With the popularity of Harry Potter novels, the number of children applying to boarding schools has risen, many of them hoping to find their own version of Hogwarts. However, others have interpreted this trend as a reaction to longer working hours and the break up of more marriages. The boarding schools of fiction are presented as one long midnight feast with pillow fights making firm friendships. However, some people say the reality is children having more homesickness and a lack of individual attention. Modern boarding schools have done much to get rid of the image of the mass dormitories with 40 or more beds in one room, some going as far as providing private rooms with bathrooms. Similarly, they make great announcements for their academic advantage, particularly in light of the increase in exams, homework and university entrance requirements facing children wishing to succeed in the modern world.
Alongside these more conventional schools, two types of boarding schools have also become more popular recently. Sports academies and stage schools seek to cater for children with particular interests and talents, while so-called troubled-teens have been able to turn to a range of religious or wilderness schools to solve their problematic behavior.
Boarding schools allow children a safe space in which to accomplish greater control and independence over their daily lives. Teachers and staff can look after and support but they are unlikely to be over-protective. This can be a great preparation for university or for working away from home in later life as it provides an intermediate step between childhood and full independence.
However, Parents are a child’s most natural support and best role models to learn from. If they are separated from them for long periods of time, this may damage their relationship and leave the child feeling anxious or alone. Schools are unlikely to be able to copy the detailed knowledge of each individual child that a parent has and therefore cannot be as effective in supporting the child.
To sum up, boarding schools have both their advantages and disadvantages, so it is up to you to decide whether to send your children to boarding schools or not.. What do we know from the passage?
| A．More and more children go and visit Hogwarts on their own. |
| B．Pillow fights in boarding schools make firm friendships in reality. |
| C．More children want to go to boarding schools because of Harry Potter novels. |
| D．There aren’t special schools for the particularly talented children. |
What kind of schools may be the most suitable for the so-called troubled-teens?
| A．sports academies | B．Wilderness schools |
| C．Conventional schools | D．Stage schools |
We learn from Paragraph 4 that __________.
| A．teachers of boarding schools are the best examples for children to learn from |
| B．children can be more independent if they are separated from their parents |
| C．parents know their children better than teachers of boarding schools |
| D．schools are much more effective than parents in supporting children |
What is the author’s opinion of boarding schools?
| A．Neutral | B．Negative | C．Positive | D．Critical |
The research carried out by the University of Bari in Italy could help prove hospitals who are accused of wasting money on art and decoration as it suggests a pleasant environment helps patients ease discomfort and pain.
A team headed by Professor Marina de Tommaso at the Neurophysiopathology Pain Unit asked a group of men and women to pick the 20 paintings they considered most ugly and most beautiful from a selection of 300 works by artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Sandro Botticelli. They were then asked to look at either the beautiful paintings, or the ugly painting, or a blank panel while the team zapped(照射) a short laser pulse at their hand, creating a sensation as if they had been stuck by a pin. The subjects rated the pain as being a third less intense while they were viewing the beautiful paintings, compared with when looking at the ugly paintings or the blank panel. Electrodes measuring the brain's electrical activity also confirmed a reduced response to the pain when the subject looked at beautiful paintings.
While distractions, such as music, are known to reduce pain in hospital patients, Prof de Tommaso says this is the first result to show that beauty plays a part.
The findings, reported in New Scientist, also go a long way to show that beautiful surroundings could aid the healing process.
"Hospitals have been designed to be functional, but we think that their artistic aspects should be taken into account too," said the neurologist. "Beauty obviously offers a distraction that ugly paintings do not. But at least there is no suggestion that ugly surroundings make the pain worse. " "I think these results show that more research is needed into the field how a beautiful environment can alleviate suffering."
Pictures they liked included Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh and Botticelli’s Birth of Venus. Pictures they found ugly included works by Pablo Picasso, the Italian 20th century artist Anonio Bueno and Columbian Fernando Botero. "These people were not art experts so some of the pictures they found ugly would be considered masterpieces by the art world," said Prof de Tommaso.The underlined word "alleviate" in the fifth paragraph probably means"__________"
| A．cure |
| B．ease |
| C．improve |
| D．kill |
How many artists have been mentioned in the passage?
| A．4. |
| B．5. |
| C．6. |
| D．7. |
Which of the following is TURE about the view of Prof de Tommaso's?
| A．Beautiful surroundings could help to heal sufferings completely. |
| B．Hospitals must take their artistic aspects into consideration first. |
| C．Ugly surroundings will surely make the pain worse. |
| D．Both music and beauty can reduce pain in hospital patients. |
From the last paragraph, we know that __________.
| A．some artists' paintings were beautiful, so they were masterpieces |
| B．only art experts could judge they were masterpieces or not, though ugly |
| C．the artists mentioned above were not really art masters |
| D．some of them were art masters, while otherswere not |
Which of the following is the suitable title for the passage?
| A．Beautiful Surroundings can Ease Pain. |
| B．Ugly Paintings could be Masterpieces. |
| C．More Research should be Done in the Field. |
| D．Latest Environmental Research. |
(Nanowerk News) A villa designed to resist earthquakes with "self healing" cracks in its walls, thanks to nanotechnology applications with selfhealing polymers (聚合物), is to be built on a Greek mountainside. The villa's walls will include special particles that turn into a liquid when squeezed under pressure, flow into cracks, and then harden to form a solid material.
The Nano Manufacturing Institute (NMI) ， based in Leeds University, will play a key role in an EU project to construct the home by December 2010. The project, called "Intelligent Safe and Secure Buildings" (ISSB) is funded under the EU's Sixth Framework program. This potentially life saving scheme is led by German building manufacturer Knauf. The villa will be built in Amphilochia, in western Greece, where Knauf currently runs a manufacturing plant. If the experiment is successful, more tremor resistant (防震) homes could be built in earthquake zones across the globe. NMI chief executive Professor Terry Wilkins said, "What we're trying to achieve here is very exciting. We're looking to use polymers in much tougher situations than ever before on a larger scale." Monitors contained in the villa's walls will be able to collect vast amounts of data about the building over time. Wireless sensors will record any stresses and vibrations, as well as temperature, humidity and gas levels.
The walls are to be built from novel load bearing steel frames and high strength gypsum board. Prof Wilkins said, "If there are any problems, the intelligent sensor network will be able to alert residents immediately so they have time to escape. If whole groups of houses are so constructed, we could use a larger network of sensors to get even more information. If the house falls down, we have got handheld devices that can be used over the rubble to pick out where the embedded (嵌入的) sensors are hidden to get some information about how the villa collapsed. "Also, we can get information about anyone who may be around, so it potentially becomes a tool for rescue.The aim of the passage is to __________.
| A．report a piece of interesting news |
| B．promote tremor resistant homes |
| C．inform us of the nanotechnology development |
| D．tell us about a tremor resistant home |
The villa can resist earthquakes because __________.
| A．it will be built on a special place |
| B．the cracks in its walls can be healed by the polymers |
| C．the special particles can make its walls stronger |
| D．the intelligent sensor network can tell people where there is a crack |
If the tremor resistant home falls down, __________.
| A．no one can be hurt in the earthquake |
| B．the intelligent sensor network will stop working |
| C．rescue work can be done more quickly and accurately |
| D．a warning signal will be given to other residents |
What Prof Wilkins said suggests that __________.
| A．he is doubtful about the project |
| B．he thinks the tremor resistant home is perfectly designed |
| C．he is confident in the tremor resistant home |
| D．the tremor resistant home still needs to be tested in a real situation |
It can be inferred from the passage that tremor resistant home __________.
| A．is still being tried out |
| B．is already under construction |
| C．has been in wide use |
| D．will be put into wide use soon |
When you think of an artist, you probably think of someone painting on canvas (画布). But Guido Daniele creates fantastic paintings of birds, elephants, tigers, and giraffes by painting on skin. Born in Soverato, Italy, Guido Daniele has been called "Hand Gogh" (after artist Vincent van Gogh) since he began creating works of art on people's hands in 1990.
Painting on the hands can be a challenge because, unlike canvas, the skin moves when rubbed. Daniele's models must remain perfectly still for hours as he paints. He often uses his daughter and his son as his "canvases".
Before he can begin to create his "manimals" (the artist's name for his hand animals), Daniele studies photographs of the animal that he will be painting in order to be able to understand its character and give it life. "Next," he says, "I look at the hand from different perspectives (视角), and I beginto imagine what is the best way to position the hand for me to paint the animal. ” He also studies the skin of the model, preferring it to have little hair and few blemishes (瑕疵).
Daniele starts by drawing on the model's hand with a pencil. He next paints the skin using watercolors made specifically for body art. The eyes of Daniele's painted animals look amazingly real, and they are the most difficult part to paint.
Paintings on hands must eventually be washed away. Guido Daniele says that he's gotten used to this part and that he doesn't really mind seeing his work washed down the drain (排水沟) "Tomorrow, I will paint the next one. The important thing is to take many good photographs before washing the hand!"Daniele's paintings are mainly about __________.
| A．scenery |
| B．plants |
| C．stories |
| D．animals |
In Paragraph 3 the author mainly tells us __________.
| A．what Daniele needs to do before painting |
| B．why Daniele chooses to paint "animals" |
| C．how Daniele develops his own style of painting |
| D．how Daniele paints on the skin of his models |
How does Daniele feel about he fact that his paintings must be washed away?
| A．He feels disappointed at this. |
| B．He cares little about this. |
| C．He is satisfied to see this. |
| D．He in fact can't accept this. |
A new study warns that about thirty percent of the world's people may not have enough water by the year 2025.
A private American organization called Population Action International did the new study. It says more than three-hundred-thirty-five-million people lack enough water now. The people live in twentyeight countries. Most of the countries are in Africa or the Middle East.
PAI researcher Robert Engelman says by the year 2025, about three thousand million people may lack water. At least 18 more countries are expected to have severe water problems. The demand for water keeps increasing. Yet the amount of water on earth stays the same.
Mr Engelman says the population in the countries that lack water is growing faster than in other parts of the world. He says population growth in these countries will continue to increase.
The report says lack of water in the future may result in several problems. It may increase health problems. Lack of water often means drinking water is not safe. Mr Engelman says there are problems all over the world because some diseases, such as cholera, are carried in water. Lack of water may also result in more international conflicts. Countries may have to compete for water in the future. Some countries now get sixty percent of their fresh water from other countries. This is true of Egypt, the Netherlands, Cambodia, Syria, Sudan, and Iraq. And the report says lack of water would affect the ability to improve their economies. This is because new industries often need a large amount of water when they are beginning.
The Population Action International study gives several solutions to the water problem. One way, it says, is to find ways to use water for more than one purpose. Another way is to teach people to be careful not to waste water. A third way is to use less water of agriculture.
The report also says long-term solutions to the water problem must include controls on population growth. It says countries cannot provide clean water unless they slow population growth by limiting the number of children people have.From the first four paragraphs, we can learn __________.
| A．the fact of the global lack of water |
| B．the importance of water recourse |
| C．the way to solve water shortage |
| D．the study of the global lack of water |
Which of the following problems is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．It may bring about health problems. |
| B．It may bring about international conflict. |
| C．It may bring about the development of the economies. |
| D．It may bring about difficulties to new industries. |
Which of the following is the way to solve the water problem in the long run?
| A．To use water in a variety of ways. |
| B．To become aware of the water problem. |
| C．To reduce the use of agricultural water. |
| D．To limit the rising birthrate of the earth. |
Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?
| A．①②③→④⑤→⑥⑦ |
| B．①②③④→⑤→⑥⑦ |
| C．①②③④→⑤⑥→⑦ |
| D．①②③→④→⑤→⑥⑦ |
With the popularity of Harry Potter novels, the number of children applying to boarding schools has risen, many of them hoping to find their own version of Hogwarts. However, others have interpreted this trend as a reaction to longer working hours and the break up of more marriages. The boarding schools of. fiction are presented as one long midnight feast with pillow fights making firm friendships. However, some people say the reality is children having more homesickness and a lack of individual attention. Modern boarding schools have done much to get rid of the image of the mass dormitories with 40 or more beds in one room, some going as far as providing private rooms with bathrooms. Similarly, they make great announcements for their academic advantage, particularly in light of the increase in exams, homework and university entrance requirements facing children wishing to succeed in the modern world.
Alongside these more conventional schools, two types of boarding schools have also become more popular recently. Sports academies and stage schools seek to cater for children with particular interests and talents, while so-called troubled-teens have been able to turn to a range of religious or wilderness schools to solve their problematic behavior.
Boarding schools allow children a safe space in which to accomplish greater control and independence over their daily lives. Teachers and staff can look after and support but they are unlikely to be over-protective. This can be a great preparation for university or for working away from home in later life as it provides an intermediate step between childhood and full independence.
However, parents are a child's most natural support and best role models to learn from. If they are separated from them for long periods of time, this may damage their relationship and leave the child feeling anxious or alone. Schools are unlikely to be able to copy the detailed knowledge of each individual child that a parent has and therefore cannot be as effective in supporting the child.
To sum up, boarding schools have both their advantages and disadvantages, so it is up to you to decide whether to send your children to boarding schools or not.What do we know from the passage?
| A．More and more children go and visit Hogwarts on their own. |
| B．Pillow fights in boarding schools make firm friendships in reality. |
| C．More children want to go to boarding schools because of Harry Potter novels. |
| D．There aren't special schools for the particularly talented children. |
What kind of schools may be the most suitable for the so-called troubled-teens?
| A．sports academies |
| B．Wilderness schools |
| C．Conventional schools |
| D．Stage schools |
We learn from Paragraph 4 that __________.
| A．teachers of boarding schools are the best examples for children to learn from |
| B．children can be more independent if they are separated from their parents |
| C．parents know their children better than teachers of boarding schools |
| D．schools are much more effective than parents in supporting children |
What is the author's opinion of boarding schools?
| A．Neutral. |
| B．Negative. |
| C．Positive. |
| D．Critical. |