In the second half of each year, many powerful storms are born in the tropical(热带的)Atlantic and Caribbean seas. Of these, only about half a dozen becomes the strong, circling winds of 75 miles per hour or more that are called hurricanes, and several usually make their way to the coast. There they cause millions of dollars of damage, and bring death to large numbers of people.
The great storms that hit the coast start as soft circling wind hundreds — even thousands — of miles out to sea. As they travel aimlessly over water warmed by the summer sun, they are carried westward by the southeast winds. When conditions are just right, warm, moist(潮湿) air flows in at the bottom of such a wind, moves upward through it and comes out at the top. In the process(过程), the moisture in this warm air produces rain, and with it the heat is changed to energy in the form of strong winds. As the heat increases, the young hurricane begins to move in a counter-clockwise motion(逆时针运动).
The life of a hurricane is only about nine days, but it contains almost more power than we can imagine. The energy in the heat released(释放) by a hurricane’s rainfall in a single day would satisfy the entire electrical needs of the United States for more than six months. Water, not wind, is the main source of death and destruction(毁灭) in a hurricane. A typical hurricane brings 6 to 12 inch downpours, causing sudden floods. Worst of all is the powerful movement of the sea — the mountains of water moving toward the hurricane center. The water level rises as much as 15 feet above normal as it moves toward shore. When is an ordinary tropical storm called a hurricane?
| A．When it begins in the Atlantic and Caribbean seas. |
| B．When it hits the coastline. |
| C．When it is more than 75 miles wide. |
| D．When its winds reach 75 miles per hour. |
What is the worst thing about hurricanes?
| A．The terrible effects of water. | B．The heat they give off. |
| C．That they last about nine days. | D．Their strong winds. |
Here the word “downpour” means ______.
| A．heavy rainfall |
| B．dangerous waves |
| C．the progress of water to the hurricane center |
| D．the increasing heat |
Which statement about a hurricane is wrong?
| A．It travels more than 75 miles per hour. |
| B．It usually stays about 9 days. |
| C．It usually causes 6 to 12 inch downpours. |
| D．It sometimes brings the sea water level to the height of 15 feet. |
Science Textbooks for Sale!
Used, but in like-new condition with absolutely no writing.
+ (2-Volume Set)
Third Edition (ISBN 978-1-55581-479-3 & 978-1-55581-480-9),
Paperback—$ 110
Introduction to Genetic Analysis
Ninth Edition (ISBN 978-0-7167-6887-6), Hard Cover—$ 110
Please call 646-470-1770 or email for details. No text messages, please. Thank you!
Help an Elder
Having a fruitful life depends upon oneself. Join our Elder Helpers Program and start becoming productive now!
We will connect you with elders who are in need of care in your community. If you have a kind heart and some extra time, feel free to join our program. Register here: http://www. elderhelpers. org.)
Citizens of all states and countries are encouraged to join!
Profiles(简介)with a picture always get more attention!
(Wonderful angel who helped me greatly by Kim)
I was so lucky to find Elder Helpers on the web and even luckier that Laura decided to help me get organized. I was hit by a car in January and couldn’t do much in my house for several months so things really got messy here. But this Angel of a person came and rescued me. I am so lucky and grateful to have met her and to have received her generous help.
Learn To Play Chess or Improve Your Game
Chess lessons are offered by a skilled, experienced, patient chess teacher who is also a very strong practical player.
Whether you are a complete beginner or want to improve your game, it may be a good idea for you to call me.
I work with adults and with children as young as 4.
If interested please call me directly at 1-(347)-694-0072.We can know that Introduction to Genetic Analysis sold in Ad 1 .
| A．is in its third edition |
| B．is an old science textbook |
| C．has notes on some pages |
| D．is in paperback |
What’s the purpose of Ad 2?
| A．To give tips on volunteering. |
| B．To introduce an active lifestyle |
| C．To find volunteers. |
| D．To help older people. |
What’s the meaning of the word “messy” (underlined in Ad 2)?
| A．Untidy. | B．Broken. |
| C．Unpleasant. | D．Changed.\ |
The chess lessons in Ad 3 will .
| A．mainly include beginners |
| B．be taken mainly by adults |
| C．be taught by an old teacher |
| D．have learners of different ages |
Rembrandt was an extraordinary Dutch painter. He was most well-known for his brushwork and the way in which he connected with the human soul. His life, however, was not happy.
He was born on July 15,1606 in Leiden, the Netherlands. His father wanted him to have a real, learned profession but Rembrandt left the University of Leiden after becoming bored. He began studying art under a local teacher but soon left and studied in Amsterdam where he mastered all his lessons in six months!
At the age of 22, he moved back to Leiden and began to get his own students. One of his students was the famous artist Gerrit Dou. In 1631 he returned to Amsterdam where he became the most popular portrait painter in Holland. Rembrandt met Saskia and married her in 1634. She was a cousin of a very successful art dealer and she helped him to meet wealhy people who commissioned(委任制作) many paintings from him. He used her as a model in many of his paintings.
Rembrandt’s private life, however, was very unfortunate. He had four children with Saskia but only one, Titus, survived. Saskia died in 1642 at the age of only 30. In 1649, his housekeeper became his second wife and was also a model for many of his paintings. Even though Rembrandt was very successful as an artist, art dealer and teacher, he lived in a careless way and had to declare bankruptcy(破产) in 1656. He even had to sell his whole art collection and his house to pay off his debts.
His unfortunate life, however, didn’t affect his art. He painted many great paintings during that time. His new love, Hendrickje, died in 1663 and his 27-year-old son, Titus, died in 1668. Eleven months later, on October 4, 1669, Rembrandt died in Amsterdam. He produced more than 600 paintings and over 2,000 drawings!Which of the following is the reason that made Rembrandt’s business fail?
| A．As an extraordinary Dutch painter, he knew nothing about business. |
| B．He spent most of his time on art, leaving no time to care his business. |
| C．All his children but Titus died, which made him very sad. |
| D．Like other famous artists, he was thoughtless. |
From the passage we learn that Rembrandt .
| A．graduated from the University of Leiden |
| B．began his teaching career in 1628 |
| C．married Saskia when he was 22 years old |
| D．was good at drawing animals and flowers |
How many members of Rembrandt’s family died before him, not including his parents?
| A．Four. | B．Five. | C．Six. | D．Seven. |
What’s the best title for this passage?
| A．A brief biography of Rembrandt |
| B．A great Dutch painter |
| C．The greatest painter in the world |
| D．Rembrandt’s unhappy family |
His first successful fight was for the equal rights of black people in South Africa. Then, as the first black president, he fought to unite the country and organize the government. Now Nelson Mandela has set his sights on a new enemy, AIDS.
On March 19 the former president, hosted his second AIDSawareness concert. He warned that 25 million people in Africa were already infected with the fatal disease.
Mandela was born in a small village in South Africa in 1918. He was adopted by the chief of his tribe and could have been a chief himself and lived a happy country life.
But he refused to be a chief when his people lived under racial discrimination(歧视). He decided to fight for equal rights for all the people in South Africa. Before 1990, under the country’s Racial Segregation Law, coloured people and white people lived separately. Black people were treated unfairly even when taking a bus. Blacks had to stand at the back of the bus to make room for white people even when there were only a few of them on board.
For his opposition to the system, Mandela was arrested and spent 27 years in prison. He was freed in 1990 and became the president of the country after the first election was held in which everyone could vote.
Mandela was not only a political fighter who attacked with speeches. He was also a trained boxer and fought in the ring when he was young.
“Although I did not enjoy the violence of boxing, I was interested in how one moved one’s body to protect oneself, how one used a strategy both to attack and retreat，”he wrote in his autobiography.
As a skillful fighter, he chose music as his weapon against AIDS. He hopes to win another victory against AIDS.When was Mandela arrested?
| A．In 1963. |
| B．In 1990. |
| C．When he refused to be a chief. |
| D．When he became the president. |
Nelson Mandela succeeded in doing the following EXCEPT ________.
| A．winning the equal rights for the black people in South Africa |
| B．uniting South Africa |
| C．organizing a government in South Africa |
| D．controlling the spread of AIDS |
Which of the following statements can best describe the life of Nelson Mandela?
| A．Struggle is his life. |
| B．Sports make his fame. |
| C．Fight for equal rights. |
| D．A great fighter against the government. |
Travel Information
| Placeofinterest |
 WaterCube |
 WestLake |
 Disneyland |
 DragonTower |
| Location(位置) |
Beijing |
Hangzhou |
HongKong |
Harbin |
| PhoneNumber |
010-28135589 |
0571-68345579 |
00852-28029822 |
0451-81187899 |
| PriceofTicket |
￥60 |
￥50 |
￥300 |
￥150 |
| Feature |
Specialbubbly(气泡状的)design |
TheBrokenBridge |
Cartooncharacters |
Skywalk |
It is said that the love story about Xu Xian and the White Snake happened on _____.
| A．Dragon Tower | B．West Lake |
| C．Water Cube | D．Disneyland |
If a person in Hangzhou feels like visiting Water Cube, he should call _____to get information.
| A．010-28315589 | B．0451-82187899 |
| C．0571-68345576 | D．0l0-28135589 |
Disneyland, which attracts a lot of tourists from home and abroad every year, is in_____ according to the travel information.
| A．Beijing | B．Harbin |
| C．Hong Kong | D．Hangzhou |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the travel information?
| A．Water Cube is special in design. |
| B．The price of a ticket for West Lake is the highest. |
| C．In Disneyland.you can’t see any cartoon characters. |
| D．The price of a ticket for Dragon Tower is the lowest. |
Many people have tried to simplify the spelling of English words. Unlike other languages , English sometimes spells the same sounds in very different ways . For example , there is “light “but” white”, ”loan ”but “phone” ,and there are at least seven different ways of pronouncing “ough”: ”though”, ”through “,”bough”. “cough” ”enough “, “ought” and “thorough “.
The American President Theodore Roosevelt almost succeeded in simplifying English spelling .In 1906, Andrew Carnegie started the Simplified Spelling Board .He was one of the richest men in the United States of America .The board’s plan was to make the spelling of words nearer to the way they sound .For example , the word “though” would be spelt “tho” and “through “would become “thru”. Other people on the board were Melvil Dewey , the head of the New York libraries , and Professor Brander Matthews of Columbia University 。They explained their idea to President Roosevelt , who thought that it was indeed logical .He immediately asked the government printer to sue simplified spelling in all government letters .
But people didn’t like the change, even if it made life easier. So the new simpler spelling was not popular. More importantly, when the American politicians (政客) discussed the plan, they did not like it either.
Because Roosevelt did not want to have any problems with the politicians, he changed his mind and told the printer to go back to the old way of spelling.
Since then no one in any government has dared to simplify English spelling. However,people do simplify some words, mainly in advertisements. For example, we often see “tonite” instead of “tonight” and “thru” instead of “through”．Many people have tried to simplify English spelling because________.
| A．English words are too long to remember |
| B．there are many mistakes in English words |
| C．lots of words are spelt in many different ways |
| D．sometimes the same sounds have different spellings. |
Who is NOT a member of the Simplified Spelling Board?
| A．Andrew Carnegie. |
| B．Melvil Dewey. |
| C．Theodore Roosevelt. |
| D．Brander Matthews. |
What was Theodore Roosevelt’s attitude towards simplified spelling?
| A．Worried. |
| B．Supportive. |
| C．Uncertain. |
| D．Doubtful. |
According to the passage, simplified spelling________.
| A．was welcomed by the US politicians |
| B．changed the way the words sound |
| C．has been used widely for over a century |
| D．was first used in US government letters. |