Canada is a very large country. It is the second largest country in the world. By contrast it has a very small population. There are slightly over 30 million people there. Most Canadians are of British or French origin, and French is an official language of Canada as well as English. About 45% of the people are of British origin, that is, they or their parents or grandparents, etc., come from Britain. Nearly 30% are of French origin. Most of the French-Canadians live in the province of Quebec.
Over the years, people have come to live in Canada from many countries in the world. They are from most European countries and also from China, besides other Asian countries.
However, Canada was not an empty country when the Europeans began to arrive. Canadian Indians lived along the coast, by the rivers and lakes and in forests. Today there are only about 350 000 Indians in the whole country, with their own languages. In the far north live the Inuit. There are only 27 000 Canadian-Inuit. Their life is hard in such a difficult climate.
56. About live in Quebec.
A. 30% of the French-Canadians
B. 45% of the Canadians
C. 29 000 000 people
D. 9 000 000 French-Canadians
57. The underlined word “origin” in Paragraph One means .
A. 血统 B. 后裔
C. 先驱 D. 猿人
58. About 23% of people came from .
A. China B. England C. France
D. some other countries except France and Britain
59. Which of the following is true according to this passage?
A. There are 27 000 Canadian-Indians in Canada.
B. More than 13 million people have come from Britain and France in recent years.
C. There are nearly 30% of the populations whose parents or grandparents come from France.
D. There are no people when the Europeans began to arrive in Canada.
Do you know of anyone who uses the truth to deceive (欺骗)? When someone tells you something that is true, but leaves out important in formation that should be included, he can give you a false picture.
For example, some might say, “I just won a hundred dollars on the lottery (彩票). It was great. I took that dollar ticket back to the store and turned it in for on e hundred dollars!”
This guy’s a winner, right? Maybe, maybe not. We then discover that he bought $200 worth of tickets, and only on e was a winner. He’s really a big loser!
He didn’t say anything that was false, but he left out important information on purpose. That’s called a half-truth. Half-truths are not technically lies, but they are just as dishonest.
Some politicians often use this trick. Let’s say that during Governor Smith’s last term, her state lost one million jobs and gained three million jobs. Then she seeks another term. One of her opponents(对手) says, “During Governor Smith’s term, the state lost one million jobs!” that’s true. However, and honest statement would have been, “During Governor Smith’s term, the state had a net gain of two million jobs.”
Advertisers(广告商) will sometimes use half-truths. It’s against the law to make false statements so they try to mislead you with the truth. An advertisement might say, “Nine out of ten doctors advised their patients to take Yucky Pills to cure toothache.” It fails to mention that they only asked ten doctors and nine of them work for the Yucky Company.
This kind of deception happens too of often. It’s a sad fact of life: Lies are lies, and sometimes the truth can lie as well.How much did the lottery winner lose?
A.One hundred dollars. | B.Two hundred dollars. |
C.Three hundred dollars. | D.Four hundred dollars. |
We may infer that the author believes people should _______.
A.buy lottery tickets |
B.make use of half-truths |
C.not take anything at face value |
D.not trust the Yucky Company |
What do the underline words “net gain” in Paragraph 5 mean?
A.final increase | B.big advantage |
C.large share | D.total saving |
What can we know from the example of the Yucky Pill advertisement?
A. False statements are easy to see through. |
B. Half-truths are often used to mislead people. |
C. Doctors like to act in advertisements. |
D. Advertisements are based on facts. |
You’re sitting on the train home and the person opposite you yawns(打哈欠). Suddenly, you’re yawning with him, though you’re not tired.
This phenomenon confused scientists for years until a recent study found that people tend to sympathize with fellow humans. Supporting this claim was the discovery that those children who were unable to form normal emotional ties with others did not experience contagious(有感染力的) yawning, which showed that humans communicate regularly with out words.
Hugo Critchley, a neuroscientist, has conducted an experiment recently, which will prove that happiness and sadness can spread like the common cold. According to Critechley, our mind and body are in constant exchange about how we’re feeling. “Emotions are closely linked with states of internal(内部的) responses,” he explained. “ There are also more visible changes in our gestures and facial expression. When we’re in a group, these signals can spread to another person. For example, there’s the obvious tendency to smile when smiled at and there are less obvious changes that reflect emotions of surprise, anger or sadness such as a change in our heart rate and blood pressure.
Hugo Critchley further explained, “Our bodies synchronies and when we like the other person, we ever copy his behavior. Next time you chat with a friend, take note of how you’re sitting— it’s pretty likely that you will be the same. Scientists believe it’s our way of telling each other that we’re partners. Through body language, humans give each other very subtle(微妙的) but clear signals that show emotions.”
So, what lessons can we learn from this? “ Spend time with happy people— otherwise your health could suffer,” said Critchley.” When we’re sad, our body goes into fight or flight mode. But when we’re happy, our body works normally and we feel relaxed and positive. So we look bright, our skin glows, we feel healthy and it affects everyone around us.” According to Hugo Critchley, ________.
A.emotions are as visible as facial expressions |
B.we yawn more frequently when we have a cold |
C.emotions are connected with states of internal responses |
D.the change of blood pressure is not linked with the change of emotions. |
The underlined word “synchronies” in Paragraph 4 means “_____”.
A.move slowly | B.change rapidly | C.relax temporarily | D.respond accordingly |
From the passage we can learn ________.
A.sadness is as contagious as happiness |
B.anger is less contagious than friendliness |
C.surprise is more contagious than smile |
D.surprise is the most contagious among emotions |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A.Emotions have delicate influence on fellow humans. |
B.Children like copying the actions of the fellow humans. |
C.Scientists are still confused about contagious yawning |
D.People tend to communicate more with body language. |
Michael Fish may soon be replaced as a weather forecaster by something truly fishier---the shark(鲨鱼).
Research by a British biology student suggests that sharks could be used to predict storms.
Lauren Smith, 24, is close to completing her study on shark’s ability to sense pressure.
If her studies prove the theory, scientists may be able to monitor the behaviour of sharks to predict bad weather.
Miss Smith had previously studied the behaviour of lemon sharks in the Bahamas.
She then used their close relatives, lesser spotted dogfish, for further research at Aberdeen University.
Her work---thought to be the first of its kind to test the pressure theory ---- resulted from the observation that juvenile blacktip sharks(黑边鳍真鲨) off Florida moved into deeper water ahead of a violent storm in 2001.
Miss Smith said: “I’ve always been crazy about traveling and diving and this led me to an interest in sharks.”
“I was delighted to have been able to research in the area for my degree. I know there’s so much more we need to understand ---- but it certainly opens the way to more research.”
It has been discovered that a shark senses pressure using hair cells in its balance system.
At the Bimini Shark Lab in the Bahamas, Miss Smith fixed hi-tech sensors to sharks to record pressure and temperature, while also tracking them using GPS (Global Positioning System) technology.
In Aberdeen, she was able to study the effects of tidal(潮汐的) and temperature changes on dogfish----none of which were harmed. She also used a special lab which can mimic(模拟) oceanic pressure changes caused by weather fronts.
She is due to complete her study and graduate later this year. She says she will be looking for a job which will give her the chance to enrich her experience of shark research.The passage is most probably taken from _____.
A.a short-story collection |
B.a popular science magazine |
C.a research paper |
D.a personal diary |
What do we learn from the first four paragraph of the passage?
A.Sharks may be used to predict bad weather. |
B.Sharks’ behaviour can be controlled. |
C.Michael Fish is not qualified for his job. |
D.Lauren Smith will become a weather forecaster. |
Lauren Smith conducted her research by _______.
A.removing hair cells from a shark’s balance system |
B.measuring the air pressure of weather fronts |
C.recording sharks’ body temperature |
D.monitoring sharks’ reaction to weather changes |
What is the passage mainly about?
A.A popular way of forecasting weather. |
B.A new research effort in predicting storms. |
C.Biologists’ interest in the secrets of sharks. |
D.Lauren Smith’s devotion to scientific research. |
One August afternoon, Richard Allen dropped off his last passenger, Mrs. Carey. Lifting two grocery bags, he followed her across the yard and stood on the step of her house. Glancing up, he saw a large wasp(黄蜂) nest under the roof. Allen had heard that wasps can become more likely to sting (sting, sting, stung蜇) in summer. He mentioned this to Mrs. Carey, who had opened the door.
“Oh, they don’t bother me,” she said lightly. “I go in and out all the time.”
Anxiously, Allen looked at the nest again—— to see the wasps flying straight at him. “Hurry!” he shouted to Mrs. Carey. “Get in!”
She stepped quickly inside. Allen ran for his mini-bus. Too late; they were upon him. Just as he jumped aboard, half a dozen red spots showed on his arm, and he felt more on his back and shoulders.
As he was driving down the road, Allen felt as if something was burning at the back of his neck, and the “fire” was spreading forward toward his face. And immediate anxiety took hold of him. Allen knew that stings could cause some persons to die. But he had been stung the previous summer and the after-effects soon passed. However, what he didn’t know what that the first sting had turned his body into a time bomb waiting for the next to set off an explosion.
Miles from the nearest medical assistance, Allen began to feel his tongue thick and heavy and his heartbeat louder. Most frightening, he felt his breathing more and more difficult. He reached for the radio mike(话筒), trying to call the mini-bus center, but his words were hardly understandable. Signals were also poor that far out. He knew a rescue team was on 24-hour duty at the Amherst Fire Department’s north station. So his best chance was to make a run for it.
Rushing down the mountain, Allen tried not to panic, focusing his mind on each sharp turn. He was almost through the last of them when he felt sure he was going into shock(休克). Just then he reached for the radio mike again.
“Call fire station,” he shouted, concentrating to form the words. “Emergency. Bee sting. Emergency. There in ten minutes.”
“Five-ten,” the center replied.
Hold on, Allen thought. Keep your eyes open. Breathe. Keep awake.
At last he reached the station. Two firemen ran out. Allen felt their hands grasp him before he hit the ground. You made it, he thought.It is mentioned in the passage that wasps are more likely to attack when _______.
A.there are huge noises | B.strangers are approaching |
C.the air is filled with food smell | D.the hottest season comes around |
Allen didn’t know that if stung by wasps again, he would _______.
A.have no after-effects | B.suffer from sharper pain |
C.surely lose his life | D.become more sensitive |
Allen failed at his first attempt to send his message to the mini-bus center because _______.
A.he was unable to speak clearly | B.his radio equipment was poor |
C.he was in a state of shock | D.no one was on duty |
Which would be the best title for the passage?
A.Allen, A Helpless Driver | B.Wasps, Bloody Killers |
C.A Race Against Death | D.War Against Wasps |
Napoleon, as a character in Tolstoy’s War and Peace, is more than once described as having “fat little hands.’’ Nor does he “sit well or firmly on the horse.’’ He is said to be “undersized.’’ With “short legs’’ and a “round stomach”. The issue here is not the accuracy of Tolstoy’s description--it seems not that far off from historical accounts but his choice of facts:other things that could be said of the man are not said. We are meant to understand the difference of a warring commander in the body of a fat little Frenchman. Tolstoy’s Napoleon could be any man wandering in the streets and putting a little of powdered tobacco up his nose—and that is the point.
It is a way the novelist uses to show the moral nature of a character. And it turns out that, as Tolstoy has it, Napoleon is a crazy man. In a scene in Book Three of War and Peace, the wars having reached the critical year of 1812,Napoleon receives a representative from the Tsar(沙皇), who has come with peace terms. Napoleon is very angry:doesn’t he have more army? He, not the Tsar, is the one to make the terms. He will destroy all of Europe if his army is stopped. “That is what you will have gained by engaging me in the war!” he shouts. And then, Tolstoy writes, Napoleon “walked silently several times up and down the room, his fat shoulders moving quickly.’’
Still later, after reviewing his army amid cheering crowds, Napoleon invites the shaken Russian to dinner. “He raised his hand to the Russian’s…face,” Tolstoy writes, and “taking him by the ear pulled it gently….” To have one’s ear pulled by the Emperor was considered the greatest honor and mark of favor at the French court. “Well, well, why don’t you say anything?’’ said he, as if it was ridiculous in his presence to respect any one but himself, Napoleon.
Tolstoy did his research, but the composition is his own. Tolstoy’s description of Napoleon in War and Peace is _________.
A.far from the historical facts |
B.based on the Russian history |
C.based on his selection of facts |
D.not related to historical details |
Napoleon was angry when receiving the Russian representative because _________.
A.he thought he should be the one to make the peace terms |
B.the Tsar's peace terms were hard to accept |
C.the Russians stopped his military movement |
D.he didn’t have any more army to fight with |
What did Napoleon expect the Russian representative to do?
A.To walk out of the room in anger. |
B.To show agreement with him. |
C.To say something about the Tsar. |
D.To express his admiration. |
Tolstoy intended to present Napoleon as a man who is _________.
A.ill-mannered in dealing with foreign guests |
B.fond of showing off his iron will |
C.determined in destroying all of Europe |
D.crazy for power and respect |
What does the last sentence of the passage imply?
A.A writer doesn’t have to be faithful to his findings. |
B.A writer may write about a hero in his own way. |
C.A writer may not be responsible for what he writes. |
D.A writer has hardly any freedom to show his feelings. |