In many societies, there is often greater acceptance of light skin than dark skin. Light skin may be seen as a mark of beauty, intelligence and success. These beliefs can lead to social pressure even within the same racial or ethnic group, if some members are darker skinned than others.
The result is that skin lightening has become a common activity across Africa, Asia and other areas of the world. More and more people with dark skin are using skin-lightening products, even if they may face health risks.
They believe that having whiter skin will improve their lives. Many people think they will have a better chance of getting a job or marrying into a better family. Or they want to look like what their society generally considers beautiful.
Some beauty care products and soaps contain chemicals that make skin lighter. This process is also called bleaching. But some of the chemicals are extremely dangerous. One of the chemicals has been linked to kidney (肾) damage and some kinds of cancer. It also causes low birth weight in babies when mothers use it during pregnancy.
At first, bleaching products make the skin color lighter. But after long-term use they can cause problems. They can even make some skin darker. The chemicals in the products block and break down the natural process that gives color to skin. The skin loses its natural barrier to protec
t against sunlight. Then the skin can become thick and discolored. Usually the person will use more of the product in an effort to correct the problem, but this only makes it worse.
Fatimata Ly treats skin cond
itions in the Senegalese capital，Dakar. Doctor Ly says skin bleaching has become a problem throughout Senegal. She says the chemicals are now more dangerous because they are stronger. Some cases have resulted in blackened fingernails, infections and permanent skin damage.
And these are not the only risks. Experts say some people who change their skin color suffer emotional da
mage. They feel regret and sadness. They feel that instead of risking their health, they should have learned to love and accept their skin color as it was. Which of the following words can replac
e the underlined word “bleaching”?
| A．whitening | B．changing | C．lighting | D．pleasing |
Why has the skin lightening become a common activity all over the world?
| A．There are many products that can make the dark skin light. |
| B．Many people with dark skin have no confidence. |
| C．Relatively speaking, light skin has more advantages over dark skin. |
| D．People with dark skin are forced by the pressure of their families. |
According to the text the following are the risks using the bleaching products EXCEPT________.
| A．blackened fingernails | B．permanent skin damage |
| C．emotional damage | D．a waste of time and money |
From the text we can conclude the writer’s attitude toward using the bleaching products is probably ________.
| A．supportive | B．positive | C．doubtful | D．negative |
Astronomers (天文学家) say they are on the point of finding planets like Earth orbiting other stars, which is a key step in determining if we are alone in the universe.
A top NASA official and other leading scientists say that within four or five years they should discover the first Earth-like planet where life could develop, or may have already. A planet close to the size of Earth could even be found sometime this year.
At the annual American Astronomical Society conference this week, each discovery involving so-called “exoplanets” —those outside our solar system —pointed to the same conclusion：Quiet planets like Earth where life could develop probably are plentiful.
NASA’s Dew Kepler telescope and a lot of new research from the suddenly hot and competitive exoplanet field caused noticeable buzz at the meeting．Scientists are talking abou
t being at “an incredible special place in history” and closer to answering the question. “Are we alone? For the first time, there’s an optimism that sometime in our lifetimes we’re going to get to the bottom of that,” said Simon Worden，an astronomer who heads NASA’s Ames Research Center. “If I were a betting man, which I am, I would bet we’re not alone.”
“These are big questions that reflect upon the meaning of the human race in the universe,” the director of the Vatican Observatory, the Rev. Jose Funes, said Wednesday in an interview at this week’s conference.
Worden told The Associated Press: “I would certainly expect in the next four or five years we’d have an Earth-sized planet in the habitable (可居住的) zone.”
What is very important in determining if we are alone in the unive
rse?
A. Finding an Earth-like planet. B. Orbiting other stars.
C. Developing new telescopes. D. Finding more exoplanets.
What’s an exoplanet?
A. It’s a planet like Earth. B. It’s a planet outside our solar system.
C. It’s a planet orbiting the sun. D. It’s a planet where life have developed.
The underlined phrase “get to the bottom of” probably means “__________”.
A. understand fully B. make full use of
C. search for D. do more research on
From the passage we can learn that __________.
A. an Earth-like planet has been f
ound
B. it’s been proved we are not alone in the universe
C. Jose Funes has found the meaning of the human race in the universe
D. the discovery of an Earth-like planet could happen in the near future
Two teaching staff stood in court last week, in different parts of Britain, each charged with assault (人身侵犯) after attempting to remove a troublemaking student from the classroom. In both cases the men had been suspended(使暂时停职) from their schools and each had spent almost a year waiting for their cases to come to court. One man, Mark Ellwood, was cleared. The other was found guilty. Both cases show the almost impossible position teachers are now in as they try to keep order in schools. They have the responsibility for what goes on in classrooms, but it’s naughty pupils who have the power.
Ellwood was the comparatively lucky one. He was brought in to work with children with behav
ioral difficulties. When he asked a boy to take off his jacket and put away his phone, the pupil threatened to stab（刺） him. Ellwood removed the boy from the clas
s, and when the boy started kicking him, Ellwood swept his feet from under him and lowered him to the ground. Weeks later he was charged with assault. Social services decided that the charge made him a potential risk to any child, so he was ordered to leave his wife and teenage daughters and move out of his home. The judges told him that they hoped he would now forget his nightmare and restart his life.
Sixty-two-year-old Michael Becker is the man who lost his case and will now lose his job. He taught in a special school. On the day of the incident, they were making pinhole cameras when the 15-year-old pupil arrived late. He refused to sit down, and instead walked around the classroom, telling jokes. He ignored several requests to start work and refused to leave the classroom when asked. Eventually Becker seized the boy by his belt and sweatshirt and removed him to a nearby storeroom, with the boy falling down as he struggled to break away. A teaching assistant, sent to check on him a few minutes later, found him sitting in the corridor, clearly unharmed. Becker considered the incident over, but the next day he was suspended as the subject of a police investigation.
Why did two British t
eachers stand in court?
A. Because they were charged with assault on their students.
B. Because they removed a troublemaking student from a classroom.
C. Because they were suspended from their schools.
D. Because they tried to keep order in schools.
According to the passage Ellwood __________.
A. was found guilty and lost his job B. was too strict with his students
C. often punished his students D. was lucky not to lose the case
When the incident happened, Michael Becker __________.
A. lost his case and will lose his job
B. was teaching his students to make pinhole cameras
C. ignored several requests to start work
D. was suspended as the subject of a police investigation
From the two cases we can learn in Britain __________.
A. removing students from the classroom is not allowed
B. teachers have no power to keep order in schools
C. students can do whatever they like in the classroom
D. it’s very difficult to be a teacher
Once there was an 11-year-old boy who went fishing with his father in the middle of a New Hampshire lake. On the day before bass (巴斯鱼) season opened, they were fishing early in the evening, catching other fish with worms. Then the boy tied on a small silver lure (鱼饵) and put it into the lake. Suddenly he felt that something very big pulling on the lure. His father watched with admiration as the boy skillfully brought the fish beside the bank. Finally he lifted the tired fish from the water. It was the largest one he had ever seen, but it was a bass.
The boy and his father looked at the big fish. The father lit a match and looked at his watch. It was 10 pm – two hours before the season opened. He looked at the fish, then at the boy. “You’ll have to put it back, son,” he said.
“Dad!” cried the boy, “There will be other fish,” said his father. “Not as big as this one,” cried the boy. He looked around the lake. No other fishermen or boats were in sight in the moonlight. He looked again at his father.
Even though no one had seen them, nor could anyone ever know what time he had caught the fish, the boy could tell from his father’s voice that the decision couldn’t be changed. He threw the huge bass into the black water. The big fish disappeared. The boy thought that he would never again see such a big fish.
That was 34 years ago. Today the boy is successful architect in New York City. He often takes his own son and daughters to fish at the same place.
And he was right. He has never again caught such a large fish as the one he got that night long ago. But he does see that same fish … again and again … every time he has an ethical (伦理的，道德的) decision to make. For, as his father had taught him, ethics are simple matters of right and wrong. It is only the practice of ethics that is difficult.
What happened when the big fish turned out to be a bass?
A. The boy and his father discussed what to do with the big fish.
B. The boy threw the bass back into the water willingly.
C. The father lit a match in order to check the time.
D. They worried other fishermen may discover what they had done.
From the text we know that the father _________.
A. didn’t love his son B. always disagreed with his son
C. disliked the huge fish D. was firm and stubborn
The successful architect went fishing with his children at the same place because _________.
A. they might catch a big fish there B. he was taught a moral lesson there
C. it was a most popular fishing spot D. their children enjoyed fishing there
What does the story imply?
A. It is easy to say something, but difficult to do.
B. An ethical decision is always easy to make.
C. It’s hard to tell right from wrong sometimes
D. Fishing can help one to make right decisions.
It is important that you make a good impression at work. If you make a good impression on your boss, he or she is more likely to give you more responsibilities which can lead to promotions (晋级) and raises. Here are some ways to make a good impression at work.
Use Proper Office Etiquette (礼仪)
Using pr
oper manners will help you make a good impression on your boss and also your co-workers. Office etiquette includes everything from the proper way to e-
mails to knowing when, where, and how to use your cell phone at work.
Face up to Your Mistakes
When you make a mistake at work, which everyone inevitably (不可避免地) does at some points, face up to it. Don’t ignore your error or place the blame on others. Take responsibility and come up with a solution to fix your mistake. Your boss may not be too happy about it, but she will at least be impressed with your response.
Know to Call in Sick
Do you think coming to work when you are sick instead of staying at home will impress your boss? Reasonable bosses know that a sick employee not only is unproductive but also he or she can spread an illness around the office. Call in sick when you are ill.
Come Through in a Crisis
When the unexpected happens at work, who will make a better impression on the boss? Of course it’s the employee who deals with the crisis quickly and effectively.
What would be the best title for the passage?
A. How to Use Good Etiquette
B. How to Deal with Mistakes at Work
C. How to Be a Good Worker in the Future
D. How to Make a Good Impression at Work
What should you do if you make a mistake at work?
A. Try to ignore the mistake.
B. Put the blame on others.
C. Think out a solution to your mistake.
D. Leave the company as soon as possible.
According to the writer, when you are ill you’d better _________.
A. go to work on time as usual
B. stay at home without telling others
C. go on working but stay away from others
D. stop working and ask for a leave
Who will make good impressions on the boss?
A. Employees who deal with the crisis quickly and effectively.
B. Employees who often make mistakes.
C. Employees who go to work though they are ill.
D. Employees who often use their cell phones at work.
It is often said that politeness costs nothing. In fact, it seems that a little more courtesy could save businesses ￡5 billion every year.
Frequently hearing the phrase “thank you” or “well done” means the same to staff as a modest pay rise, researchers say. Praise and encouragement also makes employees more likely to work hard and stay in their jobs, saving on the cost of finding replacements.
A third of 1,000 workers surveyed by the famous firm White Water Strategies said they did not get thanked at all when they did well——and a further third said they were not thanked enough, meaning they were less likely to put themselves into work and were more likely to look for employment elsewhere.
The final result is around ￡5.2 billion in lost productivity from employees who would raise their interests in work if they felt more appreciated, White Water claimed. According to the company, praising staff has the same motivational kick as a 1 per cent pay rise – and works out much cheaper for bosses.
Three out of four employees said that regular acknowledgement(认可) by their bosses was important to them, but only a quarter said they were actually given as much praise as they felt they needed. The survey found that those blue-collar and manual(体力的)workers were less likely to be given any recognition for doing well.
In regional terms, Scottish staff felt most undervalued. Four out of ten workers said they were never thanked and eight out of ten said they would like more praise. However, workers in the North-East are less impressed by being praised by the boss, as only 69 per cent said they felt the need to be told “well done” regularly. Older employees and women need the most praise, according to psychologist Averill Lemmon. The underlined word “courtesy” (in Paragraph1) probably means “”.
| A．politeness | B．authority | C．pay rise | D．replacement |
The survey done by White Water Strategies shows that .
| A．giving workers a pay rise can’t make them work hard |
| B．most workers not praised have no interest in their work |
| C．workers who got few praise are more likely to change their jobs |
| D．sometimes politeness and encouragement cost nothing |
Which of the following statements agrees with the passage?
| A．Scottish bosses don’t like praising their workers very much. |
| B．Older workers and women need more pay rise. |
| C．Most workers don’t need any praise. |
| D．Blue collar workers get more praise. |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Politeness is very important in our daily life |
| B．The words “well done” are useful as a pay rise |
| C．Several ways to make workers work hard |
| D．Workers and their bosses |