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 |
Are you the type of person who always says“yes”?I’ve come to learn that it is very im-portant to learn to say NO!It’s okay. People are still going to like you. They may even respect you more because they know you are honest.
I,m not saying to say“no" to someone who really needs your help. I’m talking about re-fusing that meeting that you really do not want to attend or that birthday party that you don’t want to be a guest at.
Think for a moment how you feel when you say YES to something that you really don’t want to do. If you’re like I once was,you can’t sleep at night and you think about it too much. It weighs on your mind. You try to find ways out. Whatever you’re saying to yourself,if you really wanted to go,you wouldn’t have all of these thoughts.
So,why not just say NO from the beginning? Maybe you feel like if you don’t show up at the meeting(by the way,it is not one you must attend) your boss isn’t going to like you or your co-workers won’t respect you. Maybe you feel as if your mom,dad or sisters won’t love you as much if you don’t do everything for them that they ask every occasion.
If these people are your true friends,family members,or a good boss,they will like or love you the same no matter what. People treat you the way you teach them to,and if you’re some-one who always says“yes" then that’s what they,re expecting.
You need to do what is right for you. Of course we do have real obligations in life to ful-fill,but we do not have to do everything others want us to do.Which of the following statements would the writer agree with?
| A.We should try to do what our friends ask us to do. |
| B.We should help others in need. |
| C.Always saying“yes" means you are dishonest. |
| D.Always saying“no" means you are brave. |
What does the underlined word,’ It" in Paragraph 3 refer to?
| A.Saying "yes". |
| B.A friend's birthday party. |
| C.Something you’re unwilling to do. |
| D.Something you think difficult to do. |
The writer believes that if you say“no" to your family members,you’11_·
| A.have the same relationship with them as before |
| B.have a loose relationship with them |
| C.disappoint them |
| D.upset them |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A.Learn to Make a Right Choice | B.To Be Yourself |
| C.Do What You Want to Do | D.Learn to Say No |
FRANCE has destroyed the hopes of those who had planned to take refuge(避难)in one of the few places on Earth which some believe will be spared when the world ends on December 21 .Local officials banned access to the Pic de Bugarach,a mountain in the southwest where rumor has it that the hilltop will open on the last day and aliens will appear with spaceships to save nearby humans.
Eric Freysselinard,the state’s top representative in the area,said he was blocking access to the mountain for public safety reasons to avoid a rush of New Age fanatics(盲信者),sight-seers and media crews. Believers say the world will end on December 21,2012,the end date of the ancient Mayan calendar,and they see Bugarach as one of a few sacred mountains sheltered from the cataclysm(大灾难).
Mr Freysselinard said the 100 police and firefighters will also control approaches to the tiny village of the same name at the foot of the mountain,and if too many people turn up,they will block access there too.“We are expecting a few people who believe in this end of the world,but in extremely limited numbers,” he said in the. nearby city of Carcassonne.“We are expecting greater numbers of people who are just curious,but in numbers we cannot determine. Above all,we are expecting lots of journalists,”he said.
Films,documentaries and websites have promoted the idea that the ancient Mayan calendar predicts that doomsday is on December 21.The culture ministry in Guatemala-where half the population are of Mayan descent-is hosting a massive event in the capital just in case the world actually does end,while tour groups are promoting doomsday-themed getaways.Many people plan to go to Pic de Bugarach mainly because.
| A.they want to take refuge on December 21,2012 |
| B.they want to meet aliens with spaceships to save humans |
| C.they want to visit the scenery of the mountain |
| D.they want to make profits by attracting tourists |
Eric Freysselinard was blocking access to the mountain for.
| A.forbidding the rumour spreading | B.improving environmental protection |
| C.protecting public safety | D.avoiding destroying natural sources |
What kinds of people would come to Pic de Bugarach?
a. Tourists. b. Journalists. c. Local officials. d. Visionaries. e. The Mayans.
| A.a. b. e. | B.a. b. c. | C.a. b. d. | D.b. d. e. |
Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
| A.The World Ends on December 21 | B.The Ancient Mayan Calendar Ends |
| C.A Massive Event in The Capital | D.French Say‘No’to The Refugee |
Switzerland is the best place to be born in the world in 2013,and the US is just 16th. A new study made by the Economist Intelligence Unit says American babies will have a dimmer(暗淡)future than those born in Hong Kong,Ireland and even Canada. The EIU,a sister company of The Economist,tried to measure how well countries will provide the best opportunities for a healthy,safe and prosperous life in years to come.
People born in Switzerland will tend to be the happiest and have the best quality of life in terms of wealth,health and trust in public institutions,according to the analysis. The Scandinavian countries of Norway,Sweden and Denmark also all make the top five in a‘quality-of-lif e’index(指数)where it is best to be born next year.
One of the most important factors is being rich,but other factors come into play including crime,trust in public institutions and the health of family life. In total,the index takes into account 11 factors. These include fixed factors such as geography,others that change slowly over time such as demography (人口学) social and cultural characteristics, and the state of the world economy. The index also looks at income per head in 2030,which is roughly when children born in 2013 will reach adulthood. Small economies take up the top 10 countries,with Australia coming second and New Zealand and the Netherlands not too far behind.
Half of the top 10 countries are European,but only one,the Netherlands,is from the eurozone. The crisis-ridden south of Europe,including Greece,Portugal and Spain,falls behind despite the advantage of a favourable climate. Interestingly,the largest European economies-Germany,France and Britain-do not do particularly well. Nigeria has the unenviable(不值得羡慕的)title of being the worst country for a baby to enter the world in 2013.According to the passage,the happiest people live in·
| A.Denmark | B.Switzerland | C.Germany | D.Nigeria |
The factors of telling the best place to be born don’t include.
| A.economy | B.geography |
| C.trust in public institutions | D.pollution |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?
| A.The Economist Intelligence Unit is a company. |
| B.The Economist attempted to measure the best place to live. |
| C.The Scandinavian countries are hardly at the top of the list. |
| D.Half of the top 10 countries are from the eurozone. |
The purpose of the text is to show people.
| A.the best place to be born in 2013 |
| B.a new study made by the EIU |
| C.the worst country to be born in 2013 |
| D.the factors of measuring the best place to be born |
Once there was an island where all the feelings lived: Happiness, Sadness, Knowledge, and all of the others, including Love. One day it was said that the island would go down, so all made boats and left except Love.
Love was the only one who stayed. Love wanted to offer her help until the last possible moment. When the island had almost gone down, Love decided to ask for help.
Richness was passing by Love in a great boat. Love said, “Richness, can you take me with you?” Richness answered, “No, I can’t. There is a lot of gold and silver in my boat. There is no place here for you.”
Sadness was close by, so Love asked, “Sadness, let me go with you .” “Oh, Love, I am so sad that I need to be by myself!”
Happiness passed by Love, too, but she was so happy that she did not even notice when Love called her.
Suddenly, there was a voice, “Come, Love, I will take you.” It was an elder. Love was so excited that she even forgot to ask who the elder was. So Love asked Knowledge, another elder, “Who helped me?” “It was Time,” Knowledge answered. “Time?” asked Love. “But why did Time help me?”
Knowledge smiled with deep wisdom and answered, “Because only Time understands how valuable Love is.”What would happen to the island?
| A.It would grow bigger. | B.It would sink. |
| C.It drove feelings away. | D.All the feelings lived. |
Sadness didn’t see Love when he passed by Love, did he?
| A.Yes, he did. | B.Yes, he didn’t. |
| C.No, he didn’t. | D.No, he did. |
Why didn’t Happiness help Love?
| A.Because Happiness didn’t like Love. |
| B.Because Happiness didn’t hear Love calling her. |
| C.Because her boat was so small that she couldn’t take Love with her. |
| D.Because she needed to be by herself. |
Who helped Love out of danger?
| A.Sadness. | B.Knowledge. | C.Happiness. | D.Time. |
What does the underlined word “valuable” mean in Chinese?
| A.令人喜爱的 | B.珍贵的 |
| C.吸引人的 | D.有爱心的 |
| Going to Disneyland is a dream vacation for kids. You may have been to the Disneyland in Hong Kong or in other places. Soon you will be able to enjoy a Disney Park in Shanghai. Shanghai Disneyland started building on April 8, 2011.There will be many Chinese characters in Shanghai Disneyland. It is different from the others. There is a 10-kilometer-long river. It goes around the whole park. Shanghai Disneyland will cost 24. 4 billion yuan to build. It will open in five years. |
| In order to keep the road safe, European Commission (欧盟) says that buses and taxis can be fitted (安装) with “black boxes.” The black boxes can help the police to find what happened after an accident. |
| The Beijing-Shanghai High Speed Railway was put into operation at the end of June, 2011.Now the journey can take about five hours. The train can reach the speed of up to 380 kilometers an hour. The passenger volume (容量) can reach 160 million a year, marking a great step in China’s Railway development. |
| On the evening of May 8th, 2012,a middle school teacher Zhang Lili from Jiamusi , Heilongjiang Province , saved her students in a terrible accident. She was badly hurt and lost her legs. Her brave deed moved the people around China deeply. She is called “the most beautiful teacher.” The whole society is trying to save her life. As a young teacher, her bravery sets a good example to us all. We all hope she will get better soon. |
The Beijing-Shanghai High Speed Railway was put into operation at the end of __, 2011.
| A.June | B.July | C.August | D.September |
Shanghai Disneyland will open ___________.
| A.on April 8, 2011 | B.in 2012 |
| C.on May 8, 2012 | D.in 2016 |
Which of the following is TRUE about Shanghai Disneyland?
| A.A 10-kilometer-long river goes in the middle of the park. |
| B.There will be many Chinese characters. |
| C.It is the same as the others. |
| D.It opened 5 years ago. |
In order to keep the road safe, European Commission wants to
| A.make buses and taxis go slowly. |
| B.fit buses and taxis with "black boxes". |
| C.make the police find out what happened. |
| D.find out what "black boxes" can do. |
According to the news, we can learn___________
| A.Now we are able to enjoy a Disney Park in Shanghai. |
| B.The black boxes can help the police predict what will happen. |
| C.The passenger volume can reach 380 million a year. |
| D.“The most beautiful teacher” Zhang Lili is our good example. |