Robert Frost was at heart a mean-spirited human being, not the kind of man one would expect to write poetry. He was born in San Francisco. Frost entered Dartmouth University in 1893, but dropped out, and switched to Harvard, which he attended for two years. He started a brief teaching career, where he was inspired to become a poet by some of his students’ work. Frost stopped teaching and became a farmer. During this time he wrote numerous poems, and a couple of short stories. While he was a farmer he started to think seriously about becoming a famous poet.
In almost all of his poems, Frost wrote in the first person. The first widely-read poem that he published was called My Butterfly. At first his audience was very small, but with his Collected Poems he became famous. Robert Frost received almost all the awards that there were for poetry. His poetry describes the forces of nature, and the violence and deep emotional(情感的) needs of human beings, which reflect the experiences of his childhood.
Robert Frost will always be known as one of the best poets in history. His way of putting emotion and violence into words is remarkable(非同寻常的). His talent for poetry is natural-born and he had discovered this when he started to farm. Even though he treated his wife and children terribly, he still became one of the best-known poets of his and our day.We can learn from the passage that ________.
| A．Robert Frost had been a famous writer before he started teaching |
| B．Robert Frost wrote his poems mostly in the first person |
| C．Robert Frost was very famous at the beginning of his writing career |
| D．Robert Frost began to write poems when he was a teacher |
According to the passage, Robert Frost was famous for ________.
| A．his teaching career | B．his life experiences |
| C．showing strong feeling in his poems | D．his interest in poems |
The last paragraph of the passage mainly tells us ________.
| A．why Robert Frost stopped farming |
| B．why Robert Frost was so famous |
| C．about his masterpieces(杰作) |
| D．about the way he treated his wife and children |
From the passage we know that ________.
| A．Robert Frost’s most famous poem is My Butterfly |
| B．Robert Frost began to write when he was in college |
| C．Robert Frost gave up studying at Dartmouth University |
| D．his poetry showed the violence of war and his childhood |
Once there was a piano player in a bar. People came just to hear him play. But one night, a lady asked him to sing a song.
"I don't sing." said the man.
But the lady told the waiter, "I'm tired of listening to the piano. I want the player to sing!"
The waiter shouted across the room, " Hey, friend! If you want to get paid, sing a song!"
So he did. He had never sung in public before. Now he was singing for the very first time! Nobody had ever heard the song Mona Lisa sung so beautifully!
He had talent (天赋）he was sitting on! He may have lived the rest of his life as a no-name piano player in a no-name bar. But once he found, by accident, that he could sing well, he went on working hard and became one of the best-known singers in the US. His name was Nat King Cole.
You, too, have skills and abilities. You may not feel that your talent is great, but it may be better than you think. With hard work, most skills skills can be improved. Besides, you may have no success at all if you just sit on your talent.The lady asked the player to sing a song because .
| A．she had paid him for this | B．she knew him very well |
| C．she wanted to have a change | D．she enjoyed his singsing |
Nat King Cole successed because .
| A．the lady helped him a lot | B．he caught the chance |
| C．he continued to play in the bar | D．he stopped playing the piano |
From the story we know if you have some talent, you should .
| A．hide it and wait | B．ask others or help |
| C．pay no attention to it | D．work hard to improve yourself |
Which could be the best title for the passage?
| A．Sing in the Bar | B．Achieve Success in Life |
| C．Never Lose Heart | D．Find Your Hidden Talent |
Schools and parents in Shenzhen City have been asked to take better care of children’s eyesight as 45 percent of them, were found to be shortsighted. Too much reading, poor lighting and too much TV are blamed. Of the city’s high school graduates who applied to attend college this summer, two-thirds had to have their choices limited because of poor eyesight, Shenzhen Special Zone Daily said.This piece of news was reported by____ .
| A．People’s Daily | B．Shenzhen Special Zone Daily |
| C．school in Shenzhen City | D．parents in Shenzhen City |
The purpose of this passage is to _____ .
| A．criticize children who are shortsighted |
| B．blame parents and schools for children’s being shortsighted |
| C．ask the high school graduates to pay attention to their eyesight |
| D．draw people’s special attention to eye hygiene(卫生) |
Only____ of the children in Shenzhen City have good eyesight.
| A．55 percent | B．less than half | C．45 percent | D．two—thirds |
Because of being shortsighted many school graduates_____ .
| A．weren’t allowed to enter college |
| B．couldn’t graduate from high school |
| C．couldn’t choose to study what they liked best |
| D．lost their limited time |
Boys’ schools are the perfect place to teach young men to express their emotions and involve them in activities such as art, dance and music.
Far from the traditional image of a culture of aggressive masculinity (阳刚), the absence of girls gives boys the chance to develop without pressure to conform to(符合、顺应) a stereotype（老套）, a US study says.
Boys at single-sex schools were said to be more likely to get involved in cultural and artistic activities that helped develop their emotional expressiveness, rather than feeling they had to conform to the“boy code”of hiding their emotions to be a “real man”.
The findings of the study go against received wisdom that boys do better when taught alongside girls.
Tony Little, headmaster of Eton, warned that boys were being faded by the British education system because it had become too focused on girls. He criticized teachers for failing to recognize that boys are actually more emotional than girls.
The research argued that boys often perform badly in mixed schools because they become discouraged when their female peers do better earlier in speaking and reading skills.
But in single-sex schools teachers can tailor lessons to boys’ learning style, letting them move around the classroom and getting them to compete in teams to prevent boredom, wrote the study’s author, Abigail James, of the University of Virginia.
Teachers could encourage boys to enjoy reading and writing with “boy-focused” approaches such as themes and characters that appeal to them. Because boys generally have more acute vision learned best through touch, and are physically more active, they need to be given “hands-on” lessons where they are allowed to walk around. “Boys in mixed schools view classical music as feminine (女性的) and prefer the modern genre (类型) in which violence and sexism are major themes.” James wrote.
Single-sex education also made it less likely that boys would feel they had to conform to a stereotype that men should be “masterful and in charge” in relationships. “ In mixed schools boys feel forced to act like men before they understand themselves well enough to know what that means.” the study reported. The author believes that a single-sex school would ____ .
| A．force boys to hide their emotions to be "real men" |
| B．help to cultivate masculine aggressiveness in boys |
| C．naturally strengthen the traditional image of a man in boys |
| D．encourage boys to express their emotions more freely |
It is commonly believed that in a mixed school boys _____ .
| A．behave more responsibly |
| B．grow up more healthily |
| C．perform relatively better |
| D．receive a better education |
What does Tony Little say about the British education system?
| A．It fails more boys than girls academically. |
| B．It focuses more on mixed school education. |
| C．It places more pressure on boys than on girls. |
| D．It fails to give boys the attention they need. |
According to Abigail James, one of the advantages of single-sex schools is ______.
| A．boys can focus on their lessons without being disturbed |
| B．teaching can be tailored to suit the characteristics of boys |
| C．boys can choose to learn whatever they are interested in |
| D．teaching can be designed to promote boys’ team spirit |
According to Abigail James’ report, it can be inferred that boys tend to _____________________.
| A．have sharper vision. |
| B．conform to stereotypes. |
| C．enjoy being in charge. |
| D．be violent and sexist. |
Michelle Obama made a daring decision to return to the same designer who created her Inaugural (就职）Ball dress four years ago --- and the risk paid off.
The First Lady looked extremely attractive in a thin, sweeping, and ruby-colored dress by designer Jason Wu. She teamed the dramatic dress with heels by Jimmy Choo and a diamond ring by Kimberly McDonald.
She surprised the fashion establishment by returning to a Wu design which had been the custom made for her.
Four years ago at her first Inauguration Ball, Michelle shimmered（熠熠生辉）in an off-white, one-shouldered floor-length dress by the designer.
Wu, who was 26 at the time and had only been working in fashion for three years, saw his career take off after the First Lady's surprise decision to wear one of his dresses.
He said at the time that he was unaware she had chosen the dress and had been watching at home on his couch and eating pizza when she appeared.
After her 2013 decision, Wu told Women's Wear Daily: “Mrs Obama likes to keep her secrets. She fooled me again.”
Wu released a women's clothing and accessories（装饰品）collection at Target last year and continues to be popular with the First Lady for official engagements.
The sleeveless, cross-halter neck dress with low-cut back flattered（突出）49-year-old Michelle's arms and neat waist.
It had been created especially for her by Wu and was a departure from the dark and plain colour tone she stuck to at earlier inauguration events.
Mrs Obama's new hairstyle -- she had bangs（美发沙龙）cut on her birthday last week had been loosely tousled（蓬松的）for the special night.
Vice-President Joe Biden's wife Jill also looked attractive in a blue silk dress by Vera Wang at the Inauguration Ball.What does the passage mainly talk about？
| A．Michelle Obama’s inaugural ball dress. |
| B．Wu, a great designer. |
| C．The First Lady’s secrets. |
| D．Mrs Obama’s 2013 decision. |
Michelle Obama’s brave decision proved to be a_________.
| A．risk | B．danger |
| C． Surprise | D．success |
According to the passage, which of the following is correct?
| A．Mrs Obama’s inaugural dresses were made by the same designer. |
| B．Joe Biden’s wife Jill also had her dress created by Wu. |
| C．The colour tone at Michelle’s earlier inaugural events was not satifactory. |
| D．Mrs Obama had straight forehead hair as her new hairstyle for the special night. |
Which of the following best describes Jason Wu?
| A．Daring and gifted. |
| B．Unusual and cautious. |
| C．Careful and brave. |
| D．Talented and lucky. |
From the 6th and 7th paragraphs we know that________.
| A．Wu was aware that Mrs Obama had chosen his work again |
| B．Wu didn’t know Mrs Obama had chosen his creation again. |
| C．Mrs Obama told Wu to give away her secrets |
| D．Mrs Obama should have told Wu the truth |
The forces that make Japan one of the world's most earthquake-prone（有地震倾向的） countries could become part of its long-term energy solution．
Water from deep below the ground at Japan's tens of thousands of hot springs could be used to produce electricity．
Although Japanese high-tech companies are leaders in geothermal（地热的） technology and export it, its use is limited in the nation．
"Japan should no doubt make use of its resources of geothermal energy," said Yoshiyasu Takefuji, a leading researcher of thermal-electric power production．
The disastrous earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011 caused a reaction against atomic power, which previously made up 30 percent of Japan's energy needs, and increased interest in alternative energies, which account for only 8 percent．
Artist Yoko Ono has called on Japan to explore its natural energy, following the example of Iceland which uses renewable energy for more than 80 percent of its needs．
For now, geothermal energy makes up less than 1 percent of the energy needs in Japan, which has for decades relied heavily on fossil fuels and atomic power．
The biggest problem to geothermal energy is the high initial cost of the exploration and constructing the factories．Another problem is that Japan's potentially best sites are already being developed for tourism or are located within national parks where construction is forbidden．
"We can't even dig 10cm inside national parks．" said Shigeto Yamada of Fuji Electric, adding that regulations protecting nature would need to be relaxed for geothermal energy to grow．
Researcher Hideaki Matsui said, "Producing electricity using hot springs is a decades-long project．We also have to think about what to do for now as energy supplies will decline in the short term．"
The Earth Policy Institute in Washington, US, believed Japan could produce 80,000 megawatts（兆瓦）and meet more than half its electricity needs with geothermal technology．
Japanese giants such as Toshiba are already global leaders in geothermal technology, with a 70 percent market share．In 2010, Fuji Electric built the world's largest geothermal factory in New Zealand．What would be the best title for the text?
| A．Alternative energies in Japan |
| B．World's largest geothermal plant |
| C．Japan takes the lead in geothermal technology |
| D．Japan thinks of geothermal energy |
What percentage of Japan's energy needs is geothermal energy?
| A．About 8%． | B．Below 1%． | C．Around 30%． | D．Over 80%． |
According to Shigeto Yamada, the growth of geothermal power in Japan needs ____．
| A．a change of rules | B．financial support |
| C．local people's help | D．high technology |
Geothermal energy is considered as a long-term program by _____．
| A．Yoshiyasu Takefuji | B．Hideaki Matsui |
| C．Shigeto Yamada | D．Yoko Ono |
It can be learned from the last two paragraphs that _____．
| A．the world's biggest geothermal plant was built by America |
| B．Japan will not export its geothermal technology |
| C．the potential of Japan's geothermal energy is great |
| D．it is hard to find geothermal energy in Japan |