Are you stuck in a rut（车辙）and looking for a change? Fed up of seeing hungry, poor faces on your TV screen and want to do something to help? Perhaps you’ve considered volunteering overseas but ruled it out because you thought you were too old, couldn’t commit enough time, or have a family. If so, think again.
“Over the past five years it has become far safer --- and more professionally acceptable --- to take up a job volunteering overseas,” says David Stitt, managing director of Gap Year for Grown Ups, a company catering for volunteers in their late 20s and upwards. “While 10 years ago intrepid souls took financial and personal risks in volunteering abroad, now several organizations exist to make the experience safe and well-organized.
Nowadays, universities and business encourage overseas volunteering among students and employees. Entire families can volunteer abroad, and agencies are employing more disabled and retired people. A prosperous “humanitarian tourism” industry has sprung up; thousands of UK citizens will do some form of overseas volunteering this year.
“Some volunteering jobs are easier to find than others,” explains Kevin Cusack, from a volunteer advice agency. “If you can speak English, it’s not too hard to land a job teaching English, even without a qualification, and those who enjoy working with children should be able to find child care work.”
Whether your interest is rainforests or women’s rights, you can find a volunteer position to suit you. But be warned: unless you have relevant skills or existing overseas development experience, it’s going to cost. Just how much depends on the location and length of the position, but you should budget for somewhere between £1,500 and £6,000.
“Having to pay to volunteer may sound paradoxical (矛盾的), but it’s the best way to ensure you get a position that benefits the local community while matching your interests and skills,” explains Cusack. “You can also discuss the time you want to commit to a project --- many positions can fit into a holiday or even a weekend.”
The underlined words “intrepid souls” in Paragraph 2 most probably refers to ___________.
| A．companies | B．volunteers | C．fighters | D．students |
In Kevin Cusack’s opinion, paying to volunteer overseas ___________.
| A．must be incredible and unrealistic |
| B．can help volunteers learn more about another culture |
| C．may benefit both volunteers and the community they work in |
| D．needs confidence, courage and determination |
What can we learn from the text?
| A．Disabled people can also take up a job volunteering overseas. |
| B．In the past no one could take up a job volunteering overseas. |
| C．“Humanitarian tourism” industry is in its beginning stage. |
| D．Taking up a job volunteering overseas needs at least £1,500. |
Where can we most probably read this article?
| A．In a job guidebook. |
| B．In a celebrity biography. |
| C．In a guidebook to work overseas. |
| D．In a report on volunteer work. |
What is the writer’s attitude towards volunteer work?
| A．Critical. | B．Unfavorable. | C．Supportive. | D．Disagreeable. |
阅读理解
One afternoon last fall in Edmonton, best friends Katelynn and Erikka were watching their favourite television show and snacking on candies. Suddenly, Erikka began choking.
Having just completed the CPR course in her physical education class, Katelynn sprung(跳起来)into action, performing the Heimlich Manoeuvre. It didn't work at first, Katelynn says, so she tried a different position and all of a sudden a green tube shot straight out of Erikka's mouth and landed on the floor in front of them.
“Since this happened, I just give her(Katelynn)lots and lots of hugs and thank her constantly for saving my life and I tell her I would save her life, too, if she were to ever need me! I tell everyone that taking a first aid course is very important because it teaches us how to save lives. It really does work！”Erikka says.
Katelynn adds, “It makes me feel much more confident and smarter knowing I can save a life. I know that I can actually put my training to use in emergency(紧急情况), whether it's to save the life of a family member, a friend or someone in the community.”
Filled with enthusiasm(热情), Erikka says，“There are so many areas in my life where I can use my first aid training. For example, I'm an athlete and I play lots of different sports. Things can happen on the field or at an athletic event, where my training could make a big difference and all of us babysit, which means you never know when you will be called upon in the case of an emergency. I am really glad I've had this training because I can use it again and again！”What happened to Erikka when she was snacking with Katelynn one afternoon last fall?
| A．She suddenly became very ill. |
| B．She suddenly lost her consciousness. |
| C．Something got stuck in her throat. |
| D．She ate too much. |
The Heimlich Manoeuvre is probably a way of________.
| A．doing physical exercise |
| B．giving first aid |
| C．enjoying oneself |
| D．playing games |
What Erikka says in the last paragraph shows that________.
| A．there are possible dangers in many areas of life |
| B．students should get trained in every way |
| C．she is going for dangerous sports |
| D．people should get trained to save other people's life |
From the passage, we can know that Erikka is a(n)________．
| A．student |
| B．nurse |
| C．athlete |
| D．patient |
We use both words and body language to express our thoughts and opinions and to communicate with other people. We can learn a lot about what a person is thinking by watching his or her body language. Words are important, but the way a person stands, folds his or her arms, or moves his or her hands can also give us information about his or her feelings.
Just like spoken language, body language varies from culture to culture. Making eye contact—looking directly into someone's eyes—is in some countries a way to show interest. In other countries, however, eye contact is rude or disrespectful. The gesture for OK, making a circle with one's thumb and index finger, has different meanings in different cultures. In Japan, someone who sees another person making the gesture will think it means money. In France, a person seeing the same gesture will think it means zero. In Brazil and Germany, however, the gesture is rude. The thumbs-up gesture, meaning “great” or “good job” in the US, is rude in Nigeria, but in Germany and Japan it means the number one. The “crazy” gesture, moving the index finger in a circle in front of the ear, means “you have a phone call” in Brazil.
Even the gestures we use for “yes” and “no” are different around the world. In many countries, shaking one's head means “no”， and Iran, however, the gesture have the opposite meaning. There are also differences as to how often we touch each other, how close we stand to someone we are talking to, and how we act when we meet or part. In some countries, for example France and Russia, a visiting friend is greeted each other with a firm handshake, a loving hug, a bow or simply a nod of the head.
While there are many different interpretations of our body languages, some gestures seem to be universal. Pressing one's palms together and resting one's head on the back of one's hand while closing the eyes as if sleeping means “I am tired.” A good way of saying “I am full.” is moving the hand in circles over the stomach after a meal. If a person pats his or her stomach before a meal, it usually means “I am hungry.”
Perhaps the best example of universally understood body language is the smile. A smile can open doors and tear down walls. In can be used to express almost any emotion. We can use a smile to apologize, to greet someone, to ask for help or to start a conversation. We can smile at ourselves in the mirror to make ourselves feel happier and stronger. And if we are feeling down or lonely, there is nothing better than to see the smiling face of a good friend.In which two countries does the thumbs-up gesture mean the same thing?
| A．In the US and Nigeria. |
| B．In Japan and Germany. |
| C．In Nigeria and Germany. |
| D．In Japan and Brazil. |
Which of the following can serve as the topic sentence of the passage?
| A．Body language differs from cultures to culture. |
| B．People send messages not only by words. |
| C．Body language is important in our daily life. |
| D．Smile plays an important part in our life. |
It can be learned that body language________.
| A．always takes place when we're talking |
| B．can help us to read a person's mind |
| C．is always necessary in communicating |
| D．can't mean the same in different cultures |
The first tape recorder didn't use tape. It used long thin wire. It was invented in 1900 by Valdermar Poulsen. In 1930, German scientists invented the tape we use today. Back then the tape was on big rolls. In 1964 the Philips company in Holland invented the cassette. It's pretty much a holder for the tape. People use cassettes all over the world. If you don't have a cassette recorder, borrow one.
Think of a book your parents read out loud to you. That might be a great book to read out loud to your mom or dad in their car. Put a cassette in the recorder, open the book, hit the record button and start reading out loud.
Remember there is not such a thing as a wrong way to do this. You might think you've made a mistake, but this gift is part of you，and nothing about that can be a mistake. It's impossible.
You get to be all artistic and creative here. You might want to play music in the background. Do whatever you want. The gift is you, so you decide. Remember to say “I love you” at the end of your reading. That's like the prize at the end of the book.Choose the right order that shows the development of the tape recorder.
a．Using big rolls.
b．Using cassettes.
c．Using thin wire.
| A．a，b，c |
| B．b，c，a |
| C．c，a，b |
| D．c，b，a |
Why does the author mention the history of tape recorders in Paragraph 1?
| A．To inform readers of new inventions. |
| B．To lead into his following suggestion. |
| C．To give an example of his suggestion. |
| D．To show the importance of tape recorders. |
What does the author advise us to do?
| A．To read a book to our parents in their car. |
| B．To ask our parents to record a book. |
| C．To make a gift for our parents. |
| D．To practice reading out loud. |
(2010·全国卷Ⅰ)
Along the river banks of the Amazon and the Orinoco there lives a bird that swims before it can fly, flies like a fat chicken, eats green leaves, has the stomach of a cow and has claws (爪) on its wings when young. They build their homes about 4.6m above the river, an important feature (特征) for the safety of the young. It is called the hoatzin.
In appearance, the birds of both sexes look very much alike with brown on the back and cream and red on the underside. The head is small, with a large set of feathers on the top, bright red eyes, and blue skin. Its nearest relatives are the common birds, cuckoos. Its most striking feature, though, is only found in the young.
Baby hoatzins have a claw on the leading edge of each wing and another at the end of each wing tip. Using these four claws, together with the beak (喙), they can climb about in the bushes, looking very much like primitive birds must have done. When the young hoatzins have learned to fly, they lose their claws.
During the drier months between December and March hoatzins fly about the forest in groups of 20 to 30 birds, but in April, when the rainy season begins, they collect together in smaller living units of two to seven birds for producing purposes.What is the text mainly about?
| A．Hoatzins in dry and rainy seasons. |
| B．The relatives and enemies of hoatzins. |
| C．Primitive birds and hoatzins of the Amazon. |
| D．The appearance and living habits of hoatzins. |
Young hoatzins are different from their parents in that ______.
| A．they look like young cuckoos |
| B．they have claws on the wings |
| C．they eat a lot like a cow |
| D．they live on river banks |
What can we infer about primitive birds from the text?
| A．They had claws to help them climb. |
| B．They could fly long distances. |
| C．They had four wings like hoatzins. |
| D．They had a head with long feathers on the top. |
Why do hoatzins collect together in smaller groups when the rainy season comes?
| A．To find more good. |
| B．To protect themselves better. |
| C．To keep themselves warm. |
| D．To produce their young. |
Is it possible to persuade mankind to live without war? War is an ancient custom which has existed for at least six thousand years. It was always evil and usually foolish, but in the past the human race managed to live with it. Modern skill has changed this. Either man will stop war, or war will stop man. For the present, it is nuclear weapons that cause the greatest danger, but bacteriological(细菌的)or chemical weapons may, before long, offer an even greater threat. If we succeeded in stopping war, there would be no danger for us. To do this, we need to persuade mankind to look upon international questions in a new way, not by contests of force, in which the victory goes to the side which is most skillful in massacre(大屠杀), but by arbitration(仲裁)in accordance with agreed principles of law. It is not easy to change old mental habits, but this is what must be attempted.
There are those who say that the adoption of this or that ideology(意识形态)would prevent war. I believe this to be a complete error. All ideologies are based upon beliefs without proof which are, at best, doubtful, and at worst, totally false. Those people who believe them are willing to go to war in support of them.
The movement of world opinion during the past two years has changed very largely such as we can welcome. It has become a common belief that nuclear war must be avoided. Of course, very different problems remain in the international world, but the spirit in which they are being approached is a better one than it was some years ago. It has begun to be thought, even by the powerful men who decide whether we shall live or die, that agreements should be reached even if both sides do not find these agreements wholly satisfactory. It has begun to be understood that the important conflict(冲突)nowadays is not between East and West, but between Man and the H-bomb. From the first paragraph we can know that________.
| A．we may face greater threat from weapons |
| B．bacteriological or chemical weapons are less dangerous than nuclear weapons |
| C．man's idea of victory has changed |
| D．dangerous weapons are forbidden in modern society |
The author believes that the only way to stop war is to________.
| A．stop nuclear weapons |
| B．settle international issues through agreements |
| C．destroy bacteriological and chemical weapons |
| D．let the stronger side take over the world |
The last paragraph suggests that________.
| A．nuclear war will definitely not take place |
| B．real agreements have been now reached |
| C．world opinion is still divided on nuclear war |
| D．man is beginning to realize that nuclear war is his greatest enemy |
Which of the following words can best describe the author's feeling in writing this passage?
| A．Disappointed. |
| B．Doubtful. |
| C．Worried. |
| D．Hopeful. |