Today, roller skating is easy and fun. But a long time ago, it wasn’t easy at all. Before 1750, the idea of skating didn’t exist. That changed because of a man named Joseph Merlin. Merlin’s work was making musical instruments. In his spare time he liked to play the violin. Joseph Merlin was a man of ideas and dreams. People called him a dreamer.
One day Merlin received an invitation to attend a fancy dress ball(化装舞会). He was very pleased and a little excited. As the day of party came near, Merlin began to think how to make a grand entrance at the party. He had an idea. He thought he would get a lot of attention if he could skate into the room.
Merlin tried different ways to make himself roll. Finally, he decided to put two wheels under each shoe. These were the first roller skates. Merlin was very proud of his invention and dreamed of arriving at the party on wheels while playing the violin.
On the night of the party Merlin rolled into the room playing his violin. Everyone was astonished to see him. There was just one probl
em. Merlin had no way to stop his roller skates. He rolled on and on. Suddenly, he ran into a huge mirror that was hanging on the wall. Down fell the mirror, breaking to pieces. Nobody forgot Merlin’s grand entrance for a long time!
49. The text is mainly about _________.
A. a
strange man
B. an unusual party
C. how roller skating began
D. how people enjoyed themselves in the 18th century
50. People thought Merlin was a dreamer because he _________.
A. often gave others surprise B. was a gifted musician
C. invented the roller skates D. was full of
imagination
51. Merlin put wheels under his shoes in order to _________.
A. impress the party guests B. arrive at the party sooner
C. test his invention D. show his skill in walking on wheels
52. What is the main point the writer is trying to make in the last paragraph?
A. The roller skates needed further improvement
B. The party guests took Merlin for a fool
C. Merlin succeeded in beyond expectation.
D. Roller skating is easy and fun.
Bobbi Kristina Brown's family has been gathered around her since she was hospitalized on Saturday after being found unconscious in the bathtub of her suburban Atlanta townhome.
Whitney Houston's only child is now at Emory University Hospital and is still fighting for her life, as a family statement said on Monday.
Nothing has changed, despite reports that are popping up and painting a more serious picture.
Fox News reported Wednesday that the situation is horrific. "It's now a matter of when the family wants to let go and accept that she's pretty much not going to make it," a source told FOX411. "They've left it up to the family as to how long they want to keep her alive."
People Magazine is also reporting that a doctor told Brown's family on Wednesday that nothing more could be done. "Everyone is coming to the hospital to say goodbye," said a family member.
And the Daily Mail says Brown has been taken off life support.
But Bobby Brown issued a statement late Thursday denying these reports.
"If we issued a statement every time the media published a false report regarding this matter, that's all we would be doing 24 hours a day. This is false, just as is the vast majority of the other reporting that is currently taking place," he said, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
A source close to the family tells USA TODAY that it's wrong to say the family is gathering to say goodbye, because the family has been there since the beginning, so nothing is any different today for them.
Also, Brown is "not brain dead," as has been reported.
And, as for other stories saying that the Houston family is feuding with Bobbi Kristina's dad, Bobby Brown? Those aren't true either. They "are NOT fighting," says our source.According to Fox News, Bobbi Kristina is _________.
| A．within an inch of life |
| B．on the way to success |
| C．left aside by her family |
| D．in a good state |
Bobby Brown holds the opinion that _________.
| A．they are busy issuing statements all day |
| B．the family is saying goodbye to Kristina |
| C．he is getting along well with the Houston family |
| D．most journalists are getting the wrong end of the stick. |
Which can be the best title of the passage?
| A．An Accident In The Bathtub |
| B．Kristina, We’re Still Praying And Waiting On A Miracle |
| C．False Reports From Different News Media |
| D．Bobbi Kristina’s Final Days |
Picking a university is a tense period of asking yourself which institution is most relevant. That's why university rankings play such a vital role in students searching for their next academic direction. Rankings are also an inescapable part of the reputation and brand image of universities. "No university website is complete without the claim to be in the top 100 for something or other," reported the BBC. The reason is simple: Rankings help them to attract students, staff and research investment.
Currently there are numbers of university rankings, and each has its own list of criteria. But the main categories are the same: academic reputation, graduates' performance and faculty resources.
However, experts point out the ranking process isn't entirely reliable. Mark Kantrowitz, a US financial aid researcher, said university rankings were mostly just for show. He wrote in The New York Times. "It may give your parents better bragging rights, but that's about it."
Moreover, it's not difficult to see the limitations of university rankings. Many rankings focus on the number of times research work is cited (引用) by other researchers. It helps British and US universities to dominate global rankings because English is the favored language of academia, John O'Leary, a member of the QS academic advisory board, told The Gunrdian,. Also, rankings such as QS mainly focus on the qualities of the university rather than its students. "Any university ranking is likely to help students make better decisions about where to study, but the need to balance them with other more human factors is also important," said Phil Moss, an education and admissions consultant. "Advice from graduates or current students can be as valuable in providing a genuine insight into the experience or quality of a particular degree program. It can also add an element that rankings can never convey-the actual emotion of a university experience."Why do universities consider rankings important?
| A．Rankings make them more appealing. |
| B．Rankings are students' only reference. |
| C．Rankings can increase their academic level. |
| D．Rankings help them complete their websites. |
What does the underlined "It" in paragraph 4 refer to?
| A．Acadenuc research work. |
| B．The number of researches. |
| C．The way of ranking universities. |
| D．The limitation of university ranking. |
According to John O'Leary, what helps British and US universities rank well?
| A．The wide use of English in academia. |
| B．Their outstanding qualities. |
| C．Their graduates' excellent performance. |
| D．The academia's favor to them. |
Besides ranking, what does Phil Moss suggest you should refer to if you're picking a university?
| A．Investment in education. |
| B．Guidance from professors. |
| C．Information on websites. |
| D．Suggestions from students. |
In US, the potato is one of the most widely consumed crops. French fries are commonly found in typical American fast-food burger joints and cafeterias. French fries were introduced to the US when Thomas Jefferson served them in the White House during his presidency from 1801 t0 1809. Potato chips are popular with consumers as well.
The humble potato is more than just a kind of food. In many ways it's part of the American pop culture. Let's take a look at some pop culture potatoes.
Mashed Potato dance
The Mashed Potato dance is a craze that began in 1962. The name of the dance came from the song it accompanies, Mashed Potato Time, performed by American R&B singer Dee Dee Sharp. The move vaguely resembles that of the Twist dance style, by Sharp's fellow Philadelphian,
Chubby Checker.
Hot Potato!
Hot Potato! is an action puzzle video game released in 2001. In the game the player must drive a bus and clear the road of alien potato beings. The potato beings are either red or blue; when two like-colored potatoes touch each other, they disappear. .Over the years, Hot Potato! has received mostly positive reception from critics.
Mr. Potato Head
Mr. Potato Head is an American toy invented by George Lerner in 1949. The toy consists of a plastic potato model and a variety of plastic parts like hands, feet, ears and mouths. In 1952, Mr. Potato Head became the first toy advertised on television. This commercial revolutionized marketing and caused a boom that solidified this toy's place in American pop culture.Which is the newest to the American pop culture?
| A．French fries. | B．Mashed Potato dance. |
| C．Hot Potato! | D．Mr. Potato Head. |
What can we infer from the text?
| A．French fries were popular in US when first served in the White House. |
| B．Mashed Potato Time came from Mashed Potato dance. |
| C．Players can play Hot Potato! on their phone. |
| D．Mr. Potato Head can be taken apart. |
Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
| A．Enjoy American Fast Food |
| B．Have Fun with Potatoes |
| C．Different Uses of Potatoes |
| D．American Food Culture |
The Internet is full of headlines that grab your attention with buzzwords (流行词). But often when we click through, we find the content hardly delivers and it wastes our time. We close the page, feeling we've been cheated. These types of headlines are called "click bait".
A headline on Busin,esslnsider.com reads: "This phrase will make you seem more polite". First, when you click through, you find another headline: "Four words to seem more polite." Then, on reading the article, you find it's actually an essay about sympathy. And what are the four words? They're "Wow, that sounds hard." On some video websites, you might encounter headlines such as "Here's what happens when six puppies visited a campus". Turns out it's just some uneventful dog footage (镜头).
Nowadays, with the popularity of social media, many news outlets tweet (推送) click bait links to their stories. These tweets take advantage of the curiosity gap or attempt to draw the reader into a story using a question in the headline. These click bait headlines are so annoying that someone is attempting to save people time by exposing news outlet click bait through social media. The Twitter account @SavedYouAClick, run by Jake Beckman, is one such example.
Beckman's method is to grab tweets linking to a story and retweet them with a click-saving comment. For example, CNET tweeted "So iOS 8 appears to be jailbreakable but...", with a link to its coverage of Apple's product announcements. Beckman retweeted it with this comment attached: "... it hasn't been jailbroken yet."
Since founding the account, Beckman's Twitter experiment has brought him more than 131,000 followers. Beckman said that @SavedYouAClick is "just my way of trying to help the Internet be less temble." Asked about his goal, he said, "I'd love to see publishers think about the experience of their readers first. I think there's an enormous opportunity for publishers to provide readers with informative updates that include links so you can click through and read more.The article on Businesslnsider.com turns out to be___.
| A．useful suggestions on politeness |
| B．an essay about another topic |
| C．an article hard to understand |
| D．a link to a video website |
Why are readers often cheated by tricky headlines?
| A．Social media has become more popular. |
| B．Readers have questions to be solved. |
| C．Such headlines are fairly attractive. |
| D．There're always stories behind them. |
Beckman attached his comment to CNET's tweet to ___
| A．criticize CNET |
| B．save readers' time |
| C．advertise apple's new product |
| D．tell readers something about iOS 8 |
In the last paragraph, Beckman appeals that _____
| A．publishers be more responsible for the link |
| B．readers think about their needs before reading |
| C．publishers provide more information for readers |
| D．people work together to make the Internet less temble |
When I first heard about geocaching（地理寻宝），I was skeptical. But the more I thought about it, the more it seemed like an interesting idea.I at least wanted to try it once.
Having familiarized myself with how the game works,I set out in search of my first cache. My trip took me through a series of lively hutong（胡同）,past a number of small temples, and right into the courtyard of a quiet youth hotel.I spent several minutes looking around, but couldn't find anything. Just before l was about to give up,I spotted a colorful object in the crack of a wall. Could it be the hidden cache?
At that moment a group of backpackers amved. According to the game's rules, people who are not in the game must not be allowed to find out about secret caches. So I pretended to make a phone call while waiting for them to leave. When the coast was clear,I grabbed the object. It was the cache! I opened it and pulled out a crumpled（皱的）sheet of paper with several names and celebratory messages written on it.I added my own and replaced the cache in its hiding place, ready for the next geocacher to find.
It may seem like a simple game, but the idea that there are caches hidden all around us is exciting. Once you're hooked, it's easy to set yourself the goal of finding every single cache in a neighborhood or even an entire city. The real treasure, however, is not the cache itself, but the places it takes you to.
Hunting for further caches has since introduced me to places which I didn't even know existed. Some are peaceful parks, while others are forgotten historical sites.A few caches have even been in places I passed regularly without giving them any thought. Now,Ifeel a much closer connection.What was the author's initial attitude to geocaching?
| A．He thought it interesting. |
| B．He wanted to try it at once. |
| C．He showed little interest in it. |
| D．He found it unsuitable for him. |
Where did the author find the cache?
| A．In a hutong. | B．In a temple. |
| C．In a well. | D．In a hotel. |
When a group of backpackers were approaching, the author____.
| A．pretended to be cleaning the yard |
| B．made a call to other geocachers |
| C．didn't allow them to come in |
| D．tried to keep the cache secret |
In what way does the author benefit from geocaching?
| A．He's more familiar with the city. |
| B．He has found much treasure. |
| C．He has made more friends. |
| D．He has mastered hunting. |