Love, success, happiness, family and freedom----how important are these values to you? Here is one interview which explores the fundamental questions in life.
Question: Could you introduce yourself first?
Answer: My name is Misbah, 27 years old.I was born in a war-torn area.Right now I’m a web designer.
Q: What are your great memories?
A: My parents used to take us to hunt birds, climb trees, and play in the fields.For me it was like a holiday because we were going to have fun all day long.Those are my great memories.
Q: Does your childhood mean a lot to you?
A: Yes.As life was very hard, I used to work to help bring money in for the family.I spent my childhood working, with responsibilities beyond my age.However, it taught me to deal with problems all alone.I learnt to be independent.
Q: What changes would you like to make in your life?
A: If I could change something in my life, I’d change it so that my childhood could have taken place in another area.I would have loved to live with my family in freedom.Who cares whether we have much money, or whether we have a beautiful house? It doesn’t matter as long as I can live with my family and we are safe.
Q: How do your get along with your parents?
A: My parents supported me until I came of age.I want to give back what I’ve got.That’s our way.But I am working in another city.My only contact with my parents now is through the phone, but I hate using it.It filters(过滤) out your emotion and leaves your voice only.My deepest feelings should be passed through sight, hearing and touch.In Misbah’s childhood, .
A.he was free from worry |
B.he liked living in the countryside |
C.he was fond of getting close to nature |
D.he often spent holidays with his family |
What did Misbah desire most in his childhood?
A.Peace and freedom | B.A beautiful house. |
C.A colorful life. | D.Money for his family. |
How would Misbah prefer to communicate with his parents?
A.By chatting on the Internet. | B.By calling them sometimes. |
C.By paying weekly visits. | D.By writing them letters. |
If there were only one question left, what would it most probably be?
A.What was your childhood dream? | B.What is your biggest achievement? |
C.What is your parents’ view of you? | D.What was your hardest experience in the war? |
Taking a picture of your tongue with a mobile phone could soon instantly tell you how healthy you are.
Researchers believe the images could reveal important information about a patient’s health—and even give them early warning of serious illness. A team at the University of Missouri is developing a system that can analyze pictures using a 5,000-year-old Chinese principle. It is based on the flow and balance of positive and negative energies in the body, and uses the tongue as a key to the physical health, or “zheng”, of a person. “Within a year, our ultimate goal is to create an application for smartphones that will allow anyone to take a photo of their tongue and learn the status of their zheng.”
The software analyses images based on the tongue’s color and coating to distinguish between tongues showing signs of ‘hot’ or ‘cold’ zheng. Shades of red and yellow are associated with hot zheng, whereas a white coating on the tongue is a sign of cold zheng. “Hot and cold zheng doesn’t refer directly to body temperature,” said Xu, “Rather, it refers to a series of symptoms associated with the state of the body as a whole.”
For the study, 263 gastritis(胃炎) patients and 48 healthy volunteers had their tongues analyzed. The gastritis patients were classified by whether they showed infection by a certain bacteria, known as Helicobacter pylori(幽门螺旋杆菌), as well as the intensity of their gastritis symptoms. In addition, most of the gastritis patients had been previously classified with either hot or cold zheng.
This allowed the researchers to prove the accuracy of the software’s analysis.
“Our software was able to classify people based on their zheng status,” said study co-author Ye Duan, associate professor of computer science at MU.
“As we continue to work on the software we hope to improve its ability,” Duan said. “Eventually everyone will be able to use this tool at home using webcams or smartphone applications”.
“That will allow them to monitor their zheng and get an early warning about possible ailments.”According to Chinese medicine, zheng refers to__________.
A.the color and coating of one’s tongue |
B.one’s body temperature |
C.the physical health of a person |
D.the possible illness of a person |
The study led by Dong Xu proves__________.
A.the greatness of Chinese medicine |
B.the effects of the software |
C.the software’s great prospect |
D.the advancement of smart phones |
The underlined word “ailments” can be replaced by__________.
A.analysis | B.illnesses |
C.effects | D.applications |
It can be inferred from the passage that__________.
A.the software still needs improvement |
B.the software has been in market for a year |
C.the subjects in the study are all gastritis patients |
D.the subjects in the study are classified by age |
English is fast becoming the only language of a new generation of educated Arabs.
This isn't a good thing for the region or the rest of the world. The journalism school at the AUD(迪拜美国大学)is the only modern program in the Middle East that allows students to study in Arabic. Still, many students arrive with poorly written Arabic and the formal spoken language and require refresher Arabic language courses.
Literacy(识字能力) in the Gulf States is 98%, according to UNESCO. But that literacy is increasingly in English, not Arabic.
This English bias(偏爱) starts early, with children in private "model" schools in the United Arab Emirates studying all their subjects, including math and science, in English. But the trend appears to be taking hold regionwide. In Saudi Arabia, many upper-middle-class families speak English at home -- not just at work .
One Arabic official told me his own children do not speak Arabic fluently. He said he put them in English schools to help ensure they'd have great career prospects. But now he says he regrets that his children don't feel comfortable speaking the language of their forefathers.
Why is there the anxiety among these elites? I am continually told that what I've experienced anecdotally is true: The wealthier the family, the less likely its members speak Arabic at home. If people in the same country don't speak the same language, how can they work across class lines to solve the problems of high unemployment that affect even oil-rich Saudi Arabia?
For executives(行政主管) trying to build local businesses, the English bias is a challenge. The dean of the AUD's school of journalism, Ali Al Jaber, told me, "If you can't address your own people, then you can't be successful."
Sure, English is the world's business language. More Chinese are learning English right now than there are Americans in the U.S. But China has struck a bilingual balance. Its research universities teach some of the world's brightest minds in Chinese. Professor Wardeh finds much for Arab nations to admire in this model.The passage mainly tells us_____________.
A.English is the world’s business language |
B.the English bias in Saudi Arabia |
C.the school education in Saudi Arabia |
D.the bilingual balance in China |
Many Arabic parents prefer their children to speak English because__________.
A.they think it’s a symbol of class |
B.English is the world’s business language |
C.they consider Arabic hard to learn |
D.they believe it’s an advantage in their future careers |
The underlined phrase “this model” refers to__________
A.the education system in China |
B.the popularity of English in Saudi Arabia |
C.to popularize English in upper-class families |
D.to improve literacy in Arabic countries |
We can know from the passage that__________.
A.the popularity of English in Saudi Arabia is a good thing |
B.there is no problem of unemployment in Saudi Arabia |
C.the poor in Saudi Arabia are more likely to speak Arabic |
D.the English bias doesn’t affect the local business |
If I had known the following things when I was in high school, my life would have been 100% easier back then and probably would have helped me greatly. I realized some of these things I was told but being young and ignorant I refused to listen.
1.Your high school sweetheart will probably not be your spouse.
When I was in school, I thought my boyfriend and I were the “one and only true love”. Honestly as most young people do, statistically only like 2% of people end up marrying their high school sweethearts and even if they do they probably won’t be as happy as they were in high school. Being an adult is very stressful and your relationships become different.
2. __________________________________________________
How many kids play sports per year? How many kids are good enough to get a scholarship by playing sports? How many of them even make it to the Olympics after college or university? The kids who actually stay at home and focus on getting good at computers or math are the ones who make the most in the adult world financially.
3. It doesn’t matter what university you go to.
I was convinced I was going to go to a great art school when I graduated and I was so stressed out about it that I ended up dropping out of school. In reality my life wasn’t over; I only got my GED a year ago but I am in a decent school now. In the real world when you go to apply somewhere all they care about is “do you have a degree or a certification”?
4. Your friends probably won’t be your friends after you graduate.
I really thought I was going to get an apartment with my friends and our kids were going to grow up together. The truth is, when people grow up they move, have kids, get married, and therefore change. You will change; you will not be the same person you were. High school is just a transitional period of your life. So don’t worry about who is saying what about you or who is making fun of whom. What is the purpose of the passage?
A.To recall the experiences in high school. |
B.To warn high school students about love in high school. |
C.To give advice to high school students. |
D.To encourage high school students to focus on study. |
The writer once dropped out of a college because __________.
A.she decided to marry her sweetheart |
B.she was bearing too much pressure |
C.her family was going through financial problems |
D.she was offered a good job before graduation |
Why do many sweethearts in high school get separated later?
A.They aren’t able to go to the same university. |
B.Their parents won’t approve of their relationships. |
C.They will meet much better persons after growing up. |
D.There will be more pressure and their feelings may change. |
Which of the following subtitles can fill in the underlined blank?
A.Your teachers are not always right. |
B.You can’t make lifelong friends in high school. |
C.The unpopular kids are the ones who make the most money. |
D.Education in life actually starts after graduation. |
Which of the following statements is FALSE?
A.The writer had never heard about the advice above in high school. |
B.In real world employers don’t care so much about which school you graduated from. |
C.Relationships in high school won't have great effect on your later life. |
D.It’s not easy to earn scholarships by playing sports for high school students. |
The story of the day I lost my best friend to a car accident. The day a precious life was taken from us way too soon.
It was a bright and Sunny day in November. Thanksgiving had been celebrated only two days before. Since it was a holiday weekend I had been on the phone with Greg the night before many times. His dad didn't want him to come over because of the holiday. I guess he finally wore him down and he called and said, “I can stay”. So, my mom, brother, and I went to pick him up. He was always smiling. The complete opposite of my shy self, Greg was always the life of the party.
We got two large pizzas that Friday night. I’ve never known anyone in my entire life who loved to eat more than Greg. That’s the way he was though. He was just enjoying life. And if it meant gaining weight or whatever, so be it. He would sit back and put his hands on his belly and just laugh. We (Greg, David, and I) did so many funny things together and had such great times. Things we should have done and things we shouldn’t have done, I’ll “Never” forget.
On Saturday morning Dad took us out for breakfast. We all finished eating and followed my Dad up to the cashier. Greg asked Dad if he could have a candy bar. I looked at Greg shaking my head. He just laughed. After breakfast, Father took us to my Mom’s house.
When we got out at Mom’s house there was no one home. So, one of us grabbed a big wheel and rode it down the steep driveway into the street. Just boys being boys. Greg and I did it several times until the last time. The car hit him on the head, knocking him around 75-- 100 yards. My brother and I both ran screaming just yelling for help and crying. One of the neighbors called 911. I was in shock. That day was forever etched(铭刻) into our memories.
It still hurts to think about it. Wishing we could have grown old together. Wondering how it would have been. I’m sure It WOULD HAVE BEEN GREAT.We can describe Greg as__________.
A.impolite and greedy | B.easy-going and optimistic |
C.shy and unconfident | D.friendly and brave |
Which shows the right order of the following events?
①Greg died of an accident while playing in the street.
②Greg went out for breakfast with the author.
③The author together with his bother and mom went to meet Greg.
④The three boys went out for Pizzas and had great fun.
⑤The author invited Greg to spend the weekend at his house.
A.②①④③⑤ | B.⑤②③①④ |
C.①②⑤④③ | D.⑤③④②① |
Why did the author shake his head hearing Greg’s request?
A.He thought Greg was too impolite to his father. |
B.He wondered why Greg liked eating so much. |
C.He was afraid his father couldn’t afford it. |
D.He was sure Greg would put on weight. |
Have you ever wondered why birds sing? Maybe you thought that they were just happy. After all, you probably sing or whistle when you are happy.
Some scientists believe that birds do sing some of the time just because they are happy. However, they sing most of the time for a very different reason. Their singing is actually a warning to other birds to stay out of their territory.
Do you know what a “territory” is? A territory is an area that an animal, usually the male, claims (声称)as its own. Only he and his family are welcome there. No other families of the same species are welcome. Your yard and house are your territory where only your family and friends are welcome. If a stranger should enter your territory and threaten you, you might shout. Probably this would be enough to frighten him away.
If so, you have actually scared the stranger away without having to fight him. A bird does the same thing. But he expects an outsider almost any time, especially at nesting season. So he is screaming all the time, whether he can see an outsider or not. This screaming is what we call a bird’s song, and it is usually enough to keep an outsider away.
Birds sing loudest in the spring when they are trying to attract a mate and warn others not to enter the territory of theirs.
You can see that birds have a language all their own. Most of it has to do with attracting mates and setting up territories.What is a bird’s “territory”?
A.A place where families of other species are not accepted. |
B.A place where a bird may shout at the top of its voice. |
C.An area for which birds fight against each other. |
D.An area which a bird considers to be its own |
Why do birds keep on singing at nesting season?
A.Because they want to invite more friends. |
B.Because their singing helps frighten outsiders away. |
C.Because they want to find outsiders around. |
D.Because their singing helps get rid of their fears. |
How does the writer explain birds’ singing?
A.By describing birds’ daily life. |
B.By reporting experiment results. |
C.By comparing birds with human beings. |
D.By telling |