Some of the best-known names in the entertainment industry have taken part in an unprecedented telethon to help victims of the terrorist attacks in the United States.
The benefit(义演), called “America: a Tribute to Heroes,” was sponsored by all four major U.S television networks, ABC, CBS, FOIX and NBC. It was broadcast by three-dozen television, cable and radio networks across the country and aired live to more than a hundred countries around the world.
Hollywood stars joined music entertainers in asking listeners and viewers to pledge cash donations to charities helping the victims of the September 11th attacks.
Actors, including Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Tom Cruise and Clint Eastwood, told stories of heroic acts by people who tried to save others from the burning World trade Center and the Pentagon. Former heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali made a rare public appearance in show of support.
The appeals alternated with performances by such popular entertainers as Bruce Springsteen, Mariah Carey, Steve Wonder, Paul Simon and the rock band U—2.
They appeared on stages in New York, Los Angeles and London, decorated with hundreds of burning candles.
Singer Billy Joel sang “ New York State of Mind” with a New York City firefighter’s hat on his piano. Sting dedicated his song “ Gragile” to a friend who died in the World Trade Center. Stevie Wonder condemned(指责) hatred in the name of religion before singing his song “ Love’s in Need of Love today”. Pledge phones were manned by dozens of other celebrities, including Jack Nicholson, Meg Ryan, Whoopic Goldberg, Cindy Crawford, Al Pacino and Sylvester Stallone.
Organizers say the two-hour telethon raised millions of dollars. All participants, from stars to stagehands, worked without pay.Those who appeared on stages were ______.
| A．some best-known names in the USA |
| B．some famous singer, film stars and other music entertainers |
| C．People who tried to save others from the burning World trade Center and the Pentagon. |
| D．Former heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali and Hollywood stars |
The underlined word “ telethon” most probably means ______.
| A．a performance to raise money |
| B．a concert held by some television networks |
| C．a television program which lasts a long time |
| D．a television program for entertainment |
Which of the following statements is True?
| A．Four major U.S. television networks broadcast the benefit |
| B．The former heavy weight champion Muhammad Ali sang a song to show his support |
| C．Billy Joel, wearing a firefighter’s hat, played the piano for the listeners and viewers |
| D．The organizers, stars and people who worked for the benefit didn’t get any money for themselves. |
The best title for the news report is ______.
| A．U.S Telethon Raises Money for Attack Victims |
| B．Best-known names Pledge Donations |
| C．Seeking More Support |
| D．A Tribute to Heroes |
Do you know how it is when you see someone yawn and you start yawning too? Or how hard it is to be among people laughing and not laugh yourself? Well, apparently it's because we have mirror neurons (神经元）in our brains.
Put simply, the existence of mirror neurons suggests that every time we see someone else do something, our brains imitate (模仿)it, whether or not we actually perform the same action. This explains a great deal about how we learn to smile, talk, walk, dance or play sports. But the idea goes further: mirror neurons not only appear to explain physical actions, they also tell us that there is a biological basis for the way we understand other people.
Mirror neurons can undoubtedly be found all over our brains, but especially in the areas which relate to our ability to use languages, and to understand how other people feel. Researchers have found that mirror neurons relate strongly to language. A group of researchers discovered that if they gave people sentences to listen to (for example: "The hand took hold of the ball"), the same mirror neurons were triggered as when the action was actually performed (in this example, actually taking hold of a ball).
Any problems with mirror neurons may well result in problems with behavior. Much research suggests that people with social and behavioral problems have mirror neurons which are not fully functioning. However, it is not yet known exactly how these discoveries might help find treatments for social disorders.
Research into mirror neurons seems to provide us with even more information concerning how humans behave and interact (互动). Indeed, it may turn out to be the equivalent (相等物)for neuroscience of what Einstein's theory of relativity was for physics. And the next time you feel the urge to cough in the cinema when someone else does—well, perhaps you'll understand why.Mirror neurons can explain _________.
| A．why we cry when we are hurt |
| B．why we cough when we suffer from a cold |
| C．why we smile when we see someone else smile |
| D．why we yawn when we see someone else stay up late |
The underlined word "triggered" in the third paragraph probably means “_________”.
| A．set off | B．cut off | C．built up | D．broken up |
We can learn from the passage that mirror neurons _________.
| A．relate to human behavior and interaction |
| B．control human physical actions and feelings |
| C．result in bad behavior and social disorders |
| D．determine our knowledge and language abilities |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Ways to find mirror neurons. | B．Problems of mirror neurons. |
| C．Existence of mirror neurons. | D．Functions of mirror neurons. |
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Fastest Time to Run 100 Miles on a Treadmill (跑步机) |
BROKEN |
| The fastest time to run 100 miles on a treadmill by a team (of 12) is claimed at 9hr 5 min 17 sec by a team consisting of staff and prisoners at the Young Offenders Institute in Wigan to raise money for Children in Need. |
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Largest Game of Chinese Whispers |
UNBROKEN |
| Sadly, the record attempt for the largest game of Chinese Whispers was unsuccessful on 13 November 2008. The existing record of 1330 children still remains. |
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Fastest Mile with an Egg/Spoon in both hands |
BROKEN |
| The fastest mile egg and spoon race with both hands is 8 min 25 sec and was achieved by Ashrita Furman (USA) in an attempt broadcast by ESPN 260, at Disney’s Wide World of Sports, in Orlando, Florida, USA, on 13 November 2008. |
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Longest Mexican Wave |
UNBROKEN |
| The record for the Longest Mexican Wave was attempted by 250,000 people on the streets of Adelaide on 8 November 2008 – sadly, the wave was not completed by all participants and the attempt was unsuccessful. The current record of 157, 574 remains. |
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Largest Kebab (烤肉串) |
BROKEN |
| The longest kebab measures 2047.47 m (1.27 miles) and was achieved by the ArcelorMittal Newcastle Works on occasion of the company’s annual Community Day, in Newcastle, South Africa. |
The above information is _________.
| A．a series of sports events |
| B．a list of broken and unbroken records |
| C．a report of funny sports items |
| D．a description of challenging human limits |
Which of the following can NOT be found in the information?
| A．The countries where the attempts were made. |
| B．The persons who made the attempts. |
| C．The reasons why some attempts failed. |
| D．The present record for each item. |
Which item was attempted individually?
| A．Fastest Time to Run 100 Miles on a Treadmill |
| B．Largest Game of Chinese Whispers |
| C．Fastest Mile with an Egg/Spoon in both hands |
| D．Longest Mexican Wave |
A major new development in system of work in Britain is taking place. Flexible working hours, or “Flextime”, are catching on fast, and trend is continuing. In 1973, over 500 organizations had adopted the idea, and by 1974, this number had risen to over 200,000.
Flexible working hours were invented in Germany in the late 1960’s, but reached Britain only in 1972. The system allows workers to start and finish work whenever they want, with only two requirements. These are, firstly, that all workers must present for certain “key” times in the day, and secondly, that all workers must work an agreed total number of hours per week.
The system had proved a total success wherever it has been tried. A survey of 700 workers on flexible hours showed three main advantages: a better balance between working and private life, avoidance of the need to travel during rush hours and the ability to finish a certain task before leaving.
From the employer’s point of view, the system tends to increase productivity, reduce labour turnover and give workers a greater sense of duty. At first, “Flexible” was mainly confined to white-collar workers, but it is now being applied to manual workers too.According to “Flextime” system, workers need not _________.
| A．work at the same time | B．work all the weekdays |
| C．work hard | D．ask for leave when being absent |
“Key” time is a period when _________.
| A．visitors come to the plants |
| B．all workers must be at work |
| C．employers go round in the workshop |
| D．rush hours are over |
No matter where it is used, this system has proved _________.
| A．entirely effective | B．totally correct |
| C．a complete failure | D．quite difficult |
One of the great advantages of “Flextime” for workers is that they _________.
| A．have a great sense of duty | B．can avoid busy traffic |
| C．can get higher pay | D．can avoid working hard |
根据短文内容，从下框A~F选项中选出能概括每段主题的最佳选项。选项中有一项为多余项。
| A. A sense of humour is not an inborn ability. B. A sense of humour can be developed in our life. C. A sense of humour helps us from several aspects. D. A sense of humour means more than telling jokes. E. A sense of humour can be expressed in many ways. F. A sense of humour helps people to better enjoy life. |
As awareness of the benefits of humour increases, most of us want to get all the laughs we can. It seems that almost every day there is another new discovery about the power of humour to help us physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Every system of the body responds to laughter in some important or positive way.
Many people mistakenly believe that we are born with a sense of humour. They think that when it comes to a sense of humour. “Either you have got it or you don’t.” This is
false! What is true, however, is that the ability to laugh and smile is actually something we are born with. For example, we laugh when we are tickled under the arm, even without thinking about how to react.The parts of the brain and central nervous system that control laughing and smiling are mature at birth in human infants, but that is not the same thing as having a sense of humour. (After all, when a baby laughs in his small bed we don’t rush over and say, “That kid has a great sense of humour!”) Your sense of humour is something you can develop over a lifetime. Don’t be nervous before others and try to laugh at yourself-then you will make them laugh too.
Humour includes a lot more than laughing and joke telling. Many people worry needlessly that they do not have a good sense of humour because they are not good joke tellers. More than jokes, a sense of humour requires being willing and able to see the funny side of life’s situations as they happen. In fact, one of the best definitions（定义）of a sense of humour is “the ability to see the nonserious element in a situation.”
There may be a thousand different ways to express your sense of humour, but joke telling is only one of those ways. As more is discovered about how humour benefits our life, more people will be able to see and enjoy the humour when they are in a difficult situation. Life depends on air, food and water, but it is made easier to live with a good sense of humour.
GU Zhaodi, 60, had taken water for granted for years. In fact, no one in the beautiful lake city of Wuxi, Jiangsu Province had bothered to spare a thought on water.
But all that changed dramatically overnight last month when taps in the city ran dry. Due to a blue-green algae(藻类) outbreak in Taihu Lake, China’s third largest freshwater lake and the source of drinking water for 4 million Wuxi residents(居民),water from the city’s taps became dark and smelly.
“I can’t believe there is no water for drinking, let alone cooking and washing,”said Ｇu.
The lake was blanketed with the algae, giving off a strong smell of rotting meat. A stone thrown into it took a long time to sink. Experts said that algae usually boom because of hot water and rich chemicals like phosphor(磷)in the water.
“High temperature and a lack of rain in the past few months helped the growth of algae,”said Zhang Lijun, an official from the State Environment Protection Administration. “However, pollution from human activity should be most blamed for the disaster.”
Taihu Lake is surrounded by many small factories, whichsprang up in the 1980s.Inthe 1990s,many foreign-funded(外资的) companies joined in. The industries prospered(繁荣)，Wuxi has grown into one of the wealthiest cities in East China.
But that came at the price of pollution. The lake was treated like a waste dump(垃圾堆)，with factories emptying industrial waste and untreated sewage(污水)into it.
Although, after the government's effort, life in the city has gone back to normal, the one-week crisis（危机）rang a bell for the government and local people.“It's time to rebuild the beauty of nature, or our lives will be at risk,”said Gu.
“A safe environment comes first. Economic growth will be nothing without fresh water to drink and clean air to breathe.” said China Daily.The following can not help the blue green algae grow______
| A．high water temperature | B．rich chemicals in the water |
| C．a lack of rain | D．plentiful water and sunshine |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．The one-week disaster has made the local people realize the importance of building a beautiful city. |
| B．It is human activity rather than the algae that is to blame for the water pollution. |
| C．Only when the environment is safe and friendly can man live a better and healthier life. |
| D．Environment should be taken into consideration first if a city plans to develop its economic. |
According to the passage ,Taihu Lake________
| A．is the third largest lake in China. |
| B．is surrounded by many foreign-funded factories and companies. |
| C．used to be a waste dump. |
| D．suffered from industrial waste，untreated sewage and algae. |
The underlined phrase “sprang up” in the sixth paragraph means______
| A．develop quickly | B．produce goods quickly |
| C．come to life | D．grow up |