B
The centerpiece of curling(冰壶)is the curling stone, which has been called a “geometrical masterpiece of tooled geology (地质). ” Kays of Scotland has been making curling stones sin
ce 1851, when William Kay and his sons Andrew and Thomas set up a workshop in Mauchline, Ayrshire , in southwest Scotland. Kays is still owned by the relatives of the founder, and today it is the only curling stone maker left in Scotland.
Used in a highly competitive sport, the curling stones are made to exact standards. First, stones are sliced and then into round “cheeses”. Finally , the cheeses are shaped and polished in
to curling stones in a series of precise steps.
Each stone must weigh 44 pounds. Each must have a maximum diameter (直径) of 36 inches. Polishing is done by hand on a wheel using water, diamond-talcum power, and felt. Finishing the stone’s “running edge” is done entirely by hand with a special kind of paper and a digital measure and magnifying glass (放大镜). Lastly, a handle is fitted into holes on the top of the stone. Stones are computer-matched into pairs. Sixteen stones -8pairs-are needed for a game, and since curling game field usually have 6 lanes, each game field needs 96 matched stones!
Kays is a small firm, employing than ten skilled workers. Master craftsman and co-owner James Wyllie is skilled at all phases of curling ston
e making and is also an enthusiastic curler, as well as active member of Mauchline’s Burns Club, which meets regularly to honor well-known Mauchline residents.
59．What IS true about Kays?
A．It is a family business． B．It’s a brand of curling stones．
C．It’s a place in Scotland． D．It’s the name of a curling stone dealer．
60．How many curling stones are needed for two games happening at the same time?
A．8． B．16． C．32． D．96．
61．Which of the following shows the right process of making a curling stone?
A. Slicing—shaping—polishing．
B．Weighing—measuring—polishing．
C. Cutting—running—edging—computer—matching
D. Cutting—measuring——shaping——polishing
If practicing an attitude of gratitude(感激) during the storms of life is too much for you right now, that’s OK. When things are tough, most people have a hard time being thankful. They’re so caught up in what’s wrong in the present moment that they simply can’t see some things are still right.
If that’s true for you, then accept it. You’re going through a particularly difficult or unhappy period of time, and you don’t like it one bit. Very normal, very human. But remember this: there is always something to be grateful for. It maybe only a small comfort right now, but it is a start. Make a list of some of the terrible things that didn’t happen. For example:
●You’re in debt...but you’re not homeless.
●You lost your job...but you didn’t lose your health.
●You broke your leg...but you didn’t break your neck.
●Your mother has Alzheimer’s disease...but your father doesn’t.
No matter how bad things are, they could always be worse. Start finding gratitude for what might have happened, but didn’t. It does help a lot. Of course, you may not be thankful for everything— but you can always be thankful for something.The passage is intended for those who ________.
| A．have done a lot for others | B．have met with difficulties in life |
| C．have something to do in return | D．don’t know how to be thankful |
The writer thinks it ______ for people to feel unhappy in time of difficulty.
| A．understandable | B．necessary | C．impossible | D．helpful |
How many “terrible things that didn’t happen” are listed in this passage?
| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Four. | D．Five. |
What is the purpose of this passage?
| A．To discuss ways to make a list of terrible things. |
| B．To explain what is gratitude towards the storms of life. |
| C．To persuade people to be thankful for what didn’t happen. |
| D．To show people different ways to consider their tough situations. |
How is the passage organized?
| A．Explanation—Comparison—Topic |
| B．Argument—Opinion—Discussion |
| C．Comparison—Argument—Explanation |
| D．Introduction—Discussion—Conclusion |
Growing up in Philadelphia, Lieberman started cooking with his stay-at-home dad when he was seven. His food-loving family had two kitchens, and he quickly learned what was the best way to bake his cakes. Lieberman improved his kitchen skills greatly during a year abroad before college, learning from a cook in Italy and studying local specialties(特色菜) in Germany, Spain and France. At Yale, he was known for throwing dinner parties, single-handedly frying and baking while mixing drinks for dozens of friends. Just for fun, he and some friends decided to tape a show named Campus Cuisine about his cooking. Lieberman was a real college student showing his classmates how to do things like making drinks out of dining-hall fruit. That helped the show become very popular among the students. They would stop Lieberman after classes to ask for his advice on cooking. Tapes of the show were passed around, with which his name went beyond the school and finally to the Food Network.
Food Network producer Flay hopes the young cook will find a place on the network television. He says Lieberman’s charisma is key. “Food TV isn’t about food any more,” says Flay. “It’s about your personality and finding a way to keep people’s eyeballs on your show.”
But Lieberman isn’t putting all his eggs in one basket. After taping the first season of the new show, Lieberman was back in his own small kitchen preparing sandwiches. An airline company was looking for someone to come up with a tasteful, inexpensive and easy-to-make menu to serve on its flights, and Lieberman got the job.We can learn from the text that Lieberman’s family ____.
| A．have relatives in Erope | B．love cooking at home |
| C．often hold parties | D．own a restaurant |
The Food Network got to know Lieberman ____.
| A．at one of his parties | B．from his teachers |
| C．on a television program | D．through his taped show |
What does the word “charisma” underlined in the text refer to?
| A．A way to show one’s achievement. |
| B．Lieberman’s after-class interest. |
| C．Lieberman’s fine cooking skill. |
| D．A natural ability to attract others. |
Why did the airline company give Lieberman the job?
| A．He could prepare meals in a small kitchen. |
| B．He could cook cheap, delicious and simple meals. |
| C．He was famous for his shows on Food TV. |
| D．He was good at using eggs to make sandwiches. |
What can we learn about Lieberman from the text?
| A．He is friendly and active. | B．He is clever but lonely. |
| C．He enjoys traveling around. | D．He often changes his menus. |
Mark Zukerberg is the founder and CEO of Facebook, an extremely popular social working website that started in the United States.
Now, millions of student users visit Facebook daily and the website is one of the top ten most widely visited sites on the internet worldwide. College and high school students use Facebook to communicate with friends and share both information and pictures for free. The company earns money through advertising.
Many other companies have been rumored(谣传) to be interested in buying Facebook. Just a few years after Mark started the company, he was approached by Terry Semel, who was the CEO of Yahoo. Terry offered Mark one billion dollars ($1,000,000,000) to sell Facebook to Yahoo. Mark said no, though. He stands behind his dreams at the very beginning. He knows the value of the company could fall down; however, he is in this to build something unbelievable, not be bought out by another company.
Maybe he was smart. Now Facebook is rumored to be worth billions of dollars and bigger companies like Microsoft or Google want a share of the company. Some private firms are also interested. Facebook could sell 15 billion dollars if Mark decides to sell it at all. Perhaps Mark will just keep working from his California office to continue his dream of building something cool.What cannot be done on Facebook according to the passage?
| A．Chatting. | B．Sharing information. |
| C．up- and downloading pictures | D．Shopping online. |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Yahoo offered one billion dollars to help Facebook through financial difficulties. |
| B．Facebook is a California-based social working website. |
| C．Mark will be kept from working to continue his dreams of building something cool. |
| D．Facebook has made a profit of 15 billion dollars so far. |
The underlined word “this” (Paragraph 3) most probably refers to ______.
| A．buying companies | B．sharing information |
| C．managing Facebook | D．fighting rumors |
Which of the following words best describes Mark Zukerberg according to the passage?
| A．Determined. | B．Humorous. | C．Gentle. | D．Selfless. |
Terry Semel was the CEO of ______.
| A．Microsoft | B．Facebook | C．Google | D．Yahoo |
Every time you go shopping, the vegetables and fruit look so tempting that you wish you could buy all of them. Some people are lucky and can grow the fruit and vegetables in the gardens that they have. While getting fresh vegetables, they can also achieve great cost cutting.
Mushrooms are expensive and can also go bad very quickly. Mushrooms can also be grown easily in a dark environment. In fact it’s better than growing other vegetables since you really don’t need an outdoor space. A special type of soil that is good for growing mushrooms is easily available.
Actually mushrooms aren’t even vegetables; they are fungi(菌类) and for this reason, you don’t even require sunlight to grow them. Well how does one go about growing mushrooms? You could always Google “growing mushrooms” and you will find a number of mushroom growing kits(工具) available online that area effective and not very expensive either.
Mushrooms can be added to any dish that you cook. Simply use them in pizzas, salads and anything that you pretty much fancy. Grow mushrooms in your own house and use them whenever you want. Fresh mushrooms are tastier than the ones that are stored in your refrigerator.
If you have had a really good crop of mushrooms, then you can even store them. Ideally you should use the white variety of the mushrooms. Simply pick them, slice them and put them on a cookie sheet in a freezer. When they area frozen, just put them in a zip lock and you can use them when you want to. They give a really great taste to the dish that you are making. Thaw them before you use them.
You should try growing mushrooms, since it’s cost-effective. Furthermore, you can eat the fresh mushrooms any time that you want.What is an advantage of growing vegetables according to the passage?
| A．You can eat all kinds of vegetables |
| B．You are lucky to eat what you like |
| C．You can save lots of money |
| D．You can satisfy your desire |
Mushrooms are different from other vegetables in that.
| A．they can be grown where there is no light |
| B．they can grow well in an outdoor space |
| C．it is easy for them to go bad in a few days |
| D．they can grow without soil |
The third paragraph is mainly to tell us that.
| A．mushrooms are not vegetables |
| B．Internet helps us a lot |
| C．mushrooms are available online |
| D．it is easy to grow mushrooms |
Which of the following is the right order of storing mushrooms?
a. put them on a cookie sheet in the refrigerator
b. place frozen mushrooms in a zip lock
c. cut them into slices
d. choose the white mushrooms
| A．a-b-c-d | B．d-c-a-b | C．a-d-c-b | D．d-a-c-b |
What would be the best title for this passage?
| A．It is easy and fun to grow mushrooms |
| B．We should eat more fruit and vegetables |
| C．Mushrooms online are very expensive |
| D．Mushrooms—tasty and healthy vegetables |
As people slowly learn to cure diseases, control floods, prevent hunger, and stop wars, fewer people die every year. As a result, the population of the world is becoming larger. In 1925 there were about 2 billion people in the world; today there are over 6 billion.
When the number rises, extra mouths must be fed. New lands must be brought under development, or land already farmed must be made to produce more crops. In some areas the land is so over-developed that it will be difficult to make it provide more crops. In some areas the population is so large that the land is divided into too tiny units to make improvement possible with farming methods. If a large part of this farming population went into industrial work, the land might be farmed much more productively (多产地) with modern methods.
There is now a race for science, technology, and industry to keep the output of food rising faster than the number of people to be fed. New types of crops, which will grow well in bad weather, are being developed, so there are now farms beyond the Arctic Circle in Siberia and North America. Irrigation (灌溉) and dry-farming methods bring poor lands under the plough. Dams hold back the waters of great rivers, which can provide water for the fields in all seasons and provide electric power for new industries. Industrial chemistry provides fertilizer to suit different soils. Every year, some new methods are made to increase or to protect the food of the world. The author says that the world population is increasing because _____.
| A．there are many rich valleys and large fields |
| B．farmers are producing more crops than before |
| C．people are living longer due to better living conditions |
| D．new lands are being made into farmlands |
The author says that in areas with large populations, land might be more productively farmed if _____.
| A．the land was divided into smaller pieces |
| B．people moved into the countryside |
| C．industrial methods were used in farming |
| D．the units of land were much larger |
We are told that there are now farms beyond the Arctic Circle. This has been made possible by _____.
| A．growing new types of crops | B．irrigation and dry-farming means |
| C．providing fertilizers | D．destroying pests and diseases |
Why do some people use dams to hold back waters from great rivers?
| A．To develop a new kind of dry-farming methods. |
| B．To prevent crops from floods. |
| C．To provide water and electricity in all seasons. |
| D．To water poor lands in bad weather. |