Tilly Smith, the 11-year-old British girl, who was called as “Angle of the Beach”, saved 100 tourists from a Thai beach hit by the tsunami① in 2004 and has been named Child of the Year by readers of a French children’s newspaper.
She came ahead of a South African Aids orphan, a six-year-old girl who survived a kidnapping②and a young Parisian pop singer to win the Mon Quotidien award. Tilly had studied tsunamis with her geography teacher, Andrew Kearney, shortly before flying to Thailand for a holiday with her parents and younger sister last year. As she watched the waves suddenly begin to move back, and the sea was bubbling③, she warned her mother, Penny, that the beach was about to be struck by a tsunami. Mrs Smith and her husband, Colin, warned other holidaymakers and hotel staff and scores of people were cleared from Maikhao beach at Phuket.
Tilly, now 11, and back in Thailand for anniversary commemorations④of the disaster, said: “It’s really good, just to know about tsunamis or any natural disaster in case you are in one. I’m very glad that I was able to say on the beach that a tsunami was coming. And I’m glad that they listened to me.”
Tilly is unaware of her great popularity among French children. Her picture appears on the front page of Mon Quotidien, which is read by 10 to 14-year-olds.
“Our readers chose Tilly because they could identify with her,” said Francois Dufour. “To be a pop star at 11 seems impossible, and the idea of having Aids or being kidnapped is far from their lives.”
1. The passage mainly wants to tell readers that ______.
A. a little girl saved 100 tourists out of a tsunami
B. British “Angle of the Beach” was named Child of the Year
C. many people came for anniversary commemorations
D. the tsunami was able to be avoided
2. The underlined words “Mon Quotidien” (in Paragraph 4) should be the name of ______.
A. a magazine B. a book C. a novel D. a newspaper
3. Which of the following about Tilly Smith is TRUE?
A. She could make full use of her knowledge from books.
B. She was ever kidnapped by a pop singer.
C. She visited Thailand by boat with her parents.
D. She had expected to attract the French children.
4. According to the Tilly Smith’s knowledge, when there is a tsunami, ______.
A. the sea water will not be clear B. the sea will be bubbling when moving back
C. the sea water will make great noise D. the sea will be bubbling when moving forward
Parents are often amazed at how fast their child grows and develops. New research has determined that the ability to quantify may develop much sooner than most parents realize.
Kristy vanMarle, professor of the University of Missouri, has determined that contrary to what previous studies have shown, infants（婴儿）are able to quantify substances（物质）—like sand or water—as early as 10 months. As long as the difference between the two substances is large enough, infants will choose the larger amount, especially when it comes to food.
With the assistance of her team researchers, vanMarle tested the quantifying skills of babies by presenting them with two cups: one containing a small amount of food, and one containing a larger amount. Consistently, the babies chose the larger amount.
“Several studies throughout the last 15 years have shown that infants are very good at telling how many objects they see; however, infants don’t seem to count things like water or sand,” vanMarle said. “What we’re saying is that they can quantify substances; it’s just much harder. The infants can see how much food goes into each cup and compare that in their memories. They decide which amount is larger, and they almost always select the larger one.”
This information further refutes（驳斥）the long-held idea that babies “know nothing of the world,” vanMarle said.
“Since psychologists have begun studying infants with sensitive measures, we’ve discovered a lot of early abilities. I think for parents, it should be exciting to know that there’s somebody in there that has some fundamental and basic knowledge of the world, and that knowledge is guiding their development,” vanMarle said.
In the future, vanMarle says this kind of study could be linked to a child’s progress in math-related skills, although programs marketed to increas
e those abilities, such as “Baby Einstein,” still have mixed reviews when it comes to academic study. The quantifying ability refers to the ability to .
| A．choose between different substances |
| B．get much knowledge of the world |
| C．describe the quantity of something |
| D．obtain math-related skills |
What is mainly talked about in Paragraph 4?
| A．The process of doing research. |
| B．The scientific findings. |
| C．The final choice of infants. |
| D．The observation of infants’ behavior. |
Babies choose the larger amount of food .
| A．by saying numbers | B．with the help of parents |
| C．on personal preference | D．through their natural a bilities |
What’s the best title of the text?
| A．Breakthrough in Baby Studies |
| B．Amazing Baby-training Ideas |
| C．Early Human Abilities |
| D．Unique Quantifying Methods |
The Fourth “21st Century Cup” National English Speaking Competition is to be held in Shanghai.
Organizers: China Daily and Shanghai Broadcasting Network.
Co-ordinater: China University English Speaking Association （CUESA）.
Co-sponsors（联办单位）: English Speaking Union （ESU）, Lotus Software （China）Co. Ltd., Times Publishing Group of Singapo
re, Hilton Shanghai, Pearson Education, Foreign Language Teaching & Research Press.
Date
: March 26（Friday）, 1999.
Place: Hilton Shanghai.
Competition Format （形式）: Each student will present a prepared speech on the given topic, followed by a three -minute off - hand speech and a three - minute question and answer period with the judges.
Prepared speech period: six minutes.
Q & A period: three minutes.
Speech topic: People and Nature: In search of harmony （和谐）in a new age ＋ your personal opinion. （Topics for the off-hand speech will be given on the day of competition）.
Prizes: Besides books and certificates （证书）, the top two winners will be offered scholarships（奖学金） to travel to the annual international English -speaking competition which will be held by the English Speaking Union in London in May, 1999. The third and fourth place winners will be offered a study trip to Singapore, sponsored by the Times Publishing Group. The fifth through 10th place winners will be offered cash prizes. All the competitors will receive certificates from the English Speaking Union and book prizes provided by Pearson Education and Foreign Language Teaching & Research Press. The teachers of the top winners will also
receive a one - year membership to the International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language（IATEFL）The main purpose of this passage is ________.
| A．to invite you to take part in the competition |
| B．to tell you some information about the competition |
| C．to help to improve your spoken English |
| D．to show you how to win the competition |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned about the Shanghai English Speaking Competition?________.
| A．Where and when it will take place. |
| B．Its programs. |
| C．What each winner will be offered. |
| D．The number of its competitors. |
Suppose you get the sixth place, you’ll________ .
| A．travel to London for free. |
| B．become a one - year member of IATEFL |
| C．get some money, some books and a certificate |
| D．get a chance to study in Singapore |
An “off- hand speech” is________.
| A．a speech not longer than three minutes |
| B．a speech without preparation |
| C．a speech with a piece of paper in hand |
| D．a speech which is well prepared |
Motherhood may make women smarter and may help prevent dementia （痴呆） in old age by bathing the brain in protective hormones （荷尔蒙） , U.S. researchers reported on Thursday.
Tests on rats show that those who raise two or more litters of pups do considerably better 
in tests of memory and skills than rats who have no babies, and their brains show changes that suggest they may be protected against diseases such as Alzheimer’s （早老痴呆症）. University of Richmond psychology professor Craig Kinsley believes his findings will translate into humans.
“Our research shows that the hormones of pregnancy are protecting the brain, including estrogen （雌激素）, which we know has many neuroprotective （保护神经的） effects,” Kinsley said.
“It’s rat data but humans are mammals just like these animals are mammals,” he added in a telephone interview. “The
y go through pregnancy and hormonal changes.”
Kinsley said he hoped public health officials and researchers will look to see if having had children protects a woman from Alzheimer’s and other forms of age-related brain decline.
“When people think about pregnancy, they think about what happens to babies and the mother from the neck down,” said Kinsley, who presented his findings to the annual meeting of the Society of Neuroscience in Orlando, Florida.
“They do not realize that hormones are washing on the brain. If you look at female animals who have never gone through pregnancy, they act differently toward young. But if she goes through pregnancy, she will sacrifice her life for her infant—that is a great change in her behavior that showed in genetic alterations （改变） to the brain.” How do scientists know “Motherhood may make women smarter”?
| A．Some researchers have told them. |
| B．Many women say so. |
| C．They know it by experimenting on rats. |
| D．They know it through their own experience. |
What does the phrase “litters of pups” mean in the second paragraph?
| A．Baby rats. | B．Animals. | C．Old rats. | D．Grown-up rats. |
What can protect the brain of a woman according to the passage?
| A．Estrogen. | B．The hormones of pregnancy. |
| C．More exercise. | D．Taking care of children. |
“It’s rat data but humans are mammals just like these animals are mammals.” What does the sentence suggest?
| A．The experiments on the rats have nothing to do with humans. |
| B．The experiments on the rats are very important for animals. |
| C．The experiments on the rats are much the same on humans. |
| D．The experiments on the rats are much the same on other animals. |
I love this healthy diet program because, it helps you lose weight, lose inches, feel healthy and look beautiful.
This healthy diet is an 8 week's program which is unlike other diet regimes （食物疗法）. In that it focuses on proper nutrition first and weight loss second. Your body must have proper levels of minerals, vitamin, and protein in order to work well. It provides a simple lifestyle change to give you more energy and improve your health most greatly. It offers control over stomach and continuing hunger
with a dense diet allowing 1,700 to 2,000 calories a day. If a person has a weight problem, their body probably is not working at proper levels of basic nutrients. We invite you to follow this program, so you can be the slim person who lives inside you.
You too, can love dieting especially if you are losing weight and losing inches.
For more information about our program, please get to our address in the internet:
http://www. Shaidee. net/lifestyle-for-heath/products This passage is mainly about ________.
| A．how people should keep fit | B．a healthy diet program |
| C．why people should keep fit | D．ways to lose weight |
The underlined phrase "
lose inches" in the passage means ________.
| A．become shorter | B．become taller |
| C．become fatter | D．become thinner |
According to this passage, all of the following are true except that ________.
| A．this program makes a change in your lifestyle |
| B．this program can stop you from feeling hungry all the time |
| C．this program allows you 1,700 to 2,000 calories for each meal |
| D．this program tries to tell us what people should do to become slim |
I decided early in my college years that I wanted to experience living abroad before entering in the real world. During my senior year, while most of my friends were interviewing for “real world” jobs, I was investigating how I could go work in a different country. At that early stage of my inquiry I was pretty open about where to go and what kind of work to undertake. My desire to live abroad was so strong that I was willing to do anything anywhere.
Soon I learned about BUNAC, a program that seemed to be designed precisely for student with such interests. BUNAC offers work visas ( 签证 ) for students or recent graduates to work overseas. Of the six countries available, I chose England because of the language and opportunities for employment.
Two months after I graduated from college I went to Britain. I traveled throughout Europe for six weeks before arriving in London. I got to London on August 24, 1997 with a work visa, but no job or place to live. I have to admit it was pretty scary! The day after I arrived, I experienced my first British holiday --- a Bank Holiday, a national holiday that everything is closed for the day. It wasn’t until my third day that I visited the BUNAC office and I learned all about living and working in Britain, paying taxes, getting health insurance, traveling around Britain, finding accommodations and most importantly, finding a job. I was most scared about finding a job since my financial resources were running low and I needed to get my pay soon.
It turned out that finding a job was not so difficult. The BUNAC program is very well known in London and many employers participate in the program. As a result there are many employers in many different fields to choose from. My job search began when I chose three different business employers and faxed them my resume (简历). That first week I had three interviews. I accepted my first offer working for Merrill Lynch International Bank. The Merrill Lynch office I worked at was in a beautiful, old building located two blocks from Buckingham Palace. The people were nice and the work interesting.
It was easy to adjust to life in London. And there is so much to see that after six months exploring I probably covered only half of what I intended. When the author studied at college she decided _________.
| A．to enter the “real world” after graduation |
| B．to go and work in a foreign country |
| C．to settle in a different country |
| D．to find a job in the home country |
The author chose England because ______.
| A．it is a beautiful country and people there are nice |
| B．England is spoken there and it is easy to find a job |
| C．it is in Europe, not far from her own country |
| D．the BUNAC office is located there |
After the author arrived in London, what worried her most was ________.
| A．getting a job | B．buying health insurance |
| C．traveling around Britain | D．finding a place to live |
Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?
| A．A Trip to Britain | B．What I Want to Be |
| C．Living in a Different Country | D．My Work Experience |