“The pen is more powerful than the sword（刀）.” There have been many writers who used their pens to fight things that were wrong. Mrs Harriet Beecher Stowe was one of them.
She was born in the U.S.A. in 1811.One of her books not only made her famous but has been described as one that excited the world, and was helpful in causing a civil war and freeing the enslaved race. The civil war was the American Civil War of 1861, in which the Northern States fought the Southern States and finally won.
This book that shook the world was called Uncle Tom's Cabin. There was time when every English-speaking man, woman, and child has read this novel that did so much to stop slavery. Not many people read it today, but it is still very interesting. The book has shown us how a warm-hearted writer can arouse (唤起) people's sympathies. The author herself had neither been to the Southern States nor been a slave. The Southern Americans were very angry at the book, which they said did not at all represent true state of affairs, but the Northern Americans were wildly excited over it and were so inspired by it that they were ready to go to war to set the slaves free. According to the passage______
| A．every English-speaking person has read Uncle Tom's Cabin |
| B．Uncle Tom's Cabin was not very interesting |
| C．those who don't speak English cannot have read Uncle Tom's Cabin |
| D．the book Uncle Tom's Cabin did a great deal in the American Civil War |
What do you learn about Mrs Harriet Beecher Stowe from the passage?
| A．She had been living in the north of America before the American Civil War broke out. |
| B．She herself encouraged the Northern Americans to go to war to set the slaves free. |
| C．She was better as writing as swinging (挥舞) a sword. |
| D．She had once been a slave. |
Why could Mrs Harriet Beecher Stowe's book cause a civil war in America?
| A．She wrote so well that Americans loved her very much. |
| B．She disclosed the terrible wrongs that had been done to the slaves in the Southern States. |
| C．The Southern Americans hated the book while the Northern Americans like it. |
| D．The book had been read by many Americans. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．We needn't use weapons (武器) to fight things that are wrong. |
| B．A writer is more helpful in a war than a soldier. |
| C．We must understand the importance of literature and art. |
| D．No war can be won without such a book as Uncle Tom's Cabin. |
You may have seen a talking parrot on a TV show, in a movie, or even in someone’s home. The parrot has learned to copy sounds that people make. Birds are not the only animals that can copy the noises they hear. Dolphins, bats, and some apes also copy sounds. Now we can add elephants to this list of copycats.
Dr. Joyce Poole is a zoologist. She studies the sounds of elephants. While she was in Kenya, she would hear strange noises made by Mlaika after sunset. Mlaika was a 10-year-old African elephant.
Mlaika lived near a highway. Dr. Poole says, “I could not tell the difference between Mlaika’s call and the distant truck noise.” She and other scientists studied Mlaika’s sounds. It turned out that Mlaika was copying the sounds of the trucks driving by. Why would Mlaika copy trucks that she heard going by on the highway? Animals that are able to copy sounds may enjoy practicing new sounds. When they are kept outside of their natural environment, they may copy unusual sounds. That may be why an elephant would copy the sound of a truck.
“Mlaika was not the only copycat elephant,” Dr. Poole says. Calimero is a 23-year-old male African elephant. He spent 18 years with two female Asian elephants. Asian elephants make chirping sounds (sounds made by birds) to talk with one another. African elephants usually do not make chirping sounds. But Calimero now does. He is copying his Asian elephant friends. Dr. Poole says that elephants need to form bonds with their family and friends. She says, “They make sounds to communicate with each other. When they are separated, they use sounds to keep in contact.”
Parrots, dolphins, humans, and elephants show that being a copycat is one way that animals and people make new friends and keep old ones.According to the passage, what does Mlaika copy?
| A．The sound of people. | B．The sound of trucks. |
| C．The sound of Calimero. | D．The sound of birds. |
From paragraph 4, we can know________.
| A．how long it takes for an elephant to learn a new sound |
| B．why the African elephant can make chirping sounds |
| C．why the Asian elephants make noises after sunset |
| D．how Asian and African elephants are alike |
According to the passage, why do some animals like to be copycats?
| A．To keep in touch with nature. |
| B．To please people and other animals. |
| C．To make new friends and keep old ones. |
| D．To avoid the danger from the outside world. |
In 1880, fourteen-year-old Matthew Henson loved to hear sailors tell tales of their exciting lives at sea. The travel, the adventure, the danger, and the steady pay were all attracting young Henson. One day, he found a job as a cabin boy on a beautiful ship called the Katie Hinds. For the next five years, Henson sailed around the world. With the help of the ship’s captain and other members of the crew, Henson learned mathematics, navigation, history, geography, and many other subjects. By the time he left the Katie Hinds in 1885, Henson was well educated and had become an excellent seaman.
Unable to find work anywhere else, Henson took a job in a hat shop in Washington, D.C. One day in 1887, a man came in to buy a hat. The man, Robert Peary, asked the owner if he knew anyone with experience at sea. Peary would soon travel to South America for the U.S. government. He needed experienced men to accompany him. The shop owner knew about his young employee’s skills and experience on ocean journeys, so he introduced Peary to Henson.
Using his map-reading and sailing skills, Henson proved himself to be a worthy and smart seaman. Peary soon made Henson his assistant, and they became close friends. One day Peary told Henson about his real dream: to be the first man to stand on “the top of the world” at the North Pole. He asked Henson to help him make his dream come true. Over the next five years, the two explorers made two trips together to the Arctic. However, they were not able to reach the pole either time. The cold, wind, and ice were worse than either of them had ever imagined.
In 1908, Peary and Henson were ready to make their final attempt at reaching the North Pole. Both men were over forty years old. The years of hardship in the arctic cold had made them suffer a lot. This would be their last chance. With four Inuit guides, they made a mad rush straight across the ice toward the pole. Peary’s feet were injured and he had to be pulled on a dogsled. In April 1909, Henson’s instruments showed they were standing at the North Pole. Together Henson and Peary planted the American flag in the snow.
In later years, Robert Peary and Henson were greatly honored for their achievements. Today, the two friends and fellow explorers lie in heroes’ graves not far apart in the Arlington National Cemetery.In paragraph1, the author shows how Henson became ________.
| A．a skilled seaman |
| B．a highly educated captain |
| C．employed in a restaurant |
| D．interested in helping others |
Paragraph 2 mainly tells us ________.
| A．how Matthew Henson met Robert Peary |
| B．why Matthew Henson went to the hat shop |
| C．why Matthew Henson stopped working on the Katie Hinds |
| D．how Robert Peary knew that Matthew Henson had sea experience |
On their trip to the North Pole, Henson and Peary could best be compared to ________.
| A．treasure hunters seeking big fortunes |
| B．generals seeking power over another country |
| C．soldiers going to war to fight for their freedom |
| D．fighters performing a task in an unknown land |
Rock Junket is The Original Rock n’ Roll Walking Tour of New York City. Rock Junket founder Bobby Pinn is an author, former rock radio personality, rock historian and he’s spent 17 years as a music executive (总监). Read the reviews, book the best and forget the rest!
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 Check availability and buy tickets online: |
| East Village Rock Tour - #1 seller - Monday thru Saturday Greenwich Village Rock Tour\ - Sunday Union Square Rock Tour - Tuesday and Thursday Beatles Tour Customized (定制的) Tours Advance purchase required as Tours sell out quickly Purchase by phone at (212) 290-3370 |
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| Group and Private Tours Available – for details click here or call (646) 515-7874 |
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Rock Junket Walking Tours are not only the perfect way to dig deep into New York’s rock scene but also learn about art, fashion, rock n’ roll clothing stores and great local bars and restaurants. The East Village Rock Tour is very popular as we demonstrate how the neighborhood went from poor to being the birthplace of punk rock. On The Greenwich Village Rock Tour we’ll look at the influence Bob Dylan had on the Village plus sites about Jimi Hendrix and The Animals. We cover lost of clubs also including Café Wha, Bitter End, and other. The Union Square Rock Tour details the immoral behavior of Max’ Kansas City, Webster Hall. Andy Warhol and his 2nd and 3rd Factory, a famous Clash album cover and much more. The Beatles Tour takes us through Midtown and Uptown as we explore the sites that gave birth to Beatlemania (披头士狂热). Our Customized Rock Tours have been booked and loved by schools, universities, writers, museum curators (馆长) and many others.If you want to join in the Rock Junket’s activities, you must ________.
| A．has a gift for music |
| B．read online reviews |
| C．wear rock n’ roll clothes |
| D．buy a ticket in advance |
Which of the following is most popular among student groups?
| A．The East Village Rock Tour |
| B．Greenwich Village Rock Tour |
| C．Customized Rock Tours |
| D．Union Square Rock Tour |
Reducing the amount of salt in our diets could save nearly 20,000 lives in the UK every year, according to researchers.
The recommended maximum daily intake for adults is 6g in the UK, although just month the World Health Organization (WHO) revised this down to 5g. Yet according to figures from the British Heat Foundation, men consume around 9.7g a day, while women have 7.7 g.
| Fast food |
Salt Content |
| Original chicken |
2.9g per portion (份) |
| Spicy crayfish |
3.5g per portion |
| Large chips |
1 per portion |
| McDonald’s Big Mac |
2.1 per portion |
Not researchers at three universities, including Harvard Medical School, have revealed the dramatic effect reducing salt could have on death rates by using computer models. They estimated that reducing salt intake to 6g would save 500,000 to 850,000 lives in the US over the next decade.
British doctor Ian Campbell, medical director of charity Weight Concern, told Mail Online: Salt is a big problem in the UK, too. It’s a silent killer. Over time consuming too much of it increases the risk of high blood pressure, which can lead to heart attacks. About 80 percent of our salt intake comes from processed foods, so it can be difficult to avoid.
Many people are unaware of where salt is hidden, such as bread, soups, ready meals, and even breakfast cereals (麦片). The government approach has been to encourage food companies to cut the amount of salt in their products. There has been a reduction but it is taking too long. The Food Standards Agency should consider setting compulsory maximum levels for salt.
Victoria Taylor, Senior Dietitian at the British Heat Foundation, added: Eating too much salt may raise your blood pressure and having high blood pressure increases your risk of developing heart disease.
The government has worked with the food industry to reduce the amount of salt in our food and make labels clearer. But there is still work to be down by everyone because the majority of Brits are still consuming more salt than they would be.Which of the following in the table reaches the daily maximum amount of salt recommended by the WHO?
| A．A large chips and a McDonald’s Big Mac. |
| B．A spicy crayfish and a large chips. |
| C．An original chicken and a spicy crayfish. |
| D．A McDonald’s Big Mac and an original chicken. |
According to the passage, when people eat processed food they ________.
| A．needn’t add salt |
| B．should add a little salt |
| C．may ruin their health |
| D．can have risk of heart attacks |
To solve the problem of eating too much salt, Ian Campbell advises ________.
| A．having healthier breakfast |
| B．punishing the illegal food companies |
| C．reducing the amount of processed food |
| D．making laws about maximum levels for salt |
| Eco reading We offer new, used and out-of-print books, supplied by over 3,000 people from 50 countries．We ship your order directly to you．We also take in used books from schools, libraries, students—anyone with old books—and resell them at low prices．If you order on the Internet, you will get 20% off the cost of your entire order． |
| Name Your Music Name Your Music carries personalized music CDs for kids．The songs have a lot of styles, and most of them are familiar to your kids．Every song has a child’s name and they’ll be excited to hear their own name come up in the song．We also do several names on one CD, which is designed for a family with more than one kid． |
| Fast Flower It was founded over 77 years ago．We are sure that your order will be filled and sent the same day by a local fast flower shop to your total satisfaction．All of our flowers are put in safe containers．We provide many types of gifts for every holiday．We have over 16,000 member shops throughout the U．S．With the largest flower-sending network, we promise to fill your order within 24 hours． |
| Down To Earth Fun Personalized toys can be found at Down To Earth Fun which is owned and run by a work-at-home mother．With over 90% of our toys made in the USA, we offer good service to those who are searching for safe toys．If you are looking for special, high quality toys for a child, Down To Earth Fun is the place for you． |
If you buy books from Eco Reading, you can _______．
| A．get to know a lot of teenage students． |
| B．select textbooks in fifty languages |
| C．make small savings by ordering online． |
| D．spend little time finding what you want |
In what way is Fast Flower different from the other three shops?
| A．It provides safe and beautiful products． |
| B．It provides chances of replacing containers． |
| C．It offers gift packaging on holidays． |
| D．It offers a quick door-to-door service． |
Both Name Your Music and Down To Earth Fun try to _______．
| A．start a well-known business | B．meet the needs of kids |
| C．work to save the earth | D．help busy working moms |