The world of the science-fiction 3-D film Avatar is so perfect that the line between fact and fiction has become somewhat blurred (模糊) .
Movie-goers have admitted being annoyed by depression at not being able to visit the planet Pandora. Set in the future when Earth’s resources have been used up, director James Cameron’s film tells the story of a company trying to exploit a rare mineral on a new planet. The humans clash with the natives—a peace-loving race of 7-foot-tall, blue-skinned creatures called the Na’vi, who exist in perfect harmony with nature.
Fans have flooded the Internet with their confused feelings. On the site Avatar Forums (论坛), the topic “Ways to deal with the depression of the dream of Pandora not being able to come true” has more than 1,000 posts. In a similar forum, Louis, one user, wrote: “When I woke up this morning after watching Avatar for the first time yesterday, the world seemed grey. It just seems so meaningless. I still don’t really see any reason to keep doing things at all. I live in a dying world.” On the Avatar site Naviblue, a fan calling himself Jorba has even asked others to join him in starting a real Na’vi tribe.
This fantasy world, with its wonderful plants and animal life, is brought to life by using impressive special effects. Many people believe that 2010 is the break
through year for the technology helped by 3-D movies such as Avatar. “It has taken the best of our technology to create this virtual world and real life will never be as perfect as it seems on screen. It makes real life seem more imperfect.”
1. What is the best title of the passage?
A. Pandora: a perfect world
B. The Na’vi: a great peace-loving race
C. 2010: a breakthrough year for. 3-D movies
D. Avatar: a great movie affecting it’s fans deeply
2. We can learn from the passage that Louis _______ after watching the film Avatar.
A. will cherish his present life more
B. feels disappointed about the real world
C. will intend to create a real Na’vi tribe
D. is proud of living on the earth
3. Thanks to the success of Avatar, _______.
A. 3-D technology will probably develop quickly in 2010
B. most people look forward to living on another planet
C. all leading directors will make science-fiction films
D. people have become more realistic about life
4. Why do fans have confused feelings after watching the movie?
A. Because they have no chance to play a role in the movie.
B. Because they wonder how such a 3-D movie was made.
C. Because they desire such a fantasy world of the Na’vi.
D. Because they are afraid that the earth will disappear soon.
Strange stones of Costa Rica
One of the strangest mysteries in archacology was discovered in the Diquis River Delta, in southern Costa Rica. Since the 1930s, hundreds of stone balls have been found. They range in size from a few centimeters to over two metres in diameter.
Who made these perfect spheres(球体) and how they made them remains a mystery. Some researchers believe the stones were made by extreme heating followed by cooling. People could have polished the spheres with sand or leather. The ancient Costa Ricans had no written language so there is no written record of just how they made the spheres.
Almost all are made of granite (花岗岩), a hard stone created by volcanoes. The granite quarries(采石场) were 25 to 30 miles away from the largest stones, which weigh more than 10 tons each. Nobody knows how people moved them..
Many of the stones have been found near the remains of houses or graves. Some believed that the stones contained hidden treasures and a few have been smashed but nothing has been found inside. Despite these losses, the National Museum of Costa Rica has recorded 130 spheres. However, many stones are not included because they have been removed from their original sites and used as ornaments(装饰) in homes, gardens and churches. Clearly, there are also many stones that lie undiscovered.The stones were discovered ___ .
| A．near the volcanoes |
| B．in southern Costa Rica |
| C．in a grave |
| D．in churches |
The writer ___ in the passage.
| A．admires the spheres very much |
| B．doesn’ t believe the spheres were once made by humans |
| C．tells us a discovery |
| D．thinks highly of the spheres |
The underlined word ”polished” refers to “___”.
| A．buried |
| B．wrapped |
| C．made shining |
| D．made big |
According to the passage, which of the following is true?
| A．The stone balls found in the Diquis River Delta are all very huge. |
| B．The stone balls were unearthed from the graves. |
| C．The local people show great interest in the stone balls. |
| D．There are a lot of treasures in the stone balls. |
The passage mainly tells us ___ .
| A．the stones are of great value. |
| B．the stones proved to be made by non-humans. |
| C．the stones are mystery. |
| D．the stone are ornaments. |
Homework can put you in a bad mood, but that might actually be a good thing.New research suggests that, in some cases, being too happy can hurt your performance on certain kinds of tasks.To test whether it is true, researchers performed two learning experiments with children.
The first experiment included 30 children, aged 10 and 11.Each child was given 20 problems in which a houselike shape was hidden inside a different, larger image.The children had to find the small shape while sitting in a room.Either positive or sad classical music was played in the background.
As a measure of mood,the scientists asked the children to point to ont of five faces,ranging from happy to sad.Children listening to the positive music tended to point to the smiling faces.Children surrounded by sad music pointed instead to the frowns(皱眉).The researchers found that sad children took at least to find the small shapes and also correctly found on average three or four more shapes.
In the second experiment,61 children,aged 6 and 7,faced the same type of problems.They watched one of three scenes.One scene was happy.One was neutral(中立的).One was sad.And just like in the first experiment; kids who felt sad or neutral performed better on the tests.They solved on average two or three more problems.
The researchers think that feeling down causes people more likely to fix their attention on a problem or difficult situation.However, other studies suggest that people who feel happy are better able to fix their attention on details.Some researchers insist that the new studies have flaws.It’s possible that the lively music in the first experiment took children’s attention away from their task of finding shapes.
While scientists continue to work on finding the answers,it will might be worth adapting your tasks for your mood.What did the researchers want to find out the experiments?
| A．What determines success in children’s study |
| B．How to train children to keep a happy mood |
| C．Whether and how children’s moods affect their performance |
| D．Whether too much homework affects children’s moods |
What did the two experiments have in common?
| A．Children were divided into happy and sad groups |
| B．Children were asked to find hidden shapes |
| C．Children in a sad moon were considered much cleverer |
| D．Researchers used music to measure children’s moods |
Through the two experiments, researchers think that sadness cause people to___.
| A．perform better in some cases |
| B．become cleverer than before |
| C．pay more attention to details |
| D．be more likely to be influenced by music |
Gregory Anderson, a specialist on endangered languages, once said, "Language is in many ways a window to the mind. What these languages contain are all kinds of ways that we organize the world. Languages reflect a different historical contact with other groups. And, for people who have no written history, language can be one of the ways to get the history just by looking carefully at the different parts in the language."
However, over half of the world's seven thousand languages are in danger of disappearing, and every two weeks one language disappears. One of the most endangered languages is called Siletz Dee-ni, a language from the northwestern part of the United States.
It was spoken on the Siletz reservation (居留地), where the tribe lives on a protected area within the state of Oregon. The reservation was created in the 19th century to hold people from 27 different native groups. The groups spoke different languages, so they developed Chinook Jargon. With its increased use as well as the use of English, the number of people speaking their native languages became smaller. Today, only one person on the reservation speaks Siletz Dee-ni.
Bringing back endangered languages is not easy, but it is very important. One example of this is taking place in the American state of Hawaii. Hawaii became a part of the United States in 1898. English became the official language of Hawaii. Slowly, fewer and fewer young natives learned to speak Hawaiian fluently. The language began to disappear.
In 1986, fewer than fifty children in Hawaii could speak their native language. That same year, the language ban (禁令) was removed because of strong disagreements from native groups. The Hawaiian language began to be taught again in schools. Today, about 2,000 children speak Hawaiian. Also, families now speak Hawaiian with their children at home. Anyway, it is up to the children to keep the language alive.The author wrote the first paragraph to ________.
| A．tell us that many languages are disappearing |
| B．tell us the importance of language |
| C．encourage us to be interested in studying language |
| D．tell us the characteristics of language |
The underlined part "Chinook Jargon" in the third paragraph must be ________.
| A．a hand sign | B．a language |
| C．a language school | D．a language textbook |
After Hawaii became an American state, ________.
| A．its culture was completely mixed with the American culture |
| B．all Hawaiian people got interested in learning English |
| C．Hawaiian was forbidden to be taught in the local schools |
| D．Hawaiian people created another language of their own |
From the last paragraph we can infer that _________.
| A．Hawaiian will become the official language in Hawaii soon |
| B．protecting the Hawaiian language is the biggest concern of the local people |
| C．parents play the most important role in protecting the Hawaiian language |
| D．more Hawaiian people have realized the value of their own language |
Looking for cool gifts that inspire others? Here’s a collection of unusual gifts you can personalize （刻名字）and remember. Nothing speaks of wonderful gift suggestions more than having the receiver’s name or a little message written on the gift. A personalized item means so much. Take a look at these bestsellers. Remember to check out the sections For Her and For Him.
Personatized Bouquet Coffee Mug
Say it with flowers’ This pretty white rung features three colorful flowers that form a bunch, with plenty of room for your own special lines of personalization above and below the flowes. Both useful and strong, this ceramic (陶瓷的)15 ounce coffee mug is suitable for a variety or special occasions including hirthdays, anniversaries, Mother’s Day, or as a bridesmaid gift. Top line provides room for up to 15 characters while bottom line holds up to 10 characters.
Price: $ 17.84
8 oz. Leather Flask
He’ll be in high spirits as he carries his liquid libations-alcoholic or nonalcoholic-in this luxurious leather and silver flask, which holds 8 ounces of his favourite drink. Pocket-sized for purtabilly, it includes a special funnel so he can fill up with case. Personalized with two lines of up to 15 characters per line.
Price: $ 28.04
Personalized Esquire Swiss Army Knife
The Swiss Cross logo designates this stainless steel, multipurpose knife as a gift marked with the legendary Swiss creative design From the makes of the swiss Anny Knife, eacj Esquire features a small knife blade, nail file and scissors. Personalized with one line of up to 8 characters.
Price: $ 33.99.
Personalized Round Clock Key Chain
Classic horseshoe key chain has a handsome silver watch atrached. Makes a unique gift when engraved（雕刻）. Adding a personal touch. Persoralized with a three initial characters. See Rules of Engraving for correct format of first letters of the name. Packing free.
Price: $ 21.24.Who will be interested in the passage most?
| A．Someone who works in the office. |
| B．Someone whose friend will have a birthday |
| C．Someone who serves the patients |
| D．Someone who drives to his office |
If you want to send you mother a special gift, which of the following is most suitable?
| A．Personalized Bouquet coffee Mug |
| B．8 oz. Leather Flask |
| C．Personalized Esquire Swiss Anny Knife |
| D．Personalized Round Clock Key Chain |
If you want a gift which is packed free of charge, _____ is most suitable.
| A．Personalized Bouquet coffee Mug |
| B．8 oz. Leather Flask |
| C．Personalized Esquire Swiss Anny Knife |
| D．Personalized Round Clock Key Chain |
If you want to have a personalized item with more characters, you should choose ______.
| A．Personalized Bouquet coffee Mug |
| B．8 oz. Leather Flask |
| C．Personalized Esquire Swiss Anny Knife |
| D．Personalized Round Clock Key Chain |
Candy corn is one of the simple pleasures of Halloween. Around since the 1880s, these white, yellow and orange striped candies are made with sugar, corn syrup（糖浆）and other ingredients.
Of course, you can enjoy candy corn by the handful. But we came up with 5 fun ways to celebrate and enjoy this seasonal treat.
Fill your sugar bowl with candy corn. Use spoonfuls of the colorful candies to sweeten your coffee, tea or other hot drinks. The sugary candies will dissolve（溶解）in the hot liquid.
Make ice cream sandwiches perfect for Halloween by decorating the creamy edges with candy corn. Purchase ready-made ice cream sandwiches and roll the edges in a plateful of the corn. Or make your own by first spooning your favorite flavor of softened ice cream between two sugar cookies or chocolate cookies. Roll the ice cream side in candy corn. Wrap in plastic wrap or foil and freeze at least 6 hours until firm. Let stand about 10 minutes before eating.
Use them as decoration on the chocolate icing atop a cake, cupcakes or brownies (the colors look great against brown).
Make a seasonal party mix by combining 4 cups cereal（麦片）and 1/3 cup melted butter. Toss（拌）to coat. Add 1 cup raisins, 1 cup candy corn and 1 (12-ounce) jar dry-roasted peanuts. Toss to mix. Store in an airtight（密封的）container.
Make attractive candy corn cookies. Make your favorite sugar cookie recipe, roll it out, cut the dough with about a 1 1/2-inch triangular cookie cutter and bake then cool. Then using a fondant（软糖）rolling pin, roll out yellow fondant on paper until it is 1/8-inch thick. Cut the fondant into 1/2-inch-thick strips and set aside. Repeat with white and orange fondants. Place the strips side by side on the paper and roll until the strips become one piece. Cut out a candy corn shape from the fondant sheet with your triangular cutter. Press light corn syrup on the top of your cookies and place fondant sheets on the cookies. Let dry at least 1 hour.For how long have people enjoyed the pleasures from candy corn?
| A．About thirty years. |
| B．Less than one hundred years. |
| C．About one hundred and thirty years. |
| D．Over one hundred and fifty years. |
How can we make ice cream sandwiches perfect for Halloween?
| A．By decorating the creamy edges with candy corn. |
| B．By dissolving candy corn in the ice cream. |
| C．By making sweet cakes on the ice cream. |
| D．By putting corn syrup on the ice cream. |
What is the right order to make a seasonal party mix?
①Add 1 cup raisins, 1 cup candy corn and 1 jar dry-roasted peanuts.
②Toss to mix.
③Toss to coat.
④Store in an airtight container.
⑤Combine 4 cups cereal and cup melted butter.
| A．⑤①②③④ |
| B．①②③④⑤ |
| C．③④⑤①② |
| D．⑤③①②④ |
Where can the article be used?
| A．News column. |
| B．Social activity column. |
| C．Life column. |
| D．Science column. |