The summer I was ten, my mother decided to bring us to the world of art. My brother and I were not very excited when we realized what my mother meant. What she meant was not that we could take drawing classes or painting classes but that we would have to spend one afternoon a week with her at the Fine Arts Museum. Before each visit to the museum, she made us read about artists and painting styles. It was almost as bad as being in school. Who wants to spend the summer thinking about artists when you could be with your friends at the swimming pool?
First we had to read about ancient Egyptians(古埃及人) and their strange way of painting faces and then go to look at them at the museum. My 12-year-old brother thought this was so funny, but I was not interested. Later we had to learn about artists in the Middle Ages who painted people wearing strange long clothing. We had to look at pictures of fat babies with wings and curly hair and with no clothes on flying around the edges of paintings. I certainly couldn't see what was so great about art.
On our last visit to the museum, something happened when I saw a painting by a woman called Mary. In it, a woman was reading to a child. The colors were soft and gentle, and you could tell by the mother’s expression how happy she was just to be with the child. I couldn't stop looking at this painting! I wanted to see every painting Mary had ever made! It was really worth looking at so many paintings to find a painter who could interest me so much.The aim of the mother’s plan was to _________.
A.take them to visit the museum |
B.introduce them to the world of art |
C.ask them to read about artists |
D.show them different painting styles |
What was the writer’s experience in the museum before the last visit?
A.She came to feel her mother’s love. |
B.She liked many paintings. |
C.She hardly enjoyed herself. |
D.She could understand the pictures of fat babies. |
What made the writer go through a change that summer?
A.One of Mary's paintings. |
B.A strange way of painting. |
C.Artists in the Middle Ages. |
D.Her mother’s instruction. |
From the text, we can see _________.
A.the importance of curiosity |
B.the effect of art |
C.the value of learning |
D.the power of family education |
The writer and her brother had thought that they could ___________ in their summer vacation.
A.visit some art museums |
B.go to Egypt for a visit |
C.take drawing or painting classes |
D.play with their friends. |
Last August, Joe and Mary Mahoney began looking at colleges for their 17-year-old daughter, Maureen. With a checklist of criteria in hand, the Dallas family looked around the country visiting half a dozen schools. They sought a university that offered the teenager’s intended major, one located near a large city, and a campus where their daughter would be safe.
“The safety issue is a big one,” says Joe Mahoney, who quickly discovered he wasn’t alone in his worries. On campus tours other parents voiced similar concerns, and the same question was always asked: what about crime? But when college officials always gave the same answer — “That’s not a problem here.” — Mahoney began to feel uneasy.
“No crime whatsoever?” comments Mahoney today. “I just don’t buy it.” Nor should he: in 2008 the U.S. Department of Education had reports of nearly 600,000 serious crimes on or around our campuses. “Parents need to understand that times have changed since they went to colleges,” says David Nichols, author of Creating a Safe Campus. “Campus crime mirrors the rest of the nation.”
But getting accurate information isn’t easy. Colleges must report crime statistics (统计数字) by law, but some hold back for fear of bad publicity, leaving the honest ones looking dangerous. “The truth may not always be obvious,” warns S. Daniel Carter of Security on Campus, Inc., the nation’s leading campus safety watchdog group.
To help concerned parents, Carter promised to visit campuses and talk to experts around the country to find out major crime issues and effective solutions.The Mahoneys visited quite a few colleges last August ______.
A.to express the opinions of many parents |
B.to choose a right one for their daughter |
C.to check the cost of college education |
D.to find a right one near a large city |
It is often difficult to get correct information on campus crime because some colleges
______.
A.receive too many visitors |
B.mirror the rest of the nation |
C.hide the truth of campus crime |
D.have too many watchdog groups |
We learn from the text that “the honest ones” in the fourth paragraph most probably refers to colleges ______.
A.that are protected by campus security |
B.that report campus crimes by law |
C.that are free from campus crime |
D.the enjoy very good publicity |
What is the text mainly about?
A.Exact campus crime statistics. |
B.Crimes on or around campuses. |
C.Effective solutions to campus crime. |
D.concerns about kids’ campus safety. |
Anyone for rocket salad? The Chinese are now growing huge vegetables from seeds they sent into space.
If you are the type who worries about the air miles travelled by fruits and vegetables, these beauties aren’t for you. It's because they have travelled a little further than most.
The seeds from which they grew were fired into space, where they orbited the earth for two weeks. Once they returned they were grown in hothouses, producing the monster kinds seen here.
China, which is behind these space fruits and vegetables, says they could be the answer to the world's food crisis.
The 21-pound tomatoes, nine-inch chillies, 15-stone pumpkins and large watermelons growing at the Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences’ hothouses can feed many more than their smaller cousins, and may have more nutrients, the scientists say.
Researcher Lo Zhigang said, "Traditional agricultural development has taken us as far as we can go and demand for food from a growing population is endless. Space seeds offer the opportunity to grow fruits and vegetables bigger and faster."
He admitted he and his colleagues could not explain why time in orbit caused the seeds to change genetic structure. But they guessed exposure to the cosmic (宇宙的) radiation that attacked the spacecraft in orbit, as well as the near zero gravity conditions, microgravity, could play apart.
"We don't think there's any threat to human health because the genes themselves do not change; just their order changes," he said. "With genetically-modified (GM) crops you have seen environmental problems because they have added genes that can damage other organisms. But with space seeds they don't gain genes; they can only lose them."
He also claimed the Vitamin C content in some space vegetables was nearly three times higher than in common vegetables, while levels of zinc are also increased.
Western scientists are doubtful. NASA researchers who have experimented with seeds in space say there is not enough benefit to show the cost is reasonable. What do the underlined words "these beauties" in Paragraph 2 probably refer to ______?
A.Beautiful views along the air routes. |
B.Travelling experiences in space. |
C.Seeds fired into space. |
D.Giant vegetables. |
We can infer from Lo’s words in Paragraph 6 that _______.
A.our conventional agriculture has developed too slowly. |
B.we are asking too much from nature |
C.space seeds may help meet our demand for food |
D.we'll grow crops in space in the future |
Why the seeds changed their genetic structure _______.
A.remains to be proved |
B.is discovered by Lo Zhigang |
C.has something to do with the conditions in hothouses |
D.is due to the radiation that attacked them directly |
What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A.Western scientists’ doubt is unreasonable. |
B.Westem scientists don’t believe that Chinese scientists have succeeded in the experiment. |
C.Western scientists have proved space seeds to be of no benefit. |
D.Western scientists think the cost of space seeds outweighs the benefits. |
Transport Guide
The Brisbane City Council(BCC)is responsible for bus and ferry services within the city limits and suburbs,Most buses will either arrive at the city or an interchange where connecting buses can be caught.BCC buses operate from 5:30 am to 11:00 pm Monday to Thursday and 5:30 am to 12:00 am on Fridays.On weekends and public holidays buses operate less frequently. Prepaid bus tickets can be purchased from the QUT (Queensland University of Technology)bookshop,the campus newsagency.most other newsagencies and general stores,and any BCC Customer Service Centre.Shortterm students at QUT cannot use their ID cards to gain a discount fare on BCC public transport.You will need to buy an adult ticket to travel.Bus fares are dependent on the number of zones you have to travel.There are several types of tickets:
Zone |
Cost(AUD) |
|||||
Single |
Daily |
Offpeak Daily |
Tentrip Saver |
Weekly |
Monthly |
|
1 |
2.50 |
4.20 |
3.50 |
16.80 |
16.80 |
67.20 |
2 |
2.90 |
5.00 |
4.10 |
20.00 |
20.00 |
80.00 |
3 |
3.30 |
5.80 |
4.70 |
23.20 |
23.20 |
92.80 |
Single:one way ticket to reach your destination,including transfers within 2 hours.
Daily: unlimited travel within the zones.
Offpeak Daily:discounted unlimited travel between 9:00 am and 3:30 pm and after 7:00 pm
Monday to Friday,and all day on weekends and public holidays.
Weekly:unlimited travel within the zones for one week from the date of issue.Monthly:unlimited travel within the zones for one calendar month from the date of issue.
Tentrip Saver: 10 trips at any time within the zones on buses and ferries only.
Transport routes,timetables and fare information are available from:
Public Transport Information Centre
69 Ann Street (corner of George St)
Brisbane City
Phone 13 12 30(Transport Information Service)The transport guide above is most likely provided by________.
A.Public Transport Information Centre |
B.the Brisbane City Council |
C.Queensland University of Technology. |
D.BCC Customer Service Centres |
We can learn from the passage that________.
A.buses are scheduled as usual on weekends and public holidays |
B.regular students at QUT need to buy adult tickets |
C.prepaid tickets can be bought from the Public Transport Information Centre |
D.Tentrip Savers can be used at offpeak time |
An exchange student staying at QUT for five days has to travel between zones every day.What type of ticket would he probably buy?
A.Single. | B.Weekly. | C.Offpeak Daily. | D.Tentrip Saver. |
Clothes can make phone calls, play music, dial your pal's number, keep you warm during cold weather and operate your computer.
This is not a fantasy. A British company, called electrotexiles, has created a wide range of clothes—clothes tha have minds of their own ! Scientists, working for the company, have invented a kind of fabric that can be mixed with flexible electronic materials to create intelligent clothing. The results are electronic garments.
If you think the weather has to be wired to different devices, think again. These designer clothes are wirefree, soft to touch and washable! Like any electronic device, these hightech clothes have to be powered. Currently, a tiny ninevolt battery serves the purpose. But the researchers hope that in the near future the clothes will generate electricity by using body heat. These clothes are 100% shockproof, they say.
The electrotexiles team has also created the world's first cloth keyboard. These keyboard can be sewn into your trousers or skirt. To use this device, you will have to sit down and tap on your lap! These “laptap” devices are all set to take over laptop computers!
Another useful garment is the shirtcummobile phone. This handy invention enables drivers to chat comfortably with others at the wheel! Other popular electronic wears include the denim (牛仔布) jacket with flexible earphones sewn into the hoop and the electronic ski jacket with a builtin heater. The ski jacket is also programmed to send signals to a satellite. This technology is known as global positioning system and can be used to track lost skiers and wandering kids.
Having completed the cloth keyboard, scientists have already started to work on a new project—a necktie that can be used as a computer mouse. What is the next? Do you have any idea?The electronic garments are similar to other electronic devices in that ________.
A.they feel smooth and soft |
B.they use electricity as power |
C.they can be washed in water |
D.they are made from flexible materials |
How will researchers improve these hightech clothes?
A.Body heat will be used as power. |
B.The wearer will not get shocked. |
C.A tiny ninevolt battery will work. |
D.They will get charged automatically. |
The main purpose of the text is________.
A.to advertise for an English company |
B.to predict the future trend of the products in the company |
C.to show how rapidly science develops |
D.to introduce some intelligent (智能的) clothing in the company |
It can be inferred that the author's attitude towards the company is ________.
A.negative (消极的) | B.casual | C.optimistic | D.doubtful |
Have you ever hated anyone? Well, probably you don’t really hate them. But you do get angry the moment you think of them. If you don’t get out of the anger, it may turn into bitterness(积怨).
Bitterness can come about when we can’t forgive someone who has hurt us or made us angry. Someone might say or do something that hurts us. But we keep it deep inside instead of working through the anger. Before long, a bitter feeling begins to grow. The bitterness shows when we constantly criticize the one who hurt us. We may think we are hurting that person, but we are really only hurting ourselves.
Bitterness is a harmful emotion that affects the whole body. It can lead to serious health problems such as high blood pressure. Bitterness can stop us from concentrating on important things. Instead, we waste time thinking about how we have been hurt.
Finally, holding on to bitterness can hurt our relationships with friends and family members. No one enjoys being around an angry, negative person for very long.
Author Chuck Swindoll once said, “ Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we respond to it.” That means when someone hurts you, your response is more important than what happened. You can choose to let go of hurt. You can also choose to hold on to hurt, which results in bitterness.
If you see bitterness in your life, here are some ways to deal with it.
Stop making excuses for it.
You may feel you have a fight to be angry. You may even secretly enjoy making the other person look sad. But in the end, bitterness hurts you much more than the other person.
Forgive and forget it.
The best thing you can do is to forgive and forget. You probably can’t totally put the act out of your mind. But you can decide to forgive the other person. Let it go and move on. You’ll enjoy better health and peace of mind.If we don’t release anger,_____ .
A.We will always be criticized and hurt |
B.We will not blame others for any reason |
C.A bitter feeling will develop in our mind |
D.We will not be particular about what others do |
The main idea of Paragraph 3 is_____.
A.The relationships hurt by bitterness. |
B.The illness caused by bitterness |
C.The reaction of an angry person |
D.The negative effects of bitterness |
The author advises us to do the following EXCEPT_____.
A.to hold on to bitterness inside us |
B.to forgive the one who hurts you |
C.to stop making excuses for the bitterness |
D.to forget others’ rude behavior |
By forgiving others, we are able to _____.
A.prevent bad things from happening |
B.be friends with the person who hurts us |
C.forget the bitter experience completely |
D.enjoy good health and a peaceful mind |