.
I travel a lot, and I find out different “styles” of directions every time I ask “How can I get to the post office?”
Foreign tourists are often confused(困惑) in Japan because most streets there don’t have names; in Japan, people use landmarks(地标) in their directions instead of street names. For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, “Go straight down to the corner. Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit market. The post office is across from the bus stop.”
In the countryside of the American Midwest, there are not usually many landmarks. There are no mountains, so the land is very flat; in many places there are no towns or buildings within miles. Instead of landmarks, people will tell you directions and distances. In Kansas or Iowa, for example, people will say, “Go north two miles. Turn east, and then go another mile.”
People in Los Angeles, California, have no idea of distance on the map; they measure distance in time, not miles. “How far away is the post office?” you ask. “Oh,” they answer, “it’s about five minutes from here.” You say, “Yes, but how many miles away is it?” They don’t know.
It’s true that a person doesn’t know the answer to your question sometimes. What happens in such a situation? A New Yorker might say, “Sorry, I have no idea.” But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers “I don’t know.” People in Yucatan believe that “I don’t know” is impolite. They usually give an answer, often a wrong one. A tourist can get very, very lost in Yucatan!
67. When a tourist asks the Japanese the way to a certain place, they usually ______.
A. describe the place carefully B. show him a map of the place
C. tell him the names of the streets D. refer to recognizable buildings and places
68. What is the place where people measure distance in time?
A. New York.. B. Los Angeles. C. Kansas. D. Iowa.
69. People in Yucatan may give a tourist a wrong answer ______.
A. in order to save time B. because of honesty
C. so as to be polite D. for fun
70. What can we infer from the text?
A. It’s important for travelers to understand cultural differences.
B. It’s useful for travelers to know how to ask the way properly.
C. People have similar understandings of politeness.
D. New Yorkers are generally friendly to visitors.
Not long ago, few little girls imagined they could grow up to be astronauts. In 1983, that changed. Sally Ride made history by becoming the first American woman to travel into space.
Ride died at the age of 61. “Sally was a national hero and a powerful role model,” President Barack Obama said in a statement.
Ride became interested in space when she was a kid. “If you asked me when I was 12 whether I wanted to be an astronaut, I’m sure I would have said yes,” she told TFK in a 2010 interview. “But I didn’t even think about that as a possible career.”
After studying physics in college and graduate school, Ride got her chance. She was accepted into NASA’s astronaut training program in 1978, and then chosen to be the first American female in space. In 1983, she blasted into space aboard the Challenger shuttle. “There is no amusement park ride on Earth that even comes close. It can’t be more wonderful,” she said.
Ride returned to space on the Challenger a second time in 1984. In the two missions, she spent a total of 343 hours in orbit. After that, she remained involved with the space program and also worked to share her passion for space with kids. She wrote five science books about space for children, and started her own science education company.
Ride knew that she held a unique place in history. “I realized how important it was for a woman to break that barrier and open the door for other women to be able to do the same exciting things that men had been doing,” she said.
Since Ride’s historic trip, more than 40 other American women have traveled to space. They all had Ride to thank for opening the door to the final frontier.Which of the following is true?
| A.Sally was the first person to travel to space in America. |
| B.Sally wanted to be an astronaut even when she was a pupil. |
| C.Sally was interested in space, so she chose astronautics as her major. |
| D.Sally graduated from college and first traveled to space in 1983. |
From the fifth paragraph, we know that Sally .
| A.was good at doing business |
| B.wanted to be rich by doing business |
| C.became a famous writer at last |
| D.had a lasting interest in space |
What can we infer from the text?
| A.Sally inspired many American women to travel to space. |
| B.Sally made great contributions to American economic development. |
| C.Women astronauts used to be looked down upon in American history. |
| D.The government did not allow women to become astronauts in the past. |
We know that cigarette smoking kills. So, producers made electronic cigarettes as a safer smoking choice - safer than tobacco. Although e-cigarettes contain the drug nicotine like cigarettes, they do not use tobacco and you do not light them. They are powered by battery (电池).
However, if e-cigarettes are so safe, why has the United States Center for Disease Control(CDC) seen an increase in telephone calls about e-cigarette poisonings?
The answer is children. Most of the calls are from people worried about children who have played with the devices, In the period of one month this year, the Center said 215 people called the Center with e-cigarette concerns. More than half of these calls were for children aged five and younger. The devices had made them sick.
Tim McAfee is director of the Center's Office on Smoking and Health, He says the problem is regulation. Meaning, the U.S. federal government does not control e-cigarettes even though they contain liquid nicotine. Mr.McAfee adds that liquid nicotine is a well-known danger. Mr.McAfee explains that nicotine poisoning happens when it gets into the skin, gets into the eyes or is swallowed. It can cause stomach pain or a sense of unbalance. And too much nicotine can kill,
Tim McAfee says e-cigarettes do not create the level of risk to people that tobacco products do.He notes that almost 500,000 Americans die each year from cigarettes. "So, cigarettes are the winner in that contest." E-cigarettes do not contain hundreds of harmful chemicals that are found in real cigarettes. So, the U.S.Surgeon General Boris D. Lushniak has suggested that e-cigarettes may be a useful tool for adults trying to end their tobacco use.
But McAfee worries that teenagers may think electronic cigarettes are harmless. They could become addicted to the nicotine and then start smoking real cigarettes. In other words, he fears that for young people fake e-cigarettes could be a "gateway" to the real thing.What do the producers think of e-cigarettes?
| A.Dangerous. | B.Expensive. |
| C.Safer. | D.Cheaper. |
Why did the CDC receive so many calls about e-cigarettes?
| A.Parents feared that their children might get poisoned. |
| B.Parents found the device useless in quitting smoking. |
| C.Children swallowed the liquid nicotine from the device. |
| D.Children might get addicted to playing with the device. |
You are the collector in the gallery of your life. You collect. You might not mean to but you do. One out of three people collects tangible(有形的)things such as cats, photos and noisy toys.
There are among some 40 collections that are being shown at “The Museum Of”—the first of several new museums which, over the next two years, will exhibit the objects accumulated by unknown collectors. In doing so, they will promote a popular culture of museums, not what museums normally represent.
Some of the collections are fairly common—records, model houses. Others are strangely beautiful—branches that have fallen from tree, for example. But they all reveal (显露)a lot of things: ask someone what they collect and their answers will tell you who they are.
Others on the way include “The museum of Collectors” and “The Museum of Me”. These new ones, it is hoped, will build on the success of “The Museum Of”. The thinkers behind the project want to explore why people collect, and what it means to do so. They hope that visitors who may not have considered themselves collectors will begin to see they, too, collect.
Some collectors say they started or stopped making collections at important point: the beginning or end of adolescence—“it’s a growing-up thing; you stop when you grow up,”says one. Other painful times are mentioned, such as the end of a relationship. For time and life can seem so uncontrollable that a steady serial(顺序排列的)arrangement is comforting.How will the new museums promote a popular culture of museums?
| A.By collecting more tangible things. |
| B.By showing what ordinary people have collected. |
| C.By correcting what museums normally represent. |
| D.By accumulating 40 collections two years from now. |
What can be learned about collectors from their collections?
| A.Who they are. |
| B.How old they are. |
| C.Where they were born. |
| D.Why they might not mean to collect. |
Which of the following is an aim of the new museums?
| A.To help people sell their collections. |
| B.To encourage more people to collect. |
| C.To study the significance of collecting. |
| D.To find out why people visit museums. |
According to the last paragraph, people may stop collecting when they
| A.become adults |
| B.feel happy with life |
| C.are ready for a relationship |
| D.feel time to he uncontrollable |
BLOOD DRIVE & MARROW(骨髓)REGISTRATION
“These patients deserve a chance at a normal, happy future and they rely on the kindness of the strangers to make that happen.
— Daisy, Isabelle’s Mother
Isabelle is the daughter of Daisy and Saman Mirzaei. In January 2008 Isabelle was diagnosed(诊断)with a genetic blood disorder,beta thalassemia. Isabelle’s body
is unable to produce healthy red blood cells. As a result, Isabelle has been receiving blood transfusions (输血) every 4-6weeks since she was 11 months old. A lifetime of regular transfusions can lead to serious medical problems. Her only chance at a normal, healthy life is to have a marrow transplant. Isabelle is an only child, so doctors have started a search for an unrelated marrow donor through The Match Registry. The Mirzaei family asks that you consider helping patients like Isabelle by registering to be a marrow donor and give the gift of life, the gift of blood.
Held at Wiley Hall
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Behind Heathman Dormitory/Butterfield Rd.
12:00 PM - 6 :00 PM
Don’t forget to bring your driver’s license or another form of identification when you donate.
Visit www.ribc.org to make an appointment, Sponsor Code 3390.
FREE Kingston Pizza ! ! !
Marrow Donors: BE THE MATCH
bethematch.org
•be 18 to 44 years old
•in good health
•give a swab(化验标本)of your cheek cells for marrow typing
•FREE—sponsored(赞助)by Michael’s Fund
WWW. ribc. org 800-283-8385
The Rhode Island Blood Center distributes blood products to hospitals
in Rhode Island and Southern New England.We can learn from the passage that__________.
| A.the blood drive is organized by Isabelle's mother |
| B.Isabelle receives blood transfusions regularly |
| C.Isabelle has been ill for 11 months |
| D.doctors will sponsor Isabelle's family |
To be a marrow donor, you must_____________.
| A.be a relative of the patient | B.carry a driver's license |
| C.be at least 18 years old | D.apply to Michael's Fund |
Those who want to help patients like Isabelle can ___________.
| A.come to Wiley Hall every Wednesday |
| B.visit www. ribc. org for an appointment |
| C.contact their parents at 800-283-8385 |
| D.call at hospitals in Rhode Island |
Every one of the gymnasts who went to National Qualifiers (国家冠军赛资格赛) showed up with that goal in mind. Everyone gave it their all.
And I hate admitting it, but I was an exception. I did not do my best. Not for the ribbon exercise, nor for the club exercise. Knowing that I could have reached a little further to catch my ribbon, focused a little more so the stick wouldn’t slip through my fingers, tried a little harder to clean up those errors, but I didn’t, still bothers me.
After my disappointing competition, I tried my best to keep my eyes dry. But soon tears burned the edges of my eyes, and as I blinked, the first tear rolled down my cheek. Even though I angrily wiped my tears away before she looked at me, the evidence of my self-pity session presented itself clearly in the form of dirty makeup and reddened eyes.
My mom hated to see me cry, especially because I had no right or reason to. I had messed up — that wasn’t anyone’s fault but mine — and crying wouldn’t help at all. “Why are you crying, Amanda?” she asked, perhaps more pointedly (尖刻地) than intended, but I heard the concern in her voice. Unable to form all the emotions into words, I just looked away and avoided her questions.
“Tell me now why you’re crying.” Her voice this time wasn’t as gentle as it was before; it was filled with frustration and impatience. “Why are you crying?” she whispered again, but this time her voice was shaky and flooded with pain. This was the first time I’d ever seen my mom cry; my mom, who was always so strong and was there to encourage me through the roughest times, was now crying, and I was the reason for it. Finding my voice, I tentatively asked, “Why are you crying?”
She looked at me and answered exactly what I was afraid to hear, “I hate to see you hurting yourself.” So it was my fault. I had put those tears in her eyes. I had filled her with pain, with helplessness and with sadness.
I’ll never forget her pained expression. It forced me to realize how shortsighted and close-minded I’d been. I decided that no matter what happens in the future, I will never lose myself to regret.Which words reflect the change of the mother’s emotions?
| A.Painful — impatient — concerned |
| B.Concerned — frustrated — painful |
| C.Satisfied — painful — frustrated |
| D.Frustrated — angry — painful |
What did Amanda determine to do?
| A.Never cry in face of her mom. |
| B.Never compete as a gymnast. |
| C.Never involve herself in self-pity. |
| D.Never make up before games. |