C
Taiwan police cannot decide whether to treat it as an extremely clever act of stealing or an even cleverer cheat（诈骗）.Either way, it could be a perfect crime（犯罪）, because the criminals are birds----homing pigeons.
The crime begins with a telephone message to the owner of a stolen car: if you want the car back, pay some money. Then, the car owner is directed to a park, told where to find a bird cage and how to attach money to the neck of the pigeon inside. Carrying the money in a tiny bag, the pigeon flies off.
There have been at least four such pigeon pick-ups in Changwa. What at first seemed like the work of a clever stay-at-home car thief, however, may in fact be the work of an even lazier and more inventive criminal mind---- one that avoids（避免） not only collecting money but going out to steal the car in the first place. Police officer Chen says that the criminal pro
bably has pulled a double trick: he gets money for things he cannot possibly return. Instead of stealing cars, he lets someone else do it and then waits for the car owner to place an ad in the newspaper asking for help.
The theory is supportd by the fact that, so far,none of the stolen cars have been returned. Also, the amount of money demanded----under 3,000 Taiwanese dollars-----seems too little for a car worth many times more.
Demands for pigeon-delivered money stopped as soon as the press reported the story. And even if they start again, Chen holds little hope of catching the criminal. “We have more important things to do,”he said.
66.After the car owner received a phone call, he ___________.
A. went to a certain pigeon and put some money in the bag it carried
B. gave the money to the thief and had his car back in a park
C. sent some money to the thief by mail
D.told the press about it
67. The “lazier and more inventive”criminal refers to ________.
A.the car thief who stays at home B.one of those who put the ads in the paper
C.one of the policemen in Changwa D. the owner of the pigeons
68.The writer mentions the fact that “none of the stolen cars have been returned” to show ____________.
A.how easily people get fooled by criminals B.what Chen thinks might be correct.
C. the thief is extremely clever. D.the money paid is too little.
69. The underlined word “they” in the last paragraph refers to ________.
A.criminals B. pigeons C. the stolen cars D.demands for money
70. We may infer from the text that the criminal knows how to reach the car owners because ____________.
A.he reads the ads in the newspaper
B.he lives in the same neighborhood
C.he has seen the car owners in the park
D.he has trained the pigeons to follow them
Bad news travels fast--when you watch the evening news or read the morning papers, it seems that things that get the most coverage are all tragedies like wars, earthquakes, floods, fires and murders.
This is the classic rule for mass media. “They want your eyeballs and don’t care how you’re feeling,” Jonah Berger, a psychologist at University of Pennsylvania told The New York Times.
But with social media getting increasingly popular, information is now being spread in different ways, and researchers are discovering new rules--good news can actually spread faster and farther than disasters and other sad stories.
Berger and his colleague Katherine Milkman looked at thousands of articles on The New York Times’ website and analyzed the “most e-mailed” list for six months.
One of his findings was that articles in the science section were much more likely to make the list. Those stories aroused feelings of awe (敬畏) and made the readers want to share this positive emotion with others.
Besides science stories, readers were also found to be likely to share articles that were exciting or funny. “The more positive an article was, the more likely it was to be shared,” Berger wrote in his new book. “For example, stories about newcomers falling in love with New York City,” he writes, “tended to be shared more than the death of a popular zookeeper.”
But does all this good news actually make the audience feel better? Not necessarily.
According to a study by researchers at Harvard University, people tend to say more positive things about themselves when they’re talking to a bigger audience, rather than just one person, which helps explain all the perfect vacations that keep showing up on microblogs. This, researchers found, makes people think that life is unfair and that they’re less happy than their friends.
But no worries. There’s a quick and easy way to relieve the depression you get from viewing other people’s seemingly perfect lives--turn on the television and watch the news. There is always someone doing worse than you are.Bad news covers most papers because.
| A．the public care for reading tragedies |
| B．the public intend to express sympathy for victims |
| C．mass media want to attract the public’s attention |
| D．mass media appeal to the public to help victims |
Which of the following might be e-mailed most according to Berger?
| A．The perfect vacation of your friend |
| B．The story of a determined inventor |
| C．The death of a popular zookeeper |
| D．The flood hitting a small town |
We can infer from the passage that .
| A．bad news always makes people sad |
| B．people prefer to share bad news with a bigger audience |
| C．people can relieve the depression by reading good news |
| D．good news sometimes has negative influence |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Good News Spreads Fast |
| B．Bad News Travels Fast |
| C．The Effect of Bad News |
| D．The Power of Good News |
I was shopping in the supermarket when I heard a young voice. “Mom, come here! There’s a lady here my size!” The mother rushed to her son; then she turned to me to apologize. I smiled and told her, “It’s okay.” Then talked to the boy, “Hi, I’m Darry Kramer. How are you?” He studied me from head to toe, and asked, “Are you a little mommy?” “Yes, I have a son,” I answered. “Why are you so little?” he asked. “It’s the way I was born,” I said. “Some people are little. Some are tall. I’m just not going to grow any bigger.” After I answered his other questions, I shook the boy’s hand and left.
My life as a little person is filled with stories like that. I enjoy talking to children and explaining why I look different from their parents.
It takes only one glance to see my uniqueness. I stand three feet nine inches tall. I was born an achondroplasia dwarf (侏儒). Despite this, I did all the things other kids did when I was growing up.
I didn’t realize how short I was until I started school. Some kids joked on me, calling me names. Then I knew. I began to hate the first day of school each year. New students would always stare at me as I struggled to climb the school bus stairs.
But I learned to smile and accept the fact that I was going to be noticed my whole life. I decided to make my uniqueness an advantage rather than a disadvantage. What I lacked in height, I made up for in personality.
I’m 47 now, and the stares have not diminished as I’ve grown older. People are amazed when they see me driving. I try to keep a good attitude. When people are rude, I remind myself, “Look what else I have--a great family, nice friends.”
It’s the children’s questions that make my life special. I enjoy answering their questions. My hope is that I will encourage them to accept their peers (a person of the same age, class, position, etc.), whatever size and shape they come in, and treat them with respect.Why did the mother apologize to the author?
| A．Because the boy studied the author from head to toe. |
| B．Because the boy laughed at the author. |
| C．Because they boy said the author was shorter than him. |
| D．Because the mother thought the boy’s words had hurt the author. |
When did the author realize that she was too short?
| A．When she grew up. |
| B．When she began to go to school. |
| C．When she was 47 years old. |
| D．When she met the boy in the supermarket. |
Which of the following word can best replace the underlined word “diminished”?
| A．doubted | B．decreased |
| C．remained | D．improved |
Which is NOT true about the author according to the passage?
| A．She suffered lots of discrimination when growing up. |
| B．She is grateful for what she has. |
| C．She doesn’t see herself different. |
| D．She thinks people should be treated equally. |
Apple Seeds
Circulation (发行量): 1 Year, 9 Issues
Cover Price: MYM 44.55
Price For You: MYM 33.95
Product Description: Apple Seeds is an award winning magazine filled with stories for kids aged from 7 to 9. The cover is very soft, providing durability that allows each issue to be enjoyed for many years to come. Besides, there is a big surprise for you--it’s being sold at a more favorable discount than usual.
Better Life
Circulation: 1 Year, 12 Issues
Cover Price: MYM 44.55
Price For You: MYM 15.00
Product Description: Designed for those who have a strong interest in personal lifestyle, Better Life is America’s complete home and family service magazine. It offers help with food, recipes, decorating, building, gardening, family health, money management, and education.
Humor Times
Circulation: 1 Year, 12 Issues
Cover Price: MYM 36.00
Price For You: MYM 11.95
Product Description: Humor Times Magazine is for those who love to laugh! Full of cartoons and humor columns, it shows up in your mailbox once a month and keeps you smiling all year round! In today’s world, you need a reason to laugh. So let’s find it in Humor Times.
News China
Circulation: 1 Year, 12 Issues
Cover Price: MYM 47.88
Price For You: MYM 19.99
Product Description: News China Magazine is the English edition of China Newsweek. The magazine covers the latest Chinese domestic news in politics, business, society, environment, culture, sports and travels, etc. It is the first comprehensive news magazine for readers interested in China.What do we know about Apple Seeds?
| A．You can receive it every month if you purchase it. |
| B．The soft cover enables it to be read and kept long. |
| C．It offers the biggest discount among all the magazines. |
| D．The magazine is going to surprise you for many years. |
Better Life can help you in .
| A．beautifying your house |
| B．finding interesting stories for your kids |
| C．ordering food from restaurants |
| D．learning about sports and travels |
What kind of people may buy News China?
| A．People who have an interest in personal lifestyle of the Chinese. |
| B．People who have a strong sense of humor and love to laugh. |
| C．People who are interested in news around the world. |
| D．People who want to learn about China’s politics, business and culture. |
Which magazine may best help relieve your work stress?
| A．Apple Seeds | B．Better Life |
| C．Humor Times | D．News China |
When I was 11, I threw a glance into Dad’s lunch box and made the unexpected discovery that my mother still showed her love towards my father. The evidence, a napkin resting on top of the sandwiches packed in wax paper, was certain “Love you!” she had written on the napkin. “Meat loaf for supper!”
Mom penned all kinds of messages to Dad on those paper napkins, and he saved a whole pile of them. What embarrassed me as a kid has become a precious memory of my parents.
It also started my own brand of lunch box notes. When my kids were young, I’d glue little drawings on their lunches. Lots of sketches (素描) of our dog, Max, along with smiling flowers. When they were teenagers, I’d copy words of wisdom from great people, Einstein, for example, or Bruce Springsteen. Then, my kids grew up making their own handwritten notes. And my husband writes me love notes on recycled paper, because he’s all about being green.
Friends who know about my lunch box notes eagerly share stories of their own family traditions. So many focus on food. Maura’s mom always drew hearts on the shells of hard-boiled eggs. Melinda wrote messages on her kids’ bananas.
We’re into the third generation of lunch box notes in our home. Whenever my 3-year-old grandson, Clayton, spends the night, he knows his lunch is going to have a napkin note from Grandma in the morning. Last week, I drew a picture of me, waving widely and shouting his name. He took one look at it and screamed, “Where’s Grandpa?” I added a man in a clean shirt. “You forgot his tie,” he said. I quickly drew a line of stripes (条纹) down the front of the shirt. Clayton smiled. “Grandpa,” he whispered, running his fingers across the napkin. “It’s you!”When the author first saw Dad’s lunch box notes, she felt ______.
| A．moved | B．nervous |
| C．awkward | D．proud |
What did the author put in the lunch boxes when her kids were in their teens?
| A．Words of love. |
| B．Famous words of wisdom. |
| C．Pictures of their pet and flowers. |
| D．Eggs painted with hearts. |
It can be inferred that ________.
| A．the author’s husband is an environmentalist. |
| B．the author’s children dislike making lunch box notes. |
| C．the author’s grandson likes drawing pictures on napkins. |
| D．the author’s friends all had their brand of lunch box notes. |
If English means endless new words, difficult grammar and sometimes strange pronunciation, you are wrong. Haven't you noticed that you have become smarter since you started to learn a language?
According to a new study by a British university, learning a second language can lead to an increase in your brain power. Researchers found that learning other languages changes grey matter. This is the area of the brain which processes information. It is similar to the way that exercise builds muscles.
The study also found the effect is greater, the younger people learn a second language.
A team led by Dr Andrea Mechelli, from University College London, took a group of Britons who only spoke English. They were compared with a group of "early bilinguals" who had learnt a second language before the age of five, as well as a number of later learners.
Scans showed that grey matter density (密度) in the brain was greater in bilinguals than in people without a second language. But the longer a person waited before mastering a new language, the smaller the difference.
"Our findings suggest that the structure of the brain is changed by the experience of learning a second language," said the scientists.
It means that the change itself increases the ability to learn.
Professor Dylan Vaughan Jones of the University of Wales, has researched the link between bilingualism and maths skills. "Having two languages gives you two windows on the world and makes the brain more flexible (灵活的),"he said. "You are actually going beyond language and have a better understanding of different ideas."
The findings were matched in a study of native Italian speakers who had learned English as a second language between the ages of two and 34. Reading, writing, and comprehension were all tested. The results showed that the younger they started to learn, the better. "Studying a language means you get an entrance to another world," explained the scientists.The main subject talked about in this passage is ______.
| A．science on learning a second language |
| B．man’s ability of learning a second language |
| C．1anguage can help brain power |
| D．1anguage learning and maths study |
In the second paragraph, the writer mentions “exercise” in order to ______.
| A．say language is also a kind of physical labor |
| B．prove that one needs more practice when he (she) is learning a language |
| C．to show the importance of using the language when you learn the language |
| D．make people believe language learning helps grey matter work well |
The underlined word “bilingual'’ probably means ______.
| A．a researcher on language learning |
| B．a person who is good at learning foreign languages |
| C．a person who can speak two languages |
| D．an active language learner |