Imagine being the only person in the Forbidden City. You could stay there all day without swarms of people crowding around. You'd be able to look at the ancient treasures without worrying about other visitors pushing you for a better view. Well, in two years time you'll be able to have such an experience, just like the former emperors used to. The only difference is that your Forbidden City fun will be online.
Thanks to new technology, a virtual tour of the Forbidden City will be available online by 2008. The project － jointly driven by the Palace Museum and computer company IBM － aims to help teenagers around the world become more interested in Chinese culture. The project will offer an interactive, three-dimensional view of the palace. The virtual tour will provide images from all over the 780,000-square-metre palace.
"The Palace Museum is a big book; there are always places you haven't read about," said Hu Chui from the museum. There are many rooms closed for protection. But the virtual platform breaks the boundaries of time and space, meaning visitors can see whatever they want. "The interaction and games content in the virtual tour will attract more young people to understand and love our cultural heritage," added Hu.
In the virtual tour, historical figures will actually talk to visitors and answer their questions. The stories behind the buildings and treasures will also be told. "The online environment, presented in both Chinese and English, enables visitors to experience the culture and stories of the museum," said James Yeh, an IBM official.
If you visit the Forbidden City now, which of the following won’t be the case you’ll have?
| A．It is crowed with a lot of visitors. | B．Visitors are pushing you for a better view. |
| C．You are the only person in it. | D．You can see some ancient treasures in it. |
Which of the following is not the advantage of the virtual tour of the Forbidden City?
| A．Visitors can see whatever they want. |
| B．Visitor can ask and talk to historical figures. |
| C．Visitors can get to know the cultural heritage by playing games. |
| D．Visitors can walk around the Forbidden City with your family. |
The “project” underlined in paragraph 2 refers to ______.
| A．a virtual tour of the Forbidden City |
| B．a new “Forbidden City” to be built by the Palace Museum and IBM computer company |
| C．an Internet cafe to be built in the Palace Museum |
| D．a big book to be published to introduce Chinese culture |
What attracts teenagers most to the virtual tour is _____.
| A．the visible pictures in the place |
| B．the interaction and game playing |
| C．the online environment presented in English |
| D．the platform without the boundaries of time and space |
One of our biggest fears nowadays is that our kids might some day get lost in a “sea of technology” rather than experiencing the natural world. Fear-producing TV and computer games are leading to a serious disconnect between kids and the great outdoors, which will change the wild places of the world, its creatures and human health for the worse, unless adults get working on child’s play.
Each of us has a place in nature we go sometimes, even if it was torn down. We cannot be the last generation to have that place. At this rate, kids who miss the sense of wonder outdoors will not grow up to be protectors of natural landscapes. “If the decline in parks use continues across North America, who will defend parks against encroachment (蚕食)?” asks Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods.
Without having a nature experience, kids, can turn out just fine, but they are missing out a huge enrichment of their lives. That applies to everything from their physical health and mental health to stress levels, creativity and cognitive (认知的) skills. Experts predict modern kids will have poorer health than their parents—and they say a lack of outside play is surely part of it; research suggests that kids do better academically in schools with a nature component and that play in nature fosters (培养) leadership by the smartest, not by the toughest. Even a tiny outdoor experience can create wonder in a child. The three-year-old turning over his first rock realizes he is not alone in the world. A clump of trees on the roadside can be the whole universe in his eyes. We really need to value that more.
Kids are not to blame. They are over-protected and frightened. It is dangerous out there from time to time, but repetitive stress from computers is replacing breaking an arm as a childhood rite（仪式）of passage.
Everyone, from developers to schools and outdoor citizens, should help regain for our kids some of the freedom and joy of exploring, taking friendship in fields and woods that cement (增强) love, respect and need for landscape. As parents, we should devote some of our energies to taking our kids into nature. This could yet be our greatest cause.The main idea of Paragraph 2 is that __________.
| A．kids missiiiu the sense of wonder outdoors |
| B．parks are in danger of being gradually encroached |
| C．Richard Louv is the author of Last Child in the Woods |
| D．children are expected to develop into protectors of nature |
According to the passage, children without experiencing nature will _________.
| A．keep a high sense of wonder |
| B．be over-protected by their parents |
| C．be less healthy both physically and mentally |
| D．change wild places and creatures for the better |
According to the author, children’s breaking an arm is ___________.
| A．the fault on the part of their parents |
| B．the natural experience in their growing up |
| C．the result of their own carelessness in play |
| D．the effect of their repetitive stress from computers |
In writing this passage, the author mainly intends to ________.
| A．blame children for getting lost in computer games |
| B．encourage children to protect parks from encroachment |
| C．show his concern about children’s lack of experience in nature |
| D．inspire children to keep the sense of wonder about things around |
There are three separate sources of danger in supplying energy by nuclear power.
First, the radioactive material must travel from its form of production to the power station. Although the power stations themselves are strongly built, the containers used for the transport of the materials are not. Normally, only two methods of transport are in use, namely road or rail. Unfortunately, both of these may have an effect on the general public, since they are sure to pass near, or even though, heavily populated areas.
Secondly, there is the problem of waste. All nuclear power stations produce waste that in most cases will remain radioactive for thousands of years. It is impossible to make these waste radioactive, and so they must be stored in one of the inconvenient ways that scientists have invented. For example, they may be buried under the ground, or dropped into deserted mines, or sunk in the sea. However, these methods do not solve the problem, since an earthquake could easily break the containers.
Third, there may occur the danger of a leak or an explosion at the power station. As with the other two dangers, this is not very likely, so it does not provide a serious objection to the nuclear program. However, it can happen.
Separately, these three types of dangers are not a great cause for worry. Taken together, though, the probability of disaster is extremely high.Which of the following is FALSE ?
| A．It is possible that a leak or an explosion occurs at a power station. |
| B．It is unusual for radioactive materials to be transported across land. |
| C．The containers are likely to be broken by an earthquake. |
| D．Nuclear wastes remain dangerous in most cases for many years. |
The author thinks that the ways to store nuclear wastes are ____________.
| A．easy | B．impossible | C．reasonable | D．ineffective |
What do we learn from the last paragraph ?
| A．The power station is a safe place. |
| B．The dangers of nuclear energy can be prepared. |
| C．The general public are strongly against the nuclear program. |
| D．Itself, none of the three dangers is very likely to cause much worry. |
What is this passage mainly about ?
| A．uses of nuclear power |
| B．Dangers from nuclear power |
| C．Public anger at nuclear power |
| D．Accidents caused by nuclear power. |
| Take Action for a Better World: Volunteers Needed Six months’ preparation in Denmark: Africa studies, team work combined with social work with risk group teenagers. Six months’ community work in Malawi in People to People Projects: Child Aid, HIV / AIDS. Fights and Teacher Training. Qualifications: 18 years, hard working and social engagement. Please contact us by e-mail: takeaction@ betterworld.com. |
| Part-time work with Exchange Students YOUTH International is a non-profit high school foreign exchange students organization. We welcome teenagers from over 80 countries worldwide and provide host families. The community Representative is a part-time position designed for people with a strong desire to do something rewarding in the community and earn some extra money. Applicants best suited for this work should enjoy teenagers, have a strong interest in cross-cultural communication and feel comfortable networking. Full training and support will be provided through branch offices throughout the US. Positions available in most states. If interested, please email staff@ youth. org or call 888—123—9872. |
| International Summer Job Hi, I’m an ESL student in China. I’m 20, quiet and polite, and I speak reasonable English. I’m looking for a summer job in an English-speaking country. I can teach Chinese or do house and garden work and cook Chinese dishes. Can anybody offer me a job? I don’t need to earn much, just enough in two months ( July --- August) to pay for my return ticket to China. My goal is to improve my English and see a bit more of the world. My email is: ram3462@ hotmail.com. |
| Call for Native Speaker of English I am looking for native speakers of English to join in an experiment. This experiment is carried out over the Internet. You don’t need any specific knowledge other than understanding and speaking English at a native level. The first task will take you around 15 minutes. After this task, you can decide whether you want to continue the experiment. The tasks involve reading texts and designing questions and answers. If you are willing to help me, then please email us: club3864@ hotmail.com |
Who is suitable to work as a Community Representative in YOUTH International?
| A．One who enjoys working with teenagers from different countries. |
| B．One who hopes to take action in fighting against diseases. |
| C．One who has a strong desire to improve his or her English. |
| D．One who wants to earn some pocket money in the program. |
Where will jack, a volunteer, receive the training before he is sent to work in Malawi?
| A．In some local offices in the US. |
| B．In an ESL organization in China. |
| C．In a preparation program in Denmark. |
| D．In an exchange student center in Africa. |
If Mrs. Black in the US hopes to learn some Chinese at home, she may contact _______.
| A．takeaction@betterworld.com | B．ram3462@hotmail.com |
| C．club3864@hotmail.com | D．staff@youth.org |
What are volunteers for an experiment over the Internet supposed to do?
| A．To interview people online. | B．To do some house work. |
| C．To offer advice on Child Aid | D．To provide language exercises. |
A qualified doctor who rarely practiced but instead devoted his life to writing. He once said: “Medicine is my lawful wife, and literature is my lover.” Russian writer Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, was a great playwright and one of the masters of the modern short story.
When Chekhov entered the Moscow University Medical School in 1879, he started to publish hundreds of comic short stories to support his family. After he graduated, he wrote regularly for a local daily newspaper.
As a writer he was extremely fast, often producing a short story in an hour or less. Chekhov’s medical and science experience can be seen through the indifference(冷漠) many of his characters show to tragic events. In 1892, he became a full time writer and published some of his most memorable stories.
Chekhov often wrote about the sufferings of life in small town Russia. Tragic events control his characters who are filled with feelings of hopelessness and despair.
It is often said that nothing happens in Chekhov’s stories and plays. He made up for this with his exciting technique for developing drama within his characters. Chekhov’s works combined the calm attitude of a scientist and doctor with the sensitivity(敏感) of an artist.
Some of Chekhov's works were translated into Chinese as early as the 1940s. One of his famous stories, The Man in a Shell, about a school teacher’s extraordinarily orderly life, was selected as a text for Chinese senior students.Anton Pavlovich Chekhov ________.
| A．had a lawful lover | B．was an illegal writer |
| C．used to be a lawyer | D．was a competent doctor |
In 1880, Chekhov ________.
| A．became a full-time writer |
| B．studied medicine in Moscow University |
| C．practiced medicine in his hometown |
| D．published his most memorable stories |
Which of the following adjectives can’t be used to describe Chekhov?
| A．Sensitive. | B．Cool. | C．Quick-minded. | D．Warm-hearted. |
Which of the following is the right order of the events?
a. became a doctor
b. became a full time writer
c. started to publish comic short stories
d. wrote regularly for a local daily newspaper.
e. entered the Moscow University Medical School
| A．e→c→a→d→b | B．d→a→b→c→e |
| C．e→c→b→a→d | D．a→e→c→b→d |
If you want to learn anything at school, you need to listen to your teachers. Unfortunately, millions of kids can’t hear what their teachers are saying. And it’s not because these students are goofing off. Often, it’s the room’s fault. Building architecture and building design can create echo(回声)-filled classrooms that make hearing difficult.
Children with hearing impairments（损伤）suffer most from noisy classrooms. They sometimes can’t hear questions that other students ask in class. Compared with kids with healthy hearing, they have a harder time picking up new vocabulary words by hearing them in talking.
Even kids with normal hearing have a harder time in the classroom when there’s too much noise. Younger children in particular have trouble separating important sounds – like a teacher’s voice – from background noise. Kids with learning disabilities and speech impediments（障碍）and kids for whom English is a second language also have a harder time learning in noisy situations.
In recent years, scientists who study sound have been asking schools to reduce background noise, which may include loud air-conditioners and pipes. They’re also targeting outdoor noises, such as highway traffic. Noise reduction is a big deal. Why? Because quieter classrooms might make you smarter by letting you hear your lessons better.
“It’s so obvious that we should have quiet rooms that allow for access to the lesson,” says Dan Ostergren, a hearing scientist. “Sometimes it surprises me that we spend so much time discussing this topic. I just want to go. Why is this hard for anyone to grasp?”The underlined part “goofing off” in the first paragraph can be replaced by “”.
| A．lazy | B．intelligent | C．sleepy | D．foolish |
Who is most affected by noisy classrooms?
| A．Children with learning disabilities. |
| B．Children with speech impairments. |
| C．Children with hearing impediments. |
| D．Children with normal hearing. |
Why should noise be reduced in classrooms?
| A．Quiet classrooms are suitable for kids to have discussions. |
| B．Quiet classrooms help kids recover from hearig impairments. |
| C．Kids can’t separate sounds of air-conditioners and pipes. |
| D．Kids can become smarter after hearing lessons better. |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Classroom design | B．Noisy classrooms |
| C．The sense of hearing | D．Disabled kids |