In England recently three foreign gentlemen came to a bus stop and waited. About five minutes later, the bus they wanted came along. They were just going to get on when suddenly there was a loud noise behind them. People rushed onto the bus and tried to push them out of the way. Someone shouted at them. The bus conductor came rushing down the stairs to see what all the trouble was about. The three foreigners seem all at sea(茫然) and looked embarrassed（尴尬的）. No one had told them about the British custom of lining up for a bus that the first person who arrives at the bus stop is the first person to get on the bus.
Learning the language of a country isn't enough. If you want to have a pleasant visit, find out as much as possible about the manners and customs of your host country. You will probably be surprised just how different they can be from your own. A visitor to India would do well to remember that people there consider it impolite to use the left hand for passing food at table. The left hand is supposed to be used for washing yourself. Also in India, you might see a man shaking his head at another to show that he doesn't agree. But in many parts of India a shake of the head means agreement. Nodding (点头) your head when you are given a drink in Bulgaria will most probably leave you thirsty .
In that country, you shake your head to mean 'yes'— a nod means 'no'. At a meal in countries on the Arabic Peninsula, you will find that your glass is repeated refilled（再斟满） as soon as you drink up. If you think that you have had enough, you should take the cup or glasses in your hand and give it a little shake from side to side or place your hand over the top.
In Europe it is quite usual to cross your legs when you are sitting talking to someone even at an important meeting. Doing this in Thailand, however, could bring about trouble. Also, you should try to avoid touching the head of an adult ——it's just not done in Thailand.The British people tried to push the three gentlemen out of the way, because the gentlemen _________.
| A．were foreigners | B．didn't have tickets |
| C．made a loud noise | D．didn't line up for the bus |
According to the article, if you want to have a pleasant journey in a foreign country, you should _________.
| A．learn the language of the country |
| B．understand the manners and customs of the country |
| C．have enough time and money |
| D．make friends with the people there |
In India it is considered impolite ___________.
| A．to use the right hand for passing food at table. |
| B．to pass food with the left hand. |
| C．to eat food with your hands. |
| D．to help yourself at table. |
To cross one's legs at an important meeting in Europe is _______.
| A．a common habit | B．an important manner |
| C．a serious trouble | D．a bad manner |
The best title for this article is ________.
| A．People's Everyday Life | B．Mind Your Manners |
| C．Shaking and Nodding Head | D．Taking a Bus in England |
B
Chemical Safety
Procedures for handling chemical spills(泄露) and leaks.
Chemical spills and leaks can be broken down into two basic types: simple spills, which you can clean up yourself and complicated spills, which require outside assistance.
If your spill meets ANY of the following conditions, it is a COMPLICATED SPILL.
A person is injured; or
The identity of the chemical is unknown; or
Multiple chemicals are involved; or
The chemical is highly poisonous, flammable (可燃的) or reactive ; or
The spill/leak occurs in a “public space” such as a corridor; or
The spill/leak has the potential to spread to other parts of the building such as through the ventilation (通风) system; or
The clean up procedures are not known or appropriate materials are not readily available; or
The clean up requires a respirator (呼吸器) (including cartridge respirators) to be worn and no personnel have been trained and fit-tested in accordance(一致) with the campus Respiratory Protection Program; or
The spill/leak may endanger the environment by reaching waterways or outside ground, or by going down a drain
If none of the above conditions are met, the spill is defined as a simple spill. You may clean up simple spills in accordance with Chapter 6 of the Chemical Safety Guide. For consultative assistance, call Division of Research Safety (DSR) at 333-2755.
| How to report a complicated spill 1. Evacuate(撤退) to a safe location, and alert others to evacuate. 2. Dial 9-911 from a campus phone. 3. Tell the operator you are calling to report a chemical spill at the University of Illinois. 4. Have the following information ready. Name of chemical Quantity spilled Location of spill (Full building name and room number) Number of people injured or slashed If applicable, the occurrence of a fire or explosion Your name and phone number 5. Have someone knowledgeable about the chemical spilled meet the fire department at the main entrance to your building. Take a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) of the chemical, if it is readily available. |
Which of the following situation can be classified as a simple spill?
| A．Some spilled liquid causes a fire in the building. |
| B．Yellow and green gases are leaking from the storage room. |
| C．An unknown red chemical is found on the corridor floor. |
| D．A researcher spills his milk all over the lab floor. |
According to the safety instructions, upon discovering a complicated spill on campus, people should _________.
| A．put on a respirator as soon as possible |
| B．refer to Chapter 6 of the Chemical Safety Guide |
| C．get away from the spill and report it to authorities |
| D．call Division of the Research Safety at 333-2755 |
“MSDS” in the passage possibly refers to _____.
| A．a mask |
| B．an explanation about the chemical |
| C．a device |
| D．another kind of chemical |
Who are most possibly the targeted audiences of this article?
| A．Students in the Chemistry Department of a university. |
| B．Researchers working at Chemical Institution of Illinois. |
| C．Members of Division of Research Safety. |
| D．Staff members at a chemical manufacturing company. |
The purpose of the material above is to ____________ .
| A．inform people of the dangers of various chemical spills |
| B．introduce complicated spills and necessary measures in response to them |
| C．encourage students to join the campus Respiratory Protection Program |
| D．compare simple spills and complicated spills |
A
Thanks to a young waiter, I only recently discovered that a friend of 20 years was once a yo-yo virtuoso(溜溜球大师).
“Oh， stop it!” Jackie said when I started laughing during our dinner. “I was, too. And I knew how to ‘Walk the Dog.’ ”
“Wow, really?” said our waiter, Jumario Simmons, flashing a big smile at us.
“Don’t encourage her,” I said.
“What else could you do?” he asked.
“I did ‘Round the World,’” Jackie said, now ignoring me completely. “That cradle(婴儿时期的) thing, too.”
I’d asked Jumario what he did when he wasn’t waiting on tables. The 24-year-old waiter was so smart that I knew there had to be more to his story. It turns out that he won a regional yo-yo competition last year. He also gives free lessons to kids. “It gives them something to do,” Jumario said. “Keeps them off the streets.”
One of the great things about eating out is the table talk with strangers, which reminds us that everyone has a life and a name. But the other day I heard that some restaurants are ending this talk between diners and servers. I listened to the reporter describe how their improvements are allowing customers to text orders from their tables to speed up service.
The reporter got my attention with this sentence: “Five minutes after typing ‘I’m at table 3’, a meal arrives at the table.” But there wasn’t a “please” with this order, which should have been a request, by the way. If you’ve ever waited on tables, you know that the last thing you need is yet another way for a customer to be unpleasant.
Most servers are constantly mediating(调解) between customers’ requests for substitutions and overworked cooks’ accusations of treason. Except at high-end restaurants, servers also have to hover like mothers of preschoolers so that we might consider them worthy of a large enough tip to lift their pay to minimum wage.
Texting a server from a table a few feet away is equal to moving our fingers and shouting, “Hey, you!” It was rude in 1957, and it’s rude now. You won’t ever find me texting a waiter or waitress.What do we know from the text?
| A．The waiter knows Jackie well. |
| B．The waiter is good at playing yo-yo. . |
| C．Jackie plays yo-yo in her spare time. |
| D．The author has a great interest in playing yo-yo. |
Some restaurants allow diners to text a server from a table to .
| A．improve their service |
| B．reduce the cost of service |
| C．show respect for diners |
| D．stop talks between diners and servers |
What’s the last but one paragraph mainly about?
| A．The pay of servers |
| B．The work of servers. |
| C．The customers’ request. |
| D．The work of mothers of preschoolers. |
From the passage, the author’s attitude towards texting a server from a table is _________.
| A．indifferent | B．negative |
| C．curious | D．positive |
The passage mainly focuses on .
| A．how to wait on tables |
| B．the friendship between old friends |
| C．where to eat out |
| D．the relationship between customers and waiters |
A lot of people are afraid spiders（蜘蛛）–even the small ones. But a big tarantula（鸟蛛）is much more terrifying for many. Now, scientists in Sri Lanka have discovered a huge species of tarantula that’s about the size of a person’s face.
The first part of the spider’s scientific name, Poecilotheria rajaei, comes from the Greek words for “spotted”(poikilos) and “wild beast” (therion). Its species name, rajaei, comes from a local police officer who helped the team that discovered the creature. Poecilotheria rajaei has 8-inch long legs, and unusual spots colored gray, pink, and yellow.
Although it is very big, is there a real reason to be afraid of one? Maybe. This tarantula has enough poisonous fluid（毒液）to kill mice and small birds and snakes –but its bite wouldn’t cause the death of most humans.
Poecilotheria rajaei was first seen in 2009, when a villager in Sri Lanka found the body of a male and brought it to Ranil Nanayakkara, co-founder of Sri Lanka’s Biodiversity Education and Research organization.
An examination of the awesome creature proved that it was a type of tarantula scientists hadn’t seen before. So Nanayakkara carefully looked through the Sri Lankan forests to try to find more of the spiders.
It’s still too early to know whether this species is endangered. But researchers fear that the tarantulas’ natural habitat is slowly being destroyed.
“ They prefer old trees, but due to the widespread removal of trees the number has dropped,” Nanayakkara said in an interview.
Tarantulas have eight legs and two body parts. They are different from insects, which have only six legs but three body parts. Tarantulas have hairy bodies and are usually larger than other types of spiders. Some species of tarantulas can live up to 25 years.
While Poecilotheria rajaei is very big, the largest tarantula is the Goliath bird-eater (Theraphosa blondi). Found in the rainforests of South America, its legs can be up to 10 inches long. But don’t worry if you ever see one: Its poisonous fluid isn’t really dangerous to humans.According to the text, Poecilotheria rajaei _______.
| A．has unique spots |
| B．is mostly yellow |
| C．has 10-inch long legs |
| D．was first seen by the Greeks |
Which of the following is most likely to survive a bite from Poecilotheria rajaei?
| A．A little girl |
| B．A small bird. |
| C．A big mouse |
| D．A small snake. |
The number of Poecilotheria rajaei has dropped because___________.
| A．the global climate has changed |
| B．they have too many natural enemies |
| C．some people are killing them illegally |
| D．more and more forests are disappearing |
Which of the following is TRUE about tarantulas?
| A．They are a kind of insect. |
| B．Most of them live in South America. |
| C．Their body is divided into three parts. |
| D．They are usually of bigger size than other spiders. |
Which section of a newspaper is the text most probably taken from?
| A．Life | B．Nature |
| C．Science | D．Business |
Erica McElrath calls herself “ The Happy Lady”. And by now, you may have caught her singing and dancing with her mp3 player on any of several city street corners. “ I don’t want money,” said McElrah, 40, of St. Louis. “ I come out here to make people smile.”
McElrah lost her full-time job in January. Since then, she has spent her days doing what she loves-dancing in the street. Her message to people in hard times: do something that you enjoy, no matter what your circumstances. “ Life isn’t that bad,” she said. “ If you’re working 40 hours a week, you shouldn’t be complaining.”
McElrah graduated from parkway Central High School and has spent the past 21 years working as a nursing assistant, She began singing and dancing publicly on her days off a few years ago to help her through the pain of her second divorce.
Her favorite spot is the northwest corner of Chouteau Avenue and South Grand Boulevard near St. Louis University. McElrah’s mp3 player is loaded with hundreds of classic rock hits and 80’s pop songs, including those by Joe Cocker, Tina Turner, Neil Diamond and Toto. But her favorite artist, by far, is Stevie Nicks.
Videos of McElrah have appeared on YouTube, a video-sharing website on which users can upload, share, and view videos. “People think I’m crazy, but I don’t care,” She said. “ I can dance a little. I just go with the music.” Even a rude gesture from a passing motorist doesn’t bother her either. “ I just smile and wave,” she said.
McElrah’s show of bravery recently earned her a job opportunity with Liberty Tax Service, which temporarily offered her a job as a dancer Statute of Liberty to promote a new place near Grand Center starting in January.
“ Just be happy and do what you love,” she said. “The money will come.”At first McElrah began singing and dancing in public in order to _____.
| A．make a living |
| B．entertain the public |
| C．rise to fame |
| D．encourage herself |
Erica McElrah’s actions are _______.
| A．popular with others |
| B．stopped by her family |
| C．supported by passers-by |
| D．laughed at sometimes |
Erica McElrah was offered a job because of _____.
| A．her beautiful voice |
| B．her positive behavior |
| C．her lively dancing |
| D．her competitive spirit |
Which of the following about Erica McElrah is TRUE？
| A．She doesn’t care others’ comments on her. |
| B．Her favorite artist is Joe Cocker. |
| C．She once worked as a doctor. |
| D．She has been divorced once. |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Ways To Be Happy |
| B．Learn To Do What You Love |
| C．Happy Lady’s Singing and Dancing Life |
| D．What Made The Happy Lady Famous? |
“Iris scan （虹膜扫描）, please,” the bank’s computer voice tells you. You step up and the computer reads your eye, comparing it to the stored file it has of your iris. The images had better match---otherwise, you won’t be able to get your money.
Iris scanning and other technologies, such as fingerprint and voice scanning, have appeared in many science fiction movies in the past. Today, these advanced technologies are part of the real world. They are common at work, the bank, the airport, and your local prison. The iris scan, fingerprint scan, and voice scan are all examples of biometrics(生物测定学), a fast developing area of automatic personal identification technology. Basically, biometrics uses various ways to verify a person’s identity, based on the individual’s unique characteristics, including fingerprints, signature, and so on.
Biometrics identification systems have a number of advantages over password systems. The primary advantage is that an individual has to be physically present in order to be identified. Another important advantage is that there are no passwords to remember, forget, lose, or steal.
The voice scan is the simplest and most affordable form of biometrics. It only requires a computer, a microphone, and the correct software. The software records a subject’s voice and then compares it to a stored voice sample for identification purpose.
For additional safety, fingerprint and handprint scans can also be employed. Fingerprint scans take the image of a fingerprint and compare it to a stored file of prints. Handprint scans identify the unique features of a hand.The first paragraph serves as a(n) ________.
| A．example | B．explanation |
| C．comment | D．conclusion |
The underline word “verify” in Paragraph 2 probably means “________”.
| A．protect | B．confirm |
| C．develop | D．change |
Which is the most accurate form of biometrics?
| A．The voice scan |
| B．The fingerprint scan |
| C．The iris scan |
| D．The facial scan |
What is the author’s attitude towards the future of biometrics?
| A．He is uncertain about it. |
| B．He feels doubtful about it. |
| C．He is worried about it. |
| D．He feels hopeful about it. |
What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?
| A．To explain the importance of identification technology. |
| B．To discuss the potential of biometrics systems. |
| C．To introduce the technology of biometrics. |
| D．To show the advantages of iris scanning. |