I hated dinner parties. But I decided to give them another shot because I’m in London. And my friend Mallery invited me. And because dinner parties in London are very different from those back in New York. There, “I’m having a dinner party” means “I’m booking a table for 12 at a restaurant you can’t afford and we’ll be sharing the cheque evenly, no matter what you eat.”
Worse, in Manhattan there is always someone who leaves before the bill arrives. They’ll throw down cash, half of what they owe, and then people like me, who don’t drink, end up paying even more. But if I try to use the same trick, the hostess will shout “Where are you going?” And it’s not like I can say I have somewhere to go : everyone knows I have nowhere to go.
But in London, dinner parties are in people’s homes. Not only that, the guests are an interesting mix. The last time I went to one, the guests were from France, India, Denmark and Nigeria; it was like a gathering at the United Nations. In New York, the mix is less striking. It’s like a gathering at Bloomingdale’s, a well-known department store.
For New Yorkers, talking about other parts of the world means Brooklyn and Queens in New York. But at Mallery’s, when I said that I had been to Myanmar recently, people knew where it was. In New York people would think it was a usual new club.What does the word “shot” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?
| A．Choice. | B．Try. | C．Style. | D．Goal. |
What does the author dislike most about dinner parties in New York?
| A．There is a strange mix of people. | B．The restaurant are expensive. |
| C．The bill is not fairly shared. | D．People have to pay cash. |
What does the author think of the parties in London?
| A．A bit unusual. | B．Full of tricks. |
| C．Less costly. | D．More interesting. |
What is the author’s opinion of some New Yorkers from her experience?
| A．Easygoing.. | B．Self-centred. |
| C．Generous. | D．Conservative. |
What is the main idea of this article?
| A．The author hated dinner parties. |
| B．The author prefer dinner parties in London to those in New York. |
| C．The difference between London and New York. |
| D．Mallery invited the author to a party. |
A few days ago we – that’s me and the husband – took a cab to the station. Chat with the driver fell to the wrong of cyclists, and the misunderstanding of the road rules. So far as the rules of the road go, there seems to be one basic principle: when you are driving a car you hate bikes, when you are riding a bike you hate cars (and I guess walkers hate everyone).
There is an obvious difference of viewpoint built in here. It wasn’t until I started to drive a car (almost 20years after I had first rode a bike) that I actually realized that you could not see a cyclist at night without lights. In fact I now want to shout at late night cyclists without lights(like motortists once did at me): “You’ll get killed, sunshine, I can’t see you.”
The problem is that cyclists do ride headlong into danger. It's not just not having lights. It’s biking on pavements (and so threatening to injure a load of innocent walkers in the process) and biking down one-way streets the wrong way.
I admit that I do bike the wrong way down a one-way street sometimes. My feeble(软弱无力) defense is that I try always to do it as if I know I was doing wrong. That is slowly, with an apologetic look on the face, and ready to get off at any minute. I can’t bear the guys(一伙人) (usually, but not always it is guys) who do it as if they owned the place, and at high speed.
So cyclists are not entirely innocent. But they are among the disadvantaged groups, because the bottom line is that a car or a lorry can kill a cyclist and not the other way around.When did the writer realize the danger for late night cyclists without lights?
| A．Not until she became a driver herself. |
| B．Not until she had driven a car for 20 years. |
| C．After she was shouted at by a motorist. |
| D．After she was once knocked down by a group of guys. |
When the writer biked the wrong way down a one way street, she felt_________.
| A．angry | B．guilty | C．innocent | D．proud |
Which group is most likely to face danger according to the writer?
| A．walkers | B．passers-by | C．cyclists | D．motorists |
What can we learn about the writer?
| A．She often took a cab with her husband. |
| B．She has been a motorist for over 20 years. |
| C．She used to ride a bike without lights at night. |
| D．She often biked the wrong way down a one way street. |
A research found that people shown silent videos of piano competitions could pick out the winners more often than those who could also hear the music. It underlines the importance of our sense of vision, say scientists. Their study concludes that the best predictor of a winner’s musical performance was the visible passion they displayed, followed closely by their uniqueness and creativity.
Chia-Jung Tsay, from University College London, UK, is the study’s author and herself a concert pianist. She was interested in how music was judged and found that even professional musicians were unaware of how much they were using visual information over sound. “For the last two decades, I’ve taken part in various competitions. Through this experience, I found that depending on what type of evaluations were used,the results might vary widely. This led me to wonder about how much visual information really affects these important decisions,” she explained.
More than 1,000 participants in the study were given samples of either audio, silent video or video with sound, and asked to rate the top three finalists from 10 international classical music competitions. The actual competition winners were only correctly identified by those who were randomly assigned(分配) the silent videos.
Dr Tasy said the findings were quite surprising, especially because both trained musicians and those without training had stated that sound was most important for their evaluation. “Regardless of levels of expertise, we still seem to be led primarily by visual information, even in this field of music,” she said. “Classical music training is often focused on improving the quality of the sound, but this research is about getting to the bottom of what is really being evaluated at the highest levels of competitive performance. She added, “We must be more mindful of our inclination(倾向) to depend on visual information at the expense of the content that we actually value as more relevant to our decisions.”According to the study, who would most probably win a piano competition?
| A．One who plays with great passion. |
| B．One who plays unique music. |
| C．One who plays creatively. |
| D．One who has a sense of vision. |
The participates in the study were asked to__________.
| A．watch classical music competitions |
| B．assign the silent videos |
| C．pick out the best three competitors |
| D．decide who the winner is |
What probably led Dr Tsay to carry out the study?
| A．Her love for music. |
| B．Her desire to explore. |
| C．Her experience as a competitor. |
| D．Her curiosity in musical education. |
Where does this text probably come from?
| A．A text book. | B．A sports magazine. |
| C．A story book. | D．A science website. |
Recently I fully understood that a little favor could really make a big difference. My daughter and I were, accidentally, in time to catch a falling heart just before it hit the ground.
It all started when Charlene, one of my co-volunteers at the library, asked if I could do her duty on Tuesday since her doctor appointment had been unexpectedly changed. I agreed, which meant I was home on Friday instead of volunteering as previously planned.
My daughter, Mary, managers a book store in town. Mid-morning, she called to ask me for help. Would I buy a fifty dollar gift card, birthday card, and cake for one of Mary’s assistant managers, Cindy?
Mary explained she had to call Cindy in to take the place of another assistant manager who was sick, but felt terrible about it when she discovered it was Cindy’s birthday. Cindy insisted that it was just fine. But that was not what Mary thought, so she gathered enough money from other employees to throw a surprise party for Cindy. Since neither Mary, nor any of the other employees, could leave to pick up the goodies, they were turning to me for help. Days later, Mary told me the wonderful rest of the story, “Cindy cried and cried when we surprised her. After the party, Cindy told us that her boyfriend had chosen that morning to break up with her. To top that off, she only had 26 cents left in her bank account.”
We were surprised at the series of unexpected events that took place in order to circle Cindy with love and catch her falling heart just before it hit the ground.WhydidCharleneaskafavorofthewriter?
| A．ShehadtoseethedoctoronFriday. |
| B．Shewantedtocelebrateherdaughter’sbirthday. |
| C．ShehadanunexpectedappointmentonTuesday. |
| D．Sheneededtoprepareforherdaughter’sbirthday. |
WhatcanwelearnaboutMary?
| A．Shewasalearned careerwoman. |
| B．Shehaduneasyrelationshipswithherassistants. |
| C．SheknewCindy’slovestorybeforethesurpriseparty. |
| D．Sheplayedthemostimportantroleinthiscircleoflove. |
Which of the following couldn’t be the reason why Cindy cried?
| A．She had to work on her birthday. |
| B．She had little money in her bank account. |
| C．She was greatly moved by Mary’s care and kindness. |
| D．She and her boyfriend parted that very morning. |
The underlined word “goodies” refers to_________.
| A．Gifts for Cindy | B．Good stories | C．Close friends | D．Goods on sale |
The bedroom door opened and a light went on, signaling an end to nap time．The toddle（初学走路的婴儿）, sleepy-eyed, clambered to a swinging stand in his crib．He smiled, reached out to his father, and uttered what is fast becoming the cry of his generation: "iPhone!"
Just as adults have a hard time putting down their iPhones, so the device is now the Toy of Choice for many 1-, 2- and 3-year-olds．The phenomenon is attracting the attention and concern of some childhood development specialists．
Natasha Sykes, a mother of two in Atlanta, remembers the first time her daughter, Kelsey, now 3 but then barely 2 years old, held her husband's iPhone．"She pressed the button and it lit up．I just remember her eyes．It was like 'Whoa!' "The parents were charmed by their daughter's fascination．But then, said Ms．Sykes （herself a Black Berry user）, "She got serious about the phone．" Kelsey would ask for it．Then she'd cry for it．"It was like she'd always want the phone," Ms．Sykes said．
Apple, the iPhone's designer and manufacturer, has built its success on machines so user-friendly that even technologically blinded adults can figure out how to work them, so it makes sense that sophisticated children would follow．Tap a picture on the screen and something happens．What could be more fun?
The sleepy-eyed toddler who called for the iPhone is one of hundreds of iPhone-loving toddlers whose parents are often proud of their offspring's ability to slide fat fingers across the gadget's screen and pull up photographs of their choice．
Many iPhone apps on the market are aimed directly at preschoolers, many of them labeled "educational," such as Toddler Teasers: Shapes, which asks the child to tap a circle or square or triangle; and Pocket Zoo, which streams live video of animals at zoos around the world．
Along with fears about dropping and damage, however, many parents sharing iPhones with their young ones feel guilty．They wonder whether it is indeed an educational tool, or a passive amusement like television．The American Academy of Pediatrics is continually reassessing its guidelines to address new forms of "screen time．" Dr．Gwenn Schurgin O'Keeffe, a member of the academy's council, said, "We always try to throw in the latest technology, but the cellphone industry is becoming so complex that we always come back to the table and wonder- Should we have a specific guideline for them?"
Tovah P. Klein, the director of a research center for Toddler Development worries that fixation on the iPhone screen every time a child is out with parents will limit the child's ability to experience the wider world.
As with TV in earlier generations, the world is increasingly divided into those parents who do allow iPhone use and those who don't. A recent post on UrbanBaby.com, asked if anyone had found that their child was more interested in playing with their iPhone than with real toys. The Don't mothers said on the Website: "We don't let our toddler touch our iPhones ... it takes away from creative play." "Please ... just say no. It is not too hard to distract a toddler with, say ... a book."
Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, a psychology professor who specializes in early language development, sides with the Don'ts. Research shows that children learn best through activities that help them adapt to the particular situation at hand and interacting with a screen doesn't qualify, she said.
Still, Dr. Hirsh-Pasek, struck on a recent visit to New York City by how many parents were handing over their iPhones to their little children in the subway, said she understands the impulse (冲动). "This is a magical phone," she said. "I must admit I'm addicted to this phone."The first paragraph in the passage intends to ______.
| A．get us to know a cute sleepy-eyed child in a family |
| B．show us how harmful the iPhone is |
| C．lead us to the topic of the toddlers' iPhone-addict |
| D．explain how iPhone appeals to toddlers |
According to the author, iPhones are popular with both adults and young kids because they are______.
| A．easy to use | B．beautiful in appearance |
| C．cheap in price | D．powerful in battery volume |
The underlined word "them" in the seventh paragraph refers to ______.
| A．televisions | B．cellphones | C．iPhones | D．screens |
The tone of the author towards parents sharing iPhones with their children is ______.
| A．negative | B．subjective | C．objective | D．supportive |
The passage mainly tells us ______.
| A．children's iPhone addict is becoming a concern |
| B．iPhone is winning the hearts of the toddlers |
| C．Apple is developing more user-friendly products |
| D．ways to avoid children's being addicted to iPhone games |
Living in South Africa, I had always taken the wildlife pretty much for granted. Not to say that we were surrounded by it, but the accessibility of game parks and wildlife sanctuaries（避难所，庇护所） always made it seem like a natural part of the environment. For this reason, I suppose that the way my European friends used to talk to me, wasn’t so strange after all. They would ask me what I thought at the time were really silly questions which got on my nerves. They’d say things like ‘Do you have a pet baboon?’ or ‘Do you travel to school by elephant?’.
When Amanda, a friend of mine who was visiting from England, invited me to join her and a group of friends on a wildlife expedition, I was not filled with enthusiasm. However, from the moment we entered the gates of the Zaluzi game reserve, I knew that this was not going to be anything like I had expected. We had been traveling along the National Road when, suddenly, we turned onto a dirt track which seemed to be hidden in the middle of nowhere. Amazingly, the scenery changed dramatically. The civilized environment took on a wild, chaotic（混沌的；一片混乱的） aspect and continued to do so as we walked deeper into the bush.
After having a good night’s sleep at one of the reserve’s bungalows, we were woken at the crack of dawn. After a quick breakfast we piled into a jeep and set off. Our guide assured us that the early start was necessary in order to have the best chance of seeing what was really worthwhile. Armed with just a thermos of coffee, we set out towards the shore of a small lake where it was expected that we could see that animals that used it as their morning watering hole.
On the way to our destination, we topped a hill and there, against the emerging morning light, were a group of animals. It was a stunning sight. As we moved closer, the animals did not appear to be alarmed by our presence. Pet baboons aside, I had never before come within such close range of a pride of lions. It did cross my mind, however, that we might be in a certain amount of danger. When I asked Timothy, our game ranger, if we were actually in any danger, he replied straightforwardly that one is never entirely safe in the bush, but his knowledge and experience allowed him to anticipate any danger with reasonable accuracy.
However, the following day there was some cause for alarm. Not having started out so early, we missed the sightings of the day before. We decided to drive around for a while, hoping to come across something of interest. Suddenly our tracker perched up on the back of our vehicle, signaled to the driver to halt and at the same moment I realized that this time we had stumbled right into a pride of lions. The driver promptly turned off the engine and in a low voice warned us to remain seated and not to make any abrupt movements. The lions were picking at what looked like the remains of a zebra. Timothy, later told us how much to our advantage this was. Had their bellies not been full, their reaction to us would surely have been otherwise. As the nearest lion was less than three meters away from the jeep, I considered that we had been very lucky indeed.
All in all, it was a wonderful trip. Our near miss with the lions was without a doubt the highlight, but what it taught me yet again was how easy it is to be indifferent to our surroundings and not to have a full appreciation of the beauty around us. How did the writer feel about the questions her European friends asked?
| A．ridiculous | B．annoyed | C．strange | D．embarrassed |
When did the writer’s attitude change about the expedition?
| A．When she was traveling along the dirt track. |
| B．When she received her invitation. |
| C．When she arrived at the game reserve. |
| D．When her friend arrived from England. |
What does the underlined word ‘It’ (in the fourth paragraph) refer to?
| A．the pride of lions | B．the destination |
| C．the top of the hill | D．the morning light |
Timothy’s experience as a game ranger was valuable because he ______________
| A．could supply a straightforward answer to any question. |
| B．knew how to frighten the animals. |
| C．knew the game reserve well. |
| D．could identify trouble in advance. |
What does the writer mean by the underlined sentence ‘we had been very lucky indeed’ in the fifth paragraph?
| A．They had seen the lions up close. | B．They hadn’t been attacked. |
| C．They had a good guide with them. | D．They had gone on a trip. |
What conclusion does the writer of the text come to?
| A．We often do not realize how attractive our environment really is. |
| B．It is not clever to unnecessarily put ourselves in dangerous situations. |
| C．We don’t respect wild animals enough. |
| D．We should protect our surroundings. |