.
The third theme of geography is movement. As people travel around the world, exchanging goods, ideas and interests, the global community is transformed. Take surfing, for example, the sport originated in Hawaii centuries ago. Today, the cry “surf up!” can be heard along coastlines everywhere.
Europeans were the first Westerners to observe the sport. In 1779, Captain Cook, a British explorer, and his crew sailed around the Sandwich Islands ( Now Hawaii ). Near the rocky coast of the Big Island, they witnessed a man riding a wave while standing on a board.
Cook was stricken by what he saw. Hawaiians would pray for good waves and hold ceremonies when building surfboards. Their boards were built according to rank: Chiefs used long boards (16 to 18 feet long ), while commoners used shorter ones (6 to 8 feet long ).
After the arrival of Europeans, Hawaiian surf culture declined. Many Hawaiians died of European-borne diseases. Also, Christian missionaries (传教士) spread the belief that surfing was “ignorant (愚昧的)fun”.
These conditions changed after Hawaii became a United States territory in 1900( It became a state in 1959.) Travelers to the islands brought back stories of wave riding. Tales of the thrilling sport spread across the U.S., then to the rest of the world.
Today, surfing is the king of board sports. According to wannasurf.com, the world has nearly 8,000 “surf spots” in 136 countries on 6 continents. The Association of Surfing professionals (ASP) holds an annual world tour in which top riders compete for millions of fans on the waves.
top-5 countries with surf spots
country NO. of Sports
United States 1375
Australia 1160
South Africa 575
France 352
New Zealand 338
60. According to the passage , surfing originated in________.
A. Britain B. Europe C. America D. France
61. Which of the following is TRUE?
A. Captain Cook was interested in surfing.
B. There are no surf spots in Asia.
C. In Hawaii, everyone was equal in sports.
D. Surfing is the third theme of geography.
62. The underlined word in the fourth paragraph probably means________.
A. excited Europeans B. gradually lost its strength
C. died out D. became more and more popular
63 What would be the best title for the text?
A. The spread of surf culture. B. The history of surf culture.
C. The rebirth of surf culture. D. The advantages of surf culture.
We don’t know how different our life in the future. We can only try to imagine it.
At first we think about human relationship. In the year 2050, we will use computers almost every day, we will be making new friends through the Internet--- even our husbands or wives will be met in this way. It will be much faster and easier for us. On the other hand, our relationships with people won’t be as important as they are today--- we will feel a little lonely.
Computers will also help us in many other activities in 2050. For example, they will be used by the children at school to make their learning easier. In addition, there will be more other machines which will play a similar role as computers, like robots which will do the housework for us.
Spending holidays will also be completely different. Traveling to other planets or to the moon will be available for everyone. Means of transport will, of course, change, too. We will be using solar-powered cars, which will be much environmentally friendly.
We could expect that the faster economic development would lead to a more polluted environment. But it isn’t true. We will pay more attention to protecting the environment. Scientists will probably find cures for many dangerous diseases, like cancer or AIDS. Therefore, our surroundings as well as health will be in better condition.
Although we cannot predict the exact changes which will be made in the world, we often think about them. We worry about our and our children’s future; we have expectation, hopes as well as fears. But I think we should be rather sanguine about our future. We should be happy and believe good things will happen.The underlined word “sanguine” in the last paragraph most probably means __________.
A.disappointed | B.surprised |
C.curious | D.optimistic |
According to the passage, which of the following will happen in 2050?
A.It will not be difficult for people to travel to other plants. |
B.Our environment will be much polluted with a growing number of cars. |
C.The way of spending holidays will be the same as that of today |
D.The relationship between people will be more important than today. |
The third paragraph mainly tells__________.
A.that computers will do all the things for human being |
B.how people will use robots to do housework. |
C.that machines like computer and robots will help people a lot. |
D.how people will use computer to communicate with each other. |
What does the passage mainly talk about?
A.What high technology will appear in the year 2050. |
B.What our life will be like in the year 2050. |
C.How people will communicate in the year 2050. |
D.How people will travel and spend their holidays in the year 2050. |
Why do you need British Accent Training? With the growth in the number of employees from Egypt, Spain and China, organizations need to ensure that their workers are able to communicate effectively with customers and colleagues alike.
First Language Influence (FLI) can have a great effect on an employee’s accent. British Accent Training from Communicaid will help your overseas workers decrease the influence of their first language.
Whether through online training courses or face- to- face classes, Communicaid offers suitable training solutions for your organisation’s international business.
A Communicaid’s British Accent Training course will provide your workers with the ability to :
---increase their customer experience and satisfaction,
---communicate more effectively with customers and colleagues by decreasing first language influenced accent,
---strengthen relationships with customers and colleagues through more successful communication.
Course content
All Communicaid’s British Accent Training courses are designed to meet the specific needs of our clients depending on their specific situations.
Generally, a British Accent Training course includes:
---rhythm and stress patterns,
---pausing and breathing,
---relationship between spelling and pronunciation,
---accent familiarisation and listening practice.
Ways to learn
Training can be received worldwide through either face-to-face classes or one of our many online learning methods. Using a combination of published materials and those offered only by Communicaid, we design and offer programmes that will meet the need of our clients.
Our trainers
All Communicaid’s British Accent course trainers are native speakers with at least 3 years’ professional training experience in the field. A client’s British Accent trainer will be decided according to his goals and areas of focus.We can learn from the article that Communicaid is a company that .
A.sells books |
B.designs ads |
C.offers communication skill training |
D.offers language training |
Who are the target readers of the article?
A.Overseas students. |
B.Overseas workers. |
C.Bosses employing workers whose first language is not English. |
D.People whose partners come from a non- English-speaking country. |
The article was written mainly to .
A.attract people to attend Communicaid’s courses |
B.introduce the history of the company Commuicaid |
C.give instructions on English pronunciation |
D.tell the readers the importance of the British accent |
For years scientists have been worried about the effects of air pollution on the earth’s natural conditions. Some believe the air inside many houses may be more dangerous than the air outside. It may be one hundred times worse.
Indoor air pollution can cause a person to feel tired, to suffer eye pain, headache and other problems. Some pollutants(污染物)can cause breathing disorders, diseases of blood and even cancer. Most scientists agree that every modern house has some kind of indoor pollution.
People have paid more attention to the problem now. It is true that when builders began making houses and offices they did not waste energy. To do this they build buildings that limited the flow of air between inside and outside. They also began using man-made building materials. These materials are now known to let out harmful gases.
As the problem became more serious, scientists began searching for a way to deal with it. They discovered a natural pollution control system for building—green plants. Scientists do not really know how plants control air pollution. They believe that a plant’s leaves absorb(吸收)or take in the pollutants. In exchange the plant lets out oxygen through its leaves and tiny organizations on its roots. Scientists suggest that all buildings should have one large plant or several small plants inside for every nine square meters of space. Studies of different plants show that each absorbs different chemicals. So the most effective way to clean the air is to use different kinds of plants. Having green plants inside your house can make it a prettier and healthier place.Generally speaking, indoor air pollution may be more harmful than the air outside because .
A.indoor air pollution can often make people seriously ill |
B.man-made building materials give off dangerous gases |
C.there may be more harmful gases outside the buildings |
D.the air indoors is polluted, which is very harmful |
Some kind of indoor pollution can be found in .
A.every modern house | B.every old house |
C.all kinds of houses | D.all kinds of offices |
The indoor air pollution is caused by .
A.the limit of the flow of air between inside and outside |
B.the building way that the builders want to save energy |
C.the building things that are made of man-made materials |
D.the man-made building materials and the limit of air-flow |
The reason why we should use different kinds of plants to clean the air is that
A.plants can let out all kinds of pollutants indoors |
B.plants may take in more oxygen (氧气)which people need |
C.plants can absorb all kinds of harmful indoor chemicals |
D.plants can make our houses prettier and more healthy |
Most of us are used to seasons. Each year, spring follows winter, which follows autumn, which follows summer, which follows spring. And winter is colder than summer. But the earth goes through temperature cycles over much longer periods than those that we experience.
Between 65,000 and 35,000 years ago, the planet was much colder than it is now. During that time the temperature also changed a lot, with periods of warming and cooling. Ice melted during the warm periods, which made sea levels rise. Water froze again during the cold periods.
A new study from Switzerland sheds light on where ice sheets melted during the ice age.
It now seems that the ice melted at both ends of the earth, rather than just in either northern or southern areas. This surprised the researchers from the University of Bern.
Scientists have long assumed(认为) that most of the ice that melted was in the Northern hemisphere(半球) during the 30,000-year long ice age. That belief was held because the North Pole is surrounded by land, while the South Pole is surrounded by the Antarctic Ocean. It is easier for ice sheets to grow on land. If surrounded by sea the ice can easily just slip into the ocean instead of building up.
The researchers used a computer model to look at ways the ice could melt and how it might affect sea levels. They compared these results to evidence of how temperatures and currents actually changed during that time.
The model showed that if it was only in the Northern hemisphere that ice melted, there would have been a bigger impact(影响) on ocean currents(洋流) and sea temperatures than what actually happened. Studies suggest that melting just in the Southern hemisphere would have been impossible, too.
The only reasonable conclusion, the scientists could make, was that ice melted equally in the North and the South.
It is still a mystery as to what caused the temperature changes that caused the ice to melt.The underlined phrase “sheds light on” (in paragraph 3) can be replaced by.
A.throws doubts on |
B.beats down on |
C.makes it clear |
D.makes light of |
We can infer from the passage .
A.the ice can easily just slip into the ocean |
B.melting just in the Northern hemisphere would have been impossible |
C.volcanoes caused the ice to melt |
D.researchers often use the computer models help their research work. |
The scientists are not sure .
A.what caused the temperature changes |
B.where ice sheets melted during the ice age |
C.how long the ice age lasted |
D.what the earth is made up of |
Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A.A computer model |
B.Studies show ice melted equally in the North and the South during the ice age |
C.Most of the ice melted in the Northern hemisphere during the 30,000-year long ice age. |
D.A survey result |
In 1978, I was 18 and was working as a nurse in a small town about 270 km away from Sydney, Australia. I was looking forward to having five days off from duty. Unfortunately, the only one train a day back to my home in Sydney had already left. So I thought I’d hitch a ride (搭便车).
I waited by the side of the highway for three hours but no one stopped for me. Finally, a man walked over and introduced himself as Gordon. He said that although he couldn’t give me a lift, I should come back to his house for lunch. He noticed me standing for hours in the November heat and thought I must be hungry. I was doubtful as a young girl but he assured (使…放心)me I was safe, and he also offered to help me find a lift home afterwards. When we arrived at his house, he made us sandwiches. After lunch, he helped me find a lift home.
Twenty-five years later, in 2003, while I was driving to a nearby town one day, I saw an elderly man standing in the glaring heat, trying to hitch a ride. I thought it was another chance to repay someone for the favour I’d been given decades earlier. I pulled over and picked him up. I made him comfortable on the back seat and offered him some water.
After a few moments of small talk, the man said to me, “You haven’t changed a bit, even your red hair is still the same.”
I couldn’t remember where I’d met him. He then told me he was the man who had given me lunch and helped me find a lift all those years ago. It was Gordon.The author had to hitch a ride one day in 1978 because .
A.her work delayed her trip to Sydney |
B.she was going home for her holidays |
C.the town was far away from Sydney |
D.she missed the only train back home |
Which of the following did Gordon do according to Paragraph 2?
A.He helped the girl find a ride. |
B.He gave the girl a ride back home. |
C.He bought sandwiches for the girl. |
D.He watched the girl for three hours. |
The reason why the author offered a lift to the elderly man was that .
A.she realized he was Gordon |
B.she had known him for decades |
C.she was going to the nearby town |
D.she wanted to repay the favour she once got |
What does the author want to tell the readers through the story?
A.Giving sometimes produces nice results. |
B.Those who give rides will be rapid. |
C.Good manners bring about happiness. |
D.People should offer free rides to others. |