Over many years, there has been an increase in the population of towns in many countries, as millions of people have moved from the villages in search of better jobs and facilities (设施), in the hope of getting a higher standard of living. This development has led to huge expansions of towns both upwards into the sky and outwards into the surrounding countryside. In spite of all the efforts of governments and private businesses, many areas still suffer from a serious shortage of housing.
Now, a new idea has been put forward which will utilize (利用 vt.) areas which have no other obvious commercial potential (商业潜能). These are the ponds, small lakes, disused docks (码头), and other areas of water, many of which can be found near, or even in the suburbs (郊区) of big towns.
A new style of construction has been designed which will provide a house for less than half the cost of the normal building. The main saving is, of course, the land, because the new houses will float on water. There will be no need for foundations; instead the house will be built on a frame (框架) made of steel which is expected to cost about ￡5,000. Above this the builders will make a house with two, three, or four bedrooms and all the usual modern conveniences, as well as a roof garden. Each house will be joined to the main services supplying water, g
as, and electricity and they will have a vacuum sewage disposal (真空污水处理) system. All the servic
e links will have enough flexibility (灵活性) to allow for small differences in the water level caused by wet a
nd dry periods of weather.
The first houses to be built are expected to cost between ￡20,000 and ￡30,000 according to size and it is already clear that there is a very good potential market for the new system. As the cost is comparatively low, young people and common citizens would like to buy. So many people have moved into towns because _______．
| A．they enjoy the facilities |
| B．they expect to live a better life |
| C．they expect to get better jobs |
| D．there is a shortage of jobs in villages |
What is the main advantage of the new idea?
| A．It will help relieve（缓解）the housing shortage. |
| B．It will utilize disused areas of water. |
| C．It will provide jobs. |
| D．It will help the suburbs. |
The new houses will be built on_______．
| A．waterside areas | B．a stone foundation |
| C．lakes and rivers | D．a steel frame |
The price of the new houses will _______．
| A．encourage private and government builders |
| B．attract ordinary people in the towns to buy |
| C．vary in different areas according to the policy |
| D．help the housing market in the countryside |
The Vienna-based researchers showed that dogs will stop doing a simple task when not rewarded if another dog, which continues to be rewarded, is present．
The experiment consisted of taking pairs of dogs and getting them to present a paw for a reward．On giving this “handshake” the dogs received a piece of food．One of the dogs was then asked to shake hands, but received no food．The other dog continued to get the food when it was asked to perform the task．
The dog without the reward quickly stopped doing the task, and showed signs of anger or stress when its partner was rewarded．
To make sure that the experiment was really showing the interaction between the dogs rather than just the frustration of not being rewarded, a similar experiment was conducted where the dogs performed the task without the partner．Here they continued to present the paw for much longer．
Dr Frederike Range from the University of Vienna says this shows that it was the presence of the rewarded partner that was the greater influence on their behaviour．
“The only difference is one gets food and the other doesn’t, they are responding to being unequally rewarded．” she said．
The researchers say this kind of behaviour, where one animal gets frustrated with what is happening with another, has only been observed in primates(灵长类) before．
Studies with various types of monkeys and chimpanzees show they react not only to seeing their partners receiving rewards when they are not, but also to the type of reward．
The dog study also looked at whether the type of reward made a difference．Dogs were given either bread or sausage, but seemed to react equally to either．Dr Range says this may be because they have been trained．
57．The dogs refused to give the paw when they_______．
A．found another dog was given nothing
B．felt they were not treated equally
C．were aware they received less food
D．were given too much reward
58．What would the dogs do if they presented their paw alone?
A．They would go on with the performance much longer．
B．They would be too shy to present their paw．
C．They would miss their partners．
D．They would compare what they got with that of others．
59．According to the passage, compared with dogs, monkeys and chimpanzees ______．
A．pay no attention to the type of reward
B．only like to play interesting games
C．pay attention to the type of reward as well as whether they are rewarded
D．care more about how they are rewarded
60．Which of the following can best summerise the passage?
A．Animals’ various ways to show anger
B．Dogs are more envious than man
C．Most animals want to be be rewarded for their work
D．Animals also have a sense of fairplay
Want to be a happy married couple? Consider having kids．
A new study found that having children boosts happiness．And the more, literally, the merrier．
But unmarried couples shouldn’t expect to find greater happiness through child-raising．The study, published in the Oct．14 online edition of the Journal of Happiness Studies, suggests that having children has little or no effect on boosting happiness among couples who aren’t hitched(和谐)．
The findings contradict previous research that suggested that having more offspring doesn't lead to greater happiness and might even make people less satisfied with their lives．One theory behind the conclusion is that parents don’t receive many rewards in return for the hard work of raising children．
The new study, however, notes that parents say children are one of the most important things in their lives, if not the most important．
The study found that life satisfaction for married people -- women especially -- goes up the more kids they have．Single, separated and co-habiting people, by contrast, report negative experiences．
“One is tempted to advance that children make people rich under the ‘right conditions’ -- a time in life when people feel that they are ready, or at least willing, to enter parenthood,” Dr．Luis Angeles, of the University of Glasgow in Scotland, said in a news release from the journal’s publisher．“This time can come at very different moments for different individuals, but a likely signal of its approach may well be the act of marriage．”
1．The underlined word “offspring” in the fourth paragraph can be replaced by _____．
A．generation B．children
C．mothers D．marriage
2．The best title of this passage should be _______．
A．Children Are the Source of Happiness
B．Are You Happy Married Couple?
C．Married with Children Paves Way to Happiness
D．The Right Conditions of Having Children
3．Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
A．The more children women have, the happier they are．
B．The more children the married women have, the more unsatisfied they become．
C．Raising kids can give any person happiness．
D．Without marriage, one woman had better not raise kids．
4．In the passage, the underlined part ‘right conditions’ refers to _______．
A．a time when the couple are ready and willing to become parents
B．the situation where the family is rich enough to raise a child
C．the situation where the couple are very happy
D．a time when the couple thinks raising children can boost happiness
The surprising experiment I am about to describe proves that air is all aroud you and that it proves down upon you．Air pressure is a wonderful force．When you swim underwater, you can feel water push down your body．The air all around you does the same．However, your body is so used to it that you do not notice this ．The pressure is caused by a layer of air called the atmosphere．This layer surrounds the Earth , extending to about five kilometers above the Earth’s surface．
The following experiment is an easy one that you can do at home．But make sure that you are supervised , because you will need to use matches．Now for the experiment！
What you need
·A hard-boiled egg without the shell
·A bottle with a neck slightly smaller than the egg
·A piece of paper
·A match
Metheod
1) Check that the egg will sit firmly on the neck of the bottle．
2) Tear the paper into strips and put the strips into the bottle．
3) Light the paper by dropping a burning match into the bottle．
4) Quickly sit the egg on the neck of the bottle．
Result
Astonishingly,the egg will be sucked into the bottle．Your friends will be amazed when you show them the experiment．But be careful when you handle matches．
Why it happened
As the paper burns,it needs oxyen and uses up the oxygen(air) in the bottle．The egg acts as a seal in the neck of the bottle,so no more air can get inside ．This reduces the air pressure inside the bottle．The air pressure must equalize,so more air from outside must enter the bottle．The outside air pressure against the egg and then the egg is pushed into the bottle!The proves that air is all around and that it is pressing down on it．
1．When you do the experiment, why need you a person beside you?
A．You couldn’t place the egg on the bottle by yourself．
B．The egg needs to be shelled．
C．You need to use matches．
D．The bottle can’t sit firmly on the desk．
2．The purpose of doing this experiment is to prove ______．
A．air pressure is a wonderful force
B．water can push down your body when you swim underwater
C．the air pressure is not equalized around us
D．the earth is surrounded by a layer of air called the atmosphere
3．How did the egg put into the bottle？
A．The oxygen inside the bottle suckde the egg in．
B．It became solt without the shell．
C．The neck of the bottle was wide enough．
D．The outside air pressure forced it into the bottle．
4．The passage is ______．
A．an experiment reportB．a scientific story
C．a research report D．an interesting novel
The amazing image shows the world’s largest ever cruise ship, complete with beach pool, shopping mall, rock-climbing walls, outdoor amphitheater（圆形剧场）and New York-style loft suites（套间）．The “traveling city” is being built on dry-docks in Finland by Royal Caribbean International, and she is named Oasis of the Seas．
Almost 1,200 feet long, 154 feet wide and rising 213 feet above the water line, the Oasis of the Seas will be able to host 3,000 crew to service every passenger’s need．In addition to the size, the Oasis of the Seas will also be the first ship that attracts people by the cruise line’s new
neighborhood concept: 7 distinct themed areas, including Central Park, Boardwalk, the Royal Promenade, the Pool and Sports Zone, Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center, Entertainment Place and Youth Zone．Of all these areas, the excellent zone will be “Central Park”．
Protected from the weather by a clear screen to let in the light, the Central Park area will be themed on Caribbean plants and leaves reflecting the area which the ship will eventually cruise in．And the park zone will have different restaurants, bars and boutique shops, bringing the idea of “floating city” to reality．
In addition, Oasis of the Seas will also include a rock wall, over 15 restaurants and bars, a casino(娱乐场), a theatre, two night-clubs and the largest freshwater pool on any cruise liner．
“Royal Caribbean is proud to introduce a number of ‘firsts’ that the world has never seen before,” said Adam Goldstein, “Oasis of the Seas is the ultimate expression of the creativity and imagination found on all of our ships, providing guests with a collection of experiences that will offer an incredible cruise vacation．”
1．In the passage, Oasis of the Seas refers to ______．
A．a traveling city B．a cruise ship
C．a deserted island D．an ocean park
2．It can be inferred from the passage that ______．
A．the Oasis of the Seas hasn’t been built well so far
B．7 distinct themed areas are being built on dry-docks
C．the “traveling city” can hold 3,000 passengers
D．the “traveling city” is a beauty spot
3．The main idea of the third paragraph would be _____．
A．what the Central Park is B．the location of the Central Park
C．the features of the Central Park D．the theme of the Central Park
4．The Oasis of the Seas includes a number of ‘firsts’ EXCEPT _____．
A．the world’s largest ever cruise ship
B．its way of attracting tourists
C．the largest freshwater pool on any cruise liner
D．its most delicious food in the world
What kind of life do you want? And what would you do if you were born with an illness like Cystic Fibrosis (囊胞性纤维症)?Charley was such a man．He was born with Cystic Fibrosis, a serious disease of the muscles．Without properly functioning muscles, eventually you’re unable to breathe．However,Charley was fortunate to have many care- givers, including his wife who helped him a lot．He became an engineer and helped plan structures that would allow streets and buildings to give better access to the disabled．Charley couldn’t live without a wheelchair, and could only use one hand to move it．His speech was also difficult to understand．However, Charley had a sharp mind．He could see, hear, use a few fingers and think, and that was enough to allow him to make an important contribution to his city．He made those around him more aware of their physical health．
In the movie JackandJillvs．theWorld, Jill is a 25-year-old girl who has just arrived in New York City．She has Cystic Fibrosis, but she doesn’t let it control her life．She’s happy, in fact! She meets a young man, Jack, and changes his life forever．One day she has to tell him about her illness．He’s angry and disappointed, but later he realizes that it’s their relationship that matters．They decide to be together, and live as happily as possible．
Charley’s story is true．Jack and Jill’s story is made up．How do you want to live your life? Use your imagination, and enjoy your life and all its wonders．Create your picture of a happy life．
1．The writer uses the two questions at the beginning of the passage to _____．
A．test the readers’ attitude about life
B．draw the readers’ attention to the topic
C．invite the readers to answer them
D．tell readers how to make a living
2．About Charley, which of the following is TRUE?
A．He is a father of two boys．
B．He can live well without wheelchair．
C．He is a lucky because many people give him care．
D．He can speak as others do．
3．From the passage, we can infer that _____．
A．health is the origin of happiness
B．the attitude to life decides your happiness
C．Cystic Fibrosis a serious disease of the muscles
D．Charley’s story is made up
4．The film JackandJill vs．theWorld is set in _____．
A．three young people B．New York City
C．ParisD．a place that we don’t know