Most people know that a wedding ring is symbolic of the bond(连结物) of love and commitment（承诺） between two people. But not everyone knows about the history behind this small yet powerful symbol. The history of the wedding ring goes back not just hundreds but thousands of years. No other currently practiced wedding tradition has been around as long.
The Egyptians were the first recorded civilization to use the wedding ring. In Egyptian hieroglyphics（象形文字） a circle represented eternity. Once a woman accepted the ring she became the “property” of the person who gave it to her and she was in a sense “his.” The first wedding ring could have been made of braided grass or hay （which would have been changed often）, ivory, bone, or leather. Eventually, metal was used, but the first wedding bands were crude（未加工的） and rough. However, the sentiment（情感） remained the same-eternal commitment and love.
The Egyptians wore the wedding ring on the left hand because it was believed that a vein（静脉） in the left hand went straight to the heart. This tradition is still commonly practiced today in most parts of the world largely for practical purposes （most people are right handed.）It is worn on the fourth finger of the left hand. But there are some countries and groups which do not follow this tradition. In the Jewish faith, the wedding ring is put on the index finger. Roman Catholics traditionally wore their wedding band on the right hand, and in many countries and regions in Europe some people still follow this tradition.
It is interesting to note that in the long history of the wedding ring that it is only in the last century that men have begun to wear them. However, now both men and women show their love and commitment by exchanging rings on their wedding day.
Once you begin shopping for rings you may be amazed by the choices that await you. There are several different types of metals: traditional gold, white gold, platinum, and titanium. You can have an inscription（刻字） put on the inside of the band（镶边） if you like. Some people are even choosing a tattoo（刺花） band. The styles vary from a simple, yet elegant（优雅的） band to an elaborate（精致的） ring covered with jewels. If you do not buy the wedding and engagement rings as a set you will want to be sure the styles are compatible（一致的）. Choose carefully because this choice will need to stand the test of eternity. What would be the best title for this passage?
| A．History of rings | B．Interesting facts about rings |
| C．Different beliefs about rings | D．The meaning of the rings. |
What may the word “eternity” in paragraph 2 probably mean?
| A．Elegance | B．Marriage | C．Wedding | D．Foreverness |
Which is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．The meaning of the rings remained unchanged. |
| B．One should be careful of choosing a ring in a shop from different kinds. |
| C．Jewish are so faithful to their beliefs to wear rings on the fourth finger. |
| D．Now most people in the world still follow Roman Catholics traditionally. |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Men were looked upon by women for thousands years. |
| B．Only women have the right to make themselves beautiful. |
| C．women wore rings thousands of years earlier than men. |
| D．You can have an inscription put on the inside the band. |
If women are mercilessly exploited(剥削) year after year, they have only themselves to blame. Because they tremble at the thought of being seen in public in clothes that are out of fashion, they are always taken advantage of by the designers and the big stores. Clothes which have been worn only a few times have to be put aside because of the change of fashion.
Changing fashions are nothing more than the intentional creation of waste. Many women spend large sums of money each year to replace clothes that have hardly been worn. Women who cannot afford to throw away clothing in this way, waste hours of their time changing their old-fashioned dresses. Skirts are lengthened or shortened; neck-lines are lowered or raised, and so on.
No one can claim that the fashion industry contributes anything really important to society. Fashion designers are rarely concerned with necessary things like warmth, comfort and durability (耐用). They are only interested in outward appearance and they take advantage of the fact that women will put up with any amount of discomfort, as long as they look right. There can hardly be a man who hasn't at some time in his life smiled at the sight of a woman shaking in a thin dress on a winter day, or picking her way through deep snow in high heeled shoes.
When comparing men and women in the matter of fashion, the conclusions to be drawn are obvious. Do the constantly changing fashions of women's clothes, one wonders, reflect basic qualities of inconstancy and instability? Men are too clever to let themselves be cheated by fashion designers. Do their unchanging styles of dress reflect basic qualities of stability and reliability(稳定耐用)? That is for you to decide.Designers and big stores always make money_________.
| A．by mercilessly exploiting women workers in the clothing industry |
| B．because they are capable of predicting new fashions |
| C．because they attach great importance to quality in women's clothing |
| D．by constantly changing the fashions in women's clothing |
To the writer, the fact that women change their old-fashioned dresses is seen as ___________.
| A．a waste of time | B．a waste of money |
| C．an expression of taste | D．an expression of love beauty |
New fashions in clothing are created for ___________.
| A．an important contribution to society |
| B．the women's strength of character |
| C．basic qualities of inconstancy and instability |
| D．the commercial exploitation of women |
By saying "the conclusions to be drawn are obvious" (Line One to Line Two, Paragraph Four),
the writer means that ___________.
| A．men are more reasonable in the matter of fashion |
| B．women are better able to put up with discomfort |
| C．men are also exploited greatly by fashion designers |
| D．women's inconstancy in their choice of clothing is often laughed at |
A new study done by the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario （HEQCO） shows that it doesn't make much of a difference that parents reward their children with cash for their better marks.
Many parents have offered cash to their children in the hope that it would improve marks and possibly raise their children's interest in achieving higher marks．
The study, conducted by researchers from the University of Toronto （UT） and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology （MIT） to learn more about the potential for financial encouragement as motivation for improved marks, involved first and second year students receiving financial aid in 2008-2009 at the University of Toronto Scarborough．
The top students participating in the study who said they were "very concerned" about having enough money to complete their degrees were to receive $100 for getting a grade of 70 per cent for each one-semester course, plus $20 for every percentage point beyond that．It was imaginable that a student could earn as much as $700 for achieving 100 percent in a course．
Harvey Weingarten, president and CEO of HEQCO said, "In its efforts to help disadvantaged students by exploring the idea of paying them to attend school, the Toronto District School Board （TDSB） is asking the same question many other districts are asking about how to improve student participation and performance．Our study and others to date indicate that this practice has little effect if any in those situations where it has been tested．"
The authors of the study suggest that ineffective study habits may be a barrier to academic achievement and that the real problem may be more a lack of academic preparation than a lack of effort or motivation．They note that the availability of peer （同伴） advising does not appear to have helped greatly．They conclude that other potential avenues to improving performance, or other approaches of teaching, are needed at the high school and postsecondary levels．If a student gets a grade of 85% in a course, he will get _____．
| A．$100 | B．$300 | C．$400 | D．$700 |
The underlined words "this practice" in Paragraph 5 refer to _____．
| A．improving student participation |
| B．seeking help from different districts |
| C．paying disadvantaged students to attend school |
| D．testing student performance in the same district |
The real problem with student participation and performance is most probably a lack of____．
| A．academic preparation | B．effort or motivation |
| C．teaching methods | D．peer advising |
What is mainly discussed in the passage?
| A．Many parents have offered cash to their children． |
| B．Many first and second year students receive financial aid． |
| C．Ineffective study habits lead to poor academic achievement． |
| D．Rewarding students with cash for good grades has little effect |
With eco-tourism on the rise, eco-hotels are fast becoming the darling of the travel industry. These days, however, staying at an eco-hotel doesn’t necessarily mean vacationing in a tree house in the Costa Rican jungle, although that is certainly a choice.
The majority of eco-hotels fall into one of several categories: hotels and resorts that conserve ecologically important habitats; “green” hotels that reduce, recycle, minimize waste, and protect water; sustainable hotels that harvest food from gardens on the hotel property or get part of all their power from renewable energy; hotels that encourage community involvement such as guests taking part in trail clearing; and hotels that offer some form of environmental education to their guests.
As such, eco-hotels are a various group. Stylish urban hotels like the Willard Inter-Continental Washington focus on energy conservation whereas the Rosario Resort＆Spa on Orcas Island in Washington State offers a wildly popular “green” vacation package where guests can “take a hike, clear a trail”.
No matter what you call them, eco-hotel, eco-lodge, eco-resort, or green hotel, they’re part of the “greening” of the tourism industry.
Part of what drives this greening of the hotel industry is no doubt competition. Going green is yet another way to distinguish a hotel from the mass of other excellent hotels that consumers have to choose from. But for many hotels, it’s also part of their philosophy. With the concept of “going green” firmly rooted in consumers’ minds, eco-hotels have taken it to the next level, and whether or not money is the driving factor behind the greening of the hotel industry doesn’t matter so much as it’s good for the planet.The underlined part in the first paragraph means _______.
| A．lovers like staying at an eco-hotel when traveling |
| B．eco-hotels are very much loved by the travel industry |
| C．people choose to stay in a tree house while vacationing |
| D．romantic love stories often happen in eco-hotels |
According to the passage, which of the following can be part of the idea of eco-hotel?
| A．It has wall of glass. |
| B．It is comfortable and fashionable. |
| C．It uses renewable energy. |
| D．It’s home to endangered species. |
From the passage, we know the Rosario Resort＆Spa is a kind of hotel that____
| A．conserves ecologically important habitats. |
| B．encourages its guests to participate in its greening activities. |
| C．harvests food from its own garden on its property |
| D．has courses on the environment for its guests. |
People who choose to stay at eco-hotels ______.
| A．love to take a hike |
| B．enjoy the green atmosphere |
| C．have environmental awareness. |
| D．want to live comfortably |
There is plenty for kids and teens to do in the Syracuse area during the summer, including some great educational opportunities. Here are the top four.
Rosamond Gifford Zoo Camp
The zoo offers separate camps for kids. The camps for kindergarteners run from 9 am to 12:30 pm, and cost $115 for zoo members and $135 for non-members. Kids entering 7th and 8th grades will have half a day from 1 pm to 4:30 pm. The cost is $149 for members and $160 for non-members. All camps feature numerous educational activities and animal encounters. The camps run from August 14 to August 19. Registration starts from July 10 for members and July 15 for non-members.
Active Learning Services at Christian Brothers Academy
From August 1 to August 5, Christian Brothers Academy will host Active Learning Services from USA Chess. Topics of learning will include Chess Camp (age 5-15), and Video Game Creation Program (age 8-15). Chess Camp promises improved chess skills through chess instructors utilizing demo(演示) boards and historic games. Half day sessions will cost $280 for the Computer Camps. A full day of Chess costs $400, and a half day of Chess followed by a half day of Computer Camps cost $430.
Syracuse University Summer College
From July 5th to August 12th , Syracuse University will host pre-college programs for high school students. The Summer College will offer a wide variety of programs including architecture, engineering and computer science, public communications, and eco-fashion. The programs are taught by the teachers of Syracuse University and include hands-on activities. The costs range from $2325 to $7642.
The Sheldon Institute at SUNY Oswego
The State University of New York will hold two-week educational enrichment programs for students entering grades2-4 from July 25 to August 5. Children will have a set program featuring art, science, technology, cultural appreciation and writing. Tuition for the programs is only $320 and a downloadable application is available.If a preschool boy and his 8th-grade brother attend the Zoo Camps, they should pay___________.
| A．$264 | B．$275 | C．$295 | D．It depends. |
When should a child start to attend the Zoo Camps?
| A．On July 10. | B．On July 15. | C．On August 14. | D．On August 19 |
What do we know about the Chess Camp from the passage?
| A．It will last for two weeks. |
| B．Only children aged 8-15 can attend it. |
| C．Whole day sessions will cost $250 for it. |
| D．Children can learn improved chess skills through it. |
Where can children attend the largest number of programs with low cost?
| A．Christian Brothers Academy | B．Rosamond Gifford Zoo |
| C．The Sheldon Institute | D．Syracuse University |
A group of graduates, successful in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor．Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life．
Before offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and a variety of cups-porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking and cheap, some exquisite and expensive-telling them to help themselves to the coffee．
When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones．While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress．Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee．In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink．What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups．．．And then you began eyeing each other's cups．
Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups．They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of Life we live．Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us．"
God brews the coffee, not the cups．Enjoy your coffee!
"The happiest people don't have the best of everything．They just make the best of everything．"
Live simply．Love generously．Care deeply．Speak kindly．Leave the rest to God．What does the underlined word "it" in Paragraph 3 refer to?
| A．the ordinary-looking cup | B．the nice-looking cup |
| C．the coffee of good quality | D．the coffee of poor quality |
Why did the professor offer his students coffee with varieties of cups?
| A．To give his students many more choices． |
| B．To teach his students how to enjoy coffee． |
| C．To show the students his collection of cups． |
| D．To tell his students the right attitude to life |
According to the professor, the happiest people are the ones who _____．
| A．get the best type of coffee cups | B．make the best of what they have |
| C．have a wide range of coffee cups | D．care about social status and wealth |
The best title for the passage would be _____．
| A．God's Coffee | B．The Pressure of Life |
| C．The Happiest People | D．Professor's Coffee Cups |