The meaning of the word “volunteer ” may be a little different in different countries, but it usually means “one who offers his or her services.” There are many different ways in which people can volunteer, such as taking care of sick people, working in homes for homeless children, and picking up garbage(垃圾) from beaches and parks. Volunteers may work within their own countries or in other countries. They are often people with a strong wish to help those who are less fortunate than themselves. Volunteers don’t expect any kind of pay.
At the root of volunteering is the idea that one person may have the ability to offer services that can help other people. Tracy, a good friend of mine, however, recently came back from India with a new idea of what being a volunteer means. She worked for two and a half weeks in one of Mother Teresa’s homes in Calcutta. The following is her story.
“I first heard about Mother Teresa in my high school, we watched a video(录像) about her work in India and all over the world. I was so moved by her spirit to help others and her endless love for every human being that after I graduated from high school, I too wanted to try her kind of work. So with two friends I flew to Calcutta for a few weeks.”
“I was asked to work in a home for sick people. I helped wash clothes and sheets, and pass out lunch. I also fed the people who were too weak to feed themselves and tried to cheer the up. I felt it was better to share with them than to think that I have helped them. To be honest, I don’t think I was helping very much. It was then that I realized that I had not really come to help, but to learn about and experience another culture(文化) that helped improve my own understanding of life and the world.”According to the text, a volunteer refers to a person who ______.
| A．is willing to help those in need without pay | B．can afford to travel to different places |
| C．has a strong wish to be successful | D．has made a big fortune in life |
Tracy started her work as a volunteer _______.
| A．after she met Mother Teresa |
| B．after she finished high school |
| C．when she was touring Calcutta |
| D．when she was working in a hospital |
Why did Tracy choose to be a volunteer?
| A．She liked to work with Mother Teresa. |
| B．She had already had some experience. |
| C．She was asked by Mother Teresa’s example. |
| D．She wanted to follow Mother Teresa’s example. |
What is Tracy’s “new idea” (Paragraph 2) of being a volunteer?
| A．Going abroad to help the sick. |
| B．Working in Mother Teresa’s home. |
| C．Doing simple things to help the poor. |
| D．Improving oneself through helping others. |
CONGRATULATIONS
We’ve organized the following information to help you prepare for your arrival at Boston College. Please feel free to contact our Admissions Office at any time over the coming months with any questions.
Your First Steps…
Please return the Acknowledgment Form sent with your acceptance letter to Dean Robert Howe, Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, McGuinn Hall 221,140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467.
■For Ph. D. Acceptances and Master’s Acceptances with funding, we ask you to reply by April 25, 2008.
■For Master’s Acceptances without funding and Non-degree Acceptances, we ask you to reply by May 31, 2008.
■You should also contact your department to receive any department information.
Over the Coming Months…
Get informed about services around campus. We have provided links for you to the following offices.
■Student Services
After you return your Acknowledgment Form, you should receive a letter containing your BC Username and Eagle ID number. With this information you can reach email and Agora. In Agora, BC’s online community, you can update your student information, check your student account, and register (登记) for classes.
The Office of Student Services issues (发行) your BC Eagle One Card. This ID card acts as your campus library card and meal card.
Student Services’ website offers a complete listing of courses for the school year, as well as student forms and other important student information. The Office of Student Services also handles billing.
■Housing
…CLICK HERE for more information.
If we can be of any more help to you, just contact us. Congratulations again! We look forward to you joining our University!The above page can most probably be read ________.
| A．on the Boston College website |
| B．in the Boston College newspaper |
| C．on BC Eagle One Card |
| D．at Student Services |
The information above is particularly useful for those ________.
| A．who want to apply for Boston College |
| B．who want to know about Boston College |
| C．who’ve been admitted to Boston College |
| D．who’ve decided to pay a visit to Boston College |
If you want to study for your master’s degree with funding, you will have to ________.
| A．return your Acknowledgment Form by May 31, 2008 |
| B．send back your Acknowledgment Form by April 25, 2008 |
| C．email your Acknowledgment Form to Admissions Office by May 31, 2008 |
| D．return your Acknowledgment Form to Student Services by April 25, 2008 |
If you want to decide what courses for the school year you’d better ________.
| A．call up the Office of Student Services |
| B．get in touch with the Admissions Office |
| C．read your acceptance letter |
| D．visit Student Services’ website |
Dr. Sylvia Earle wants you to stop eating fish. It’s not because fish are endangered, though wild fish stocks in many oceans are very low. It’s not because they’re bad for you, though fish in many areas are exposed to poisonous substances in the water. It’s because they’re smart.
“Fish are sensitive, they have personalities,” says the marine biologist. For Earle, eating a fish would be like eating a dog or a cat. “I would never eat anyone I know personally.”
There’s a lot more to fish than meets the eye: they talk to each other, they like to be touched, and they engage in behavior that can seem very human. They can remember things and learn from experience. Earle and a growing number of animal rights activists see these as strong arguments against eating fish altogether.
The activists also point out that fish feel pain and fish suffer horribly on their way from the sea to the supermarket. “While it may seem obvious that fish are able to feel pain, like every other animal, some people think of fish as swimming vegetables,” says Dr. Lynne Sneddon. “Really, it’s kind of a moral question. Is the enjoyment you get from fishing (or eating fish) more important than the pain of the fish?”
Fishermen and (fried) fish lovers are doubtful. “I’ve never seen a smart fish,” says Marie Swaringen as she finishes off a plate of fish at a Seattle seafood restaurant. “If they were very smart, they wouldn’t get caught.”
“For years, everyone’s been telling us to eat fish because it’s so good for us,” says another diner. “Now I’ve got to feel guilty while I’m eating my fish? What are they going to think of next? Don’t eat salad because cucumbers have feelings?” Dr. Sylvia Earle discourage people from eating fish because _____________.
| A．there are not that many wild fish in the ocean |
| B．fish actually are sensitive and have personalities |
| C．some ocean fish contain poisonous substances |
| D．fish are like dogs or cats that people know personally |
We can infer from the passage that _____________.
| A．all people don’t agree with the idea to stop eating fish |
| B．people will be persuaded not to eat fish in the future |
| C．stopping eating fish will lead to people’s not eating vegetables |
| D．we shouldn’t care too much about the feeling of fish |
By saying “There’s a lot more to fish than meets the eye,” the writer means ____________.
| A．there are far more fish than other animals in the world |
| B．there are more fish in the world than people can see |
| C．people can see more fish if they pay more attention |
| D．fish are not that simple as they appear to people’s eyes |
Nobel, who was born in Stockholm, is a great scientist famous for his dangerous experiments.
Nobel studied in the USA and then Russia between 1850 and 1859. After his return, he started researching into bombs. As is known, bomb is dangerous to life, but Nobel was working under that condition. Once a big explosion in his lab completely destroyed the lab and caused some deaths. After that he had to experiment on a boat in a lake. He received criticism and satire(讽刺), but he proceeded with the work rather than losing heart. From 1860s to 1880s, Nobel made many achievements and his inventions were first used in building roads and digging tunnels. Most of the bombs were safer and more possible to be controlled. Even at the end of the 20th century, we still used his methods.
Nobel had many patents in Britain and other European countries. He was quick to see industrial openings(机会) for his scientific inventions and built up over 80 companies in 20 different countries. Indeed his greatness lay in his outstanding ability to combine the qualities of an original scientist with those of a forwardlooking industrialist.
But Nobel’s main concern was never with making money or even with making scientific discoveries. Seldom happy, he was always searching for a meaning to life, and from his youth, he had taken a serious interest in literature and philosophy. His greatest wish, however, was to see an end to wars, and thus peace between nations, and he spent much time and money working for this cause. To follow his will, a fund was set up to encourage people to make great progress in physics, chemistry, physiology(生理学), medicine, literature and peace. That’s the Nobel Prize which means great honor to a scientist.Through his early experimental work, it is evident that ________.
| A．Nobel was a man of strong will |
| B．Nobel was a man of gift |
| C．Nobel seldom got on well with his work |
| D．Nobel had his heart in his work |
In fact, his inventions were first used in ________.
| A．a war to kill and injure his fellow men | B．building roads |
| C．digging tunnels | D．both B and C |
Based on the passage, Nobel, as a scientist, ________.
| A．took a single interest in science |
| B．took a serious interest in money |
| C．took no interest in literature |
| D．took a serious interest in literature as well as in science |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．His wonderful will surely provided other scientists with a large sum of money. |
| B．In leaving behind a wellmeant will, Nobel succeeded in setting up a permanent monument for his interests and ideals. |
| C．Nobel made a glorious will so that he might be remembered and respected after his death. |
| D．Nobel expressed his wish in his will that a monument should be put up in memory of him. |
Linus Pauling，the only person who has won two undivided Nobel Prizes，was born in Portland，Oregon. He attended Washington High School but because of an unimportant detail he did not receive his diploma until 1962，long after he had received his Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Orgon State College in 1922. He had chosen to study his major because he could get a good job with it.
He won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1954 for his research into the nature of the chemical bond and its application to the explanation of the structure of complex substance. His interest in the “behavior” of molecules(分子) led him from physical chemistry to biological chemistry，especially of the human body. He began with proteins and their main parts，the amino acids(氨基酸)，which are called the“building blocks of life”．In 1950，he constructed the first satisfactory model of a protein molecule，a discovery very important to the understanding of the living cell.
During World WarⅡ，Pauling was a member of the Research Board for National Security，for which he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Merit in 1948. However，the use of the atomic bomb near the end of the war turned Pauling in a new direction. Having long worked on the structure of molecules，he took an immediate interest in the deadly effects of nuclear fallout on human molecular structures.
From then on，Pauling protested the production of the hydrogen bomb and supported the prevention of the spread of nuclear weapons. Through his efforts，The NuclearTestBan Treaty，declaring all nuclear tests to be illegal except underground ones，came into effect on October 10,1963，the same day Linus Pauling was awarded the Nobel Peace.From the first Paragraph，we learn that Linus Pauling________.
| A．didn’t study hard while in Washington High School |
| B．is the only scientist who has won two Nobel Prizes |
| C．was once badly treated in Washington High School |
| D．chose to study chemical engineering to earn his living |
Which of the following things did Pauling pay much attention to at first?
| A．The “behavior” of molecules. | B．Physical chemistry. |
| C．Biological chemistry. | D．The human body. |
Which of the following is legal according to The NuclearTestBan Treaty?
| A．The use of nuclear weapons. |
| B．Testing hydrogen bomb on the ground. |
| C．Testing hydrogen bomb on underground. |
| D．The production of hydrogen bombs. |
The main idea of the passage is to show________.
| A．Linus Pauling’s attitude towards nuclear weapons |
| B．Linus Pauling’s contributions to the world |
| C．Linus Pauling’s research on the structure of molecules |
| D．Linus Pauling’s got the Nobel Prize for Peace |
Coffee experts are willing to pay large sums of money for high-quality coffee beans. The high-end beans, such as Kona or Blue Mountain, are known to cost extraordinary sums of money. Then there is Kopi Lowak (translated as “Civet Coffee”), the world’s most expensive coffee, which sells for as much as US $50 per quarter-pound.
This isn’t particularly surprising, because approximately 500 pounds a year of Kopi Lowak make up the entire world supply. What is surprising is why this particular coffee is so rare. In fact, it’s not the plants that are rare. It’s the civet droppings. That’s right, the civet droppings—the body waste of the palm civet. Coffee beans aren’t Kopi Lowak until they’ve been digested(消化) and come out in the body waste of the palm civet.
Palm civets are tree-dwelling, raccoon-like little animals, native to Southeast Asia and the Indonesian islands. They also have a love for coffee cherries. According to Kopi Lowak suppliers, palm civets eat the fruit whole, but only digest the outer fruit, leaving the beans intact(完好无损). While the beans are not destroyed, they undergo a transformation in the animal’s body. A chemical substance in the digestive system of the palm civet causes some changes to the beans to give them a unique flavor(味道). However, this is not the only explanation why coffee beans retrieved from civet droppings have a special flavor all their own. Another possible reason is that palm civets have an unfailing instinct for picking the coffee cherries at the peak of their ripeness.
Kopi Lowak is reported to have a character in taste unlike any other coffee, complex with caramel undertones and an earthy flavor. Currently, most of the world’s supply of Kopi Lowak is sold in Japan, though a few US markets are also starting to stock up on Kopi Lowak.What does “This” in the second paragraph refer to?
| A．Civet Coffee. | B．Blue Mountain coffee. |
| C．The high price of Kopi Lowak. | D．The unique taste of Kona. |
Why is Kopi Lowak expensive?
| A．There is a very limited supply of the beans. |
| B．The coffee trees that grow the beans are scarce. |
| C．It takes a long time for the coffee beans to ripen. |
| D．Only a few experts know how to produce the beans. |
What is the main point discussed in the third paragraph?
| A．Why palm civets like the coffee beans. |
| B．Where Kopi Lowak is mainly harvested. |
| C．What chemicals are found in the civet’s digestive system. |
| D．How palm civets change coffee fruit to Kopi Lowak beans. |
Which of the following statements is true, according to the passage?
| A．Little palm civets eat only the outer layer of the coffee cherries. |
| B．Palm civets somehow know the right time when the coffee fruit ripens. |
| C．Kopi Lowak is most popular in Southeast Asia and the Indonesian islands. |
| D．Kona and Blue Mountain are the most expensive coffees but only of average quality. |