In much society, there is often greater acceptance of light skin than dark
skin; Light skin may be seen as a mark of beauty, intelligence and success.
These beliefs can lead to social pressures even within the same group, if some members are darker than others. The result is that skin lightening has become very common across Africa, Asia and other areas of the world and more people with dark skin are using skin-lighting products, even if it means they may face health risks. They believe that having whiter skin will improve the quality of their lives. Many people think they will have a better family. Or they want to look like what their society generally considers beautiful.
Some beauty care（美容）products and soaps contain chemicals
that make skin lighter. However, some of the chemicals are extremely dangerous. The chemicals in the products block and break down the natural barrier(障碍) to protect against sunlight. Then the skin can become thick and discolored. Usually the person will use more of the product in an effort to correct the problem, which just makes things even worse. Doctor Ly says some chemicals are so dangerous that they may lead to blackened fingernails, infections(感染) and serious skin damage.
And these are not the only problems. Experts say some people who change their skin color suffer emotional damage. They feel regretful and sad. They feel that instead of risking their health, they should have learned to live and accept their skin color as it was.What’s the result of the wrong understanding of darker skin?
| A．Many people with dark skin try to make their skin whiter. |
| B．Many people with whiter skin live a better life than others. |
| C．People with darker skin try to marry people with light skin. |
| D．People with darker skin try to protect themselves against social pressures. |
The third paragraph is about .
| A．some medical effects that skin-lightening products have brought about |
| B．the mental damage that skin-lightening products have caused |
| C．the physical damage that skin-lightening products have caused |
| D．the causes why skin-lightening products can make skin whiter |
Why are chemicals in beauty care products dangerous?
| A．They can damage the skin’s color producing progress. |
| B．They can control people’s emotions and feelings. |
| C．They can make the fingernails and skin black. |
| D．They make more people decide to change their skin colors. |
In 1826, a Frenchman named Niepce needed pictures for his business .But he was not a good artist.So he invented a very simple camera (照相机).He put it in a window of his house and took a picture of his garden.That was the first photo.
The next important date in the history of photography (摄影术) was in 1837.That year, Daguerre, another Frenchman ,took a picture of his reading room.He used a new kind of camera in a different way.In his picture you could see everything very clearly ,even the smallest thing.This kind of photo was called a Daguerreotype.
Soon, other people began to use Daguerre’s way.Travelers brought back wonderful photos from all around the world.People took picture of famous buildings, cities and mountains.
In about 1840, photography was developed .Then photographers could take picture of people and moving things .That was not simple .The photographers had to carry a lot of film and other machines.But this did not stop them ,for example, some in the United States worked so hard.
Mathew Brady was a famous American photographers.He took many picture of great people .The picture were unusual because they were very lifelike(栩栩如生的).
Photographers also became one kind of art by the end of the 19th century .Some photos were nor just copies of the real world .They showed and feelings,like other kinds of art.The first photo taken by Niepce was a picture of ____________
| A．his business | B．his house | C．his garden | D．his window |
The Daguerrotype was____________.
| A．a Frenchman | B．a kind of picture |
| C．a kind of camera | D．a photographer |
If a photographer wanted to take pictures of moving things in the year of 1840,
he had to__________.
| A．watch lots of films |
| B．buy an expensive camera |
| C．stop in most cities |
| D．take many films and something else with him. |
Mathew Brady______________.
| A．was very lifelike |
| B．was famous for his unusual pictures |
| C．was quite strong |
| D．took many pictures of moving people |
This passage tells us_____________.
| A．how photography was developed |
| B．how to show your ideas and feelings in pictures |
| C．how to take pictures in the world |
| D．how to use different cameras |
Mars is the planet most like Earth.Flying to Mars is a difficult task for humans.
There is an experiment with the name “Mars 500” in Russia.Six volunteers take part in the experiment.They come from China, Russia, France and Italy.They won’t go to outer space.They will stay in small modules (太空舱) on the ground for 520 days.It’s just like a real journey
In the modules, they will experience a lot: flying to Mars, flying back and working on Mars.During the long “journey”, the volunteers can only eat space food.They can shower every 10 days.They can call their friends or families.Anyone of them can quit if he doesn’t feel well.This experiment helps scientists know how well humans will be on a long journey to Mars.
Wangyue, 26, from China, is the youngest of the volunteers.He is a teacher at the China Astronaut Research and Training Center (中国航天员科研训练中心) in Beijing.Where are these volunteers from?
A.They are from China and Russia.
B.They are from France and Italy
C.They are from China and France.
D.Both A and B.Which of the statement is Not True?
| A．The volunteers are not going to move to outer space. |
| B．The volunteers will stay on the Mars for more than 17 months. |
| C．The volunteers can make video calls to their friends and families |
| D．The name of the experiment is “Mars 500”. |
How often can the volunteers take a shower?
| A．three times a month | B．three times a day |
| C．ten days a month | D．ten times a month |
what’s the meaning of the underlined word “quit”?
| A．放弃 | B．丢弃 | C．尝试 | D．试验 |
Where can you read the article?
| A．story book | B．geography magazines |
| C．science magazines | D．magazines about ET |
When I drove to work yesterday, I met a traffic jam.As I looked out of my window, a handsome young man was walking on the street.He was walking towards the bridge.There were some homeless men with their cups around there.The young man went to one of them.He brought out some money from his pocket, said a few words to him and put the money into his cup.He continued to walk and then saw another homeless man.He stopped for a minute, said a few words and then gave the man a candy.
And then he saw the next homeless man.He was shivering because of coldness.The young man now stopped for a second and gave his scarf to him.He then said goodbye to him with a big smile and went away in the snow.
At that moment, I was in tears.I gave this young man my best wishes with love and blessings.The story probably happened in __________.
| A．spring | B．summer | C．autumn | D．winter |
How many homeless men did the young man help in this passage?
| A．2. | B．3. | C．4. | D．5. |
What did the young man give the homeless men?
| A．Some money, his scarf and a candy. |
| B．His scarf, his coat and some money. |
| C．A candy, his hat and his coat. |
| D．His coat, some money and a candy. |
The man was shaking slightly because of __________.
| A．hunger | B．coldness |
| C．illness | D．worries |
The writer felt __________ after seeing the young man’s behavior.
| A．sad | B．surprised |
| C．impressed | D．interested |
Trees should only be pruned（修剪）when there is a good and clear reason for doing so and , fortunately, the number of such reasons is small.
First, pruning may be done to make sure that trees have a desired shape or size.The object may be to get a tree of the right height, and at the same time to help the growth of small side branches（枝条）which will thicken its appearance or give it a special shape.Secondly, pruning may be done to make the tree healthier.You may cut diseased or dead wood, or branches that are rubbing against each other and thus cause wounds.The health of a tree may be encouraged by removing branches that are blocking up the centre and so preventing the free movement of air.
One result of pruning is that an open wound（伤口）is left on the tree and this provides an easy entry for disease, but it is a wound that will heal（愈合）.Often there is a race between the healing and the disease as to whether the tree will live or die.It should be the aim of every gardener to reduce the risk as far as possible.It is necessary to make the area which has been pruned, smooth and clean, for healing will be slowed down by roughness（粗糙）.You should allow the cut surface to dry for a few hours and then paint it with one of the substances available from garden shops produced especially for this purpose.Pruning is usually done in winter, “From then you can see the shape of the tree clearly and it is, too, very unlikely that the cuts you make will bleed.If this does happen, it is, of course, impossible to paint them properly.Pruning should be done to ______.
| A．make the tree grow taller |
| B．improve the shape of the tree |
| C．get rid of the small branches |
| D．make the tree grow taller |
Trees become unhealthy if the gardener ______.
| A．allows too many branches to grow in the middle |
| B．does not protect them from wind |
| C．forces them to grow too quickly |
| D．damages some of the small side branches |
Why is a special substance painted on the tree?
| A．To make a wound smooth and clean. |
| B．To prevent disease entering a wound. |
| C．To cover a rough surface. |
| D．To help a wound to dry. |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．The history of tree pruning. |
| B．The reasons for tree pruning. |
| C．Some directions for tree pruning. |
| D．Some results of tree pruning. |
In many countries, schools have long summer holidays, with shorter holidays in between.However, a new report suggests shortening school holidays to stop children forgetting what they have learnt during the long summer break.Instead of three school terms, it says, there should be five eight-week terms.And there should be just four weeks off in the summer, with a two-week break between the other terms.
Sonia Montero has two children at primary school and works full-time.She supports the idea.“The kids,” she says, “ have much longer holidays then and I can’t afford to take several weeks off work, so I need someone to take care of them.But nobody wants the work in the summer holidays — they all have holidays of their own.
Not surprisingly, some young people disagree.Student Jason Panos says , “It’s a stupid idea.I would hate staying at school in the summer.It’s unfair, too.The people who suggest this had long school holidays when they were young, but now they want to stop us enjoying the summer.The kids in Spain and American have much longer holidays than here, but they don’t forget everything they’ve learnt in a few months.”
Nadia Salib agrees.“Sure,” she says, “the first week at school after the summer is never easy, but you soon get back into it.The real problem round here is that kids get bored after so many weeks out of school, and then some of them start causing trouble.But the answer is to give them something to do, not make everyone stay in school longer.”Why is Sonia in support of shorter school holidays?
| A．She doesn’t get any summer holidays in her jobs. |
| B．She is worried that her children will forget what they’ve learnt. |
| C．She can’t afford to pay someone to look after her children. |
| D．She can’t get anyone to look after her children in summer. |
What does Jason say about long summer holidays?
| A．They can help children forget about school. |
| B．Schools in other countries don’t have long holidays. |
| C．These days many older people suggest having long holidays. |
| D．They do no harm to children’s education. |
What does Nadia say about young people on summer holidays?
| A．They would like to spend more time at school. |
| B．Long holidays are very bad for their education. |
| C．They need something to do to enrich themselves. |
| D．Long holidays should be shortened to stop them causing trouble. |
Which of the following statements best explains the text?
| A．It has been decided that summer holidays should be shortened. |
| B．Students are angry that school holidays have been changed. |
| C．Not everyone agrees to change school holidays. |
| D．Teenagers are worried about that they will be busy during summer holidays. |