C
In many societies, there is often greater acceptance of light skin than dark skin. Light skin may be seen as a mark of beauty, intelligence and success. These beliefs can lead to social pressure even within the same racial group, if some members are darker skinned than others.
The result is that skin lightening has become a common activity across Africa, Asia and other areas of the world. More and more people with dark skin are using skinlightening products, even if they may face health risks.
They believe that having whiter skin will improve their lives. Many people think they will have a better chance of getting a job or marrying into a better family. Or they want to look like what their society generally considers beautiful.
Some beauty care products and soaps contain chemicals that make skin lighter. This process is also called bleaching. But some of the chemicals are extremely dangerous. One of the most dangerous is hydroquinone.
Hydroquinone has been banned in several countries. This chemical has been linked to kidney damage and some kinds of cancer. It also causes low birth weight in babies when mothers use it during pregnancy.
At first, bleaching products make the skin color lighter. But after long term use they can cause problems. They can even make some skin darker. The chemicals in the products block and break down the natural process that gives color to skin. The skin loses its natural barrier to protect against sunlight. Then the skin can become thick and discolored. Usually the person will use more of the product in an effort to correct the problem, but this only makes it worse.
Fatimata Ly treats skin conditions in the Senegalese capital. Dakar. Doctor Ly says skin bleaching has become a problem throughout Senegal. She says the chemicals are now more dangerous because they are stronger. Some cases have resulted in blackened fingernails, infections and permanent skin damage.
And these are not the only risks. Experts say some people who change their skin color suffer emotional damage. They feel regret and sadness. They feel that instead of risking their health, they should have learned to love and accept their skin color as it was.
59.Which of the following words can replace the underlined word “bleaching”?
A.coloring B.changing C.lighting D.pleasing
60.Why has the skin lightening become a common activity all over the world?
A.There are many products that can make the dark skin light.
B.Many people with dark skin have no confidence.
C.People with light skin seem to have more advantages over people with dark skin.
D.People with dark skin are forced by the pressure of their families.
61.According to the text customers using the bleaching products would also risk______.
A.finger damage B.low weight C.skin cancer D.emotional damage
62.The writer’s attitude toward using the bleaching products is______.
A.supportive B.positive C.doubtful D.negative
You are busy filling out the application form for a position you really need; let’s assume you once actually completed a couple of years of college work or even that you completed your degree. Isn’t it tempting to lie just a little, to claim on the form that your diploma(毕业文凭) represents a Harvard degree? Or that you finished an extra couple of years back at State University?
More and more people are turning to an utter deception(欺骗) like this to land their first job or to move head in their careers. For personnel officers, like most Americans, value degrees from famous schools. A job applicant may have a good education anyway, but he or she assumes that chances of being hired are better with a diploma from a well-known university. Registrars(注册主任)at most well-known colleges say that they deal with dishonest claims like these at the rate of about one per week.
Personnel officers do check up on degrees listed on application forms. If it turns out that an applicant is lying, most colleges are unwilling to accuse the applicant directly. One lvy League school refers to them as “special cases”, One well-known West Coast school, in perhaps the most delicate phrase of all, says these claims are made by “no such people”.
To avoid complete lies, some job seekers claim that they “attended” or “were associated with” a college or university. After careful checking, a personnel officer may discover that “attending” means being dismissed after one semester. It may be that “being as sociated with” a college means that the job-seeker visited his younger brother for a football weekend. One school that keeps records of false claims says that the practice dates back at least to the turn of the century—that’s when they began keeping records, anyhow.
If you don’t want to lie or even stretch the truth, there are companies that will sell you a fake diploma. One company, with offices in New York and on the West Coast, will put your name on a diploma from any number of non-existent colleges. The price begins at around twenty dollars for a diploma from “Smoot State University”. The prices increase rapidly for a degree from the “University of Purdue”. As there is no Smoot State and the real school in Indiana is properly called Purdue University, the prices seem rather high for one sheet of paper.The writer mainly wants to tell us that _______.
A.college degrees can now be purchased easily |
B.it is very hard for people to find jobs |
C.lying about college degrees is becoming a widespread problem |
D.employers are no longer interested in applicants’ actual performances |
The underlined word “utter” in the second paragraph means “______”.
A.thorough | B.careful | C.incomplete | D.spoken |
Once finding applicants with false diplomas, most colleges would _________.
A.keep the records of them | B.drive them out of college |
C.avoid direct conflicts with them | D.accuse them of such behavior |
We can learn from the passage that ________.
A.US employers value their job applicants with a degree from top universities |
B.University of Purdue and Purdue University are the same school |
C.people with fake diplomas can get their first jobs in the US easily |
D.people pay the same price for a fake diploma from different universities |
阅读下面的短文,请根据文后的要求答题(请注意问题后的词数要求)
[1] Teens need independence, but how do you make sure they are safe? It’s tough to decide when to give your teen more freedom. One parent’s decision for his or her teen may not be right for other parents and their teens. Although every child is different, there are many experiences common to the teenage years. The most common may be the pull and push between dependence and independence.
[2] Many teens are putting themselves at risk for committing(从事) acts of violence and other crimes. No wonder so many parents are concerned, even frightened; no wonder so many try to control the behavior of their teenage children. So, it is important for parents to make rules for their young children.
[3] However, as children get older, they need to learn to make some of their own decisions and life choices. Teens need the chance to practice good decision-making skills, and to manage new life experiences. Parents need to try their best to support their children.
[4] Respect is a two-way street but it starts with you, which means that you should give your teens the respect that you would like to be given. Give them praise for their knowledge and abilities; pay attention to and listen to them. That means showing confidence in your teens, and being supportive. Parents should believe in your teens; set high standards for them, encourage them, expect them to achieve their goals, and provide consistent(一贯的;始终如一的)love and support —including practical help—so they can achieve the promise that lies within them.
[5] Teens are learning to take care of themselves as they prepare for adulthood. That’s what growing up is all about. Give them and appropriate(适当的) amount of freedom and independence. Encourage and promote responsibility and good decision—offering support and gentle help with difficult decisions. Let your teens know they will be given _________________ as they show increasingly responsible behavior.Who is this passage most probably written for? (no more than 5 words)
____________________________________________________________________________What’s the common experience of the teenagers? (no more than 10 words)
____________________________________________________________________________Why should parents attempt to make rules for their children?
____________________________________________________________________________Fill in the blank in Paragraph 5 with proper words (no more than 5 words)
____________________________________________________________________________What are the fourth and fifth paragraphs mainly about? (no more than 10 words)
____________________________________________________________________________
Ever since they were first put on the market in the early 1990s, genetically modified (GM, 转基因) foods have been increasingly developed and marketed in many countries in the world, mainly on the basis of their promise to end the worldwide food crisis. But can GM technology solve world hunger problems? Even if it would, is it the best solution?
Despite what it promises, GMtechnology actually has not increased the production potentialof any crop. In fact,studies show that the mostwidely grown GM crop, GM soybeans, has suffered reduced productivity. For instance, a report that analysed nearly two decades of research on major GM food crops shows that GM engineering has failed to significantly increase US crop production.
Something else, however, has been on the rise, While GM seeds are expensive, GM companies tell farmers that they will make good profits by saving money on pesticides(杀虫剂). On the contrary, US government data show that GM crops in the US have produced an overall increase in pesticide use compared to traditional crops. “Thepromise was that you could use less chemicals and boost production. But neither is true,” said Bill Christison, President of the US National Farm Coalition.
At the same time, the authors of the book World Hunger: Twelve Myths argue that there actually is more than enough food in the world and that the hunger crisis is not caused by production, but by problems in food distribution and politics. These indeed deserve our efforts and money. Meanwhile, the rise in food prices results from the increased use of crops for fuel rather than food, according to a 2008 World Bank report.
As a matter of fact, scientists see better ways to feed the world. Another World Bank report concluded that GM crops have little to offer to the challenges of worldwide poverty and hunger, because better ways out are available, among which “green” farming is supposed to be the first choice.The author develops the second paragraph mainly.
A.by classification | B.by comparison |
C.by example | D.by process |
What does the underlined word “boost” in the third paragraph probably mean?
A.Control. | B.Evaluate | C.Obtain. | D.Increase. |
GM companies promise farmers that they will benefit from ______________.
A.practicing “green” farming |
B.use of less chemicals |
C.fair distribution of their crops |
D.using more crops for fuel |
Which of the following best describes the attitude of the author towards GM technology?
A.Optimistic | B.Defensive | C.Disapproving | D.Casual |
More than one in eight U. S. adults finds it hard to stay away from the Internet for several days at a time and about one in eleven tries to hide his or her online habit, according to a study showed on Tuesday.
The study by researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine in California found one in eight adults admitted they needed to spend less time online, saying this showed "problematic Interact use" is present in a sizable portion (部分)of the population.
The study involved a nationwide telephone survey of 2,581 respondents in the spring and summer of 2004 with researchers then examining the data and preparing the report which appears in the October issue of CNS Spectrums.
The survey found that 68.9 percent of respondents were regular Internet users and 13.7 percent of the users found it hard to stay offline for several days at a time.
It found 12.4 percent often stayed online longer than intended, more than 12 percent said they saw a need to cut back on their Internet use, and 8.7 percent tried to conceal (隐瞒) "non-essential "Internet use from family, friends and employers.
A smaller number, 8.2 percent, said they use the Internet to escape problems or a bad mood, while 5.9 percent felt their relationships suffered because of too much Internet use.
One report published earlier this year said that 5 percent to 10 percent of the population likely will experience Internet addiction (上瘾).
It said signs include a disregard for health or appearance, lack of sleep and reducing physical activities and social communications with others, as well as dry eyes and juries of hands and fingers.From Paragraph 2, it tells us _______.
A.how to use the interact is a terrible problem to adults |
B.how surfing the net has caused a bad result to people |
C.why to throw off the Internet addiction becomes a hot problem |
D.why so many adults want to spend less time on the interact |
Those who try to hide their habit of addition to the Interact make up of the respondents.
A.12.4% | B.8.7% | C.5.9% | D.13.7% |
According to the researchers, which statement is true?
A.Online habit of people has been a dangerous problem to society. |
B.All of the Interact users have terrible psychological problems to solve. |
C.The internet is more harmful to people than good. |
D.We have to pay attention to negative effects from the internet. |
For five days, Edmonton's Downtown Park is transformed into one huge stage where artists are able to share their talents, and where people are able to celebrate and enjoy themselves. Since its beginning in 1980, the Edmonton Folk Music Festival has been commemorating(纪念)the true feeling of what folk music is all about and that's the traditional togetherness(友爱)that is felt when people gather to share stories and feelings through song.
This year will be the sixth year when volunteer Riedel will be offering up her time to the festival. "People coming off a busy spring and summer have a moment of relaxation ," Riedel said."It's really east to relax, and it's great seeing family and friends have fun together." These families and friends all come from all different kinds of musical tastes.People who take pleasure in Blues are there, so are people who love Bluegrass.This festival does its best to develop everyone's musical interests.
With so many years of experience, the festival has become a well-oiled machine, and does whatever it can to make attendees feel as possible.There are free water stations throughout the venue(举办地)for people to fill up their travel cups.When people buy food, reusable dishes are given a $2 plate fee, but that is returned when the plate is brought back.
The festival has completely sold out of tickets, and in record time.But with big names such as Van Morrison and Jakob Dylan, it’s easy to see how that was going to happen.There is no parking area during the festival, so using the Park & Ride system or Edmonton Transit is highly recommended.A bike lock-up area is provided and will be available Thursday until Sunday one hour before the gates open until 45 minutes after the gates close.
The Edmonton Folk Music Festival begins on Wednesday, Aug.4 with Van Morrison playing the special donation fund (基金)concert, and will finish up on Sunday, Aug.8.The Edmonton Folk Music Festival is held mainly to ___________.
A.gather people with different musical tastes |
B.remind people of the real sense of folk music |
C.exhibit good voices of great talents in folk music |
D.collect old stories of folk music |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.Riedel has volunteered for the festival for at least 5years. |
B.It’s hard for people to appreciate Blues. |
C.It costs people a little to fill up their cups from water stations. |
D.People have to pay $2 for a plate of food. |
We can learn from the passenger that____.
A.people can get tickets easily for the festival |
B.the Edmonton Folk Music Festival is well organised. |
C.driving one’s own car to the festival is highly recommended |
D.bikes are available at the festival from Wednesday to Sunday |
What would the best title for the passenger?
A.Folk Music of Blues |
B.One Festival Family for All |
C.Festival for family Gathering |
D.Edmonton’s Downtown Park |