You're in a department store and you see a couple of attractive young women looking at a sweater. You listen to their conversation:
“I can't believe it--a Lorenzo Bertolla! They are almost impossible to find. Isn't it beautiful? And it's a lot cheaper than the one Sara bought in Rome. ”
They leave and you go over to see this incredible sweater. It's nice and the price is right. You've never heard of Lorenzo Bertolla, but those girls looked really stylish. They must know. So, you buy it. You never realize that those young women are employees of an advertising agency. They are actually paid to go from store to store, talking loudly about Lorenzo Bertolla clothes.
Every day we notice what people are wearing, driving and eating. If the person looks cool, the product seems cool, too. This is the secret of undercover marketing. Companies from Ford to Nike are starting to use it.
Undercover marketing is important because it reaches people that don't pay attention to traditional advertising. This is particularly true of the MTV generation----consumers between the age of 18 and 34. It is a golden group. They have a lot of money to spend, but they don't trust ads.
So advertising agencies hire young actors to “perform” in bars and other places where young adults go. Some people might call this practice deceptive(骗人的), but marketing executive Jonathan Ressler calls it creative. “Look at traditional advertising. Its effectiveness is decreasing. ”
However, one might ask what exactly is “real” about of young women pretending to be enthusiastic about a sweater? Advertising executives would say it's no less real than an ad. The difference is that you know an ad is trying to persuade you to buy something. You don' t know when a conversation you overhear is just a performance. The two attractive young women were talking so that they could ________.
| A．get the sweater at a lower price | B．be heard by people around |
| C．be admired by other shoppers | D．decide on buying the sweater |
Lorenzo Bertolla is __________.
| A．a very popular male singer | B．an advertising agency |
| C．a clothing company in Rome | D．the brand name of a sweater |
Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
| A．The two girls are in fact employed by the Lorenzo Bertolla Company. |
| B．The MTV generation tend to be more easily influenced by ads. |
| C．Traditional advertising is becoming less effective because it's too direct. |
| D．Undercover marketing will surely be banned soon by the government. |
Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
| A．Two Attractive Shoppers | B．Lorenzo Bertolla Sweaters |
| C．Ways of Advertising | D．Undercover Marketing |
Cooking food over a smoky fire is found everywhere in the world. It is often difficult to find wood for the fire. People who do not have wood must spend large amounts of money on cooking fuel. However, there is a much easier way to cook food using energy from the sun. Solar cookers, or ovens, have been used for centuries. A Swiss scientist made the first solar oven in 1767. Today, people are using solar cookers in many countries around the world. People use solar ovens to cook food and to heat drinking water to kill bacteria and other harmful organisms.
There are three kinds of solar ovens. The first is a box cooker. It is designed with a special wall that shines or reflects sunlight into the box. Heat gets trapped under a piece of glass or plastic covering the top of the cooker. A box oven is effective for slow cooking of large amounts of food.
The second kind of solar oven is a panel(嵌板式) cooker. It includes several flat walls, or panels, which directly reflect the sun’s light onto the food. The food is inside a separate container of plastic or glass that traps heat energy. People can build panel cookers quickly and with very few supplies. They do not cost much. In Kenya, for example, panel cookers are being manufactured for just two dollars.
The third kind of solar oven is a parabolic(抛物线的) cooker. It has rounded walls that aim sunlight directly into the bottom of the oven. Food cooks quickly in parabolic ovens. However, these cookers are hard to make. They must be re-aimed often to follow the sun. Parabolic cookers can also cause burns and eye injuries if they are not used correctly.
You can make solar ovens from boxes or heavy paper. They will not catch fire. Paper burns at 232 degrees Celsius. A solar cooker never gets that hot. Solar ovens cook food at low temperatures over long periods of time. This permits people to leave food to cook while they do other things.
To learn more about solar cooking, you can write to Solar Cookers International. The postal address is nineteen-nineteen Twenty-First Street, Sacramento, California, nine-five-eight-one-one, USA. Or you can visit the group’s Internet Web site. The address is www.solarcooking.org.How long is the first solar cookers invented?
| A．About 1767 years | B．More than 300 years |
| C．More than 250 years | D．Less than 250 years |
In which of the following column could we find the passage?
| A．Development Report | B．Agricultural Report |
| C．Health Report | D．Education Report |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．The first sun-cooker was made by a Swiss soldier |
| B．Parabolic cookers can be dangerous sometimes |
| C．Sun-cookers often get hotter than 232℃ |
| D．It is more expensive to cook with a sun-cooker than on fire |
Which of the following could be the best title of the passage?
| A．Different Ways of Cooking |
| B．The History of the Solar Cookers. |
| C．How to Choose Solar Cookers. |
| D．Cooking Meals with the Sun for Fuel |
Dear Friend,
The recent success of children's books has made the general public aware that there's a huge market out there.
And there's a growing need for new writers trained to create the $3 billion worth of children's books bought each year ... plus stories and articles needed by over 650 publishers of magazines for children and teenagers.
Who are these needed writers? They're ordinary folks like you and me.
But am I good enough?
I was once where you might be now. My thoughts of writing had been pushed down by self-doubt, and I didn't know where to turn for help.
Then, I accepted a free offer from the Institute to test my writing aptitude（潜能）,and it turned out to be the inspiration I needed.
The promise that paid off
The Institute made the same promise to me that they will make to you, if you show basic writing ability:
You will complete at least one manuscript（手稿） suitable to hand in to a publisher by the time you finish our course.
I really didn't expect any publication before I finished the course, but that happened. I sold three stories. And I soon discovered that was not unusual at the Institute.
Since graduation, I have authored 34 nationally published children's books and over 300 stories and articles.
Free test and brochure
We offer a free aptitude test and will send you a copy of our brochure describing our recognized home-study courses on the basis of one-on-one training.
Realize your writing dream today. There's nothing sadder than a dream delayed until it fades forever.
Sincerely,
Kristi
Kristi Holl, Instructor
Institute of Children's LiteratureFrom the first three paragraphs, we learn that_____.
| A．children’s books are usually bestsellers |
| B．there is a growing need for writers of children's |
| C．magazines for teenagers have drawn public attention |
| D．publishers are making $3 billion each year |
When finishing the course, you are promised to_____.
| A．be a successful publisher |
| B．become a confident editor |
| C．get one story or article published |
| D．finish one work for publication |
Kristi Holl mentions her experience mainly to_____.
| A．prove she is a good instructor |
| B．give her advice on course preparation |
| C．show she sold more stories than articles |
| D．promote the writing program |
Traditionally, across the world, boys and girls attend a mixed school, where they study together. But boys' schools are the perfect place to teach young men to express their emotions and involve them in activities such as art, dance and music.
Boys at single-sex schools were said to be more likely to get involved in cultural and artistic activities that helped develop their emotional expressiveness, rather than feeling they had to correspond to(和…相符) the "boy code" of hiding their emotions to be a "real man".
The findings of the study go against received wisdom that boys do better when taught alongside girls.
Tony Little, head master of Eton, warned that boys were being failed by the British education system because it had become too focused on girls. He criticized teachers for failing to recognize that boys are actually more emotional than girls.
The research argued that boys often perform badly in mixed schools because they become discouraged when girls do better earlier in speaking and reading skills.
But in single-sex schools teachers can tailor lessons to boys' learning style, letting them move around the classroom and getting them to compete in teams to prevent boredom, wrote the study's author, Abigail James, of the University of Virginia.
Teachers could encourage boys to enjoy reading and writing with "boy-focused" approaches such as themes and characters that appeal to them. Because boys generally have more acute vision, learn best through touch, and are physically more active, they need to be given "hands-on" lessons where they are allowed to walk around. "Boys in mixed schools view classical music as feminine（女性的） and prefer the modern genre （类型） in which violence and sexism are major themes," James wrote.
Single-sex education also made it less likely that boys would feel that they had to be "masterful and in charge" in relationships. "In mixed schools, boys feel forced to act like men before they understand themselves well enough to know what that means," the study reported.The author believes that a single-sex school would __________.
| A．force boys to hide their emotions to be "real men" |
| B．help boys to be more competitive in schools. |
| C．encourage boys to express their emotions more freely |
| D．naturally strengthen boys’ traditional image of a man |
It is commonly believed that in a mixed school boys __________.
| A．behave more responsibly. | B．grow up pore healthily. |
| C．perform relatively better. | D．receive a better education. |
According to Abigail James, one of the advantages of single-sex schools is __________.
| A．teaching can be tailored to suit the characteristics of boys |
| B．boys can focus on their lessons without being distracted |
| C．boys can choose to learn whatever they are interested in |
| D．teaching can be designed to promote boys' team spirit |
What does the underlined word “acute” in paragraph 8” mean?
| A．lovely | B．sharp |
| C．serious | D．dull |
Have you ever heard of a great Chilean poet? He was once referred to as the Picasso of poetry. Beloved by Chileans of all classes, he is one of the most widely read and respected poets in history. And this year is the 110th birthday of Pablo Neruda (1904-1973).
Born with the name Neftali Ricardo Reyes Basolto, he was a tall, shy and lonely boy. He loved to read and started to write poetry when he was ten. The American poet Walt Whitman, whose framed picture Neruda later kept on his table, became a major influence on his work.
However, his father did not like the idea of having a poet for a son and tried to discourage him from writing. To cover up the publication of his first poem, he took the pen name Pablo Neruda.
In 1924 Neruda gained fame with his most widely read work “Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair’’. Yet his rich experience as a diplomat and exile made him go beyond the theme of love. His work also reflected the political struggle of the left and development of South America. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971.
Neruda loved the sea which he saw as creative, destructive and forever moving. He found inspiration in the power and freedom of the waves and the seabirds on the coast. “I need the sea because it teaches me,” he wrote. “I move in the university of the waves.” He loved how the sea forever renewed itself, a renewal echoed (共鸣) in his work.The underlined word “Picasso” can probably be replaced by “________”.
| A．poem fan |
| B．most important person |
| C．famous person from Picasso |
| D．freedom fighter in Picasso |
Neftali Ricardo Reyes Basolto took the pen name Pablo Neruda because ________.
| A．he was greatly influenced by other poets |
| B．literary greats usually used the pen name |
| C．his father encouraged him to use the name |
| D．he wanted to prevent his father knowing the publication |
Which of the following is not the theme of his works?
| A．Social reform. | B．Love. |
| C．Political struggle. | D．Development of South America. |
The last paragraph mainly tells us ________.
| A．Neruda loved to write his poems near the sea |
| B．the sea gave Neruda vast writing inspiration |
| C．the beautiful scenery along the Chile coast |
| D．Neruda’s poems were widely read overseas |
Born in 1982 in Australia, Nick came into the world with neither arms nor legs. Through his childhood Nick dealt with the challenges of studies as well as sadness as he was questioned why he was different from all the other kids. But soon he realized that even with them, he was still unlike his classmates.
As Nick grew up he learnt to do more and more things on his own. He adapted to his situation and found ways to finish tasks that most people could only do by using their arms. As time went by Nick began to embrace his situation and achieve greater things. In grade seven Nick was elected captain of his school and worked on various fund-raising events for local charities.
After school Nick went on with further study and get a double bachelor degree(本科学位). By the age of 19 Nick started to fulfil his dream of being able to encourage other people through motivational（励志的）speaking and telling his story. Nick believes that there is a purpose in each of the struggles we meet in our lives and that our attitude towards those struggles can be the single most effective factor in overcoming them.
At 25 years old he moved to California, USA, where he is the president of an international organization.Since his first motivational speaking when he was 19, Nick has traveled around the world,sharing his story with millions of people..At the age of seven, Nick`s hope was that____________.
| A．he could get high marks |
| B．he was the same as other kids |
| C．he could become famous speaker |
| D．he was liked by his classmates |
.The underlined word”embrace” in the second paragraph means__________.
| A．refused | B．finished |
| C．received | D．accepted |
Nick`s story shows his belief that_________.
| A．attitude is everything |
| B．nothing is impossible |
| C．no pains ,no gains |
| D．good beginning is half done |
Which of the following shows the right order of Nick`s life experience?
| A．his first speaking---a captain of his school---his double bachelor degree---the president of an organization |
| B．his double bachelor degree--- his first speaking---a captain of his school---the president of an organization |
| C．a captain of his school--- his double bachelor degree ---his first speaking--- the president of an organization |
| D．the president of an organization---his first speaking---a captain of his school---his double bachelor degree |