Xu Shu was much valued by Liu Bei for his strategic talents. After several victories on the battleground against Cao Cao, Xu was made the chief military advisor. Cao Cao was greatly surprised at the news. “If you want this person,” one of his advisors said, “you can bring his mother to Xuchang and send a forged letter in his mother's handwriting, asking Xu Shu to desert Liu Bei and come here. As Xu is well-known for a strong filial(孝顺的) affection, surely he will come.” This plot worked. For Xu, on receiving the letter, cried tearfully, asking Liu Bei for an immediate departure. Feeling sad, though, Liu persisted in his stay for another night, during which the two aired their sad feelings.
The next day Liu laid a banquet outside the city for Xu. Holding the latter's hand, Liu said, “After we separate today, only heaven knows when and where we will meet again.” He wept bitter tears.
After setting off on his way, Xu suddenly turned his horse and returned. “I almost forgot an important matter.” He said to Liu. “Ten kilometers from Xiangyang City, in a place called Long zhong, there is a talent called Zhuge Liang. Do you want to meet him?” Liu expressed his willingness at once, but also aired doubt about whether Zhuge Liang was as talented as Xu. “He tells positions of stars in the heavens,” Xu assured him, “and recognizes everything on earth. He knows a person's real nature at the first meeting----the number one talent under the heaven. If you have him as your military advisor, you'll have the country under your name.” Liu suggested a visit to Zhuge by Xu on his behalf. At this, the latter shook his head in disapproval. “You must go and offer your invitation personally, and his acceptance depends entirely on your sincerity.” With these words said, Xu turned his horse and left. Later, Liu paid three trips to Zhuge's straw house, another favorite story among Chinese people.The underlined word “forged” in Paragraph 1 probably means__________.
A.forced | B.false | C.friendly | D.touching |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A.Zhuge was able to tell a person’s personality at first sight. |
B.No sooner did Xu receive the letter than he departed for Cao Cao. |
C.Liu showed little interest in visiting Zhuge because he was doubtful of the stranger’s ability. |
D.Liu showed his disapproval when Xu advised him to call on Zhuge in person. |
The underlined sentence in Paragraph 3 probably means __________.
A.There was no doubt that Zhuge was competent as a military advisor |
B.No one would be better than Zhuge in terms of giving military advice |
C.Zhuge was such a talent that he could make the country named after Liu |
D.With the help of Zhuge, Liu would be able to rule the whole country |
The paragraph following the last one most probably deals with __________.
A.why people considered Zhuge as a talent |
B.the difficulty Xu met with on the way to meet his mother |
C.the plot Cao Cao made to bring Xu’s mother to Xuchang |
D.how Liu sincerely invited Zhuge to assist him in military affairs |
The text is developed in the order of __________.
A.space | B.logic | C.time | D.cause and result |
?Health, Wellness and the Politics of Food
9:00—9:45 a.m. Blue Tent
Panelists (成员):Jami Bernard, David Kamp, Marion Nestle and Peter Singer.
Hosted by Denise Grady, science writer for The New York Times.
How does what we eat not only affect our bodies, but also the world?The food and nutrition experts debate the role that the diet plays in both personal and global health, and present a look at food politics.
?Sports Writing:For the Love of the Game
9:50—10:35 a.m. Blue Tent
Panelists:Christine Brennan, Ira Rosen, Joe Wallace and Joe Drape.
Hosted by William C.Rhoden, sports writer for The New York Times.
Whether catching that key moment of victory or defeat, or covering breaking news, sports writers are anything but audience. Listen as some professionals discuss the special experience in reporting of sports news.
?The Art of the Review
11:15—12:00 a.m. Green Tent
Panelists: John Freeman, Barry Gewen, David Orr, Celia McGee and Jennifer Schuessler.
Hosted by Sam Tanenhaus, editor for The New York Times Book Review.
How much of an effect does the book review have on book sales?Join this group of critics(评论家) as they discuss the reality of book review and bestseller lists, and how they choose books for review.
?New York Writers, New York Stories
3:00—3:45 p.m.Green Tent
Panelists: Cindy Adams, Richard Cohen, Ric Klass and Lauren Redniss.
Hosted by Clyde Haberman, columnist (专栏作家) for the City Section of The New York Times.
Join this inspiring group of New York-centric writers as they talk about why New York is a gold mine of ideas for their work.If you are free in the afternoon, you can attend_______.
A.The Art of the Review |
B.New York Writers, New York Stories |
C.Health, Wellness and the Politics of Food |
D.Sports Writing: For the Love of the Game |
If you like sports writing, you will most probably _______.
A.go to Blue Tent at 11:15 a.m | B.enjoy Jami Bernard’s talk |
C.listen to Christine Brennan | D.attend the Art of the Review |
Sam Tanenhaus is in charge of ________.
A.The Art of the Review |
B.Health, Wellness and the Politics of Food |
C.New York Writers, New York Stories |
D.Sports Writing:For the Love of the Game |
All the four activities above _______.
A.are about writing | B.will last 45 minutes each |
C.can be attended freely | D.will attract many readers |
We can learn from the text that________.
A.sports writers are a type of audience |
B.the New York Times is popular |
C.Denise Grady will discuss politics |
D.book reviews may affect book sales |
Imagine one day, the water taps in your house stop running. You have to buy water from shops. And still there isn’t enough for everyone. Your mother has to save the family’s shower water to do other things. Would you be able to stand that kind of life?
Probably not. But that’s what kids in Yemen are experiencing. Experts said Yemen is going to be the first country in the world to run out of water. According to a report, the capital, Sanaa, will run out of drinking water as early as 2025.
Because of the shortage, the government often cuts the water supply. Hannan, an 18-year-old from Lahej, told the Times: “In a good week we’ll have a water supply all week. But then the following week there will be water only for a day or two.”
Hannan said only rich people have enough water to use. They can buy water from the shops or from the water truck. Private companies own the trucks. They travel around the city every day to sell water – at very high prices.
“A lot of people can’t afford it,” she said.
The average person in Yemen uses 100 to 200 cubic meters of water per year. That is far below the international water poverty line of 1,000 cubic meters.
The government is thinking of making use of seawater. But it will cost a lot and it may not happen soon enough to help the people of Yemen.The purpose of the text is to _______.
A.tell us what life is like in Yemen |
B.draw our attention to water shortage |
C.remind us how important water is |
D.show us ways of solving problems |
The underlined word “that” in Paragraph 2 refers to _____.
A.buying water from shops |
B.drinking dirty water |
C.suffering from water shortage |
D.washing clothes with used water |
Hannan described _____.
A.what her life is like |
B.how beautiful Lahej is |
C.how people use water fully |
D.how heavy the traffic in Lahej is |
The Yemen Government _____.
A.has found a practical solution |
B.only cares about rich people |
C.may try to make use of seawater |
D.can do nothing about the water supply |
We can infer from the text that _____.
A.Sanaa will run out of water in 10 years |
B.Hannan is a teenager from a rich family |
C.the capital of Yemen is developing fast |
D.private companies make a lot of money |
The US government has started a website, Admongo, to help children think critically about the advertising aimed at them. It claims to provide visitors with an “aducation” through games and other entertainment.
A cartoon man dressed in old time pilot clothing greets visitors to Admongo. "Call me Haiz", he says upon arrival in a rocket ship that opens up with a crazy world inside it. Spacey dance music plays in the background as Haiz tells visitors that they need to learn about advertising.
Its inventors say eight to twelve years old is the age kids develop their critical thinking abilities. Kids that age are also a big market for advertisers.
The idea behind Admongo is to teach children three things: To identify the advertiser. To know what the advertiser is really saying. And to know what the advertisement is trying to get the child to do.
Children learn these things through a video game. They create their own game character. They can choose different skin colors, hair styles, eye and mouth shapes. Then they begin a trip through ad-land, where there are ads on buses and billboards. The players have to find all the marketing in the neighborhood before they can move on to the next level.
The Admongo game takes players inside a home, to the advertising studio and everywhere else ads can be found. It is a complete exploration of the world of marketing.
One such area is food marketing. The Federal Trade Commission(FTC) says it is a big business. The FTC estimates that food, drink and fast-food restaurants spent more than one and a half billion dollars on advertising to young people in 2009.
The FTC says children are important for three reasons. They buy products. They influence parents and caregivers to buy. And they are the future adult buyers of the products.
A recent study says most advertising aimed at children is for foods of the lowest nutritional value. First Lady Michelle Obama has said she would like to see advertisers marketing healthy foods for children.What is the best title of the text?
A.The guide of Admongo |
B.An education website for children |
C.A popular online video game |
D.A website aimed at children |
Why did the government start the website?
A.To attract the biggest market of buyers. |
B.To sell the products of its company. |
C.To help children know about advertising. |
D.To advertise the video game for children. |
What can players do in the website game?
A.Choose hair styles for their character. |
B.Travel to a supermarket. |
C.Eat in a fast-food restaurant. |
D.Play video games during the trip. |
Children are important for advertising because they are .
A.important for the society |
B.the most potential buyers |
C.easily influenced by ads |
D.easily affected by poor products |
According to Michelle Obama, lots of food advertised for children are ________.
A.healthy | B.of high nutrition |
C.yummy | D.of low quality |
Findings from a new study were presented at a recent meeting of the American Psychosomatic(身心的) Society. Researchers in the United States studied 100,000 women during an eight-year period, beginning in 1994. All of the women were fifty or older. The study was part of the Women’s Health Initiative organized by the National Institutes of Health.
The women were asked questions measuring their beliefs or ideas about the future. The researchers attempted to identify each woman’s personality eight years after gathering the information.
The study found that hopeful individuals were 14% less likely than other women to have died from any cause. The hopeful women were also 30% less likely to have died from heart disease after the eight years.
Hilary Tindle from the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania was the lead author of the report. She said the study confirmed earlier research that linked optimistic feelings to longer life.
The researchers also gathered information about people’s education, financial earnings, physical activity and use of alcohol or cigarettes. Independent of those things, the findings still showed that optimists had less of a chance of dying during the eight-year period.
Some women who answered the questions were found to be hostile (怀敌意的), or highly untrusting of others. These women were 16% more likely to die than the others. They also were 23% more likely to die of cancer.
The study also found women who were not optimistic were more likely to smoke and have high blood pressure or diabetes. They were also more likely not to exercise.
Tindle says the study did not confirm whether optimism leads to healthier choices, or if it actually affects a person’s physical health. She also says the study does not prove that negative (消极的) emotions or distrust lead to bad health effects and shorter life. Yet there does appear to be a link that calls for more research. In which part of a newspaper can you read the above passage?
A.Nation | B.Opinion |
C.Science | D.Business |
Researchers carry out the study to ________.
A.decide who is more likely to enjoy a happier life |
B.find out the link between personality and health |
C.gather information for the National Institutes of Health |
D.compare each woman’s personality changes |
What can be inferred from the text?
A.Negative emotions cause a shorter life indeed. |
B.There may be some link between personality and health. |
C.It’s uncertain whether optimism affects one’s health. |
D.The more optimistic you are, the longer life you may enjoy. |
Who is more likely to die of cancer according to the text?
A.A woman who always doubts what others say. |
B.A woman who doesn’t exercise. |
C.A woman with high blood pressure. |
D.A woman with poor physical health. |
What’s Hilary Tindle’s opinion of the study?
A.Unfair. | B.Useless. | C.Necessary. | D.Reliable. |
In many cultures white is often associated with something positive. A white-collar job, for instance, is the kind of job many people look for, working with your brain and not your hands.
White has a clean and pure image. That is why doctors, dentists, and nurses usually wear white uniforms. Babies are dressed in white at baptisms(洗礼)and brides wear white wedding gowns at weddings. White in these cases is the symbol of innocence or purity.
Sometimes white is used in expressions that are not good. “Whitewash” is one such expression. At first, “whitewash” meant to paint over something with white paint to make it look better. However, it means something different today: to hide or to cover up mistakes or failures.
A “white elephant” is another example of white used in a negative way. In ancient Thailand, a white elephant was regarded as a sacred animal, but it was very expensive to keep. The kings of those days presented a white elephant to the people they wanted to ruin. Once they received this holy, royal animal as a gift, they were not allowed to sell or kill it. Today, a “white elephant” means something that is big, useless, and unwanted. In America, when people want to get rid of their furniture or clothes, they often have a “white elephant sale”.The text is mainly about________.
A.the meanings of white in English culture |
B.the history of some English idioms |
C.some interesting customs in English culture |
D.some useful English words and expressions |
Which expression has an historical background ?
A.White-wash. | B.White-collar. |
C.White elephant. | D.White elephant sale. |
In which statement does “white” have a negative meaning?
A.A boy is dressed in white at baptisms. |
B.A bride wears a white wedding gown. |
C.A man whitewashes his crime. |
D.A girl finds a white collar job. |
From the text we can learn that _______.
A.a white-elephant sale is useful to the poor |
B.the white color is important in our daily life |
C.a white-collar job used to be easy to get |
D.expressions with white have different meanings |
The author develops the text mainly by ______.
A.analyzing its cause and effect |
B.providing typical examples |
C.comparing different ideas |
D.following the time order |