Eat, drink and be merry. That’s what Spring Festival is all about. But there are millions of people, too, who love to let happiness go up in smoke.Offering cigarettes to guests is a traditional Chinese way of showing respect to them. A cup of tea and cigarettes are perhaps the most common way of welcoming a guest in China, especially during festive occasions.No wonder, 40 percent of the people surveyed(调查) recently said they would smoke at least twice the usual number of cigarettes during the Spring Festival because of all those gatherings and parties. Only 20 percent of the respondents said they would refuse a cigarette when offered one. Why can’t the others do the same? Because they could be seen as being rude, said more than half in the respondents. 15 percent feared they could be taken as “someone who cannot get along well with others”.The Think-tank Research Centre for Health Development and sohu. com survey shows 61 percent Chinese think offering a cigarette is useful for socialising, and 52 percent have offered cigarettes to others. The study surveyed 3,800 people, and 64 percent of them were men.One-third of those surveyed were smokers, out of which 57 percent said they couldn’t give up smoking because of the offering-and-accepting culture. “People have accepted offering cigarettes as an effective way of making friends,” research centre director Wu Yiqun says.China has more than 350 million smokers, catering to the tobacco market that is worth 500 billion yuan. “The survey shows we still have a lot of work to do,” Wu says. “It is time to let people know that offering a cigarette is a bad habit and it should be given up immediately.”The passage is written with the purpose of ________.
| A．telling us a custom about the Chinese Spring Festival |
B．introducing a way to make friends with Chinese |
C．stopping smoking during the Chinese Spring Festival |
D．telling us that offering cigarett es is a bad habit |
The third paragraph mainly tells us ________.
A. the fact that smokers are greatly increasing during the festivalB. the reason why refusing cigarettes is acceptableC. the fact that many people have to smoke more cigarettes during the festivalD
. it is rude to attend parties without smoking cigarettes Which of the following may NOT be the reason that makes many people fail to refuse the offered cigarettes?
| A．It’s impolite to refuse. | B．Smoking is harmful for non-smokers. |
C．They want to be friendly | D．It’s a kind of social habit. |
The writer mentions the 500 billion yuan tobacco market because ________.
| A．the tobacco market is not developing smoothly |
B．the writer thinks that smoking wastes a lot of money |
C．smoking is helpful to the tobacco market |
D．the tobacco market attracts too many smokers |
Most people are aware of what the adoption process is because it has become rather common in our society. Adoption is where a child is legally placed with guardians (监护人) or parents (or perhaps a single parent) other than the birth mother or father. Once an adoption is finalized, all parental rights are turned over to the adoptive parents and there is no legal difference between adoptive parents and natural birth parents. There are generally two types of adoption, which are closed adoption and open adoption.
When an adopted person has access to his or her adoption file and original records, it is referred to as an open adoption. The term is also used to describe any contact that may be between the adoptive family, the birth parents, and the adopted child. The level of openness can change greatly in such contact depending on each individual relationship. There can be indirect contact between the natural birth parents and the child through the form of letters and photographs, or there can be actual physical contact.
A semi-open adoption is where the birth parents may have contact with the adoptive parents before the birth of the child, either once or several times. After the birth there is no more contact. A semi-open adoption may remain as it is or it can become either open or closed.
A closed adoption is where only the medical and historical information about the biological parents is given to the adoptive family. Typically, the birth and adoptive parents do not know each other’s identities. The record of the birth parents is kept sealed (密封). A closed adoption is usually only effective in the adoption of babies. The adoption of an older child who already knows his or her birth parents cannot be kept closed.How many adoption types are mentioned in the passage?
| A．2. | B．3. | C．4. | D．5. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE about the closed adoption?
| A．The birth parents may have indirect contact with the adoptive parents. |
| B．The biological parents may often go to see their birth child. |
| C．No information about the biological parents is given to the adoptive parents. |
| D．Generally speaking, the adoptive parents do not know the birth parents’ identities. |
Suppose someone adopts a child and his biological parents often get contact with the child by telephone. We can call this adoption _____.
| A．a closed adoption | B．an open adoption |
| C．a semi-open adoption | D．a semi-closed adoption |
From the passage, we know adoption is _____.
| A．where a child is brought up by the government |
| B．where a child is legally sent abroad by the birth parents |
| C．where a child is legally placed with adoptive parents |
| D．where a child is sent to live with the children whose parents have died |
You might not know it, but there is something wonderful at your fingertips. You can make people happier, healthier and more hard-working just by touching their arms or holding their hands.
Doctors say that body contact is a kind of medicine that can work wonders. When people are touched, the quantity of hemoglobin (血红蛋白)－a type of matter that produces the red color in blood increases greatly. This results in more oxygen reaching every part of the body and the whole body benefits. In experiments, bottle-fed baby monkeys were separated from their mothers for the first ten days of life. They became sad and negative. Studies showed the monkeys were more probable to become ill than other babies that were allowed to stay with their mothers.
Human babies react in much the same way. Some years ago, a scientist noticed that some well-fed babies in a clean nursery became weak. Yet babies in another nursery were growing healthily, even though they ate less well and were not kept as clean. The reason, he concluded, was that they often had touches from nurses.
Experiments show that most people like being touched. And nearly all doctors believe touch helps to reduce patients' fear of treatment. Of course there is time when a touch is not welcome. But even if we don't like being touched, a smile can make us feel better. Smiling increases blood flow and starts the production of "happy brain" chemicals. So let's have a big smile and don't forget to keep in touch.Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Everyone knows that body contact can make people happier. |
| B．People may work harder because of body contact. |
| C．Your fingertips can do something. |
| D．People may not understand the importance of touching. |
According to the passage _____.
| A．human brains need oxygen and blood supply now and then |
| B．touches from doctors and nurses have nothing to do with treatment |
| C．new-born baby monkeys should stay away from their mothers |
| D．not all the people like being touched |
The word "benefits" in the second paragraph probably means _____.
| A．to be useful or helpful |
| B．to get something useful or helpful |
| C．to be ill |
| D．to be hurt |
The best title for the passage might be _____.
| A．Why People Touch | B．Smile and Touch |
| C．Wonders of Touch | D．Touch or Not |
Where do you find out about the world’s longest walk? The world's tallest man? The world's oldest woman? You know the answer, of course. It is the Guinness Book of World Records. How would people find such unusual facts without this book?
Guinness Book did not exist until 1951. Here is what happened. The managing director of Guinness Brewery was a curious man. He wanted answers to some questions about records. For example, he wanted to know what was the fastest flying game bird in Europe. But he was frustrated. There was no book to answer questions like this.
The director, Sir Hugh Beaver, contacted the McWhirter twins. They were brothers who owned a research agency. He asked them to put together a new reference book. It would include all kinds of unusual records. The brothers quickly accepted. The first edition of their book was published in 1955. Soon the Guinness Book of World Records was a best seller. It has sold more copies than any book except the Bible. A new edition is published every year.
Where do all the book's records come from? They are a combination of things like natural wonders, sports records, and stunts(特技) (How many people would push an egg with their noses if they weren’t trying to get to the book?). But the editors try to keep things honest. All records must be verified by an investigator. Only then are they printed.
The Guinness Book is a big business. It is published in dozens of languages. There are TV shows and museums. It is proof of how interested people are in strange pieces of information. The passage is mostly about _____.
| A．the McWhirter twins |
| B．the director Sir Hugh Beaver |
| C．unusual records in the Guinness Book |
| D．a history of the Guinness Book |
The Guinness Book _____.
| A．is a best seller |
| B．is published only in English |
| C．does not always check its records |
| D．has a full-length movie based on it |
It is clear from the passage that the McWhirter twins _____.
| A．wanted to publish the book so that they set up a research agency |
| B．owned so good a research agency that they liked to help others |
| C．recognizes that Sir Hugh's idea for a book was a good one |
| D．wanted to know the answers to some questions about records |
In this passage, the underlined word "verified" means _____.
| A．questioned | B．proved the truth | C．written up | D．blocked |
The desire for a better life is sometimes so big that it makes people leave their countries and their families and work in other countries. They know that they will have to face difficult moments, that they won't be able to communicate with the persons around them, and that they have to work in illegal conditions to get the money they need for their families, but they all take these chances and they hope they will succeed.
On the other hand, there are people who immigrate (移民) just for the sake of the people they love. They leave their families to make other families with the people they love. Women go to meet their men who have chosen other countries to start a new life, even if they miss their families and friends. Maybe they don't have a place to work but they are able to wait to see what destiny (命运) has for them.
There are also the cases of the people who are forced to leave their countries because of a war which threatens their lives. They'd rather start from the very beginning again than risk putting their lives in danger.
When well-developed countries see that their homeland is being "invaded" by lots of immigrants, they set new laws that make immigration harder. As a result of this, many illegal immigrants cross the borders and are eager to work, although they are paid only half the amount of money native workers receive for the same kind of job.
The opinions of the local people are varied and they range from total refusal to complete acceptance. Immigrants in countries which have large communities of them are fighting for the recognition of their social rights and for equal treatment. Many immigrants have managed to be fully accepted by the communities where they live and have managed to change the opinions of the local people about them.Which of the following reasons for immigration is NOT mentioned in the passage?
| A．Escaping from a war. |
| B．Being reunited with the beloved people. |
| C．Seeking a better life |
| D．Studying a foreign language |
What's the usual response to immigrants in well-developed countries?
| A．To accept them. |
| B．To refuse them. |
| C．To put limitations on immigration. |
| D．To encourage them. |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Some immigrants are still fighting for their rights now. |
| B．Immigrants are never accepted no matter how hard they try. |
| C．Native people usually earn more money than illegal immigrants. |
| D．The local people have different attitudes toward immigrants. |
The passage implies that _____.
| A．many people go to other countries with great determination |
| B．illegal immigrants cause great damage to developed countries |
| C．stricter laws should be set to prevent immigration |
| D．culture shock causes great anxiety in some immigrants |
The first day our professor challenged us to get to know someone we didn’t know. I looked around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady smiling at me.
She said, “Hi, handsome. My name is Rose. I’m 87. Can I give you a hug?” I laughed, “Of course you may!” and she gave me a giant squeeze. “Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?” I asked. She jokingly replied, “I’m here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of children.” “No seriously,” I said. “I want to realize my dream!” she told me. Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and everyone liked to listen to this “time machine”.
At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet and I’ll never forget what she taught us. “There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are 19 and lie in bed for one full year and don’t do one productive thing, you will turn 20. If I am 87 and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn 88. We have less time to live on. Anybody can grow older. That doesn’t take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. The elderly usually don’t have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do.”
At the year’s end, Rose finished the college degree she had dreamed about all those years. One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep. Over 2,000 students attended her funeral honoring the wonderful woman who taught us such an important message. Rose made herself known to the author in a _____ manner.
| A．serious | B．cold | C．crazy | D．humorous |
Rose was considered a “time machine” because she _____.
| A．always followed a strict time schedule |
| B．was never late for any of her classes |
| C．had lived a long and rich life |
| D．always appeared in time whenever she was needed |
According to Rose, growing up is different from growing older because _____.
| A．growing up doesn’t need as much effort or talent as growing older |
| B．growing up means young people have enough time to waste |
| C．there is no need for one to worry about death |
| D．growing up means one has more chances or time to choose what one likes |
Rose came to study in college at such an old age for the purpose of _____.
| A．challenging her old age |
| B．realizing her long dream about college education |
| C．meeting someone rich and attractive |
| D．not having any regrets in her life |