Vampires(吸血鬼),creaturesofmyth,-优题课

Just like the young character in Hannah Montana, who so often fights with her father over her desire to be more independent, British teenagers also have their troubles.
A recent survey among 2,000 British parents shows that girls and boys experience similar kinds of stress, with some slight differences .
Girls want to grow up fast, demanding greater freedom. They feel pressure from their peers to be thin and sometimes dangerously experiment with alcohol .
Girls over 14 are more concerned with getting a boyfriend, make-up and going out with friends than with their schoolwork. They are more likely to complain about pocket money .
Parents found they have their toughest time with boys over the age of 15. Their sons are battling bad skin, are reluctant(不情愿的) to speak, and just like girls over 14 are little interested in their studies. Seven out of ten parents said their sons become frustrated(挫败的) when they are not understood .
Unsurprisingly, it isn’t just British teenagers who have such problems.
In a survey published in the US last month, two out of three high school students said their life was tough. There was a universal worry over body image and ability to fit in socially.
Plenty of the teenagers feel great pressures to get good grades, with nearly half regarding this as their top worry. The next biggest issue is pressure they face to get into good college. According to the survey, 66 percent reported saving their money to pay for all or part of college.
“Today’s American teens have witnessed what their families have endured during recent economic challenges, and they are much more aware of the importance of planning ahead,” said Stuart Rubinstein, managing director with TD Ameritrade, which carried out the survey.
What is the article mainly about?

A．What makes the lives of teenagers so hard?

B．How to deal with teen problems?

C．Stress faced by UK and US teenagers.

D．Peer pressure faced by UK and US teenagers.

According to the survey, boys over 15 often feel great pressure to ______.

A．grow up fast	B．experiment with alcohol
C．get into a good college	D．be more open and communicative

The underlined word “universal” in Paragraph 7 is closest in meaning to ______.

A．global

B．common

C．average

D．reasonable

How have recent economic challenges affected American teens?

A．They have become more concerned about their future.

B．They are now more worried about the ability to fit in socially.

C．They are attempting to learn more about money management.

D．They are spending more time developing their practical skills.

A Train Floating On Air
A train that floats on air? It's not magic —it's magnets (磁). And it's close to reality.
In Virginia USA the fall of 2002, a train with no wheels traveled on air and carried college students across their campus. In Japan, a whisper-quiet railway engine hovered and raced at 350 miles per hour using magnets and electricity as the power. And in China, a magnet train line linked Shanghai with nearby Pudong Airport.
These trains use magnetic levitation (悬浮) technology, “maglev” for short. They use the same rules as the magnets you pick up at home or school: opposite poles of magnets attract each other, and like poles repel each other.
How does it work?
Powerful magnets on the bottom of the train repel magnets on the track, which is actually just a magnet-filled guiding way. With a magnetic field of sufficient force, the train will go hovering on air, which seemed impossible to us in the past.
When an electrical current is sent through the track, the train moves. Turn the current backwards and the train slows down.
Maglev doesn't rely on the friction (摩擦力) of wheels on track, so it can climb a much steeper hill than a traditional train. And it can travel easily in snow and ice, something that could bring normal trains to a screaming stop.
60. This passage is about __________.
A. maglev B. magnets C. levitation D. electricity
61. Which of the following is a repelling action?
A. B. C. D.
62. What can we learn from the text?
A. A magnet-filled guiding way is formed inside a maglev train.
B. Instead of electricity, magnets are used as the power of a maglev.
C. Maglev trains can climb hills with the help of magnet wheels.
D. Electric currents decide the movements of a maglev train.
63. What is the difference between a maglev train and an ordinary train?
A. A maglev train can climb mountains without power while an ordinary one can’t.
B. A maglev train can travel in college campus while an ordinary train is not allowed.
C. Travelling without a track, a maglev train is safer and smoother than an ordinary one.
D. Floating on a track, a maglev train is faster, quieter than an ordinary railway train.

It’s a goal for millions and millions of families every year——keep the Christmas spending within a certain amount, but can still afford the gifts that your loved ones will enjoy. Never has this concern been greater in recent years than right now. Even so, there are several things that you can do to help.
Hit the sales.
No one wants to get up at four o’clock in the morning and fight to get the best deal on Black Friday, and it’s surely very tough to pick up the courage and get out there in the cold for a good deal, but sometimes——it can be well worth. Many retailers(零售商) offer specials all through the day——and some even offer online Black Friday specials, so you may still be able to get a great deal on Black Friday.
Pay close attention to advertisements.
Once the Christmas shopping season is coming, retailers hungry for business will do just about whatever to get you in the store. Pay very close attention to weekly advertisements of sales among the major retailers and you may be lucky enough to find different prices for the same thing in different shops.
Shop online.
Some of us don’t like running from store to store in order to get the best price on the perfect gift, and some of us don’t like to go out in the cold at all——thankfully for us, we can do online shopping.
The world of online shopping lets people visit all the major retailers as well as some specialty stores that could only be found on the Internet. Customers can find exactly what they are looking for, at the best possible price without ever having to leave the house. With traditional Christmas shopping consumers are sometimes limited to what’s left in stock if they wait too long to get to a particular store.
The first paragraph implies that ______.

A．nowadays not many people can afford expensive gifts

B．recently many people don’t want to spend money on gifts

C．Christmas is a time to make our loved ones enjoy their gifts

D．Christmas is a time to

make us feel free to buy our loved ones gifts

In the writer’s opinion, it is rewarding on Black Friday _____.

A．if the weather is not very cold	B．if we don’t have to fight for the best deals
C．if we don’t have to get up early	D．If we get what we want at a good price

The underlined word “specials” means_______.

A．some experts in shopping

B．certain things for especially low price

C．some kind of help for a certain customer

D．things that can only be found on Friday

We can have more choices _____.

A．on Black Friday	B．in a particular store
C．on the Internet	D．from retailers

In summer, millions of people will head for the beach．And while the ocean can be a great place to swim and play, it may also be useful in another way．Some scientists think that waves could help make electricity．
“Have you ever been on a surfboard or boat and felt yourself being lifted up by a wave? Or have you jumped in the water and felt the energy as waves crashed over you?” asked Jamie Taylor of the Wave Energy Group at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland．“There is certainly a lot of energy in waves．”
Scientists are working on using that energy to make electricity．
Most waves are created when winds blow across the ocean．“The winds start out by making little ripples （波纹） in the water, but if they keep on blowing , those ripples get bigger and bigger and turn into waves, ”Taylor said．“Waves are one of nature’s ways of picking up energy and then sending it off on a journey．”
When waves come towards the shore, people can set up dams or other barricades to block the water and send it through a large wheel called a turbine （涡轮）．The turbine can then power an electrical generator （发电机）．
The United States and a few other countries have started doing research on wave energy , and it is already being used in Scotland．
The resource is huge．We will never run out of wave power, besides, wave energy does not create the same pollution as other energy sources, such as oil and coal．
Oceans cover three quarters of the earth’s surface．That would make wave power seem perfect for creating energy around the world．There are some drawbacks, however．
Jamie Taylor said that wave power still cost too much money．He said that its effects on animals in the sea were still unknown．Plus, wave power would get in the way of fishing and boat traffic．
With more research, however, “many of these problems might be overcome,” Taylor said．“Demand for energy to power our TVs and computers, drive our cars, and heat and cool our homes is growing quickly throughout the world．Finding more energy sources is very important, for traditional sources of energy like oil and gas may run out some day．”
In the future, when you turn on a light switch, an ocean wave could be providing the electricity!
Which of the following is NOT true?

A．Wave power doesn’t cost too much money．

B．Wave energy is so clean that it doesn’t create the same amount of pollution as other energy sources．

C．Wave power affects fishing and boat traffic．

D．Wave power may affect marine animals．

We can infer from the passage that ______．

A．finding more new energy sources is not necessary because of wave energy

B．wave energy is a resource that will never run out and is used all over the world

C．wave power is not quite perfect for creating energy around the world

D．wave power doesn’t create any pollution

The underlined word “drawbacks” probably means ______．

A．regrets

B．adventures

C．disadvantages

D．difficulties

What can be the best title for the passage?

A．How to Get Electricity by Waves

B．The advantages of Wave Energy

C．Can Waves Make Electricity?

D．The Disadvantages of Wave Energy

If you look up the word “create” in the dictionary , you will find it means “to bring into being, to cause to exist something each of us does daily”．
We are creative whenever we look at or think about something in a new way First, this includes an awareness of our surroundings．It means using all of our senses to become aware of our world．This may be as simple as being aware of color and texture（质地）,as well as taste, when we plan a meal．Above all, it is the ability to notice things that others might miss．
A second part of creativity is an ability to see relationships among things．If we believe the expression,“There is nothing new under the sun, the creativity is remaking or recombining（重组） the old in new ways．”For example, we might do this by finding a more effective way to study or a better way to arrange our furniture, or we might make a new combination of camera lenses and filters to create an unusual photograph．
A third part of creativity is the courage and drive to make use of our new ideas, to ask for them to achieve some new results．To think up a new idea is one thing; to put the idea to work is another．
These three parts of creativity are included in all the great works of geniuses, but they are also included in many of our day-to-day activities．
Which of the following activities is NOT a creative one according to the passage?

A．To prepare for a meal．

B．To arrange the

furniture in a special way．

C．To buy some books from a bookstore．

D．To“write”a letter with the computer．

“There is nothing new under the sun” really implies that _________．

A．a new thing can only be created at the basis of earlier things

B．a new thing is only a tale

C．we can seldom create new things

D．we can hardly see really new things in the world

What does the author think about the relationship between a new thought and its being put into
practice?

A．It’s more difficut to create a new thought than to use it in practice．

B．To find a new thought will clearly lead to the production of a new thing．

C．A man with an excellent ability of practice can easily become an inventor．

D．One may come up with a new thought, but can not put it into practice．

The best title for this passage is__________．

A．How to Develop One’s Creativity

B．What Is Creativity

C．The Importance of Creativity

D．Creativity, a Not Faraway Thing