Sea lions and seals may swim in cold ocean water, but even they get chilly sometimes. Seeing an injured seal wrapped in a blanket at a marine(海的) mammal center gave Haley Humes and Hayley Jeffries an idea for a special Girl Scout project. They decided to make blankets to keep injured animals warm. They would give these blankets to the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach, California.
“We knew we wanted to help animals,” Haley said. “We went to the center to ask questions about what they needed. They don’t have a heated floor, and all the babies crowded together to stay warm.”
Friends since kindergarten, Haley and Hayley made 12 blankets to keep the Marine Mammal Center’s seals and sea lions warm. Using fun images like Winnie-the-Pooh, the girls took two hours to make each blanket. The first sea lion to test out a blanket looked pretty in pink.
“It was a sick baby and really liked it,” Haley said. “It curled up in it right away.”
“The blankets are beautiful and the animals love them!” said the Mammal Center’s Michele Hunter. “It’s nice to see children taking pride in their work and doing something to help animals.”
During the project, the girls took dozens of pictures for the PowerPoint presentations they gave to Girl Scout leaders. Those presentations helped Haley and Hayley raise $250 to buy additional supplies the center needed.
This was the first project the girls ever worked on and took months to plan and carry out.
“I learned that in order to make something happen, you have to take it slowly and step by step,” Hayley said. Just as important, the girls discovered that two people really can make a difference. “Knowing you’re making a difference……with these animals is amazing,” Haley said. “It was like the animals became my new friends.”
The Pacific Marine Mammal Center cares for sea lions and seals, as well as for other marine mammals. Since opening in 1971,the center has saved more than 5,000 injured marine mammals. What does the underlined word“ chilly” in Paragraph 1 mean?
| A．Sick. | B．Cold. | C．Afraid. | D．Bored. |
When Haley and Hayley saw an injured seal wrapped in a blanket, they_____.
| A．decided to help animals | B．asked Girl Scout for help |
| C．went to the animal center to work. | D．called on others to protect animals |
What can we learn about Haley and Hayley from the text?
| A．They raised $2,500 for the Mammal Center. |
| B．They made 120 blankets by themselves. |
| C．It took them an hour to make a blanket. |
| D．They felt great about what they did. |
Which of the following words can best describe the work of Haley and Hayley?
| A．Difficult. | B．Successful. | C．Experimental. | D．Dangerous. |
According to the text, the Mammal Center_____.
| A．has a history of about 40 years |
| B．has an advanced heating system |
| C．has saved ten thousand animals so far |
| D．protects both land and marine mammals |
WHAT happens to a teenage kid when the world he thought he knew suddenly changes? Find out in Little Brother by American author Cory Doctorow. It is a fascinating book for a new generation of sci-fi readers.
Marcus Yallow, 17, from San Francisco is much more comfortable in front of a computer than obeying the rules of society. Smart, fast and wise to the ways of the networked world, he has no trouble outwitting （骗过） his high school's monitoring system. This way he and his friends get to head off to play a popular online game in real life.
While they are playing, a bomb explodes on the Bay Bridge. Marcus stops a military vehicle to get help for his injured friend, but this simple act throws him into a Department of Homeland Security （DHS） secret prison.There he is treated as a possible terrorist. He is eventually let go after four days, but his injured friend disappears.
When he returns, Marcus discovers that there are many "security measures" in place and that now all citizens are treated like potential terrorists.While some consider this government action necessary for public safety, Marcus sees this as a complete destruction of the rights he is supposed to have as a citizen.
He knows that no one will believe his story, which leaves him with only one thing to do: to take down the DHS himself. He helps organize a large network called Xnet to spread the truth, anonymously(匿名地).
The book presents a young man who is irresponsible, but learns about himself, and grows, in the course of the story. As part of this learning and growing he becomes aware of very serious issues about his society.What kind of article does this passage belong to?
| A．A fascinating story. | B．A book review. |
| C．A news report. | D．A TV programme. |
Marcus Yallow was sent to prison because________.
| A．he killed his friend |
| B．he bombed a military vehicle |
| C．he did something that a possible terrorist could do |
| D．his injured friend disappeared |
From the second paragraph we can infer that______.
| A．Marcus Yallow is much more comfortable obeying the rules of society |
| B．Marcus Yallow is smart, fast and wise in real life |
| C．Marcus Yallow always plays online games in real life |
| D．Marcus Yallow is expert at the network world |
In the end of the book, Marcus Yallow __________.
| A．is supposed to be more irresponsible |
| B．becomes aware of very serious issues about his society |
| C．presents a young man who is irresponsible |
| D．plays a popular online game in real life |
Is crying good therapy? Experts say yes. Having a good weep at the weekend is becoming more popular among office workers in China.
“I need to cry to let my feeling out,” said 22-year-old Guo Meng, a smart-looking young woman. “I remember one day when I got home I felt so down but I had no one to talk to, so I just curled up(蜷缩) with my teddy bear and cried myself to sleep,” Guo said. The next day, she said, she felt much better and life seemed not so bad after all.
Because crying is taken as a sign of weakness, people make a great show of being strong and not displaying emotion. Psychologists and medical practitioners agree that crying is beneficial for mental health but people still regard it as a sign of failure and bottle up their feelings. A famous Chinese author once said to cry is normal, and even brave. Those who display their emotions can deal with their troubles bravely after the tears dry, while those who soldier on let problems fester（恶化）.
In the Chaoyang district of Beijing, there is a special place for people to cry their sadness out. It is called “Cry Bar”. On the door of each of its “cry rooms” there is a saying encouraging people to let the tears flow freely.
“Crying is a kind of therapy, but it needs some direction,” said Milulu, a psychologist.
“People should realize the point of crying is to relieve pressure, but some of the young people who come to the Cry Bar simply sit and weep. The purpose of crying is to make it easier to improve your life after the tears dry, not to get lost in bad memories.”
Crying is only one way of relieving pressure, and we need to face problems squarely and solve them once the tears have dried, said Mululu.Crying _____ made Guo Meng feel better.
| A．with some friend | B．all the night with a toy |
| C．during her sleep | D．in bed before sleep |
According to the third paragraph, people usually make great efforts to_____.
| A．get rid of their sadness | B．bottle up their feelings |
| C．act on psychologists’ advice | D．face their troubles bravely |
What should the customers do at the Cry Bar?
| A．Think of every sad experience they’ve had and cry |
| B．Keep crying as loudly as long as possible. |
| C．Satisfy any desire to cry and weep until it is gone. |
| D．Hold back their tears until they can’t help but cry. |
From the text, we can learn that crying ____.
| A．is to relieve pressure | B．must help to solve problems |
| C．means facing problems squarely | D．can’t weaken sad feelings. |
When I was about 12, I had an enemy, a girl who liked to point out my shortcomings. Week by week her list grew: I was very thin, I wasn’t a good student, I talked too much, I was too proud, and so on. I tried to hear all this as long as I could. At last, I became very angry. I ran to my father with tears in my eyes.
He listened to me quietly, then he asked. “Are the things she says true or not? Janet, didn’t you ever wonder what you’re really like ? Well, you now have that girl’s opinion. Go and make a list of everything she said and mark the points that are true. Pay no attention to the other things she said.”
I did as he told me. To my great surprise, I discovered that about half the things were true. Some of them I couldn’t change (like being very thin), but a good number I could—and suddenly I wanted to change. For the first time I got a fairly clear picture of myself.
I brought the list back to Daddy. He refused to take it. “That’s just for you,” he said. “You know better than anyone else the truth about yourself. But you have to learn to listen, not just close your ears in anger and feel hurt. When something said about you is true, you’ll find it will be of help to you. Don’t shut your ears. Listen to them all, but hear the truth and do what you know is the right thing to do.”
Daddy’s advice has returned to me at many important moments. In my life, I’ve never had a better piece of advice.Which do you think would be the best title for this passage?
| A．Not an Enemy, but the Best Friend |
| B．The Best Advice I’ve Ever Had |
| C．My Father |
| D．My Childhood |
What does “Week by week her list grew” mean?
| A．Week by week she discovered more shortcomings of mine and pointed them out to me. |
| B．She had made a list of my shortcomings and she kept on adding new ones to it so that it was growing longer and longer. |
| C．I was having more and more shortcomings as time went on. |
| D．Week by week, my shortcomings grew more serious. |
Why did her father listen to her quietly?
| A．Because he believed that what her daughter’s “enemy” said was mostly true. |
| B．Because he had been so angry with his daughter’s shortcomings that he wanted to show this by keeping silent for a while. |
| C．Because he knew that his daughter would not listen to him at that moment. |
| D．Because he wasn’t quite sure which girl was telling the truth. |
What did the father do after he had heard his daughter’s complaint?
| A．He told her not to pay any attention to what her “enemy” had said. |
| B．He criticized (批评) her and told her to overcome her shortcomings. |
| C．He told her to write down all that her “enemy” had said about her and pay attention only to the things that were true. |
| D．He refused to take the list and have a look at it. |
A new study has found evidence of aggressive (攻击性的) behavior in children who drink four or more servings of soft drinks every day. Information for the study came from the mothers of 3,000 5-year-olds. Researchers asked the women to keep a record of how many servings of soft drinks their children drank over a two-month period. They were also asked to complete a checklist of their children’s behavior.
The researchers have found that 43 percent of the children drink at least one daily serving of soda, and 4 percent of the youngsters have even four or more sodas to drink every day.
Shakira Suglia, a famous expert, says they’ve found that children who drink the most soda are more than twice as likely as those who drink no soda to show signs of aggression.
“For the children who consume four or more soft drinks per day, we see more withdrawn behaviors, which make them hard to get along well with others.”
The aggressive behaviors include destroying possessions belonging to others, taking part in fights and physically attacking people.
The researchers have determined the link after considering factors like the child’s age and sex. They have also considered other possible influence, such as whether the boys and girls are eating sweets or giving fruit drinks on a normal day. In addition, the researchers have examined parenting styles and other social conditions that may be taking place in the home.
Researches are trying to find why young children who drink a lot of soda have behavior problems. An ingredient often found in soft drinks is caffeine, which helps to make people feel energetic. Doctor Suglia suggests that caffeine could cause the 5-year-olds to be more aggressive. Earlier studies of adults have found the highest sugar levels in those who carry weapons (武器) and show signs of negative social behavior.What section of a newspaper is the passage probably taken from?
| A．Scientific Technology | B．Science Fictions |
| C．Social News | D．Health Report |
The underlined word “withdrawn” in paragraph 4 can probably be replaced by the word ______.
| A．backward | B．unsocial | C．generous | D．friendly |
Researchers studied the following aspects of the children except ______.
| A．age | B．sex | C．games | D．parents |
According to the research, which of the following is right?
| A．Mothers were asked to keep a record of how many servings of soft drinks their children drank over a three-month period. |
| B．4 percent of the youngsters have even four or fewer sodas to drink every day. |
| C．Children who drink no soda show fewer aggressive behaviors. |
| D．Children with the highest sugar levels tend to carry weapons and show signs of negative social behavior. |
After a further study on ingredients in soda, Shakira Suglia implies that the direct cause of the aggressive behaviors may be ______.
| A．soft drinks | B．attention problems |
| C．caffeine | D．social conditions |
Where Are We Going, Dad? has become one of China's most popular television shows, since its debut (首次登场) in October, averaging more than 600 million viewers each week. Sponsorship rights (冠名权) for the show's second season were sold for 312 million yuan (about $ 50 million), more than ten times higher than the rights to the first season.
What accounts for its popularity? The show features a new generation of Chinese fathers, who, as part of the country’s new middle class, have faced more problems with modern child-raising techniques such as taking an active role with their children.
Part of the appeal of the show is the chance to throw a glance at the lives of Chinese celebrities (名流) and their children. Audiences are interested in watching the failed attempts of celebrity dads making dinner, doing hair, and disciplining (管教) children -- tasks often left to mothers in a society still influenced by the saying that “men rule outside and women are inside.” “In traditional Chinese culture, fathers are strict and mothers are kind. But on the show, we see fathers who are much gentler on their kids and more involved in their upbringing, ” said Li Minyi, an associate professor. “This show raises an important question for modern Chinese society -- what is the role of fathers in today’s China?”
After each episode (集) goes to air, the Chinese internet explodes with comments on each celebrity's parenting style.
Actor Guo Tao tries to communicate with his son, Shitou, but is seen as a more traditional Chinese father, and has been criticised online for being too harsh. Zhang Liang, a supermodel, is an audience favorite for treating his son, Tiantian, more like a friend. The show’s most famous celebrity, Lin Zhiying, a film star, was originally praised as patient with his son Kimi. But as the season progresses, fans begin to criticise him for raising a spoiled, undisciplined boy. Director Wang Yuelun is at a complete loss when it comes to care of his daughter’s hair.
Even the People's Daily is pleased with the success of the show.Sponsorship rights for the show’s first season were sold for about______.
| A．312 million yuan | B．50 million yuan |
| C．31 million yuan | D．600 million yuan |
According to the passage, the show______.
| A．gives audiences the chance to raise the star's children themselves |
| B．invites some famous film stars to take part in it |
| C．lets people think about the role of fathers in modern families |
| D．raises people's concern about women's role in the society |
The underlined word “harsh" in the fifth paragraph most probably means “______”.
| A．careless | B．strict | C．clumsy | D．kind |
According to the writer, ______is the most successful father.
| A．Guo Tao | B．Zhang Liang | C．Lin Zhiying | D．Wang Yuelun |