A new hotel is set to open in a faraway village in northern Sweden，which intends to change the simple treehouse into a world—class hotel for travelers who enjoy special designs．
Treehotel，which lies in Harads about 60 km south of the Arctic Circle，will be made up of four rooms when it opens on July 17th：the Cabin，the Blue Cone，the Nest and the Mirrorcube．
Two more are due to open in O
ctober—the UFO and A Room With a View．
“Our goal in five years is to have 24 rooms from 24 different architects(建筑师)，”says Treehotel co-founder Kent Lindvall，who came up with the idea along with his wife Bfitta．
The first six rooms were designed by five different architects. The Mirrorcube which
stands four meters high and four meters wide has drawn widespread attention as it will be connected to a singletree．
‘‘It’s an interesting building．You cannot find anything like this in the world today．It’s really special，”says Lindvall，as he stands next to the room’s mirrored outer wall．
‘‘Everything will reflect(映照)in this—the trees，the birds，the clouds，the sun，everything．So it should be invisible nearly in the forest．’’
Lindvall says a special film will be put onto the glass which will be seen by birds。
‘‘This is untouched forest and—we want to leave it as it is．"says Selberg，another co-founder．
She adds．’’If we’re lucky we might see a bear．I think what’s exciting here is that we’re just 60 km below the Arctic Circle which means there’s a good possibility to have the northern lights in the winter and during the during the summer of course you have the midnight sun.”
The aim of Treehotel i
s “feel free in a tree” and the experience will cost up to 4,200 Swedish crowns ($555,50)for two guests in the Mirrorcube, which is designed to hold up to four guests.What do we know about Treehotel in Harads from the text?
| A．The hotel will provide six rooms in July. |
| B．It’s 60 km away from t11e Arctic Circle. |
| C．It is specially designed by one architect． |
| D．It was once all ordinary family treehouse． |
Why is the Mirrorcube kown by many people?
| A．It will be joined to one tree only. |
| B．It is in a distant village in Sweden． |
| C．It’s designed by a famous architect. |
| D．Its outer wall is covered with mirror. |
A special film will be used to
| A．take in light | B．protect birds | C．seize animals | D．keep off bears |
What is the text mainly about?
| A．A modem building． | B．A Swedish village． |
| C．A faraway village． | D．A special treehouse． |
The first and best of victories is for a man to conquer himself; to be conquered by himself is, of all things, the most shameful, says Plato. Self-control is at the root of all the advantages. Let a man give in to his impulses (冲动) and feelings, and from that moment he gives up his moral freedom.
A single angry word has lost many a friend. When Socrates found in himself any temper or anger, he would check it by speaking low in order to control himself. If you are conscious of being angry, keep your mouth shut so that you can hold back rising anger. Many a person has dropped dead in great anger. Fits of anger bring fits of disease. Whom the gods would destroy they first make mad. Keep cool, says George Herbert, for fierceness (狂怒) makes error a fault.
To be angry with a weak man is to prove that you are not strong yourself. Anger, says Pythagoras, brings with folly ( 愚蠢 ) and ends with regret. You must measure the strength of a man by the power of the feelings he conquers, not by the power of those which conquer him.
Self-control is man’s last greatest victory.
If a man lacks self-control he seems to lack everything. Without it he can have no patience, no power to govern himself; he can have no self-confidence, for he will always be controlled by his strongest feeling. If he lacks self-control, the very backbone and nerve of character are lacking also.What does the reader learn from the first paragraph?
| A．The greatest victory for a man is to conquer everything except himself. |
| B．One’s moral freedom is based on the control of himself. |
| C．To control oneself is the most difficult in one’s life. |
| D．If a person is too stubborn, he will feel most shameful. |
What is the correct interpretation of “Whom the gods would destroy they first make mad ” in paragraph 2 ?
| A．If the gods want to kill you, they make you crazy first. |
| B．If you always lose your temper, you will soon be finished. |
| C．If you cannot control yourself, you will become crazy. |
| D．If you are mad, you will be punished by the gods. |
If a man lacks self-control, he lacks all of the following EXCEPT _______.
| A．the very backbone and nerve of character |
| B．the patience and power to control himself |
| C．strong feelings |
| D．self-confidence |
The author’s main purpose in writing this article is to _______.
| A．explain that self-control is the key to success |
| B．teach people how to control everything in order to make a great success |
| C．distinguish all kinds of self-control and suggest ways for keeping it |
| D．advise people not to lose temper so as to make and keep more friends |
The passage is mainly developed by _____.
| A．analyzing causes | B．making comparisons |
| C．examining differences | D．listing quotations |
Can people change their skin color without suffering like pop king Michael Jackson? Perhaps yes. Scientists have found the gene that determines skin color.
The gene comes in two versions, one of which is found in 99 per cent of Europeans. The other is found in 93 to 100 per cent of Africans, researchers at Pennsylvania State University report in the latest issue of Science.
Scientists have changed the color of a dark-striped zebrafish（斑马鱼） to uniform gold by inserting a version of the pigment (色素) gene into a young fish. As with humans, zebrafish skin color is determined by pigment cells, which contain melanin (黑色素). The number, size and darkness of melanin per pigment cell determine skin color.
It appears that, like the golden zebrafish, light-skinned Europeans also have a mutation (变异) in the gene for melanin production. This results in less pigmented skin.
However, Keith Cheng, leader of the research team, points out that the mutation is different in human and zebrafish genes.
Humans acquired dark skin in Africa about 1.5 million years ago to protect bodies from ultra-violet rays of the sun (太阳光紫外线), which can cause skin cancer.
But when modern humans leave Africa to live in northern latitudes, they need more sunlight on their skin to produce vitamin D. So the related gene changes, according to Cheng.
Asians have the same version of the gene as Africans, so they probably acquired their light skin through the action of some other gene that affects skin color, said Cheng.
The new discovery could lead to medical treatments for skin cancer. It also could lead to research into ways to change skin color without damaging it like chemical treatment did on Michael Jackson. The passage mainly tells us that ________.
| A．people can not change their skin color without any pain |
| B．the new discovery could lead to research into ways to change skin color safely |
| C．pop king Michael Jackson often changed his skin color as he liked |
| D．scientists have found out that people’s skin color is determined by the gene |
It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
| A．nowadays people who want to change their skin color have to suffer a lot from the damage caused by the chemical treatment |
| B．Europeans and Africans have the same gene |
| C．the new discovery could help to find medical treatments for skin cancer |
| D．there are two kinds of genes |
Scientists have done an experiment on a dark-striped zebrafish in order to ________.
| A．find the different genes of humans’ |
| B．prove the humans’ skin color is determined by the pigment gene |
| C．find out the reason why the Africans’ skin color is dark |
| D．find out the ways of changing people’s skin color |
The reason why Europeans are light-skinned is probably that _____
| A．they are born light-skinned people |
| B．light-skinned Europeans have mutation in the gene for melanin production |
| C．they have fewer activities outside |
| D．they pay much attention to protecting their skin |
The writer’s attitude towards the discovery is ________.
| A．neutral（中立的） | B．negative | C．positive | D．indifferent（冷漠） |
Many years ago my student asked me the question, "Mrs. Kindred, why do you teach?" Without taking time to reflect, I answered, "Because someday I might say something that might make a difference in someone’s life." Even though I was sincere, that wasn’t a very good answer and my student didn’t let it slide.
"Let me get this straight," he said, "You went to college for four years so you could come here every day because you have the hope that someday you might say something that will influence someone?" He shook his head as if I were crazy and walked away looking confused. I’m one of those people who look back and wish they had said something smart or witty, or swift.
Even though that particular student might no longer wonder why I teach, there are days when I wonder. On those days, I remind myself of the real reasons I teach:
It’s in my blood. My mother was my most influential teacher, and she was a 6th grade reading teacher until her death in 1990. She instilled (逐渐灌输) in me a love of reading and the knowledge that education opens doors.
Teaching is a way to make a difference. If you throw a stone in a pond the ripples go on and on until they reach the shore. You can’t have ripples without a "stone." Good teachers throw stones that make a positive difference, and that’s what I try to do.
I genuinely love teenagers. I want to share with others what I know and what I have learned through the years. Life is full of ups and downs, and if I can help students avoid some potholes on the road of life, I want to do so. If they’ll allow me to celebrate their victories with them, I want to do too.
Teaching isn’t for everyone, but I know I made the right career choice.Why did the student continue to ask the question about the writer’s being a teacher?
| A．Because he thought her answer was unbelievable. |
| B．Because the writer was insincere. |
| C．Because the student was naughty. |
| D．Because the answer was difficult to understand. |
What do you think of the writer?
| A．Stupid. | B．Honest. | C．Conservative （保守的）. | D．Polite. |
According to the text, which of the following is NOT true?
| A．The writer’s mother has the greatest influence on her. |
| B．The writer’s answer made the student confused. |
| C．In the writer’s opinion, some people in the world are unfit to teach. |
| D．The writer annoyed the student who asked the question. |
We can infer from the text that _________.
| A．the writer was also a good teacher in school |
| B．the writer often plays with her students beside a pond |
| C．the writer devotes herself to teaching and her students |
| D．the writer often accompanies the students on their way home |
What’s the main idea of the text?
| A．A student’s silly question. | B．A good teacher who likes students. |
| C．A confused student. | D．The reason why I teach. |
Why does a large education nation like China have so few world renowned scientists as the US? Educationists from China and the US try to find out the answer to questions like this at a forum on the basic education strategy.
The forum, held recently, was jointly organized by the Education Development Research Center of the Ministry of Education in China and the Postgraduate School of the University of Pennsylvania in the US. It aims to find out similarities and differences that exist between two countries in their educational system.
While some educationists in China keep a doubtful eye to the country’s educational system in recent years. Their American counterparts give a positive answer to the basic education in China, saying that it is still one of the best in the world.
An American educationist told reporters that the basic education in the US was criticized in recent years due to its political tendency. On the contrary, Chinese government’s stress on basic education and qualified teachers has set a good example.
At primary and middle school, pupils in China did better in math and science lessons than the US pupils. However, few grow to be world “masters”. Why? Educationists attributed this to China’s stress on examination rather than students’ interest.
Deputy Director of the postgraduate school of Pennsylvania University said American teachers encouraged students to focus on their strong points. In China, students are driven to study to pass the entrance examination test and they do not pay much attention to their own interest.
At the forum, director of the Education Development Research Center Mr. Zhang said in the future, the research center would make its middle and long-term basic education strategy by taking some references from other countries including the US.
He also revealed that for a long time in the future, China would make a breakthrough in setting the policy for quality education.This passage is mainly about _________.
| A．quality education development in the future |
| B．why China’s education cultivates few world masters |
| C．China’s good basic education |
| D．genius education at the primary stage |
The underlined word “renowned” in the first paragraph probably means ________
| A．famous | B．active | C．qualified | D．experienced |
The following statements are true EXCEPT that _________
| A．basic education in the US is associated with the government’s political interest. |
| B．the forum aims to find out the reason why there few world masters in China. |
| C．all the educationists in China cast doubts in the country’s educational system. |
| D．Chinese government’s stress on basic education is spoken highly of. |
Few pupils in China who did better in math and science lessons than the US pupils grow to be world “masters”, because _________
| A．The US government spends more money on basic education |
| B．American pupils are cleverer than Chinese pupils |
| C．basic education in China is not as successful as that of the US |
| D．Chinese people pay less attention to students’ interest |
China’s educational system will _______ in the future.
| A．help students to study even harder to pass the examination |
| B．apply more attention to quality education referring to systems of other countries |
| C．allow students to pay more attention to their own interest without their test results |
| D．copy the educational system in the US |
We’re all connected. You can send an e-mail message to a friend, and your friend can pass it on to one of his or her friends, and that friend can do the same, continuing the chain. Eventually, your message could reach just about anyone in the world, and it might take only five to seven e-mails for the message to get there.
Scientists recently tested that idea in a study involving 24,000 people. Participants had to try to get a message forwarded to one of 18 randomly(随意地，随机地) chosen people. Each participant started by sending one e-mail to someone they knew. Those who received it could then forward the e-mail once to someone they knew, and so on.
Subjects, who were randomly assigned by researchers from Columbia University in New York, lived in 13 countries. They included an Australian police officer, a Norwegian veterinarian, and a college professor.
Out of 24,000 chains, only 384 reached their goal. The rest petered out, usually because one of the recipients was either too busy to forward the message or thought it was junk mail.
The links that reached their goal made it in an average of 4.05 e-mails. Based on the lengths of the failed chains, the researchers figured out that two strangers could generally make contact in five to seven e-mails.
The most successful chains relied on casual acquaintances rather than close friends. That’s because your close friends know each other while your acquaintances tend to know people you don’t know. The phenomenon, known as the strength of weak ties, explains why people tend to get jobs through people they know casually but aren’t that close to.
So, start networking and instant messaging now. As they say in show business: It’s all about who you know. If you want to get into touch with a stranger in the world, how many e-mails might it take for the message to reach him/her?
| A．5 to 7 | B．18 | C．13 | D．384 |
Who does the word “subjects” refer to in the passage?
| A．the 384 participants who lived in Australuia |
| B．the Norwegian veterinarians and college porfessors |
| C．the 24,000 people randomly assigned by reaearchers |
| D．the 18 people randomly chosen from 13 countries |
What does the phrase “peter out” mean in the fourth paragraph？
| A．die out | B．pass away | C．disappear | D．pick out |
Why do people tend to get jobs more easily through casual acquaintances than close friends?
| A．Because close friends don’t talk with each other so much. |
| B．Because casual acquaintances can help you know more people and make more friends. |
| C．Because close friends don’t spend so much time gathering together. |
| D．Because casual acquaintances are kinder and more willing to help others. |
In which part of a newspaper will readers read this passage?
| A．Culture | B．Entertainment | C．Information and Technology | D．Health |