12-year-old John Thomas Robertson is a born train fan. "I’ve liked trains probably from the day I was born," he told Good Morning America. "When I was very little," he said, "my grandpa got me a train model. I would just watch it go round for hours and hours."
When Robertson finally had the opportunity to ride on a train, he felt great. His journey was so mind-blowing that he couldn’t keep it to himself: he decided to take all his classmates to go on a ride with him. When he found that some of his classmates couldn’t pay the fare, he collected cans (罐子) and bottles and raised more than $1,000 for them.
That trip was such a happy one that he made it a yearly action. "It never gets boring for some reason; it’s just fun," he said. "It really lets people get away from their busy life and have fun.
Every October, Robertson takes a new group of children to ride on the train —but now, he has a problem. Several disabled children were refused because the train was not accessible (可用的) to disabled people. "He was angry to think that children of his own age couldn’t ride a train," his mother said.
But he wouldn’t say no: he recently sent a letter to the train office for help. To his surprise, the leader, Ty Pennington, accepted the letter in person. He said that he and his workers would work on making a train accessible to disabled people. The first time John Thomas Robertson took a train, ________.
| A．he was frightened by it |
| B．he acted as a driver |
| C．he watched it for hours |
| D．he fell in love with it |
The author says John Thomas Robertson is a born train fan, because he ________.
| A．was greatly attracted to trains since early childhood |
| B．said so in Good Morning America |
| C．took a group of disabled children to travel by train |
| D．was taken to a train the day he was born |
The underlined words "mind-blowing" can be replaced by ________.
| A．important | B．terrible | C．amazing | D．disappointing |
The disabled children were refused to get on the train because _________.
| A．the trains then weren’t accessible to the disabled |
| B．Robertson had not saved enough money for the tickets |
| C．they couldn’t afford the train tickets |
| D．the driver would not allow them to do so |
According to the last paragraph, we can see that Robertson is a ________ child.
| A．helpful and crazy | B．kind and clever |
| C．kind but boring | D．lazy but kind |
Many people have described television as a passive activity that is harmful to children’s education. However, there are good and bad ways to watch television. Parents who are interested in exploiting television as a learning tool can actually turn time in front of TV into an educational chance.
Probably the most familiar educational way to use television is to simply watch educational programs. In particular, this means selecting channels and programs specially designed for educational purposes. Along with traditional educational shows for children on public broadcasting channels, cable television (有线电视) now offers kids and adults a wide variety of educational programs, with everything from nature shows to historical events in different countries.
Captioning(字幕），such as "closed captioning" for hearing disabled viewers provides another way for parents to exploit the educational possibilities of television．One study showed that children who watched captioned TV got great improvement in their vocabulary and oral reading ability. In addition, parents can make any show a learning class by watching television together with children. By actively joining children in the programs that they are watching, parents can help with the development of such skills as predicting（预见）and summarizing. In order to develop predicting skills, parents and children could first refer to a program’s description in a viewing guide．After reading the program description and guessing what might happen in the program, parents and children could watch together to see which predictions were correct. And to practice summarizing, after watching a program, parents can turn off the TV and ask what the story was about. This kind of activity helps children develop thinking skills such as arranging events in an order and memorizing information．
Although there will still be plenty of times when children watch TV simply for passive enjoyment, parents can help make at least part of their children’s viewing time a more productive activity．Used intelligently by exploiting the learning chances available through various programs, television can play an instructive role in children’s education.Which activity is NOT suggested in the passage？
| A．Talking about TV shows. | B．Watching captions on TV. |
| C．Enjoying films about nature. | D．Watching shows for homework. |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage？
| A．Parents can simply make any show a learning class for their children． |
| B．To make watching TV a more productive activity parents should include themselves in the producing process. |
| C．Most parents have changed their attitude to their kids’ watching TV and become positive to the problem. |
| D．In a way, it is how parents act that leads to whether watching TV may do good or not to their children. |
We can infer from the last paragraph that．
| A．not every minute when a child watches television must be educational |
| B．children should not use television for passive enjoyment |
| C．some children prefer reading to watching television |
| D．television offers more learning chances than school |
Which of the following questions is the major one discussed in the passage?
| A．What makes television more interesting than books? |
| B．Why should schools put television into classrooms? |
| C．How can parents use television as a teaching tool？ |
| D．Which program can actually make kids smarter? |
Experience the newly opened Grand Canyon (大峡谷) West Skywalk in Colorado. Departing (离开) from Grand Canyon’s South Rim by Airplane to Grand Canyon’s West Rim, you will land and take a ground tour to the Skywalk! Walk on air for 70 feet over the edge of Grand Canyon West.
This Skywalk has been open since March 28, 2007. Daily visitor-ship to the Skywalk has been over 4,000 people. Please be patient to enjoy your moment on the Skywalk.
After you have experienced the one and only Grand Canyon Skywalk Glass Bridge, you will return to the Grand Canyon West Airport and take your Airplane for a flight back to the South Rim of the Canyon. This is a tour never to be forgotten as you will have walked on air over the Grand Canyon.
Tour Itinerary (行程)
| Tour Duration |
5.7 Hours |
The Grand Canyon Adventure Skywalk |
| Flight from Grand Canyon South Rim to Grand Canyon West |
1 Hour |
Experience a bird’s-eye view of the Grand Canyon as you make your way to Grand Canyon West. |
| Light Lunch at Guano Point at Grand Canyon West |
2 Hours |
You’ll be taken by bus to Guano Point with breathtaking views of the western part of the Grand Canyon where the Colorado River makes its way into Lake Mood. Every table for lunch has a view. |
| Walk on the World Famous Skywalk |
1.5 Hours |
Finally you’ll board your bus to Eagle Point, home of the Grand Canyon Skywalk. Now it is time for you to walk on air for 70 feet over the Grand Canyon. |
| Flight Back to Grand Canyon South Rim |
1.2 Hours |
After time on the Skywalk, you’ll return to the Grand Canyon West Airport and return to Grand Canyon South Rim in time for dinner and sunset. |
This advertisement is for __________.
| A．Grand Canyon West | B．Grand Canyon South |
| C．Grand Canyon | D．the Skywalk |
The package fee does NOT cover the cost of _______.
The Grand Canyon Skywalk Bridge is made of glass because ______.
| A．it looks stranger | B．it is cheaper to build |
| C．it looks more beautiful | D．it gives you a better view |
According to the Tour Itinerary, the route is ______.
| A．South Rim→Guano Point→West Airport→Eagle Point→West Airport→South Rim |
| B．South Rim→West Airport→Guano Point→Eagle Point→West Airport→South Rim |
| C．South Rim→West Airport→Eagle Point→Guano Point→West Airport→South Rim |
| D．South Rim→West Airport→Eagle Point→West Airport→Guano Point→South Rim |
This story is about a 92-year-old, short, well-behaved and proud lady. She is fully dressed each morning by eight, with her hair fashionably done and makeup perfectly applied, even though she is totally blind. She is moving to a nursing home today. Her husband of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary.
After many hours of waiting patiently in the hall of the nursing home, she moved to the elevator, I provided a visual description of her tiny room, including the eyelet(观察孔) sheets that had been hung on her window.“I love it,” she stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old girl having just been presented with a new puppy.
“Mrs. Jones, you haven’t seen the room yet. Just wait.” “That doesn’t have anything to do with it,” she replied. “Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn’t depend on how the furniture is arranged, it’s a decision I make every morning when I wake up.”
“I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting(叙述) the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I’ll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I’ve stored away, just for this time in my life. Old age is like a bank account, you withdraw(收回) from what you’ve put in. So, my advice to you would be to deposit(储蓄) a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories. Thank you for your part in filling my memory bank. I am still depositing.”Which is the direct reason for the lady’s move to a nursing home?
| A．She is totally blind. | B．She can not dress herself any more. |
| C．She is 92 years old. | D．Her husband has passed away. |
When I described the room in which the lady would live, she was .
| A．disappointed | B．angry | C．happy | D．sad |
From the third paragraph we can infer that .
| A．the lady’s attitude towards life was positive |
| B．the lady wanted the furniture well arranged |
| C．the lady disliked the writer’s description |
| D．the lady decided to get up early every day |
The best title of the passage would be “”.
| A．Life Is like a Bank Account | B．Saving More Money for Your Life |
| C．Life Is Full of Sorrow and Happiness | D．Coming Out from the Shadow of Life |
Italians are considered the most handsome men in the world while men who are balding(变秃的) and aging do not necessarily lose their looks, according to an international survey.
A “Male Beauty” survey of nearly 10,000 men and women in 12 countries conducted by market research firm Synovate found that good hygiene (卫生) was actually the top requirement for men to being considered handsome.
The second main requirement to be considered good-looking was confidence, with nearly one fifth of all respondents saying a man must carry himself well, followed by having a “great smile”.
Hair, or a lack of, seemed to have little impact with only one percent of respondents saying that a full head of hair was needed to be handsome.
Older men can also take heart as 60 percent of respondents said a man’s appearance gets better with age, with Americans, Chinese, Greeks and Malaysians agreeing with that the most. “Men are seen like a fine wine – they only get better, which is good news for some of us, ” Bob Michaels, Synovate spokesman, said in a statement.
But looks did also come down to geography. The survey, conducted in October in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Greece, Malaysia, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Britain and the United States, found Italian men were considered to be the most handsome – even though Italy was not in those countries surveyed. They were followed by men from the United States, Russia and Brazil.
In Spain, more men than women consider having muscles and dressing well to be necessarily requirements, while the opposite was true for Greek women, who were more likely to think a macho (男子气概的) look was appealing. Far more British, French and Australian women also seemed to value “a great smile” than men do.
How many respondents think hair is the necessary requirement for men?
A. 12. B. 100.
C. 10,000. D. 60.
According to the survey, the underlined phrase “come down to” can be replaced by “________”.
A. stand for B. equal to
C. relate to D. go with
By saying “Men are seen like a fine wine” means “________”.
A. men’s appearances get better as time goes by
B. men are almost addicted to a fine wine
C. drinking fine wine is often seem according to the survey
D. a fine wine can make men look better
What can we learn from the passage?
A. Synovate was one of the respondents from Italy.
B. Russian men were ranking the third place.
C. Having a great smile is the most important for Spanish men.
D. There are 12 countries surveyed, including Italy and Canada.
Astronomers (天文学家) say they are on the point of finding planets like Earth orbiting other stars, which is a key step in determining if we are alone in the universe.
A top NASA official and other leading scientists say that within four or five years they should discover the first Earth-like planet where life could develop, or may have already. A planet close to the size of Earth could even be found sometime this year.
At the annual American Astronomical Society conference this week, each discovery involving so-called “exoplanets” —those outside our solar system —pointed to the same conclusion：Quiet planets like Earth where life could develop probably are plentiful.
NASA’s Dew Kepler telescope and a lot of new research from the suddenly hot and competitive exoplanet field caused noticeable buzz at the meeting．Scientists are talking abou
t being at “an incredible special place in history” and closer to answering the question. “Are we alone? For the first time, there’s an optimism that sometime in our lifetimes we’re going to get to the bottom of that,” said Simon Worden，an astronomer who heads NASA’s Ames Research Center. “If I were a betting man, which I am, I would bet we’re not alone.”
“These are big questions that reflect upon the meaning of the human race in the universe,” the director of the Vatican Observatory, the Rev. Jose Funes, said Wednesday in an interview at this week’s conference.
Worden told The Associated Press: “I would certainly expect in the next four or five years we’d have an Earth-sized planet in the habitable (可居住的) zone.”
What is very important in determining if we are alone in the unive
rse?
A. Finding an Earth-like planet. B. Orbiting other stars.
C. Developing new telescopes. D. Finding more exoplanets.
What’s an exoplanet?
A. It’s a planet like Earth. B. It’s a planet outside our solar system.
C. It’s a planet orbiting the sun. D. It’s a planet where life have developed.
The underlined phrase “get to the bottom of” probably means “__________”.
A. understand fully B. make full use of
C. search for D. do more research on
From the passage we can learn that __________.
A. an Earth-like planet has been f
ound
B. it’s been proved we are not alone in the universe
C. Jose Funes has found the meaning of the human race in the universe
D. the discovery of an Earth-like planet could happen in the near future