Be aware of those who use the truth to deceive. When someone tells you something that is true, but leaves out important information that should be included, he can create a false impression. For example, someone might say, “I just won a hundred dollars on the lottery. It was great. I took that dollar ticket back to the store and turned it in for one hundred dollars!” This guy’s a winner, right? Maybe, or maybe not. We then discover that he bought two hundred tickets, and only one was winner. He’s really a big loser! He didn’t say anything that was false, but he omitted important information on purpose. That’s called a half-truth. Half-truths are not technically lies, but they are just as dishonest.
Untrustworthy candidates in political campaigns often use this tactic. Let’s say that during Governor Smith’s last term, her state lost one million jobs and gained three million jobs. Then she seeks another term. One of her opponents runs an advertisement, saying “During Governor Smith’s term, the state lost one million jobs!” That’s true. However an honest statement would have been, “During Governor Smith’s term, the state had a net gain of two million jobs.”
Advertisers will sometimes use half-truths. It’s against the law to make false claims so they try to mislead you with the truth. An advertisement might boast, “Nine out of ten doctors recommend Yucky Pills to cure nose pimples(粉刺).” It fails to mention that they only asked ten doctors and nine of them work for the Yucky Corporation.
This kind of deception happens too often. It’s a sad fact of life: Lies are lies, and sometimes the truth can lie as well.Which statement is true according to the article?
| A．Whenever people tell the truth, they may lie |
| B．You cannot trust lottery agent. |
| C．All governors help their states. |
| D．The truth can be used in dishonest ways. |
The author clearly wants people ___________.
| A．to think carefully about what they read and hear |
| B．to vote for female candidates |
| C．not to believe advertisements of any kind |
| D．not to trust any politician |
Governor Smith’s opponents wanted __________.
| A．to make her a liar | B．to beat her in the campaign |
| C．to get jobs in the government | D．to detect her lie |
When I was growing up, I was ashamed to be seen with my father. He was severely disabled and very short, and when we would walk together, his hand on my arm for balance, people would stare. If he ever noticed or was bothered, he never let on.
It was difficult to coordinate（协调）our steps—his slow, mine impatient—and because of that, we didn’t say much as we went along. But as we started out, he always said, “You set the pace. I will try to adjust to you.”
He never talked about himself as an object of sympathy, nor did he show any envy of the more fortunate or able. What he looked for in others was a “good heart”, and if he found one, the owner was good enough for him. I believe that is a proper standard by which to judge people, even though I still don’t know accurately what a “good heart” is.
Unable to join in many activities, my father still tried to participate in some way. I now know he participated in some things indirectly through me, his only son. When I played ball (poorly), he “played” too. When I joined the Navy, he “joined” too. And when I came home on leave, he saw to it that I visited his office. Introducing me, he was really saying, “This is my son, but it is also me, and I could have done this, too, if things had been different.” Those words were never said aloud.
He has been gone many years now, but I think of him often. I wonder if he sensed my unwillingness to be seen with him during our walks. If he did, I am sorry I never told him how sorry I was, how unworthy I was, how I regretted it. I think of him when I complain about small affairs, when I am envious of another’s good fortune, when I don’t have a “good heart”.
At such times I put my hand on his arm to regain my balance, and say, “You set the pace. I will try to adjust to you.”The author felt unhappy walking with his father because ________.
| A．he felt sympathy for his father’s physical disability |
| B．it was hard for them to walk at the same pace |
| C．he didn’t want others to know he had an ugly father |
| D．it was not easy for his father to keep balance |
In the father’s view, the most important quality a good person should have is ________.
| A．beautiful appearance | B．excellent health |
| C．a smart head | D．a good heart |
It can be inferred from the text that ________.
| A．the father was proud of his only son |
| B．the father took part in all his son’s activities |
| C．the author was upset when asked to his father’s office |
| D．the author was an outstanding player |
According to the last paragraph, by saying “You set the pace. I will adjust to you.” the author means that ________.
| A．he is now glad to help his father to walk |
| B．he regrets his unwillingness to walk with his father |
| C．he will follow Father’s standards of being a good man |
| D．he will never forget how mentally strong his father was |
I travel a lot, and I find out different “styles”（风格）of directions every time I ask “ How can I get to the post office?”
Foreign tourists are often confused（困惑的）in Japan because most streets there don’t have names. In Japan, people use landmarks（地标）in their directions instead of street names. For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, “ Go straight down to the corner. Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit market. The post office is across from the bus stop.”
In the countryside of the American Midwest, there are not usually many landmarks. There are no mountains, so the land is very flat. In many places there are no towns or buildings within miles. Instead of landmarks, people will tell you directions and distances. In Kansas or Iowa, for example, people will say, “ Go north two miles. Turn east, and then go another mile.
People in Los Angeles, California, have no idea of distance on the map. They measure distance in time, not miles. “ How far away is the post office?” you ask. “ Oh,” they answer, “ it’s about five minutes from here.” You say, “ Yes, but how many miles is it?” They don’t know.
It’s true that a person doesn’t know the answer to your question sometimes. What happens in such a situation? A New Yorker might say, “ Sorry, I have no idea.” But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers “ I don’t know”. People in Yucatan believe that “I don’t know” is impolite. They usually give an answer, often a wrong one. A tourist can get very, very lost in Yucatan!When a tourist asks the Japanese the way to a certain place, they usually _______ .
| A．describe the place carefully |
| B．show him a map of the place |
| C．tell him the names of the streets |
| D．refer to recognizable buildings and places |
What is the place where people measure distance in time?
A. New York. B. Los Angles.
C. Kansas C. IowaPeople inYucatan may give a tourist a wrong answer ________ .
| A．in order to save time | B．as a test |
| C．so as to be polite | D．for fun |
What can we infer from the text?
| A．It’s important for travelers to understand cultural differences. |
| B．It’s useful for travelers to know how to ask the way properly. |
| C．People have similar understanding of politeness. |
| D．New Yorkers are generally friendly to visitors. |
How can Omar’s class help?
Omar’s class at school learned about taking care of our planet. Children in his class worked hard at collecting newspapers, cans, and bottles. Their teacher took what they collected to a company where the things would be recycled(回收) and used again. Omar hoped that doing this would make progress toward cleaning up our Earth. Omar wished that they could do more. Then Omar’s teacher gave the class this form.
| Who? |
Children from all the schools in our city |
| When? |
Saturday, November 16 Buses will leave from the parking lot at City Park at 8:00 A.M. They will return at 3:00 P.M. |
| Where? |
Padre Island on the Texas coast |
| What should you bring? |
Lunch and something to drink; Work gloves (We will have gloves to give to children who do not have a pair.) |
| What should teachers bring? |
Empty bags and small shovels(铲子) |
| When to sign up? |
By Wednesday, November 13 |
| Where to sign up? |
Have a parent sign at the back of this form to show that your family will permit you to go. Return this form to your teacher. |
After the cleanup, the children will ________.
| A．report to Mr. Smith |
| B．join the Clean Earth Club |
| C．go to the Pizza Palace |
| D．return the form to their teachers |
“I made a difference” in the passage probably means “________”.
| A．I was different from others |
| B．I became more interested than before |
| C．I did something for a friend |
| D．I made something better than it was |
What is the main idea of this passage?
| A．Schools organized a general cleaning. |
| B．Children can help clean up our Earth. |
| C．More bottles are thrown away than cans. |
| D．Parents should go to clean up with children |
Everyone who has eaten instant noodles(方便面) before knows how it looks like. It is very easy to cook it instantly by putting the noodles into the boiling water and add in those MSG packets, together with your other ingredients(成分) like eggs or vegetables. However, have you ever wondered whether this is the correct way of cooking it? When you first took out the noodles from the packaging, you will notice that the noodles are joined together nicely as a piece. In order to make the noodles joined together nicely side by side, it needs some form of wax coating (石蜡涂层) to achieve an attractive instant noodles in front of us.
Many people who enjoy eating instant noodles frequently do not really bother too much of it, as it seems very normal to everyone to have it nicely displayed in front of us. However, researches have shown that the layer of wax coating on the noodles is quite harmful to our body and we should not eat it too frequently. It is advisable to have a break of 2-3 days before we start to eat another packet of instant noodles as our body need about 3 days to clear that layer of wax coating away from our body system. Do you know the danger of having too much wax coating stored in our stomach? It will lead to CANCER if it is stored in our body system for a long period of time.
There are 2 keys points to take note while preparing instant noodles: 1) Wash the instant noodles with warm water first, stir it and pour away the water containing the wax coating.
2) Repeat Step 1 and try to stir the noodles again to wash away the wax coating on the noodles before cooking it in a new pot of water.
Hope this article will let more people have self-awareness(自我意识) of the hidden danger of instant noodles and thus eat safely and stay healthy.What is the purpose of the writer to write the passage?
| A．To tell us how the instant noodles are made. |
| B．To tell us how to cook instant noodles. |
| C．To tell us something about the layer of wax coating on the noodles. |
| D．to tell us how to eat instant noodles safely and healthily. |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．The instant noodles are joined together in a mess as a piece. |
| B．It is common to see the noodles nicely joined together. |
| C．You can eat instant noodles as often as you like. |
| D．Too much wax coating does no harm to our health. |
Many people don’t care about too much of the wax coating on the instant noodles because_____.
| A．They enjoy the taste of the wax coating |
| B．They take the wax coating for granted |
| C．They don’t know the hidden danger at all |
| D．They can consume it faster than other people |
The function of the wax coating in the instant noodles is to______.
| A．make the noodles more delicious and tasty |
| B．make it easier to cook for the consumers |
| C．make the instant noodles healthier and more attractive to the consumers |
| D．make the noodles joined in a piece and avoid them sticking together |
Most American students go to traditional public schools. There are about 88,000 public schools all over the US. Some students attend charter school.
Charter schools are self-governing. Certain companies operate（经营）some charter schools. They are similar in some ways to traditional public schools. They receiver tax money just as other public schools do. Charter schools must prove to local or state governments that their students are learning. These governments provide the schools with the agreement called a charter that permits（允许）them to operate.
Charter schools are different from because they do not have to obey most laws that govern traditional public schools. Each school can choose its own goals and decide what to teach and how to teach them in their own way. Class size is usually smaller than in traditional public schools.
The government strongly supports charter schools as a way to re-organize public schools, which are failing to educate students. But some education unions are against charter schools. One teachers’ union has just released the results of the first national study, which compared the progress of students in both traditional schools and charter schools.
The results of the study show that charter school students performed worse on math and reading tests than the students in traditional public schools.
Some experts say the study is not fair because students in charter schools have more problems than students in traditional public schools. Other education experts say the study results would make charter school officials realize that they should help their students make greater progress.If a company wants to operate a charter school, it must _________ .
| A．try new methods of teaching |
| B．prove its management ability |
| C．obey the local and state laws |
| D．get the government’s permission |
What’s the government’s attitude to charter schools?
| A．Doubtful. | B．Supportive. |
| C．Satisfied. | D．Unclear. |
What can we learn from the text?
| A．More students choose to attend charter schools. |
| B．Charter schools are better than traditional schools. |
| C．Students in charter schools are well educated. |
| D．People have different opinions about charter schools. |
What might be the best title for the text?
| A．Charter schools in America |
| B．Public schools in America |
| C．Schools in America |
| D．Education in America |