The Touchstone
When the great library of Alexandria burned, the story goes, one book was saved. But it was not a valuable book, and so a poor man, who could read little, bought it for very little money.
The book wasn’t very interesting, but between its pages there was something very interesting indeed. It was a thin strip of vellum on which was written the secret of the “Touchstone”! The touchstone was a small pebble that could turn any common metal into pure gold.
The writing explained that it was lying among thousands and thousands of other pebbles that looked exactly like it. But the secret was this: The real stone would feel warm, while ordinary pebbles are cold.
So the man sold his few belongings, bought some simple supplies, camped on the seashore, and began testing pebbles. He knew that if he picked up ordinary pebbles and threw them down again because they were cold, he might pick up the same pebble hundreds of times. So, when he felt one that was cold, he threw it into the sea. He spent a whole day doing this but none of them was the touchstone. Yet he went on and on this way. Pick up a pebble. Cold, throw it into the sea. Pick up another. Throw it into the sea. Pick up another. Throw it into the sea. The days continued over a long period of time.
One day, however, about mid-afternoon, he picked up a pebble and it was warm. He threw it into the sea before he realized what he had done. He had formed such a strong habit of throwing each pebble into the sea that when the one he wanted came along he still threw it away.
So it is with opportunity. Unless we are careful, it’s easy to fail to recognize an opportunity when it is in hand and it’s just as easy to throw it away.The man bought the book because ______.
| A．he wanted to read it | B．it was very interesting |
| C．there was a secret in the book | D．he wanted to find the touchstone |
We can learn from the passage that the touchstone is ______.
| A．pure | B．cold | C．magic | D．big |
What does the author want to tell us in the passage?
| A．We should offer opportunities in our life. |
| B．We should seek for opportunities in the world. |
| C．We may seize opportunities when we are watchful. |
| D．We may discover opportunities when forming habits. |
Anyone who has worn a cast (石膏) knows that rebuilding muscle strength once the cast is removed can be difficult. Now researchers at the Ohio Musculoskeletal and Neurological Institute (OMNI) at Ohio University have found that the mind is critical in maintaining muscle strength following a long period of not moving and that mental imagination may be key in reducing the associated muscle loss.
Strength is controlled by a number of factors----the most studied by far is skeletal muscle. However, the nervous system is also an important, though not fully understood, determining factor of strength and weakness.
Brian C. Clark and colleagues set out to test how the system functions in strength development. They designed an experiment to measure changes in wrist (腕) muscle strength in three groups of healthy adults. Twenty-nine subjects wore a hard cast that extended from just below the elbow (肘) past the fingers, effectively preventing the hand and wrist from moving, for four weeks. Fifteen subjects who did not wear casts served as the control group.
Of the 29 people wearing a hard cast, half were asked to regularly perform an exercise, imagining they were strongly contracting their wrist for five seconds and then resting for five seconds. This was repeated four times in a row followed by a one-minute break for a total of 13 rounds per session and five sessions per week. The other half performed no imagination exercises.
At the end of the four-week experiment, both groups who wore casts had lost strength in their unmoving limbs (肢体) when compared to the control group. But the group that performed imagination exercises lost 50% less strength than the non-imagination group. The nervous system’s ability to fully make the muscle recover also returned more quickly in the imagination group compared to the non-imagination group.What does the underlined word “critical” mean in the first paragraph?
| A．Serious. | B．Disapproving. |
| C．Significant. | D．Criticizing. |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Scientists have partly understood the nervous system. |
| B．Whoever has worn a cast for long may have difficulty in muscle recovery. |
| C．Scientists have already spent a lot of time in studying skeletal muscle. |
| D．The number of the subjects in the experiment was 29 in all. |
What can we learn from the experiment?
| A．The control group lost 50% less strength than the non-imagination group. |
| B．The imagination group lost more strength than the non-imagination group. |
| C．The control group wore casts but didn’t perform the imagination exercise. |
| D．The speed of non-imagination group’s muscle recovery was slower. |
Where can you most probably find the passage?
| A．In a science magazine. | B．In a storybook. |
| C．In a textbook . | D．In a book review. |
Beaches are not only great for lying on and doing water sports, and in fact one of the best ways of enjoying them is a classic beach walk. Here at iWantSun. Co. Uk, we’ve been searching the globe to find you the world’s best and most glorious beach walks, and here’s our pick of the top.
The Footpath of the Gods, Amalfi Coast, Italy
The name says it all really and you truly do feel up there to walking along this wonderful mountain coastal path, which offers some of the most striking views on the planet. The path begins at town of Bomerano to charming Positano along the UNESCO World Heritage area of the Amalfi Coast. The whole walk will take you approximately four and a half hours to complete and pass over narrow rocky paths, past sheer cliffs and shining blue bays.
Sydney’s Great Coastal Walk, Australia
Sydney’s coastline is one of the most beautiful and diverse in the world. Here you have national parks, historic sites, steep cliffs, sparkling beaches and quiet bays all in one place. Sydney’s Great Walk runs all the way from Barrenjoey in the north to Royal National Park in the south and takes an incredible seven days to complete. However, if you’re not up to doing the full walk, then there are many different parts of the walk that you can do right in the city. Walking from the city’s famous Bondi Beach to the sweeping curve of Bronte Beach takes just an hour, which takes in some top scenery.
Great Ocean Walk, Australia
The Great Ocean Walk stretches 104 km along Victoria’s famous Great Ocean Road, located on the southern coast of Australia, from the resort town Apollo Bay to the magnificent Twelve Apostles. The Twelve Apostles are the area’s famous stone landmarks which stand out like giants from the sea. The walk passes through a range of landscapes and sights, from national parks, famous surfing spots and deserted beaches, to wild coastlines, cascading waterfalls, lush forests, historic lighthouses and ghostly shipwrecks. Day walks and shorter three-hour walks such as the Wreck Beach Walk or the Lighthouse Cemetery and Lookout Walk can also be enjoyed.
So next time when you’re looking for a beach holiday don’t just think about the resorts and the sand, but consider a more active sun holiday, discovering some of the best beaches in the world.The author intends to tell us ____________.
| A．the world’s best places for beach walks |
| B．the wonderful beaches in the world |
| C．the ideal tourism resort for health |
| D．the beautiful beaches in Australia |
When you arrive at the Amalfi Coast _______________.
| A．you must be fed up with the footpath |
| B．you will be fascinated by the scenery |
| C．you can start walking from Positano |
| D．you may be trapped in narrow rocky paths |
What is special about Sydney’s Great Coastal Walk?
| A．It takes about more than five hours to complete. |
| B．It starts from Royal National Park in the south. |
| C．It provides visitors a variety of great landscapes. |
| D．It really has the longest coastline in the world. |
According to the fourth paragraph we can know that __________________.
| A．Apollo Bay is at the end of the Great Ocean Walk |
| B．the Twelve Apostles exists below the surface of the sea |
| C．the Wreck Beach Walk can also give visitors pleasure |
| D．most visitors can finish the 104 km walk in three hours |
October sixteenth is World Food Day．This day is also the anniversary of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization(F．A．O．)．The UN agency leads international efforts to defeat world hunger．It was created in 1945．
The F．A．O．says more than one hundred fifty countries are to hold special events to celebrate World Food Day．At F．A．O．headquarters in Rome，for example，runners will compete in a five-kilometer race through the city’s historical area．Events in other countries include discussions among experts，press conferences and musical programs．
The message of this year’s World Food Day is “investing in agriculture for food security”．The F．A．O．says，“During the early 1990s，the foreign aid for agriculture was nine thousand million dollars each year．But now, it has declined to less than five thousand million dollars a year．”Yet, the F．A．O．estimates that more than eight hundred and fifty million people around the world do not get enough food．
The UN agency notes that seventy percent of the world’s hungry lies in the farmers who grow small amount of food．Many also face problems of feeding themselves．The F．A．O．says agricultural aid could help small farmers make a profit from their crops．Farmers would also be able to feed their families throughout the year and re-invest in their farms．They could buy better seeds，equipment and chemical fertilizers to help their crops grow．
Muhammad Yunis．the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to improve the lives of poor people，as well as his Bangladesh microfinance organization，the Grameen Bank，has lent small amount of money to poor people who are unable to get traditional loans，especially women．Minister Yunis says that he plans to give his share of the one million three hundred thousand dollars Nobel award to good causes．He says he wants to establish an eye hospital and start a project to produce low-cost food for the poor．To celebrate the World Food Day, how many kinds of activities are mentioned in the passage?
| A．Two． | B．Three． | C．Four． | D．Five． |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A．The F．A．O．is established to invest in agriculture for food security．
B．The foreign aid for agriculture has reduced by nearly 50％in recent decades．
C．The Grameen Bank has provided large amount of loans for poor farmers．
D．Yunis will donate his entire Nobel award to help solve the hunger for the poor．With agricultural aid，farmers can_________________.
| A．promote the production of crops |
| B．produce low-cost food |
| C．invest money in other fields |
| D．buy better food |
The writer wrote the passage mainly to____________．
A．give an introduction of the F．A．O．
B．inform us of the situations of the world food
C．appeal for more investment in agriculture
D．show how to deal with the world’s hunger
One cold morning in winter, I went alone to a hillside to do some hunting. I sat there waiting for about an hour. Suddenly, a big beautiful deer appeared less than 20 feet away from me. There was no cover near him. Surely I could shoot him.
To my surprise, he came toward me! He was curious, I suppose, or maybe he was stupid. For this was not a youngster, but a fully grown-up one. He must have known about men and their guns. But this deer came closer, and I still waited. His big eyes never moved away from my face. His wonderful head with a set of antlers (鹿角) was clear in sight.
I was getting a bit nervous as he walked closer. A big deer can do a lot of damage. Well, he walked right up to where I was sitting. Then he stopped and looked at me.
What happened next was hard to believe. But it all seemed quite natural. I held out my hands and scratched his head right between the antlers. And he liked it. The big, wild, beautiful deer bent his head.
I scratched and touched his head and body. His nose touched my shoulder. I fed him with my last sandwich.
Well, he finally went his way, down the hill. Shoot him? Not me. You wouldn’t, either. Not after that. I just watched him go, a strong deer carrying a proud head.
I picked up my gun, and started walking back. Suddenly, I heard two shots, one after another. If you have hunted much, you will know what two shots mean. They mean a kill. I had forgotten that there were other hunters around.
You will now understand why I gave up hunting from that day on.How the deer behaved toward the writer shows that______.
| A．it pretended to be friendly to the writer |
| B．it wanted to attack the writer |
| C．it was too scared to run away |
| D．it was quite friendly to the writer |
You can infer from the passage that ______.
| A．a grown-up deer usually will not get close to men with guns |
| B．the writer was a little nervous at first as he had been attacked by a big deer before |
| C．the writer felt afraid to kill the deer the moment the deer walked up to him |
| D．the writer had waited for more than an hour before the deer appeared |
After reading the whole passage, we can know that the passage is written in a(n)______tone.
| A．worried | B．excited | C．sad | D．happy |
“I can’t live without my mobile phone!” is what I often hear people say as they talk about how mobiles have become an essential part of their lives.
The all so common sight of heads bent, eyes staring at mobile screens and fingers busy tapping away repeats itself across major cities around the world. Whenever there is a moment to spare while on the train, taxi or waiting in a queue, people busy themselves with their mobile phones.
Some people believe our unhealthy obsession(着迷) with mobile phones is destroying how we appreciate the little things in life or miss the moments that matter. The truth is that technology overall should be seen as just a tool to improve our lives.
Mobile phones have certainly had a great influence on our lives, but I truly believe it is for the better.
It’s changed the way we communicate, whether for work or play. We are now less constrained(限制)by time and geographical location. With my mobile phone, I can dial into conference calls while stuck in a traffic jam, or reply to urgent e-mails while on the go. I can send a text message or share photos and videos with friends who aren’t living in the same country. My phone calendar keeps my life organized, and even Facebook, Twitter, and instant messaging are now accessible from mobile phones!
The mobile revolution isn’t just changing the lives of urbanities (都市人) like myself. I know of a young Bangladeshi woman named Shompa Akhter who is crazy about fashion and design. She dreamt about starting her own business and she did just that, opening a shop in Kushtia featuring her own creations. Dealing with supplies in different towns was a problem for Shompa --- purchase orders had to either be hand delivered or mailed out to supplies. Shompa also found it tough publicizing her business to potential customers outside her town. But once she learnt to operate the mobile phone, she was addicted. The 25-year-old businesswoman now stays in touch easily with her suppliers. Mobile e-mail is a blessing in her life.
Who would have thought that mobility could bring about such enormous change? It shouldn’t really be a surprise though.In the first two paragraphs, the author wants to show ____.
| A．mobile phones make people communicate less |
| B．mobile phones make people’s life more enjoyable |
| C．people’s health is greatly affected by mobile phones |
| D．people become addicted to mobile phones in daily life |
What’s the author’s attitude towards mobile phones?
| A．Doubtful | B．Supportive | C．Critical | D．Uninterested |
Paragraph 5 is mainly about__________.
| A．New functions of mobile phones |
| B．New changes in Information Age |
| C．The advantages of mobile phones |
| D．The author’s personal experiences |
How is the text mainly developed?
| A．By inferring. |
| B．By analysing causes. |
| C．By giving examples. |
| D．By comparing different ideas. |