For many people in the US，sports are not just for fun. They’re almost a “religion”．Thousands of sports fans buy expensive tickets to watch their favorite teams and athletes play in person .Other fans watch the games at home，sticking to their TV sets，never missing a game. Many a wife becomes a “sports widow” during her husband’s favorite season. Americans’ devotion to sports has created a new class：professional athletes. Sports stars often receive milliondollar salaries. Some even make big money by appearing in advertisements for soft drinks，shoes and almost everything.
Sports are an important part of American culture. Throughout their school life，Americans learn to play many sports. Many students try out
for the school teams. Athletic events at universities attract scores of fans and benefit the whole community. Many people also enjoy noncompetitive activities，like hiking，cycling，horseback riding，camping or hunting.
Many sports were imported from other countries. Europeans brought tennis，golf，bowling and boxing to America .Football and baseball came from other Old World games. Only basketball has a truly American origin. Americans export sports fever as well. Satellites broadcast games to sports fans around the globe. NBA is a good example. The names of American superstars like basketball great Michael Jordan have become household words all over the world.．Many a wife becomes a “sports widow” in the US probably because________.
| A．they are serious in religion |
| B．they are devoted to sports |
| C．their husbands stick to sports |
| D．their husbands are missing |
．Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．The US sports stars can earn a large sum of money via the media. |
| B．American students go in for various sports and athletic events. |
| C．Lots of American people take part in noncompetitive activities. |
| D．American people like to exchange different sports from each other. |
．The writer mainly intends to tell us________.
| A．how important sports are in America |
| B．where sports can help to make money |
| C．why sports are so popular in America |
| D．what affect Americans’ everyday life |
When the swim season began, my 11-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, and I cut a deal. She would go to practice three times a week, and I wouldn’t make her compete in swim meets.
Elizabeth does not like swim meets, she gets horribly nervous because she is afraid that she will do something wrong and let everyone down. she started to talk about quitting swimming, which broke my heart because she loves swimming. So I came up with the deal.
Recently, Elizabeth’s team announced a T-shirt relay, which works like this: One person from each relay team puts on a T-shirt and a pair of socks and swims 50 meters. She takes off the clothes and put them on the next person, who then swims 50 meters. This continues until everyone on the team has completed a lap.
It wasn’t exactly a meet, because it would involve only team members. But Elizabeth thought it was. I told Elizabeth I really wanted her to go. She fought back angrily but finally agreed.
When the day for the T-shirt relay arrived, Elizabeth was nervous. She was chosen to swim the anchor leg (最后一棒).By the last leg, Elizabeth’s team had built up a narrow lead. Then it was Elizabeth’s turn to swim.
Approaching the halfway mark, she was still in the lead. Then somebody noticed that one of Elizabeth’s socks had fallen off and was floating in the pool. “She has to get that sock on before the end of the race,” a swimming official told Elizabeth’s team,“ or you will be disqualified.”
Everybody on her team started shouting, “Elizabeth! Get the sock!” But she couldn’t hear them. Meanwhile, a girl in lane two was gaining on Elizabeth. Just then, a girl on my daughter’s team jumped in the pool, grabbed the sock, swam after Elizabeth and put the sock on Elizabeth.
With the sock finally on, Elizabeth swam her heart out for the last 15 meters and won! There was much celebration. And, for a few minutes, Elizabeth was the hero.
On the ride home, she relived her moment of glory again and again. She told me that if the T-shirt relay was an Olympic event, her team would win the gold medal, I told her that in my professional opinion, she Was absolutely right. What do we know about the T-shirt relay?
| A．Elizabeth was eager to attend it. |
| B．Elizabeth made full preparations for it. |
| C．Elizabeth thought she was sure to fail the relay. |
| D．Elizabeth agreed to attend it after a lot of persuasion. |
What happened to Elizabeth when she was swimming the anchor leg?
| A．The girl on the other team swam faster than her. |
| B．She was disqualified for breaking the rule. |
| C．She was too nervous to swim. |
| D．One of her socks fell off. |
We can infer from the last paragraph that Elizabeth_____.
| A．believed she was the best of her team. |
| B．Hoped to take part in the Olympics. |
| C．Overcame her fear of swim meets. |
| D．Was grateful for the girl’s help. |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．Born to be a swimmer | B．Swimming in socks |
| C．The swim season | D．Never give up! |
Nowadays it is common that people are buying more products and services than ever before through the Internet, so do Americans. And experts say the popularity of online sales is likely to spread to other countries. Online sales now represent as much as 10% of all retail sales in the United States. This has led traditional stores to seek new ways to keep their customers loyal.
Taking Lynne for example, she made good use of the Internet. she used the Internet to buy everything she needed for her Wedding and holiday gifts for her husband and stepdaughter. Other than food, 90% of her purchases were made on her home computer. “I find that, by being able to go online, choose the things that I need, and have them delivered to me right at my doorstep, I eliminate all the driving, all the crowds, all the noise of that, and I usually get a better selection.”
There are a lot of people like her. Experts say American online shopping hit records in both November and December. 57% of Americans have bought something electronically. Store owners worry that this growing amount of online sales will hurt their business. Cornell University marketing professor Ed Melaughlin says they can keep their customers by selling goods like clothing, which buyers may want to see and try on before purchasing. The stores could also offer things that are difficult to ship. Besides, some stores can please customers by offering to repair electronic products.
Bill Martin is the founder of Shopper Trak. His business helps stores learn about their customers. He said, “There is still a lot of emotion in the buying decision, you know, that takes place. Often you need that last sense of “Boy, this is exactly what I want before you are ready to part with money, and you can't always get that online. It's a rather cold process.”
While e-commerce worries some business owners, the only worry for delivery services is keeping up with the number of packages. UPS manager Dana Kline says her company is very busy at this time of the year.
UPS is so busy that it has filled 55,000 temporary work positions during the holiday season. The purpose of this passage is to tell us ________.
| A．the challenge online owners are faced with |
| B．the difference between online sales and traditional sales |
| C．the challenge e－commerce causes to traditional sales |
| D．the trouble that customers often meet when purchasing online |
The example of Lynne is mentioned in the passage to show________.
| A．online sales will replace traditional sales sooner or later |
| B．online business has changed many Americans' life |
| C．traditional stores can't offer enough food to their customers |
| D．traditional stores find new ways to keep their customers loyal |
The underlined word “eliminate” in Paragraph 2 can be replaced by “________”.
| A．include | B．decrease | C．avoid | D．discourage |
It is implied in Bill Martin's words that ________.
| A．store owners should learn more about their customers |
| B．traditional stores can provide goods to buyers more quickly |
| C．some owners are using websites to persuade people to visit their stores |
| D．traditional stores offer a social experience that some people enjoy |
Apparently everyone knows that global warming only makes climate more extreme. A hot, dry summer has caused another flood of such claims. And one of the players that benefit the most from this story is the media: the idea of “extreme” climate simply makes for more exciting news.
Consider Paul Krugman writing breathlessly in The New York Times about the “rising incidence of extreme events.” He claims that global warming caused the current drought in America’s Midwest, and that supposedly record-high corn prices could cause a global food crisis(危机)。
But the United Nations’s latest assessment tells us precisely the opposite—there has an overall slight tendency toward less dryness in North America. Moreover, there is no way that Krugman could have identified this drought as being caused by global warming without a time machine since climate models estimate that such detection will be possible by 2048, at the earliest.
And, fortunately, this year’s drought appears unlikely to cause a food crisis, as global rice and wheat supplies are plentiful. Moreover, Krugman overlooks inflation(通货膨胀)：Prices have increased six-fold since 1969.So, the inflation-adjusted price of corn was higher throughout most of the 1970s.
Finally, Krugman forgets that concerns about global warming are the main reason that corn prices have skyrocketed since 2005.Nowadays 40 percent of corn grown in the United States is used to produce ethanol(乙醇)，which raises the price of corn –at the expense of many of the world’s poorest people.
Bill Mickbben similarly worries in The Guardian About the Midwest drought and corn prices.He confidently tells us that fierce wildfires from New Mexico and Colorado to Siberia are “exactly” what the early stages of global warming look like.
In fact, the latest study on global wildfire suggests that fire incidence has declined over the past 70 years and is now close to its preindustrial level.
When well—meaning campaigners want us to pay attention to global warming, they often end up making overstatements. And exaggerated(夸张的) claims merely fuel public distrust and unconcern. That is unfortunate, because global warming is a real problem, and we do need to address it.In what way do the media benefit from extreme weather?
| A．They can give voice to different views. |
| B．They can make themselves better known. |
| C．They can choose from a greater variety of topics. |
| D．They can attract people’s attention to their reports. |
What is the author’s comment on Krugman’s claim about the current drought in America’s Midwest?
| A．It will eventually get proof in 2048. |
| B．It is based on an erroneous climate model. |
| C．So far there is no way to prove its validity. |
| D．A time machine is needed to tell if it is true. |
What is the chief reason for the rise in corn prices according to the author?
| A．Inflation rates have been skyrocketing since the 1970s. |
| B．A considerable part of corn is used to produce green fuel. |
| C．Climate change has caused corn supply to drop markedly. |
| D．Demand for food has been rising in the developing countries. |
What does the author think of the exaggerated claims in the media about global warming?
| A．They lead to public distrust about science. |
| B．They create confusion about climate change, |
| C．They are strategies to raise public awareness. |
| D．They do a disservice to addressing the problem. |
Do You Want To Change the Future of Education?
Our goal is to give a world-class education to everyone, everywhere, regardless of gender, income or social status.
Today, edx.org, a not-for-profit website, provides hundreds of thousands of people from around the globe with access to free education .We offer amazing quality classes by the best professors from the best schools. We enable our members to find out a new passion that will transform their lives and their communities.
Around the world from coast to coast, in over 192 countries, people are making the decision to take one or several of our courses. As we continue to grow our operations, we are looking for talented passionate people with great ideas to join the edX team. We aim to create an environment that is supportive ,diverse, and as fun as our brand.If you’re hardworking and ready to contribute to an unparalleled member experience for our community, we really want you to apply.
As part of the edX team, you’ll receive:
·Competitive compensation
·Generous benefits package
·Free lunch every day
·A great workplace where everyone cares and wants to change the world
While we appreciate every applicant’s interest, only those under consideration will be contacted .We regret that phone calls will not be accepted. We promise that every applicant will be treated fairly.
All positions are located in our Cambridge offices.What’s the aim of the text?
| A．To give an introduction to edX. |
| B．To encourage people to join edX. |
| C．To predict the future of education. |
| D．To advise us to choose quality education. |
What does edX mainly do?
| A．Providing free courses. |
| B．Studying people’s learning habits. |
| C．Discovering people’s new passion. |
| D．Researching the trend of education . |
According to the text, edX____?
| A．aims to change the world |
| B．tries to build more schools |
| C．has schools in nearly 200 countries |
| D．teaches people how to choose their courses |
Nothing evokes(唤起)Alaska like a whale exploding out of the water or an eagle pulling a silver fish from the river .Combine these images with high mountains，brilliant icebergs and wonderful meals and you really do have the Best of Alaska! Join us for an unforgettable 7-day excursion(远足)to the last frontier!
Highlights：
JUNEAU：Juneau, the state capital，is rich in culture and scenic beauty．It is here that we start and end our trip．
HAINES：Haines is a small community located along the fjords(海湾)．The natural beauty and expansive wilderness found here have made Haines a premier center for adventure in Alaska. ALASKA INDIAN ARTS：Alaska Indian Arts is a nonprofit corporation dedicated to the preservation and continuation of traditional native craft and culture of the Northwest Native Tribes．We spend a few hours learning carving, native beading(玻璃珠)and culture from these master artists．
SKAGWAY：Skagway is a lively town，which still reflects its gold rush roots and contains colorful shops．In Skagway, we stop by the Klondike Gold Rush National Park Visitor's Center and ride the White Pass Yukon Route Railway．
GUSTAVUS：Gustavus is the gateway to Glacier Bay National Park．We’II stay at a comfortable lodge here for two nights．This will be the base for both the whale-watching excursion and a full day cruise in Glacier Bay．
DATES／PRICES：
May 15，June 17，July 16，August 14．
7 days—＄3500，including lodging，all meals，excursions，guides，park fees，sales taxes，and transportation between Juneau，Skagway, Haines，and Gustavus．Not included：Alcohol，personal items，airfare to and from Juneau．
Contact：
E-mail：info@alaskamountainguides．com
Call：800—766—3396
Write：Alaska Mountain Guides &Climbing School
P.O．Box 1081，Haines AK 99827According to the advertisement, the participants of the excursion_________．
| A．will spend one day experiencing the local culture at Alaska Indian Arts |
| B．can contact Alaska Mountain Guides & Climbing School by email or fax |
| C．are able to experience some adventurous activities in Haines |
| D．can get lots of traditional native artworks free of charge |
You can feel the history of the local place at______．
| A．Juneau | B．Skagway | C．Haines | D．Gustavus |
You can watch a whale exploding out of the water at______．
| A．Glacier Bay National Park |
| B．the Klondike Gold Rush National Park |
| C．the White Pass Yukon |
| D．the Northwest Native Tribes |
Which of the following is a participant required to pay additional fees?
| A．Going from Gustavus to Juneau by train． |
| B．A full day cruise in Glacier Bay． |
| C．Having the last supper at Juneau． |
| D．Flying from Juneau to his hometown． |