The website YouTube was created in 2005 and became an overnight success.Google bought YouTube for more than $1,600,000 the following year.In May,YouTube announced that two billion videos were watched each day.
In June,the Guggenheim Museum in New York City announced it would hold a competition among YouTube videos.Now,the judges have chosen the top 125 videos.
The Guggenheim and YouTube launched the competition called“YouTube Play.A Biennial(两年一度)of Creative Video.”The information technology companies HP and Intel are supporting the event.23,000 videos entered the competition.They represented 91 countries and every possible style of movie making.
The rules of the competition were few.Video makers had to be eighteen years or older.They could enter only one video.It had to be no more than ten minutes long.Any language,subject,sound,and style were considered.
Eleven people are judging the videos.They include artists,musicians,and filmmakers.Laurie Anderson is all three.She says all her art starts with a story,so she looks for a story as she judges the videos.
Other judges include the filmmaker Darren Aronofsky,the band Animal Collective,and artist and filmmaker,Shirin Neshat.
New Jersey artist Dahlia Elsayed’s video is one of the finalists.She used the camera in her computer to record herself describing her daily food desires for one month.The video is simple,short,and interesting.
A frightening,but beautiful video came from Chile.The video by Niles Atallah,Joaquin Cocina Varas.and Cristobal Leon is called“Luis”.It is an animated ghostly story of a tense,angry boy.It is very dark,but impossible to stop watching.
“Mars to Jupiter”is a video from Canada by Sterling Pache.It is about a survivor of the 1994 genocide(种族屠杀)in Rwanda.The video explores how her past still haunts(萦绕) her.
Other chosen videos are from France,Spain,Taiwan,Australia,and Israel.Almost thirty countries are represented.You can see them if you link to YouTube Play from our website at voaspecialenglish.com.
People can also see the 125 videos at the Guggenheim museums in New York；Bilbao,Spain;Berlin,Germany;and Venice,Italy.
On October 21,the YouTube Play judges will announce the final twenty winning videos at a special event at the Guggenheim in New York.The Videos will be on View there until October 24.Accoding to the text,YouTube might be
.
| A．a video sharing website |
| B．a supporting company of the event |
| C．a museum in New York City |
| D．a frightening,but beautiful video |
Who were supposed to enter the contest according to the text?
| A．Video makers in English—speaking countries. |
| B．Video makers from New York City. |
| C．Video makers all over the world. |
| D．Video makers under the age of 18. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the text?
| A．The rules of the competition were quite complicated. |
| B．Twenty videos will finally be picked out as the best. |
| C．The style of video was strictly limited. |
| D．Only artists can judge the competitio. |
is a simple and relaxing story about daily life.
| A．“Mars to Jupiter” | B．Niles Atallah’s video |
| C．“Luis” | D．Dahlia Elsayed’s video |
The text is mainly about .
| A．a famous wetsite | B．a famous museum |
| C．some interesting videos | D．a video competition |
Experts say the American state of Hawaii has been invaded (入侵)by a small frog called the coqui (ko--kee). There may be millions of the small frogs in Hawaii. However, they do not belong there. They are normally found in the southeastern United States. The coqui frogs are harming Hawaii’s environment. And the extremely loud noise they make is causing problems for Hawaiian citizens and visitors.
The coqui invaders arrived in Hawaii about ten years ago. They were believed to have been brought in accidentally in shipments of plants from Florida. Their number has sharply increased. They have quickly spread around the Hawaii Islands hidden in plants.
The coqui is a brown frog about five centimeters long. During the day, the frogs hide in wet protected areas, such as under plant leaves. At night, the frogs move onto trees to feed, call to females and mates. The call of the male coqui sounds like. Ko kee! Ko kee!
In the southeastern United States, local people celebrate coqui frogs. But in Hawaii, the foreign frog has been considered as a harmful animal. The coqui frogs are a major danger to Hawaii’s environmental system. The frogs eat thousands of insects (昆虫)every night. These insects are important for the reproduction of plants. The insects also are important food for Hawaii’s native rare birds. The frogs also are affecting the tourism industry in Hawaii. Increasing numbers of hotels, visitors and local people have been annoyed by the loud calls made by male coqui
frogs to female frogs. At night, the noise often makes it difficult for people to sleep.
The frogs do not have any natural enemies in Hawaii to reduce their population size. The warm weather permits them to lay eggs all year long. There are many efforts in Hawaii designed to stop the spread of the coqui. It is a crime to transport ,sell or release(释放)the frogs there.
The Hawaii Department of Agriculture is trying to find an effective chemical that can be safely used to kill the frogs. For now, the frogs may only be caught by hand. The Hawaii Department of Agriculture says the greatest danger to the economy and environment of the state is from harmful species, like the coqui.The statement that can best summarize the main idea of the passage is .
| A．the coqui invaders have seriously affected the tourism industry in Hawaii |
| B．it is not permitted to transport, sell or release the coqui frogs in Hawaii |
| C．the coqui invasion has serious effects on the economy and environment in Hawaii |
| D．great efforts have been made by the Hawaii people to kill the coqui |
The coqui frogs originally arrived in Hawaii .
| A．by chance | B．at the request of all the local citizens |
| C．as a gift | D．as goods demanded in the local market |
Visitors to Hawaii don’t like the coqui frogs mainly because .
| A．they are a big danger to the environmental system there |
| B．the loud noise made by the frogs bother their rest at night |
| C．they affect the reproduction of the local plants and insects |
| D．visitors could no longer see the native rare birds because of them |
The two factors leading to the rapid spread of coqui frogs in Hawaii are .
| A．the frogs’ habit and the environment in Hawaii |
| B．the large number of the insects and the plants in Hawaii |
| C．the geographic location of Hawaii and its tourism industry |
| D．the warm weather there and the frogs’ lack of natural enemies |
You can make the difference between this … and this. But how?
This summer, join the International Conservation (环境保护)Scouts on a fun—filled holiday with a difference. Year after year, young people from all around the world get together at one of our sixteen conservation camps. Their shared aim is to help protect the countryside and its wildlife.
Many animals and plants are in danger of disappearing forever. The dormouse, a kind of mouse, for example, needs woodland plants for food and trees to stay in. Its habitat is being destroyed by man and it needs our help to survive.
On a conservation camp holiday, you’ll learn all about nature and how to protect it. Our trained leaders will accompany you and tell you everything yo
u need to know. Because of this you don’t need any experience, just energy and enthusiasm(热情). You will explore the countryside and work to ensure the survival of hundreds of animals and plants and still have plenty of time to enjoy the camp’s excellent sport games and organized nature paths through beautiful scenery.
The International Conservation S
couts is a world—wide organization, so there must be camp near you. You can spend a splendid holiday at any of the camps for as little as ￡60, including accommodation(住宿)and food.
For more information, send for a free conservation camps handbook today:
The International Conservation Scouts
Stanton St. John
Oxfordshire OX 71 TL
THE KEY TO SAVING WILDLIFE IS TO PROTECT NATURAL, HABITATS
YOUR WORK WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCEThe main purpose of this passage is .
| A．to offer young people a fun—filled dangerous holiday |
| B．to attract young people to attend a conservation camp |
| C．to persuade people into exploring the countryside |
| D．to raise funds for the International Conservation Scouts |
According to the passage, you can at the conservation camps.
| A．do experiment on the usual dormouse |
| B．practise numbers of favorite hobbies |
| C．enrich your knowledge of wildlife |
| D．have free accommodation and food |
Judging from its writing style, this passage seems to be .
| A．a piece of advertisement for the young |
| B．a serious science report for the young |
| C．a passage for professional reading |
| D．a passage for arguing an opinion |
The International Conservation Scouts is located in .
| A．16 different countries | B．some camps near you |
| C．the United Kingdom | D．the beautiful countryside |
Self—employed private doctors who charge a fee each patient’s visit are the foundation of medical practice in the United States. Most doctors have contract relationship with one or more hospitals in the community. They send their patients to this hospital，which usually charges patients according to the number of days they stay and the facilities (operation room, tests, medicines that they use). Some hospitals belong to a city, a state or a government agency. Others are operated by religious orders (教会)or other non—profit groups.
Some medical doctors are on salary. Salaried doctors may work as hospital staff (员工)members, or residents, who are often still in training . They may teach in medical schools, or be hired by corporations to care for their workers to work for the government’s Public Health Service.
Doctors are among the best paid professionals in the United States. In the 1980s, it was not uncommon for medical doctors to earn incomes of more than $100,000 a year. Specialists, particularly surgeons, might earn several times that amount. Doctors list many reasons why they deserve to be so well rewarded for their work. One reason is the long and expensive preparation required to become a doctor in the United States. Most would—be doctors first attend college for four years, which can cost nearly $20,000 a year at one of the best private institutions. Then they attend medical school for four years. Tuition(学费)alone can more than $10,000 a year. By the time they have obtained their medical degrees, many young doctors are deeply in debt. They still face three to five years of residency(实习阶段) in hospital, the first year as an assistant. The hours are long and the pay is relatively low.
Setting up a medical practice is expensive, too. Sometimes several doctors will decide to establish a group practice, so they can share the expense of maintaining an office and buying e
quipment. These doctors also take care of each other’s patients
in emergencies.
Doctors work long hours and must accept a great deal of responsibility. Many medical procedures, even quite practiced many times, still involve risk. It is understandable that doctors want to be well—paid for making 
decisions which can mean the difference between life and death.According to the passage, it is very unlikely that an American hospital is owned by .
| A．a church | B．a corporation | C．a city | D．a state |
The expenses for becoming a doctor are mainly spent on .
| A．schooling and retraining | B．practice in a hospital |
| C．facilities he or she uses | D．education he or she receives |
Sometimes several doctors set up a group medical practice mainly because .
| A．it’s difficult for one doctor to take care of too many patients |
| B．they can take turns to work for long hours |
| C．facilities may be too much of burden for one doctor to shoulder |
D．no one wants to take too much res ponsibility |
The statement that fully expresses the author’s view towards US doctors’ payment is that .
| A．they deserve a very good payment for their expensive education and their responsibility |
| B．it is reasonable for doctors to have a large income because their work is dangerous |
| C．doctors should be better paid because they work long hours in bad conditions |
| D．doctors have great responsibility, so it is understandable that they should be well paid |
Dangerous creatures
Some b
each creatures are wonderful—like dolphins, but others are dangerous. Find out more about the dangerous ones –puffer fish, blue ringed octopus, and stingrays.
| A．be bitten by the blue ringed octopus |
| B．stop breathing because of Puffer Fish |
| C．get a bad sting by the Blue Bottle |
| D．become infected by stingrays |
According to the text, the less aggressive (侵略性)creature is .
| A．the blue ringed octopus | B．puffer fish |
| C．the blue bottle | D．stingray s |
According to this passage, the correct one of
the following is that .
| A．all creatures along the coast of Australia are dangerous |
| B．poisonous creatures change the body color when in danger |
| C．no accident will happen unless people touch these creatures |
| D．if people stand on the beach, accidents can happen because of creatures |
The main idea of this passage is about .
| A．dangerous creatures in the sea | B．interesting creatures in the ocean |
| C．wild creatures in Australia seas | D．different creatures in Australian waters |
Be Healthy ! Be Slim ! Be Beautiful!
Discover the secret for a healthy, slim, and beautiful you !
Discover how to be healthy, slim and beautiful !
I love this healthy diet program because it helps you lose weight, lose inches, feel healthy and look beau
tiful.
This healthy diet is an 8 week’s program which is unlike other diet regimes(食物疗法). In that it focuses on proper nutrition first and weight loss second. Your body must have proper levels of minerals, vitamin, and protein in order to work well. It provides a simple lifestyle change to give you more energy and improve your health most greatly. It offers control over stomach and continuing hunger with a dense diet allowing 1,700 to 2,000 calories a day. If a person has a weight problem, their body probably is not working at proper levels of basic nutrients. We invite you to follow this program, so you can be the slim person who lives inside you.
You too, can love dieting espec
ially if you are losing wei
ght and losing inches.
For more information about our program, please get to our address in the internet:
http://www.Shaklee. net/ lifestyle—for—heath/productsThis passage is mainly about .
| A．how people should keep fit | B．a healthy diet program |
| C．why people should keep fit | D．ways to lose weight |
The underlined phrase “lose inches” in the passage means .
| A．become shorter | B．become taller |
| C．become fatter | D．become thinner |
According to this passage, all of the following are true except that .
| A．this program makes a change in your lifestyle |
| B．this program can stop you from feeling hungry all the time |
| C．this program allows you 1,700 to 2,000 calories for each meal |
| D．this program tries to tell us what people should do to become slim |
If you click “ http://www.Shaklee. net/ lifestyle—for—heath/products ”you may read
| A．some other programs | B．the content of this program |
| C．some interesting foods | D．some products you can buy |