Facial expressions carry meaning that is determined by situations and relationships. For example, in American culture the smile is in general an expression of pleasure. Yet it also has other uses. A woman’s smile at a police officer does not carry the same meaning as the smile she gives to a young child. A smile may show love or politeness. It can also hide true feelings. For example, many people in Russia consider smiling at strangers in public to be unusual and even improper. Yet many Americans smile freely at strangers in public places (although this is less common in big cities). Some Russians believe that Americans smile in the wrong places; some Americans believe that Russians don’t smile enough. In Southeast Asian culture, a smile is frequently used to cover painful feelings. Vietnamese people may tell a sad story but end the story with a smile.
Our faces show emotions (情感), but we should not attempt(尝试)to “read” people from another culture as we would “read” someone from our own culture. The fact that members of one culture do not express their emotions as openly as do members of another does not mean that they do not experience emotions. Rather, there are cultural differences in the amount of facial expressions permitted. For example, in public and in formal situations many Japanese do not show their emotions as freely as Americans do. When with friends, Japanese and Americans seem to show their emotions similarly.
It is difficult to conclude about Americans and facial expressiveness because of personal and cultural differences in the United States. People from certain cultural backgrounds in the United States seem to be more facially expressive than others. The key is to try not to judge people whose ways of showing emotion are different. If we judge according to our own cultural habits, we may make the mistake of “reading” the other person incorrectly.What does the smile usually mean in the U.S.?
| A.Love. | B.Politeness. | C.Joy. | D.Thankfulness. |
The author mentions the smile of the Vietnamese to prove that smile can ___ .
| A.show friendliness to strangers | B.be used to hide true feelings |
| C.be used in the wrong places | D.show personal habits |
What should we do before attempting to “read” people?
| A.Learn about their relations with others. |
| B.Understand their cultural backgrounds. |
| C.Find out about their past experience. |
| D.Figure out what they will do next. |
What would be the best title for the test?
| A.Cultural Differences | B.Smiles and Relationship |
| C.Facial Expressiveness | D.Habits and Emotions |
The ocean bottom,a region nearly 2.5 times greater than the total land area of the Earth, is even today largely unexplored. Until about a century ago,the deep-ocean floor was completely inaccessible and hidden beneath waters averaging over 3,600 meters deep. Totally without light and subjected to intense pressures hundreds of times greater than at the Earth's surface,the deep-ocean bottom is a strange environment to humans,in some ways as forbidding and remote as the outer space.
Although researchers have taken samples of deep-ocean rocks for over a
century,the first detailed global study of the ocean bottom did not actually start until 1968,with the beginning of the National Science Foundation's Deep Sea Drilling Project ( DSDP). Using techniques first developed for the offshore oil and gas industry,the DSDP's drill ship,the Glomar Challenger,was able to maintain a steady position on the ocean's surface and drill in very deep
waters,taking samples of rock from the ocean floor.
The Glomar Challenger completed 96 voyages in a 15-year-research program that ende
d in November 1983. During this time,it sailed 600,000 kilometers and took almost
20,000samples of rocks around the world. Those samples have allowed geologists to reconstruct what the planet looked like hundreds of millions of years ago and to make out what
it will probably look like millions of years in the future. Today,largely on the strength of evidence gathered during the Glomar Challenger's voyages,nearly all earth scientists agree on the theories of plate tectonics (构造学) and continental drift that explains many of the geological processes.
The samples of rocks drilled by the Glomar Challenger have also provided a climatic record stretching back hundreds of millions of years. The information of
past climatic changes can be used to predict future climates.The underlined word" inaccessible" in Line 3 means .
| A.unrecognizable | B.unreachable | C.unusable | D.unreasonable |
Why does the author mention "outer space" in the first paragraph?
| A.The Earth's climate millions of years ago was similar to that in outer space. |
| B.It is similar to the ocean floor in being strange to the humans. |
| C.Rock formations in outer space are similar to those found on the ocean floor. |
| D.Techniques used by scientists to explore outer space were similar to those used in ocean exploration. |
Which of the following is TRUE of the Glomar Challenger?
| A.It is a type of submarine. | B.It is an ongoing project. |
| C.It has gone on over 100 voyages. | D.It made its first DSDP voyage in 1968. |
The Deep Sea Drilling Project was significant because it was .
| A.an attempt to find new sources of oil and gas |
| B.the first extensive exploration of the ocean bottom |
| C.made up of geologists from all over the world |
| D.supported entirely by the gas and oil industry |
Which is NOT mentioned in the passage as being a result of the Deep Sea Drilling Project?
| A.Geologists were able to determine the Earth's appearance millions of years ago. |
| B.Two geological theories became more widely accepted by scientists. |
| C.Geologists observed forms of life never before seen. |
| D.Information was revealed about the Earth's past climatic changes. |
For many years it was common in the United States to associate Chinese Americans wi
th restaurants and places that wash clothes. People did not realize that the Chinese had been driven into these occupations by the prejudice and discrimination that faced them in this country.
The first Chinese to reach the United States came during the California Gold Rush of 1849. Like most of the other people there,they had come to search for gold. In that largely unoccupied land, the men st
aked a claim (立界标表明所有权) for themselves by placing makers’ in the ground. However,either because the Chinese were so different from the others or because they worked so patiently that they sometimes succeeded in getting a mining claim to make a profit ( where others saw no way to do so) ,they became the target".Of their competitors. They were troubled and attacked in many ways. Often they were prevented from working their claims; some places even passed regulations forbidding them to own claims. The Chinese therefore started to seek out other ways of earning a living. Some of them began to wash clothes for the white miners; others set up small restaurants. (There were almost no women in California in those days and the Chinese filled a real need by doing this" women's work". ) Some went to work as farmhands or as fishermen.
In the early 1860's many more Chinese arrived in California. This time railroad companies brought the men in to build the first railroad line from California to the East. They were sorely needed because the work was so hard and dangerous,and it was carried on in such an isolated part of the country that the railroad company could not find other laborers for the job. As in the case of the first Chinese in America, these Chinese were almost all males; and like them,too,they encountered a great deal of prejudice. The hostility grew especially strong after the railroad project was completed,and the Chinese laborers returned to California—thousands of them,all out of work
Many of today's Chinese Americans are the descendants of some of the early miners and railroad workers.What is the main idea of the passage?
| A.The first Chinese to reach the United States came during the California Gold Rush of 1849. |
| B.Many more Chinese arrived in California to construct the first railroad from California to the East. |
| C.Early Chinese immigrants to America experienced a lot of prejudice and discrimination. |
| D.Prejudice and discrimination that Chinese Americans met. |
. Why did the Chinese become the target of their competitors?
| A.Because the Chinese were different and they worked patiently to achieve a lot of success while others couldn't. |
| B.The Chinese were so different from the others. |
| C.They worked so patiently with little payment |
| D.There were almost no women in California in those days. |
What was the fate of the Chinese after the construction of the railroad?
| A.They went back to their own country |
B.They stayed to work in the ra ilroad companies. |
| C.They went to California to search for gold. |
| D.The hostility grew especially strong. |
. What is the meaning of the word" encountered"?
| A.face. | B.Count. | C.Enter. | D.Handle. |
The following statements are true EXCEPT .
| A.during the California Gold Rush of 1849,people staked a claim for themselves by placing markers in the ground |
| B.the first Chinese went to America because they wanted to work as farmhands or as fishermen |
| C.many of today's Chinese Americans are the descendants of the early miners and railroad workers |
| D.the Chinese were sorely needed because the work was so dangerous |
Every summer thousands of Americans stay at home instead of going on holiday because they're overweight. They don't want people to see them sunbathing and they don't want to have to squeeze into plane seats,But now,thanks to the growing number of weight-friendly holiday packages,the overweight are having their days in the sun.
"Overweight people will have a great time on our holidays as we don't judge them like oth
er people do," said Liz Nickels,the owner of Big Adventures,a US-based company that hosts scuba-diving—a sport of swimming underwater while breathing through a tube connected to a tank on your back for larger people. As a way to keep up with the demand for extralarge accommodation,many hotels in the US have started to offer features such as wide beds and hand-held showers. But the best in plus-size vacation lies at Mexico's Freedom Paradise,a 112-room resort(度假胜地) opening this month,which urges guests to" Live Large,Live Free" .
The hotel has wide doorways,reinforced furniture and extra large chairs. It also boasts a private beach to protect people from the stares that can occur on public beaches. "It's not a hotel just for large people. It's a size-friendly place where anyone can enjoy a holiday," said owner J urrian Kilnk,"What we noticed was that a lot of oversized people don't feel comfortable at resorts. "Staff members of all sizes are hired by the hotel to make overweight people feel OK.
Though many welcome the new service,some feel differently. "I have a real problem with this,"said Nancy Lenhart,the owner of Camp La Jolia,a Californian weight-loss and fitness camp.
"If you talk about oversized beds and doorways you are throwing their weight in their faces. Overweight people want to be normalized. They shouldn't be discriminated against
like this. ". Large people don't want to go on holiday because .
| A.they don't like sunbathing | B.they don't want to be looked at |
| C.the planes are too crowded | D.hotels are not open to them |
.In the first paragraph,weight-friendly holiday packages mean.
| A.there are some free packages for the overweight |
| B.people are friendly to the overweight |
| C.special holiday for the overweight |
| D.the overweight can lose weight |
.Scuba-diving is a sport of swimming .
| A.for people to lose weight | B.only for larger people |
| C.jumping from the platform | D.underwater |
Mexico's Freedom Paradise is a hotel .
| A.for people of all sizes | B.only intended for larger people |
| C.where everything is oversized | D.where larger people can live for free |
The underlined part" you are throwing their weight in their faces" means .
| A.you are beating them in the face | B.you are showing them that they are overweight |
| C.their faces seem bigger than others | D.you can make them lose weight |
Sandstorms hit northwestern China's Gansu Province and North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on the first day this year. According to Sun Landong, a meteorologist with the Lanzhou Meteorology Observatory,visibility was less than 100 meters in Minqin, a Gansu county near Inner Mongolia, because of sand. When visibility drops to less than 1
kilometer,it is called a sandstorm. The sandstorm in Minqin blew up dust in neighboring towns, such as Baiyin, Wuwei, Jinchang and Lanzhou, the capital city of Gansu Province. Dust-laden winds also
swept into Beijing. Brought by northwesterly blowing at more than 20 meters per second,dust first reached the capital's suburbs at 7 a. m,downtown areas at 9 a. m. The winds,which died down during the night,brought the temperature down to as low as 80C below zero and many flights put off their planned time from the city's airport.
It is quite rare for sandstorms,which are frequent between March and June,to happen in winter,when the earth is frozen. The sandstorms in Gansu and Inner Mongolia do not necessarily mean there will be more of them in the spring than last year,when they were serious,but Beijing is taking it very seriously. It is reported that Beijing will spend 6 billion yuan ( US 725 million) in preventing sandstorms in the capital and has already set up a special team to make sure what causes them. What is the main idea of the passage?
| A.Sandstorms took place in Gansu. |
| B.Sandstorms happened on the first day of the new year. |
| C.Sandstorms are very serious,compared to last year. |
| D.Experts are trying their best to determine the cause of the sandstorm formed this year. |
Suppose the dust was 300 kilometers away from Beijing, it would reach Beijing about ——— hours later if it travels at a speed of 20 meters per second?
| A.4. 2 | B.1. 5 | C.2. 0 | D.2. 5 |
. Why did sandstorms begin in the winter this year?
| A.Because there was little snow this season. |
| B.Because a lot of trees have been cut down. |
| C.Because people took few measures to control them. |
| D.It is not mentioned in the passage. |
Which of the following doesn't belong to the bad effect the sandstorms have do
ne in Beijing?
| A.The temperature fell. | B.Flights put off their time to take off. |
| C.The air is dirty. | D.People had three days off. |
The author wrote the passage to .
| A.tell us the environments are becoming worse and worse |
| B.explain what measures people have taken to control sandstorms |
| C.make people realize the need to protect the environment. |
| D.call on us to do what we can to save the earth |
“If there is one thing I’m sure about, it is that in a hundred years from now we will still be reading newspapers. It is not that newspapers are a necessity. Even now some people get most of their news from television or radio. Many buy a paper only on Saturday or Sunday. But for most people reading a newspaper has become a habit passed down from generation to generation.
The nature of what is news may change. What basically makes news is what affects our lives — the big political stories, the coverage of the wars, earthquakes and other disasters, will continue much the same. I think there will be more coverage of scientific research, though. It’s already happening in areas that may directly affect our lives, like genetic(基因) engineering. In the future, I think there will be more coverage of scientific explanations of why we feel as we do — as we develop a better understanding of how the brain operates and what our feelings really are.
It’s quite possible that in the next century newspapers will be transmitted(传送) electronically from Fleet Street and printed out in our own home. In fact, I’m pretty sure that how it will happen in the future. You will probably be able to choose from a menu, making up your own newspaper by picking out the things you want to read — sports and international news, etc.
I think people have got it wrong when they talk about competition between the different media(媒体). They actually feed off each other. Some people once foresaw that television would kill off newspapers, but that hasn’t happened. What is read on the printed page lasts longer than pictures on a screen or sound lost in the air. And as for the Internet, it’s never really pleasant to read something just on a screen.. What is the best title for the passage?
| A.The Best Way to Get News | B.The Changes of Media |
| C.Make Your Own Newspaper | D.The Future of Newspaper |
. In the writer’s opinion, in the future, _______.
| A.more big political affairs, wars and disasters will make news |
| B.newspapers will not be printed in publishing houses any longer |
| C.newspapers will cover more scientific research |
| D.more and more people will watch TV |
.. What will probably be on in the newspaper made by yourself?
| A.Sports and international news. | B.A menu of important news. |
| C.The most important news. | D.What you are interested in. |
.. From the passage, we can infer _______.
| A.newspapers will win the competition among the different media |
| B.newspapers will stay with us together with other media |
| C.television will take the place of newspaper |
| D.the writer believe some media will die out |
.. The phrase “feed off” in the last paragraph means _______.
| A.depend on | B.compete with |
| C.fight with | D.kill off |