This year will mark the 120th birthday of the Eiffel Tower. What gift will the Paris monument get? It will be given a fresh coat of brown paint. About 60 tons of paint to be exact, in a specially mixed color called “Eiffel Tower Brown”.
The landmark (标志性建筑) gets a new coat of paint every seven years. In the past the tower has gone from reddish brown to yellow, brownish-yellow and dark red, before operators settled in 1968 on the current color.
“This is the color that suits the tower best－its most elegant （优雅的）dress,” said Jean-Bernard Bros, head of he company that operates the tower. “So we have decided to keep th
e brown for good.”
The Eiffel Tower is the world’s most visited tourist attraction. It was designed and named after the French architect (建筑师) Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, who was also responsible for the frame of the well-known Statue of Liberty in the US.
However, when the tower was first built, it was highly controversial (有争议的). Artists and politicians, including Maupassant (莫伯桑) and Alexandre Dumas (大仲马), spoke out against it. They described it as ugly and said its presence lowered French taste.
67. What’s the best title of the passage?
A. The Eiffel Tower. B. Birthday gift for the Eiffel Tower
C. How to celebrate the birthday of the Eiffel Tower D. The history of the Eiffel Tower
68. How often does the Eiffel Tower get a new coat of pain?
A. Every year. B. Every two years. C. Every six years. D. Every seven years.
69. According to the passage, which of the following is WRONG about the Eiffel Towel?
A. It is a place of interest which is most visited in the world.
B. A French architect named Alexandre Gustave Eiffel designed it.
C. Some people expressed their dislike about it when it was first built.
D. The Eiffel Tower was once painted black.
70. The underlined phrase “for good” in the third paragraph means ______.
A. forever B. temporarily C. beneficially D. properly
Here is a true story about a famous man who worked in the White House and a criminal. They once faced the same thing: their mother gave them apples when they were young.
The criminal said: one day, my mother brought some apples and asked my brother and me: “Which do you want?” “The reddest and biggest one,” my little brother said. My mother stared at him and said to him angrily: “You should learn to give the good things to others; you shouldn’t always think of yourself.” Seeing this, I suddenly changed my idea and then said to my mother: “Mum, please give me the smaller one and give the bigger one to my little brother.” Hearing my words, my mother was very happy. She kissed me on my face and gave the reddest and biggest apple to me as a prize. From then on, I learned to tell lies, fight, steal and rob. In order to get what I wanted, I played hard. As a result, I was sent into prison.
The famous man from the White House said: One day, my mother brought some apples. She said to my brother and me: “You all want the reddest and biggest one, right? Well, let’s have a competition. Now I divide the grassland in front of the gate into two and I will give one to each of you and you must shear(修剪) it well. And I will give the reddest and biggest apple to him who does it the most quickly and best.”
After the competition, I won and I got the biggest apple. In our family, as long as you want to get the best things, you must take part in competition. I think it is fair. No matter what you want, you must pay lots of efforts.The criminal got the reddest and biggest apple because .
| A．he told the truth that he wanted a smaller one |
| B．his mother loved him more than she loved the younger brother |
| C．elder brother should of course have the bigger one |
| D．he knew how to make his mother happy from her answer |
We can conclude from the passage that .
| A．it’s important to make children aware that no matter what they want, they must pay work |
| B．it’s wrong to ask children to choose apples when they are not old enough |
| C．it’s wrong to ask children not to always think of themselves |
| D．it’s always necessary to have a competition when we give children apple |
The writer tells the story by .
| A．organizing it in the order of time |
| B．making a comparison between two men |
| C．providing some scientific information |
| D．describing it in the order of space |
It is implied in the passage that .
| A．we should always try to win competitions which can bring us a lot |
| B．in order to get what we want, we should play hard |
| C．giving children apples will lead them to become criminals |
| D．a mother’s educational method has a great influence on a child’s growing |
Animal moms are great moms. You might be surprised at some of these moms.
Octopuses(章鱼)
The octopus mother lays(下蛋) about 50,000 eggs. For about 300 days, she stays with the eggs, cleans them and protects them. She does not leave to feed. However, this animal mom dies as soon as the eggs are hatched(孵化).
Crocodiles (鳄鱼)
A crocodile mother puts a lot of time and effort(努力) into raising her babies.
She starts by building a nest(巢)which she guards for over two months! When the eggs are ready to hatch, the young crocs call out to their mother, who digs them out and helps them hatch. She then carries them in her mouth down to the water, where she will guard them for several more weeks or months until thy learn to hunt on their own.
Bats(蝠)
Bats become moms by hanging head up in a cave, giving birth. Catching the youngsters before it can fall to the ground below, she puts it in a pouch (育儿袋) .Bat moms may carry babies with them when feeding for the first few days. As the little bats get bigger and heavier, moms help them hang on the wall of their caves and return to feed them. It continues for about three weeks, until the babies are grown up and able to fly on their own.
Koalas(考拉)
The animal mom gives birth after pregnancy(怀孕期)of only 35 days. The hairless baby climbs into its mother’s pouch and lives there for another five months. When the little koala is between five and eight months old, it leaves the pouch for short periods of time but returns for safety. Once it is too big to return to the pouch, it will climb onto its mother’s back and ride there until it is about 12 moths old.Whichanimalmomsdiewhentheirbabiesareborn?
| A．Octopuses | B．Crocodiles | C．Bats | D．Koalas |
Acrocodilemotherusuallycarriesherbabytothewater__________
| A．inhermouth | B．onherback | C．inherpouch | D．byhertail |
Abatmom__________.
| A．givesbirthbylyinginthenest |
| B．givesbirthbyhanginginacave |
| C．leavesitsbabiesinthepouchformonths |
| D．letsitsbabiesliveontheirown(独自) aftermonths |
Howlongdoesayoungkoalausuallystay in its mother’s pouchat least?
| A．35days | B．5months | C．8months | D．12months |
Nails in the Fence篱笆上的钉子
There once was a little boy who had a bad temper(脾气). His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer(用锤子锤) a nail into the back of the fence.
The first day he had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control (控制)his anger, the number of nails hammered daily graduallydwindled down. He discovered itwas easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into fence.
Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that now pull out(拔出) one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone.
The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said," You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say thing in anger, they have a scar(伤疤) just like these holes. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won't matter how many times you say 'I am sorry ', the wound is still there. A verbal(言语上的) wound is as bad as physical one."
The little boy then understood how powerful his words were. He looked at his father and said “ I hope you can forgive(原谅) me ,father, for the holes I put in you.”
“of course I can,” said the father.When the boy lost his temper, he must _________ as his father told him.
| A．break some plates and glasses |
| B．pull out one nail of the back of the fence |
| C．hammer a nail into the back of the fence |
| D．tell his anger to others. |
The father let his son to hammer the nails into the back of the fence and draw out in order to _____________.
| A．punish him for his losing his temper |
| B．reward him for his controlling his temper |
| C．educate him in this way |
| D．tell him how to control his temper |
The underlined(划线) expression dwindled down means ____________.
| A．become gradually smaller |
| B．become gradually larger |
| C．get more and more happy |
| D．get more and more sad |
When the boy finally told his father that all the nails were gone, his father______.
| A．took him to the fence and look at the holes |
| B．asked him to pull out one nail of the back of the fence |
| C．asked him to focus his time on study |
| D．told him to have a rest |
When you say something with anger, they will leave a scar just as you put a nail in and then draw it out. It means ______________.
| A．you shouldn’t put a nail in the fence |
| B．if you put a nail into the fence, you shouldn’t draw it out |
| C．it will leave a scar when you draw a nail out |
| D．you will hurt somebody when you lose your temper. |
From this article, we can learn that _______________.
| A．when we hurt somebody, only a sorry is enough |
| B．when we lose temper to someone, we should say sorry to him in time |
| C．the way we educate our children is of no importance |
| D．we should try our best not to hurt others in our daily life once done, it is hard to make up for (弥补). |
Interviews can be quite frightening but our tips can help you. Don’t worry—relax! Remember these things and you’ll be fine.
Be on time. Find out exactly where the interview is and how to get there. Remember that buses and trains can often be late so allow plenty of time. It’s better to be early than late.
Be prepared. Think about what the interviewer will ask you. He or she will probably ask about your qualifications (资历) and your experience but they’ll also ask you why you want the job. Think of some possible questions and prepare your answers before you go.
Wear comfortable clothes. If you wear something new it will make you feel uncomfortable. It’s best to wear something smart but something you like and feel happy in.
Make eye contact（接触）. In the interview, don’t sit looking at your feet. Make sure you sit up and look the interviewer in the eye. This makes you look honest and more confident (自信).
Ask a question. It’s a good idea to ask questions at the interview. Ask about the company or the job. Prepare some questions before the interview. It makes you look more interested if you do this.How many tips（建议） does the writer give in this passage?
| A．Three. | B．Four. | C．Five. | D．Six. |
Finding out exactly where the interview is and how to get there will help you to .
| A．receive some advice |
| B．be on time |
| C．prepare your answers |
| D．remember the timetable |
According to this passage, the interviewer will probably ask you about .
| A．your family members |
| B．your health condition |
| C．your demand of payment |
| D．your working experience |
Which of the following does the writer say is a sign of honesty?
| A．Making eye contact. |
| B．Travelling by bus or train. |
| C．Wearing something smart. |
| D．Showing your qualifications. |
There is no doubt that Apple is well aware of the increased competition in the market and could be in a hurry to put another product out there, said Ramon Llamas, senior research analyst at IDC Mobile Devices Technology and Trends. Given its history with product launches and business policy, though, Apple probably isn’t going to rush an iPhone release simply to put it on shelves, he said.
“If you’re Tim Cook (CEO of Apple), you’re thinking if you want to pay more attention to how to keep growing that bottom line and keep investors(投资人) happy, or continue with the same approach from Apple, which is do what we can do and manage products and releases in the best way they can work for us. Apple usually does things in their own time, and I’m having a hard time buying this May or June timeline.” Llamas told Mac News World.
While it’s probable that Apple is surely in a testing stage for its next smartphone, consumers likely have a standard wait for the finished product, said Colin Gibbs, analyst at GigaOm Pro.
“It typically takes a year or longer to create a state-of-the-art smartphone, so no one should be surprised Apple is in the testing stages with the next iPhone. And while it’s possible that Apple could launch the next iPhone this spring or summer, I’m not expecting to see it until a little later in the year,” he told Mac News World.
When it does launch, though, it could be in a variety of colors, said Gibbs. “Apple has already tested the waters with releasing colored products when it revamped (更新，翻新）its iPod line last fall, so it is understood that it would want the new change with its smartphone, as well”.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if the new iPhone becomes available in some new colors,’’ he said. “That could be done pretty cheaply, and it would give Apple a new marketing angle.”According to Ramon Llamas, Apple always ______.
| A．tries to please its investors |
| B．rushes to put new products to market |
| C．ignores the fierce market competition |
| D．does things as planned |
As for the next iPhone, Colin Gibbs didn’t mention ______.
| A．the stage of its being tested |
| B．the rough time of its being released |
| C．the function to be improved |
| D．the wide variety of its color |
What’s Colin Gibbs’ attitude towards the next iPhone?
| A．Disapproving. | B．Indifferent (漠不关心的). | C．Doubtful. | D．Objective. |
This passage is presented in the form of ______.
| A．stories | B．comments | C．advertisements | D．debates |