In James Cameron’s fantasy films, such as Avatar and The Abyss, the unexplored is decorated in color and filled with alien danger. But on his dive to the deepest place on Earth, which took place on a Sunday last month, reality proved far different: white, deserted, and dull.
“I felt like I literally had gone to another planet and come back,” Cameron said after returning from the cold, dark place in the western Pacific Ocean, nearly 7 miles (11km) below the surface. “It was a very fantastic day.” Cameron is the first person to explore the deepest valley in the ocean since two men made a 20-minute trip there in 1960.
He spent about three hours gliding through the icy darkness, brightened only by lights on the one-man sub(潜水艇). This deepest section of the Mariana Trench is so untouched that at first it appeared dull. But there’s something strangely interesting about the first pieces of video that Cameron shot — a sense of aloneness.
“It’s really the sense of isolation, realizing how tiny you are down in this big, black and unexplored place,” the Titanic director said. The wordless minute-long video, released by sponsor National Geographic, shows Cameron’s sub gliding across what he calls “the very soft, almost gelatinous(胶状的) flat plain.”
To Cameron, the main thing was to appreciate being there. “There had to be a moment where I just stopped, and took it in, and said, ‘This is where I am; I’m at the bottom of the ocean, the deepest place on Earth. What does that mean?’” Cameron told reporters during a conference call. The trip was only about half as long as planned because Cameron’s battery ran low. He said he would return and film it in 3D for later viewing.
“I see this as the beginning,” Cameron said. “It’s not a one-time deal and then moving on. This is the beginning of opening up this new frontier.”Why did Cameron dive to the deepest place on Earth?
| A．To study ocean creatures in the deepest valley. |
| B．To prove his strong will and perseverance. |
| C．To get support from National Geographic. |
| D．To open up a new frontier. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Cameron’s fantasy film, Avatar was inspired by his dive to the deepest place on Earth. |
| B．Cameron glided through the icy darkness alone by lights of the one-man sub. |
| C．Cameron didn’t stay at the bottom of the ocean as planned because he was worn out. |
| D．Cameron felt bored when he went to the deepest valley in the ocean. |
The underlined sentence in the passage means that ______.
| A．he appreciated and took pride in being at the bottom of the ocean |
| B．he was disappointed because the trip was only about half as long as planned |
| C．Cameron wanted to show the public he had been to the deepest place on Earth |
| D．he wouldn’t stop exploring the deepest place in the future |
According to the passage, which of the following words best describes Cameron?
| A．Generous. | B．Diligent. |
| C．Self-centered. | D．Adventurous. |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．James Cameron’s Fantasy Films. |
| B．The First to Explore the Deepest Place on Earth. |
| C．A Dive to the Deepest Place on Earth. |
| D．Crazy Cameron. |
Brrriiinnng．The alarm clock announces the start of another busy weekday in the morning．You jump out of bed, rush into the shower, into your clothes and out the door with hardly a moment to think．A stressful journey to work gets your blood pressure climbing．Once at the office, you glance through the newspaper with depressing stories or reports of disasters．In that sort of mood, who can get down to work, particularly some creative, original problem-solving work?
The way most of us spend our mornings is exactly opposite to the conditions that promote flexible, open-minded thinking．Imaginative ideas are most likely to come to us when we’re unfocused．If you are one of those energetic morning people, your most inventive time comes in the early evening when you are relaxed．Sleepy people’s lack of focus leads to an increase in creative problem solving．By not giving yourself time to tune into your wandering mind, you’re missing out on the surprising solutions it may offer．
The trip you take to work doesn’t help, either．The stress slows down the speed with which signals travel between neurons （神经细胞）, making inspirations less likely to occur．And while we all should read a lot about what’s going on in the world, it would not make you feel good for sure, so put that news website or newspaper aside until after the day’s work is done．
So what would our mornings look like if we wanted to start them with a full capacity for creative problem solving? We’d set the alarm a few minutes early and lie awake in bed, following our thoughts where they lead．We’d stand a little longer under the warm water of the shower, stopping thinking about tasks in favor of a few more minutes of relaxation．We’d take some deep breaths on our way to work, instead of complaining about heavy traffic．And once in the office—after we get a cup of coffee—we’d click on links not to the news of the day but to the funniest videos the web has to offer．What is the purpose of the first paragraph?
| A．To tell us a specific story． |
| B．To introduce the topic of the passage． |
| C．To indicate how busy one usually is in the morning． |
| D．To show mornings are not suitable for creative work． |
What does the author imply about newspapers?
| A．They are normally full of bad news． |
| B．They are solution providers． |
| C．They are a source of inspiration． |
| D．They are more educational than websites． |
By “tune into your wandering mind” （in Para．2）, the author means “_______”．
| A．wander into the wild | B．listen to a beautiful tune |
| C．stop concentrating on anything | D．switch to the traffic channel |
The author writes the last paragraph in order to _______．
| A．establish a routine for the future | B．summarize past experiences |
| C．advocate diverse ways of life | D．offer practical suggestions |
When it comes to success in business and success in life, there are few qualities as important as confidence．
People naturally have different levels of confidence．Some have a higher level of confidence than others do, but even those whose confidence is lacking can learn to build their level of confidence and reach their most important goals．Increasing self confidence is one of the most common reasons people give for seeking the help of psychologists and other professionals．
One of the many places where a greater level of confidence is useful is in the workplace．We all know how difficult it can be, for instance, to ask the boss for a raise．This process can be extremely difficult for those who lack confidence in their own abilities．After all, if you are unsure about your own abilities, how will you ever convince your boss that you deserve more money for the work you do?
Even if you are not asking for that big raise, having plenty of confidence in your abilities is important to success．If you are certain of your abilities, chances are that those around you, whether they are your coworkers, your colleagues or your superiors, will see that confidence, and that will help to assure them that you are the best at what you do．
Being thought of as the person to go to, and being seen as an expert in your chosen field, is naturally very important to success on the job．If you can make yourself the person people go to for guidance and advice, you will help to protect yourself from the ever present danger of downsizing（裁员）．After all, if you are a recognized expert at the office, you will be regarded as an indispensable member of the team．
Having a high level of confidence, after all, does not mean overlooking the places where you could improve．Knowing what you do well and where you need help will help you enjoy increased success and confidence．What is the passage mainly about?
| A．The influence of confidence on one's life． |
| B．The difference of people's confidence．． |
| C．The importance of confidence to success |
| D．The judgment on one's confidence． |
Psychologists and other professionals can offer help to those ______．
| A．who dream to be recognized experts |
| B．who expect to give guidance to others |
| C．who want to ask the boss for a raise |
| D．who think their goals are hard to reach |
What message does the author want to convey（传递） in the last paragraph?
| A．To overlook one's disadvantages． |
| B．To make full use of one's advantages． |
| C．To have great confidence in one's abilities． |
| D．To make objective evaluations of one's abilities． |
What’s delicious to eat and comes in a variety of colors? Eggplant! And no, it has nothing to do with chickens! This strangely named vegetable is, however, as versatile as an egg．It can be steamed, fried, and baked．It can be eaten by itself or combined with meats and other vegetables．
Eggplant was first grown in India in the 5th century B．C．．Its popularity soon spread to China and then throughout Asia．Finally, during the Middle Ages the vegetable made its way to Europe．At that time, eggplant was not the shiny purple vegetable most people know today．Instead, it’s like a white egg．Due to this egg - like appearance, eggplant got its name．In its early days, the vegetable was so bitter that people often called it a “mad apple．” This nickname started because people believed its bitterness was bad for one' s health．People actually thought eggplant could cause madness and cancer．
Fortunately today people know that eggplant doesn't cause insanity or cancer．In fact eggplant is so healthy that it may prevent cancer．In addition, the brain and the heart benefit from this super vegetable．Since it's high in fibre, eggplant can improve digestion．
Italy, Turkey, Egypt, China and Japan are the leading growers of eggplant in the world today．Depending on its location, eggplant may be purple, green, orange or yellow - white．And it can be as small as a tomato or as large as a cucumber．Dish varieties range from simple to complex, with all of them being delicious．
Today, thousands of people gather in Loomis, Calif, for the annual Loomis Eggplant Festival．The main activity at the festival is eating delicious eggplant dishes．There is plenty more to do and see, though．Recipe contests, arts and crafts, performers, races and children's activities all “egg – cite” festival - goers．Most people at the festival would agree—eggplant is an “egg—cellent” vegetable．Eggplant got its name because of its _____．
| A．appearance | B．taste | C．color | D．value |
Which of the following does NOT belong to the qualities of eggplant?
| A．It can be cooked in various ways． | B．It is helpful in digesting． |
| C．It may prevent cancer． | D．It is valuable and priceless． |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．Eggplant can be eaten to cure cancer |
| B．Eggplant used to taste bitter． |
| C．India produce the most eggplant in the world today． |
| D．Eggplant has a history of nearly 1,000 years． |
Most people come to the Loomis Eggplant Festival to_____．
| A．see arts and crafts | B．enjoy food with eggplants |
| C．take part in recipe contests | D．promote eggplant |
It can greet people, show DVDs and hand out balloons. “Ubiko”, a robot-on –wheels with a catlike face, is joining the crew of temporary workers supplied by a Japanese job-referral company, Ubiquitous Exchange, to stores, events and even weddings. Next month, the 44-inch tall robot will be selling mobile phones at a store.
Ubiko can be hired as a temporary worker for two hours for 105,000 yen, or $890.
“We see this as serious business. There are jobs that robots are better at,” Akiko Sakurai said “people do develop a relation with the robot, and it’s lovable.”
The $255,000 robot, which is equipped with a camera and sensors, greets customers with a nasal electronic voice, shows DVDs with a projector in its head and hands out balloons and other goods with wireless remote-controllable arms.
Ubiko sounds like a Japanese female name, which often ends with “ko”.
Tmsuk, the Japanese company that makes the robot, sold three last month to hospital, where they are working as full-time, rather than temporary, receptionists and guides. One of the hospital’s robots serves as a receptionist and has been programmed to greet visitors. It also has a touch-panel(控制板) on its body, and visitors can use it to get directions for where they want to go.
“Just give it electricity, and a robot can work for long hours, even do repetitive work, and you don’t have to worry about labor laws,” Sudo said.
Japan’s lower birth rate means that in the coming years it could face a labor shortage, and some experts believe robots could be part of the key to that problem. Robots are very popular in Japan partly because of the popularity of cartoons that describe robots as friends and assistants to humans.The news report is mainly to _________________.
| A．give praise to advanced robots in Japan |
| B．introduce the development of robots in Japan |
| C．tell readers the advantage of the robots in Japan |
| D．introduce a newly-developed robot in Japan |
We can learn from the passage that ____________.
| A．the price of Ubiko is $890 |
| B．the purpose for a store to buy the robot is to greet customers |
| C．Ubiko can work for long hours without using energy |
| D．three robots have been sold to a hospital |
Which of the following can be inferred about Ubiko according to the passage?
| A．It sounds beautiful, like a girl’s voice. |
| B．It is named after a Japanese girl. |
| C．It will have a wider market. |
| D．It was designed for hospitals. |
Which of the following makes robots more popular in Japan?
| A．The low price of robots. |
| B．The interesting shapes of robots. |
| C．The function of showing DVDs and handing out balloons. |
| D．Cartoon’s showing good relationship between robots and humans. |
Which of the following about Ubiko is NOT true?
| A．It has a face of female. |
| B．There is a projector in its head. |
| C．It is equipped with a camera and sensors. |
| D．It has wireless remote-controllable arms. |
Irene’s Thai
For Reservations Call 62473579
12.24 Christmas Eve Dinner 198 RMB per person including coffee and tea. Each guest invited to select a special surprise from our Xmas Tree.
12.25 Special Christmas Thai buffet brunch from 11 am to 4 pm. Includes soft drinks, coffee & tea. 98 RMB per person.
12.31 New Year Buffet Dinner 200 RMB per person. You can eat with exotic Thai Dancing. Show times at 8 pm & 9 pm.
Monday & Friday, you can eat AlaCarte Menu. 150 RMB, including soft drinks & draught beer.
Book now for your Christmas Party
The Place: Club Pegasus
The Party: New Year’s Eve!!!
The Price: 100 RMB Open Bar!!!
8:00 pm — 1:00 am
The Reason: Great Music, Beautiful People,
Life, Love, Fun, Excitement!!!
Merry Christmas from the crew at Pegasus
50 RMB Entrance includes two complimentary (赠送的) drinks.
Champagne Toast at Midnight
If ever there was a time to enjoy oneself, that time is now!!! The best way to make a reservation at Irene’s is by ______.
| A．phone | B．e-mail | C．fax | D．post |
The Thai buffet brunch costs per person ______.
| A．98 RMB | B．198 RMB | C．200 RMB | D．150 RMB |
Which of the following is NOT a reason to go to Pegasus?
| A．The music. | B．The excitement. | C．The price . | D．The people. |
50 RMB on Christmas at Pegasus will get you ______.
| A．a meal | B．a meal and drinks |
| C．an entrance ticket | D．an entrance ticket and 2 free drinks |
You can probably find the passage from ____________.
| A．a science fiction | B．a newspaper | C．a review | D．a survey |