Nelson Mandela is respected and admired across the world. And to South Africans he is a superstar. He is a hero who shocked the world by fighting for peace between races(种族), despite the 27 years he spent in the prison of the South Africa’s white, racist government.
Mandela who won the nation’s first all-race elections in 1994, retired 1999. But he remains as popular as ever.
“He’s loved by all people, whether you’re while or black, whether you’re young or old,” said Ali Bacher, South Africa’s famous cricket (板球) athlete.
His popularity has inspired an entire national industry. His portrait(肖像) has appeared at many places, including on some goods. His face has appeared on a South African coin and some business leaders hope to build a statue(雕像) for him --- the Statue of Freedom. It would stand taller than New York’s Statue of Liberty.
His popularity is similar to that of John F. Kennedy with US or Winston Churchill in Britain, but few politicians in this times have achieved his level of admiration, said Tom Lodge, head of the political science department of the University of the Witwatersrand.
“Sometimes it isn’t completely appreciated what a skilled performer Mandela has been throughout his political career. He’s a very, very clever man.”
“Through the ages, the human race has had its icons --- men and women who rose above ordinary people to inspire their generations,” The Mail and Guardian Weekly said. “In our generation, the gods presented us Nelson Mandela.”Nelson Mandela is loved by all the people of South Africa because ________.
| A．he’s as popular as Kennedy and Churchill |
| B．he has kept in prison for 27 years |
| C．he’s a great fighter against the racialism |
| D．he’s the first all-race elections president |
Which of the following statements about Mandela’s portrait is true?
| A．It helps develop business. |
| B．It appears on the Statue of Freedom. |
| C．It is used to raise money for the Statue of Freedom. |
| D．It is similar to that of John F. Kennedy or Winston Churchill. |
The underlined sentence in the last paragraph means “________.”
| A．Mandela is as great as a god |
| B．We are proud to live in Mandela’s time |
| C．Mandela lives together with us all |
| D．We are proud to know Mandela. |
Four million children are caught up in the war in Syria. Thirteen-year-old Rabia is one of them. Tall and thin, she sits shaking in a yellow T-shirt at the Al Marj settlement, close to the Lebanese-Syrian border. 
Home for Rabia was once a two-story house near Damascus. Now it is a tent shared with her nine family members.
Rabia’s face is covered with dirt, and she is tired and cold. She has just finished work, picking up potatoes that fell from a truck. Her typical day starts at 4 a.m., and she works a double shift that lasts about 16 hours, putting potatoes into bags. The only choice for her is that she can choose the first eight hours or the second eight hours. For this, she gets paid about $8 a day.
Working means Rabia misses school. Back in her village, she was the best in her class and good at everything. Her favorite subjects were Arabic literature and math. But, like many children now living in the settlements—there are no official refugee （难民）camps in Lebanon —that was Rabia’s old life. Life before war, before her family moved five times to escape the bombs, before leaving behind her bedroom, her toys and her friends without packing a bag, before “half the people I know”were dead.
The old life was full of laughter with her sister, Wala. But Wala, 14, got married two days ago to an 18-year-old Lebanese. Rabia is happy for her sister. Life in the settlement is tough— the children have nowhere to play, the bathing is poor and sexual abuse is out of control. You can’t blame parents —often confused, illiterate （不识字的）and poor—who want to marry off their daughters. They fear for their safety.
Increasing numbers of Rabia’s girlfriends are getting married. Once in rural Syria, a girl got married at 16. According to UNICEF, the age is now dropping to 12 or 13. It is no secret that Lebanese men want to marry Syrian refugee girls, who work hard and don’t ask for anything. Where is the passage most likely to have been taken from?
| A．A news report. | B．A book review. |
| C．A history book. | D．A travel magazine. |
The underlined word “shift”in Para. 3 probably refers to _____.
| A．the extra task | B．the low pay |
| C．the potato factory. | D．the working period |
The writer's purpose for writing Para. 4 is to ________.
| A．present the dream of Rabia | B．show the damage of the war |
| C．predict the future of Syrian girls | D．compare the life before war and now |
Why are so many young Syrian girls getting married?
| A．They have no good friends to play with. |
| B．They want money from the husband family. |
| C．Their parents are worried about their safety. |
| D．Their parents are confused，illiterate and poor. |
The world’s biggest Internet search engine, Google, has proven once again to be King of the Web. Users can download “Google Wi-Fi” software and then enjoy free Wi-Fi service available in some US cities since last Tuesday.
Wi-Fi is short for “Wireless Fidelity”(无线上网). It allows laptop computers and personal digital assistants to the Internet at high speed by radio signal.
A person with a Wi-Fi enabled computer can connect to the Internet when near one of the network’s access points. The place covered by one or several access points is called a hotspot. Google has already set up two “hotspots” in the US city of San Francisco which provide a free Wi-Fi service.
The Wi-Fi technology even allows users to enjoy a free Internet phone service. Some scientists argue that Wi-Fi may replace mobile phone networks.
Wi-Fi is still limited to a few cities, where there are “hotspots”. But its capability(容量)of sending information has already done better than that of the mobile phone network, even that of 3G(Third Generation Telecommunication Technology). Some scientists have started to call Wi-Fi 4G.
In addition to a high speed Internet connection, Wi-Fi has other advantages compared to mobile phones. Wi-Fi is global. The same Wi-Fi system works in different countries around the world. Different from using cell phones, you don’t need to change computers to use Internet phones when you go to other places and most importantly, many Internet phones cost you nothing at all. Wi-Fi is not available in cities without _______.
| A．a computer | B．a radio | C．a cell phone | D．a hotspot |
Which of the following is NOT true of Wi-Fi?
| A．The high speed Internet connection. |
| B．Many free Internet phones. |
| C．Being used in all the US cities. |
| D．Using the same computers for Internet phones when you go to other places. |
Some scientists started to call Wi-Fi 4G, because _______.
| A．it is the product of the Google’s 4th generation |
| B．it has been used by more than four generations |
| C．Wi-Fi will surely take the place of the mobile phone network |
| D．it is more capable of sending information than the mobile phone network |
Which of the following is the best title?
| A．Google Launches Free Wi-Fi Service |
| B．Free Call Service |
| C．Third Generation Telecommunication Technology |
| D．Google, King of the Web |
Yasuda is 95 years old. Looking for easier ways to search the Web and send email, he bought Apple’s iPad. The company has sold 3.27 million iPads since they entered the market in April. Although it’s impossible to know with certainty how many seniors (老年人) are buying them, evidence suggests that it’s a hit with seniors.
The iPad’s intuitive interface (直观界面) makes it attractive to seniors around the world, says Takahiro Miura, a researcher at the University of Tokyou. “The iPad is a good tool for seniors because it’s very easy to use,” he says. “Unlike the PC, it doesn’t require former knowledge.”
James Cordwell, a researcher in London, says the iPad’s popularity with seniors is helping Apple reach beyond its traditional base of young customers. “The world’s population, especially in developed markets, is getting older. It’s probably a market where Apple has least entered, ” Cordwell says. Senior users are “a key source of growth for them in the future.”
Seniors make up about 22 percent of the population in Japan. They may prove that seniors are willing to accept the iPad. Besides the customer group under 30, they spend more than any other group in the country, according to a report. Motoo Kitamura, 78, a former gas salesman, bought an iPad to help him communicate with his 2-year-old grandson and prevent him from experiencing some of the mental problems that sometimes come with getting older. “Trying new things like that is good mental exercise,” he says.The underlined part “a hit” in Paragraph 1 probably means ______ .
| A．a sudden attack | B．a heavy burden | C．quite popular | D．very familiar |
Which of the following is NOT an advantage of the iPad?
| A．It has intuitive interface. |
| B．It is easy to operate. |
| C．Beginners can use it without similar experiences. |
| D．People can use it as a way to do mental exercise. |
What can we learn from the text?
| A．People above thirty are Apple’s largest customer group in Japan. |
| B．The traditional customers of Apple’s products are usually the young. |
| C．Seniors will soon grow into Apple’s largest customer group. |
| D．Seniors in Japan are fond of buying latest hi-tech products. |
What is the text mainly about?
A. iPad leading Apple to seniors.
B. iPad influencing the customer group.
C. iPad’s arrival causing Japanese to think.
D. iPad beating the traditional PC.
Motown songwriter-producer Deke Richards，who was behind songs including The Jackson 5's first three US number one hits，has died aged 68．
Richards，who had oesophageal(食管的)cancer,died in a Washington state hospice(安养院)，Universal Music said．The musician，whose real name was Dennis Lussier,Was leader of the Motown songwriting，arranging and producing team—The Corporation．Their hits include The Jackson 5'S I Want You Back and ABC．
Richards also co-wrote Love Child for Diana Ross and The Supremes，as well as Ross’s solo track I’m Still Waiting.He produced and wrote for Martha Reeves and the Vamlellas and Bobby Darin．
The Corporation，which consisted of Motown label head Berry Gordy,Alphonzo Mizell，Freddie Perren and Richards，was set up in 1969 to create hit records for the label’s new act，The Jackson 5．
They also wrote，produced and arranged the band’s singles and Maybe Tomorrow and Mama's Pearl．
According to Michael Jackson biographer,J．Randy Taraborrelli，Mama’s Pearl was originally called Guess Who’S Making Whoopie(With Your Girlfriend)．
But Richards had the lyrics changed to preserve the young frontman’s innocent image．
The Hollywood Reporter said Richards' "love of music” kept him involved with a variety of projects，including last year’S production of The Jackson 5's Come and Get It：The Rare Pearls．featuring rare and unreleased(未发行的) tracks．
Richards’ final work was the mixing of eight unreleased tracks by Martha Reeves and The Vandellas for the band's 50th anniversary box set,which is to be released on 5 April．Deke Richard wrote songs for the following singers EXCEPT
| A．Martha Reeves | B．Joan Lussier | C．Bobby Darin | D．Jackson 5’s |
Which of the following is true about Richards?
| A．He died at the age of68 in a Washington clinic． |
| B．He is a musician behind many hit songs. |
| C．He wrote“I’m Still Waiting”for Martha Reeves． |
| D．His final work is to be released in May. |
What Call we learn from the passage?
| A．The Corporation has a history of more than 40 years． |
| B．The lyrics of Mama’S Pearl turned out to be a failure． |
| C．The lyrics of Mama’S Pearl Was changed by J．Randy Taraborrelli． |
| D．Richards said his own love of music kept him involved with many projects． |
It is implied in the passage that______．
| A．Richards hardly co-wrote songs for singers |
| B．the Jackson 5's Come and Get it Was left unfinished as Richards got i11． |
| C．The corporation Was set up to earn money． |
| D．Richards had deep love for music． |
Which column can you most possibly find the passage on a website?
| A．Health | B．Business | C．Technology | D．Entertainment |
"Gangnam Style" by singer Psy from Korea, is a popular song, but its extraordinary global success is really the result of its music video, which is a great piece of genius. On September 22nd, Guinness World Records listed "Gangnam Style" as the most-liked video in the history of YouTube. It's been performed at West Point (West-Point Style), and Google's CEO, has done the "Gangnam Style" horse dance at the company's office in Seoul. Even Samsung is trying to make Psy the new model for the latest type of fridge.
The song's global popularity is such that the vast majority of people who enjoy it don't speak Korean, and have no idea what it is about. That's fine --- part of what makes "Gangnam Style" so fun is, like international pop music, the difficulty in understanding it. When we sing along, "Hey, sexy lady", we don't really know what we're singing about.
The joy of incomprehensibleness is familiar to anyone who loves pop music from elsewhere. Anthony Lane, in his 2010 review of the Eurovision Song Contest, Only Mr. God Knows Why, used "Eurovision English" as one of its chief pleasures. It's "a complex tongue, spoken nowhere else, which raises the heartfelt poetry (诗意) but absolute nonsense to a level of what sci-fi writers could only have dreamed. " In similar ways, "Gangnam Style" is just an over-the-top video where a fat man does a funny dance and sings repetitive words that don't make sense to most of us.
But on the other, the magic of the song also lies in its funny dance, which reflects not just cultural morals specific to Korea, but cultural values easily recognizable to western viewers. This song's words may be in Korean, but its scenes are in clear American. The dance moves are simple enough to copy.
Nonsense, in other words, forces us to let down our guards. It makes us relax, and asks us to let in all sorts of feelings from which, otherwise, we might distance ourselves. "Gangnam Style" happens to be so interesting because of its incomprehensibleness.Some complex languages are used in pop music because _______.
| A．singers regard it as one of the chief pleasures at the concert |
| B．they make the music hard to understand but poetic and attractive |
| C．the music can sound more pleasant and beautiful to the audience |
| D．people like listening to the music which makes special sense to them |
What is true about the popularity of "Gangnam Style"?
| A．It was considered as the most popular video on the Internet. |
| B．It makes people amused and removes their emotional guards. |
| C．Its dance only reflects cultural and morals specific to Korea. |
| D．Psy, its singer, has been the new model for Samsung . |
What does the underlined word "incomprehensibleness" mean in Paragraph 3?
| A．Being interesting to listen to. | B．Being simple enough to copy. |
| C．Being complex and repetitive. | D．Being difficult to understand. |
The text is mainly about ________.
| A．how "Gangnam Style" becomes popular among the youths |
| B．why "Gangnam Style" is popular even if few people understand it |
| C．how Psy gains worldwide success through his talent and hard work |
| D．what emotions and cultural morals Psy wants to convey with his song |
In 1980，Candy Lightner’s 13-year-old daughter Cad was killed by a drunk driver as she walked down a suburban street in California. “I promised myself on the day of my daughter’s death that I would fight to make this needless accident count for something positive in the years ahead,” Candy Lightener later wrote.
The drunk driver received a two-year prison sentence. However, he avoided prison by serving time in a work camp and a halfway house. Ms. Lightner was very angry about that and so organized Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD), which later changed to Mothers Against Drunk Driving. The aim of her organization was to raise public awareness of the serious nature of drunk driving and to promote tough legislation against the crime.
Before Ms. Lightner’s MADD, intoxication (醉酒), including drunk driving, was not taken seriously. Intoxication was often used as an excuse for otherwise unacceptable behavior: “I didn’t know what I was doing—I was drunk.”
Candy Lightner appeared on major television shows, spoke before the US Congress, addressed professional and business, groups, and worked tirelessly for years to change public attitudes, change judicial(审判的) behaviour, and promote tough new legislation. Ms. Lightner left MADD because the organization that she herself created is changing its focus. “I didn’t start MADD to deal with alcohol. I started MADD to deal with the issue of drunk driving.”
The President of the United States awarded her the President’s Volunteer Action Award and she was the subject of the movie “Mothers Against Drunk Drivers: the Candy Lightner Story”.One of the purposes of MADD was to______ .
| A．make the public aware of the danger of drunk driving |
| B．fight against the drunk hit-and-run drivers on the road |
| C．make new laws against crimes caused by drinking |
| D．warn people not to drink alcohol while driving |
which way didn’t Ms. Lightner use to achieve her MADD’s goals?
| A．Talking on major TV shows. |
| B．Giving a talk to businessmen. |
| C．Applying for a job with the government. |
| D．Giving suggestions to the US Congress. |
We can learn from the passage that______.
| A．the drunk driver had not been caught |
| B．drunk driving didn’t receive enough attention before MADD |
| C．Candy Lightner played a leading role in a film |
| D．MADD didn’t get much support from society |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Ways to prevent drunk driving |
| B．Purposes of founding MADD |
| C．New law against drunk driving |
| D．Candy Lightner and her MADD |
"Hey, don't read in the hallway. Your eyesight will be damaged." You must have heard such warnings many times. “Don’t read in poor light!” This is one of the common beliefs that are supposed to help us live a healthy life. Such beliefs are, however, without scientific basis(根据), according to a paper published recently in the British Medical Journal.
Do you believe in the following sayings?
Reading in poor light ruins your eyesight.
In poor light, you might blink (眨眼) more, suffer from drying and have trouble focusing. But most of eye experts believe it is unlikely to do any damage forever.
We must drink at least eight glasses of water a day.
In 1945, the Nutrition Council in US suggested that people need to drink 2.5 litres of water a day. But the water contained in food, particularly fruit and vegetables, as well as in milk, juice and soft drinks, also counts towards the total.
We only use 10 percent of our brains.
This idea appears as early as 1907. People have long argued about our power of self-improvement and our brains’ possible abilities. But X-rays show that no area of the brain is silent or inactive.
Shaving your legs causes hair to grow black faster and thicker.
This theory is also illusion. Studies say that shaving has no effect on the thickness or rate of hair growth. Just over time, the edge of hair gets worn away and thus the edge of long hair becomes finer (更细). What does the paper say about some common beliefs?
| A．They are useful knowledge in life. |
| B．They help us live in healthy ways. |
| C．They are well-known theories. |
| D．They do not have scientific basis. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage ?
| A．People use 90 percent of their brains. |
| B．Shaving your legs will give you thicker hair. |
| C．Reading in poor light does harm to people’s eyes. |
| D．People need not less than eight glasses of water a day. |
The underlined word “illusion” in the last paragraph probably means “_________”.
| A．a wrong idea | B．a powerful evidence |
| C．an interesting story | D．a clear instruction |
This passage is most likely to be found in __________ .
| A．a newspaper | B．a guide book |
| C．a history textbook | D．an advertisement |
President Barack Obama rode a bicycle at the White House Science Fair on April 22. But it wasn’t an ordinary bike. As he pedaled, the President stayed in place, while the energy from his pedaling powered a water filtration (过滤) system. He was testing an invention created by a team of 14 students from Northeast High School, in Oakland Park, Florida.
Payton Karr, 16, and Kiona Elliot, 18, attended the fair as representatives of the project.“We were hoping President Obama would ride the bike, but we didn’t actually expect him to,” Payton told TFK. “ It really meant a lot.” Kiona agreed. “It was pretty awesome to see the invention, which was invented by a group of 14 high school students and one teacher, along with the help of community members, got the interest of the leader of our nation,” she said.
The project was an idea that came about after one of the Northeast students, Kalie Hoke, visited Haiti after the terrible 2010 earthquake and saw how difficult it was to find clean water. The students invented a portable(便携的), bicycle-powered emergency water filtration system, which can provide 20-30 people with drinking water in a 15-hour period. The teens hope their invention will one day be used by relief organizations like the Red Cross. “ They can take it to places after natural disasters so that water can be clean for the people there,” said Payton.
Payton and Kiona were among the 100 students from more than 40 states invited to the third annual White House Science Fair, in Washington, D.C., which is also attended by leaders in science and education. President Obama started the event in 2010 to stimulate students interested in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths).“Well, if you’re a young person and you produce the best experiment or design, you ought to be recognized for that achievement,” Obama said when he first announced the fair.
President Obama praised the projects during a speech to attendees after the fair. “The science fair projects of today could become the products and businesses of tomorrow,” he said. “If you’re inventing things in the third grade, what are you going to do by the time you get to college?”What is special about the bicycle President Obama rode?
| A．It can move very fast. |
| B．It is extremely beautiful. |
| C．It is used to make water clean. |
| D．It is made of eco-friendly materials. |
The representatives of the bicycle-powered water filtration system_________.
| A．were both community members |
| B．graduated from a famous university |
| C．finished the project with the help of their parents |
| D．were surprised that their invention interested Obama |
The bicycle-powered water filtration system was designed ________________.
| A．at the request of the Red Cross |
| B．for city families to get pure water |
| C．during the terrible 2010 earthquake in Haiti |
| D．to provide people in disaster areas with clean water |
The underlined word “stimulate” in Paragraph 4 can be replaced by _________.
| A．help | B．inspire | C．change | D．entertain |
We can know from the last sentence in the passage that President Obama _____.
| A．wanted the youth to have big dreams |
| B．encouraged the youth to go to college |
| C．worried the young inventors would do nothing in college |
| D．believed the young inventors would have a promising future |
IF you lived by the sea, you’d know that typhoons are frequent（频繁的）visitors during summer .They bring Strong winds, heavy rain and flooding（洪水）But most of the time, when people stay indoors, they’re just all right.
This is what the people in the Philippines used to believe – until they met the “super typhoon”, Haiyan.
The typhoon hit the country on Nov 8, at around 5 am, when most people were still asleep. But being at home didn’t keep them safe, since few buildings remained standing once they were hit by wind as violent as 376 kilometers per hour, according to NBC News.
“This is at the top end of any tropical system that we’ve seen on our planet,” said Bryan Norcross, a weather scientist working for NBC. And so far, Haiyan has caused more than 3,600 deaths and left millions of people homeless.
.But where did Haiyan get its destructive power?
According to Brian McNoldy, a tropical weather expert at the University of Miami, US, Haiyan was so strong because “it had everything working for it”
“All typhoons feed off the warm ocean waters,” Colin Price, a weather researcher at Tel Aviv University in Israel, told National Geographic. Tropical storms are like giant engines（发动机），powered by the heat transferred（传导）from the ocean waters to the air above. However, because of climate change, the oceans have been warming up in recent decades. “Warmer oceans will result in more intense（强烈的）storms，” Price said.
Also, Haiyan started near the equator（赤道），where it was able to pick up more heat before heading to the Philippines. Moreover, the route（路线）it traveled was mostly along open ocean, which means no land prevented it from gathering steam（水蒸气）．
In addition, there happened to be very little “wind shear（风切变）in the area this time. Wind shear is a sudden change in wind speed or direction, which can tear apart developing storms. This is like when you stir（搅动） a glass of water with a chopstick: a swirl（漩涡）will form, ‘but if you move the chopstick in the opposite direction, the swirl will quickly disappear.”
“When all those things align in a certain way, you’re going to get something like‘Haiyan’.”Jim Kossin, a scientist with the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told National Geographic.Which of the following is TRUE about typhoons according to the article?
| A．They mostly happen early in the morning. |
| B．They mostly do damage during winter. |
| C．During most typhoons people can keep safe just by staying at home. |
| D．This year, more intense storms have happened in the world, |
Which of the following made Haiyan so powerful?
a, lts starting point was the equator
b, The frequency of other intense storms
c. More heat was transferred from the ocean waters to the air above,
d. There was a strong wind shear in the area
e. There was no land in its way
| A．abc | B．acd | C．ace | D． ade |
The underlined word “alignin” the last paragraph is closest in meaning to_____
| A．disappear | B．affect each other |
| C．Arrive at the top | D．Happen at the same time |
The article mainly talks about
| A．how destructive Haiyan was |
| B．Why Haiyan was so destructive |
| C．how typhoons like Haiyan form（形成） |
| D．ways to protect yourself when typhoons hit |
“The Voice” has become a major player in the TV talent-show stages, as the show has become NBC’s biggest entertainment prime-time program of 2012. In addition to being a hit in the ratings, “The Voice” is also a hit with critics and Emmy voters: The second season of the show , which aired from February to May 2012, has earned the 2012 Critics’ Choice Award for Best Realty-Series Competition and an Emmy nomination (提名) for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program.
All the original coaches are back for the third season in a row: Christina Aguilera, Maroon 5 lead singer Adam Levine, Cee Lo Green and Blake Shelton. The show’s other on-air talent returning for Season 3 are host/producer Carson Daly and social media reporter Christina Milian, who has been with the show since Season 2. The grand prize for the winner is also the same: a record deal with Universal Republic Records.
The third season of “The Voice” features two big new changes: “steals”, in which the coaches can steal contestants who have been rejected from another coach’s team, and “knockout rounds”. In the “battle rounds,” two contestants face off in a duet (二重唱) of a song chosen by their coach. When a contestant is rejected from a team after a battle round, another coach has the option to “steal” the contestant for his or her team. If more than one coach wants the same contestant, then the contestant gets to choose the coach. In the “knockout rounds,” two contestants face off by each doing a different song of the contestant’s choice, and coaches can no longer “steal” a contestant who is rejected.
Season 3 will also have a new group of four advisers, who are each paired with a coach: Green Day lead singer with Aguilera; Mary J. Blige with Levine; Michael Bublé with Shelton; and Matchbox Twenty lead singer Rob Thomas with Green. At an August 2012 press event held at “The Voice” executive producer Mark Burnett’s home in Malibu, California, members of the media gathered for a press conference with Burnett, Aguilera, Green, Shelton, Levine, Daly and Milian to discuss changes in the show and what the future holds for “The Voice.” What does the underlined word “aired” in Paragraph 1 mean?
| A．open |
B．perform |
C．sing |
D．broadcast |
On which section of a newspaper will you read this passage?
| A．Finance |
B．Current affairs |
C．Tech |
D．Entertainment |
According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．“The Voice” has earned the recognition of critics and Emmy voters. |
| B．The prize of “The Voice” remains the same as the previous year. |
| C．“The Voice” has become the biggest world entertainment of 2012. |
| D．All the original coaches are back for the third season in a row. |
A meteorite (陨石) flew fast across the sky and exploded over central Russia on Friday, raining fireballs over a vast area and causing a shock wave that smashed windows, damaged buildings and injured l,200 people.
People heading to work in Chelyabinsk heard what sounded like an explosion, saw a bright light and then felt the shock wave.
According to Russian space agency Roscosmos, the fireball, travelling at a speed of 30km per second, had burnt very brightly across the horizon, leaving a long white trail that could be seen as far as 200km away. Car alarms went off, thousands of windows shattered and mobile phone networks were disrupted.
“I was driving to work, it was quite dark, but it suddenly became as bright as if it were day,” said Viktor Prokofiev, 36, a resident of Yekaterinburg in the Urals Mountains. “I felt like I was blinded by headlights.”
The meteorite, which weighed about 20 tons and may have been made of iron, entered Earth’s atmosphere and broke apart 30-50km above ground, according to Russia’s Academy of Sciences.
The energy released when it entered the Earth’s atmosphere was about several thousand tons, the academy said, the power of a small atomic weapon exploding.
No deaths were reported, but the Emergencies Ministry said 20,000 rescue and clean-up workers were sent to the region after President Vladimir Putin told Emergencies Minister Vladimir Puchkov to ease the disruption and help the victims.
The Interior Ministry said about l,200 people had been injured, at least 200 of them children, and most from broken pieces of glass.“While events this big are rare, an impact that could cause damage and death could happen every century or so. Unfortunately there is absolutely nothing we can do to stop impacts.”When did the meteorite incident happen?
| A．At midnight. |
B．In the early morning. |
| C．In the late morning. |
D．In the evening. |
According to the text, the meteorite explosion caused _________.
| A．some deaths |
B．road accidents |
| C．communication problems |
D．building collapse |
The Russian government’s response to the incident was ________.
| A．a little slow but effective |
B．quick and serious |
| C．cold and slow |
D．quick but ineffective |
It can be inferred that the loss caused by meteorites _________.
| A．is nearly unavoidable |
B．happens every few years |
| C．can be avoided |
D．is hard to estimate |
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 |
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