Many Americans take their summer vacations in August. President Obama and his family are among them. This August the first family visited the Florida Gulf Coast. The president wants to promote tourism in the area after the BP oil spill (漏油). The first family took a ten-day vacation on Martha’s Vineyard, an island off the coast of Massachusetts.
Martha’s Vineyard is known for the sailing, sunsets and its tall cliffs overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The island is about 13 kilometers off the coast and is less than 260 square kilometers. Homes designed like those of earlier times line the streets of Edgartown, Oak Bluffs and Vineyard Haven. These are the major towns on Martha’s Vineyard.
For most of the year, the population of Martha’s Vineyard is about 15 000. In summer, more than 100 000 people crowd the island. In addition to the Obamas, you might see some Hollywood stars and other rich and famous people. Many visitors return year after year.
During warm weather the Vineyard is a good place for many different activities. People can play golf or catch fish. They can rid
e in sailboats or motor boats. They can waterski and swim. They can take quiet walks along sandy beaches and among the thick green trees.
One of the popular places for families with children is the Flying Horses Carousel in Oak Bluffs. It is the oldest continually operated merry-go-round ride in the United States. The colorful wood horses that turn in a circle were created in 1876. One of the best places for children to swim is the Joseph A. Sylvia state beach. The water there is warmer and calmer. Families also enjoy the Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary where they can observe much of the island wildlife.
Visitors watch the sunsets sitting on the beach and on rocks in the fishing village of Menemsha. As the sun goes down in the sky it paints yellow, red, and other colors on the clouds. Fishing boats rise and fall with the waves. Bells sound to help guide the boats to land as darkness covers the water.
Historians say British mapmaker Bartholomew Gosnold first made a map of the island for the rulers of England in 1602. Gosnold named the island to honor his baby daughter, Martha. The Vineyard part of the name came from the many wild grape vines Gosnold found on the island. Later, King Charles of England gave the island to businessman Thomas Mayhew of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, whose son established the first European settlement on the island in 1642. By the middle of the nineteenth century, ships from the 
American mainland began bringing visitors to the island. Big hotels were built near the edge of the water. Martha’s Vineyard was on its way to becoming the visitors center that it is today. .
We can infer that ______.
| A．the BP oil spill has a negative effect on the tourism along the Florida Gulf Coast |
| B．the BP oil spill has contributed to the tourism along the Florida Gulf Coast |
| C．President Obama went to the Florida Gulf Coast to deal with the BP oil spill |
| D．this was the first time that President Obama and his family had taken the vacation on Martha’s Vineyard |
.
Which month is the peak time for tourism in Martha’s Vineyard?
| A．January. | B．August. | C．December. | D．March, |
.
If children want to see wild animals, the family should go to ______.
| A．the Flying Horses Carousel | B．the Sylvia state beach |
| C．the fishing village of Menemsha | D．the Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary |
.
Bartholomew Gosnold named the island Martha in honor of _______.
| A．his mother | B．the king of England |
| C．his daughter | D．his father |
LIPITOR
| ABOUT LIPITOR Lipitor is a prescription medicine．Along with diet and exercise，it lowers “bad，’ cholesterol(胆固醇)in your blood．It can also raise “good'’ cholesterol. Lipitor can lower the risk of heart attack in patients with several common risk factors， including family history of early heart disease，high blood pressure，age and smoking. |
| WHO IS LIPITOR FOR? Who can take LIPITOR： ．People who cannot lower their cholesterol enough with diet and exercise · Adults and children over l0 Who should NOT take LIPITOR： ．Women who are pregnant，may be pregnant，or may become pregnant. Lipitor may harm your unborn baby. ．women who are breast-feeding．Lipitor can pass into your breast milk and may harm your baby. · People with liver(肝脏)problems |
| POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF LIPITOR Serious side effects in a small number of people： ．Muscle(肌肉)problems that can lead to kidney(肾脏)problems，including kidney failure ．Liver problems．Your doctor may do blood tests to check your liver before you start Lipitor and while you are taking it． Call your doctor right away if you have： ．Unexplained muscle pain or weakness，especially if you have a fever or feel very fired ．Swelling of the face，lips，tongue，and／or throat that may cause difficulty in breathing or swallowing · Stomach pain Some common side effects of LIPITOR are： · Muscle pain · Upset stomach · Changes in some blood tests |
| HOW TO TAKE LIPITOR DO： ．Take Lipitor as prescribed by your doctor. ．Try to eat heart-healthy foods while you take Lipitor. ．Take Lipitor at any time of day, with or without food. ．If you miss a dose(一剂)，take it as soon as you remember. [But if it has been more than 12 hours since your missed dose，wait．Take the next dose at your regular time. Don’t： ．Do not change or stop your dose before talking to your doctor. [ ．Do not start new medicines before talking to your doctor. |
What is a major function of Lipitor?
| A．To help quit smoking. |
| B．To control blood pressure. |
| C．To improve unhealthy diet. |
| D．To lower "bad" cholesterol. |
Taking Lipitor is helpful for .
| A．breast-feeding women |
| B．women who are pregnant |
| C．adults having heart disease |
| D．teenagers with liver problems． |
If it has been over 12 hours since you missed a dose, you should
| A．change the amount of your next dose |
| B．eat more when taking your next dose |
| C．have a dose as soon as you remember |
| D．take the next dose at your regular time |
Which of the following is a common side effect of taking Lipitor?
| A．Face swelling. |
| B．Upset stomach. |
| C．Kidney failure. |
| D．Muscle weakness. |
What is the main purpose of the passage?
| A．To teach patients ways for quick recovery. |
| B．To present a report on a scientific research. |
| C．To show the importance of a good lifestyle. |
| D．To give information about a kind of medicine. |
A recent study of ancient and modern elephants has come up with the unexpected conclusion that the African elephant is divided into two distinct (不同的) species
The discovery was made by researchers at York and Harvard universities when they were examining the genetic relationship between the ancient woolly mammoth and mastodon to modern elephants—the Asian elephant, African forest elephant and African savanna elephant
Once they obtained DNA sequences (序列) from two fossils (化石)，mammoths and mastodons the team compared them with DNA from modern elephants. They found to their amazement that modern forest and savanna elephants are as distinct from each other as Asian elephants and mammoths.
The scientists used detailed genetic analysis to prove that the African savanna elephants and the African forest elephants have been distinct species for several million years. The divergence of the two species took place around the time of the divergence of Asian elephants and woolly mammoths. This result amazed all the scientists.
There has long been debate in the scientific community that the two might be separate species but this is the most convincing scientific evidence so far that they are indeed different species.
Previously, many naturalists believed that African savanna elephants and African forest elephants were two populations of the same species despite the elephants’ significant size differences. The savanna elephant has an average shoulder height of 3.5metres while the forest elephant has an average shoulder height of 2.5metres. The savanna elephant weighs between six and seven tons, roughly double the weight of the forest elephant. But the fact that they look so different does not necessarily mean they are different species. However, the proof lay in the analysis of the DNA.
Alfred Roca, assistant professor in the department of Animal Sciences at the University of Minois, said, “We now have to treat the forest and savanna elephants as two different units for conservation purpose. Since 1950 all African elephants have been conserved as one species. Now that we know the forest and savanna elephants are two very distinct animals, the forest elephant should become a bigger priority (优先)for conservation purpose .” One of the fossils studied by the researchers is that of ________.
| A．the Asian elephant |
| B．the forest elephant |
| C．the savanna elephant |
| D．the mastodon elephant |
The underlined word “divergence” in paragraph 4means “________”
| A．evolution |
| B．exhibition |
| C．separation |
| D．examination |
The researcher’s conclusion was based on a study of the African elephant’s ____________
| A．DNA |
| B．height |
| C．weight |
| D．population |
What were Alfred Roca’s words mainly about?
| A．The conversation of African elephants. |
| B．The purpose of studying African elephants |
| C．The way to divide African elephants into two units |
| D．The reason for the distinction of African elephants |
Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
| A．Naturalist’s Belief about Elephants. |
| B．Amazing Experiment about Elephants |
| C．An Unexpected Finding about Elephants |
| D．A Long scientific Debate about Elephants |
Ireland has had a very difficult history. The problems started in the 16th century when English rulers tried to conquer(征服) Ireland. For hundreds of years, the Irish people fought against the English. Finally, in 1921, the British government was forced to give independence to the south of Ireland. The result is that today there are two “Irelands”. Northern Ireland, in the north, is part of the united kingdom. The Republic of Ireland, in the south, is an independent country.
In the 1840s the main crop, potatoes, was affected by disease and about 750,000 people died of hunger. This, and a shortage (短缺) of work , forced many people to leave Ireland and live in the USA, the UK, Australia and Canada. As a result of these problems, the population fell from 8.2 million in 1841 to 6.6 million in 1851.
For many years, the majority of Irish people earned their living as farmers. Today, many people still work on the land but more and more people are moving to the cities to work in factories and offices. Life in the cities is very different from life in the countryside, where things move at a quieter and slower pace.
The Irish are famous for being warm-hearted and friendly. Oscar Wilde, a famous Irish writer, once said that the Irish were “the greatest talkers since the Greeks”. Since independence, Ireland has revived(复兴) its own culture of music, language, literature and singing. Different areas have different styles of old Irish song which are sung without instruments. Other kinds of Irish music use many different instruments such as the violin, whistles, etc. What does the author tell us in paragraph 1?
| A．How the Irish fought against the English. |
| B．How Ireland gained independence. |
| C．How English rulers tried to conquer Ireland. |
| D．How two “Irelands” came into being. |
We learn from the text that in Ireland .
| A．food shortages in the 1840s led to a decline in population |
| B．people are moving to the cities for lack of work in the countryside |
| C．it is harder to make a living as a farmer than as a factory worker |
| D．different kinds of old Irish songs are all sung with instruments |
The last paragraph is mainly about.
| A．the Irish character |
| B．Irish culture |
| C．Irish musical instruments |
| D．a famous Irish writer |
What can be the best title for the text?
| A．Life in Ireland |
| B．A Very Difficult History |
| C．Ireland, Past and Present |
| D．The Independence of Ireland |
Facial expressions carry meaning that is determined by situations and relationships. For example, in American culture (文化) the smile is in general an expression of pleasure. Yet it also has other uses. A woman's smile at a police officer does not carry the same meaning as the smile she gives to a young child. A smile may show love or politeness. It can also hide true feelings. It often causes confusion(困惑) across cultures. For example, many people in Russia consider smiling at strangers in public to be unusual and even improper. Yet many Americans smile freely at strangers in public places(although this is less common in big cities). Some Russians believe that Americans smile in the wrong places; some Americans believe that Russians don't smile enough. In Southeast Asian cultures, a smile is frequently used to cover painful feelings. Vietnamese people may tell a sad story but end the story with a smile.
Our faces show emotions(情感), but we should not attempt to “read” people from another culture as we would “read” someone from our own culture. The fact that members of one culture do not express their emotions as openly as do members of another does not mean that they do not experience emotions. Rather, there are cultural differences in the amount of facial expressiveness permitted. For example, in public and in formal situations many Japanese do not show their emotions as freely as Americans do. When with friends, Japanese and Americans seem to show their emotions similarly.
It is difficult to generalize about Americans and facial expressiveness because of personal and cultural differences in the United States. People from certain cultural backgrounds in the United States seem to be more facially expressive than others. The key is to try not to judge people whose ways of showing emotion are different. If we judge according to our own cultural habits, we may make the mistake of “reading” the other person incorrectly.What does the smile usually mean in the U．S.?
| A．Love. |
| B．Politeness. |
| C．Joy. |
| D．Thankfulness. |
The author mentions the smile of the Vietnamese to prove that a smile can ________.
| A．show friendliness to strangers |
| B．be used to hide true feelings |
| C．be used in the wrong places |
| D．show personal habits |
What should we do before attempting to “read” people?
| A．Learn about their relations with others. |
| B．Understand their cultural backgrounds. |
| C．Find out about their past experience. |
| D．Figure out what they will do next. |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．Cultural Differences |
| B．Smiles and Relationships |
| C．Facial Expressiveness |
| D．Habits and Emotions |
You may think that sailing is a difficult sport, but it is really not hard to learn it. You do not need to be strong. But you need to be quick. And you need to understand a few basic rules about the wind.
First, you must ask yourself，“Where is the wind coming from? Is it coming from ahead or behind or from the side？”You must think about this all the time on the boat. The wind direction tells you what to do with the sail.
Let's start with the wind blowing from behind. This means the wind and the boat are going in the same direction. Then you must always keep the sail outside the boat. It should be at a 90°angle(角度)to the boat. Then it will catch the wind best.
If the wind is blowing from the side, it is blowing across the boat. In this case, you must keep the sail half way outside the boat. It should be at a 45°angle to the boat.Itneeds to be out far enough to catch the wind, but it shouldn't flap(摆动)．It shouldn't look like a flag on a flagpole. If it is flapping, it is probably out too far, and the boat will slow down.
Sailing into the wind is not possible. If you try, the sail will flap and the boat will stop. You may want to go in that direction. It is possible, but you can't go in a straight line. You must go first in one direction and then in another. This is called tacking.When you are tacking, you must always keep the sail inside the boat.What should you consider first while sailing?
| A．Sailors' strength. |
| B．Wave levels. |
| C．Wind directions. |
| D．Size of sails. |
What does the word “It” underlined in Paragraph 4 refer to?
| A．The boat. |
| B．The wind. |
| C．The sail. |
| D．The angle. |
What do you have to do when sailing against the wind?
| A．Move in a straight line. |
| B．Allow the sail to flap. |
| C．Lower the sail. |
| D．Tack the boat. |
Where can you probably find the text?
| A．In a popular magazine. |
| B．In a tourist guidebook. |
| C．In a physics textbook. |
| D．In an official report. |