Asian athletes have had a spare time in the first two days of the World Indoor Championships in Birmingham, England. But Chinese hurdler(跨栏运动员) Liu Xiang surprised everyone by taking the bronze medal in the men's 60-meter hurdles.
Liu became the first Chinese male athlete to get a world indoor medal in the 18-year history of the championship and was the only Asian medallist this time.
"Karaoke (卡拉OK)! That's what I'm going to do. I'm going to get a big group of my friends together and sing. I love both Western and Chinese music but especially Michael Jackson," said Liu after clocking 7.52 seconds in the final to take his place on the podium (领奖台).
"Frankly speaking, I didn't think I was in the shape to win a medal," Liu said. "On my arrival here, my aim was just to fight my way into the final. After I did that, I thought I might just get into the top six. I knew British hurdler Colin Jackson was going to be here and he's the world record holder indoors and out."
"There was also Cuba's reigning (统治的) Olympic champion Anier Garcia and Allen Johnson, from the United States." It was Johnson, the reigning world outdoor champion, who was successful in 7.47 seconds with Garcia second and Jackson finished back in fifth.
Now Liu will never underestimate his chances again and is aiming for glory in Paris later this year.
"There is the World Championship outdoors in the summer and I have now got to think that I can get a medal. I can never again think that I can't get a medal," he said. Liu's success here marks his rapid transition into the senior ranks.
"The university gives me a lot of flexibility. My courses are very easy and the teachers are very helpful," said Liu.
They might have to be even more accommodating(乐于助人的) now if Liu starts taking on celebrity status, although an invite to his homecoming karaoke party may help. The first sentence "Asian athletes have had a spare time in the first two days…" means "________".
| A．Asian athletes can do things at their will in the first two days |
| B．Asian athletes haven't any achievements in the first two days |
| C．Asian athletes could match athletes from other continents |
| D．Asian athletes are tired of competing in the first two days |
The underlined sentence means "________".
| A．I was not satisfied with my performances |
| B．winning a medal can't show what I have done |
| C．I didn't think I was able to win a medal |
| D．I haven't told anyone about my achievements in the hurdles |
Liu ________ the World Championship outdoors in Paris later this year.
| A．is busy preparing for |
| B．has great pressure on |
| C．is more confident of his ability in |
| D．pays little attention to |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Liu Xiang was the youngest athlete to take part in the competition in England. |
| B．Liu Xiang was the first Asian medallist to get a world indoor medal. |
| C．Liu Xiang is not only a good athlete but a music-lover. |
| D．Liu Xiang finds it hard to get along with teachers in university. |
I travel a lot, and I find out different "styles" (风格) of directions every time 1 ask "How can I get to the post office?"
Foreign tourists are often confused (困惑) in Japan because most streets there don’t have names in Japan, people use landmarks (地标) in their directions instead of street names. For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, "Go straight down to the corner. Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit market. The post office is across from the bus stop."
In the countryside of the American Midwest, there are not usually many landmarks. There are no mountains, so the land is very flat; in many places there are no towns or buildings within miles. Instead of landmarks, people will tell you directions and distances. In Kansas or Iowa, for example, people will say, "Go north two miles. Turn east, and then go another mile."
People in Los Angeles, California, have no idea of distance on the map; they measure distance in time, not miles. "How far away is the post office?" you ask. "Oh," they answer, "it’s about five minutes from here." You say, "Yes, but how many miles away is it?" They don’t know.
It’s true that a person doesn’t know the answer to your question sometimes. What happens in such a situation? A New Yorker might say, ’Sorry, I have no idea." But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers "I don’t know." People in Yucatan believe that "I don’t know" is impolite. They usually give an answer, often a wrong one. A tourist can get very, very lost in Yucatan! When a tourist asks the Japanese the way to a certain place they usually _________
| A．describe the place carefully | B．show him a map of the place |
| C．tell him the names of the streets | D．refer to recognizable buildings and places |
What is the place where people measure distance in time?
| A．New York. | B．Los Angeles. | C．Kansas. | D．Iowa |
People in Yucatan may give a tourist a wrong answer ________
| A．in order to save time | B．as a test | C．so as to be polite | D．for fun |
Which sentence is true according to the text?
| A．There is no street names in Japan. |
| B．There is no landmarks in the countryside of American. |
| C．People in Yucatan always give wrong answers when asked the way. |
| D．People in Los Angeles measure distance in time, not miles when asked the way. |
What can we infer from the text?
| A．It’s important for travelers to understand cultural differences. |
| B．It’s useful for travelers to know how to ask the way properly. |
| C．People have similar understandings of politeness. |
| D．New Yorkers are generally friendly to visitors. |
From her first women’s hat shop, opened in 1910, Gabrielle Coco Chanel rose to become one of the most important fashion designers in Paris. Her fashion themes included simple suits and dresses, women’s trousers, perfume (香水) and so on.
She claimed a birth date of 1893 and a birthplace of Auvergne; she was actually born in 1883 in Saumur, though. Her mother worked in a nursing home for pool people. Gabrielle was born there. Her mother died whet she was only six.
She began to use the name Coco during a brief career a, a cafe and concert singer from 1905 to 1908. By the 1920s，her fashion house had expanded greatly. Her relaxing fashions, such as short skirts with casual look, were very different from the fashions popular in the formal decades.
In 1922 Chanel introduced a perfume, Chanel No.5 which became very popular and still remains a popular product today. Pierre Wertheimer became her partner in the perfume business in 1924. Wertheimer owned 70% of the company, Coco Chanel 10% and her friend, Bader, 20%. The Wertheimers continue to control the perfume company today.
She briefly served as a nurse in World War I. The fashion business in Paris was thus off for some years. In 1954 she came back and her women’s clothing business returned to its former popularity. Her natural, casual clothing once again caught the eye of women. She was still working in 1971 when she died.All of the following fashions belong to Chanel’s design style EXCEPT _____
| A．a comfortable suit | B．a tight dress |
| C．a short skirt | D．a loose sweater |
The right order of the following events should be ____
① Chanel began to do business with Wertheimer.
② Chanel served as a nurse.
③ Chanel worked as a singer.
④ Chanel introduced the perfume, Chanel No. 5.
| A．④①③② | B．①②③④ |
| C．③④①② | D．②③④① |
According to the passage, we can see that Chanel ____
| A．was brought up by her father |
| B．worked in a nursing home for some time |
| C．earned more than Wertheimer from the perfume company |
| D．had an active and creative mind |
Washington: A research conducted at the University of Maryland looks at the numerous complex reasons as to why young children decide to include or exclude (排斥) other kids from their group of friends.
It suggests that the kids’ decision-making process is much more complex than previously believed.
"They take into account group information, ranging from cliques (小圈子) and networks, when deciding what makes a group work well. Sometimes kids are excluded because they lack social skills, but a lot of time it has nothing to do with that. Instead it has to do with what we refer to as ’group membership’ such as gender, race, nation, and culture," says Professor Melanie Killen, the Associate Director of the Centre for Children Relationships and Culture at Maryland, who led the 4-year project.
Reporting their findings in the journal, the researcher said whatever was the reason, individuals who experienced long-term exclusion (排斥) from the group of friends suffered from depression, anxiety and loneliness.
The study looked at two models to define how children make decisions regarding acceptance of other kids in their group -- the individual social deficit model and the inter-group social cognition (认同) model. While the former says that children’s rejection occurs due to social deficits like shyness, wariness or fearfulness, the latter says that it happens because of group dynamics, prejudice and exclusion.
It was also found that the age of children was also a factor that influenced their decisions regarding other kids’ acceptance as friends.
"With age, kids become more aware of group dynamics, conventions, customs, and rituals. With this comes a greater concern about group functioning, which can lead to exclusion which can be negative from a social justice viewpoint," says Killen.
The researcher believes that her study may have many benefits, as it could provide insights into how to help when children are rejected by their peers.While making friends, kids think more about the following EXCEPT ______.
| A．social skills | B．culture | C．race | D．gender |
The underlined word "deficit" in Paragraph 5 may mean “_______”.
| A．skill | B．relationship | C．weakness | D．experience |
One of the major purposes of the research is to _______.
| A．tell the reader how to tell inclusion from exclusion |
| B．remind children to be careful while making friends |
| C．seek ways to help kids excluded by their peers |
| D．stop the children belonging to the inter-group social cognition model |
While making friends, children exclude those of social deficit model to _______.
| A．keep their groups purer |
| B．make their groups more socially powerful |
| C．refuse other customs and cultures |
| D．prove their groups to be strict |
There are several ski hills that can be found locally, and not so locally. Here’s a bit of an informal snow report for any visitors to the city who may be unfamiliar with the local options for skiing.
Sunshine Village
Sunshine is definitely the premier ski hill in the area. Of all the hills in Alberta, Sunshine is the one that has earned international renown. Ticket prices are cheaper this year than they have been in the past. Adults pay $76.5, seniors $61.5, and children only pay $26.5. At present, they have a snow base of 107 cm. The terrain (地形) is a mix of both easy and hard runs.
Lake Louise
Of all the ski resorts nearby it is the largest with 4,200 acres of ski-able terrain. It has the best balance between easy and difficult runs, and it gets snow of 93 cm right now. Adults pay $75.5, seniors pay $54.5, and children pay $24.5. Lake Louise is a great choice for anyone looking to do some easy access backcountry skiing.
Nakiska
While it will be opening shortly, Nakiska is popular to the public. Currently, they have a base of 71cm. The terrain at Nakiska is varied, but slants (倾斜) more towards the easy side. It’s the best place for families to go skiing as there is a lot of beginner and kid terrain. Tickets are relatively cheap. Adults pay $64.5, seniors pay $51.5, and children only pay $19.5.
Olympic Park
O.P. was built for the 1988 Winter Olympics in Canada, and it is a world-class facility (设施） for almost every winter sport. It has facilities not only for skiing, but also for all kinds of other activities. It has a snow base of 102 cm, but it isn’t the primary focus. However, with tickets starting at $5 and capping at $39, it is very inexpensive.What can we know about Sunshine Village?
| A．It is a ski hill in Europe. |
| B．Its snow is the thickest of the four. |
| C．It is suitable for ski beginners. |
| D．its ticket prices are getting more expensive. |
What does the underlined word "renown" mean in the passage?
| A．Good attraction. | B．Place of interest. |
| C．Prize or reward. | D．Fame or reputation. |
Which will be the best choice for someone who is fond of other sports games besides skiing?
| A．Sunshine Village. | B．Lake Louise. |
| C．Olympic Park. | D．Nakiska. |
How much will a woman pay if she and her husband with two children go skiing in the best family place?
| A．168 dollars. | B．103.5 dollars. |
| C．209 dollars. | D．129.5 dollars. |
Here is a true story about a famous man who worked in the White House and a criminal. They once faced the same thing: their mother gave them apples when they were young.
The criminal said: one day, my mother brought some apples and asked my brother and me: “Which do you want?” “The reddest and biggest one,” my little brother said. My mother stared at him and said to him angrily: “You should learn to give the good things to others; you shouldn’t always think of yourself.” Seeing this, I suddenly changed my idea and then said to my mother: “Mum, please give me the smaller one and give the bigger one to my little brother.” Hearing my words, my mother was very happy. She kissed me on my face and gave the reddest and biggest apple to me as a prize. From then on, I learned to tell lies, fight, steal and rob. In order to get what I wanted, I played hard. As a result, I was sent into prison.
The famous man from the White House said: One day, my mother brought some apples. She said to my brother and me: “You all want the reddest and biggest one, right? Well, let’s have a competition. Now I divided the grassland in front of the gate into two and I will give one to each of you and you must shear(修剪) it well. And I will give the reddest and biggest apple to him who does it the most quickly and best.”
After the competition, I won and I got the biggest apple. In our family, as long as you want to get the best things, you must take part in competition. I think it is fair. No matter what you want, you must pay lots of efforts.The criminal got the reddest and biggest apple because .
| A．he told the truth that he wanted a smaller one |
| B．he knew how to make his mother happy from her answer |
| C．elder brother should of course have the bigger one |
| D．his mother loved him more than she loved the younger brother |
We can conclude from the passage that .
| A．it’s wrong to ask children to choose apples when they are not old enough |
| B．it’s important to make children aware that no matter what they want, they must pay work |
| C．it’s wrong to ask children not to always think of themselves |
| D．it’s always necessary to have a competition when we give children apple |
The writer tells the story by .
| A．organizing it in the order of time |
| B．making a comparison between two men |
| C．providing some scientific information |
| D．describing it in the order of space |
It is implied in the passage that .
| A．we should always try to win competitions which can bring us a lot |
| B．in order to get what we want, we should play hard |
| C．a mother’s educational method has a great influence on a child’s growing |
| D．giving children apples will lead them to become criminals |