We often hear the phrase: "You've a greater chance of being struck by lightning." It is used to describe something that hasn't got much chance of happening. However, the common saying undermines(掩盖) the very real dangers of lightning.
Last Friday, at least 5 people were killed by lightning in Nepal(尼泊尔).
Lightning strikes are the second most common cause of deaths during natural disasters in the US. The first is floods. Around 400 people nationwide are struck by lightning each year, and of those, 73 people die. There are more people killed by lightning than by tornadoes and hurricanes.
Because lightning kills only one or two people at a time, its danger does not receive as much attention as other disasters.
So to raise awareness, the US has made June 22-28 National Lightning Safety Week. It aims to warn the public of the dangers of lightning and provide safety tips during thunderstorms.
"If you hear thunder, you are in danger of lightning," said Rocky Lopes, a disaster educator at the American Red Cross.
"Thunder means that lightning is close enough to hit you at any minute, so you should move indoors immediately and stay there until after the storm has ended. The single most important thing to remember is to seek a hiding place," Lopes said.
Summer is the high time for lightning storms, so when lightning strikes across the sky, remember these safety tips:
Stop working, fishing, swimming or playing in open fields.
If you can count less than ten seconds between a thunder and a lightning flash, take cover inside the nearest building.
Do not stand under a tree.
Get off bicycles or motorcycles.
Crouch down(蹲下)if there is no hiding place.
Avoid open spaces, wire fences, metal objects and electrical objects such as hair driers. The popular opinion about being struck by lightening is that ______.
| A．there’s a greater chance for being killed by lightening than any other natural disaster |
| B．it is the most dangerous among all the natural disasters |
| C．the chance for a person to be struck by lightening is very small |
| D．it is impossible for people to be killed by lightening |
The average death rate of being struck by lightening in US is about _______.
| A．18% | B．50% | C．30% | D．73% |
thunder in the open air______.
| A．just stand by your bicycles and motorcycles |
| B．quickly find a place to go inside |
| C．count ten seconds between a thunder and a lightening |
| D．don’t have a hair drier in your hand |
According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．There are more people killed by tornadoes and hurricanes than by lightening in US each year. |
| B．There are on average 5 persons killed by lightening in Nepal each day. |
| C．The death rate of being stuck by lightening is much higher than by other natural disasters. |
D．The National Lightening Safety Week is made to warn the public against the lightening. |
The young man arrived on the Massachusetts beach early carrying a radio, a shovel(铁锹), and a strange set of tools: a brick layer’s trowel, a palette knife, spatulas, spoons, and a spray bottle.
He walked down near the water — the tide(潮水) was out — and switched on the radio to listen to soft rock. Then he shoveled wet sand into a pile nearly four feet high and as many feet across. Then he created a square shape.
After that, he set to work with palette knife, spatulas, and spoons. He shaped a splendid tower, topped walls, fashioned beautiful bay windows, and carved (雕刻)out a big front gate.
The man knew his sand. He smoothly finished some surfaces and carved artistic designs on others. As the shapes began to dry, he gently kept them slightly wet with water from the spray bottle, in case they might break in the wind.
All this took hours. People gathered. At last he stood back, obviously satisfied with a castle worthy of the Austrian countryside or Disneyland.
Then he gathered his tools and radio and moved them up to drier sand. He had known for a while what many in the crowd still ignored: the tide was coming in. Not only had he practiced his art with confidence and style, he also had done so against a powerful, irresistible(不可抵抗的) deadline.
As the crowd looked on, water came at the base of the castle. In minutes it was surrounded. Then the rising flood began to eat into the base, walls fell, the tower fell, and finally the gate fell. More minutes passed, and small waves erased bay windows — soon no more than a small part was left.
Many in the crowd looked terribly sad; some voiced fear and discouragement. But the man remained calm. He had, after all, had a wonderful day, making beauty out of nothing, and watching it return to nothing as time and tide moved on.In this passage, why did the young man start early in the day?
| A．He needed the sun to help dry the sand. |
| B．It gave plenty of time for the crowd to gather. |
| C．He knew the tide was out on this particular morning. |
| D．It was easier to begin his work with only a few people around. |
In this passage, what does the incoming tide signal?
| A．It is time to begin working. |
| B．It is the end of a day’s work. |
| C．It is the busiest time of the day. |
| D．It is time for lookers-on to leave. |
How did the lookers-on react when the tide began to come in?
| A．They were disappointed to see the art ruined. |
| B．They tried their best to save the sand castle. |
| C．They were nervous about their own belongings. |
| D．They helped the artist finish the castle. |
We can tell that the young man’s reward for his work is ___________.
| A．payment for his work | B．personal satisfaction |
| C．popularity as an artist | D．attention from the crowd |
A father with Parkinson's disease was arrested as he watched the Olympic cycling road race because he failed to smile or look as if he was enjoying himself.
Mark Worsfold, a martial arts trainer and former soldier, claims that he was thrown to the floor and handcuffed just as cyclists passed by. His worried wife Nicola only found out he was being held after she reported him missing when he did not turn up for their daughter's ninth birthday party. The 54yearold man had his fingerprints, DNA and mugshot taken before being questioned about why he did not appear to be enjoying the event on July 28. Police said Mr. Worsfold, who was held for over five hours, was arrested because of his manner，his state of dress and his being too near to the course. A spokesman added that the arrest was necessary to avoid a breach(破坏) of the peace because he was standing near a group of protesters(抗议者)．
But Mr. Worsfold, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2010, said that one of the symptoms of the disease is muscle rigidity, which can cause his face to become expressionless. “I was sitting minding my own business”， he told a local newspaper. “Before I knew anything the police grabbed me off this sevenfoot wall, threw me to the floor and handcuffed me, so all I saw of the cycle race was between the feet of people from the pavement. It could have been done better. I was arrested for not smiling. I have Parkinson's disease.”
Mr. Worsfold has since asked for a letter of not being guilty from police. The officers who made the arrest have apologized to him.Which word can be used to replace the underlined word “mugshot” in the second paragraph?
| A．Clothes. | B．Photos. | C．Measures. | D．Tools. |
Which statement is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Worsfold's wife was immediately informed of his being arrested by the police. |
| B．Worsfold was arrested because he was extremely dangerous. |
| C．Worsfold enjoyed the cycle race though he saw it between the feet of people from the pavement. |
| D．Worsfold was arrested because of his clothes as well as his facial expression. |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．The officers must have been punished for Worsfold's arrest. |
| B．Worsfold has an expressionless face and probably looks strong. |
| C．The officers apologized to Worsfold after one day's arrest. |
| D．Worsfold was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease four years ago. |
They can be seen more frequently than ever before on college campuses, wearing flannel(法兰绒) and thickframed glasses while listening to music. One might find them playing unusual musical instruments, shopping at secondhand stores or expressing themselves in other unique ways.
They call themselves hipsters. Being “hip” used to mean following the latest fashion. But gradually the word has become a sign of “being cool, unique and unusual”．
Hipsters value independent thinking, progressive politics, an appreciation of creativity and intelligence. Hipsters take pains and pride in not being mainstream. However, their culture has become quite trendy. This irony(讽刺) is central to their culture and offers an interesting conflict.
“I do take things in the mainstream with a positive attitude，” says Ben Polson, a college student at Brown University. “But sometimes I also question what determines popularity, especially regarding music.” Polson represents many hipsters.
When lessknown bands become popular, they often lose their former fan base in exchange for a new one. There is a famous hipster saying that goes, “I used to like that band before it got popular，” Polson quoted.
According to Polson, bands' music changes when they go mainstream. They become less experimental, doing things just to save popularity and fans. The original elements that we were drawn to slowly disappear for the sake of popularity.
Many young adults have started to view hipsters' outlook as cool and they are adopting hipsters' antimainstream culture mind to themselves. This has led to specialized brands, stores and music for the hipster consumers. But on the other hand, some such stores, including clothing labels Urban Outfitters and American Apparel, have gained mainstream popularity. This has seemingly made the antimainstream culture become weaker.
“A lot of people that are selfdefined hipsters aren't really hipsters. They're just trying to act as hipsters to seem cooler，” says Amanda Leopold, a college student from Oberlin College, US. Although Leopold has many unusual tastes and seems quite individualist, she refuses to classify herself as a hipster.In the passage, hipsters refer to people ________.
| A．who are fans of pop music |
| B．who study in different colleges |
| C．who appear cool and unusual |
| D．who try to attract others |
According to the author, ________.
| A．hipsters are the pioneers of the mainstream |
| B．hipsters are unhappy with the mainstream |
| C．hipsters' culture exists mainly in music field |
| D．hipsters' culture can also become popular |
What is the main idea of the seventh paragraph?
| A．Urban Outfitters and American Apparel are famous clothing labels. |
| B．Hipster consumers have more specialized brands, stores and music. |
| C．Antimainstream culture can gain mainstream popularity. |
| D．The culture of hipsters is becoming more and more terrible. |
When describing hipsters, the author speaks ________.
| A．in an ironic voice | B．in an objective voice |
| C．in an angry voice | D．in a funny voice |
Angry Birds has become a worldwide gaming mega hit but how did this game come into existence? Rovio is the name of the company that created angry birds, however, it's not the first game they developed. Surprisingly they have been creating games for several years but had just never broken through into the mainstream the way they did with angry birds. The idea for the game came about in 2009 when the company was looking at different ideas for games which they thought could become popular. It was a simple idea spawned from some sketches(素描) of wingless and legless birds which were angry.
The sketches caught on among the staff who in turn created a unique design which became angry birds. The pigs were added into the game later in the development as an enemy. During this period of development, pig flu was being heavily reported in the news which is where the idea for the pigs appeared.
The basis of the game is very simple and is not unique to angry birds but has been seen in many other games previously. It's a simple physics/puzzle game. The player is given a slingshot and a limited supply of angry birds with different characteristics. Some birds are faster than others while others can be split into multiple birds. You control the trajectory(轨迹) of the birds with the slingshot which launches them towards rickety structures containing your main enemy, the pigs. In order to advance to the next level you must eliminate(消灭) all of the pigs before your birds run out.
Rovio has released several different versions of the game at this point. The original, Seasons, and Rio. Seasons is a collection of holiday themed versions of the game while Rio was a movie tie in for the movie Rio. All versions continue to be updated with new levels which are free to those who have previously purchased the game.What's the meaning of the underlined word in the first paragraph?
| A．Turned. | B．Played a role. |
| C．Changed. | D．Came into being. |
In the game, the birds ________.
| A．have different kinds that only include faster birds and slower birds |
| B．have to be controlled to kill all of the pigs before your birds run out |
| C．are the enemy of the pigs which have been infected with pig flu |
| D．lose their temper for the pig flu so they try to kill the pigs |
According to the text, the game players ________.
| A．must pay for this game—angry birds one level by one level |
| B．only pay for once and then it will be updated freely |
| C．should control angry birds to kill all the animals with pig flu |
| D．will become angry easily for playing the game too much |
Which one is the best title of the passage?
| A．The Unknown Game—Angry Birds |
| B．Facts and Hints About the Game Angry Birds |
| C．Rovio Created Famous Games |
| D．Pigs and Angry Birds |
Have you ever had travel problems because your airplane was late? It is a common problem and it is getting worse. Airport delays make people angry and cost the country billions in lost work time.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the government agency that oversees air travel. They studied the problem of airline delays.
They found eleven major problems and suggested eleven ways to fix them. Some of the problems are caused because different regions of the country do things differently. The regions don't talk to each other enough. Some of them need new computers.
Also, more planes are flying. A strong economy has more people using airplanes to get around. Airplanes are a form of mass transportation now, like trains and buses were in the past. More planes in the airport cause delays.
The airport in San Francisco is a good example. It is growing fast. Many people go through San Francisco to get to other places around the world. Ron Wilson of the San Francisco International Airport says, “If you've got 18 flights that all want to take off at 8：00 am and you're on the 18th plane in line, you're going to be 40 minutes late.”
Weather is another main reason for delays. Weather causes about 70% of delays. Fog or freezing rain can cause delays.
The first thing the FAA wants to do is take control away from the regions during heavy traffic times and bad weather. A national center would make decisions on things that affect the whole country. The FAA also wants to put more distance between planes in the sky when the weather is bad. This rule could cause even more delays.
The FAA knows that their solutions will not solve the problems with airport delays. But, they hope to make things better. There are just too many planes, too few traffic controllers, and not enough new technology.FAA found that some of the delay problems are caused by ________ between two regions.
| A．different languages |
| B．technical misunderstanding |
| C．misunderstanding of the rules |
| D．lack of communication |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a reason for airline delays?
| A．A growing number of flights. |
| B．Bad weather. |
| C．A growing population. |
| D．Lack of new technology. |
From the passage we can infer that ________.
| A．FAA is a national center which controls all the flight matters |
| B．FAA has taken control to solve airport delays |
| C．in San Francisco, each plane will delay about 40 minutes |
| D．safety rules during bad weather may cause more delays |
Which of the statements best gives the idea of the passage?
| A．FAA should make decisions to stop airport delays. |
| B．Airport delays are on the rise. |
| C．Travel problems cost billions in lost work time. |
| D．FAA has taken control of air traffic nationwide. |