The 16-year-old girl Jessica Watson is said to be the youngest person to sail non-stop alone around the world. But her record has been questioned because someone thought that she has not sailed far enough. She will also not be recognized by the World Speed Sailing Record Council, as it was too dangerous for someone under 18 years old.
Ms Watson sailed into Sydney port on Saturday, seven months after leaving on a hard voyage. Family, friends and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd have gathered to greet her. Thousands of well-wishers waited at the port and watched from boats as Ms Watson sailed her pink, 10m boat over the finishing line. Many more Australians watched the event broadcast live on television. Watson said she was just an “ordinary girl who believed in her dream”.
Ms Watson left Sydney on 18 October, despite that some people disagreed her plan. Watson traveled northeast through the South Pacific and across the equator (赤道), south to Cape Horn at the tip of South America, across the Atlantic Ocean to South Africa, through the Indian Ocean and around southern Australia. The route took her through some of the world’s most changeful waters, and she battled through huge storms and suffered seven accidents of her boat.
People around the world have followed Ms Watson’s adventures on her blog, which she has daily updated (更新). On her blog, she wrote down beautiful sunrise over seas, the excitement of meeting a blue whale and the bright, terrible sight of a shooting star flying across the night sky above her boat. Ms Watson has reportedly sold her story to a news company for $700,000. She is planning to write a book on her experience. Which of the following oceans didn’t Ms Watson cross through in her voyage?
| A．The Pacific Ocean | B．The Atlantic Ocean |
| C．The Indian Ocean | D．The Arctic Ocean. |
Ms Watson’s voyage will NOT be considered an official world record mainly because ____.
| A．no one can prove that her route was dangerous enough |
| B．she hasn’t applied for the record |
| C．girls are not allowed to take part in the dangerous sports |
| D．teenagers re not encouraged to take such a dangerous adventure |
We can make a conclusion from this passage that Watson ____.
| A．would make another voyage for money |
| B．made the world round voyage for money |
| C．had no way to communicate with others during the voyage. |
| D．is so confident and brave that she could overcome troubles on her own |
All the following can be inferred from this passage EXCEPT that ____.
| A．her book about her voyage is a best seller |
| B．people in Australia had much interest in her voyage |
| C．she spent more than 200 days alone at sea |
| D．people have different attitudes towards her voyage |
◆Walking tall, and safely
Some women simply refuse to give up high heels, despite slush ( 雪泥) , ice and snow. Now there's Winter Trax for them, designed to fit over high-heel boots and make their walk on the wild side a little more safe. Metal coils (圈 ) wrap around rubber at the front end of the shoe, with the heel end open.
◆Snow skirt steps up into fashion
Down with snow pants. Up with snow skirts! Montreal's Fantasy Wolrd Heroes has created these skirts to layer over minis and jeans as the snow season sets in. In a range of colors and available in wool, lends and quiltings, they come in four sizes and adjustable.
◆
Doc Martens, those army-inspired leather boots, are back. They were last popular when Kurt Cobain was all the rage(风靡一时 ). So far, just a few teens and fashion people have been spotted wearing the slight fat boots, but they have already appeared on stylish models like Irina Lazareanu and Agyness Deyn.
Neon stores sold Doc Martens 15 years ago and its owner Irving Tajfel wasn't sure at first if he was ready to relive the trend.
"I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw Doc Martens at a fashion fair in Barcelona last year. Then I saw all the cool fashion kids wearing them in Paris. That got me thinking that it was about time Doc Martens came back in style here." Tajfel said.We can know from the passage that WinterTrax .
| A．makes women like Doc Martens more |
| B．protects the back end of high-heel boots |
| C．makes women enjoy high-heel:boots in winter |
| D．protects women from being robbed |
When in Barcelona last year, Irving Tajfel probably_ .
| A．wore a pair of Doc Martens |
| B．found Doc Martens was put on show |
| C．placed an order for Doc Martens |
| D．saw fashion kids wearing Doc Martens |
Which of the following can be used to fill in the blank?
| A．Leather boots are popular again |
| B．Kurt Cobain and its music |
| C．How to choose high-quality boots |
| D．Doc Martens make a brave return |
What is this passage mainly about?
| A．High-heel boots. | B．Seasons. |
| C．Clothes fashion. | D．Weather. |
If you are trying to achieve big goals in your life and work, the chances are that, from time to time, you hit rock bottom. Nothing works, nothing goes right, and nothing succeeds. At times like these, you may feel like throwing in the towel. But before you do, read the following story. It might just change your mind.
One day, a small business owner decided he'd had enough. Enough of the endless work, enough of the lack of response, enough of the disturbing loneliness.
He went into the woods to have one last talk to the wise man. "Mr. wise man," he said. "Can you give me one good reason why I shouldn't give up?"
The answer took him by surprise. "Look around you," the wise man said. "Do you see the fern f蕨类植物）and the bamboo?"
“Yes:' the man replied.
“When I planted the fern and the bamboo, I took very good care of them. I gave them both equal amounts of food and water. I gave them sunlight in spring and protected them from the storms in autumn. The fern quickly grew from the earth. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not give up on the bamboo. In the, second year, the fern grew even better than before but nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not give up on the bamboo. In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But l would not give up. In year four, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. Still would not give up."
Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout(芽)came out from the earth. Compared to the fern it was seemingly small. But day by day the sprout grew. Within six months, the sprout had risen to a height of 100 feet. It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive." "Did you know, young man, that all this time you have been struggling, you have been growing? Grow the roots that you need to produce your fruit."
"Don't compare yourself to others. All things have different purposes, and different journeys. The bamboo has a different purpose from the fern. Yet they both make the forest beautiful. Your time will come. You will rise high."
The small business owner left the forest. And never went back.
If nothing seems like it is happening in your life, despite all the work you're putting in, remember that you're probably growing roots not fruit. Stick with it. One day not far from now, there'll be a great harvest.The underlined phrase "throwing in the towel" in Paragraph l probably means .
| A．crying out | B．showing off |
| C．giving up | D．running away |
After the wise man planted the fern and the bamboo,
| A．he cared for the fern only |
| B．they didn't receive any care from him |
| C．he gave up the bamboo in the fifth year |
| D．the bamboo seed never stopped growing |
From the passage we can conclude that the small business owner will
| A．not turn to the wise man for help again |
| B．not give up in face of difficulties |
| C．give up his business later |
| D．grow some bamboo later |
Which of the following best describes the story in the passage?
| A．Never give up hope. |
| B．Practice makes perfect. |
| C．Time and tide wait for nobody. |
| D．One should try and achieve bigger goals in life. |
To Friend or Not To Friend
We all love our parents and turn to them when we’re in need, but would you like them to hear the conversations you have with your friends on the school playground or lunch queue? Social networking sites have become extensions of the school hallways, so would you add your parents as “friends” and allow them to view your online activities and conversations with friends?
In the past the generation gap included a technology gap, where children were up to date with latest technology and parents were left behind, content to continue their day to day lives as they always had because they had no need to know more about technology. However, more and more parents are beginning to realize just how important social networks are in their lives. This realization has given many parents the motivation to education themselves about social networking sites.
These days many people are attracted to social networking sites because they can choose who they have around them; there’s also a certain amount of control over privacy that we don’t get in real life. Sometimes we feel that privacy is violated when we must accept a “friend” request from a parent or family member.
It’s a difficult choice whether or not to allow a parent to become a part of our online lives. On the one hand we don’t want to “reject” their request because that might hurt their feelings or make them feel you have something to hide. On the other hand if you do accept, then you could have a sense of being watched and no longer feel free to comment or communicate the way you did before.
A recent survey suggested that parents shouldn’t take it personally if their child ignores their request, “When a teen ignores a parent’s friend request, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they are hiding something, but it could mean that this is one part of their life where they want to be independent.”
Perhaps talking with parents and giving explanations would help soften the blow if you do choose not to add them to your friends list. From Paragraph 2, we learn that _______.
| A．parents feel secure about their privacy online |
| B．social networks successfully fill the generation gap |
| C．parents have realized the importance of social networks |
| D．social networks offer a platform for parents to communicate |
Teenagers may refuse a parent’s friend request because _______.
| A．they hide something from their parents |
| B．they are unwilling to be watched by parents |
| C．their parents tend to fall behind in technology |
| D．their parents make negative comments on them |
The passage is mainly about _______.
| A．privacy online |
| B．social networks |
| C．the generation gap |
| D．parents’ friend requests |
The passage is written mainly for _______.
| A．parents | B．teenagers |
| C．teachers | D．researchers |
Last week I talked with some of my students about what they wanted to do after they graduated, and what kind of job prospects they thought they had.
Given that I teach students who are training to be doctors, I was surprised to find that most thought that they would not be able to get the jobs they wanted without “outside help”. “What kind of help is that?” I asked, expecting them to tell me that they would need a relative or family friend to help them out.
“Surgery(外科手术)”, one replied.
I was pretty alarmed by that response. It seems that the graduates of today are increasingly willing to go under the knife to get ahead of others when it comes to getting a job.
One girl told me that she was considering surgery to increase her height. “They break your legs, put in special extending screws, and slowly expand the gap between the two ends of the bone as it re-grows, you can get at least 5 cm taller!”
At that point, I was shocked. I am short, I can’t deny that, but I don’t think I would put myself through months of agony(痛苦) just to be a few centimeters taller. I don’t even bother to wear shoes with thick soles, as I’m not trying to hide the fact that I am just not tall!
It seems to me that there is a trend toward wanting “perfection”, and that is an ideal that just does not exist in reality.
No one is born perfect, yet magazines, TV shows and movies present images of thin, tall, beautiful people as being the norm. Advertisements for slimming aids, beauty treatments and cosmetic surgery clinics fill the pages of newspapers, further creating an idea that “perfection” is a requirement, and that it must be purchased, no matter what the cost.
In my opinion, skills, rather than appearance, should determine how successful a person is in his chosen career. We can know from the passage that the author works as ________.
| A．a doctor | B．a model |
| C．a teacher | D．a reporter |
Many graduates today turn to cosmetic s surgery to ________.
| A．marry a better man\woman |
| B．become a model |
| C．get an advantage over others in job-hunt |
| D．attract more admirers |
According to the passage, the author believes that ________.
| A．everyone should purchase perfection, whatever the cost |
| B．it’s right for graduates to ask for others to help them out in hunting for jobs |
| C．it is one’s appearance instead of skills that really matters in one’s career |
| D．media are to blame for misleading young people in their seeking for surgery |
The best title for the passage should be “________”.
| A．Young Graduates Have Higher Expectation |
| B．Young Graduates Look to Surgery for Better Jobs |
| C．Young Graduates’ Opinion About Cosmetic Surgery |
| D．Young Graduates Face a Different Situation in Job-hunt |
A team of British surgeons has carried out Gaza’s（加沙）first organ transplants for a long-term plan to train local medical staff to perform the operations.
Two patients underwent kidney（肾脏）transplants at the Shifa, Gaza’s biggest public hospital. The operations were conducted a fortnight ago by a volunteer medical team from the Royal Liverpool hospital.
Ziad Matouk, 42, was born with one kidney and was diagnosed with renal failure（肾衰竭）several years ago. Matouk, whose wife donated one of her kidneys, hopes to return to his job within six months. The couple had sought a transplant in Cairo, but were rejected as unsuitable at a state hospital and could not afford the fee at a private hospital. “We were desperate,” said Matouk.
The UK-Gaza link-up began about a year ago after Abdelkader Hammad, a doctor at the Royal Liverpool hospital, was contacted by an anaesthetist（麻醉师）at the Shifa, who outlined the difficulties the Gaza hospital was facing with dialysis（透析）. The Shifa is forced to rely on generators because of power cuts; spare parts for its ageing dialysis machines have been difficult to import; and supplies of consumables are often scarce. After an exploratory trip last April, Hammad---whose family is Palestinian---and three colleagues from Liverpool arrived in Gaza via Egypt last month, bringing specialist equipment. Two patients were selected for surgery. The first, Mohammed Duhair, 42, received a kidney donated by his younger brother in a six-hour operation. Two days later, Matouk received a transplant after his wife, Nadia, 36, was found to be a good match. The surgeon was carried out by the British team, assisted by doctors and nurses from the Shifa. “We are very satisfied with the results,” said Sobbi Skaik, head of surgery at the Gaza hospital.
Skaik hopes that Gaza medical teams will eventually carry out kidney transplants independently, and that other organ transplants may follow. The Shifa is working with the Gaza ministry of health on a plan to train its doctors, surgeons, nursing staff and laboratory technicians in transplant surgery at the Royal Liverpool. “Funding is a problem,” said Hammad. “In the meantime we’ll go back as volunteers to Gaza for the next couple of years to do more transplants.” The Liverpool team’s next visit is scheduled for May. What effect does Gaza’s first organ transplants hopes to get?
| A．Helping poor Gaza people to regain health to make more money. |
| B．Releasing Gaza hospitals’ pressure of lack of professional doctors. |
| C．Assisting the Royal Liverpool hospital in perfecting their operations. |
| D．Calling for international attention at Gaza’s poor medical service. |
Why did the state hospital refuse to practice surgeon for Ziad Matouk?
| A．Because he couldn’t afford the fee at a public hospital. |
| B．Because the hospital didn’t accept dangerous patients. |
| C．Because they couldn’t find a matched organ. |
| D．Because his condition was untreatable. |
What is the beginning of the cooperation between the Royal Liverpool hospital and Gaza?
| A．A UK doctor contacted Gaza hospital. |
| B．The Shifa imported medical machines from UK. |
| C．Ziad Matouk’s condition seemed to get worse. |
| D．A Shifa doctor turned to Royal Liverpool hospital for help. |
What did Dr. Hammad and his team do recently?
| A．They had an exploratory trip in Egypt last April. |
| B．They carried out surgeries to test Gaza’s medical equipment. |
| C．They carried out two transplant surgeries in Gaza. |
| D．They sought assistance from the hospital of the Shifa. |