When Jackie Robinson walked onto Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York, on April 15, 1947, he changed baseball forever. As the first African American to play in the Major League in modern times, many believe he changed the country forever.
Robinson was born in 1919. He lived in a time when rules controlled what African Americans could do. He was a top athlete, playing football, basketball and baseball. But playing for a major league team was off limits to Robinson because of his race.
Branch Rickey, president and manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, signed(和…签约)Robinson in 1947. He believed that Robinson not only had the skills, but the courage to face the challenge of becoming modern baseball’s first black player.
It wasn’t easy. Robinson sometimes faced boos(嘘声)from fans. But he became a star, anyway. In 1962, he became the first African-American player chosen to enter the Baseball Hall of Fame. In 2005, he was awarded a Congressional Gold Medal, the highest award can give to an American.
By breaking baseball’s color barrier(肤色障碍), Robinson opened the door for many to follow his footsteps, not only in baseball, but in other areas of life as wall. After he stopped playing the game, Robinson worked as a manager for a coffee company. He wrote a newspaper column(专栏). He also started a bank.According to Branch Rickey, Jackie Robinson was _____________.
| A．poor but clever | B．unlucky but confident |
| C．proud and strong | D．brave and skilled |
We can know that Jackie Robinson’s story _______________.
| A．changed many African’s ideas |
| B．had an effect on many black people’s lives |
| C．encouraged black people to fight with whites |
| D．started a hot discussion about the color barrier |
Which of the following is NOT what he once did?
| A．a newspaper column writer | B．a banker |
| C．a university teacher | D．a manager in a company |
Does Fame Drive You Crazy?
Although being famous might sound like a dream come true, today’s star, feeling like zoo animals, face pressures that few of us can imagine. They are at the center of much of the world’s attention. Paparazzi (狗仔队) camp outside their homes, cameras ready. Tabloids (小报) publish thrilling stories about their personal lives. Just imagine not being able to do anything without being photographed or interrupted for a signature.
According to psychologist Christina Villareal, celebrities — famous people — worry constantly about their public appearance. Eventually, they start to lose track of who they really are, seeing themselves the way their fans imagine them, not as the people they were before everyone knew their names. “Over time,” Villareal says, “they feel separated and alone.”
The phenomenon of tracking celebrities has been around for ages. In the 4th century B.C., painters followed Alexander the Great into battle, hoping to picture his victories for his admirers. When Charles Dickens visited America in the 19th century, his sold-out readings attracted thousands of fans, leading him to complain (抱怨) about his lack of privacy. Tabloids of the 1920s and 1930s ran articles about film-stars in much the same way that modern tabloids and websites do.
Being a public figure today, however, is a lot more difficult than it used to be. Superstars cannot move about without worrying about photographers with modern cameras. When they say something silly or do something ridiculous, there is always the Internet to spread the news in minutes and keep their “story” alive forever.
If fame is so troublesome, why aren’t all celebrities running away from it? The answer is there are still ways to deal with it. Some stars stay calm by surrounding themselves with trusted friends and family or by escaping to remote places away from big cities. They focus not on how famous they are but on what they love to do or whatever made them famous in the first place.
Sometimes a few celebrities can get a little justice. Still, even stars who enjoy full justice often complain about how hard their lives are. They are tired of being famous already.It can be learned from the passage that stars today.
| A．are often misunderstood by the public |
| B．can no longer have their privacy protected |
| C．spend too much on their public appearance |
| D．care little about how they have come into fame |
What is the main idea of Paragraph 3?
| A．Great heroes of the past were generally admired. |
| B．The problem faced by celebrities has a long history. |
| C．Well-known actors are usually targets of tabloids. |
| D．Works of popular writers often have a lot of readers. |
What makes it much harder to be a celebrity today?
| A．Availability of modern media. |
| B．Inadequate social recognition. |
| C．Lack of favorable chances. |
| D．Huge population of fans. |
What is the author’s attitude toward modern celebrity?
| A．Sincere. | B．Sceptical. |
| C．Disapproving. | D．Sympathetic. |
Scores of people queued up to use a cash machine after it started giving out double the money requested.
The cash machine, outside a Sainsbury’s store in Barham Road, Hull, attracted a big crowd of people hoping to take advantage of the fault, on Tuesday night. Police officers were eventually sent in to guard the machine and prevent anymore money from being withdrawn. The fault is thought to have affected cash machines at supermarkets across the city. It is not yet known whether the customers will have to repay the cash or how much money was taken out.
A spokeswoman for Humberside Police said, “Officers were sent to the cash machine to prevent anyone else from withdrawing anymore money. We have also tried to make contact with the owners of the machine.” The spokeswoman said those who benefited from the fault could be traced and could face theft charges, but investigations would only take place if the operator made a complaint.
The cash machine is owned by a company called Payzone, a spokesman later confirmed. He said the fault was due to the machine being filled with notes of the wrong denomination（面值）. An investigation is underway into the incident and the machine had been taken out of service, he added.
The Payzone spokesman said, “The transit company（转运公司）which is contracted to service this ATM has filled it up with the wrong denomination of notes, meaning it is paying out double what it should have. ” He could not say how much money had been taken out of the machine, or whether it would have to be paid back. It was understood that a number of cash machines in Hull owned by other companies had also been affected by this problem, he added.When it was discovered that the cash machine outside a Sainsbury’s store broke down, _______.
| A．people queued up inside the store to buy things |
| B．people asked the police to protect the cash machine |
| C．people went to other cash machines to withdraw money |
| D．people queued up at the cash machine to benefit from the fault |
People who had managed to get money from the cash machine would face theft charges if ______.
| A．the police traced their theft |
| B．the operator complained to the police |
| C．they got more money after the police came |
| D．the police contacted the owner of the machine |
Who caused the cash machine not to work properly?
| A．The people who withdrew money. | B．The transit company. |
| C．The operator of the cash machine. | D．The company Payzone. |
What would be the best title for this text?
| A．Greedy Customers. |
| B．How to Get More Money from ATMs. |
| C．Cash Machine Gives Double Money. |
| D．Who Is the Owner of the Cash Machine. |
More and more birds are flying to settle at Qinghai Lake, one of the highest inland lakes in China, thanks to the protection efforts of local governments. Covering an area of over 4,000 square kilometers, Qinghai Lake is also the country’s biggest salt-water lake.
Located in Northwest China’s Qinghai Province, the lake is famous for the two islands at its northwest point--Cormorant Island and Egg Island.
The two islands have plenty of floating grass and various schools of fish, offering rich food sources for birds. The islands have become a paradise for different kinds of groups of birds and have been called ‘Bird Islands’.
Each March and April, when ice and snow covering the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau starts to melt, over 20 kinds of birds fly to the Bird Islands to lay eggs.
During the months, flocks of birds cover the whole sky over the islands and birds eggs can be found everywhere. Visitors can hear the singing of birds from miles away. These have become a world famous symbol of the lake.
To protect this paradise for birds and support calls for ecological protection, China set up the Qinghai Lake Natural Protection Zone at the end of 1997. Meanwhile, the State has pointed out the Bird Islands and Spring Bay of the Qinghai Lake as central protection zones.
Inspection officials and management employees often patrol the lake, improving local residents’ knowledge of related laws and spreading knowledge about animal protection to visitors. They are making great efforts to call on people to love and protect the birds.
At the same time, they have built special fences around the island area, to prevent wolves, foxes and other carnivorous animals, as well as illegal hunters from breaking up the birds’ nest-building, egg-laying and breeding. As a result, more and more birds are coming to the islands for sheltering and breeding.Why are more and more birds coming to the biggest salt-water lake in the Great Northwest?
| A．Because it is getting warmer and warmer. |
| B．Because it is being reformed |
| C．Because environments there are getting more and more agreeable for them to live in. |
| D．Because the people there are becoming richer and richer |
The birds feed on _______according to the passage.
| A．floating fish and various grasses |
| B．grass moving on the water surface and different kinds of fish |
| C．salt water and plenty of grains |
| D．corn from the local farmers |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The ice and snow covering the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau doesn’t change into water, unless more than 20 kinds of birds come to the Bird Islands |
| B．Flocks of birds fly up to the whole sky over islands to lay eggs |
| C．Visitors can listen to the singing of birds from miles away, but they couldn’t see any of the birds |
| D．“The ice on the Plateau begins to change into water” means spring is coming |
The officials go around the lake mainly to _________
| A．let the farmers there know the animal protection law |
| B．tell the farmers there some knowledge about animal protection. |
| C．call on people to love and protect the birds |
| D．all of the above |
Choosing to Study Overseas
Every year, thousands of students choose to study in another country for a semester, the summer, or a year. Studying overseas can be an exciting experience for many people.Living in another country can help you to learn a language, and about another culture.
Overseas study may also look good on your future resume. Many companies today want employees who speak a second language, or have experienced living or working in another country.
Making the right choice
Once you decide to study overseas, you have to make some choices. To choose the right country or school. Ask yourself: Where do I want to go and why? How much do I want to pay?Do I want to live with a host family, with roommates, or alone?
Getting ready to go
Get your passport and visa early!Learn about the money. Bring some of it, and a credit card, with you.
Once you are there
After the first few weeks overseas, many students will feel a little homesick. They may miss their family, friends, and familiar ways of doing things.When you feel sad or homesick, try to talk to others, or write about your feelings in a notebook.
| A．You should improve your mother tongue before you go. |
| B．Why do it? |
| C．large number of students can’t afford to study overseas. |
| D．How long do I want to study overseas? |
E. Remember that it takes time to get used to a new place, school, and culture.
F. You will see the world in a new way, and learn more about yourself.
G. Before you go, learn some of the language, and read about some common customs in your host country.
The Diet Zone: A Dangerous Place
Diet Coke, diet Pepsi, diet pills, no-fat diet, vegetable diet… We are surrounded by the word “diet” everywhere we look and listen. We have so easily been attracted by the promise and potential of diet products that we have stopped thinking about what diet products are doing to us. We are paying for products that harm us psychologically and physically（身体上）.
Diet products significantly weaken us psychologically. On one level, we are not allowing our brain to admit that our weight problems lie not in actually losing the weight, but in controlling the consumption of fatty, high-calorie, unhealthy foods. Diet products allow us to jump over the thinking stage and go straight for the scale（秤）instead. All we have to do is to swallow or recognize the word “diet” in food labels.
On another level, diet products have greater psychological effects. Every time we have a zero-calorie drink, we are telling ourselves without our awareness that we don’t have to work to get results. Diet products make people believe that gain comes without pain, and that life can be without resistance and struggle.
The danger of diet products lies not only in the psychological effects they have on us, but also in the physical harm that they cause. Diet foods can indirectly harm our bodies because consuming them instead of healthy foods means we are preventing our bodies from having basic nutrients(营养成分). Diet foods and diet pills contain zero calorie only because the diet industry has created chemicals to produce these wonder products. Diet products may not be nutritional, and the chemical that go into diet products are potentially dangerous.
Now that we are aware of the effects that diet products have on us, it is time to seriously think about buying them. Losing weight lies in the power of minds, not in the power of chemicals. Once we realize this, we will be much better able to resist diet products, and therefore prevent the psychological harm that comes from using them.From Paragraph 1, we learn that ________.
| A．diet products fail to bring out people’s potential |
| B．people are fed up with diet products |
| C．people have difficulty in choosing diet products |
| D．diet products are misleading people |
One psychological effect of diet products is that people tend to _____.
| A．hesitate before they enjoy diet foods |
| B．pay attention to their own eating habits |
| C．watch their weight rather than their diet |
| D．try out a variety of diet foods |
In Paragraph 3, “gain comes without pain” probably means ______.
| A．losing weight is effortless |
| B．diet products bring no pain |
| C．it costs a lot to lose weight |
| D．diet products are free from calories |
Diet products indirectly harm people physically because such products ______.
| A．lack basic nutrients | B．are over-consumed |
| C．are short of chemicals | D．provide too much energy |