Lots of people have hobbies. Some people collect old coins or foreign stamps; some do needlework; others spend most of their spare time on a particular sport.
A lot of people enjoy reading. But reading tastes differ widely. Some people only read newspapers or comics, some like reading novels, while others prefer books on astronomy, wildlife, or technological discoveries.
If I happen to be interested in horses or precious stones, I cannot expect everyone else to share my enthusiasm. If I watch all the sports programs on TV with great pleasure, I must put up with the fact that other people find sports boring.
Is there nothing that interests us all? Is there nothing that concerns everyone—no matter who they are or where they live in the world? Yes, dear Sophie, there are questions that certainly should interest everyone. They are precisely the questions this course is about.
What is the most important thing in life? If we ask someone living on the edge of starvation, the answer is food. If we ask someone dying of cold, the answer is warmth. If we put the same question to someone who feels lonely and isolated, the answer will probably be the company of other people.
But when these basic needs have been satisfied—will there still be something that everybody needs? Philosophers think so. They believe that man cannot live by bread alone. Of course everyone needs food. And everyone needs love and care. But there is something else—apart from that—which everyone needs, and that is to figure out who we are and why we are here.
Being interested in why we are here is not a “casual” interest like collecting stamps. People who ask such questions are taking part in a debate that has gone on as long as man has lived on this planet. How the universe, the earth, and life came into being is a bigger and more important question than who won the most gold medals in the last Olympics. This text is most probably taken from __________.
| A．a research paper | B．a course schedule |
| C．a personal letter | D．a book review |
Which of the following best states the main idea of the passage?
| A．Philosophical questions are as interesting as collecting stamps. |
| B．Thinking about philosophical questions is a serious interest. |
| C．Figuring out who we are and why we are here is man’s basic needs. |
| D．Philosophy has universal appeal and concerns everybody in nature. |
The author believes that __________.
| A．no existing subject can interest everyone in the world |
| B．different people may have different interests and concerns |
| C．everyone has to figure out who we are and why we are here |
| D．people in modern society pay more attention to philosophical questions |
The Internationa1 Space Station allows astronauts to live in space for extended amounts of time, enabling them to explore the outside universe and conduct many experiments. However, nothing like that exists for our oceans, and thanks to the high water pressure, ocean researchers are able to explore what lies undersea for very short periods of time.
They are therefore never able to fully explore the deep inside areas of our oceans. However, if French architect Jacques Rougerie has his way, that will change soon.
Jacques has designed a ship that will allow researchers to spend a long period of time observing the sea life and conducting experiments. The huge l67ft. ship, named ‘Sea Orbiter’, consists of two areas—one above the water where the scientists and crew will live, and a lower pressurized deck (甲板), where scientists will be able to spend as much time as they wish. Since it is powered by sea currents and wind, he expects it to drift (漂流) along the oceans slowly, taking about two years to circumvent the globe.
Jacques will make their life as comfortable as possible in the ship. Besides being equipped with the latest sailing tools and communication equipment, the ship will also have a gym, a television and a DVD player! And these guys will not be eating freeze-dried food like astronauts. Instead, Jacques, an accomplished chef, plans on cooking them delicious meals every day.
The biggest problem to this giant ship is the cost, which is expected to be over $500 million—per ship! However, Jacques, who strongly believes that the secrets of our oceans may be the key to solving global warming and a vital supply for food and medicine in the future, is confident he will be able to convince governments all over the world to help out, and expects to start construction on not one, but four or five of these amazing ships soon!Why can’t ocean researchers explore the deep oceans for a long time?
| A．Because they can’t stand the high water pressure. |
| B．Because it’s too cold in deep ocean. |
| C．Because time for experiments is too limited. |
| D．Because it’s dangerous to observe the sea life. |
The underlined word “circumvent ” probably means.
| A．fly away | B．go around | C．travel through | D．move into |
From the fourth paragraph we can learn that.
| A．Jacques intends to design the ship mainly for sightseeing and traveling |
| B．living a comfortable life helps to do the ocean research quickly |
| C．it’s much more expensive to eat freeze-dried food |
| D．researchers on Jacques ’ ship will live more comfortably than astronauts |
In Jacques’ opinion, which of the following is not the purpose of the undersea research?
| A．To find supply for food in the future. |
| B．To find supply for medicine in the future. |
| C．To draw governments’ attention to the construction of the ship. |
| D．To solve the global warming. |
Which of the fol1owing would be the best title for the text?
| A．Sea Orbiter—the ship of the future |
| B．A new way to explore the deep oceans |
| C．A great architect—Jacques Rogerie |
| D．Travel around the globe in Sea Orbiter |
Endangered languages are languages that wouldn’t exist any longer, much like endangered species of plants or animals. Languages are considered to be endangered when parents are no longer teaching the language to their children and are not using it actively in everyday life. A language is considered to nearly disappear when it is spoken by only a few elderly native speakers.
The world faces enormous challenges in order to protect different kinds of languages. Of the more than 6,912 languages, half may be in danger of disappearing in the next several decades.
It is caused by many reasons: small numbers of speakers, the regular use of other languages, attitudes towards their languages, moving of the younger population, government policies, and languages used in education and so on. A language may lack important things such as a body of literature, and people who read and write it. A language may also lack prestige (声望) and support of its speakers.
The survival of a language is also threatened when speakers move to other areas where different languages are spoken, or when government policies improve the use of a specific language in school, official business and the media. These situations encourage people to learn the wider-known language and may cause them, especially the young, to stop using their mother tongue. Often those speaking lesser-known languages will choose to learn a more prestigious language with the hope of greater economic opportunities. Most of the world’s parents are teaching their children English, French, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, Russian or some other main languages instead of their own languages for social and economic reasons.What’s the main idea of this passage?
| A．Languages in the world. |
| B．Reasons why languages become endangered. |
| C．What an endangered language is. |
| D．Languages spoken by few speakers. |
About ________languages will probably disappear in this century according to the passage.
| A．more than 6,912 | B．more than 3,456 | C．6,912 | D．less than 3,456 |
Which of the following best shows the structure of the passage?
①=Paragraph1 ②=Paragraph2 ③=Paragraph3 ④=Paragraph4
We can infer that the best way to maintain an endangered language is to _________.
| A．forbid the speakers to move about |
| B．pass laws to protect the language |
| C．raise the salaries of the people who speak the language |
| D．teach the language to young children and encourage people to speak it often |
All of the following about languages are true EXCEPT __________.
| A．many languages will be probably endangered in this century |
| B．government policies have a big effect on languages |
| C．the endangered language is a language that is spoken by a few people |
| D．languages are related to their speakers’ social and economic position |
Knowing the best way to study will help you to be a better student. By using your time properly, you can do your homework more quickly. Learning to study is not difficult.
The first thing to remember is that you must be willing to learn. It doesn’t mean that you must always like the subject. It does mean, however, that you must be willing to do whatever is necessary to learn. Try to understand why it is important and how it will help you now and later to do and learn other things. Knowing mathematics facts will be useful in your whole life. Knowing how to spell makes any kind of writing easier. Sometimes the subject that you think is going to be uninteresting will be exciting when you begin to work at it and understand it more clearly. Learning things can be fun if you are willing to work with them.
Here’s some advice for you: have a certain time each day and a quiet place with good lighting for study, so that you can concentrate on your study without interruptions; have everything ready before you sit down to study, a dictionary, paper, a pen and books; be sure you understand what you should learn before you start; read carefully and pay special attention to the most important things; when memorizing, first find out the main parts and then recite the whole thing; check your homework after you finish it; never forget the importance of review and preview.
Don’t try to spend a lot of time researching learning methods. There are many students who know many good learning methods but don’t study well. They forget that the most useful learning method is to study hard.The main purpose of the article is______.
| A．to prove that learning is not difficult |
| B．to make the readers be interested in study |
| C．to tell the importance of self teaching |
| D．to tell the students how to study well |
The first thing to remember in studying is that ______.
| A．you must like the subject |
| B．you must follow the teacher |
| C．you must enjoy learning |
| D．you must study hard |
The following advice is given in the article EXCEPT______.
| A．To put a pen, paper and books beside you before study. |
| B．To study at any possible time and place. |
| C．To review and preview |
| D．To pay attention to the most important things. |
Among the following statements, ______is true.
| A．The more learning methods we have, the better we will study. |
| B．Finding the best learning method is the most important in learning. |
| C．Knowing good methods, you can’t be good at study without working hard. |
| D．Once we have mastered a good learning method, we can improve our study greatly. |
From the passage, we can conclude that ______.
| A．No pains, no gains | B．Better late than never |
| C．Study comes first | D．Good methods, good results. |
The deserts of the world are not all covered with sand. Many of them have surfaces of rock or clay or small stones. They are not flat, either. They often have high hills and deep valleys. There is some plants’ life in many parts of the desert. There is little rain in the desert, but it does fall often enough for most plants.
The deserts of the world are not uninhabited (not lived by people). People also live outside oases(绿洲), but these people are not farmers. They have camels, goats, donkeys, sheep, etc. These animals can live on the desert plants and do not need much water.
The people of the desert have to move constantly from place to place, they must always look for grass or desert plants for their animals. They usually live in tents. When there is no more food for their animals, they fold up their tents, pat them on their camels and donkeys, and move to another place. In good years, when there is enough food for their animals, they trade their skins and their goats and camel hairs with the people of oases for wheat and fruit. But in bad years, when there is not enough food for their animals, the people of the desert would attack the oases people. But they are also hospitable, no man in the desert would ever refuse to give a stranger food and water.The underlined word “hospitable” has the meaning of being _______.
| A．brave | B．cruel | C．strange | D．kind |
In the desert _______.
| A．it rains in spring only |
| B．it rains for a short time every month |
| C．there is some rain, but far from enough |
| D．the rainfall is just enough for the plants |
People live _______.
| A．only inside the oases |
| B．only outside the oases |
| C．both inside and outside the oases |
| D．in places with regular rainfalls |
Kataria is the founder of the worldwide laughter movement. The celebration of world Laughter Day is a positive activity for world peace and is intended to build up a global sense of brotherhood and friendship through laughter. The first “World Laughter Day” gathering took place in Mumbai, India, on 11th January 1998. 12,000 members from India and international Laughter Clubs attended it. Now there are over 5,000 Laughter Clubs worldwide on all 5 continents.
“HAPPY-DEMIC” was the first World Laughter Day gathering outside India. It took place on 9th January 2000. In Copenhagen, Denmark , more than 10,000 people gathered at Town Hall Square. The event went into Guinness Book of World records. “World Laughter Day” is now organized on the first Sunday of May every year. Hundreds of people gather worldwide on that day to laugh together.
Today, many people fear widespread international terrorism. The world has never faced so much unrest before. People are at war within themselves. Laughter is a universal language, which has the ability to unite humanity without religion. Laughter can build a common connection between various religions and create a new world order. The idea may sound over-ambitious (野心太大的), and maybe it is. But maybe it is not. It is our deep belief that laughter and only laughter can unite the world, building up a global sense of brotherhood and friendship.
Studies also say that laughter helps your body do the following: lower blood pressure; lighten depression; reduce stress; work out the heart, especially for those who are unable to perform physical exercise. So in life, when you can laugh, you should laugh loudly and with your entire body—because it’s good for you.The purpose of celebrating World Laughter Day is.
| A．to build up a global sense of brotherhood and friendship through laughter |
| B．to build a common connection between various religions |
| C．to reduce stress and lighten depression |
| D．to lower blood pressure |
The first World Laughter Day gathering outside India took place __.
| A．on llth January 1998 | B．on the first Sunday of May |
| C．on 9th January 1996 | D．on 9th January 2000 |
The author's attitude towards laughter movement is .
| A．positive | B．negative | C．uninterested | D．objective |
The passage is mainly about _______.
| A．World Laughter Day and its significance（重要意义） |
| B．the worldwide laughter movement |
| C．a universal language |
| D．laughter |