One day，four lawyers were riding their horses along a country road. There had been a rain. Water was dripping (滴) from the trees，and the grass was wet. They rode slowly，talking and laughing. Suddenly they heard some noises from the tree above them. “What is the matter?” asked the first lawyer. “Oh, it's only some old birds!” said the second lawyer. “The storm made one of the babies fall out of the nest. It is too young to fly, and the mother bird is very worried.” “What a pity! It’ll die down there in the grass,” said the third lawyer. “It doesn't matter. It's only a bird,” said the second lawyer. Then they rode on, talking and laughing as before. But the fourth lawyer, whose name was Abraham Lincoln, stopped. He got down from his horse and took the little one in his big warm hands.
“Never mind, my little fellow ,” said Mr. Lincoln. “I will put you back in your little nest.” He climbed up the tree and put the bird softly into their warm little home. A few minutes later, Mr. Lincoln joined them again. His shoes were covered with mud and he was wet. Then the other three laughed at him. They thought it was foolish for a strong man to do so much just for a young bird. “Gentlemen,” said Mr. Lincoln, “I could not sleep tonight if I had left the helpless bird in the grass.” Later Abraham Lincoln became very famous as a lawyer. He also became the president of America. He was one of the greatest American presidents.The reason why the mother bird was worried was that __________.
| A．there was a rain |
| B．the lawyers were under its tree |
| C．one of its babies fell out of the nest |
| D．it could not fly |
The underlined phrase “little fellow” in paragraph 2 means __________.
| A．the mother bird |
| B．Lincoln's little friends |
| C．the other three lawyers |
| D．the baby bird |
The other three lawyers laughed at Lincoln because __________.
| A．he climbed the tree |
| B．he was wet |
| C．his shoes were covered with mud |
| D．they thought it foolish for him to do so |
From the passage we know Lincoln __________.
| A．liked riding horses |
| B．was very kind and loved birds and animals |
| C．liked being laughed at |
| D．wanted to be the president of America then |
In the case of mobile phones, change is everything. Recent research indicates that the mobile phone is changing not only our culture, but our very bodies as well．
First, let's talk about culture. The difference between the mobile phone and its parent, the fixed-line phone, is that a mobile number corresponds to a person, while a landline goes to a place. If you call my mobile, you get me. If you call my fixed-line phone, you get whoever answers it．
This has several implications（含义）. The most common one, however, and perhaps the thing that has changed our culture forever, is the “meeting” influence. People no longer need to make firm plans about when and where to meet. Twenty years ago, a Friday night would need to be arranged in advance. You needed enough time to allow everyone to get from their place of work to the first meeting place. Now，however, a night out can be arranged on the run. It is no longer “see you there at 8”，but "text me around 8 and we'll see where we all are."
Texting changes people as well. In their paper, “Insights into the Social and Psychological Effects of SMS Text Messaging", two British researchers distinguished between two types of mobile phone users: the “talkers” and the “texters”－those who prefer voice to text messages and those who prefer text to voice.
They found that the mobile phone's individuality and privacy gave texters the ability to express a whole new outer personality. Texters were likely to report that their family would be surprised if they were to read their texts. This suggests that texting allowed texters to present a self-image that differed from the one familiar to those who knew them well．
Another scientist wrote of the changes that mobiles have brought to body language. There are two kinds that people use while speaking on the phone. There is the “speakeasy”: the head is held high, in a self-confident way, chatting away. And there is the “spacemaker”: these people focus on themselves and keep out other people.
Who can blame them? Phone meetings get cancelled or reformed and camera- phones intrude（侵入）on people's privacy. So, it is understandable if your mobile makes you nervous. But perhaps you needn't worry so much. After all, it is good to talk.According to the two British researchers, the social and psychological effects are mostly likely to be seen on
| A．talkers | B．the “speakeasy” | C．the “spacemaker" | D．texters |
We can infer from the passage that the texts sent by texters are
| A．quite revealing | B．well written |
| C．unacceptable by others | D．shocking to others |
According to the passage, who is afraid of being heard while talking on the mobile?
| A．Talkers. | B．The“speakeasy” |
| C．The “spacemaker”. | D．Texters. |
Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
| A．The SMS Effect |
| B．Cultural implications of Mobile Phone Use |
| C．Changes in the Use of the Mobile |
| D．Body Language and the Mobile Phone |
Located in the middle of the northern lights belt, Tromso can offer some of the highest levels of northern lights activity on earth. Perhaps Tromso is the world's best place for a Northern Lights Tour.
Join one of our Northern Lights Holidays this winter. It could become one of the greatest experiences in your life.
DESTINATION Troms county, Norway.
PRICE $450 per person
WHEN 2th September until 31st March.
PICK-UP Each evening at 6 PM pitside your hotel.
DROP-OFF Earliest at 12 AM. When we have a sighting we often stay out later, at no extra cost.
SIZE OF GROUP Maximum 8 participants is recommended and normal, but not absolute. A small group allows more freedom in terms of chasing the northern lights.
INCLUDED
- Transportation each day in a comfortable car
- A meal each day
- All necessary equipment such as snowshoes, flashlight, water-filled bottle, woolen underwear, a war, hat, warm shoes, warm stockings, and reindeer skin to lie on, if needed.
- A guide who will do anything necessary to find the northern lights.
EXCITING CHASE
A Northern Lights Holiday means an intense and exciting chase – to the coast or deep into the wild, perhaps even to the Finnish border. Each day on a Northern Lights Tour we contact meteorologists shortly before departure to get accurate information. In order to find out where we will have best chances to see the northern lights.
WE GUARANTEE A GREAT TRIP
The northern lights are unpredictable, but we guarantee that we will do everything to find it. Patience is a keyword on Northern Lights Tour.
ECO-TOURISM
We offer ecologically sustainable and responsible tours. Travelling in small groups is an essential part of the ecotourism concept, as small groups have lesser impact on nature and will not disturb the wildlife unnecessarily.A small group is preferred for the following reasons EXCEPT that
| A．a small group is free to run after the northern lights |
| B．a small group has less effect on nature |
| C．a small group can save the travel cost |
| D．a small group will not disturb wildlife |
The underlined word“it”refers to “”
| A．the northern lights tour |
| B．patience |
| C．equipment |
| D．the northern light |
We can infer that
| A．if tourists stay out late,they have to pay more |
| B．every tourist group is not sure to see the northern lights |
| C．every tourist group get the money back if they don’t see the northern lights |
| D．the northern lights can be seen every day from 20th September to 31st March |
The passage is most likely to be taken from a(n)
| A．advertisement | B．news report |
| C．science textbook | D．tourist brochure |
Pupils remember more and behave better when 3D images are used in lessons, research suggests. They are quicker to learn and absorb new concepts, and display higher levels of concentration.
Professor Anne Bamford, of the University of the Arts, London, studied the effectiveness of 3D content in 15 schools across seven countries, including the UK. Pupils in 3D classes could remember more than those in the 2D classes after four weeks, improving test scores by an average 17 percent compared with eight percent for 2D lessons. They gave more detailed answers to the tasks and were more likely to think in 3D, using hand gestures and mime (模仿动作) to answer the test questions successfully.
The teachers commented that the pupils in the 3D groups had deeper understanding, increased attention span, more motivation and higher engagement in the lessons.
Children are used to 3D with the rise of computer games that use the technology—90 percent of those in the study had seen a 3D film. Schools would need 3D-enabled projectors（投影仪）, laptops with good picture capabilities, 3D software and glasses for children to introduce animations (动作) into classrooms.
But Danny Nicholson, an educationist, said the technology would be impractical to use in schools and could be costly. He said, “While I think the idea of 3D technology is very interesting, I worry that 3D is a bit of an expensive gimmick (小玩意儿). There are a few cases where a true 3D image might help, but most of the time, good 2D models that can be moved , would be just so effective.”
In Colorado, the US, one school district is already in the process of having 1,000 3D projectors fixed in classrooms. And the University of Caledonia, which carries out scientific research into the Lake Tabon Basin, has used 3D presentations with Grade Six pupils. Those who watched the 3D presentations were more engaged and reported a general increase in their interest in science compared with students who watched the 2D version.Danny Nicholson tends to think that .
| A．many pupils prefer 2D models |
| B．3D is a bit expensive for some schools |
| C．true 3D images would not help in classes |
| D．3D technology has a bright future in classes |
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
| A．3D classes will soon be given in one school district in Colorado. |
| B．Teachers will use the 3D technology through specific training. |
| C．Many pupils are now more interested in science than before. |
| D．3D technology will replace 2D models in the future. |
What is the text mainly about?
| A．2D models are always more effective than 3D images. |
| B．The differences between 3D and 2D images. |
| C．How schools can make full use of 3D technology. |
| D．Pupils behave better when 3D images are used in classes. |
Among the more colorful characters of Leadville’s golden age were H. A. W. Tabor and his wife, Elizabeth McCourt, better known as “Baby Doe”. Their history is fast becoming one of the legends of the Old West.
Horace Austin Warner Tabor was a school teacher in Vermont. Then he moved west to the small Colorado mining camp known as California Gulch, which he later renamed Leadville when he became its leading citizen. “Great deposits of lead are sure to be found here.” he said.
As it turned out, it was silver, not lead, that was to make Leadville’s fortune and wealth. Tabor knew little about mining himself, so he opened a general store, which sold everything from boots to salt, flour, and tobacco. It was his custom to “grubstake” prospective miners, in other words, to supply them with food and supplies, or “grub”, while they looked for ore（矿石）, in return for which he would get a share in the mine if one was discovered. He did this for a number of years, but no one that he aided ever found anything of value.
Finally one day in the year 1878, so the story goes, two miners came in and asked for “grub”. Tabor had decided to quit supplying it because he had lost too much money that way. These were persistent, however, and Tabor was too busy to argue with them. “Oh help yourself. One more time won’t make any difference,” He said and went on selling shoes and hats to other customers. The two miners took $17 worth of supplies, in return for which they gave Tabor a one-third interest in their findings. They picked a barren place on the mountain side and began to dig. After nine days they struck a rich vein of silver. Tabor bought the shares of the other two men, and so the mine belonged to him alone. This mine, known as the “Pittsburgh Mine,” made $1,300,000 for Tabor in return for his $17 investment.
Later Tabor bought the Matchless Mine on another barren hillside just outside the town for $117,000. This turned out to be even more fabulous than the Pittsburgh, yielding $35,000 worth of silver per day at one time. Leadville grew. Tabor became its first mayor, and later became lieutenant governor of the state.Leadville got its name for the following reasons EXCEPT that
| A．Tabor became its leading citizen. |
| B．great deposits of lead is expected to be found there. |
| C．it could bring good fortune to Tabor |
| D．it was renamed |
The underlined word “grubstake” in Paragraph 3 means
| A．to supply miners with food and supplies |
| B．to open a general stores |
| C．to do one's contribution to the development of the mine |
| D．to supply miners with food and supplies and in return get a share in the mine, if one was discovered |
We can infer that Tabor’s life career is.
| A．purely lucky |
| B．based on his managing theory of “grubstake’ |
| C．through the help from his wife |
| D．because he planned well and accomplished targets step by step |
Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
| A．Tabor’s Life. | B．A legend of the Old West |
| C．Lead Makes Leadville’s Fortune | D．The Best Investment |
In a recent study, researchers have estimated the energy required to produce bottled water, including the energy required to manufacture plastic, make the plastic into bottles, process the water, fill and seal the bottles, transport the bottles, and chill the bottles for use. Combining all the energy input totals for treatment and distribution, researchers found that producing bottled water requires between 5.6 and 10.2 million joules(焦耳) of energy per liter, depending on transportation factors. That's up to 2, 000 times the energy required to produce tap water.
To break down the energy requirements, researchers found that producing the plastic bottles and transporting the bottles greatly dominated(控制) the energy input. Although some companies are experimenting with producing lightweight bottles or using recycled materials, the researchers calculated that the manufacturing cost is about 4 million joules of energy per plastic bottle weighing 38 grams, and the cap weighing 2 grams.
“Our previous work had suggested that bottled water production was an energy intensive process, but we were surprised to see the results, ” the researchers said.
Transportation costs vary depending on the distance and mode of transport and both factors depend on the type of bottled water. There are two main kinds of bottled water in the US:” spring water” which comes from an underground spring and “purified water”,which is city tap water that has received further treatment. For purified water distributed locally by truck within Los Angeles, the total transportation energy is about 1.4 million joules per liter. In the second situation, spring water shipped from Fiji (such as Fiji Spring Water) across the Pacific to Los Angeles, and then delivered locally by truck requires about 4 million joules per liter for transportation. For the spring water, the transportation energy equaled (in the case of Fiji) the energy required to produce the bottle.
With this data, the researchers hope that future studies will have the ability to make specific estimates for different situations, and possibly find ways to cut energy costs.From the first Paragraph we can know that the energy required to ______.
| A．produce bottled water includes the energy required to drink it |
| B．distribute bottled water includes the energy for producing the bottles |
| C．distribute bottled water is much smaller than the energy for treating it |
| D．produce bottled water is much smaller than the energy for producing tap water |
To reduce the energy required to produce bottled water, some companies are trying ______.
| A．to fill tap water into the plastic bottles directly |
| B．to replace the plastic bottles with metal containers |
| C．to produce lightweight bottles with recycled materials |
| D．to use bicycles to transport and deliver bottled water locally |
What's Paragraph 4 mainly talking about?
| A．Treatment of bottled water needs no energy input at all. |
| B．Bottled water production is an energy intensive process. |
| C．Transportation of bottled water takes up the most energy input. |
| D．Production of the plastic bottles greatly dominated the energy input. |
We can infer from the passage that ______.
| A．there are two main kinds of bottled water in the US |
| B．world consumption of bottled water has been increasing |
| C．transportation costs have something to do with the mode of transport |
| D．bottled water produced in Spring is more expensive than purified water |
What's the main purpose of the passage?
| A．To help consumers themselves make more environmentally sustainable choices. |
| B．To advise the government to take severe measures to stop producing bottled water. |
| C．To urge the consumers to drink tap water instead of bottled water for the sake of the earth. |
| D．To try the best to find ways to produce bottled water cheaply and quickly for the companies. |