A round of applause, please, for the Indian man who recently sang for 80 hours straight, setting a new Guinness world record. It’s an impressive feat, to be sure, but let’s just hope he still has a voice. According to Indian newspapers, Rajesh Burbure has been told to keep silent for several days so his vocal cords (声带) can heal.
It was reported that Burbure and his family are in a celebratory mood. “It’s a proud moment for all of us,” his wife told DNAIndia.com.
I, on the other hand, am unable to share their ent
husiasm. Don’t get me wrong: I hope the 35-year-old Burbure lives forever, sells a million records and becomes an international celebrity. But his record–singing for 80 hours straight–is about as meaningful as most of the other curious but crazy feats listed in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Granted , I’m not qualified to speak on the subject. I’ve got no world records to my name– and I never expect to have any. Then again, maybe I am qualified to speak for those of us who have better things to do than train for years to sing an 80-hour medley (混合曲) of pop songs.
But let’s not just pick on poor Burbure. He’s not the only person chasing meaningless accolades. The Guinness Book of World Records is full of the names of people who at one time grew the longest hair, or built the biggest bicycle, or baked the largest cheesecake.
To all of these enterprising (有进取心的) souls I ask, simply, “What was it all for?”
Congratulations! For all of your painstaking effort, you becam
e a footnote in a thick book that no one reads, except for you and the person who will eventually surpass you–with one more hour of singing, a few more centimeters of steel or a few more pounds of cheese.
After all, records are made to be broken.From the text, we can learn that the author .
A．has no Guinness records, so he admires Burbures’ fea t |
| B．feels it is a pity he was not invited to share the happiness with the Burbures |
| C．thinks singing for 80 hours straight is completely meaningless |
| D．is quite worried about Burbure’s vocal cords |
Before someone wins a Guinness record, he or she has to .
| A．become an international celebrity |
| B．know all about Guinness record |
| C．practice a great deal |
| D．bear great stress for fear of injury |
We can infer from the article that .
| A．after the 80 hours of singing, Burbure could no longer speak |
| B．Burbure’ wife didn’t support his attempt to make a Guinness record |
| C．many have criticized Burbure for his stupid behavior |
| D．challenging a Guinness record may be harmful to the health |
The author’s attitude to the Guinness world records mentioned in the passage is .
| A．positive | B．impressed |
| C．negative | D．touched |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．What Was the Point? |
| B．Records Are Made to be Broken |
| C．A New Indian Guinness Record |
| D．The Guinness Book Is Boring |
U.S. first lady Michelle Obama arrived in Beijing on Thursday evening, the official Xinhua news agency said, beginning a hotly anticipated week-long trip during which she will promote education and cultural ties.
Obama, a Harvard-educated lawyer, is expected to spend Friday with China's charismatic first lady, Peng Liyuan, who is admired at home as both a glamorous songstress and fashion icon.
Besides Beijing, Obama will visit the western historic city of Xi'an and the southern city of Chengdu, where she will visit a panda preserve. Obama's two daughters are accompanying her, as well as her mother. She also plans to visit American and Chinese students to promote education and cultural exchanges, and visit historical landmarks like the Great Wall of China.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said the visit would help deepen ties between the world's two largest economies. "We believe that this visit will play an important role in increasing mutual understanding between the two countries and expanding friendship." Hong told reporters ahead of Obama's arrival.
News of Obama's arrival spread fast on Sina Weibo, where users speculated on what the trip would bring - as well as what Obama would wear and eat. "Two intellectual women playing the game of great power politics - how beautiful." wrote one user.The underlined word “charismatic” in Paragraph 2 probably means _____.
| A．smart | B．serious |
| C．charming | D．kindhearted |
From this passage we know that U.S. first lady Michelle Obama _____
| A．is a Harvard-educated lawyer | B．will visit China alone |
| C．arrived in Beijing on Friday evening | D．will promote laws and cultural exchanges. |
According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Michelle Obama will visit the western historic city of Xi'an and the southern city of Chengdu. |
| B．Sina Weibo users didn’t care about what the trip would bring. |
| C．Michelle Obama is expected to spend Friday with China's first lady, Peng Liyuan. |
| D．The U.S. first lady Michelle Obama will visit historical landmarks like the Great Wall of China. |
In which part of a magazine can we probably read this passage?
| A．Entertainment. | B．Education. | C．Culture. | D．News. |
According to the Foreign Ministry spokesman，which of the following is NOT true？
| A．The visit would help deepen ties between the world's two largest economies. |
| B．The visit will play an important role in increasing mutual understanding between the two countries. |
| C．The visit will promote education and cultural exchanges. |
| D．The visit will expand mutual friendship between the two countries. |
A time capsule buried by Apple founder Steve Jobs 30 years ago has been discovered after its location was long forgotten.In 1983, the young tech innovator was attending a conference in Aspen when he and the group decided to bury as a stunt during a design convention.
The tube that was filled with an eclectic collection of goods- ranging from the then-new apple mouse to a six-pack of beer for the people who discovered the time capsule- was meant to be dug up 20 years later.
There was a problem with that plan, however, as everyone involved forgot where it was buried.
The final discovery happened at the hands of the crew from the National Geographic Channel`s reality show called Diggers.The discovery was well documented and is surely going to be featured on an upcoming episode, and even the experts had problems finding this particular treasure.
CNET reports that in spite of their preparations and clear idea of where the 13-foot-long tube was, it still took them two hours to dig it up using heavy machinery.
To anyone removed from the tech industry, the accomplishment in finding the tube appears to be the biggest accomplishment. To others, the most interesting object would likely be the `Lisa` mouse placed in the tube by the hands of a then-28-year-old Jobs.The Lisa Mouse, which Jobs named after his daughter, was one of the first commercial computer mice soled publicly, making it a rarity at the time.
The Aspen Historical Society is going to help the show creators catalogue the tube`s contents- but no word yet whether or not the Diggers cracked open one of the six bottles of Boddington`s Ale that was left inside for the people who found the tube.Who found the time capsule buried by Steve Jobs?
| A．Apple founder Steve Jobs himself. |
| B．the crew from the National Geographic Channel`s reality show called Diggers. |
| C．Steve Jobs' friends. |
| D．Steve Jobs’ daughter. |
Which is the best title of the passage ?
| A．A time capsule buried by Apple founder Steve Jobs. |
| B．Steve Jobs' plan. |
| C．Steve Jobs' time capsule is uncovered. |
| D．The tube by Steve Jobs. |
How old is Steve Jobs now?
| A．58 years old . |
| B．20 years old. |
| C．30 years old. |
| D．48 years old. |
BEIJING - China will build a nation-wide network within three to five years to monitor the impact of air pollution on health, a latest step to deal with a persistent smog crisis in big cities, an official said.
A total of 43 monitoring spots will be set up in 16 provinces and municipalities frequently engulfed by smog so as to facilitate research on air pollutants in different regions, the impact on the health of vulnerable groups and the study of related diseases, said Xu Dongqun, an official with the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
With funds allocated by the central government, the study will provide reference for preventive efforts to reduce the PM 2.5, Xu said.
Thick and dangerous smog have hit 17 provinces and municipalities with a population of 600 million this year. One of the major cities is Beijing, which has been shrouded in smog for several days during the ongoing seven-day national holiday in 2013.
China recently issued a 1.75 trillion-yuan (284.2 billion U.S. dollars) plan to deal with the worsening air, improving air quality within five years in order to decrease the number of heavily polluted days and improve the air in major city clusters. China will build a nation-wide network in order to_________.
| A．monitor the impact of air pollution on health |
| B．improve air quality |
| C．improve air pollution |
| D．increase the PM 2.5 |
The underlined word “persistent” means“________”.
| A．短时的 | B．持久的 | C．短暂的 | D．停留的 |
China will take measures to deal with air pollution except________.
| A．China recently issued a 1.75 trillion-yuan (284.2 billion U.S. dollars) plan |
| B．set up monitoring spots in 16 provinces and municipalities |
| C．improveliving standard |
| D．improve the air in major city clusters |
We can infer from the paragraph________.
| A．Thick and dangerous smog have hit 17 provinces and municipalities |
| B．air pollution impacted a population of 600 million this year |
| C．The people in Beijing probably wore masks when they walked on the street during the national holiday in 2013. |
| D．the study will provide reference for preventive efforts to reduce the PM 2.5 |
Last Thursday, I had the pleasure of visiting with Deputy Superintendent Pedro Martinez, Principal Neddy Alvarez and her staff at Western High School, located in the Clark County School District, in Las Vegas. The school undertook a comprehensive effort to completely transform the culture of the school and added a motivated group of talented teachers. Western altered（改变） the school day to add opportunities for students to get additional credits toward graduation and created smaller learning groups. As part of these comprehensive changes, the school’s leadership also focused on four main reforms to transform their school.
First, improvements started with the change in the relationship between the school and students to create a caring atmosphere at the school. Using the “Capturing Kids’ Hearts” strategies, school leadership and teachers began building a trusting environment and students and families described seeing changes aimed at improving student outcomes and ensuring the success of every student. The school day was altered to add more options for students to obtain additional credits toward graduation. Students and teachers were grouped into “houses,” so that smaller groups of teachers and counselors(辅导员)could create one-on-one relationships with students. Teachers and counselors said that the altered school day provides time to address student’s individual concerns and develop individualized learning plans to put every student on a path to graduation.
The school also made changes to encourage parents to support school and encourage real dialogues between parents and the teachers and leaders at Western. Funded in part through the United Way, the school created a family engagement center to get parents more involved in their children’s education, particularly parents of English language learners. Parents like Ally Gaona and Martha Mendez told me that they had a voice and the tools to engage in their children’s learning and that they recognize that the main responsibility for their children’s learning must rest with the parents. Parents were passionate about these positive changes and said that these changes signaled to the entire the community that the school was serious about family engagement.What is the main purpose of the passage?
| A．To attract people to the school. |
| B．To talk about the school reforms. |
| C．To introduce the school |
| D．To introduce the relationship between the school and students. |
How many main reforms are mentioned in the passage?
| A．Two | B．Three | C． Four | D．Five |
Students and teachers were grouped into “houses in order to ___.
| A．provide time to address student’s individual concerns. |
| B．add more options for students to obtain additional credits toward graduation.. |
| C．create one-on-one relationships with students. |
| D．develop individualized learning plans to put every student on a path to graduation. |
Which statement is the right according to the passage?
| A．Parents didn’t support the reforms. |
| B．The reforms intended to improve student outcomes and ensure the success of every student. |
| C．The school asked parents to donate their money. |
| D．the school was not serious about family engagement. |
While we are on the subject of crime, our listener question this week comes from Mohamad Firouzi in Iran. He wants to know about the history of Alcatraz Island and the prison that once operated there.
Alcatraz Island is in the harbor of San Francisco, California. It is best known for being a federal prison, which was also called “The Rock.” It was once the most famous prison in America.
Alcatraz was a military prison from the late eighteen fifties until the nineteen thirties. Then it became a federal prison for the country’s worst criminals. These included murderers, bank robbers and kidnappers. One of the main reasons federal officials chose Alcatraz Island to detain these prisoners was because they thought it would be impossible for prisoners to escape.
Cold, deep and dangerous waters surround the island. Also, the distance between the island and San Francisco is too far for most humans to swim. No prisoner was ever officially reported to have successfully escaped.
However, in nineteen sixty-two, three men broke out of the prison. Each man worked very hard at night for many months to cut through the stone wall of his cell. They made false heads out of paper, paint and hair. On the night of June eleventh, the men placed the heads in their beds to make it look as if they were sleeping. Then, the prisoners escaped through the holes in their cells to get to the water. The men were never seen or heard from again. It is believed that they drowned while trying to swim to San Francisco.
The prison closed in nineteen sixty-three because of the high cost of keeping prisoners there and the need for major repairs. The last prisoners were moved to other jails.
In nineteen seventy-two, the United States Congress passed a bill creating the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Alcatraz Island and the old prison are part of this area.
Each year, more than one million people visit Alcatraz to see the prisoners’ cells and listen to stories about the jail’s history. But unlike the prisoners who once lived there, visitors can escape from the prison whenever they want and return back across the harbor to San Francisco.The text mainly tells us________.
| A．about the history of Alcatraz Island and the prison there. |
| B．about the history of Alcatraz Island. |
| C．about a military prison. |
| D．about the subject of crime. |
Why did federal officials make Alcatraz the most famous prison in America?
| A．Because no prisoner successfully escaped from the prison. |
| B．Because Alcatraz was Alcatraz Island. |
| C．Because Alcatraz was a military prison. |
| D．Because cold, deep and dangerous waters surround the island. |
Paragraph 5 is written to ________.
| A．tell us the three prisoners escaped the prison. |
| B．prove prisoners couldn’t successfully escape from the prison . |
| C．tell us how prisoners escaped the prison. |
| D．tell us the three prisoners could make false heads out of paper, paint and hair. |
Now Alcatraz ________.
| A．is a place of interest . |
| B．detains some prisoners. |
| C．is where the United States Congress is. |
| D．is still the most famous prison. |