Long bus rides are like television shows. They have a beginning, a middle, and an end with commercials thrown in every three or four minutes. The commercials are unavoidable. They happen whether you want them or not. Every couple of minutes a billboard glides by outside the bus window. "Buy Super Clean Toothpaste.” Drink Good Wet Root Beer.” Fill up with Pacific Gas.” Only if you sleep, which is equal to turning the television set off, are you spared the unending cry of "You Need It! Buy It Now!"
The beginning of the ride is comfortable and somewhat exciting, even if you’ve traveled that way before. Usually some things have changed new houses, new buildings, sometimes even a new road. The bus driver has a style of driving and it’s fun to try to figure it out the first hour or so. If the driver is particularly reckless （鲁莽的） or daring, the ride can be as thrilling （惊心动魄的） as a suspense story. Will the driver pass the truck in time? Will the driver move into the rightor the lefthand lane? After a while, of course, the excitement dies down. Sleeping for a while helps pass the middle hours of the ride. Food always makes bus rides more interesting. But you’ve got to be careful of what kind of food you eat. Too much salty food can make you very thirsty between stops.
The end of the ride is somewhat like the beginning. You know it will soon be over and there’s a kind of expectation and excitement in that. The seat of course, has become harder as the hours have passed. By now you’ve sat with your legs crossed, with your hands in your lap, with your hands on the armrests even with your hands crossed behind your head. The end comes just at no more ways to sit.According to the passage, what do the passengers usually see when they are on a long bus trip?
| A．Buses on the road. | B．Films on television. |
| C．Advertisements on the billboards. | D．Gas stations. |
What is the purpose of this passage?
| A．To give the writer’s opinion about long bus trips. |
| B．To persuade you to take a long bus trip. |
| C．To explain how bus trips and television shows differ. |
| D．To describe the billboards along the road. |
The writer of this passage would probably favor .
| A．bus drivers who aren’t reckless | B．driving alone |
| C．a television set on the bus | D．no billboards along the road |
The writer feels long bus rides are like TV shows because .
A．the commercials both on TV shows and on billboards along the road are fun |
| B．they both have a beginning, a middle, and an end, with commercials in between |
| C．the drivers are always reckless on TV shows just as they are on buses |
| D．both traveling and watching TV are not exciting. |
The writer thinks that the end of the ride is somewhat like the beginning because both are .
| A．exciting | B．comfortable | C．tiring | D．boring |
Perhaps you have never heard of Katherine Lawes．Katherine was the wife of Lewis Lawes, warden （监狱长） at Sing Sing Prison from 1920 to 1941．In these 21 years he made many reforms --- and an important part of his success was due to his wife Katherine．
Katherine took seriously the idea that the prisoners are human beings ,worthy of attention and respect ．She regularly visited inside the walls of Sing Sing．She encouraged the prisoners, took things to them and spent time listening to them．Most importantly, she cared about them．And as a result, they cared deeply about her．
Then one night in October of 1937, news was "telegraphed" between the prison cells that Katherine had been killed in an accident．The prisoners asked the warden to allow them to attend her funeral．He agreed to their strange request and a few days later the south gate of Sing Sing swung slowly open．Hundreds of men who had committed almost every crime imaginable marched slowly out of the prison, later gathered again at the gate and returned to their cells．There were so many that they proceeded unguarded．But no one tried to escape．If he had, the others might have killed him immediately．So devoted were they to Katherine Lawes, the woman who daily walked into Hell to show the men a piece of Heaven．
Katherine’ s strength was to see the men less as prisoners and more as individuals．Thomas Moore once said, "We can only treat badly those things or people whose souls we show no respect for．"When Katherine’s husband was the warden at Sing Sing Prison, she did the following things EXCEPT_______________．
| A．encouraging the prisoners | B．visiting the prison houses |
| C．spending time in listening to the prisoners | D．doing some writing for the prisoner |
Why did the prisoners ask the warden to allow them to attend Katherine’s funeral?
| A．Because Katherine was the wife of the warden． |
| B．Because Katherine didn’t look down upon them and cared about them． |
| C．Because Katherine made reforms in the prison． |
| D．Because Katherine had been killed by one of them． |
Whom does the underlined part “the others” refer to?
| A．The policemen at the funeral． | B．The guards． |
| C．The other prisoners． | D．The policemen from other prisons． |
The best title of this passage is_________．
| A．To Honor Their Souls | B．Reforms at Sing Sing Prison |
| C．To Meet Their Requirement | D． Katherine Lawes’ s Life |
E— The environmental Magazine
If you are concerned about your health , your family’s health and the future of our planet , and want to know “ What can I do ? ” to make a difference , you’ll love reading E —The Environmental Magazine . A 12-time Independent Press Awards winner and nominee (被提名者) ，E is full of everything environmental —from recycling to rainforests and from the global village to our own backyards .
1 year (6 issues ) — $24.95
2 years (12 issues ) — $ 34.95
Add $ 10.00 /year for Canadian postage
Add $ 40.00 / year for foreign postage
Edinburgh Young Caregivers Project
We work with young caregivers . We want to colour the lives of some of these young people by introducing them to someone who will try to understand them , listen , work towards agreed goals and have some FUN ! Is that person you ? Are you aged 18-25 ? Could you help and encourage a young person to recognize what they want and work towards getting it ? You can encourage and help someone and in return help yourself ! You will learn new skills and build on your own experience .
Contact : Sue Mackay
Email : sue.mackay @ yahoocarers .org.uk
Belvedere Castle Exhibit
Date (s ): February 16 ,2008—February 16 , 2018
Time(s) : 10:00a.m—5:00p.m
Event scheduling : Sunday , Tuesday , Wednesday , Thursday , Friday , Saturday
Event details : The exhibit covers two floors of the Castle , and currently features an informational panel (面) on the importance of trees and display of common birds that can be found in surrounding areas . All Ages . Free . Reservations required for groups of 25 people or more . Call 212-772-0210 for information . ( click to show map )
Tennis Skills Camp
August 2-6 , 2010 registration deadline : July 15, 2010
This camp , held on the Alfred University Tennis Courts，is for boys and girls entering grades 7-12. Training at the beginners through advanced levels will be provided .
This camp is directed and coached by Dave Brady , tennis coach at Alfred-Almond Central School .
Camp sessions will be held Monday through Friday , from 4:00-6:30 p.m
Cost : $ 150 per person From the first ad , we know E—The Environmental Magazine ________ .
A. mainly deals with political problems B. costs a Canadian reader $34.95 a year
C+. is a monthly publicationD. has won Independent press Awards 12 ="imes" .The second ad is intended for _______ .
| A．job seekers | B．trainers | C．teachers | D．volunteers |
What do we know about Belvedere Castle Exhibit ?
| A．It mainly focuses on wildlife . |
| B．A group of more than 25 visitors to it can get a discount . |
| C．It lasts for more than eleven years . |
| D．You can go to see the exhibit every day during the week . |
IQUIQUE, Chile (Reuters) — Rescue workers at the San Jose gold and copper mine in northern Chile had reason to sing this week. A small hole drilled into the earth became a passage to freedom for 33 trapped miners, who spent 69 days underground. “Never have people been trapped for so long so deeply,” says a doctor at NASA, the American space agency, which helped in the rescue.
But the chief medical officer for the miners said most are in good enough health to leave the hospital within a day or so. The first three recovered and went home Thursday night.
For much of the day the miners relaxed with Chilean President Sebastian Pinera. The 32 Chileans and 1 Bolivian still wore special sunglasses to protect their eyes.
A partial mine collapse on 5th August trapped them more than half a kilometer underground. They had to stretch a two-day food supply. For two weeks no one knew if they were alive or dead. Later, they received supplies.
The first miner rescued on Wednesday was Florencio Avalos. The second was Mario Sepulveda, who talked about how the experience tested his faith. The last miner up was Luis Urzua, who was the shift leader when his crew became trapped.
Rescuers used a metal cage to pull the miners to safety in less than 24 hours — faster than expected. The rescue capsule was a half-meter wide and known as the Phoenix, an imaginary bird from ancient stories. It bursts into flames but is continually reborn and rises from the ashes.
Chile’s Navy built the capsule with advice from mining experts and NASA engineers. It worked like an elevator, traveling up and down on a cable through a shaft（竖井）drilled 622 meters into the rocks.
Millions of people around the world watched the rescue. More than one thousand journalists traveled to the mine in the Atacama Desert to report on the rescue. They joined family members of the miners and rescue crews housed in an area of tents known as Camp Hope.What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Rescued miners speak out | B．A rebirth for 33 rescued miners in Chile |
| C．Miners’ life deep underground | D．Chilean president honors rescued miners |
How many rescued miners are still in hospital?
| A．3. | B．33. | C．30. | D．69. |
|
The rescue is great for the reason that ______.
| A．it lasted so long and the miners were trapped so deep |
| B．the American space agency took part |
| C．Chilean President was on the rescuing spot |
| D．33 trapped miners were saved |
A woman renewing her driver’s license at the County Clerk’s office was asked to state her occupation. She hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself.
“What I mean is,” explained the recorder, “do you have a job, or are you just a …”
“Of course I have a job,” said Emily. “I’m a mother.”
“We don’t list ‘mother’ as an occupation…‘housewife’ covers it,” said the recorder.
One day I found myself in the same situation. The clerk was obviously a career woman, confident and possessed of a high sounding title. “What is your occupation?” she asked.
The words simply popped out. “I’m a Research Associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations.”
The clerk paused, ballpoint pen frozen in midair.
I repeated the title slowly, then I stared with wonder as my statement was written in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire.
“Might I ask,” said the clerk with new interest, “Just what you do in this field?”
Coolly, without any trace of panic in my voice, I heard myself reply, “I have a continuing program of research (what mother doesn’t), in the lab and in the field (normally I would have said indoors and out). Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities (any mother care to disagree?), and I often work 14 hours a day (24 is more like it). But the job is more challenging than most careers and rewards are more of a satisfaction rather than just money.”
There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk’s voice as she completed the form, stood up, and showed me out.
As I drove into our driveway, buoyed up (鼓舞) by my glamorous new career, I was greeted by my lab assistants---ages 13, 7, and 3.
Upstairs I could hear our new experimental model (a 6 month old baby), in the child-development program, testing out a new vocal（嗓音的） pattern.
I felt proud! I had gone on the official records as someone more distinguished and indispensable (不可缺少的) to mankind than “just another mother.”
Motherhood…What a glorious career! Especially when there’s a title on the door. What can we infer from the conversation between the woman and the recorder at the beginning of the passage?
| A．Motherhood was not recognized and respected as a job by society. |
| B．The recorder was impatient and rude. |
| C．The author was upset about the situation that mothers faced. |
| D．The woman felt ashamed to admit what her job was. |
How did the female clerk feel at first when the author told her occupation?
| A．curious | B．indifferent | C．interested | D．puzzled |
Why did the woman clerk show more respect for the author?
| A．Because the author cared little about rewards. |
| B．Because she admired the author’s research work in the lab. |
| C．Because the writer did something she had little knowledge of. |
| D．Because she thought the author did admirable work. |
What is the author’s purpose of writing the passage?
| A．To show how you describe your job affects your feelings toward it. |
| B．To show that the author had a grander job than Emily. |
| C．To argue that motherhood is a worthy career and deserves respect. |
| D．To show that being a mother is hard and boring work. |
Listening to a radio broadcast in a foreign language is difficult for many of us. We may have studied the language for several years, and are able to read it, perhaps even write in it. But listening and understanding the spoken language require special skills. Some people have a natural ability that helps them to learn a language quickly, while others must study for a long time. Everyone, however, can improve his or her listening skills with practice.
We are good listeners in our own language because we have had years of practice. We understand the grammar and the language. We know what to expect a person to say to us in almost any situation. We have been in similar situations many times, and we have heard it all before. We can understand it, even if we do not listen carefully.
But this is not true with a foreign language. We must listen with our full attention. And we must try not to let the cultural style of our language affect our understanding of the foreign language. Listening to a foreign language broadcast is easier if we know something about it. There are clues that can help us. One clue is the time of a day. Morning programs usually contain many short items of news, information or entertainment. The items are short because most of us are getting ready to go to work in the morning. Often we do not have time to listen to long programs. Evening programs are different. There is time for more details about the subjects discussed.
We can get a clue about the program from the music at the beginning, but we must be familiar with the music of the foreign culture. The kind of music—serious and slow, or fast and light—can tell us what kind of program to expect. The name of the program can give us good information about what it will contain.
Another good clue is the broadcaster. The more we listen to the same person, the easier it will be to understand him. His speaking style will become familiar to us. Further, the broadcaster provides clues to the organization of the broadcast at the beginning of the program. The broadcaster usually gives us the highlights of the program to prepare us for the details that will follow.We are good listeners in our own language because ________.
| A．we have a natural ability of learning language | B．our own language is much easier |
| C．we listen to our own language more carefully | D．we have practiced it for years |
If you don’t have enough time, you can listen to ________.
| A．evening programs | B．programs with soft music |
| C．morning programs | D．familiar programs |
You can know the information of the program according to ________.
| A．its music | B．the broadcaster |
| C．its name | D．the time of the program |