is part of the lesson for these young skateboarders. According to the passage, PSE is a group ______.
| A．that works with Cambodian students |
| B．for young Cambodians to learn a trade |
| C．for young Cambodians in troubled lives |
| D．for young Cambodians taking skateboarding |
What is said about skateboarding in the passage?
| A．It was born in Afghanistan years ago. |
| B．It is easy for young Cambodians to learn. |
| C．It is as popular as Khmer boxing in Cambodia. |
| D．It is a good sport to help get good feeling again. |
The underlined part alittle bit of hook probably means ______.
| A．something strange |
| B．something quite new |
| C．something different |
| D．something attractive |
It can be inferred from the passage that skateboarding is becoming ______.
| A．a sport liked by most young Cambodians |
| B．an increasingly popular sport in Cambodia |
| C．a sport used to better young Cambodians’ life |
| D．a good way to train young Cambodians’ learning skills |
If Confucius were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake, there would be a lot of candles. He’d need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out.
While many people in China will remember Confucius on his special day, few people in the United States will give him a passing thought. It’s nothing personal. Most Americans don’t even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes.
But this doesn’t mean that Americans don’t care about Confucius. In many ways he has become a bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China.
In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities. More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries. These schools teach both Chinese language and culture. The main courses of Chinese culture usually included Chinese art, history and philosophy. Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantages of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up for the drawbacks of Westerners philosophy. Students in the United States, at the same time, are racing to learn Chinese. So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States. Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers.
So the old thinker’s ideas are still alive and well.
Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West.
As for the old thinker, he will not soon be forgotten by people in the West, even if his birthday is. The opening paragraph is mainly intended to _________.
| A．provide some key facts about Confucius |
| B．attract the readers’ interest in the subject |
| C．show great respect for the ancient thinker |
| D．prove the popularity of modern birthday celebrations |
We can learn from Paragraph 4 that American students_________.
| A．fight for a chance to learn Chinese |
| B．try to get high scores in Chinese exams |
| C．have a great interest in studying Chinese |
| D．take an active part in Chinese competitions |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Forgotten Wisdom in America |
| B．Old Thinker with a Big Future |
| C．Chinese Culture for Westerners |
| D．Huge Fans of the Chinese Language |
The passage is likely to appear in _________.
| A．a biography | B．a history paper |
| C．a newspaper | D．a philosophy textbook |
Poor families in some countries spend as much as eighty percent of their money on food. Rising prices in recent months have created the worst food crisis(危机) in more than thirty years. The United Nations World Food Program says high food prices could push one hundred million people into hunger.
Nathan Childs is an expert on rice markets. He notes that the harvest for the latest growing season was the largest on record. But India, Vietnam and others have restricted exports(限制出口) to keep prices down at home and protect supplies.
Thailand’s agriculture minister says his country will never restrict rice exports. He told the Reuters news agency Thursday that Thailand has enough supplies to meet demand at home and for export.
Thailand is the world’s largest rice exporter. Recent signs of an increase in supplies have helped ease record prices for Thai rice. Prices rose last week above one thousand dollars a ton.
Vietnam, the second biggest exporter, has banned(禁止) exports until June. And Vietnamese officials have now warned that non-food traders who buy rice for speculation(投机活动)will be severely punished.
Some experts say speculation is a necessary part of market activity. But the head of the U.N. Environment Program blames it for the high food prices. “We have enough food on this planet today to feed everyone.” Achim Steiner told the Associated Press.
Earlier, a member of the United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission didn’t accept the idea that speculators are the main cause. Bart Chilton blamed reduced harvests and grain supplies and the falling value of the dollar.
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called heads of major international agencies to a meeting this week in the Swiss capital, Bern. He says high food prices could harm world trade, economic growth, social progress and political security.What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．Vietnam has banned rice exports to other countries. |
| B．Thailand is the largest rice exporter in the world. |
| C．Some families are too poor to afford enough food. |
| D．Rising prices of food have led to the world food crisis. |
Which country restricted food exports according to the passage?
A. Thailand. B. Switzerland. C. Vietnam. D. The USA.All of the following are the results of rising prices of food EXCEPT ____.
| A．the worst food crisis |
| B．reduced harvests and grain supplies |
| C．people spending more money on food |
| D．pushing one hundred million people into hunger |
What is the reason for the speculation according to the head of the U.N. Environment Program?
| A．High food prices. |
| B．The falling value of the dollar. |
| C．Enough rice supplies in some countries. |
| D．Restricted food exports in some countries. |
London taxis, with their friendly drivers who actually know where they are going, are ranked best in the world, according to an annual taxi poll(调查).
The survey by travel website hotels.com found London taxis, despite being the most expensive, beat rivals across the globe to head the list for the third consecutive years, scoring a total of 59 percent in votes on several categories by travellers.
London taxi drivers were voted both friendliest and most knowledgeable. Drivers in the English capital must pass a rigorous examination called The Knowledge to earn their taxi licence.
New York’s yellow taxis came second in the list, scoring 27 percent which was up 10 percentage points from last year even though Manhattan’s cab drivers tied with Parisian taxi drivers as the rudest.
Travellers said New York had the most available taxis.
Cabbies in Rome were voted the worst drivers in the world with almost one in 10 travellers thinking the Italian capital had the world’s worst taxi drivers when it came to the quality of driving.
“Travelling by taxi is one of the first experiences that many travellers have upon arrival in a new city. In fact, the research found that cabs are by far the most popular method of travelling from the airport to their hotel,” a spokesman for hotels.com said in a statement.
The global poll scored city based taxis for their levels of cleanliness, value, quality of driving, knowledge of the area, friendliness, safety and availability.
Rounding out the top five were Tokyo with a total score of 26 percent, Berlin with 17 percent, and Bangkok famed for its tuk-tuks scoring 14 percent.
Madrid’s taxis were ranked sixth in the poll, followed by Copenhagen and Dublin with 11 percent and Frankfurt and Paris with 10 percent.
Taxis in Sydney fell short of the top 10, scoring badly in the areas of value for money, availability and knowledge of the area.
The survey for hotels.com, part of the Expedia group, was conducted among over 1,900 travellers between May 11-28 this year.What does the underlined word “rigorous” in the third paragraph mean _______?
| A．official | B．lawful | C．strict | D．important |
The writer introduced the result of the survey by _____.
| A．listing the ranks of the taxi service of the European cities |
| B．listing the ranks of the taxi service of the cities concerned |
| C．different kinds of reading forms and famous travel websites |
| D．interviewing the taxi drivers and travellers of the cities |
Rome’s taxi drivers are lack of _______.
| A．driving skills | B．good manners |
| C．the sense of cleanliness | D．the sense of safety |
What does the writer want to tell us?
| A．The global taxi drivers should be trained strictly. |
| B．The global taxi drivers should be given an exam. |
| C．The global taxi drivers have different driving skills. |
| D．The global big cities’taxis service is scored by a travel website. |
Anger at the practice of demanding dowries, which can lead to violence against brides, has caused a takeoff of "Angry Birds" called "Angry Brides" that aims to highlight the illegal practice still common in many South Asian countries.
Dowries -- such as jewelry, clothes, cars and money -- are traditionally given by the bride's family to the groom and his parents to ensure she is taken care of in her new home.
The custom was outlawed more than five decades ago. But it is still widely practiced, with the groom's family demanding even more money after marriage, leading to mental and physical abuse that can drive the woman to suicide.
"The Angry Brides game is our way of throwing a spotlight on the nuisance (陋习) of dowry," said Ram Bhamidi, senior vice president and head of online marketing for Shaadi.com, a matrimonial (婚姻的) website with two million members.
"According to a 2007 study, there is a dowry-related death every four hours in India. We condemn this and have consistently run campaigns on social media to help create awareness of the issue."
The name of the app, available on the group's home page, is a spinoff from the globally popular "Angry Birds" game. Its home page shows a red-clad, eight-armed woman resembling a powerful female Hindu goddess. Underneath, there is a caption: "A woman will give you strength, care and all the love you need ... NOT dowry!"
To play the game, users have to try and hit three dodging grooms -- a pilot, builder and doctor. There is a wide array of weapons to choose from, including a stiletto shoe, a frying pan, broomstick, tomato and loafer.
Each groom has a price tag, starting at 1.5 million rupees ($29,165). Every time the player hits a groom, his value decreases and money is added to the player's Anti-Dowry Fund, which is saved posted on their Facebook page.
"Since we launched the game last week, more than 270,000 people have liked the app. Both men and women seem to be playing it," said Bhamidi.What caused "Angry Brides" to appear online?
| A．Women's rights' being seriously abused． |
| B．Anger at the practice of demanding dowries． |
| C．The bride's giving a great many dowries． |
| D．The popularity of Angry Birds online． |
Which of the following is True about "Dowries"?
| A．The custom of giving dowries has been in practice for five decades． |
| B．Lack of abundant dowries may lead to the bride's being in violence． |
| C．The illegal practice of dowries is still popular in many African countries． |
| D．More dowries the bride gives mean a high social status of her family． |
The underlined word "spinoff” probably means_____________．
| A．relation | B．connection | C．copy | D．fake |
Which of the following is NOT TRUE about the game "Angry Brides"?
| A．There are a variety of weapons to choose from． |
| B．Ram Bhamidi thinks highly of the game． |
| C．Men players don't find the game enjoyable． |
| D．The game character looks like a Hindu goddess． |
What is the text mainly about?
| A．Women's unfair treatment in the marriage． |
| B．The popularity of the game "Angry Brides"． |
| C．The groom's demanding too many dowries． |
| D．How to build an equal relation in the marriage． |
One of the world's richest men has taken a close interest in one of man's most basic functions: visiting the toilet．Bill Gates’ charitable organization, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is looking for inventors to design the loo of the future, which, they hope, would improve sanitation for millions of people around the world．
So, what's wrong with the traditional flush toilet? Firstly, it wastes a huge amount of potential drinking water．Secondly, they are more likely to cause pollution．This is a real problem in many areas of the developing world, where, according to United Nations’ estimates, unsafe sanitation causes half of all hospitalizations．Younger people are particularly at risk．Illnesses which cause diarrhea are responsible for the deaths of about 1．5 million children a year．Finally, standard lavatories simply aren't practical in remote areas．
The challenge set by Bill Gates was to come up with a latrine which works without running water, electricity or aseptic tank．It also needed to operate for less than 5 cents．28 designs were displayed at the recent event of the Toilet Fair in Seattle, USA．Among them was one which turned human waste into electricity using microwaves, another which converted human waste into charcoal, and yet another which used urine for flushing．
But the winner was a solar-powered design which generated hydrogen gas and electricity．The team from the California Institute of Technology（CIT）picked up a prize of $ 100,000.
But clearly Bill Gates doesn't feel he's flushing money down the toilet．After the Seattle event he said, "We couldn't be happier with the response we've gotten," Gates has even promised $370 million more to the future toilet project．They hope to field test more prototypes over the next three years．Why is Bill Gates paying people to invent new toilets?
| A．Because he wants to test people's sense of creativity． |
| B．Because he wants to improve sanitation for many people． |
| C．Because he thinks the traditional ones are out of fashion． |
| D．Because he can't design this kind of things himself． |
Which of the following is NOT a problem with the traditional flush toilet?
| A．They waste too much water． | B．They might cause diseases． |
| C．They are not always practical． | D．They are too complicated to use. |
The underlined word "latrine" in the third paragraph might have similar meanings to the word "__ " in the text．
| A．loo | B．sanitation | C．diarrhea | D．prototype |
The team from CIT won the prize because their design .
| A．can change human waste into electricity |
| B．can turn human waste into charcoal |
| C．can produce power with solar energy |
| D．can use urine for flushing |
If people "flush money down the toilet", they are .
| A．showing off their wealth | B．angry with their working conditions |
| C．wasting money for nothing | D．expressing their great determination |
BERLIN （AP）----A tiger escaped its enclosure at Cologne Zoo in western Germany on Saturday and killed a female keeper before being shot dead by the zoo's director, police said．
The tiger slipped through a passage between the enclosure and a neighboring storage building, where it fatally attacked the 43-year-old keeper, said police spokesman Stefan Kirchner．
"It appears the gate wasn't properly shut," Kirchner told The Associated Press．
The zoo was evacuated and a SWAT （特警） team was called in, police said．But before it arrived, the zoo's director managed to kill the tiger by climbing onto the storage building and shooting it through a skylight using a rifle．
Kirchner said it was unlikely that members of the public had witnessed the incident. "This is the darkest day of my life," the zoo's director, Theo Pagel, was quoted as saying by Cologne newspaper Express．
The paper said on its website that the Siberian tiger was a 4-year-old male called Tltai that came to Cologne Zoo from an animal park in England．In November it fathered three cubs with a 7-year-old Siberian tiger called Hanya, according to the zoo's website．
Police said the zoo reopened after Saturday's incident, which occurred around noon．However, a planned late-night opening of the zoo has been canceled．
Cologne Zoo is one of the oldest in Germany．It was founded in 1860 and houses some 10,000 animals consisting of more than 700 different species．Which of the following can be the best title of the news text?
| A．Tiger Escapes, Kills Keeper in German Zoo |
| B．Tiger Escapes in German Zoo, Shot Dead |
| C．German Zoo Keeper Shot Escaped Tiger |
| D．People Killed in Oldest Zoo in German |
According to the police, what was the direct reason for the incident?
| A．The zoo keeper was a new hand． |
| B．A gate was not closed appropriately. |
| C．The zoo had neglected the secret passage. |
| D．It was very dark when the incident happened. |
What did the zoo do after the incident?
| A．They honored the killed person in a way. |
| B．They paid SWAT for their timely help. |
| C．They returned the tiger’s three cubs to England. |
| D．They called off the late-night opening. |
How did the zoo director feel after the incident?
| A．Proud. | B．Disappointed. | C．Sad. | D．Angry. |
What can we learn about Cologne Zoo?
| A．It keeps a large variety of species. |
| B．It is one of the largest in German. |
| C．It has a history of more than 700 years. |
| D．No such incident has happened before. |
The city of Rome has passed a new law to prevent cruelty to animals. All goldfish bowls are no longer allowed and dog owners must walk their dogs,
"The civilization of a city can be measured by this," said Monica Cirinna, the councilor(议员 ) behind the new law.
"It's good to do whatever we can for our animals who in exchange for a little love fill our existence with their attention," she told a Rome newspaper.
The newspaper reported that round bowls don't give enough oxygen for fish and may make them go blind.
"Rome has tried to protect fish more than anywhere else in the world. It stands out for recognizing that fish are interesting animals who deserve our respect and compassion every bit as much as dogs and eats and other animals,” said Karin Robertson, a director of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
Last year a law was passed in Italy that gives people who desert pets big fines (罚款) and prison sentences. Since then local governments have added their own animal protection rules.
The northern city of Turin passed a law in April to give pet owners fines of up to $ 598 if they do not walk their dogs three times a day.
The new law in Rome also says that owners mustn't leave their dogs in hot cars or cut their dogs' tails to make them look lovelier. The law also gives legal recognition to the "cat ladies" who feed homeless cats. The cats live all over the city from ancient ruins to modem office car parks.The new law passed in Rome will .
| A．help improve fishing environment |
| B．guarantee better conditions for goldfish |
| C．stop people from catching goldfish |
| D．discourage keeping goldfish at home |
People in Rome believe that the civilization of a city can be judged by its .
| A．exchanges with' other cities |
| B．protection for ancient ruins |
| C．awareness of animal protection |
| D．recognition of animal lovers |
The underlined word" compassion" in Paragraph 5 is the closest in meaning to .
| A．pity | B．praise | C．support | D．popularity |
People may break the law in Turin if they
| A．keep their dogs or cats in cars |
| B．feed homeless animals in car parks |
| C．raise their cats near ancient ruins |
| D．shut their dogs home all day long |
Barack Obama urged congressional leaders on Monday to act quickly to pass a huge stimulus package for the U.S. economy. He met with a bipartisan (concerning or involving two different political parties) group of lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Later he met individually with Democratic and Republican House and Senate leaders and spoke to a bipartisan leadership gathering. In comments to reporters early on Monday, he emphasized the urgency of finalizing economic legislation (立法). “We have got an extraordinary economic challenge ahead of us,” he said, “We are expecting a sobering job report at the end of the week. Nancy Pelosi and her staff have been extraordinarily helpful in working with our team so that we can shape an economic recovery and reinvestment plan that starts putting people back to work.”
Mr. Obama wants tax cuts for individual Americans and businesses to make up a significant portion of expected legislation. This could involve as much as $300 billion of a bill that is likely to go beyond $700 billion and include aid to cash-poor U.S. states, and money for alternative energy and a range of infrastructure (基础设施) projects. Later, Mr. Obama said he expects to be able to sign legislation as soon as the end of this month, adding that quick action is necessary to “break the drive of the U.S. economic depression”.
Emerging later from bipartisan talks with Mr. Obama, Nancy Pelosi said lawmakers discussed with the president how to pass a stimulus package as quickly as possible. “An economic recovery package that will create jobs immediately and will grow the economy and that is what we talked about today,” said Nancy Pelosi. “How we could do this fast, deliberatively and to act upon it soon.” Just how soon that would be, Pelosi would not say.
How much support Democrats can obtain from Republicans will depend on the details. But the severity of the U.S. economic depression has created considerable bipartisan backing for quick action. Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid said: “There are investments that we need to make on behalf of the American people to turn around this economy. We felt very good about the meeting; we are confident that we can do this and we have to do this.”
“I think the best thing I can do is to decline to comment on what they are going to do going forward,” said Dana Perino. “Obviously, we think that tax cuts were the right way to help our economy get out of the economic depression that this president inherited and we know that tax cuts can stimulate innovation.” Asked by reporters how large the economic stimulus package might be, Senate Majority Leader Reid said Obama indicated that all but one of some 28 economists advising him had said it should range from $800 billion to $1.3 trillion.Barack Obama urged congressional leaders and met with bipartisan leaders to _____.
| A．take over the White House |
| B．end economic decline |
| C．understand each other better |
| D．negotiate political issues |
If the stimulus package is passed quickly and successfully, it can _____.
| A．obtain support from Republicans |
| B．finalize economic legislation |
| C．enhance America’s international position |
| D．provide job opportunities |
What is the bipartisan leaders’ attitude towards this meeting?
| A．Uncertain. | B．Hopeful. | C．Disappointed. | D．Indifferent. |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．The best way out of the economic depression is tax cuts. |
| B．The Republic Party plays the key role in coping with the economic depression. |
| C．Democrats and Republicans will team up in the economic depression. |
| D．When the stimulus package will be passed is known to the lawmakers. |
For many blind people, computers are inaccessible. It can cost $1,000 to purchase “screen reader” software, but two blind computer programmers from Australia have solved this problem.
Queensland University of Technology (QUT) graduate James Teh and business partner Michael Curran developed a free, open-source program, called NVDA, which provides a voice to read the words on a computer screen as the cursor(光标) moves over them. NVDA won the blind inventors an award in the grand final program of the ABC’s New Inventors, which aired on September 23. They took home the award for an invention that “might make a real difference to people’s lives or the environment.”
“A sighted person takes for granted that they can sit down at any computer and use it,” Mr Teh said. “We really are in the information age — everything is online these days. So access to computers for the blind is very important, which is why we wanted our software to be free.”
Mr Teh, who majored in software engineering at QUT, said blind students typically didn’t have the money to purchase “screen reader” technology, at the time in their life when they most needed it. Now NVDA could be downloaded on to anyone’s personal computer free of charge.
“It can also be copied to a USB stick, which can be used on any PC at school or university, with no installation required,” he said.
Mr Teh and Mr Curran have drawn on their own experience as blind computer users to develop a product which has some unique features. For example, as the mouse moves up and down the screen, a sound becomes higher and lower to let you know where the cursor is located.
NVDA has been translated into 27 languages, thanks to volunteer translators. To date, there have been over 50,000 downloads.
Mr Teh and Mr Curran have been working on the project since 2006. They worked on their product without any pay for two years. When Mozilla offered some funding in 2008, Mr Teh was able to quit his day job and work full-time developing NVDA.NVDA won an award in the program of the ABC’s New Inventors because it _____.
| A．causes no harm to the environment | B．influences people’ s lives |
| C．is aiming at blind people | D．is easy to use |
Why did James Teh and Michael Curran want their software to be free?
| A．They got funding from Mozilla. |
| B．They belonged to a volunteer group. |
| C．They wanted to help the blind. |
| D．They wanted people to give up “screen reader” software. |
What do we know about Teh and Curran?
| A．They are studying at QUT. | B．They are good at translating. |
| C．They know how the blind feel. | D．They began to develop NVDA in 2008. |
56yearold becomes 1st woman to swim Atlantic
(AP)－Jennifer Figge pressed her toes into the Caribbean sand, excited and exhausted as she touched land this week for the first time in almost a month. Reaching a beach in Trinidad, she became the first woman on record to swim across the Atlantic Ocean—a dream she'd had since the early 1960s,when a stormy transAtlantic (飞越大西洋) flight got her thinking she could wear a life vest and swim the rest of the way if needed.
The 56yearold left the Cape Verde Islands off Africa's western coast on Jan.12,2009, swimming 19 out of 25 days battling waves of up to 30 feet.The distance from Cape Verde to Trinidad is about 700 miles.Crewmembers are still computing exactly how many miles she swam.
The original plan was for her to swim to the Bahamas—a distance of about 2,100 miles—but inclement (恶劣的) weather forced her to change her plans and she arrived at Trinidad on Feb.5.She now plans to swim from Trinidad to the British Virgin Islands,ending her voyage at the Bitter End Yacht Club in late February.
Her journey came a decade after French swimmer Benoit Lecomte made the first known solo transAtlantic swim,covering nearly 4,000 miles from Massachusetts to France in 73 days.No woman on record had made the crossing.
Figge wore a red cap and wet suit,with her only goodluck charm (护身符) underneath:an old,red shirt to guard against chafing (磨痛),signed by friends,relatives and her father,who recently died.The other cherished (珍惜) possession she kept onboard was a picture of Gertrude Ederle,an American who became the first woman to swim across the English Channel.“We have a few things in common,”Figge said,“She wore a red hat and she was of German descent (血统).We both talked to the sea,and neither one of us wanted to get out.”When did Jennifer Figge want to swim across the Atlantic Ocean？
| A．After she reached a beach in Trinidad. |
| B．After she pressed her toes into the Caribbean sand. |
| C．After her stormy transAtlantic flight in the early 1960s. |
| D．After her graduation from a university. |
Jennifer Figge had to change her plans .
| A．because she wanted to shorten her voyage |
| B．because of bad weather conditions |
| C．because she wanted to end her voyage in late February |
| D．because she wanted to set a new world record |
When did Benoit Lecomte probably make the first known solo transAtlantic swim？
| A．In 1999. | B．In 1988. | C．In 1978 . | D．In 1968. |
For what purpose did Jennifer Figge keep a photo of Gertrude Ederle？
| A．Figge would like to follow her example. |
| B．She had the same red cap as Figge always wore. |
| C．Figge also wanted to swim across the English Channel. |
| D．They were both born in Germany. |
In Yemen, you always see one type of vehicle on the road: the water truck.They travel mountain roads and cross deserts to bring Yemenis the goods more valuable than oil.It is one that only the rich can afford, with the supply regularly being cut off.Others must rely on scarce rain or charity to fight thirst.
Experts say Yemen is going to be the first country in the world to run out of water.The capital, Sanaa, will run out of drinking water as early as 2025，says a report by the World Bank.
Hannan, an 18yearold from Lahej, said that only the rich could prepare for cuts in supply.“In a good week we’ll have a water supply all week but then the following week there will be water only for a day or two, ” she said.
She and her husband, a factory worker, pay 3,000 riyals (99 yuan) for a week’s supply of water from a touring water truck when the taps run dry.With an income of only 20,000 riyals (660 yuan) a month，this means the family often spend half their money on water.
“There are a lot of people who can’t afford it and they have to rely on their neighbors to help，” she said.
The average person in Yemen survives on onefifth of what the World Health Organization considers to be enough water.
In Taiz, in the south，tap water is available only once every 45 days.In the mountainous Malhan district in the north，women and children climb a 1,500m mountain to collect water from a spring, often in the small hours to avoid long queues.
Yemen is located in Southwest Asia，bordering the Arabian and Red Sea.Yemeni people have lived on scarce water supplies for thousands of years but that problem has been made serious by conflict in the area，the fastgrowing population and the use of water to grow a drug called qat.With one of the world’s highest rates of population growth—3.46 percent, Yemen is the poorest Arab country.
The government is considering desalinating (淡化) seawater，but this would be expensive and it may now be too late.The only other solution is to cut down on farming, but that means importing even more food.The passage aims to________.
| A．analyze the reasons why Yemen lacks water |
| B．suggest some solutions to the water issue in Yemen |
| C．present how serious the water problem is in Yemen |
| D．encourage the world to help Yemenis who are suffering from water shortages |
When Hannan said that only the rich could prepare for cuts in supply，she meant that________.
| A．rich people drank more water than the poor |
| B．rich people could buy water from the water trucks if there was a water supply cut |
| C．she had a rich neighbor who often helped her during water supply cuts |
| D．the rich were not affected by water supply cuts |
Which of the following may be a reason why Yemen is short of water?
| A．The country has had no rain for a long time. |
| B．The population of Yemen is growing fast. |
| C．The government has failed to reduce farming. |
| D．People can’t afford the water from government water trucks. |
The best title for the passage is “________”．
| A．Never take water for granted |
| B．The water truck—the commonest sight in Yemen |
| C．The first country to run out of water in the world |
| D．No water for Yemen |
Marriages improve after children grow up and move out，according to an academic study, which suggests an “empty nest” is not always a bad thing.
Popular wisdom has it that parents’ relationships may suffer once their young fly the coop, because they feel they have lost their purpose in life.However, a new study by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, has found that many couples actually feel happier when their children leave home because they are able to enjoy spending time together.
In total,123 American mothers born in the 1930s were tracked for 18 years and asked to rate their satisfaction levels shortly after marrying, when they were bringing up babies, once their children reached their teenage years and finally at age 61, when almost all had “empty nests”．
Although not all said they were happier in general, most claimed their marriages had improved since their children had left home. Researchers believe this is not just because the spouses were spending more time together, but because they were able to enjoy each other’s company more.
One of the participants in the study，which is published in the journal Psychological Science，said：“Once the kids grow up...there’s some of that stress removed...that responsibility removed，so things are a little more relaxed.”
Psychologist Sara Gorchoff，who carried out the investigation，said: “The takehome message for couples with young children is ‘hang in there’．” Her coauthor Oliver John added：“Don’t wait until your kids leave home to schedule quality time with your partner.”
However, Dr Dorothy Rowe，from the British Psychological Society，said the effects of living in an “empty nest” will depend on the parents’ relationship with their children.“If you’re just waiting for them to leave home so you can get on with your life，then of course you’ll be pleased to see them go,” she said, “But if you’ve built your life around your children you’ll be terribly lonely.For some parents，their world falls apart when their children leave.”It is commonly believed that___________.
| A．marriages improve after children leave home |
| B．an “empty nest” is always a happy thing |
| C．parents’ relationships may suffer once their young grow up and move out |
| D．parents will be pleased after their children leave home |
When did many couples feel happier according to the study?
| A．At age 61, when almost all had “empty nests”. |
| B．Shortly after marrying. |
| C．Once their children reached their teenage years. |
| D．When they were bringing up babies. |
Marriages improve after children fly the coop not because___________.
| A．many couples are able to spend time together |
| B．many couples are able to enjoy each other’s company |
| C．things are a little more relaxed |
| D．many couples needn’t work at all |
The author of the passage tends to agree that____________.
| A．parents should build their life around their kids |
| B．parents should schedule quality time with each other before kids leave home |
| C．parents’ relationship with their kids has no effect on marriages at all |
| D．parents should be pleased to see their kids leave home |
阅读表达 （满分10分）
[1]A researcher who helped make crops grow in dry land areas received the World Food Prize last week. Daniel Hillel was recognized for his work in developing what is called “micro-irrigation" or “drip irrigation." It has made farming possible in places where there is little rainfall or water.
[2]Daniel Hillel's farm near his home in Israel shows his ideas at work. “Each tree row is fed by these plastic tubes that drip water at the base of the tree." Watering plants drop by drop has changed agriculture by reducing the amount of water needed to grow crops.
[3]Farmers now depend on drip irrigation in many areas, including vineyards in Spain, onion fields in Africa, and even farms in the United States. Farmers in California grow about fifty percent of the fruits and vegetables of the continental United States. And the reason that is possible is because of these drip and micro-irrigation techniques.
[4]Daniel Hillel was born in California. After his father died, his mother moved the family to Palestine, where her parents lived. The area eventually became part of the state of Israel. Daniel Hillel got his start in dry land farming as a settler in Israel's Negev Desert in the 1950s. “The issue was efficient use of water because land is available and extensive while Water is limited."
[5]Desert farmers were not able to push water through irrigation canals to their crops the way farmers have since ancient times. So Mr. Hillel and others gave plants just what they needed, just where they needed it. The idea was to apply the water little by little. The method worked so well that soon Mr. Hillel was traveling the world, showing others _____.Why did Daniel Hillel win the World Food Prize? ( no more than15 words)
_____________________________________________________________________How did drip irrigation change agriculture? ( no more than12 words)
_____________________________________________________________________Fill in the blank in Paragraph 5 with proper words. ( no more than 5words)
_____________________________________________________________________What’s the main idea of the text? ( no more than 12 words)
________________________________________What does the underlined word “it” (Line3, Paragraph 1) probably refer to?
(no more than 3 words)
__________________________________________________________________
New rules for pubs and clubs, including a ban (禁令) on drinking games like the awful "dentist's chair", will be introduced in Britain this year to prevent the heavy drinking culture, which costs the country billions of pounds a year.
Other activities like "all you can drink for 10 pounds ", "women drink free" nights and speed drinking competitions will also be banned.
But, on the other hand, offers of cheap alcohol in supermarkets will not be affected, which is widely regarded as one of the main sources of Britain's problems with under-age and over-drinking.
Doctors and health experts argue that the government has failed to use its most effective weapon, the taxation(征税) of minimum price controls on alcohol.
Home Secretary Alan Johnson said that the government and the industry had a duty to act on heavy drinking." These bans have a real impact on society, not to mention the lives of those who just want to enjoy a good night out," he said.
“The dentist's chair”, where drinks are poured directly into the mouth by others, was made famous by the celebrations of footballer Paul Gascoigne at Euro '96. That game and others that promote large consumption will be banned from April and publicans (酒店老板) will have to ensure free tap water is made available to the drinkers.
The government says over-drinking costs Britain up to 12 billion pounds a year and has announced that any pubs that go against the new mandatory code (强制性规定) will face severe punishment. For instance, publicans and vendors (小贩) could lose their licenses, be fined up to 20,000 pounds ($32,750) or face six months in prison.New rules for pubs and clubs will be introduced in Britain to ban heavy drinking because ________.
| A．people drink too much without paying taxes |
| B．drinking games are infamous |
| C．drinking competitions are very crazy |
| D．drinking in the country costs too much |
Some people believe when the tough new rules come into effect, ________.
| A．supermarkets will stop selling alcohol in low prices |
| B．“women drink free” nights will not be closed |
| C．over-drinking will still not be stopped |
| D．under-age people will not continue drinking |
What is probably the most effective way to control alcohol?
| A．bans | B．education | C．force | D．taxation |
According to the passage, “the dentist’s chair” is ________.
| A．a chair for the patient whose teeth should be treated |
| B．a drinking game made famous by the celebrations of footballers |
| C．a way to advertise different types of alcohol |
| D．to be banned in October this year |
What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．Heavy drinking will be banned in Britain. |
| B．Over-drinking will be taxed. |
| C．Drinking in Britain will be banned. |
| D．12 billion pounds is spent on drinking. |
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