Perhaps the most astonishing theory to come out of kinetics, the study of body movement, was suggested by Professor Ray Birdwhistell. He believes that physical appearance is often culturally programmed.In other words, we learn our looks; we are not born with them.
A baby has generally unformed facial features. A baby, according to Birdwhistell, learns where to set the eyebrows by looking at those around family and friends. This helps explain why the people of some regions of the United States look so much alike. New Englanders or Southerners have certain common facial characteristics that cannot be explained by genetics (遗传学) “The exact shape of the mouth is not set at birth, it is learned after. In fact, the final mouth shape is not formed until well after permanent (永久的) teeth are set. For many, this can be well into adolescence (青春期). A husband and wife together for a long time often come to look somewhat alike. We learn our looks from those around us. This is perhaps why in a single country there are areas where people smile more than those in other areas. In the United States, for example, the South is the part of the country where the people smile most frequently. In New England they smile less, and in the western part of New York State still less. Many Southerners find cities such as New York cold and unfriendly, Partly because people on Madison Avenue smile less than people on Peach Tree Street in Atlanta, Georgia.People in densely (稠密地) populated urban areas also tend to smile and greet each other in public less than people in rural areas and small towns. Ray Birdwhistell believes that physical appearance ______.
A.has little to do with culture | B.can be influenced by culture |
C.is decided by culture | D.varies from place to place |
Ray Birdwhistell can tell what region of the United States a person is from by ______.
A.how much he or she laughs | B.how he or she raises his or her eyebrows |
C.what he or she likes best | D.the way he or she talks |
People who live _____ are more friendly according to the passage.
A.in densely populated areas | B.in the country |
C.in New York City | D.in the North |
This passage might have been taken out of a book dealing with ______.
A.physics | B.health | C.chemistry | D.none of the above |
The earth is dying before us yet we sit and watch. If the TV or the game system breaks, we run off to the stores to get it fixed immediately no matter what the cost. Why aren’t we willing to fix our earth? Are our televisions and game systems more important to us than where we live? Where shall we continue to live, until the end of time?
The earth is our home and cannot be replaced. We must take care of it. We have come up with so much technology that limits us instead of helping us. Take that game system we run to repair. What does it do? It occupies kids’ time! The earth has already given kids plenty of entertainment in the forms of fields and hills, forests and plains, water and land. However, instead of using what the earth has given us, and helping kids by giving them exercise as they run around, we decide to ruin kids’ minds with game systems that glue them to the screen for hours, and make them ignore their homework and chores. We have polluted this earth by making these things which do not even help in any way!
We have already messed up this world, we have ruined the air, water, and animals that it has so willingly provided for us. We need to stop this destruction of life and bring back the world we had before. It will not be easy, but everybody can help! What about something as simple as turning the lights off when you leave a room? Recycling what can be recycled? Picking up litter? Donating money to an environmental organization? None of these things are very hard. We can’t just always say, “Oh, the earth is a mess. Ah, well, those big companies that are polluting so much can stop and fix it.” Instead, we need to help out. It’s not only those big companies; it’s everyday things that we do too that are ruining the earth. So stop and think about what you can do to make a difference to our world!Why does the author mention televisions and game systems in Paragraph 1?
A.To make people better aware of the urgency to the protection of the earth. |
B.To explore the great harm done to the earth by too much technology waste. |
C.To show the relationship between overuse of those things with early death. |
D.To remind people to spend less on them and use the saved money in a wiser way. |
It can be inferred from the second paragraph that the author________
A.thinks we must take care of our irreplaceable home-----the earth. |
B.thinks running around in fields occupies too much of kids’ time. |
C.takes an extremely negative attitude to things like game systems. |
D.takes it for granted that technology gives kids plenty of entertainment. |
We can clearly feel that the author wrote this passage with deep_______
A.anger | B.emotion | C.sadness | D.regret |
What is the main purpose of the passage?
A.To criticize those big companies that ruin the earth |
B.To ask people to save kids from the harm done by pollution. |
C.To give kids plenty of entertainment in a clean environment |
D.To call on people to stop ruining the earth |
Washington: NASA has announced evidence that Jupiter's largest moon, Ganymede, has a saltwater ocean under its icy surface. The ocean seems to have more water than all the water on Earth's surface, according to new Hubble observation.
New Hubble observations of Ganymede's magnetic field strongly suggest that the moon, which is the largest in our whole solar system, is home to a subsurface ocean.
Scientists estimate the ocean is 95 kilometres thick, which is about 10 times deeper than Earth's oceans. But unlike our salty waters, Ganymede's ocean is buried under 150 kilometres of ice.
While scientists have speculated(推测) since 1970s about the presence of an ocean on Ganymede------the largest moon in our solar system------ until now the only observational evidence came from a brief flyby by the Galileo spacecraft, which didn’t observe the moon long enough to confirm a liquid ocean.
This discovery marks an important milestone, highlighting what only Hubble can accomplish. In its 25 years in orbit, Hubble has made many scientific discoveries in our own solar system. A deep ocean under the icy surface of Ganymede opens up further exciting possibilities for life beyond Earth.
Scientists have already confirmed the existence of an ocean on Europa, another moon orbiting Jupiter, and NASA has announced plans to send an unmanned mission there searching for the life that might come with liquid water.
Hubble is a telescope that orbits Earth, but because of its impressive gravitational analyses it can be used to study the inside of far distant planets. Using these same principles, scientists could theoretically detect oceans on distant planets as well.What can we learn about the Ganymede from the passage?
A.It is a planet with the largest moon in our whole solar system. |
B.Its ocean adds to people’s excitement about life beyond Earth. |
C.It will be used by NASA as a base for the Hubble telescope. |
D.Its liquid ocean was first proved by the Galileo spacecraft. |
Which of the following best describes the writer’s attitude towards Hubble?
A.Cautious | B.Doubtful |
C.Negative | D.Favourable |
What does the underlined part in Paragraph 6 mean?
A.An underground ocean has been found in Europa. |
B.The presence of an underground ocean in Europa is not possible. |
C.It is now certain that there is an ocean on Europa. |
D.No evidence has shown the existence of an ocean on Europa. |
What type of writing does this passage belong to?
A.A term essay | B.A news report |
C.An experiment report | D.An exploration review. |
I went online to check if my pay was in my bank account. To my amazement I discovered that not only had I been paid, a company I’d never worked for had also paid me! I knew I’d have been beside myself if my own salary was not in my account, so I tried to get the money back to the right person. Easier said than done.
The bank couldn’t help as it wasn’t a bank problem. The human resources department at the company that paid me was unable to help as I didn’t have enough details. I rang the bank again. Thankfully, I had a sympathetic(同情的) call operator who gave me a name, so I again rang the company Daniel worked for.
I expected the bank would contact me to arrange to take the money from my account and repay Daniel. I heard nothing for a month and the money remained in my account when Daniel called, explaining he’d tried to get back his money but had been unsuccessful as neither the bank nor his company felt it was their error. He had rung to ask if I could speak to the bank, but after chatting for a few minutes we realized we could probably fix this problem ourselves.
We decided I would take the money from my account and he would pick it up from me. Due to my busy job I was unable to meet Daniel personally but he left me a lovely bottle of wine in exchange for what was rightfully(正当地) his. I never had any intention of keeping Daniel’s pay but red tape(繁琐手续) made it difficult to do the right thing. It all came down to two people being able to do what a huge bank and a large company couldn’t do--admit a mistake has occurred and fix it.The underlined phrase “beside myself”(in Paragraph1) probably means___________.
A.very fortunate | B.very angry |
C.really thankful | D.at ease |
What was the attitude of the author towards the extra money in his bank account?
A.He didn’t know what to do with it. |
B.He felt lucky to get it. |
C.He thought of keeping it for himself. |
D.He wanted to return it to the right person. |
From the passage we can infer that___________.
A.the bank could solve the problem soon and easily with the red tape |
B.some large organizations usually have troublesome official rules |
C.Daniel didn’t know the error before he contacted the author |
D.the company gave the wrong account to the bank |
How was the problem solved in the end?
A.The author and Daniel solved the problem themselves. |
B.It cost Daniel a lovely bottle of wine to get back his money. |
C.The author gave the money back to the company. |
D.The call operator offered to solve their problem |
Have you ever been to the world’s smallest bookstore?
The World’s Smallest Bookstore,whose official name is just these three words,sits quietly about 100 miles northeast of Toronto.
The bookstore is about 10 feet by 10 feet,so it is easy to imagine how tiny it really is.The bookstore is open 24 hours a day.Inside the bookstore are various books,especially literary books and classic authors’ works.So if you are looking for something less popular,you may get a bit disappointed there.
Another special feature of this bookstore is that each book only costs three dollars.All the expenses are paid on the honor system,which means buyers should make a note of what they’ve bought and leave their money by themselves.So the tools of the trade in this bookstore are quite simple: pens,papers,light bulbs and a label-maker.
In order to catch passers-by’s attention,the billboards(广告牌)of the bookstore are several times bigger than the store itself.With these large eye-catchers,many people are willing to stop by and have a visit.What’s the passage mainly about?
A.The world’s smallest bookstore. |
B.A strange way of selling books. |
C.The popular books nowadays. |
D.The popular bookstores in the world. |
Which of the following books might you most probably get in the store?
A.Books on popular science. |
B.Literary books. |
C.The year book of a university. |
D.Books on economic control. |
How could you buy a book from the store?
A.The salesman will help you find the book. |
B.The salesman will get the money for the book. |
C.Choose the book(s)and leave the money there. |
D.Pay on the net and then get the book(s)in the store. |
China has recently been faced with serious issues of product safety. In Panama,it is said that medicine made with a poisonous chemical sickened some people.A Chinese company had identified it as diethylamide glycol(乙二醇),a lowcost substitute commonly used in automobile antifreeze(防冻剂).
Some countries have banned Chinesemade toothpaste containing diethylamide glycol. China has now told companies to discontinue its use,even though it says the toothpaste is safe. Another industrial chemical,melamine,was found in wheat flour used to make pet food in North America.
Thousands of dogs and cats became sick.
The United States has restricted some imports of Chinese seafood because they contained banned substance. And questions have been raised about other products,including children's toys covered with lead paint.
Chinese officials promised to provide the European Union,the biggest trading partner,with detailed reports on enforcement efforts against unsafe goods.
Meglena Kuneva,commissioner(理事) for consumer protection of the European Union said China should have kept its promise.
China recently closed three companies linked to the Panama and the pet food scare. And it dismissed the former head of its food and drug administration. He was found guilty of corruption(腐败)for approving unsafe drugs. This week,a conference of the State Council approved a proposed special measure on the supervision of food safety. The Xinhua News Agency said it calls for stronger controls over producers,greater responsibilities for government and more serious punishment for illegal activities.
But Chinese officials have accused some foreign media of overstating problems with goods made in China. They say food imports from the United States also fail inspection sometimes. Next week,American and Chinese food safety officials are planning to hold 5 days of meetings in Beijing to discuss cooperation.How many cases with safety problems are mentioned in the passage?
A.Six. | B.Five. | C.Four. | D.Three. |
How was Panama case dealt with afterwards?
A.Three companies linked to it were closed down.
B.The former head of food and drug administration was removed from his position.
C.More serious punishment was conducted for leaders linked to it.
D.Both A and B.It can be implied but not clearly stated that________.
A.Chinesemade toothpaste is safe |
B.the safety of “Made in China” is doubted |
C.there are safety problems with one more Chinese products |
D.stronger control over Chinese products is in need |
The passage is mainly about________.
A.China is facing product safety problems |
B.more controls are taken of Chinese goods |
C.overstated problems with Chinese goods |
D.China is losing its trade partners |