What’s your idea of a good time? What about dancing in a rainy field with one hundred and fifty thousand other people while a famous rock band plays on a stage so far away that the performers look like ants?
It may sound strange but that is what many hundreds of thousands of young people in th
e UK do every summer． Why? Because summer is the time for outdoor music festivals．
Held on a farm, the Glastonbury Festival is the most well-known and popular festival in the UK． It began in 1970 and the first festival was attended by one thousand five hundred people each paying an admission price of ￡1 — the ticket included free milk from the farm．
Since then the Glastonbury Festival has gone from strength to strength — in 2004 one hundred and fifty thousand fans attended, paying ￡112 each for a ticket to the three-day event． Tickets for the event sold out within three hours． Performers
included superstars, such as Paul McCartney and James Brown, as well as new talent, like Franz Ferdinand and Joss Stone．
Although many summer festivals are run on a profit —making basis, Glastonbury is a charity event, donating millions of pounds to local and international charities．
Glastonbury is not unique in using live music to raise money to fight global poverty （贫穷）． In July of this year, the Live 8 concerts were held simultaneously （同时） in London, Paris, Rome and Berlin． Superstars such as Madonna, Sir Elton John and Stevie Wonder performed in order to highlight （强调） international poverty and debt． What does the author mean by saying “the Glastonbury Festival has gone from strength to strength”?
| A．The festival has achieved growing success． |
B．Great efforts have been made to  hold the festival． |
| C．The festival has brought in a large amount of money． |
| D．There have been thousands of fans attending the festival． |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The Glastonbury Festival is run on a profit-making basis． |
| B．Tickets for the 2004 Glastonbury Festival were in great demand despite the high price． |
| C．Both James Brown and Joss Stone were born in poor families． |
| D．In the 1970 Glastonbury Festival, one could have lunch on the farm for free． |
We can learn from the last paragraph that _____．
| A．the Glastonbury Festival is not so popular as the Live 8 concerts |
| B．the Live 8 concerts are held every year in London |
| C．London, Paris, Rome and Berlin are famous for outdoor music festivals |
| D．some superstars are concerned about global poverty |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．How to have a good time | B．Charity events around the world |
| C．The Glastonbury Festival | D．Superstars’ performances in charity events |
The diagram is mainly about ______.
| A．the food chain of the animal | B．the system of energy flowing |
| C．how to get food for man | D．the growth of the energy |
Which is not the result of photosynthesis of the plant?
| A．Oxygen is released into the air. | B．Food is provided for animals. |
| C．Certain forms of energy is produced． | D．The air is cleaned． |
What occurs when the energy flows through the system?
| A．Energy is consumed and one becomes the food of others. |
| B．Energy is stored and plants become animals. |
| C．Man plays an important part in energy flowing. |
| D．The more energy is consumed, the more energy the sun will supply. |
What should be done in order to improve the living conditions according to the diagram?
| A．More animals should be raised． | B．Decomposers should be made full use of. |
| C．More trees should be planted． | D．Man should be controlled． |
Perhaps the most astonishing theory to come out of kinetics, the study of body movement, was suggested by Professor Ray Birdwhistell. He believes that physical appearance is often culturally programmed．In other words, we learn our looks; we are not born with them.
A baby has generally unformed facial features. A baby, according to Birdwhistell, learns where to set the eyebrows by looking at those around family and friends. This helps explain why the people of some regions of the United States look so much alike. New Englanders or Southerners have certain common facial characteristics that cannot be explained by genetics (遗传学) “The exact shape of the mouth is not set at birth, it is learned after. In fact, the final mouth shape is not formed until well after permanent (永久的) teeth are set. For many, this can be well into adolescence (青春期). A husband and wife together for a long time often come to look somewhat alike. We learn our looks from those around us. This is perhaps why in a single country there are areas where people smile more than those in other areas. In the United States, for example, the South is the part of the country where the people smile most frequently. In New England they smile less, and in the western part of New York State still less. Many Southerners find cities such as New York cold and unfriendly, Partly because people on Madison Avenue smile less than people on Peach Tree Street in Atlanta, Georgia．People in densely (稠密地) populated urban areas also tend to smile and greet each other in public less than people in rural areas and small towns. Ray Birdwhistell believes that physical appearance ______.
| A．has little to do with culture | B．can be influenced by culture |
| C．is decided by culture | D．varies from place to place |
Ray Birdwhistell can tell what region of the United States a person is from by ______.
| A．how much he or she laughs | B．how he or she raises his or her eyebrows |
| C．what he or she likes best | D．the way he or she talks |
People who live _____ are more friendly according to the passage.
| A．in densely populated areas | B．in the country |
| C．in New York City | D．in the North |
This passage might have been taken out of a book dealing with ______.
| A．physics | B．health | C．chemistry | D．none of the above |
The UN Security Council was created in 1945. It is made up of 10 rotating (轮值的) members and five permanent members, which have a veto, the power to stop a resolution (决议). Most UN members now consider the organization's structure outdated． But any changes need the agreement of two-thirds of the 191 members, and no veto from any of the five permanent council members.
Last year, Japan, Germany, Brazil and India formed a lobbying (游说) group to get permanent council seats. But North and South Korea have doubts about Japan, Italy opposes Germany for a seat, Pakistan is against India's candidacy (候选资格) and Mexico and Argentina frown on Brazil.
A wave of emotion swept through China last week as millions voiced their opposition to Japan's permanent membership of the United Nations (UN) Security Council. By last Friday over 22 million Chinese had signed an online petition (请愿) against Japan's bid for a permanent seat on the council.
According to major Chinese websites, such as sina.com, more than 170,000 overseas Chinese also signed． This is the first online activity of its kind．
The petition was started by US-based Alliance for Preserving the Truth of the Sino-Japanese War (抗日战争史实维护会). They want Japan to apologize for crimes during World War II. The group also plans to present the petition to the UN this autumn.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said he didn't think the petition shows anti-Japanese feeling. He believed instead it is a request for Japan to take a responsible attitude towards history.What’s the main idea of the first paragraph?
| A．Function of the UN in world affairs. | B．Members of the UN. |
| C．Facts about the UN Security Council. | D．Reform of the UN Security Council. |
Which statement is true according to the text?
| A．Four countries, such as Japan, Germany, Brazil and India are applying for joining the UN. |
| B．Some countries, such as North and South Korea, Italy, Pakistan, Mexico and Argentina propose ticking the four countries out of the UN. |
| C．If the countries’ bids for permanent membership of the Council are turned down, the opponent countries will take the place. |
| D．The UN Security Council is going to take in new members. |
The underlined phrase “frown on” in the third paragraph can be replaced by _____.
| A．agree on | B．disapprove of |
| C．give a firm support to | D．say yes to |
What’s the main reason for China’s opposition to Japan’s permanent membership of the
Council?
| A．Japan is unwilling to admit to its crimes against the Chinese in the World War II. |
| B．Millions of people in Asia signed a petition against it. |
| C．The Chinese people have strong anti-Japanese feeling. |
| D．Japan is an irresponsible country that once had a history of invasion. |
Hiring a self-drive car really adds to the enjoyment of your holiday. There are so many interesting places to visit and if you enjoy seeing more than just the city center there is no better way to travel than by car.
|
| A．The city center is the best place for us to visit |
| B．Traveling by car is our first choice |
| C．To travel we must hire a car |
| D．Going sightseeing outside the city is not so interesting as visiting the city center |
If the car that has been hired breaks down on the way, whose duty is it to pay for its repairs?
| A．The driver that has hired the car. | B．The car-lending company. |
| C．The representative at the hotel. | D．Both the driver and the company. |
Which is not true according to the passage?
| A．The hirer must be responsible for the insurance against injury to the driver. |
| B．The company must answer for the insurance against damage to the car. |
| C．The cost of oil should be paid by the company. |
| D．The rates for car hire are especially cheap when two days are booked． |
Where can you probably read this passage?
| A．In a dictionary. | B．In a travel guide. | C．In a company. | D．In a newspaper. |
Everyone has good days and bad days.
Sometimes, you feel as if you're on top of the world．But occasionally you feel horrible, and you lose things and you cannot focus on your schoolwork.
For more than 20 years, scientists have suggested that high self-esteem (自尊) is the key to success. Now, new research shows that focusing just on building self-esteem may not be helpful. In some cases, having high self-esteem can bring bad results if it makes you less likeable or more upset when you fail at something.
"Forget about self-esteem," says Jennifer Crocker, a psychologist (心理学家) at the University of Michigan, US. "It's not the important thing."
Feeling good
Crocker's advice may sound a bit strange because it is good to feel good about yourself.
Studies show that people with high self-esteem are less likely to be depressed, anxious, shy, or lonely than those with low self-esteem.
But, after reviewing about 18,000 studies on self-esteem, Roy Baumeister, a psychologist at Florida State University, has found that building up your self-esteem will not necessarily make you a better person.
He believes that violent and wicked (邪恶的) people often have the highest self-esteem of all. He also said: "There's no evidence that kids with high self-esteem do better in school."
Problems
All types of people have problems. People with high self-esteem can have big egos (自我) that can make them less likeable to their peers (同龄人), said Kathleen Vohs, a psychology professor at Columbia University.
People with high self-esteem tend to think more of themselves, Vohs says. People with low self-esteem are more likely to rely on their friends when they need help.
What to do
Researchers say it is best to listen to and support other people. Find positive ways to contribute to society. If you fail at something try to learn from the experience. "The best therapy (药方) is to recognize your faults," Vohs says. "It's OK to say, 'I'm not so good at that,' and then move on."The new research comes to the conclusion that high self-esteem ______.
| A．is not important at all | B．has taken on a different meaning |
| C．may not be the key to success | D．does not help you do better at school |
One of the conclusions of the new research is that ______.
| A．feeling good about oneself doesn’t mean you lead a happier life |
| B．people with high esteem usually do not seek other’s help |
| C．people with high esteem tend to be proud |
| D．people with low esteem are often more popular |
The underlined part “a better person” in the passage probably means a person who is ______.
| A．helpful and supportive | B．gentle and modest |
| C．likable and successful | D．friendly and kind |
From the text, we can infer the best therapy mentioned in the last paragraph is mainly for
people _______.
| A．with high self-esteem | B．with low self-esteem |
| C．of all kinds | D．who are focusing on building self-esteem |