Have you ever thought of taking a train and having an adventure(奇遇)？Riding the train can be a real adventure. That is how I feel every time I take Amtrak. I often take a four－hour trip to visit my children. Every time I take this trip I never know what will happen.
Last week when I was on the train and over an hour into the train ride，there was a man sitting by himself in the back of the train carrying on a mobile phone conversation－in another language. It was loud and disturbed most of the people on the train. I think it was annoying.
Fortunately I sat next to a wonderful old lady who was taking a two－day trip by train. She said her two daughters were distraught at the thought of her driving for three days to reach her home，although she had no trouble driving. The train ride was the only choice for her. She loved to look out of the window and watch the world go by on the train.
She was fun to talk to and asked me when my children started being parents. That is a very good question. Both of us are old and have children. She asked that same question from time to time.
There are always many people on the train from all walks of life，different countries，and many languages. Riding the train is a great way to increase your knowledge and take in all kinds of cultures. If you get hungry，you can buy food in the food car at any time. If you need to use the restroom there is always one available.
It sure beats driving the car，which has to stop for food and restrooms. And it is better than taking the bus.According to the passage，the purpose of the author’s train ride was .
| A．to do business | B．to see her children |
| C．to visit places of interest | D．to see her old friends |
Which of the following is the closest in meaning to the underlined word “distraught” in Paragraph 3?
| A．Disappointed. | B．Satisfied. | C．Worried. | D．Pleased. |
Which of the following is TRUE about the old lady sitting next to the author?
| A．She is too old to drive now. |
| B．She does not like to take trains. |
| C．Although she is old，she has a good memory. |
| D．Her daughters live far away from her home. |
What is the best title for this passage?
| A．Train ride－a cultural experience | B．A painful experience on the train |
| C．The history of Amtrak | D．A wonderful lady |
“Whatever”，totally tops most annoying word in the poll(民意测验).So, you know, it is what it is, but Americans are totally annoyed by the use of “whatever，，in conversations. The popular term of indifference(不感兴趣)was found most annoying in conversations by 47 percent of the Americans surveyed in a Marist College poll on Wednesday.
"Whatever" easily beat out “you know," which especially annoyed a quarter of interviewers. The other annoying expressions were "anyway"(at 7 percent), “it is what it is’，(11percent) and “at the end of the day”(2 percent).
"Whatever" is an expression with staying power. It left everyone a deep impression in the song by Nirvana (“oh well, whatever, never mind”）in 1991 and was popularized by the Valley Girls in the film “Clueless”，later that decade. It is still commonly used, often by younger people.
It can be a common argument-ender or a signal of indifference. And it can really be annoying. The poll found '"whatever" to be consistently(始终地)disliked by Americans regardless of their race, sex, age, income or where they live.
“It doesn't surprise me because ‘whatever，is in a special class, probably，，，said Michael Adams, author of “Slang(俚语)~The People's Poetry" and an associate professor of English at Indiana University. "It's a word that 一 and it depends on how a speaker uses it 一 can suggest being not worthy of attention or respect.’，Adams, who didn't take part in the poll and is not annoyed by "whatever," points out that its use is not always negative. “It can also be used in place of other neutral(中性的）phrases that have fallen out of favor, like ‘six of one, half dozen of the other，.” he said. However, he also noted that the negative meaning of the word might explain why “whatever，was judged more annoying than the ever-popular "you know”.Which tops second among the annoying expression according to the passage?'
| A．Whatever. | B．You know. | C．Anyway. | D．It is what it is. |
What can we know about the word "whatever"?
| A．It became popular because of Nirvana. |
| B．It can be commonly used at the beginning of an agreement. |
| C．Old people like it while young people don't. |
| D．Almost half of the Americans surveyed disliked it. |
In Adams' opinion, the reason why “whatever”，was judged more annoying may be that . _______
| A．most of the people don't like it |
| B．it can be used in place of other neutral phrases |
| C．it carries certain negative meaning sometimes |
| D．the poor don't like it |
Which of the following statements is true?
| A．Adams is not only a writer but also a professor. |
| B．“Whatever” is a signal of concern. |
| C．Adams is angry at the word “whatever” |
| D．"Whatever" will be replaced by "You know”. |
Have you ever heard of Paynes Prairie(大草原)？ It is one of the most important natural and historical areas in Florida. Paynes Prairie is located near Gainesville. It is large, 21,000 acres. This protected land is called a reserve, which is managed by the Florida Park Service.
The Paynes Prairie basin was formed when limestone(石灰石）broke down and the ground settled. It is covered by wet prairie plants. There are areas of open water. During brief periods it was flooded enough to be considered a lake. Except for that, the basin has changed little through time.
Man has lived on Paynes Prairie a very long time. He lived there as far back as 10,000 B.C.. At one time, the Seminoles lived there. The prairie is thought to have been named after King Payne, a Seminole chief. During the late 1600s, the largest farm where cattle are fed in Florida was on Paynes.
William Bartram who lived 200 years ago visited Paynes Praire in 1774. Bartram was the first person who described nature through personal experiences as well as scientific observations. At that time he called Paynes Prairie the “great Alachua Savannah". Most of the animal life, which Bartram described, is still here. A large number of animals live here in winter. The variety of animals is increased by the presence of pine flat woods, wetlands and ponds.
The Paynes Prairie Reserve State Park is open all year round. The Florida Park Service works hard so that the park will appear as it did in the past. It offers many opportunities for entertainment. In the park you can camp and picnic. You can hike and bike. You can boat and fish. You can ride on horses. And you can see Florida as it was in the early days.The second paragraph is mainly about _______.
| A．how the present Paynes Prairie basin came into being |
| B．what the present Paynes Prairie basin is covered by |
| C．why the present Paynes Prairie basin is unchanged |
| D．when the present Paynes Prairie basin began to exist |
All of the following statements are true EXCEPT that _______
| A．the Florida Park Service manages Paynes Prairie |
| B．you can have fun in the Paynes Prairie Reserve State Park |
| C．there used to be a big cattle farm on Paynes Prairie |
| D．William Bartram was the first person to visit Paynes prairie |
The purpose of the passage is to _______.
| A．call on people to protect wildlife of Paynes Prairie |
| B．introduce Paynes Prairie to people |
| C．tell people the recorded history of Paynes Prairie |
| D．attract people to visit Paynes Prairie |
What will the writer most probably talk about in the paragraph that follows?
| A．The effect of tourism on Paynes Prairie. |
| B．The history and present of Florida. |
| C．The natural resources of Florida. |
| D．The future development of Paynes Prairie. |
Schoolgirls have been wearing such short skirts at Paget High School in Branston that they've been ordered to wear trousers instead. All skirts will be banned from September. Tight-fitting trousers will also be forbidden and Muslim head-dresses will have to be “school blue’’ color.
Head teacher Don Smith said, "One of the big problems for us at the school has been the number of girls who have been wearing inappropriately short skirts. This has been an area of particular concern at a time when there has been a lot of material nationally about the sexualisation of young people.”
He also said, “ It will be impractical to police the length of girls' skirts. A blanket ban will be easier for staff to put into practice. We did not want to arrive at a situation where we were telling girls their skirts could only be a certain number of centimeters above or below the knee. Pupils', parents' and other teachers' opinions were sought before the uniform rules were changed.，，
The new clothing policy has been explained in a letter sent to parents of the school's 1,000 pupils and will come into force after the summer holiday. Support will be given to parents unable to afford the new tie. The school also wants pupils to wear clip-on(夹式)ties instead of traditional neckties.
But the new uniform rules have not been well received by everyone. One parent, whose teenage daughter attends the school, said, “I completely agree some girls were wearing skirts that were too short. However, I think girls should be allowed to be feminine(女性化的).Other schools manage to let girls wear skirts while making sure they are not inappropriately dressed. I don't see why Paget can't do the same."The girls at Paget High School are not allowed to wear skirts in that _______.
| A．short skirts give people the impression of sexualisation |
| B．short skirts are too expensive for parents to afford |
| C．the headmaster doesn't like girls wearing short skirts |
| D．the girls wearing short skirts will be at the risk of being laughed at |
We can learn from the passage that _______
| A．the new uniform rules are well received by everyone |
| B．no schools in Branston allow girls to wear short skirts |
| C．parents unable to afford the new uniform will gain support |
| D．the pupils' parents were informed of the new clothing policy |
What's the attitude of Mr. Smith towards the new uniform rules?
| A．Disagreeable. | B．Supportive. | C．Anxious. | D．Curious. |
What's the best title for the passage?
| A．New School Rules Set | B．Girls' Skirts Forbidden |
| C．Traditional Neckties Gone | D．Different Opinions Voiced |
Princess Diaries star Anne Hathaway has announced she is engaged(订婚).The actress, 29，confirmed the news after she was photographed wearing a ring while with her boyfriend Adam Shulman in Brooklyn yesterday. Shulman, an actor and jewellery designer, worked with Kwiat Heritage Jewels to create the ring. The pair quietly began dating in November 2008，but weren't pictured together until the following year.
“We hit it off immediately the first time we met each other but it took us a pretty long time to get together," she has said of Shulman. “He thought that I had a boyfriend and I thought that he had a girlfriend, so I thought that I'd better keep my distance because I didn't want to be that girl. She described their union as more mature than her previous experiences, adding, “Being mature doesn't always make for a good story, but it makes for a good life.”
Speaking about the relationship in the September issue(期刊)of U.K.s Marie Claire, she said, “Adam totally ruined my plan. I was really actually looking forward to a little time alone tod then I fell in love like a fool. Her romance with Shulman followed a disastrous relationship with an Italian real estate(地产)developer Raffaello Follieri. She split up with him in 2008 when he was arrested on fraud(欺诈)charges and he was later sentenced to four and a half years in prison.
The actress, whose film credits also include Brokeback Mountain and One Day, will next star in the new The Dark Knight Rises. She plays Selina Kyle, also known as Catwoman.How many films Anne Hathaway acted in are mentioned in the passage?
| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Four. | D．Five. |
Which of the following is the correct order to describe Anne's life according to the passage?
a. She confirmed the news that she was engaged.
b. She split up with Raffaello Follieri.
c. She was photographed wearing a ring.
d. She and Adam Shulman were pictured together.
| A．b-d-c-a | B．d-b-a-c | C．b-a-d-c | D．d-c-b-a |
The underlined part “hit it off” in Paragraph 2 probably means “_______”.
| A．gave up | B．took down | C．got on well | D．turned away |
It can be inferred from the passage that _______.
| A．Marie Claire is a travel guide |
| B．Anne split up with Raffaello because of Shulman |
| C．Follieri totally ruined Anne's life |
| D．the relationship with Raffaello hurt Anne |
Have you ever walked outside thinking it was one temperature but quickly discovered it felt colder? That is because of the “wind chill” effect.
Wind chill is how cold people and animals feel when they are outside, not the actual temperature on the thermometer(温度计). It is based on how quickly your body loses heat when it is exposed to wind and cold. When the wind is strong, your body quickly loses heat, making the temperature of your skin drop.
When scientists first started calculating wind chill, they used research conducted in 1945 by explorers to Antarctica who measured how quickly water froze outside.
But water freezes faster than exposed skin, so the wind chill index based on that data wasn’t accurate.
In 2001, the US government began to measure wind chill more precisely by testing how quickly people’s skin froze.
Twelve volunteers were placed in a chilled wind tunnel. Equipment was stuck to their faces to measure the heat flow from their cheeks, forehead, nose and chin while they walked three miles per hour on a treadmill(跑步机).
The experiment revealed how quickly exposed skin can be damaged, particularly unprotected areas like your fingers, toes, the tip of your nose and your ear lobes. In fact, 40 percent of your body heat can be lost through your head! Signs you might have frostbite(冻疮) are when the skin turns white or pale and you lose feeling in that area.
The information collected from the volunteers helped scientists work out the math to compute wind chill. It involves wind speed and air temperature.
If, for example, the temperature outside is zero degrees Fahrenheit and the wind is blowing at 15 miles per hour, the wind chill is calculated at 19 degrees below zero. At that wind chill temperature, exposed skin can freeze in 30 minutes.
You can find a calculation table at www.nws.noaa.gov/om/windchill/index.shtml.
Experts advise in cold weather that you wear loose-fitting, lightweight, warm clothing, worn on top of each other. Air caught between the clothes will keep you warm. The best cold-weather coats have head coverings made of woven material that keep out water. So next time the temperature drops and you want to play outside, listen to your parents when they tell you to wrap up warm! According to the text, wind chill _______.
| A．means how fast exposed skin freezes |
| B．doesn’t affect your head as much as other body parts |
| C．changes according to the temperature on the thermometer |
| D．changes from person to person depending on their health |
When might a person have frostbite according to the passage?
| A．When his skin turns red and he loses feeling in that area. |
| B．When he is running faster and he is losing strength quickly. |
| C．When his face is exposed and quickly loses heat even indoors. |
| D．When his skin turns pale and he has no feeling in that area. |
What factors influence wind chill?
| A．A person’s body temperature and will speed. |
| B．Wind speed and a person’s strength. |
| C．Air temperature and wind speed. |
| D．The location and air temperature. |
What can we conclude from the passage?
| A．It was in 1945 that scientists first began to calculate wind chill. |
| B．Compared with water, people’s exposed skin freezes more slowly. |
| C．The wind chill index based on Antarctica data is considered a standard. |
| D．With the development of technology, many previous researches have been proven wrong. |