They are the sort of friends who are so close they trust each other with their lives.If one falls, the other is there to catch him.
They are Wellman, whose legs were permanently injured nine years ago in a rock-climbing accident and Corbett, an experienced rock climber. Together, they climbed up Half Dome. the famous 2,000-foot rock in the Yosemite National park, through one of the most difficult routes(路线).
During the climb, Corbett took the lead, hit in the metal spikes (尖状物)that guided the ropes and climbed up. Then, after Wellman pulled himself up the rope, Corbett went down to remove the spikes and climbed up again. This process was repeated time and again, inch by inch, for 13 days Wellman’s job was not easy either. He got himself up the rope through upper body strength alone. In all, Wellman figured(计算) that he had done 5.000 pull-ups up the rope on the climb.
However, when the two men first met, they never talked about climbing. “He knew that was how I got injured.”Wellman said. Until one day Wellman decided that be wanted to climb again and they started training
Their climb of Half Dome was not all smooth. At one point, pieces of rock gave way, and Corbett dropped down quickly. Wellman locked their rope in place, stopping the fall at 20 feet. His quick action probably saved his friend’s life.
“Your partner can save your life—you can sane your partner’s life” Wellman said as the pair received congratulations from friends “there are real close tic.”Which of the following was a challenge for Corbett in climbing Half Dome?
| A．To climb up to remove the spikes. | B．To climb it twice. |
| C．To do 5,000 pall-ups up the rope. | D．To lock the rope in place. |
Why did the two men never talk about climbing when they first met?
| A．climbed was poorly trained. |
| B．Wellman had lost interest in climbing. |
| C．Corbett didn’t want to hurt Wellman. |
| D．Wellman hadn’t decided whether to climb again. |
What do we know about Wellman?
| A．He climbed Half Dome by himself. |
| B．He was disabled in a traffic accident. |
| C．He stopped rock-climbing for some time. |
| D．He was saved by Corbett during the climb. |
The main idea of the text is that.
| A．two heads are better than one. |
| B．friendship is precious in life |
| C．the disabled should never give up. |
| D．a man can be destroyed but cannot be defeated. |
Owning a smart phone may not be as smart as you think. They may let you surf the Internet, listen to music and snap photos wherever you are… but they also turn you into a workaholic, it seems.
A study suggests that, by giving you access to emails at all times, the all-singing, all-dancing mobile phone adds as much as two hours to your working day. Researchers found that Britons work an additional 460 hours a year on average as they are able to respond to emails on their mobiles.
The study by technology retailer Pixmania reveals the average UK working day is between 9 and 10 hours, but a further two hours is spent responding to or sending work emails, or making work calls. More than 90 percent of office workers have an email-enabled phone, with a third accessing them more than 20 times a day. Almost one in ten admits spending up to three hours outside their normal working day checking work emails. Some workers confess they are on call almost 24 hours a day, with nine out of ten saying they take work emails and calls outside their normal working hours. The average time for first checking emails is between 6 am and 7 am, with more than a third checking their first email in this period, and a quarter checking them between 11 pm and midnight.
Ghadi Hobeika, marketing director of Pixmania, said, “The ability to access literally millions of apps, keep in contact via social networks and take photos and video as well as text and call has made smart phones invaluable for many people. However, there are drawbacks. Many companies expect their employees to be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and smart phones mean that people literally cannot get away from work. The more constantly in contact we become, the more is expected of us in a work capacity.”What can we conclude from the text?
| A．All that glitters is not gold. |
| B．Every coin has two sides. |
| C．It never rains but pours. |
| D．It’s no good crying over spilt milk. |
The underlined word “accessing” in the third paragraph can be replaced by .
| A．calling | B．reaching |
| C．getting | D．using |
Which of the following is true according to the text?
| A．The average UK working day is between nine and twelve hours. |
| B．Nine-tenths spend over three hours checking work emails. |
| C．One fourth check their first mails between 11 pm and midnight. |
| D．The average time for first checking emails is between 6 am and 8 am. |
What’s the main idea of the text?
| A．Workaholics like smart phones. |
| B．Smart phones bring about extra work. |
| C．Smart phones make our live easier. |
| D．Employers don’t like smart phones. |
Minnie's flat, as the one-floor resident apartments were then being called, was in a part of West Van Buren Street inhabited by families of laborers and clerks, men who had come, and were still coming, with the rush of population pouring in at the rate of 50,000 a year. It was on the third floor, the front windows looking down into the street, where, at night, the lights of grocery stores were shining and children were playing. To Carrie, the sound of the little bells upon the horse-cars, as they tinkled in and out of hearing, was as pleasing as it was novel. She
gazed into the lighted street when Minnie brought her into the front room, and wondered at the sounds, the movement, the murmur of the vast city which stretched for miles and miles in everydirection.
Mrs. Hanson, after the first greetings were over, gave Carrie the baby and proceeded to get supper. Her husband asked a few questions and sat down to read the evening paper. He was a silent man, American born, of a Swede father, and now employed as a cleaner of refrigerator cars at the stock-yards. To him the presence or absence of his wife's sister was a matter of indifference. Her personal appearance did not affect him one way or the other. His one
observation to the point was concerning the chances of work in Chicago.
"It's a big place," he said. "You can get in somewhere in a few days. Everybody does."
It had been understood beforehand that she was to get work and pay her board. He was of a clean, saving character, and had already paid a number of monthly installments(分期付款）on two pieces of land far out on the West Side. His ambition was some day to build a house on them.
In the interval which marked the preparation of the meal Carrie found time to study the flat. She had some slight gift of observation and that sense, so rich in every woman-intuition.
She felt the drag of a lean and narrow life. The walls of the rooms were improperly papered. The floors were covered with matting and the hall laid with a thin rag carpet. One could see that the furniture was of that poor, hurriedly patched together quality sold by the installment houses.
She sat with Minnie, in the kitchen, holding the baby until it began to cry. Then she walked and sang to it, until Hanson, disturbed in his reading, came and took it. A pleasant side to his nature came out here. He was patient. One could see that he paid enough attention to his baby.
"Now, now," he said, walking. "There, there," and there was a certain Swedish accent
noticeable in his voice.
"You'll want to see the city first, won't you?" said Minnie, when they were eating. "Well, we'll go out Sunday and see Lincoln Park.
Carrie noticed that Hanson had said nothing to this. He seemed to be thinking of something else.
"Well," she said, "I think I'll look around tomorrow. I've got Friday and Saturday, and it won't be any trouble. Which way is the business part?"
Minnie began to explain, but her husband took this part of the conversation to himself.
"It's that way," he said, pointing east. "That's east." Then he went off into the longest speech he had yet taken part in, concerning the lay of Chicago. "You'd better look in those big manufacturing houses along Franklin Street and just the other side of the river," he concluded. "Lots of girls work there. You could get home easy, too. It isn't very far."
Carrie nodded and asked her sister about the neighborhood. The latter talked in a soft tone, telling the little she knew about it, while Hanson concerned himself with the baby. Finally he jumped up and handed the child to his wife.The first paragraph mainly describes＿＿
| A．the surroundings around the Hansons' flat |
| B．the scenes in West Van Buren Street |
| C．what Mr. and Mrs. Hanson's flat looked like |
| D．the nightlife of West Van Buren Street |
From the passage we can learn that Mr. Hanson＿＿·
| A．was glad at Carrie's arrival’ |
| B．cared little about his child |
| C．was unfamiliar with Chicago |
| D．tried hard to live a better life |
We can draw a conclusion from the passage that＿＿．
| A．Minnie's house was very well furnished |
| B．Carrie was a sensitive girl with ambition |
| C．Carrie came to look after her nephew |
| D．Minnie and her husband got on very well |
Which of the following shows the right order of the events in the story?
a. Carrie observed the Hansons' flat.
b. Mr. Hanson handed his baby to Minnie.
c. Minnie told Carrie about their neighborhood.
d. Carrie sang to the baby to stop it from crying.
e. Mr. Hanson explained the business part to Minnie.
f. Minnie gave Carrie the baby and proceeded to get supper.
| A．c-a-f-e-d-b | B．a-c-f-eb-d |
| C．f-a-d-e-c-b | D．f-e-a-b-c-d |
The evolution of the first animals may have oxygenated（供氧）Earth's oceans. New research
led by the University of Exeter challenges the long held belief that oxygenation of the atmosphere and oceans was a precondition for the evolution of complex life forms.
The study, published in the journal Nature Geoscience, builds on the recent work of scientists in Denmark who found that sponges（海绵动物）一the first animals to evolve一require only small amounts of oxygen.
Professor Tim Lenton of the University of Exeter, who led the new study, said: "We argue that the evolution of the first animals could have played a key role in the widespread oxygenation of the deep oceans. This in turn may have facilitated the evolution of more complex, mobile animals."
Critical to determining oxygen levels in the deep ocean is the balance of oxygen supply and demand. Demand for oxygen is created by the sinking of dead organic material into the deep ocean. The new study argues that the first animals reduced this supply of organic matter一both directly and indirectly.
Sponges feed by pumping water through their bodies, "digesting" the tiny particles of organic matter, and thus helping oxygenate the shelf seas that they live in. By oxygenating more of the bottom waters, the first animals actually increased the removal of the essential nutrient phosphorus（磷）in the ocean. This in turn reduced the productivity of the whole ocean ecosystem, lowering oxygen demand and thus oxygenating the deep ocean.
A more oxygen-rich ocean created ideal conditions for more complex mobile animals to evolve, because they have a higher requirement for oxygen. These included the first predatory（肉食的）animals with guts（内脏）that started to eat one another, marking the beginning of the type of food webs we are familiar with today.
Professor Simon Poulton of the University of Leeds, who is a co-author of the study, added: "This study provides a possible mechanism for ocean oxygenation without the requirement for a rise in atmospheric oxygen. It therefore questions whether the long-standing belief that there was a major rise in atmospheric oxygen at this time is correct. We simply don't know the answer to this at present, which is ultimately key to understanding how our planet evolved to its current habitable state. Geochemists need to come up with new ways to explain oxygen levels on the early Earth."The underlined word "facilitated" in Para. 3 is closest in meaning to＿＿．
| A．prevented | B．promoted | C．interrupted | D．witnessed |
From paragraphs 4 to 6, we can infer that＿＿．
| A．phosphorus can keep the productivity of the ocean ecosystem |
| B．complex animals consume the same amount of oxygen as sponges |
| C．the sinking of dead organic material into the deep ocean produces oxygen |
| D．the existence of the first animals marks the beginning of modern food webs |
From the last paragraph, we can learn Pro. Simon Poulton believes that＿＿．
| A．their study gives a new explanation for the high oxygen content in the air |
| B．oxygen increased greatly in the air as the first animals oxygenated the oceans |
| C．their study answers the question of how the earth evolved to the present state |
| D．ocean oxygenation does not necessarily require a rise in atmospheric oxygen |
The main purpose of the passage is to＿＿．
| A．present the view that the first animals played an active role in oxygenating oceans |
| B．introduce two opposite opinions on how the first animals oxygenated oceans |
| C．analyze how atmospheric oxygen stepped up the evolution of oceanic animals |
| D．explain how oceanic oxygen determines the amount of atmospheric oxygen |
Nothing gets the heart racing like a new roller coaster, and theme parks keep building them higher, faster and, well, just cooler than ever before. Here are five hot new coasters opening for the 2014 summer season.
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．Thunderbolt was built in New York in 1925． |
| B．Goliath will not be built as a high coaster. |
| C．Magic Kingdom provides a short musical journey. |
| D．Banshee is the first female-inspired theme park ride. |
Which roller coaster is most likely to attract people who like adventure and excitement?
| A．Banshee. |
| B．Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. |
| C．Goliath. |
| D．Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringott. |
We can learn from the passage that
| A．the five new roller coasters are made of the same materials |
| B．Banshee is the first of the roller coasters built by a woman |
| C．King Island is a branch of the company named Cedar Fair |
| D．the roller coaster in Orlando is located in the city of London |
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (KABC)一A Santa Monica High School teacher who was put on
leave after using physical force to control a student who was selling marijuana（大麻）in his classroom has received surprising support on Facebook. The incident was captured on video and has caused a sudden reaction from parents, teachers, students and even graduates. They are showing their support for Black. A Facebook page supporting "Coach Black" has over 4,700 likes. And many want him back in the classroom.
Student witnesses say Mark Black, who is also the wrestling coach, tried to confiscate（没收）a bag of marijuana and was then injured by the student with a pencil. The cellphone video shows Black locking the student's legs and pinning the student to the ground. "He just wanted him to stop and he was trying to be a teacher and help, and I don't think it was his fault." said student Kylan Townsend.
School Board member Oscar De La Tone says Mr. Black is one of his teachers at Santa Monica High School. "I know him very well. I know him to be a fair person, a good person, someone who cares deeply about his students," said De La Torre. He says that the video does not tell the whole story and that the incident brings to light the issue of drug use, something the district needs to address.
But in an email to parents, Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Superintendent Sandra Lyon says the teacher's behavior is "absolutely alarming." She put Black on leave during an independent investigation.
Lyon has come under fire from parents for initially saying the kind of physical action used by the teacher was unacceptable. On Saturday, Lyon released the following statement to Eyewitness News: "I want to stress that teachers are at times confronted with difficult, even threatening situations, and they must make judgment calls to protect safety. I want to emphasize that putting the teacher who was involved in this incident on leave until completion of an independent investigation is a matter of standard policy and practice; it in no way prejudices the outcome of the investigation."
Students hope the situation will have a quick and just resolution. An online petition（请原书) pas also peen createu by one of Black's former students. The petition has already gained thousands of signatures.Black did not respond to a request for comment.What does the cellphone video on Facebook disclose?
| A．Mark Black injured a student with a pencil. |
| B．Mark Black wrestled with a student in his class. |
| C．Mark Black confiscated a bag and locked a student. |
| D．Mark Black controlled a student with physical force. |
In the fifth paragraph, the underlined word "it" refers to＿＿．
| A．making judgment calls to protect safety |
| B．putting the teacher involved on leave |
| C．completion of an independent investigation |
| D．a matter of standard policy and practice |
From the passage, we can infer that＿＿
| A．the people involved in the matter support Mark Black |
| B．Mark Black will be eventually fired by the School Board |
| C．Sandra Lyon won some support from parents initially |
| D．no decision has been made from the investigation yet |
Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
| A．Teacher Put on Leave Receives Support |
| B．Thousands Come and Sign the Petition |
| C．School Teacher Wrestled with Student |
| D．Cellphone Video on the Facebook Page |