To hitch-hike successfully in any country you must be able to do two things: attract attention and at the same time convince the driver at a glance that you do not intend to rob or murder him.To fulfill the first requirement you must have some mark to distinguish you at once from all other hikers.A serviceman, for instance, should wear his uniform, a student his scarf.In a foreign country an unmistakable indication of your own nationality will also arrest a driver’s attention.
When I hitch-hiked 9,500 miles across the United States and back recently I wore a well-tailored suit, a bowler hat and a trench coat, and carried a pencil-thin rolled black umbrella.My suitcase was decorated with British flags.Having plenty of luggage, moreover, I was not likely to be suspected of being a dangerous lunatic(精神病患者).I then had to get across to the driver the idea that I was a real traveler, and needed to get somewhere cheaply.
But even with careful preparation, you must not assume(认为) that the task will be easy.You should be prepared to wait a little, for there are drivers who confess to(承认) a fierce prejudice against, (not to say hatred of), hitch-hikers, and would no more pick up a hiker than march from Aldermaston to London.In America, my average wait was half-an-hour, and my longest two hours, but I have heard of people waiting all day; they probably took less pains to make themselves easy to notice.
Nor must you assume that all the drivers who stop for you are nice, normal people.On one occasion I found myself driving with two boys of about nineteen who turned out to be on the run from the police, and were hoping to use me as an alibi.There are also lesser(较小的) risks: you may find yourself in the car of a Fascist fanatic, a Mormon missionary(传教士), or just a bad driver.You cannot tell, of course until you are in the car.But you soon learn the art of the quick excuse that gets you out again.
If the hitch-hiker in the U.S.will remember that he is seeking the willingness of drivers to give him a free ride, and is prepared to give in exchange entertainment and company, and not go to sleep, he will come across the remarkable, almost legendary, hospitality of American of the West.It will also help if he can drive—I think that I drove myself about 4,500 of those 9,500 miles I hitch-hiked in the States.
71.A hitch-hiking serviceman should wear his uniform .
A.so as not to look too unusual B.to attract attention
C.to show he is on duty D.to put the driver at ease
72.In paragraph 3, we learn that the writer .
A.has sometimes failed to hitch a ride
B.has marched from Aldermaston to London
C.has always been successful in hitching a ride
D.has had to wait for long hours for a ridew
73.The main idea of Paragraph 4 is that .
A.it is dangerous to be in a car with strangers
B.hitch-hiking may turn out to be risky sometimes
C.a hitch-hiker must also learn the art of quick excuse
D.hitch-hikers might come across bad drivers
74.In the last paragraph, the writer mainly wants to tell us that a hitchhiker should .
A.not talk to the driver too much
B.fall asleep to make it a peaceful ride
C.try to make himself pleasant and entertaining
D.seek the willingness of drivers
75.A suitable title for the passage would be .
A.“The Art of Hitch-hiking” B.“An Englishman’s View of the U.S.”
C.“An English Hitch-hiker” D.“The joys and Dangers of hitch-hiking
A recent study of ancient and modern elephants has come up with the unexpected conclusion that the African elephant is divided into two distinct (不同的) species
The discovery was made by researchers at York and Harvard universities when they were examining the genetic relationship between the ancient woolly mammoth and mastodon to modern elephants—the Asian elephant, African forest elephant and African savanna elephant
Once they obtained DNA sequences (序列) from two fossils (化石),mammoths and mastodons the team compared them with DNA from modern elephants. They found to their amazement that modern forest and savanna elephants are as distinct from each other as Asian elephants and mammoths.
The scientists used detailed genetic analysis to prove that the African savanna elephants and the African forest elephants have been distinct species for several million years. The divergence of the two species took place around the time of the divergence of Asian elephants and woolly mammoths. This result amazed all the scientists.
There has long been debate in the scientific community that the two might be separate species but this is the most convincing scientific evidence so far that they are indeed different species.
Previously, many naturalists believed that African savanna elephants and African forest elephants were two populations of the same species despite the elephants’ significant size differences. The savanna elephant has an average shoulder height of 3.5metres while the forest elephant has an average shoulder height of 2.5metres. The savanna elephant weighs between six and seven tons, roughly double the weight of the forest elephant. But the fact that they look so different does not necessarily mean they are different species. However, the proof lay in the analysis of the DNA.
Alfred Roca, assistant professor in the department of Animal Sciences at the University of Minois, said, “We now have to treat the forest and savanna elephants as two different units for conservation purpose. Since 1950 all African elephants have been conserved as one species. Now that we know the forest and savanna elephants are two very distinct animals, the forest elephant should become a bigger priority (优先)for conservation purpose .” One of the fossils studied by the researchers is that of ________.
A.the Asian elephant |
B.the forest elephant |
C.the savanna elephant |
D.the mastodon elephant |
The underlined word “divergence” in paragraph 4means “________”
A.evolution |
B.exhibition |
C.separation |
D.examination |
The researcher’s conclusion was based on a study of the African elephant’s ____________
A.DNA |
B.height |
C.weight |
D.population |
What were Alfred Roca’s words mainly about?
A.The conversation of African elephants. |
B.The purpose of studying African elephants |
C.The way to divide African elephants into two units |
D.The reason for the distinction of African elephants |
Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
A.Naturalist’s Belief about Elephants. |
B.Amazing Experiment about Elephants |
C.An Unexpected Finding about Elephants |
D.A Long scientific Debate about Elephants |
Ireland has had a very difficult history. The problems started in the 16th century when English rulers tried to conquer(征服) Ireland. For hundreds of years, the Irish people fought against the English. Finally, in 1921, the British government was forced to give independence to the south of Ireland. The result is that today there are two “Irelands”. Northern Ireland, in the north, is part of the united kingdom. The Republic of Ireland, in the south, is an independent country.
In the 1840s the main crop, potatoes, was affected by disease and about 750,000 people died of hunger. This, and a shortage (短缺) of work , forced many people to leave Ireland and live in the USA, the UK, Australia and Canada. As a result of these problems, the population fell from 8.2 million in 1841 to 6.6 million in 1851.
For many years, the majority of Irish people earned their living as farmers. Today, many people still work on the land but more and more people are moving to the cities to work in factories and offices. Life in the cities is very different from life in the countryside, where things move at a quieter and slower pace.
The Irish are famous for being warm-hearted and friendly. Oscar Wilde, a famous Irish writer, once said that the Irish were “the greatest talkers since the Greeks”. Since independence, Ireland has revived(复兴) its own culture of music, language, literature and singing. Different areas have different styles of old Irish song which are sung without instruments. Other kinds of Irish music use many different instruments such as the violin, whistles, etc. What does the author tell us in paragraph 1?
A.How the Irish fought against the English. |
B.How Ireland gained independence. |
C.How English rulers tried to conquer Ireland. |
D.How two “Irelands” came into being. |
We learn from the text that in Ireland .
A.food shortages in the 1840s led to a decline in population |
B.people are moving to the cities for lack of work in the countryside |
C.it is harder to make a living as a farmer than as a factory worker |
D.different kinds of old Irish songs are all sung with instruments |
The last paragraph is mainly about.
A.the Irish character |
B.Irish culture |
C.Irish musical instruments |
D.a famous Irish writer |
What can be the best title for the text?
A.Life in Ireland |
B.A Very Difficult History |
C.Ireland, Past and Present |
D.The Independence of Ireland |
Facial expressions carry meaning that is determined by situations and relationships. For example, in American culture (文化) the smile is in general an expression of pleasure. Yet it also has other uses. A woman's smile at a police officer does not carry the same meaning as the smile she gives to a young child. A smile may show love or politeness. It can also hide true feelings. It often causes confusion(困惑) across cultures. For example, many people in Russia consider smiling at strangers in public to be unusual and even improper. Yet many Americans smile freely at strangers in public places(although this is less common in big cities). Some Russians believe that Americans smile in the wrong places; some Americans believe that Russians don't smile enough. In Southeast Asian cultures, a smile is frequently used to cover painful feelings. Vietnamese people may tell a sad story but end the story with a smile.
Our faces show emotions(情感), but we should not attempt to “read” people from another culture as we would “read” someone from our own culture. The fact that members of one culture do not express their emotions as openly as do members of another does not mean that they do not experience emotions. Rather, there are cultural differences in the amount of facial expressiveness permitted. For example, in public and in formal situations many Japanese do not show their emotions as freely as Americans do. When with friends, Japanese and Americans seem to show their emotions similarly.
It is difficult to generalize about Americans and facial expressiveness because of personal and cultural differences in the United States. People from certain cultural backgrounds in the United States seem to be more facially expressive than others. The key is to try not to judge people whose ways of showing emotion are different. If we judge according to our own cultural habits, we may make the mistake of “reading” the other person incorrectly.What does the smile usually mean in the U.S.?
A.Love. |
B.Politeness. |
C.Joy. |
D.Thankfulness. |
The author mentions the smile of the Vietnamese to prove that a smile can ________.
A.show friendliness to strangers |
B.be used to hide true feelings |
C.be used in the wrong places |
D.show personal habits |
What should we do before attempting to “read” people?
A.Learn about their relations with others. |
B.Understand their cultural backgrounds. |
C.Find out about their past experience. |
D.Figure out what they will do next. |
What would be the best title for the text?
A.Cultural Differences |
B.Smiles and Relationships |
C.Facial Expressiveness |
D.Habits and Emotions |
You may think that sailing is a difficult sport, but it is really not hard to learn it. You do not need to be strong. But you need to be quick. And you need to understand a few basic rules about the wind.
First, you must ask yourself,“Where is the wind coming from? Is it coming from ahead or behind or from the side?”You must think about this all the time on the boat. The wind direction tells you what to do with the sail.
Let's start with the wind blowing from behind. This means the wind and the boat are going in the same direction. Then you must always keep the sail outside the boat. It should be at a 90°angle(角度)to the boat. Then it will catch the wind best.
If the wind is blowing from the side, it is blowing across the boat. In this case, you must keep the sail half way outside the boat. It should be at a 45°angle to the boat.Itneeds to be out far enough to catch the wind, but it shouldn't flap(摆动).It shouldn't look like a flag on a flagpole. If it is flapping, it is probably out too far, and the boat will slow down.
Sailing into the wind is not possible. If you try, the sail will flap and the boat will stop. You may want to go in that direction. It is possible, but you can't go in a straight line. You must go first in one direction and then in another. This is called tacking.When you are tacking, you must always keep the sail inside the boat.What should you consider first while sailing?
A.Sailors' strength. |
B.Wave levels. |
C.Wind directions. |
D.Size of sails. |
What does the word “It” underlined in Paragraph 4 refer to?
A.The boat. |
B.The wind. |
C.The sail. |
D.The angle. |
What do you have to do when sailing against the wind?
A.Move in a straight line. |
B.Allow the sail to flap. |
C.Lower the sail. |
D.Tack the boat. |
Where can you probably find the text?
A.In a popular magazine. |
B.In a tourist guidebook. |
C.In a physics textbook. |
D.In an official report. |
Cold weather can be hard on pets, just like it can be hard on people. Sometimes owners forget that their pets are just as used to the warm shelter(住所) as they are. Some owners will leave their animals outside for a long period of time, thinking that all animals are used to living outdoors. This can put their pets in danger of serious illness. There are things you can do to keep your animal warm and safe.
Keep your pets inside as much as you can when the weather is bad. If you have to take them out, stay outside with them. When you're cold enough to go inside, they probably are too. If you must leave them outside for a long time, make sure they have a warm, solid shelter against the wind, thick bedding, and plenty of nonfrozen water.
If left alone outside, dogs and cats can be very smart in their search for warm shelter. They can dig into snow banks or hide somewhere. Watch them closely when they are left outdoors, and provide them with shelter of good quality. Keep an eye onyour pet's water. Sometimes owners don't realize that a water bowl has frozen and their pet can't get anything to drink. Animals that don't have clean and unfrozen water may drink dirty water outside, which may contain something unhealthy for them.What do we learn about pets from Paragraph1?
A.They are often forgotten by their owners. |
B.They are used to living outdoors. |
C.They build their own shelters. |
D.They like to stay in warm places. |
Why are pet owners asked to stay with their pets when they are out in cold weather?
A.To know when to bring them inside. |
B.To keep them from eating bad food. |
C.To help them find shelters. |
D.To keep them company. |
If pets are left on their own outdoors in cold weather, they may ________.
A.run short of clean water |
B.dig deep holes for fun |
C.dirty the snow nearby |
D.get lost in the wild |
What is the purpose of this text?
A.To solve a problem. |
B.To give practical advice. |
C.To tell an interesting story. |
D.To present a research result. |