After a week-long vacation, U.S. President Barack Obama will focus on proposals to strengthen the still-recovering American economy. The agenda includes the reform of the nation’s health care system.
The Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare as some call it, expands federal health care programs for the needy and encourages Americans of all income groups to purchase private health care insurance.
“If you do not have insurance, beginning on October 1st, private plans will actually compete for your business. You can comparison--shop in an online marketplace, just like you would for cell phone plans or plane tickets. You may be eligible for new tax credits to help you afford the plan that’s right for you. And if you are in the up to half of all Americans who have been sick or have a preexisting condition, this law means that beginning January 1st, insurance companies have to cover you," Obama said.
Health-care spending accounts for one-seventh of U.S. economic activity, and is projected to increase to one-fifth in coming years. The cost has a direct bearing on America’s economic and financial well--being. Drawn up in 2010, the Affordable Care Act aims to control costs and expand access to health care. The effort is a big failure, according to Republican law makers like Tim Griffin and Todd Young.
“Republicans will continue to do everything we can to protect all Americans from the president's top-down, one-size-fits-all, Washington-knows-best approach to health care that is driving up costs and hurting our economy," said Griffin. “The sooner we can delay, oppose and cancel the president's health-care law, the sooner we can get people back to work and focus on expanding opportunity for everyone.”
The president accuses Republicans of putting partisanship(党派偏见) ahead of Americans’ health-care needs. “A lot of Republicans seem to believe that if they can gum up the works and make this law fail, they will somehow be sticking it to me. But they would just be sticking it to you. Your health insurance is not something to play politics with. Our economy is not something to play politics with," he said.
As a matter of fact，the success or failure of Obamacare could shape the president’s legacy long after he leaves office.It is implied in Obama’s words in Paragraph 3 that .
| A．health care insurance will be of great benefit to Americans |
| B．health care insurance will help recover American economy |
| C．insurance companies don’t expect him to carry out the law |
| D．insurance companies will cover Americans in all aspects |
According to Tim Griffin，Obama’s health-care law .
| A．will be strongly opposed to by the Republicans |
| B．will cause fewer economic problems in America |
| C．will be canceled sooner or later by the government |
| D．will never work without the help of the Republicans. |
What does Obama accuse Republicans of according to the passage?
| A．They don’t know what Americans are in need of. |
| B．They tend to put their own benefit ahead of Americans’. |
| C．They know nothing about health insurance and economy. |
| D．They like to play politics with economy and health insurance |
What is the author’s tone in this passage?
| A．Subjective | B．Critical | C．Unconcerned | D．Objective |
A heartless thief is believed to have crashed a fund-raiser and made off with a bag of cash meant to help a New York City firefighter pay for life-changing surgery for his 9-year-old son. But little Aidan Sullivan -- who was born with a facial defect and no right ear -- yesterday put up a brave front, with a message for the crook(thief): "I'm going to kick your butt!"
"I want to look normal," said Aidan, whose father, Tim, is a firefighter in the Bronx. The third-grader has hemi facial micro soma, in which one half of the face doesn't develop correctly.
Last weekend, family friend Peter Drake, a Ridgefield, Conn., firefighter, hosted a fund-raiser, collecting between $8,000 and $9,000. But when the party at a Danbury, Conn., Irish cultural center was over, the money had disappeared.
"At the end of the night, all the money that was donated was put in a zippered bag," said Tim Sullivan. "A bartender gave the bag to Pete... He had it in his hands. He put it down to go do something, and when he came back, he saw that it was missing."
Sullivan said his longtime friend -- who has had fund-raisers to pay for Aidan's 10 previous surgeries -- is "devastated."
"Pete was so upset. He kept saying, 'I let Aidan down, I let Aidan down,” Colleen Sullivan, 40, recalled.
"We even went Dumpster diving, in case it was thrown out."
The Sullivans plan to go ahead with the March 1 surgery led by specialists at NYU's Langone Medical Center in Manhattan. The money would have offset the $10,000 to $15,000 that insurance doesn't cover. Yesterday, Aidan said he's not a fan of hospitals and doesn't like to be away from his sister, Kaylee, 4. But he's willing to do it. "I'm excited," he said. "Finally, an ear."Where do you probably read this text from?
| A．A magazine. | B．A newspaper. |
| C．A book. | D．An advertisement. |
How did little Aidan Sullivan feel when he knew the money was missing.
| A．He felt excited. | B．He felt surprised. |
| C．He felt upset. | D．He felt annoyed. |
What is the money used for according to this text?
| A．To help Aidan Sullivan to have another operation. |
| B．To help pay for Aidan Sullivan’s life insurance. |
| C．To return the money the Sullivans owed to the hospital. |
| D．To help a firefighter who got hurt in the ear. |
What is true of little Aidan Sullivan?
| A．He hates going to hospital. |
| B．He will go to New York for the surgery. |
| C．He didn’t care too much about the lost money. |
| D．He has received 10 surgeries before. |
What can we infer about Pete from the text?
| A．He was heartless. | B．He was kind. |
| C．He was caress. | D．He was a firefighter. |
Australians have been warned that they face a life or death decision over their water—drink recycled sewage (污水) or die.
With the drought (干旱) continuing, the country is set to be forced to use purified (净化的) waste water for drinking, even though there is great opposition to the measure.
Queensland has become the first state to introduce the policy after a warning from its premier.
“I think in the end, because of the drought, all of Australia is going to end up drinking recycled purified water,” said Peter Beattie.
“These are difficult decisions, but you either drink water or you die. There's no choice. It's liquid gold; it's a matter of life and death.”
Beattie said Australia's second largest state would become the first to use recycled water for drinking.
Water is recycled in Britain and parts of northern Europe along with the US and Israel.
But Australians have never liked the idea.
To try to change the way Australians think, Prime Minister John Howard and Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull have adhered to Queensland's move.
“I am very strongly for recycling and Mr. Beattie is right and I agree with him completely,” Howard said.
“Australian cities, all now facing water shortages because of the worst drought on record, must start to use recycled water.” added Turnbull, “All of our big cities have to widen the range of water sources to include sources which are not dependent on rainfall.”What is the text mainly about?
| A．Australians face the choice of life and death. |
| B．Premier Beattie is worried about his people’s health. |
| C．We should avoid drinking recycled water to keep healthy. |
| D．Continuing drought forces Australians to drink recycled sewage. |
The underlined phrase “adhered to” in Paragraph 9 probably means _____.
| A．supported | B．gone against | C．disliked | D．doubted |
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
| A．Australians have never like drinking purified waste water. |
| B．Australians should develop more water sources to live through the hard time |
| C．Australians can’t depend upon rainwater, which is not suitable for drinking. |
| D．Australian government has no ability to solve the problem of water shortage |
It can be inferred from what Premier Peter Beattie said that _____.
| A．he gives orders to drink purified waste water. |
| B．it is painful for him to see his people drink recycled sewage. |
| C．if the decision is made, people won’t survive the drought. |
| D．it’s up to you to either make a life or death decision. |
It was reported last week that developers could take photos from Apple mobile and Google Android devices without the phone owners knowing that the images were being taken. In Apple’s case, developers can also obtain the location information for each photo.
Senator(参议员) Charles Schumer said in a telephone interview that his office had spoken with officials at both Apple and Google on Monday.
“We asked them if they could find a way on their own to prevent Apple from having access to private information,” Mr. Schumer said. “They were friendly and open to the idea that this ought to be changed.”
On Sunday, Mr. Schumer said that he planned to send a letter to the Federal Trade Commission asking the agency to investigate Apple and Google after the privacy concerns came to light. Claudia Bourne Farrell, an F.T.C. spokeswoman, said the agency had received the letter but she could not comment further.
“It worries people to think that one’s personal photos, address book, and who knows what else can be obtained and even posted online without permission,” Mr. Schumer wrote in his letter to the F.T.C. “If the technology exists to open the door to this kind of privacy invasion, then surely technology exists to close it, and that’s exactly what must happen.”
Mr. Schumer said if Apple and Google could not come to an agreement to fix the problem, then he would be forced to take the issue further.
He said other companies had been willing to work with his office to fix issues. “I’m optimistic that we can get this changed without any regulation,” he said. “If it’s not changed, then we’ll turn to the F.T.C., and if that doesn’t work then we’ll consider legal approach.”
The F.T.C. has warned companies to try to be more vigilant(警醒的) in their efforts to protect consumers when it comes to privacy.The senators spoke with officials at both Apple and Google___________.
| A．to urge them not to invade consumers’ privacy |
| B．to discuss whether it is illegal to have access to private information |
| C．to stop them from developing the technology of taking photos |
| D．to keep them from obtaining the location information for each photo |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Privacy invasion from Apple has existed for a long time. |
| B．Mr. Schumer takes the privacy concerns caused by Apple and Google seriously. |
| C．Privacy invasion from Google has existed for a long time. |
| D．Apple and Google have decided to make a change. |
Mr. Schumer’s letter to the F.T.C. mainly shows that the technology to open the door to privacy invasion___________.
A. causes privacy invasion to happen frequently
B. can be used if permitted
C. causes people to worry about the safety of their personal information
D. causes personal information to be posted online without permissionIf the privacy concerns can’t be solved with the help of the F.T.C., ___________.
A. The senators will force the companies not to invade privacy
B. The companies will be closed
C. The companies will be fined
D. The senators will turn to lawWhere can we read about the passage?
| A．In a newspaper. | B．In a travel brochure. |
| C．In a science report. | D．In a textbook. |
Mo Yan’s winning of the 2012 Nobel Prize in Literature shows the world’s recognition of China’s contemporary literature, according to the China Writers Association.
It also represents the attention drawn to Chinese writers and the international influences of Chinese literature, said an official statement from the organization on Thursday evening.
Mo is the first Chinese national to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. In the statement, the association congratulated Mo Yan on his success and spoke highly of his “outstanding achievements”.
Mo had effectively extended the boundaries of imagination, the depth of thoughts and the state of arts of Chinese literature by focusing on lives in the countryside with a unique national style, said the statement.
He Jianming, vice president of the association, said in a separate interview, “It is not only a joyous occasion for Mo, but also a dream coming true for generations of Chinese writers. ”
“The prize also shows recognition in realism writing coming from traditional Chinese literature, ” said He.
He cited Mo’s latest novel, Frog, which was published in China in 2010, as an example of Mo’s focus on realism. The book focuses on the influence of China’s “one child” policy in the countryside.
“Mo’s works are among the best when it comes to Chinese contemporary literature. ”He said, “Adding the award is significant for the development of Chinese literature and will improve confidence in the country’s cultural creativity. ”
Mo Yan, a pen name for Guan Moye, was born in 1955 and grew up in Gaomi in east China’s Shandong Province.
Mo is one of the most widely translated Chinese writers. His best-known work is Red Sorghum, which was made into a film by the director Zhang Yimou. Which is the main idea of the passage?
| A．2012 Nobel Prize in Literature. |
| B．Mo Yan’s success represents recognition of Chinese literature. |
| C．The success in Chinese literature. |
| D．A great Chinese writer. |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Mo Yan and Guan Moye refer to the same person. |
| B．Mo’s works are the best in China. |
| C．Mo Yan is the first Chinese national to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. |
| D．The film Red Sorghum directed by Zhang Yimou was written by Mo Yan. |
Mo Yan’s works focus on ______.
| A．lives in the countryside |
| B．city lives |
| C．China’s “one child” policy |
| D．the international influences of Chinese literature |
All 20 children who died in a shooting at a school in Connecticut were aged between six and seven, according to an official list of the dead.
The state's chief medical examiner said the gunman used a rifle as his main weapon, and all the victims appeared to have been shot several times.
The gunman, named in media reports as Adam Lanza, killed his mother before driving to the school and opening fire.
Six adults, all women, were also killed before the gunman shot himself dead.
The head teacher at Sandy Hook school in Newtown, Dawn Hochsprung, is listed among the dead, along with adults Rachel DaVino, Anne Marie Murphy, Lauren Russo, Mary Sherlach and Victoria Soto.
Eight boys and 12 girls were killed - all but four of them were aged six.
The youngest, Noah Pozner, celebrated his birthday only last month.
A woman who worked at the school was the only person to be shot and survive.
Scores of people have left flowers at a memorial outside the school, and on Saturday evening hundreds attended a candlelight vigil（守夜）.
President Barack Obama is to visit Newtown on Sunday to meet families and speak at an interfaith vigil at the town's high school.
After the attack, he urged "meaningful action" against gun crime in the US.
"As a country we have been through this too many times," he said in an emotional White House address.How many people of the school got shot during this heartbreaking event?
| A．26. | B．27. | C．20. | D．12 |
Among the student victims, how many are just six years old?
| A．12 | B．20. | C．4. | D．16 |
Very few victims survived the shooting probably because _____.
| A．they were all too young |
| B．they failed to call the police in time |
| C．they each were shot several times |
| D．they were not taken to hospital soon enough |
What did the gunman do after the massive killing?
| A．He shot his mother dead. |
| B．He was caught by the head teacher. |
| C．He killed himself with his gun. |
| D．He got out to attend a candlelight vigil |
From President Barack Obama’s words we can expect that ______.
| A．the control of the use of guns will be tighter in U.S.A |
| B．more gun crimes will be inspired by this attack |
| C．more people will own guns to protect themselves |
| D．fewer people will send their kids to the school |
The best example of something is often called the "gold standard." It sets the standard against which other things are measured. In economics, the term describes how major trading nations once used gold to set currency values and exchange rates. Many nations continued to use the gold standard until the last century.
In the United States, people could exchange paper money for gold from the eighteen seventies until nineteen thirty-three. Then-President Richard Nixon finally disconnected the dollar from the value of gold in nineteen seventy-one. From time to time, some politicians call for a return to the gold standard.
In 1978, the International Monetary Fund ended an official gold price. The IMF also ended the required use of gold in transactions with its member countries. Since that time, gold prices have grown and continued to be high. But people keep buying. Some people are "gold bugs." These are investors who say people should buy gold to protect against inflation(通货膨胀).
People have valued gold for thousands of years. The soft, dense metal polishes to a bright yellow shine and resists most chemical reactions. It makes a good material for money, political power -- and, more recently, electrical power. If you own a device like a mobile phone or a computer, you might own a little gold in the wiring.
The gold standard was the subject of one of the best-known speeches in American political history. William Bryan wanted the country to use both gold and silver as money. The idea was to devalue the dollar and make it easier for farmers to pay their debts. So he delivered a speech, which made him famous. He was a presidential candidate three times. But he never won.The underlined word “transactions” probably means “ ”
| A．wars | B．trade | C．meetings | D．conflict |
After the IMF ended the official gold price, the gold prices .
| A．stayed the same | B．began to drop |
| C．increased | D．increased a little at first and kept drop |
What’s the fourth paragraph mainly about?
| A．The reason for valuing gold | B．The history of the use of gold |
| C．New function of gold | D．How to obtain gold |
We can learn from the last paragraph that William Bryan .
| A．was once a farmer | B．loved to collect gold |
| C．was a famous political figure | D．was a good at giving speeches |
The protest movement called Occupy Wall Street has struck a nerve．The demonstrators' （示威者） goals may not be obvious but their complaints are very real．
The truth is that millions of Americans lost their jobs, their homes and their life savings because of the greed（贪欲） and illegal behavior of Wall Street．Even Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bemanke also said the protesters hold the view that the financial institutions are responsible for "getting the US into this mess", and added, "I can't blame those protesters．"
Where do we go from this movement? How do we calm the protesters' anger?
For starters, we should break up the super financial institutions．Left to their own selfish will．Wall Street bankers will continue to gamble（赌博） with other people's money．There also is a sound economic argument against too few owning far too much．The idea that six super financial institutions （Bank of America, CitiGroup, JP Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs） can take control over the economy frightens anyone who believes in a competitive free-market system．Good Republican presidents like William Howard Taft and Teddy Roosevelt broke up Standard Oil, the Railroad Trusts ．and other huge companies a century ago．
Real unemployment is more than 16%．Average family income has declined by $3,600 over the last decade．A record 46 million Americans live in poverty．The gap between the very rich and everyone else, the widest of any major country, is growing wider．Now is the time for us to end the financial oligarchy（寡头） that has been so harmful to our economy．If a bank is too big, it is too big to exist．Millions of Americans lost their jobs as a result of _____．
| A．the decline of average family income |
| B．illegal behavior of Wall Street |
| C．wider gap between the very rich and everyone else |
| D．the protest movement called Occupy Wall Street |
Which of the following belongs to the super financial institutions?
| A．Standard Oil | B．Federal Reserve |
| C．JP Morgan Chase | D．Teddy Roosevelt |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．The protest movement has very clear aims． |
| B．Wall Street bankers manage people's money well． |
| C．Super financial institutions should be broken up． |
| D．Average family income is always in decline． |
What is the attitude of the writer towards the financial institutions?
| A．critical | B．supportive |
| C．indifferent | D．enthusiastic |
Christopher Thomas, 27, was a writer by night and a teacher by day when he noticed he was always tired and was losing weight fast. Diagnosed with diabetes(糖尿病), Thomas would need to inject himself with insulin(胰岛素) three times a day for the rest of his life or risk nerve damage, blindness, and even death. And if that weren't bad enough, he had no health insurance.
After a month of feeling upset, Thomas decided he'd better find a way to fight back. He left Canton, Michigan for New York, got a job waiting tables, nicknamed himself the Diabetic Rockstar , and created diabeticrockstar.com, a free online community for diabetics and their loved ones—a place where over 1,100 people share personal stories, information, and resources.
Jason Swencki’s son, Kody, was diagnosed with type diabetes at six. Father and son visit the online children's forums(论坛) together most evenings. "Kody gets so excited, writing to kids from all over," says Swencki, one of the site's volunteers. "They know what he's going through, so he doesn't feel alone."
Kody is anything but alone: Diabetes is now the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, with 24 million diagnosed cases. And more people are being diagnosed at younger ages.
These days, Thomas's main focus is his charity（慈善机构）, Fight It, which provides medicines and supplies to people—225 to date—who can't afford a diabetic's huge expenses. Fight-it.org has raised about $23,000—in products and in cash. In May, Thomas will hold the first annual Diabetic Rockstar Festival in the Caribbean.
Even with a staff of 22 volunteers, Thomas often devotes up to 50 hours a week to his cause, while still doing his full-time job waiting tables. "Of the diabetes charities out there, most are putting money into finding a cure," says Bentley Gubar, one of Rockstar's original members. "But Christopher is the only person I know saying people need help now."Which of the following is true of Christopher Thomas?
| A． He needs to go to the doctor every day. |
| B． He studies the leading cause of diabetes |
| C． He has a positive attitude to this disease. |
| D． He encourages diabetics by writing articles. |
Diabeitcrockstar.com was created for _________.
| A．diabetics to communicate | B．volunteers to find jobs |
| C．children to amuse themselves | D．rock stars to share resources. |
The last paragraph suggests that Thomas ______.
| A．works full-time in a diabetes charity |
| B．employs 22 people for his website |
| C．helps diabetics in his own way |
| D．ties to find a cure for diabetes |
Why do Americans struggle with watching their weight, while the French, who consume rich food, continue to stay thin? Now a research by Cornell University suggests how life style and decisions about eating may affect weight. Researchers concluded that the French tend to stop eating when they feel full. However, Americans tend to stop when their plate is empty or their favorite TV show is over.
According to Dr. Joseph Mercola, a health expert, the French see eating as an important part of their life style. They enjoy food and therefore spend a fairly long time at the table, while Americans see eating as something to be squeezed between the other daily activities. Mercola believes Americans lose the ability to sense when they are actually full. So they keep eating long after the French would have stopped. In addition, he points out that Americans drive to huge supermarkets to buy canned and frozen foods for the week. The French, instead, tend to shop daily, walking to small shops and farmers’ markets where they have a choice of fresh fruits, vegetables, and eggs as well as high-quality meats for each meal.
After a visit to the United States, Mireille Guiliano, author of French Women Don’t Get Fat, decided to write about the importance of knowing when to stop rather than suggesting how to avoid food. Today she continues to stay slim and rarely goes to the gym.
In spite of all these differences, evidence shows that recent life style changes may be affecting French eating habits. Today the rate of obesity — or extreme overweight — among adults is only 6%. However, as American fast food gains acceptance and the young reject older traditions, the obesity rate among French children has reached 17% — and is growing.In what way are the French different from Americans according to Dr. Joseph Mercola?
| A．They go shopping at supermarkets more frequently. |
| B．They squeeze eating between the other daily activities. |
| C．They regard eating as a key part of their lifestyles. |
| D．They usually eat too much canned and frozen food. |
This text is mainly the relationship between _________.
| A．Americans and the French |
| B．life style and obesity |
| C．children and adults |
| D．fast food and overweight |
The text is mainly developed __________.
| A．by contrast | B．by space | C．by process | D．by classification |
Where does this text probably come from?
| A．A TV interview | B．A food advertisement |
| C．A health report | D．A book review |
Our warming planet is expected to face serious water crisis（危机）in the coming decades — which means each nation’s natural resource will be more important than ever.  |
According to the statistics, what is the world average of freshwater resource per person?
| A．244,973 cubic kilometers |
| B．241 cubic kilometers |
| C．3,642 cubic kilometers |
| D．6,122 cubic kilometers |
Which country or region has the most freshwater resource per year?
| A．Guyana | B．Brazil | C．Iceland | D．China |
Which country or region appears twice on the top 5 lists?
| A．Bhutan | B．Seychelles | C．Canada | D．Suriname |
As has been all too apparent in recent days at Balcombe, few issues cause greater concern than energy policy. Many village communities feel their countryside is being ruined by the power-producing machines of wind farms; yet they never take "direct action", even though the planning laws put them at a severe disadvantage. And the generous subsidies (财政补贴) , which encourage the expansion of wind power, are not favorable to the village communities and set landowners in conflict with other residents (居民) .
Those who disagree with the rapid expansion of wind farms state that the damage they cause is out of proportion(比例) to the benefits they bring, because their energy output cannot match that of the carbon-based power stations they are supposed to replace. Supporters insist that wind must be part of a mix of renewables, nuclear and carbon, and that the country is committed to meeting EU ( European Union) targets for non-carbon energy generation.
Against this background, the fact that there is an argument within the Government over whether to publish an official report on wind farms' impact on the countryside becomes even more extraordinary. The two parties in the coalition (联合) government are in disagreement over what it should say.
We have some advice for the two parties: publish the report, and let the country be the judge. Even if it contains evidence that wind farms are harmful, it will hardly be a pleasant surprise to people who do not like them. Equally, supporters must argue their case by acknowledging the concerns and explaining why they are either misplaced or worthy of much attention.
The suggestion that further negotiations are to take place to produce an "acceptable" report suggests that the politics of coalition government are doing the country harm in a certain way. Given the sensitivities involved, all the information should be available so that people can reach their own conclusions, rather than being left with the suspicion（猜疑）that facts are being replaced by political beliefs.We can learn from the first paragraph that__________.
| A．energy policy catches much attention of the public |
| B．the residents are in favor of the expansion of wind farms |
| C．many village communities are satisfied with the subsidies |
| D．the planning laws offer great benefits to the residents |
Supporters think that the expansion of wind power____.
| A．is more rapid than that of carbon-based power |
| B．guarantees an increase in energy output |
| C．is expected to be much better than that of nuclear power |
| D．agrees with EU targets for non-carbon energy generation |
It can be inferred from the passage that____.
| A．an official report will settle the energy problem |
| B．the two parties are divided over the issue of wind farms |
| C．the two parties have agreed on a further negotiation |
| D．political beliefs concerning energy issue go against facts |
Which of the following reflects the author's opinion?
| A．Increase political impact on energy policy. |
| B．Release a statement of supporters on wind farms. |
| C．Let the nation judge the facts about wind power. |
| D．Leave the two parties to reach their own conclusions. |
You are the collector in the gallery of your life. You collect. You might not mean to but you do. One out of three people collects tangible（有形的）things such as cats, photos and noisy toys.
There are among some 40 collections that are being shown at “The Museum Of”—the first of several new museums which, over the next two years, will exhibit the objects accumulated by unknown collectors. In doing so, they will promote a popular culture of museums, not what museums normally represent.
Some of the collections are fairly common—records, model houses. Others are strangely beautiful—branches that have fallen from tree, for example. But they all reveal （显露）a lot of things: ask someone what they collect and their answers will tell you who they are.
Other on the way include “The museum of Collectors” and “The Museum of Me.”These new ones, it is hoped, will build on the success of “The Museum Of.” The thinkers behind the project want to explore why people collect, and what it means to do so. They hope that visitors who may not have considered themselves collectors will begin to see they, too, collect.
Some collectors say they started or stopped making collections at important point: the beginning or end of adolescence—“it’s a growing-up thing; you stop when you grow up,”says one. Other painful times are mentioned, such as the end of a relationship. For time and life can seem so uncontrollable that a steady serial（顺序排列的）arrangement is comforting.How will the new museums promote a popular culture of museums?
| A．By collecting more tangible things. |
| B．By showing what ordinary people have collected. |
| C．By correcting what museums normally represent. |
| D．By accumulating 40 collections two years from now. |
What can be learned about collectors from their collections?
| A．Who they are. |
| B．How old they are. |
| C．Where they were born. |
| D．Why they might not mean to collect. |
Which of the following is an aim of the new museums?
| A．To help people sell their collections. |
| B．To encourage more people to collect. |
| C．To study the significance of collecting. |
| D．To find out why people visit museums. |
According to the last paragraph, people may stop collecting when they
| A．become adults |
| B．feel happy with life |
| C．are ready for a relationship |
| D．feel time to he uncontrollable |
In the early hours of March 8, a Boeing 777 took off from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Its destination was Beijing. But for unknown reasons, it never arrived there.
There were 239 people on the Malaysia Airlines flight, including 154 Chinese. As of March 13, 12 different countries, including Malaysia, China, Vietnam and the US, were searching for the plane.
The disappearance is an “aviation (航空) mystery”, Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, the head of Malaysia’s Civil Aviation Authority, said on March 10.There was no clear sign of a crash by March 13.
Between 1-2 hours after takeoff, the plane suddenly lost contact with people on the ground. The weather was clear, and the pilots didn’t make any calls . No evidence was found in the area where the flight last made contact. People are also talking about a possible hijacking (劫机).
International police agency Interpol confirmed on March 9 that at least two passengers on the flight had used stolen passports to get on board. “We are looking at all possibilities,” said Malaysian Transport Minister Hishamuddin Hussein. The incident is now being called simply a “plane disappearance”.
So, what are some possible causes of a plane disappearance? An AP story provided a summary.
1. A failure of the plane’s body or its engines. However, even if both engines stopped working, the plane could still glide (滑翔) for up to 20 minutes, giving pilots time to make an emergency call.
2. Bad weather. Planes are designed to fly through most severe storms. However, in June 2009, an Air France flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris crashed during a bad storm over the Atlantic Ocean.
3. A bomb. Throughout history, several planes have been brought down by bombs.
4. An accidental shoot-down by some country’s military. In July 1988, the US Navy accidentally shot down an Iran Air flight. In September 1983, a Korean Air Lines flight was shot down by a Russian fighter jet.
No matter how unlikely a situation, it’s too early to determine what really happened to MH370. It could take months, if not years, to rule out any possibilities, say experts.. How many cities are mentioned in this passage?
| A．Four cities. | B．five cities. | C．Six cities. | D．Seven cities. |
What could the underlined phrase “rule out” in the last paragraph mean?
| A．cross out | B．get rid of | C．take out | D．take the place of |
What could be the best title of the passage?
| A．An Air Crash | B．The Causes of the Disappearance |
| C．The Disappearance of MH 370 | D．An Aviation Mystery |
There's something rotten in Rio and the smell is coming from the huge stacks of rubbish pried up on sidewalks all over the city. Rio's street sweepers chose the carnival holiday to demand better salaries. Their wages start at roughly $400 a month.
There could hardly be a better time for them to prove their importance. The streets were left a mess after hundreds of carnival parades and now, rubbish pries up in both poor and uptown neighbourhoods and in tourist areas like Ipanema or Copacabana beach.
The president of Rio's rubbish collecting company has even appealed to the population to store rubbish at home whenever possible. He says 30% of the city's sweepers have gone on strike. Some of those who have been working have been threatened by the strike movement so now the police has been deployed alongside rubbish collectors to keep them sage as they go about their business.
The strike has divided opinions in Rio. On social media, many support the sweepers' demands for better salaries. Others say they are opportunists and the situation is a big embarrassment to the city.
But Brazil's culture of littering the streets doesn't help. A video that went viral online shows that even authorities have a problem with that. Rio's mayor, Eduardo Paes, is seen throwing what seemed to be the rest of an apple on the sidewalk--and now promised to impose himself a fine for his wrongdoing. His government recently created a programme to keep Rio's residents from littering the streets.Rio's street cleaners go on strike to
| A．prove their importance | B．threaten the government |
| C．ask for higher salaries | D．appeal to the public not to litter |
The reason why the police are involved is that __
| A．the police are called out to put down the riot | B．the police are required to protect some cleaners |
| C．the police are to collect rubbish for the time being | D．the police are sent to arrest people who litter around |
The author's attitude to Brazil's culture of littering is __
| A．hopeless | B．approving | C．critical | D．optimistic |
The purpose of writing the passage is to __
| A．criticize, street sweepers of Rio for misusing their rights |
| B．call attention to the embarrassing situation of Rio |
| C．describe the effect or the strike on people |
| D．inform people of the present situation of Rio |
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