The Same Story, Different Reports
Belton and Canfield are two seashore towns, not far apart. Both towns have many hotels, and in summer the hotels are full of holiday- makers and other tourists(观光者).
Last August there was a fire at the Sea breeze Hotel in Belton. The next day, this news appeared on page two of the town’s newspaper, The Belton Post:
FIRE AT SEABREEZE
Late last night firemen hurried to the Sea breeze Hotel and quickly put out a small fire in a bedroom. The hotel manager said that a cigarette started the fire. We say again to all our visitors: “Please don’t smoke cigarettes in bed.” This was Belton’s first hotel fire for five years.
The Canfield Times gave the news in these words on page one.
ANOTHER BELDON HOTEL CATCHES FIRE
Last night Belton firemen arrived just too late to save clothing, bedclothes and some furniture at the Sea breeze Hotel. An angry holiday-maker said, “An electric lamp probably started the fire. The bedroom lamps are very old at some of these hotels. When I put my bedside light on, I heard a funny noise from the lamp.” We are glad to tell our readers that this sort of adventure does not happen in Canfield.
What are the facts, then? It is never easy to find out the exact truth about an accident. There was a fire at the Sea breeze Hotel last August: that is one fact. Do we know anything else? Yes—we know that firemen went to the hotel.
Now what do you think of the rest of the “news”?Which of the following best gives the main idea of this text?
| A．Belton and Canfield are both good places for tourists in summer. |
| B．A fire broke out one night in Sea breeze Hotel last summer. |
| C．It was not easy to find out exact truth from newspapers. |
| D．Two newspapers gave reports on the same matter. |
Which of the following are probably facts?
a. The fire broke out in a bedroom at the hotel.
b. A cigarette started the fire.
c. An old lamp started the fire.
d. The fire broke out at night.
e. There has never been a fire in Canfield.
| A．b and c | B．a and d |
| C．c and e | D．a and c |
The Canfield Times used the headline (标题) like this in order to make its readers think _______.
| A．hotels in Belton often catch fire |
| B．hotels in Belton don’t often catch fire |
| C．this was the second fire at the Sea breeze Hotel |
| D．Belton was a good place except that hotels there are not quite safe |
The Canfield newspaper gave a report just the opposite to the Belton Post by saying that _______.
| A．the bedroom lamps were very old at the Sea breeze Hotel |
| B．the bedroom lights made funny noise when the fire took place |
| C．the firemen failed to save clothing, bedclothes and other things |
| D．such accidents never happened in Canfield for the past 5 years |
With all the wars, fighting and sadness in the world today, it's not only necessary, but also essential to have a good sense of humor just to help us get through each and every day of our lives. Putting a smile on someone's face when you know they are feeling down in the dumps ( 处于沮丧中), as the saying goes, makes me feel good and warms my heart.
How would you feel if you could not joke around with your wife, husband, child, co-worker, neighbor, close friend, or even just someone that you are standing in line with at your corner store? I am always saying things that make others smile or laugh, even if I don't know the person I'm joking around with. My Grandma always found humor in everything she did, even if it was the hardest job anyone could imagine. This not only relieves stress in any situation, but also is common courtesy (礼貌) to speak to others that are around you.
I know of a few people that don’t have a funny bone in their bodies, as they say. Everyone around them could be rolling on the floor after hearing a great joke and they would sit there without the slightest smile on their face. They don't get the joke that makes others laugh. I am busting a gut while they just sit there, looking at me as if I were from outer space. How can people not get a really funny joke?
Laughing is essential to keep your stress levels under control. Without humor we would find ourselves with a lot of psychological problems, or on a lot of medications to keep us from going crazy. There is too much sadness in this present world. It drives people crazy. We all need to find a way to bypass the sadness and bring a little light into our lives. So, I believe our best medicine is to get together and tell some jokes and have some fun laughing together.According to the author, humor is useful in the aspect that ____________.
| A．it makes people more confident |
| B．it can pick up people' s spirits |
| C．it can help rid the cruelty in the world |
| D．it can help people get on well with others |
The phrase “busting a gut" in the third paragraph can be replaced by __________.
| A．explaining carefully | B．speaking loud |
| C．keeping silent | D．laughing hard |
In writing the passage, the author mainly intends to __________.
| A．talk about his own understanding of humor |
| B．encourage people to be humorous in daily life |
| C．introduce a practical way to get through daily life |
| D．convince people of the power of being optimistic about life |
What is the author' s attitude towards the present world?
| A．Positive. | B．Critical. |
| C．Satisfied. | D．Indifferent. |
Why should I teach my children history? That sounds like a stupid question to even ask. But, as I hear different home schooling teachers discuss history, I get the idea that there may be different reasons for teaching history. Let me briefly explain the three good reasons for studying history and two bad reasons for studying history.
The major reason I see for studying history is that we can learn from the past. I am convinced that the world would be a much better place if more people understood the successes and failures of the past and the things that made these successes and failures. However, as the unfortunately true statement goes "the one thing we seem to learn from history is that we don't seem to learn from history." Perhaps at least in teaching history, to my children I can do a small part in changing this.
The second major reason for studying history is that it is hard to understand the current political climate in the absence of an understanding of its historical context. We can not even understand why we are and where we are without history, much less (更不必说) try to figure out where we are going or how we should get where we want to be.
I teach my children history, for one more reason. I purchased a set of historical audio (录音机) tapes for our children. My seven-year-old son listened to them over and over. It was my hope that he would become inspired by the accomplishments of people like the Wright brothers to accomplish things by himself. I think that it is good that we celebrate the accomplishments of people like Martin Luther King Jr. if, in doing so, young people are called on to stand for the principles that he stood for and accomplish what he accomplished. I also think that by studying people like Adolph Hitler, people can learn to stand against the things that he stood for. In Paragraph 3, the author shows that history is useful because _______________.
| A．it makes the current political situation go smoothly |
| B．it helps us realize the importance of historical events |
| C．it helps us understand why things are the way they are |
| D．it helps people accept the present situation where they live |
Some historical figures(人物) are mentioned in the last paragraph to show ______________.
| A．people can be inspired to do good, while also learning to fight against evil |
| B．people may also learn from bad historical figures |
| C．more celebrations should be held to honor their achievements |
| D．today’s people can also achieve what they achieved |
What would be talked about in the following paragraph?
| A．How to teach history effectively. |
| B．Some negative reasons for studying history. |
| C．How to get more people to study history. |
| D．Some bad historical figures. |
The main purpose of this passage is to ____________.
| A．inspire the parents to teach their children history |
| B．show the importance of history in politics |
| C．explain the reasons why children study history |
| D．introduce the writer' s own way of teaching history |
Put your car keys away and forget about your travel pass --- it’s time to do a bit of walking.
National Walking Month is organized every May by Living Streets, an organization that campaigns for the rights and the needs of pedestrians, so the organization is previously known as the Pedestrians’ Association. The association’s aim is to make streets safe, attractive and enjoyable spaces for people to live, work, shop and play. By putting people (rather than vehicles) first, Living Streets wants to create streets and spaces where people feel happier, healthier and more sociable.
The annual campaign gives participants a great opportunity to experience the many virtues of walking. These include the physical health benefits of becoming fitter; the environmental advantages of not using vehicles; the delight of local discoveries --- seeing more of your local areas on foot; the enjoyment of walking with other people, whether family, friends or work colleagues and finally the stress relief that comes from walking --- walking can clear your head.
Walk to School Week, 18 to 22 May, is part of the month’s activities and its aim is to encourage parents to send children to school on foot, rather than take them in the car or let them use public transport. The movement was started in 1995 with only five participating schools and now two decades later, more than one million children take part.
Similarly, there is Walk to Work Week, 11 to 15 May, where grown-ups are encouraged to walk. In the morning, getting off the bus a stop early or parking a few streets away is a good way to add more steps to the daily total. And during the working day, after having lunch at the desks or in the canteen, take a walk and get some fresh air. Walk home with your workmates and chat away about everything under the sun but work!What’s the purpose of Living Streets?
| A．To let people keep away from vehicles. |
| B．To build safer walkways for pedestrians. |
| C．To help people enjoy walking in the street and enjoy life. |
| D．To make people aware of environmental pollution. |
Paragraph 3 is intended to show that walking is __________.
| A．so interesting | B．very relaxing |
| C．perfectly safe | D．highly beneficial |
What can we learn from Walk to School Week?
| A．It is organized by the government. |
| B．It is held before Walk to Work Week. |
| C．It has developed rapidly over the last 20 years. |
| D．It encourages students to walk to school alone. |
What’s the main idea of the last paragraph?
| A．An introduction to Walk to Work Week. |
| B．A nationwide health movement. |
| C．The influence of working day. |
| D．National Walking Month’s history. |
Sunday, 31 August
We’ve been in China for a month now. Dad, Mom, Harry and I moved to Tianjin on 25 August. We’re not very far from Beijing. Two days ago, we celebrated my 16th birthday. It was great celebrating in China; the only thing that was strange was the cake--here they’re not as sweet as the ones in New York. On Monday school starts—I wonder what it will be like.
Monday, 1 September
On my first day I was looking around for a locker to put my books in. However, here all the students keep all of their books at their desks--we stay in the same classroom because apparently we don’t have to go from class to class--teachers come to us!
Today we selected teacher assistants for each subject. Their duties are to collect homework, make announcements, and do other stuff for the teacher and the students. It’s kind of a big deal here! Since I am from the US, I was asked to be the English assistant. I felt so proud but quite nervous at the same time because I wasn’t sure what I had to do, but I accepted the job anyway.
Friday, 3 October
Boy, what a week! Now we have nine classes every day, including the morning class, a combination of our American schools’ “Homeroom” and “Study Hall”. I think Chinese students work too much! I have to do my homework when I get back home. I don’t even have time to watch TV or surf the Internet like before. I sometimes miss New York and my school because we didn’t have to study so much. We had more time to hang out with our classmates and neighbors; here, besides their usual classes, students are involved in weekend classes in subjects such as English, Chinese and math.
I get a lot of attention, being from another country. Everyone wants to practice English with me! A really cute girl even asked me for my phone number on my second day and sent me a text message! I’m making a lot more friends now. I just need a lot of help to improve my Chinese. Some students want to do a language exchange program with me. Nice!The passage mentions all the following points EXCEPT .
| A．physics study | B．teacher assistants |
| C．free time activities | D．language exchange program |
According to the passage, which of the following is NOT the teacher assistant’s duty?
| A．Collecting homework. |
| B．Making announcements. |
| C．helping teachers with small errands（差事） |
| D．Teaching classmates. |
Where is this passage most probably from?
| A．A story book. | B．A guide book. |
| C．A diary. | D．A magazine. |
The passage is best described by ________.
| A．culture shock. | B．multi-culture. |
| C．unique culture. | D．culture background |
Do you love Beats headphones, True Religion jeans, and UGG shoes? These are some of the most popular brands (牌子) around. They are also expensive. But some experts say they are not much better than cheaper brands.
For example, Jim Wilcox works for Consumer Reports. He tested all kinds of headphones. He says that $80 Koss Pro headphones provide basically the same quality and comfort as Beats. So why do people pay twice or even 10 times as much for the hottest brands?
Experts say it's because fashionable, expensive brands send a message. Brands say “I belong” or “I can afford it.”
Some people think that expensive brand names are worth the price. They say that some designer clothes really are top quality and that they last longer than cheaper brands. Some teenagers choose to wear popular brands because these brands make them feel good about themselves.
Alexandra Allam, 17, likes to buy brand-name products. “I'd rather spend the extra money to get something I know I'll be satisfied with,” she says. Her friend Emmy Swan agrees, saying “As long as you can afford it, it seems reasonable to buy what you want.” But not all teenagers agree. “Spending hundreds of dollars for designer sunglasses is stupid and unreasonable,” says Daniel Steinbrecher, 16. “It's fake (假的) happiness.”
People who are against wearing expensive brand names say that many designer brands aren't any better. “It's wasteful to buy things just because they are popular,” says Edmund Williams, 15. “You'll feel better if you buy things because you like them. If you have extra money to spend, it would be better to give it to people in need.”
The example of Jim's report wants to tell us _____.
| A．popular brands make people comfortable |
| B．Koss Pro headphones are better than Beats |
| C．the hottest brands are of the highest quality |
| D．lesser-known brands may offer the same quality as name brands |
According to experts, people choose the hottest brands probably _____.
| A．to show off |
| B．for their better quality |
| C．for their better designs |
| D．to belong to a special group |
What does Edmund think of expensive brands?
| A．They are not worth the price. |
| B．They make him feel confident. |
| C．They need to improve their quality. |
| D．They pay too much attention to personal likes. |
The text is mainly about _____.
| A．how to buy things reasonably |
| B．the competition between brands |
| C．the different values of teenagers |
| D．whether expensive brands are worth high prices |