The view over a valley of a tiny village with thatched (草盖的) roof cottages around a church, a drive through a narrow village street lined with thatched cottages painted pink or white, the sight over the rolling hills of a pretty collection of thatched farm buildings―these are still common sights in parts of England. Most people will agree that the thatched roof is an essential part of the attraction of the English countryside.
Thatching is in fact the oldest of all the building crafts（工艺）practised in the British Isles. Although thatch has always been used for cottage and farm buildings, it was once used for castles and churches, too.
Thatching is a solitary（独自的）craft, which often runs in families. The craft of thatching as it is practised toady has changed very little since the Middle Ages. Over 800 full-time thatchers are employed in England and Wales today, keeping and renewing the old roofs as well as thatching newer houses. Many property owners choose thatch not only for its beauty but because they know it will keep them cool in summer and warm in winter.
In fact, if we look at developing countries, over half the world lives under thatch, but they all do it in different ways. People in developing countries are often unwilling to go back to traditional materials and would prefer modern buildings. However, they may lack the money to allow them to get the necessary materials. Their temporary mud huts with thatched roofs of wild grasses often only last six months. Thatch which has been done the British way lasts from twenty to sixty years, and is an effective defiance against the heat.Which of the following remains a special feature of the English countryside?
| A．Narrow streets lined with pink or white houses. | B．Rolling hills with pretty farm buildings. |
| C．Cottages with thatched roofs. | D．Churches with cottages around them. |
What do we know about thatching as a craft?
| A．It is a collective activity. |
| B．It is practised on farms all over England. |
| C．It is quite different from what it used to be. |
| D．It is in most cases handed down among family members. |
Thatched houses are still preferred because of _________.
| A．their style and comfort | B．their durability |
| C．their easy maintenance | D．their cheap and ready-made materials |
People in developing countries also live under thatch because ________.
| A．thatched cottages are a big tourist attraction |
| B．thatched roof houses are the cheapest |
| C．thatch is an effective defense against the heat |
| D．they like thatched houses better than other buildings |
Do you find getting up in the morning so difficult that it’s painful? This might be called laziness, but Dr. Kleitman has a new explanation. He has proved that everyone has a daily energy cycle.
During the hours when you labour through your work, you may say that you’re “hot”. That’s true. The time of day when you feel most energetic is when your cycle of body temperature is at its peak. For some people that peak comes during the forenoon. For others it comes in the afternoon or evening. No one has discovered why this is so, but it leads to such familiar monologues （自言自语）as “Get up , John ! You’ll be late for work again !” The possible explanation to the trouble is that John is at his temperature-and-energy peak in the evening. Much family quarrelling ends when husbands and wives realize what these energy cycles mean, and which cycle each member of the family has.
You can’t change your energy cycle, but you can make your life fit it better. Habit can help. Dr. Kleitman believes. Maybe you’re sleepy in the evening but feel you must stay up late anyway. Counteract your cycle to some extent by habitually staying up later than you want to . If your energy is low in the morning but you have an important job to do early in the day, rise before your usual hour. This won’t change your cycle , but you’ll get up steam and work better at your low point .
Get off to a slow start which saves your energy. Get up with a yawn and stretch. Sit on the edge of the bed a minute before putting your feet on the floor. Avoid the troublesome search for clean clothes by laying them out the night before. Whenever possible, do routine work in the afternoon and save tasks requiring more energy for your sharper hours .If you want to work better at your low point in the morning, you should .
| A．change your energy cycle | B．overcome your laziness |
| C．get up early than usual | D．go to bed earlier |
You are advised to rise with a yawn and stretch because it will .
| A．help to keep your energy for the day’s work |
| B．help you to control your temper early in the day |
| C．enable you to get your energy on your routine work |
| D．keep your energy cycle under control all day |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．Change Your Habits | B．Save Your Energy |
| C．Daily Energy Cycle | D．Temperature-and-Energy Peak |
The text is probably taken from a ______.
| A．news report | B．research paper |
| C．medical textbook | D．fashion journal |
Grant Wood’s American Gothic caused a stir （轰动）in 1930 when it was exhibited for the first time at the Art Institute of Chicago and awarded a prize of 300 dollars. Newspapers across the country carried the story, and the painting of a farmer and a younger woman posed before a white house brought the artist instant fame.
In 1930, Grant Wood, an American painter with European training, noticed a small white house built in the small southern Iowa town of Eldon. Wood was so fascinated by it that he decided to paint the house along with the kind of people he thought should live in that house. In the painting, the farmer is modeled on his dentist. Dr. Byron McKeeby. His younger sister Nan served as a model for the woman （imagined to be the farmer’s wife or daughter）. Wood wanted to give a description of the traditional roles of men and women as the man is holding a pitchfork symbolizing hard labor. Each element was painted separately; the models sat separately and never stood in front of the house. The Gothic style of the house inspired the painting’s title.
American Gothic remains one of the most famous paintings in the history of American art. The painting has become part of American popular culture. Some believe that Wood used it to satirize（讽刺） the narrow-mindedness that has been said to characterize Midwestern culture. The painting may also be read as a praise of the moral virtue or rural America or even as a mixture of praise and satire. American Gothic is one of the few images to reach the status of cultural symbol, along with Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.Which of the following is true about American Gothic?
| A．It won a prize of ￡ 300. |
| B．The two characters in it posed before the White House. |
| C．It was the first painting by Grant Wood. |
| D．It was on show at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1930. |
From the passage we can infer Iowa is in __________.
| A．the southern town of Eldon | B．the Midwest of the United States |
| C．a European country | D．the city of Chicago |
Grant Wood chose the two models __________.
| A．to describe traditional roles of men and women |
| B．to praise the moral virtue of rural America |
| C．to make his dentist and his sister famous |
| D．to carry the story across the country |
The title of the painting is based on __________.
| A．the name of a small town | B．the man and the woman |
| C．the Gothic style of the house | D．the pitchfork symbolizing hard labor |
Get a FREE YEAR! Order NOW and get a FREE YEAR of Parents® magazine! That’s 2 full years (24 issues) for the regular 1-year rate － just $12. But HURRY, this offer won't last! (U.S. orders only, please.)
Every issue of PARENTS is filled with practical advice from leading doctors and child experts ... toys and games that develop reader-tested products and more!
100% Money-Back Guarantee: You must be pleased, or you may cancel any time during the life of your subscription (订阅) and get all your money back ─ no questions asked. Parents® Magazine is published 12 times per year. Savings are based on $12.00 annual subscription rate. State taxes may apply to your order.
E-mail address required to access your account and member benefits online. We will not share your e-mail address with anyone. Click here: www. parents com/privacy to view our privacy policy.The purpose of the advertisement is _______.
| A．to help parents with their daily life |
| B．to attract more subscribers |
| C．to collect more money for charity |
| D．to introduce a new product |
What benefit can the readers possibly get according to the ad?
| A．Only $12 is to be paid for 24 issues of the magazine. |
| B．Readers can get a free offer of the magazine any time of the year. |
| C．Readers from all over the world can enjoy the free offer. |
| D．Readers can communicate face to face with child experts on the Internet. |
A reader subscribed PARENTS 3 months ago, but now he finds the magazine dissatisfying. What can he do?
| A．He can cancel without getting his money back. |
| B．He can cancel after answering a series of questions. |
| C．He can email them to access his bank account to get all his money back. |
| D．He can cancel and get all his money back without answering any questions. |
During adolescence(青春期), peers（同龄人） play a large part in a young person's life and typically replace family as the center of a teen's social activities. Some kids give in to peer pressure because they want to be liked or because they worry that other kids may make fun of them if they don't go along with the group. Others may go along because they are curious to try something new that others are doing. The idea that "everyone's doing it" may influence some kids to leave their better judgment, or their common sense, behind.
As children grow, develop, and move into early adolescence, contacts with one's peers and the attraction of peer identification (认同)increases. As pre-adolescents begin rapid physical, emotional and social changes, they begin to question adult standards and the need for parental guidance. They find it good to turn for advice to friends who understand— friends who are in the same position themselves. By trying new things and testing their ideas with their peers, there is less fear of being laughed at.
There are two levels of peer pressure. The first is in the large group: for most teens a school or a youth group are examples. This is the situation that gets the most attention. The second is in the close relationship with one or several best friends. This is the situation that is sometimes disregarded. The large group puts a general pressure on its members. It sets the standard for clothing, music, entertainment, and "political correctness". The pressure can be avoided by keeping quiet or by putting on the appearance of agreement. Why can’t some children follow their common sense?
| A．Because they want to be liked by everybody. |
| B．Because they don’t want to make fun of others. |
| C．Because they are curious about their new friends. |
| D．Because they think all the children will do the same. |
When in pre-adolescence, who may children ask for suggestions?
| A．Parents | B．Teachers | C．Friends | D．Classmates |
Which word can replace the underlined word disregarded in the last paragraph?
| A．unnoticed | B．mentioned | C．disagreed | D．avoided |
What might be discussed in the following paragraph?
| A．The reasons of peer pressure. |
| B．The advantages of peer pressure. |
| C．Peer pressure from close friends. |
| D．Peer pressure from a youth group. |
BEIJING - By the end of 2011 China-made supercomputers will say goodbye to foreign microchips（微芯片） and start using their own "Chinese core(核心)", according to one of the country's leading scientists, Hu Weiwu.
Hu told reporters on Saturday that the "Dawning 6000" supercomputer, developed by the Institute of Computing Technology of CAS and the Dawning Information Industry Company (DIIC), will adopt Loongson microchips for the first time as its core parts. It will have a computing speed of more than 1,000 trillion operations a second.
Making supercomputers with Chinese microchips is one of the nation's major science and technology projects. Three organizations - the Institute of Computing Technology of CAS, Jiangnan Institute of Computing Technology and the National University of Defense Technology (NUDT) - have their own supercomputer projects.
According to their schedules, all three institutions will need to meet the target of using domestically（国内的） developed microchips by the end of this year. Hu said the new supercomputer will use fewer than 10,000 Loongson microchips, and will also be more energy-efficient.
Tianhe-1A, developed by NUDT in Hunan's provincial capital Changsha, is the fastest supercomputer in the world. However, Tianhe-1A largely runs on 14,336 CPUs made by Intel, and 7,186 GPUs (processing units) from Nvidia, two US chip-makers.
Hu said there will be difficulties ahead as there is little affiliated equipment specially developed for these supercomputers. "We have enough supercomputers in China but still can't make full use of them," He said.
Hu added that although the China-made CPUs have improved since they were first produced in 2002, they have a long way to go to compete with US chip-makers such as Intel.What’s the best title for this passage?
| A．The Arrival of Chinese Supercomputers |
| B．Homemade CPUs with a Long Way to Go |
| C．The Supercomputers of Three Organizations in China |
| D．Homemade CPUs on the Way for Local Supercomputers |
What will raise the speed to more than 1,000 trillion operations a second.?
| A．Dawning 6000 | B．Loongson microchips |
| C．DIIC | D．Tianhe-1A |
What do we know about Tianhe-1A?
A. Not all the parts of Tianhe-1A are made by China.
B. Tianhe-1A is developed by CAS and DIIC.
C. Tianhe-1A will use fewer than 10,000 Loongson microchips.
D. NUDT has produced a most powerful supercomputer in China.The underlined word “affiliated” can be replaced by_______.
| A．cheap | B．suitable | C．expensive | D．modern |