Every child has written their names on the beach at some point.
But whereas most people’s “handwriting” is washed away, one super-rich Arab sheikh(酋长) has ensure that his graffiti(胡写乱画) will last a little longer.
Hamad Bin Hamdan Al Nahyan, 63, has scrawled his name in sand on an island he owns with letters so big that they be seen from space.
The word “HAMAD” measures 1,000 meters high and is a staggering two miles long from the “H” to the “D” on the Al Futaisi Island.
And rather than allow the writing to be washed away by the ocean, the letters actually form waterways that absorb the encroaching(渗入) tide. The ruler’s name is even visible on Google’s map service.
Hamad dreamed up the idea and had his workmen work hard for weeks to craft the enormous piece of sand graffiti. It is not known how much it cost to make.
However, the sheikh boasts a personal fortune second to the Saudi king’s.
Hamad, also known as the “Rainbow Sheikh”, is a member of the Abu Dhabi Ruling Family.
He is understood to have some 200 cars including seven Mercedes 500 SELs painted in different colors of the rainbow which he stores in a giant pyramid.
The Arab sheikh had a taste for doing things on a large scale. He built the world’s largest truck—eight times the size of the Dodge Power Wagon, with four bedrooms inside the cabin.
Hamad constructed a motor home in the shape of a giant globe which is exactly 1 millionth the size of the actual earth.
Alongside his displays of wealth he has become a well-known philanthropist(慈善家) in medicine and supplied a complete Kinney stone operating theatre to a public hospital in Morocco where he continues to fund its stuff.Which of the following in NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Hamad is a man who wants himself to be well-known from apace. |
| B．Hamad is a super-rich person who always does something unusual. |
| C．Hamad is a man who is always so mean in his family |
| D．Hamad is a man who boasts his fortune is second to the Saudi king’s |
In what way could Hamad make his handwriting last longer?
A. The word “HAMAD” measures 1,000 meters wide and high.
B The word “HAMAD” is a staggering two miles long from the “H” to the “D”.
C. The word “HAMAD” actually forms huge waterways that absorb the encroaching tide.
D. The word “HAMAD” cost his workmen a lot of hard work for several weeks.Why does Hamad have his seven Mercedes-Benz500 SELs painted in different colors?
| A．Perhaps he hoped his cars were stored in a giant pyramid safely. |
| B．In some ways he could make a very strange rainbow. |
| C．Maybe he just wanted to show off his wealth. |
| D．He is always interested in making his cars like these. |
Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?
| A．The Rainbow Sheikh’s name can be seen from space |
| B．The richest Arab sheikh’s name has made many funny things |
| C．A great person likes doing things on a large scale |
| D．A well-known philanthropist displays his wealth |
A Korean wave is sweeping across China, with many Chinese women worshiping South Korean actors Kin Soo-hyun and Lee Min-ho as demigods(偶像). Chinese netizens（网民）always have different opinions. Over South Korean TV dramas, but there is no doubt that programs from the neighboring country are now enjoying a new round of popularity in China, And a big part of the credit for that goes to You Who Came From The Star, the South Korean TV series which is on the air now.
You Who Came From The Star and The Heirs (继承者们) have been subjects of hot online discussions throughout Asia. Besides, the book, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, read by the hero You Who Came From The Star was a hard-to-get item on Amazon for a while.
The two TV programs have several common elements：a tall, handsome, and rich hero who loves the heroine blindly and always protects her, and an equally handsome man madly in love with the same woman. Both programs describe the purity of love, which is expressed through a kiss or a warm hug. Perhaps that’s the secret of their success; perhaps people still like Cinderella-type stories.
The widening wealth gap is a matter of social concern both in South Korea and China, and the challenges that young people face in their hope for a better life might have caused many ordinary girls to dream of marrying rich, caring men. This is precisely what the popular South Korean TV drams describe. In fact, South Korean TV dramas are tailored to meet the market’s demands.
Many netizens even said at an earlier time that South Korean TV dramas had become popular because of their stereotyped (模式化的) themes: traffic accidents, cancer and other incurable diseases. But all that has changed with the success of You Who Came From The Star and The Heirs, which Chinese directors can use as examples, as well as inspiration, to improve their productions.What is the main reason for a new round of popularity in China?
| A．It is because of You Who Came From The Star. |
| B．Most of the Chinese netizens have voted for them. |
| C．The actors in the dramas are all gods. |
| D．The dramas are from the neighboring country North Korea. |
Which is NOT included in the elements for the success of South Korean dramas?
| A．Charming pure love stories. |
| B．A tender kiss and a warm hug. |
| C．Handsome and rich heroes. |
| D．The heroine’s blind love with the rich. |
The underlined sentence in Paragraph 4 means that they are designed to _______.
| A．develop in a large scale |
| B．be measured to a certain size |
| C．meet popular taste purposely |
| D．be shown in a big market |
The main purpose of stereotyped themes in South Korean dramas is to________.
| A．present an idea | B．attract TV viewers |
| C．make them colorful | D．arouse some challenges |
While astronauts in space get to do many exciting things, they miss out on ordinary things that we all take for granted-being able to walk on firm ground, hanging out with family and digging into a slice of hot steaming pizza. Though not much can be done about the first two things, there may soon be a solution to the third one, thanks to this cool 3-D pizza printer!
About a year ago, NASA offered $125,000 to Anjan Contractor, a 3-D technology expert, to build a device（设备）that would allow astronauts to make pizza on demand. The mechanical engineer promised that his invention would produce pies in large quantities that looked, tasted and even smelled like pizza made in common ovens.
Late last year, the engineer presented a video of his first prototype（原型）that begins by creating a single slice of dough（面团）that is cooked and printed at the same time. Then comes the tomato “sauce” —a mix of tomato powder, oil and water and finally, a protein slice that resembles cheese. While the video doesn’t show the baking process, the inventor says that once the pizza is printed, it can be ready to be consumed in 7 seconds.
While the pie in the video looks delicious enough to attract any pizza lover, Anjan Contractor is far from ready for astronauts. That’s because he still has to find a solution to make the food container in the printer last for 30 years. Though that may sound unrealistic, actually it is not.
Anjan Contractor believes that the only way that is possible is that the water is removed from all the ingredients（配料）and then they are reduced to the powder form. This, as you can imagine, will not be so easy. But, while the printer may not be ready for space, it certainly looks ready enough for people on earth. Hopefully, NASA and Contractor will consider selling it to those not fortunate enough to go to Mars!Why does the author mention the things that astronauts in space cannot do?
| A．To ask us not to take common things for granted. |
| B．To show they live a difficult life there. |
| C．To show their life is boring in space. |
| D．To introduce the topic of the text. |
NASA offered $125,000 to Anjan Contractor mainly to __________.
| A．create some new type of 3-D printer |
| B．attract more companies to work for NASA |
| C．help astronauts in space enjoy fresh pizza one day |
| D．produce pizza in large quantities to earn great profits |
The biggest challenge that Anjan Contractor is faced with now is probably that __________.
| A．he has no money left to go on with his research |
| B．the pizza doesn’t seem appetizing to pizza lovers |
| C．he has no way to make pizza that can last for thirty years |
| D．he cannot make the food container last for decades |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．NASA is trying its best to help astronauts eat better |
| B．Astronauts may soon be able to enjoy steaming hot pizza |
| C．NASA is working on making pizza for common people |
| D．A 3-D pizza printer has been used to make pizza |
A very close friend phoned me this weekend and asked a specific question about earning a few extra dollars each month online. For the benefit of keeping her name and details secret, I will call her Annie in this article. You see Annie suffers from a severe form of inaction syndrome(综合症); she is full of great ideas that never materialize into cash and she is having a problem finding the link that will achieve this.
Somebody once said that knowledge is power, yet we constantly find from readers of our website that they have knowledge to burn and still do not have power. Just look at the academics in universities all around the world; they have so much knowledge that they should control the wealth of the world. In truth they work for peanuts and very few of them ever achieve the power of independence. So knowledge certainly isn’t power. Therefore, we should change that “wise” statement to: “Power is the ability to use knowledge to your own benefit.”
That paragraph was inserted because Annie is a typical academic—strong on talk and plans but a little weaker on actions. In the period of a twenty-minute conversation, she expounded（阐述）a whole list of plans and ideas to make the extra few hundred dollars each month she was seeking. Any one of her many ideas was a potential money maker, but she had taken action on none of them. At one time she said, “I’m lost as to what to do next.”
That was my cue（提示）to get involved. “Take action,” I advised.
All that is wrong is that Annie was inactive without knowing it. In five minutes we drew up a plan of action and agreed to talk again in a month to review progress. When we finished the conversation, she sounded much happier and more motivated than when we started. Annie just needs a little nudge into beneficial action.What’s the problem with Annie?
| A．She has too many great ideas. |
| B．She never puts her ideas into practice. |
| C．She suffers from a strange illness. |
| D．She knows little about making money online. |
What is the most important according to the author?
| A．The ability to use one’s knowledge. |
| B．The ability to acquire knowledge. |
| C．A great deal of knowledge. |
| D．A good understanding of oneself. |
What can we know from the last paragraph?
| A．Annie will succeed in later life. |
| B．Annie is going towards success. |
| C．Annie doesn’t realize her problems. |
| D．Annie talks too much in daily life. |
The underlined word “nudge” in the last paragraph probably means________.
| A．push | B．advice | C．training | D．Power |
Every Wednesday, I go to Cantata Adult Life Services, a local retirement community in Brookfield, Illinois, US, with my classmates to do community service.
After my very first visit to Cantata, my life changed forever. That may sound a bit dramatic, but volunteering with the elderly has changed my views on life.
Our visits last about an hour, and we bring 25-30 students every time. We play board games and cards with the residents while we’re there.
You can watch all the movies and TV shows you want about “life back then”, but nothing compares to talking to the people who were actually there. Just hearing their stories has touched me in a way I never thought possible.
Whether it was talking to 98-year-old “Hurricane Hilda” about her glory days as a roller skater or chatting with Lou about the times she danced with a famous actor, I was completely attracted by every single memory the residents wanted to share with me.
Even the residents who don’t have amazing memories make the experience satisfying . I remember visiting Mrs Robinson. She couldn’t recall much about her past, but she told me she’d never forget how kind I was just to listen to her “rambling (漫谈)”. It made me realize that it’s the little things that make life worth living. That’s something I won’t forget anytime soon.
If there’s one thing I’ve realized in my three years of visiting Cantata, it’s that presence – just being there – means more than anything to many of the residents. And despite how busy our lives are, there’s always time to make someone’s day.
For me, it feels great to be a source of happiness, a smile on a bad day or a listening ear for old memories. And at the end of the day, that’s all that matters.
It’s easy to feel like you don’t have anything in common with the elderly – especially when you’re a teenager. But that’s not true at all.
I hate to be overly clichéd (陈词滥调的) here, but age really is just a number. As young adults, it’s important for us to realize this sooner rather than later. We can learn a lot from the elderly, and they can often benefit from teenagers too.What do the volunteers do according to the passage?
| A．They share everything with the residents. |
| B．They play board games and cards with the residents. |
| C．They watch the residents play games. |
| D．They buy gifts for the residents. |
According to the writer, what is the most important thing that volunteers can do for the elderly?
| A．Playing with them. | B．Benefiting from them. |
| C．Helping them. | D．Being there with them. |
What does the writer want to tell us by writing this passage ?
| A．Young adults and the elderly can benefit from each other. |
| B．Age is just a number. |
| C．It is important to help the elderly. |
| D．We don’t have anything in common with the elderly. |
This message is to inform all the children that Santa's post office in Himmelpfort, Germany, is open to receive your holiday wishes. That means you can mail your letters to Santa about 6 weeks sooner than that last year. Santa knows you've been good and wants to make sure he and his helpers receive your wish list earlier.
Eight post offices are organized across Germany to answer all letters children send. This year they plan to receive over 250,000 letters. Though the letters fly from over 80 different countries, Santa and his helpers can understand and make sure to answer all the letters.
In 1984, two children from Berlin sent their wish lists to Himmelpfort after spending vacation there. Their letters were answered by postal employees and later Himmelpfort increased its helpers to meet the needs of increased mail traffic. Year after year, Santa and his crew use an eco-friendly powered vehicle to collect the thousands of letters he receives from young boys and girls. The great news for this year is that if you come to the beautiful town of Himmelpfort, you can drop off your letter and visit Santa in person, from Tuesdays to Thursdays until Christmas Eve.
Santa does not currently have an e-mail, Twitter or a Facebook account. He believes in old-fashioned communication. So get out your paper and write your wish list. Just make sure your letter is clear so you can receive an official response, send your letters to:
Santa
Christmas Post Office
Himmelpfort, Germany 16798This year Santa and his helpers _____.
| A．are eager to receive more wishes |
| B．keep traveling around 80 countries |
| C．are able to receive kids’ letters earlier |
| D．answer most of the letters from kids |
From the 3rd paragraph, we know that _____.
| A．post offices send kids all the presents they ask for |
| B．children from Berlin like spending holidays in Himmelpfort |
| C．Santa uses a powered vehicle because of the heavy mail traffic |
| D．children can visit Santa in the flesh before Christmas Eve this year |
Santa doesn’t have social communications online probably because he _____.
| A．is not sure about the online security |
| B．trusts traditional ways of communication |
| C．prefers official and formal letters |
| D．thinks written letters are clearer than e-mails |