Mr. Peter Johnson, aged twenty-three, battled for half an hour to escape from his trapped car yesterday when it landed upside down in three feet of water. Mr. Johnson took the only escape route — through the boot (行李箱).
Mr. Johnson’s car had finished up in a ditch at Romney Marsin Kent after skidding on ice and hitting a bank. “Fortunately, the water began to come in only slowly,” Mr. Johnson said. “I couldn’t force the doors open because they were jammed against the walls of the ditch and dared not open the windows because I knew water would come flooding in.”
Mr. Johnson, a sweet salesman of Sitting Home Kent, first tried to attract the attention of other motorists by sounding the horn and hammering on the roof and boot. Then he began his struggle to escape.
Later he said, “It was really a half penny that saved my life. It was the only coin I had in my pocket and I used it to unscrew the back seat to get into the boot. I hammered desperately with a hammer trying to make someone hear, but no help came.”
It took ten minutes to unscrew the seat, and a further five minutes to clear the sweet samples from the boot. Then Mr. Johnson found a wrench and began to work on the boot lock. Fifteen minutes passed by. “It was the only chance I had. Finally it gave, but as soon as I moved the boot lid, the water and mud poured in. I forced the lid down into the mud and scrambled clear as the car filled up.”
His hands and arms cut and bruised (擦伤), Mr. Johnson got to Beckett Farm nearby, where he was looked after by the farmer’s wife, Mrs. Lucy Bates. Huddled in a blanket, he said, “That thirty minutes seemed like hours.” Only the tips of the car wheels were visible, police said last night. The vehicle had sunk into two feet of mud at the bottom of the ditch. Which of the following objects is the most important to Mr. Johnson?
| A．The hammer. | B．The coin. |
| C．The screw. | D．The horn. |
Which statement is true according to the passage?
| A．Mr. Johnson’s car stood on its boot as it fell down. |
| B．Mr. Johnson could not escape from the door because it was full of sweet jam. |
| C．Mr. Johnson’s car accident was partly due to the slippery road. |
| D．Mr. Johnson struggled in the pouring mud as he unscrewed the back seat. |
“Finally it gave” (Paragraph 5) means that _________.
| A．Luckily the door was torn away in the end |
| B．At last the wrench went broken |
| C．The lock came open after all his efforts |
| D．The chance was lost at the last minute |
It may be inferred from the passage that _________.
| A．the ditch was along a quiet country road |
| B．the accident happened on a clear warm day |
| C．the police helped Mr. Johnson get out of the ditch |
| D．Mr. Johnson had a tender wife and was well attended |
What is the best title for this newspaper article?
| A．The Story of Mr. Johnson, A Sweet Salesman |
| B．Car Boot Can Serve As The Best Escape Route |
| C．Driver Escapes Through Car Boot |
| D．The Driver Survived A Terrible Car Accident |
How would you like to learn more without having to study more？Here’s how：
1．Get to bed and go to sleep.Your performance，attention，and the ability to concentrate are damaged by lack of sleep.Teenagers need nine to ten hours of sleep a night for best performance.
2．Feed your head.The brain runs badly if it doesn’t get enough fuel.That means protein(蛋白质)and complex carbs (复合碳水化合物)－eggs and wheat bread for breakfast，say，rather than sugary cereal(含糖的麦片粥)and orange juice.The biggest mistake teens make is not to have breakfast or to go for sugar，which raises blood sugar levels.
3．Body exercise is brain exercise.Body exercise really improves brain performance，perhaps because it increases blood flow，or perhaps because it reduces stress and anxiety(焦虑).Twenty minutes of activity a day that raises your heart rate will do great good.
4．Learn now what you want to remember for the rest of your life.Teenage brains are much better at remembering things than the brains of young children or adults.Scientists aren’t sure why.Whatever the reason，the teenage years are the time to learn new languages and master other lifelong skills.
5．Learn the power of risk taking.Adults are always worried about the downside of teenage risktaking，and it’s true that teenagers are more likely than adults to get themselves in trouble by drinking and driving.But the fact that the parts of the brain that drive people to try new，risky，and exciting things appear to be more developed in teenagers can be a huge advantage.Pick certain challenges－difficult sports，a hard job，mastering a performance art，traveling overseas－and the teenage brain is able to deal with them.They have this power they’re given to go out and do it without fear.
6．Learn what you love.Because emotional(情感的)systems develop fast in teenager brains，teenagers learn things they’re interested in quickly and well.Their brains give them tools like attention on the project.According to the passage，teenagers should have for breakfast.
| A．wheat bread and eggs | B．sugar and orange juice |
| C．sugar and bread | D．wheat bread and orange juice |
Body exercise plays a part in all the following EXCEPT .
| A．making people less anxious | B．raising heart rate |
| C．reducing blood pressure | D．reducing stress |
The underlined word “downside” in the passage probably means .
| A．excitement | B．disadvantage |
| C．benefit | D．power |
It can be learned from the passage that .
| A．teenagers learn quickly when they are fond of something |
| B．teenagers should be forbidden to drive |
| C．scientists know why teenagers have a good memory |
| D．teenagers need less sleep than adults |
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 10.
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 problems.
POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF LIPITOR
Serious side effects in a small number of people:
· Muscle problems that can lead to kidney 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, take it as soon as you remember. But if it has been more than 12 hours since you 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. |
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 |
Ever wonder how much a cloud weighs? What about a hurricane? A meteorologist has done some estimates and the results might surprise you.
Let's start with a very simple white puffy cloud — a cumulus cloud（积云）. How much does the water in a cumulus cloud weigh? Peggy LeMone, senior scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, did the numbers. "The water in the little cloud weighs about 550 tons," she calculates. "Or if you want to convert it to something that might be a little more meaningful … think of elephants."
The thought of a hundred elephants-worth of water suspended in the sky begs another question — what keeps it up there?
"First of all, the water isn't in elephant sized particles（微粒）, it's in tiny tiny tiny particles," explains LeMone. And those particles float on the warmer air that's rising below. But still, the concept of so much water floating in the sky was surprising even to a meteorologist like LeMone. "I had no idea how much a cloud would weigh, actually, when I started the calculations," she says.
So how many elephant units of water are inside a big storm cloud—10 times bigger all the way around than the "puffy" cumulus cloud? Again, LeMone did the numbers: About 200,000 elephants.
Now, ratchet up the calculations for a hurricane about the size of Missouri and the figures get really massive. "What we're doing is weighing the water in one cubic meter theoretically pulled from a cloud and then multiplying by the number of meters in a whole hurricane," she explains.
The result? Forty million elephants. That means the water in one hurricane weighs more than all the elephants on the planet. Perhaps even more than all the elephants that have ever lived on the planet. The weight of is NOT mentioned in the passage.
| A．a cumulus cloud | B．a tornado | C．a hurricane | D．a storm cloud |
How did Peggy LeMone feel about the result of her calculations?
| A．She found it not convincing. |
| B．She thought it needed further calculations. |
| C．She was quite surprised at it. |
| D．She considered the calculations inaccurate. |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．A storm cloud weighs about 200,000 elephants. |
| B．The water in a hurricane weighs more than that in any other kind of cloud. |
| C．There are less than forty million elephants living on the earth. |
| D．The water in the cloud is in very tiny partials. |
Competition. It’s a simple word, yet a very complex word that covers many angles when it comes to how gasoline prices are determined. It seems so easy to explain, but don’t let that trick you—it’s incredibly difficult to explain and adequately understand.
Say you’re on a Sunday afternoon drive, and notice a gas station near you charging $3.50. Down the road a few miles, that price could easily be 10 or more cents higher or lower. The question is “how” or “why” is that? Think of it this way. Are you more likely to get a better deal on a car if there are two similar car dealers next to each other? Perhaps, because the dealers are too close. Say there is a third similar car dealer miles away. Is he going to be at the same level of competition and sell his cars for the same price as the two dealers next to each other? Likely not. He may charge more or less. Maybe people don't know there are two other dealers down the road. Maybe the dealer is almost outside of the city and the land value isn't as high, so his taxes aren't as high.
These situations do take place at gas stations. And more factors can impact what a station will charge. Timing can greatly impact what price a station charges as well! Many motorists fail to realize that the price a station pays for gasoline changes daily. If one station gets lucky and buys gas on Monday and the cost goes up Tuesday, the station that bought on Monday doesn’t necessarily have to raise prices like the station that bought on Tuesday. Maybe the station that got caught buying for a higher price on Tuesday will pass that higher cost on by raising its gas price.
Perhaps the difference is what brand the station is---branded stations usually pay a slightly higher cost for their gasoline. In return for paying a higher cost, those stations are guaranteed first supply in case of emergency situations. Independent stations don’t pay as much, but aren’t guaranteed supply.
While competition sounds easy to understand, there are always a large number of factors that could influence what one station charges. Keep in mind how many variables there are next time you fill up.What could be the best title for the passage?
| A．How Competition Impacts Gas Prices |
| B．Gas Prices Go Up or Down |
| C．Competition---a Very Complex Word |
| D．We Can’t Stress Enough the Need for Competition |
The example of car dealers is used to show _________.
| A．car prices are determined by car dealers |
| B．location is an important factor in pricing |
| C．the quality of service matters most |
| D．dealing strategy should be flexible |
The gas prices of a station always change partly because _________.
| A．a gas station always wants to charge more |
| B．the gasoline is in great demand |
| C．the cost of the gas the station buys varies daily |
| D．gas is in greater need on Monday |
According to the passage, branded stations _________.
| A．spend less money on their gasoline |
| B．have more staff than independent stations |
| C．charge less for high quality oil |
| D．offer a steady oil supply |
Goldie's Secret
She turned up at the doorstep of my house in Cornwall. No way could I have sent her away. No way, not me anyway. Maybe someone had kicked her out of their car the night before. "We're moving house. "No space for her any more with the baby coming. " "We never really wanted her, but what could we have done? She was a present. " People find all sorts of excuses for abandoning an animal. And she was one of the most beautiful dogs I had ever seen.
I called her Goldie. If I had known what was going to happen I would have given her a more creative name. She was so unsettled during those first few days. She hardly ate anything and had such an air of sadness about her. There was nothing I could do to make her happy, it seemed. Heaven knows what had happened to her at her previous owner's. But eventually at the end of the first week she calmed down. Always by my side, whether we were out on one of our long walks or sitting by the fire.
That's why it was such a shock when she pulled away from me one day when we were out for a walk. We were a long way from home, when she started barking and getting very restless. Eventually I couldn't hold her any longer and she raced off down the road towards a farmhouse in the distance as fast as she could.
By the time I reached the farm I was very tired and upset with Goldie. But when I saw her licking (舔) the four puppies (幼犬) I started to feel sympathy towards them. "We didn't know what had happened to her," said the woman at the door. "I took her for a walk one day, soon after the puppies were born, and she just disappeared. " "She must have tried to come back to them and got lost," added a boy from behind her.
I must admit I do miss Goldie, but I've got Nugget now, and she looks just like her mother. And I've learnt a good lesson: not to judge people. How did the author feel about Goldie when Goldie came to the house?
| A．Shocked | B．Sympathetic | C．Annoyed | D．Upset. |
In her first few days at the author's house, Goldie _______.
| A．felt worried | B．was angry | C．ate a little | D．sat by the fire |
Goldie rushed off to a farmhouse one day because she ________.
| A．saw her puppies | B．heard familiar barkings |
| C．wanted to leave the author | D．found her way to her old home |
The passage is organized in order of ________ .
| A．time | B．effectiveness | C．importance | D．complexity |