Probably you have seen photos of the Grand Canyon(峡谷), the great valley in the desert country of Arizona. But you must go there yourself to feel its true size and beauty. The Grand Canyon is one of the greatest natural wonders of the world
The Colorado River formed the Grand Canyon over millions of years. Slowly, the river cut down through hard rock. At the same time, the land was rising. Today the canyon is 1.5 kilometers and 445 kilometers long. The oldest rocks at the bottom of the canyon are more than 1 billion years old. The width varies from about 200 meters to 29 kilometers across. The rim or top of the canyon is about 2,300 meters above sea level on the South Rim, and about 3,000 meters on the other side. As a result, there are different kinds of plants and animals on opposite sides of the canyon. The South Rim is dry desert country. The North Rim has tall forests.
The canyon looks different at different times of day, and in different seasons and weather. At sunrise and sunset the red, gold, brown and orange colors of the rocks are especially clear and bright. In winter, the canyon is partly covered with snow.
The view from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon is the best. Most visitors come here and stay in campgrounds or hotels. Every point along the canyon’s edge offers a different view.
The North rim of the Canyon is quieter. It takes all day to drive there from the South Rim because there is only one bridge across the Colorado River. On the way, you go through Navado Indian lands, and a colorful pink desert called “The Painted Desert”.
11. The best way to feel the true beauty of the Grand Canyon is to________.
A. see its photographs B. listen to the report about it
C. watch its introduction on TV D. go there yourself and visit it
12. According to the second paragraph, ________.
the Grand Canyon has a short history
B. its size never changed in the history
C. the Grand Canyon was formed by the earthquake
D. You can enjoy different scenery on different sides of the canyon
13. The scene the canyon is ________.
various depending on different time and places
the same
various depending on different time
various depending on different places
14. If you want to visit the North Rim from the South Rim, you________.
can go there in many directions
won’t spend much time on the way
can visit The painted Desert on the way
needn’t go across any bridges
15. If you want to have a visit to the Grand Canyon, you’d better go to _______.
A. the North Rim B. the South Rim
C. the bottom D. Navado Indian Lands
America is a mobile society. Friendships between Americans can be close and real, yet disappear soon if situations change. Neither side feels hurt by this. Both may exchange Christmas greetings for a year or two, perhaps a few letters for a while — then no more. If the same two people meet again by chance, even years later, they pick up the friendship. This can be quite difficult for us Chinese to understand, because friendships between us flower more slowly but then may become lifelong feelings, extending (延伸) sometimes deeply into both families.
Americans are ready to receive us foreigners at their homes, share their holidays, and their home life. They will enjoy welcoming us and be pleased if we accept their hospitality (好客) easily.
Another difficult point for us Chinese to understand Americans is that although they include us warmly in their personal everyday lives, they don’t show their politeness to us if it requires a great deal of time. This is usually the opposite of the practice in our country where we may be generous with our time. Sometimes, we, as hosts, will appear at airports even in the middle of the night to meet a friend. We may take days off to act as guides to our foreign friends. The Americans, however, express their welcome usually at homes, but truly can not manage the time to do a great deal with a visitor outside their daily routine. They will probably expect us to get ourselves from the airport to our own hotel by bus. And they expect that we will phone them from there. Once we arrive at their homes, the welcome will be full, warm and real. We will find ourselves treated hospitably.
For the Americans, it is often considered more friendly to invite a friend to their homes than to go to restaurants, except for purely business matters. So accept their hospitality at home!The writer of this passage must be ______.
A.an American | B.a Chinese |
C.a professor | D.a student |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A.Friendships between Americans usually extend deeply into their families. |
B.Friendships between Americans usually last for all their lives. |
C.Americans always show their warmth even if they are very busy. |
D.Americans will continue their friendships again even after a long break. |
From the last two paragraphs we can learn that when we arrive in America to visit an American friend, we will probably be ______.
A.warmly welcomed at the airport |
B.offered a ride to his home |
C.treated hospitably at his home |
D.treated to dinner in a restaurant |
The underlined words “generous with our time” in Paragraph 3 probably mean ______.
A.strict with time | B.serious with time |
C.careful with time | D.willing to spend time |
A suitable title for this passage would probably be “______”.
A.Friendships between Chinese |
B.Friendships between Americans |
C.Americans’ hospitality |
D.Americans’ and Chinese’s views of friendships |
The other day I heard a few local musicians talking:
“I hate all the terrible pianos in this town. I hate that rubbish they play on the radio. They can’t even understand a bit of music.”
“I’m never playing in that club again. Too many drunks and nobody listens to us.”
But, one younger musician said, “There are a few clubs that book my band a few nights a month, and I’m trying to find other places to play. I’m also looking to book a few summer festivals this year.”
I’ve heard that you are the average of the five people whom you spend the most time with, or to put it another way, you are who your friends are.
Attitudes are important. Whether they’re positive or negative, they’re rubbing off on you. If you’re around people who complain about lack of work and about other musicians, or blame (责怪) others, and you play the role of victim (受害者), chances are you will start to as well. So it’s time to take a look at the people you call “friends”.
This is an easy exercise: Make a list of the people who you hang out with, and simply stop spending time with the negative people on your list. Set a new standard (标准) for yourself and don’t become friends with people who fall below that standard.
Keep successful people around you and your own chances for success will be much better. Ask them how they do it. Ask if they will help you get the work you’re looking for, or maybe give you some advice to help you on your career path.Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
A.A friend in need is a friend indeed |
B.How to make friendship last for ever |
C.You are who your friends are |
D.Friends are the most important in one’s success |
The underlined sentence “they’re rubbing off on you” in Paragraph 6 means ______.
A.they’ll push you ahead |
B.they’ll influence you |
C.they’ll cover your shortcomings |
D.they’ll help you achieve your goal |
The musicians’ words at the beginning are written mainly to show ______.
A.the musicians’ living conditions are quite poor |
B.people have poor taste in music |
C.people have different attitudes towards the same thing |
D.young people have greater chances of succeeding |
By taking the exercise mentioned in Paragraph 7, you can ______.
A.improve a lot in making more friends |
B.come to the right way of making friends |
C.develop a better relationship with your friends |
D.arrange the time with your friends properly |
The passage is mainly written for ______.
A.musicians | B.managers |
C.negative people | D.people wanting to succeed |
I came to study in the United States a year ago. Yet I did not know the real American society until I was injured in a car accident because after the accident I had to see a doctor and go to court.
After the accident, my roommate called a doctor for me. I was very grateful and determined to repay him one day. But the next day, he asked me to pay him $200 for what he had done. I was astonished. He had good reason to charge me, he said. And if I wanted to collect money from the person who was responsible for my injury, I’d have to have a good lawyer. And only a good doctor can help me get a good lawyer. Now that he had helped me find a good doctor, it was only fair that I should pay him.
But every day I went to see the doctor, I had to wait about 50 minutes. He would see two or three patients at the same time, and often stop treating one so as to see another. Yet he charged me $115 each time. The final examination report consisted of ten lines, and it cost me $215.
My lawyer was all smiles the first time we met. But after that he avoided seeing me at all. He knew very well the other party was responsible for the accident, yet he hardly did anything. He simply waited to collect his money. He was so irresponsible that I decided to dismiss him. And he made me pay him $770.
Now I had to act as my own lawyer. Due to my inexperience, I told the insurance company the date I was leaving America. Knowing that, they played for time and I left without getting a cent.The author’s roommate offered to help him because________.
A.he felt sorry for the author |
B.he thought it was a chance to make some money |
C.he knew the doctor was a very good one |
D.he wanted the author to have a good lawyer |
A good doctor is essential for the author to __________.
A.be properly treated |
B.talk with the person responsible for the accident |
C.recover before he leaves America |
D.eventually get the responsible party to pay for his injury |
The word “charge” in the third paragraph means_________ .
A.be responsible | B.accuse |
C.ask as a price | D.claim |
Both the doctor and the lawyer in this passage are very__________.
A.friendly | B.selfish |
C.professional | D.busy |
What conclusion can you draw from the story?
A.Going to court is something very common in America. |
B.One must be very careful while driving a car. |
C.There are more bad sides in America than good sides. |
D.Money is more important than other things in the US. |
Jeremy Shu-How Lin (born in California, 1988), world-famous now, is the first Chinese-American professional basketball player with the New York Knicks of NBA. It hasn't been an easy road for Lin. After high school, Lin sent his résumé and a DVD of highlights to all the Ivy League schools, and his dream schools Stanford and UCLA. Harvard and Brown were the only schools that guaranteed him a spot on their basketball teams, but Ivy League schools do not offer athletic scholarships.
After graduating from Harvard University, Lin went undrafted in the 2010 NBA Draft. Lin spent his first season with his hometown the Golden State Warriors. He saw limited minutes with the Warriors, but was cheered in arenas around the country, particularly in cities with large Asian communities, as fans came out in crowds to cheer their homegrown star. In late 2011, Lin spent less than two weeks with the Houston Rockets, moving to the New York Knicks at the very end of the year.
He has made several trips to the NBA's Development League, a minor league for players who show promise but need seasoning before they can compete at the highest level. It appears to have paid off. In February 2012, after keying the Knicks victory over New Jersey, Lin was named the starter for the Utah game, a position he appears to have a hold on in the short term, as Baron Davis, signed in December to play the position, stays on the disabled list. Lin will likely get stronger the more minutes he plays, and even if Davis returns, spelling the older, recovering player could be productive for Lin, a proven good student who can learn a lot from practicing against a veteran.
Without the services of All-Stars Carmelo and Amare, Lin led New York to a 4-0 record last week. He became the first player in NBA history to record at least 20 points and seven assists in each of his first four starts, which generated a global following known as Linsanity. The Associated Press called Lin "the most surprising story in the NBA". According to the passage, which statement is true?
A.Harvard offered Lin an athletic scholarship. |
B.Harvard and Brown make sure of Lin’s position on their basketball teams. |
C.Stanford and Harvard were Lin’s dream schools. |
D.Lin’s DVD impressed all the Ivy League schools greatly. |
From the passage we can know that Lin _________.
A.enjoyed himself in the Houston Rockets |
B.used to be a leader in the New York Knicks |
C.is a proven good student who can learn a lot from other players. |
D.led New York to success with the help of some All-Stars. |
Which state can you infer the Golden State Warriors belongs to?
A.New Jersey | B.Utah |
C.New York | D.California |
The underlined word“veteran”in the fourth paragraph most probably means“_______”.
A.experienced player | B.soldier |
C.coach | D.team |
Which of the following can be the main idea of this text?
A.How the word Linsanity came into being. |
B.Introduction to Jeremy Shu-How Lin. |
C.How Lin becomes successful. |
D.Lin and New York Knicks |
A new plan for getting children to and from school is being started by the education authorities in part of Eastern England. This could end the worries of many parents fearful for their children's safety on the roads.
Until now the Country Council has only been prepared to provide bus services for children living more than three miles from their school, or sometimes less if special reasons existed. Now it has been decided that if a group of parents ask for help in organizing transport they will be prepared to go ahead, provided the arrangement will not lose money and that children taking part will be attending their nearest school.
The new scheme is to be tried out this term for children living at Milton who attend Impington school. The children live just within the three-mile limit and the Council has said in the past it will not undertake to provide free transport to the school. But now they have agreed to organize a bus service from Milton to Impington and back, a plan which has the support of the school's headmaster.
Between 50 and 60 parents have said they would like their children to take part. Final calculations have still to be carried out, but a council official has said the cost to parents should be less than £6. 50 a term.
They have been able to arrange the service at a low cost because there is already an agreement with the bus company for a bus to take children who live further away to Impington. The same bus would now just make an extra journey to pick up the Milton children. The official said they would get in touch with other groups of parents who in the past had asked if transport could be provided for their children, to see if they would like to take part in the new scheme.The children the Council ran buses for in the past were those______.
A.whose parents were worried about them |
B.who would have had to walk otherwise |
C.who could not walk |
D.who had to travel a long way |
The new bus service will run______.
A.on morning journeys to school only |
B.in connection with an existing service |
C.only for children living more than three miles away |
D.only in wet weather |
Agreement to pay for the new bus service has been achieved from______.
A.the school's headmaster |
B.the education department |
C.the bus company |
D.the parents |
The parents the Council is now going to get in touch with are those______.
A.who had not yet answered letters |
B.who didn't want to pay |
C.whose children stayed away from school |
D.who had asked about transport before |