LONDON (AP) — England joins on Sunday the growing list of places that ban smoking in public buildings, taxis and other places including even Buckingham Palace with a tough law.
Pubs, clubs and restaurants will all be smoke-free. Taxi and delivery drivers have been warned that they too could be fined 50 pounds, or about $100, if caught lighting up inside work vehicles.
Experts say the bans have become an irreversible (不可逆转的) tread because of greatly rising health costs and public uneasiness over second-hand smoke. Some of the strictest smoking bans are in the United States, even though there is no federal anti-smoking policy. New York and Florida have strict bans, while California has certain outdoor smoking bans.
Spain, Italy, Iran, Norway, Sweden, Singapore, South Africa, Uruguay and new Zealand have passed legislation(立法) to restrict smoking. France banned smoking in many public places in February and plans to extend the ban to cafes and restaurants next year. Finland is introducing a ban in 2009.
Despite the spread of bans, the World Health Organization predicts a steady rise in tobacco sales. In its Tobacco Atlas, the WHO said that by 2030 there will be “at least another two billion smokers in the world” and an expected decrease in male smokers “will be offset by an increase in female smoking rates, especially in developing countries.”
In advance of the English ban, anti-smoking ads have coated bus stops and the British government has subsidized(资助) programs to help people quit. The rest of Britain—Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland —already have smoking bans in place.The first two paragraphs mainly tell us_______
| A．Buckingham Palace bans smoking |
| B．smoking ban comes into force in England |
| C．there’s no smoking in Buckingham Palace |
| D．smoking is against the law in England |
Which of the following places may still be smoking areas in England?
| A．Private houses | B．Taxis. |
| C．Restaurants. | D．London clubs |
The underlined word “offset” in paragraph 5 probably means “________”.
| A．decreased | B．raised | C．encouraged | D．balanced |
What do we know from the passage?
| A．Smoking has strictly been forbidden in cafes in France. |
| B．There is an extremely strict smoking ban everywhere in America. |
| C．Smoking situation is still serious across the world. |
| D．Related ads didn’t appear in England until the English ban was lifted.（解除） |
Argosy Christmas Ship Festival
Seattle December1—December 23, 2010
The Argosy Christmas Ship Festival is a ship –to –shore holiday celebration that has become a local Northwest tradition. Aboard the Christmas Ship , some of the finest Northwest choirs(唱诗班) sing holiday greetings . These performances are broadcast via speakers to bonfire(篝火) sites and to other boats participating in the parade.
Holiday Island Lights Festival
Friday Harbor, Sand Juan Island December 1—December 31, 2010
An island-wide holiday tradition that includes local businesses decorating contest, a tree lighting ceremony on Dec . 4 with shops staying open until 7:00 pm. On Dec. 11 a Lighted Boat Parade starts the evening, to be followed by the Santa ship coming into Friday Harbor for the children , shops staying open until 7:00 pm . Dec 18-19 Roche Harbor’s Christmas Festival begins at 3:00 pm and will include artists booths, Victorian carol singing , story telling, theater and dining.
Christmas Lighting Festival
Leavenworth December4—December 19, 2010
This old –fashioned Lighted Farm Implement parade, which expressed its admiration for the Yakima Valley’s agricultural heritage, including entries with up to 35,000 lights decorating the tractor, plow or thresher of your choice! Pre-parade activities include a Christmas Tree Ceremony and other special entertainment before the parade. Join us and you’re sure to enjoy the carolers dressed in traditional clothing as they wander through out the Downtown area.
Holiday with Lights
Federal Way December 10, 2010—January 1, 2011
With over a million twinkling lights displayed throughout the park, your heart will be filled with cheer and the spirit of the season! Holiday light displays, festive music and strolling caroler, visit with Santa, enchanted village rides, and much more. Which of the following festivals lasts the longest?
| A．Argosy Christmas Ship Festival | B．Holiday Island Lights Festival |
| C．Christmas Lighting Festival | D．Holiday with Lights |
If you want to attend a Lighted Boat Parade, you should go to _______.
| A．Seattle | B．Leavenworth | C．Friday Harbor | D．Federal Way |
If you want to learn something about agriculture heritage, you will possibly attend___.
| A．Argosy Christmas Ship Festival | B．Holiday Island Lights Festival |
| C．Christmas Lighting Festival | D．Holiday with Lights |
If you plan to attend one of the activities on Christmas Day, you will have ______choice(s).
| A．one | B．two | C．three | D．four |
The American book Who Moved My Cheese has bee a bestseller all over the world. It teaches people how to face changes in their lives. Now its author Spence Johnson has written a book just for teens. The book tells us that when facing change in our lives, like a new school or new friends, don't be afraid. Instead, use this change to make a better life. The book gives an example of a change at school. A school is changing from having two terms to three terms because there are too many students.
Several teens are talking about this. Most of them are unhappy and worried. But Chris is not. He laughs and tells a story about two mice, two “little people” and some cheese.
The four are in amaze looking for the cheese. Here, cheese means something important in life, like moving to a new class or getting into college. But they find the cheese is gone. The mice realize that they can’t change what has happened and have to find more cheese. This means finding different dreams. The little people, however, can’t do this. They are afraid of change so they find no cheese
After Chris finishes the story, the friends understand one thing: to get more cheese, move in a new direction quickly. His friends understand how this can be used in the changes all teens face, such as doing well at school or having good relationships or just feeling good about yourself. The book Who Moved My Cheese is __________.
| A．read across the world | B．written all over the world |
| C．sold only in America | D．loved only by teens |
What does the text mainly discuss?
| A．Never change in our life. | B．Change when you like to do. |
| C．Change with the changes. | D．Pay attention to the changes, |
The underlined word “four”（paragraph 3）refers to __________.
| A．Mice and little people | B．Students | C．Cheese | D．Readers |
In our lives, we should learn from __________.
| A．Mice | B．Little people | C．Chris | D．Spence Johnson |
Which of the following statements is true?
| A．The author is Britain. |
| B．There are three terms in every school. |
| C．Most teens don't understand Chris' story. |
| D．The book tells teens how to face changes in their lives. |
It was Saturday. As always, it was a busy one, for “Six days shall you labor and all your work” was taken seriously back then. Outside, Father and Mr. Patrick next door were busy chopping firewood. Inside their own houses, Mother and Mrs. Patrick were engaged in spring cleaning.
Somehow the boys had slipped away to the back lot with their kites. Now, even at the risk of having brother caught to beat carpets, they had sent him to the kitchen for more string(线). It seemed there was no limit to the heights to which kites would fly today.
My mother looked at the sitting room, its furniture disordered for a thorough sweeping. Again she
cast a look toward the window. “Come on, girls! Let’s take string to the boys and watch them fly the kites a minute.”
On the way we met Mrs. Patric, laughing guiltily as if she were doing something wrong, together with her girls. There never was such a day for flying kites! We played all our fresh string into the boys’ kites and they went up higher and higher. We could hardly distinguish the orange-colored spots of the kites. Now and then we slowly pulled one kite back, watching it dancing up and down in the wind, and finally bringing it down to earth, just for the joy of sending it up again.
Even our fathers dropped their tools and joined us. Our mothers took their turn, laughing like schoolgirls. I think we were all beside ourselves. Parents forgot their duty and their dignity; children forgot their everyday fights and little jealousies. “Perhaps it’s like this in the kingdom of heaven,” I thought confusedly.
It was growing dark before we all walked sleepily back to the housed. I suppose we had some sort of supper. I suppose there must have been surface tidying-up, for the house on Sunday looked clean and orderly enough. The strange thing was, we didn’t mention that day afterward. I felt a little embarrassed. Surely none of the others had been as excited as I. I locked the memory up in that deepest part of me where we keep “the things that cannot be and yet they are.”
The years went on, then one day I was hurrying about my kitchen in a city apartment, trying to get some work out of the way while my three-year-old insistently cried her desire to “go park, see duck.” “I can’t go!” I said. “I have this and this to do, and when I’m through I’ll be too tired to walk that far.”
My mother, who was visiting us, looked up from the peas she was shelling. “It’s a wonderful day,” she offered, “really warm, yet there’s a fine breeze. Do you remember that day we flew kites?”
I stopped in my dash between stove and sink. The locked door flew open and with it a rush of memories. “Come on,” I told my little girl. “You’re right, it’s too good a day to miss.”
Another decade passed. We were in the aftermath(余波) of a great war. All evening we had been asking our returned soldier, the youngest Patrick Boy, about his experiences as a prisoner of war. He had talked freely, but now for a long time he had been silent. What was he thinking of --- what dark and horrible things?
“Say!” A smile sipped out from his lips. “Do you remember --- no, of course you wouldn’t. It probably didn’t make the impression on you as it did on me.”
I hardly dared speak. “Remember what?”
“I used to think of that day a lot in POW camp (战俘营), when things weren’t too good. Do you remember the day we flew the kites?”Mrs. Patrick was laughing guiltily because she thought________.
| A．she was too old to fly kites |
| B．her husband would make fun of her |
| C．she should have been doing her housework |
| D．her girls weren’t supposed to the boy’s games |
By “we were all beside ourselves writer means that they all ________.
| A．felt confused | B．went wild with joy |
| C．looked on | D．forgot their fights |
What did the author think after the kite-flying?
| A．The boys must have had more fun than the girls. |
| B．They should have finished their work before playing. |
| C．Her parents should spend more time with them. |
| D．All the others must have forgotten that day. |
Why did the writer finally agree to take her little girl for an outing?
| A．She suddenly remembered her duty as a mother. |
| B．She was reminded of the day they flew kites. |
| C．She had finished her work in the kitchen. |
| D．She thought it was a great day to play outside. |
The youngest Patrick boy is mentioned to show that ______.
| A．the writer was not alone in treasuring her fond memories |
| B．his experience in POW camp threw a shadow over his life |
| C．childhood friendship means so much to the writer |
| D．people like him really changed a lot after the war |
Amy returned to her small apartment at midnight, tired. Her worst fears raced through her mind. Would the court tell her she couldn’t care for her family anymore? Would the kids go through the sadness once more of being split up and sent away? She was so young, almost a child herself, and yet Amy knew everything depended on her. At that moment, she wondered if she would ever find the strength to see it through.
From earliest childhood, Amy took care of her younger brothers. Jan, their mother, only added to the family disorder and confusion because of her drug addict. Sometimes they lived in apartments, sometimes in shelters.
One afternoon Amy was called to the high school, where a social worker was waiting for her. “We’re going to have to put you guys in foster（收养) care.” the social worker said. “No! Don’t spilt us up!” the girl cried out. “Can’t you just leave it the way it is?” The social worker shook his head. Amy’s voice then rose like the howl of a lion protecting her babies: “Why can’t I take them? I take care of them all the time anyway.” The social worker hesitated, and then said, “Maybe. Once you’re 18, you could apply to become their relative caretaker. Then you’d be their foster mother until we find a home where all of you can be together.” “I’ll do it,” Amy said.
One month later, Amy was named guardian of her brothers for a six-month trial period. It was a remarkable victory for an 18-year-old girl. Her brothers didn’t make her task any easier in the months ahead. However，Amy’s efforts were rewarded when the court allowed her to continue as guardian. Amy’s relief at remaining the kids’ guardian was at risk of being taken away by the pressure she always
felt to measure up. Social workers still looked regularly over her shoulder and asked the boys shameful
questions: “Does she feed you? Does she ever try to harm you?” Then one day a visiting social worker
came over. “We’d like to get the boys adopted into homes,” she said. Sensing that the family was about to be split apart yet again, Amy replied, “Fine, then. Call it adoption if you want, but they’re not going anywhere.” To her surprise, the social worker took her remark seriously. She explained that if Amy were to adopt the boys, they would become like any other family.
That night at dinner Amy told the boys about the idea. “Cool!” Joey said. He threw a piece of corn at Adam. His brother flicked it back, and pretty soon corn was flying. Amy rolled her eyes. They didn’t have far to go to be like any other family. As the proceedings（程序）ended, Amy thanked everyone. “No,” the judge responded, “Thank you. You saved three kids. Not many family members would do what you’re doing, especially for this many children. I’m very proud of you.”
On a lazy spring day, in a modest suburban neighborhood, Amy stood in front of a neatly kept one-story house. She watched her brothers playing basketball, and heard the playful bark of their dog, Tahoe. The young lady had made good on her promise: they had rented a home, a real home, and the boys had gotten their dog. Amy continues to raise her family alone, but has begun taking courses in business management at a nearby community college. Eventually, she hopes to become a child psychologist. Which of the following best describes Amy?
| A．Crazy and tough | B．Firm and stubborn |
| C．Enthusiastic and generous | D．Abnormal and aggressive. |
From Paragraph 3, we can learn that __________.
| A．The social worker gave in to Amy. |
| B．The social worker tried to adopt Amy’s brothers. |
| C．Amy tried to apply for the guardian of the brothers |
| D．Amy had no idea how to face her family being separated up. |
By saying “They didn’t have far to go to be like any other family”, the writer means________.
| A．they will live in the same area as other families |
| B．they made a deep impression on the neighborhood |
| C．Amy is able to take good care of the family |
| D．Amy and her brothers would be already just like a family |
The best title for this text would be___________.
| A．Standing On Two Feet | B．Growing Up Alone |
| C．A Lifelong Fight | D．A Teen Hero |
What does the underlined word guardian in paragraph 4 mean?
| A．保护者 | B．监护人 | C．收养人 | D．引导人 |
Scientists have proved that sleeping and learning go hand in hand. Even a short nap can boost our memory and sharpen our thinking. But the relationship goes deeper than that.
“The brain is not passive while you sleep,” scientist Anat Arzi said. “It’s quite active. You can do many things while you are asleep.”
Arzi and her coworkers didn’t try to teach the sleeping volunteers any complex information, like new words or facts. Instead, the scientists taught volunteers to make new connections between smells and sounds.
When we smell something good, like a flower, we take deep breaths. When we smell something bad, we take short breaths. Arzi and her co-workers based their experiment on these reactions.
Once the volunteers fell asleep in the lab, the scientists went to work. They gave them a whiff of something pleasant and meanwhile played a particular musical note. They didn’t wake up, but they heard—and sniffed(吸气) deeply. Then the scientists gave the volunteers a whiff of something terrible and played a different musical note. Again, the volunteers heard and smelled—a short snort this
time—but didn’t wake up. The researchers repeated the experiment.
After just four repetitions, volunteers made a connection between the musical notes and their paired smells. When the scientists played the musical tone that went with good smells, the sleepers breathed deeply. And when the scientists played the musical tone that went with bad smells, the sleepers breathed briefly—despite there being no bad smell.
The next day, the volunteers woke up with the sound-smell connection. They breathed deeply when hearing one tone and cut their breaths short when hearing the other, which must have been unusual for them. Imagine walking down the street and taking a deep breath upon hearing a particular sound!In the study, the volunteers were taught _______.
| A．to become active during sleep |
| B．to tell the difference between smell |
| C．to learn new words and scientific facts |
| D．to make sound-smell connections |
How did the volunteers react when smelling something nice and hearing musical notes?
| A．They took a deep breath. | B．They had a wonderful dream. |
| C．They woke up at once. | D．They took a short breath. |
When the volunteers woke up the next day, they_______.
| A．learned how to play to musical tones |
| B．forgot what happened during their sleep |
| C．continued with the sound-smell connection |
| D．changed their reaction when hearing. |
The passage mainly tell us______
| A．special smells and sounds can improve our memory. |
| B．our brain can actually learn something new during the sleep. |
| C．the volunteers will always hear similar sounds in the street. |
| D．our brain can tell the difference between smells during the sleep. |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．A short sleep can improve our memory and sharpen our thinking. |
| B．Arzi and her coworkers didn’t try to teach the sleeping volunteer some simple information. |
| C．When the volunteer smelt something terrible, they didn’t wake up. |
| D．After four repetitions, volunteers made a connection between the musical notes and their pared smells. |