The HOPE IS A GAME--CHANGER PROJECT will deliver unbreakable soccer balls to kids who, all too often, see things horrible, broken and not survive the simplest of circumstances. The project started taking form well before anyone knew where it would lead –which is to test the power of like-minded people working together to turn inspiration into action.
Four years ago Bobby was in Rwanda offering help to the people there and taking photos of a child soldier named Moise with his “soccer ball”，which was a pile of rubbish tied together with a string. This “ball” was the only thing Moise could call his own --- no family, no home, no place to go. Forced to fight in the Congo and having killed three people at the unbearably young age of seven, the boy’s spirit was broken. And Bobby knew, as he took one photo after the next, that he’d never forget him. In fact, he returned the following year to tell Moise he had stayed deep within his heart ---but he was gone.
I recently helped Bobby launch his new book The Power of the Invisible Sun which features a photo of Moise, his ball, and kids from war-torn areas around the world. All of his earnings go towards the HOPE IS A GAME-CHANGER PROJECT for the kids he visited over the past decade. They caught the emotional landscape from heartbreak to joy, but share the undeniable longing for recovery and hope.
Bobby and I share the unchangeable belief that delivering hope is really a game-changer, especially to a child. We believe that each indestructible ball will come to represent a lasting symbol of hope. A light no matter how small---The Power of the Invisible Sun.
This holiday season, I ask you to think about whether you are doing enough to help someone else in the world. Or as Bobby likes to put it, consider “taking a concrete baby step”, which added together, can create transformational change. It’s my great hope that the HOPE IS A GAME-CHANGER PROJECT will change the lives of children the world over --- one book, one ball at a time.
51．In the first sentence of the passage, the writer implies that .
A．kids live an unsafe life in parts of the world
B．the balls sent to kids should be of good quality
C．young kids can not overcome the difficulties
D．kids intend to break their toys into pieces
52．The purpose of The HOPE IS A GAME-CHANGER PROJECT is to .
A．send ball gifts to kids in poor countries
B．collect money to help kids in need
C．comfort kids in war-torn areas
D．offer kids help to change their lives
53． How may Bobby feel about Mosie?
A．He was very proud of Mosie’s bravery.
B．He felt sorry for Mosie’s ruined childhood.
C．He thought money could solve Mosie’s problem.
D．He felt happy to tell him what was in his heart.
54．Which of the following about Bobby’s new book is TRUE?
A．It earned a lot of money to help kids like Mosie.
B．The photos inside reflected the kids’ hopeless life.
C．Its title shows the author’s belief to change the world.
D．It changed the life of the kids recorded in the book.
55．The underlined part in the last paragrph probably means .
A．starting the first step as a baby does
B．taking an active action from now on
C．making great changes step by step
D．doing some small but good deeds
Every year on April 1, April Fools’ Day is celebrated in many countries around the world. In France, it’s called Poisson d’Avril or “Fish of April.” In Scotland, the holiday is often called “Gowkie Day.” In Iraq, the holiday is called Kithbet Neesan or “April Lie.”
History experts say people have celebrated April Fools’ Day for a long time. Some believe the tradition comes from the ancient Romans more than two thousand years ago. It was a day of playing games and pretending to be someone else.
Others say the day for fooling began in France in 1564, when King Charles changed the yearly calendar（日历）. He moved New Year’s Day from April 1 to January 1. Many people did not know about the change because of communication problems back then. Some people continued to celebrate New Year’s Day on April 1. Other people called them April Fools and played jokes on them.
In the United States, April Fools’ Day is just a day of joking and playing tricks on friends. These kinds of jokes are also called pranks. These jokes typically end in the prankster shouting “April Fools’!”
Simple pranks, like telling a friend a funny lie or making prank phone calls, are still common. But, major companies also get in on April Fools’ Day fun in a much bigger way. A few years ago, on April 1, Starbucks announced it was introducing new coffee cup sizes -- Plenta and Micra. The very large cups, bigger than a human head, remained useful for customers even after finishing all that coffee. According to Starbucks, the cups could be used as a rain hat, a pot for plants, or a lampshade（灯罩）.
It did not take long for customers to catch on to the prank!
More and more, people use social media or smart phone apps（应用程序）to play pranks on their friends on April Fools’ Day. One very annoying smart phone app, Cat Facts, sends funny facts about cats to your friends’ phones, every day.What is not true about “April Fools’ Day”?
| A． It has been celebrated for a long time. |
| B． Its tradition comes from the ancient Romans. |
| C． French people celebrated it because of not knowing that King Charles changed the yearly calendar. |
| D． Different countries have different names for it. |
In the United States, April Fools’ Day is.
| A． a day of joking and playing tricks on friends. |
| B． a day when you can play jokes on any people. |
| C． a day when people can’t shout “April Fools’!” |
| D． a day when Starbucks introduced new coffee. |
What’s the meaning of the underlined word “pranks”(para4)?
| A． friends | B． methods |
| C． jokes | D． jokers |
New York — Wednesday, October fifteenth, is the first Global Hand Washing Day. Activities are planned in more than twenty countries to get millions of people in the developing world to wash their hands with soap.
Experts say people around the world wash their hands but very few use soap at so-called critical moments. These include after using the toilet, after cleaning a baby and before touching food.
Global Hand Washing Day is the idea of the Public-Private Partnership for Hand Washing with Soap. The goal, they say, is to create a culture of hand washing with soap. The organizers say all soaps are equally effective at removing disease-causing germs (病菌). They say the correct way to wash hands is to wet your hands with a small amount of water and cover them with soap. Rub it into all areas, including under the fingernails. Then, rinse well under running water. Finally, dry your hands with a clean cloth.
The Partnership says soap is important because it increases the time that people spend washing. Soap also helps to break up the dirt that holds most of the germs. And it usually leaves a pleasant smell, which increases the likelihood that people will wash again.
It also says washing with soap before eating and after using the toilet could save more lives than any medicine. It could help reduce cases of diarrhea (痢疾), which is the second leading cause of child deaths, killing more than one and a half million children a year, by almost half.The Partnership creates Global Hand Washing Day to _____.
| A．call on people to wash hands |
| B．help the developing countries |
| C．make a culture of hand washing in the third world |
| D．promote the importance of soap in hand washing |
The following facts can explain why soap is important EXCEPT that _____.
| A．soap gets people into the habit of washing hands |
| B．soap helps to get rid of more germs off hands |
| C．soap attracts people to do more hand washing |
| D．soap gives people a longer hand washing time |
According to the last paragraph, diarrhea is a disease that _____.
| A．kills half of the kids in developing countries |
| B．can be prevented by washing hands with soap |
| C．causes the greatest number of child deaths |
| D．makes soap stand out in hand washing |
University of Maryland student Ben Simon and his friends couldn’t stand to see good food thrown out on their campus. “We basically noticed that some of the extra food from the dining hall was going to waste at the end of the day. And we met with the dining services and asked them whether it would be okay if instead of throwing out the food we could donate it. And they were on board.” he said.
So 18 months ago, the students began what they call the Food Recovery Network. Each night, volunteers would show up at a campus dining hall to pick up leftovers and deliver them to area shelters and food banks. So far, they have donated more than 23,000 kilos of food that would otherwise have been thrown out.
Nationwide, $165 billion worth of food is wasted each year, according to the National Resources Defense Council. Spokesman Bob Keefe says that is about 40% of the country’s entire food production. “If we can reduce our waste in this country by 15%, we can feed 25 million hungry Americans. That is a huge benefit. That is what programs like this Food Recovery Network are doing. ” he said.
Christian Life Center is one of the beneficiaries of the students’ efforts. Ben Slye, the senior pastor（牧师）, said, “It has been just amazing to see these students take their own time, their own vehicles and own gas money and be able to make an effort like this. Each week we are able with this food probably to feed over hundred people.”
The University of Maryland’s Food Recovery Network now has 200 volunteers and the program has expanded to 18 schools across the country. “I want to grow 18 chapters to a thousand chapters within five years. And once we get to the Food Recovery Nation being at every college campus in America, we want to expand to restaurants and farms.” Said Simon.
The volunteers are committed to making that happen.The dining services in University of Maryland _______.
| A．wasted large amounts of fresh food on the campus |
| B．directly donated the leftovers to the poor |
| C．delivered the leftovers to area shelters and food banks |
| D．enjoyed the talk with the students and gave support |
Volunteers from the Food Recovery of Maryland _______.
| A．started to set up the organization two years ago |
| B．just donated their own leftovers to avoid waste |
| C．collected the leftovers and then delivered them |
| D．managed to solve the hunger issues in America |
Ben Slye’s attitude toward the volunteers’ effort was that of _______.
| A．unconcern | B．appreciation |
| C．doubt | D．opposition |
We can learn from the text that _______.
| A．Simon aims to expand the program to restaurants and farms |
| B．altogether 25 million Americans suffer from hunger nowadays |
| C．every college has started the Food Recovery Network |
| D．over 40% of the country’s entire food is wasted each year |
What can be the best title of the article?
| A．Battles Against the Problem of Hunger |
| B．College Students Rescue Leftover Food |
| C．How to Pick up Leftovers on College Campus |
| D．Waste Problems in University of Maryland |
Blue is the most attractive eye colour according to a new research.
Blue eyes like those belonging to sexy star Angelina Jolie are the most appealing colour according to a pool of 3,000 18－24yearolds by Fresh Look One Day Colour. Angelina，her partner Brad Pitt and his exwife Jennifer Aniston all have blue eyes and all been named in a top twenty of the world's most desirable eyes.
The survey found that young folk with blue eyes is generally seen as being more flirtatious，sexy and kind.
And when asked if they would change the colour of their eyes if they could，only one in ten blueeyed people wanted to，significantly less than people with other colour eyes.
One in three people who didn't have blue eyes wanted a change.
One quarter of respondents have considered wearing coloured contact lenses to change their eye colour temporarily—and blue is the most wanted colour.
Green was the second most popular colour for those wanting a new look，with respondents saying greeneyed people were usually mysterious and creative.
People with brown or hazel eyes were perceived to be more trustworthy than people with other eye colours.
People with grey eyes were generally thought to be more intelligent than other people，and they were also described as usually being shy.
Blue was the most common eye colour among respondents，with 41 percent of those who answered the survey having baby blue peepers and 39 percent having brown or hazel eyes.
The survey also found that 18 percent of people don't know what colour eyes their partner has.According to the new research，when considering changing their eye colour，the number of the people who will choose ________ ranks the second.
| A．brown | B．green | C．grey | D．hazel |
According to the study result，if you were a manager and you wanted to find a most reliable person，you'd better hire one who has ________ eyes.
| A．green | B．blue | C．brown | D．grey |
The underlined word “peepers” in the passage could be replaced by________.
| A．babies | B．colours |
| C．eyes | D．respondents |
Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
| A．Who have the most charming eyes in the world? |
| B．Different eye colours in the world. |
| C．A survey result on eye colours. |
| D．Blue—the most attractive eye colour. |
Exploit your parking space
An unused parking space or garage can make money. If you live near a city center or an airport, you could make anything up to £200 or £300 a week. Put an advertisement（广告）for free on Letpark or Atmyhousepark.
Rent a room
Spare room? Not only will a lodger（房客）earn you an income, but also, thanks to the government-backed “rent a room” program, you won’t have to pay any tax on the first £4500 you make per year. Try advertising your room on Roomspare or Roommateeasy.
Make money during special events
Don’t want a full-time lodger? Then rent on a short-term basis. If you live in the capital, renting a room out during the Olympics or other big events could bring in money. Grashpadder can advertise your space.
Live on set
Renting your home out as a “film set” could earn you hundreds of pounds a day, depending on the film production company and how long your home is needed. A quick search on the Internet will bring up dozens of online companies that allow you to register your home for free—but you will be charged if your home gets picked.
Use your roof
You need the right kind of roof, but some energy companies pay the cost of fixing solar equipment(around￡14,000), and let you use the energy produced for nothing. In return, they get paid for unused energy fed back into the National Grid. However, you have to sign a 25-year agreement with the supplier, which could prevent you from changing the roof.If you earn ￡5000 from renting a room in one year, the tax you need to pay will be based on ______.
| A．￡800 | B．￡4500 | C．￡500 | D．5000 |
If you want to use energy free, you have to_____.
| A．sign an agreement with the government |
| B．keep the roof unchanged for within 25 years |
| C．sell the roof to some energy companies |
| D．pay around ￡14,000 for the equipment |
For whom the text most probably written?
| A．Lodgers. | B．Advertisers. |
| C．Online companies | D．House owners. |