National Forecast
LONDON —This Evening and Tonight:
Rain, locally heavy across northwest Scotland. Mostly cloudy but dry in other northern and western areas. Dry with clear spells(持续时间)in more central and eastern parts, but some low cloud and fog will develop. Generally mild with light winds.
Saturday:
Cloud and rain over western Scotland at the beginning will gradually push down over N. Ireland and northwest England. Largely dry, warm with sunny spells elsewhere, once early fog and low cloud clears.
http://www.times.online.co.uk/tol/news/weather/
The Nation's Weather
Fri, Aug 24,
NEW YORK—Heavy rain was forecast throughout Friday in parts of the Midwest. The heaviest rainfall was over northern Illinois, with more than 4 inches possible around Chicago.
Wet weather was also expected in the Plains as the same storm system tracks through the region.
Periods of heavy rain were also forecast for the Northeast as the remnant(剩余部分)of tropical storm Erin moves into the Canadian Maritimes.
Hot weather was expected to continue in the South and West.
http://www.underground.com
Death toll rises to 36 in China typhoon
Wed, Aug 22,
BEIJING— At least 36 people were killed by Typhoon Sepat in four provinces in eastern and central China in widespread destruction that also forced the evacuation (撤退)of l.37 million people.
More than 60,000 homes in the provinces of Fujian, Jiangxi, Zhejiang and Hunan also were destroyed or damaged, Xinhua News Agency said.
Total economic losses in the provinces have reached $ 663 million.
Fujian was the worst-hit province, with 18 people killed, Xinhua said.
Earlier, the storm, named after a Malaysian fish, killed at least one person in Taiwan, and left three dead in the Philippines.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/apOn August 25, in N. Ireland and northwest England, there will be _____.
A.low cloud and fog | B.typhoon and flood |
C.cloud and rain | D.sunshine and mild wind |
What was the weather like in the south and west of the USA on Thursday?
A.It was hot. | B.It was rainy. |
C.It was foggy. | D.It was warm. |
The storm named Sepat _____.
A.caused one death in the Philippines |
B.killed 18 people in Taiwan |
C.destroyed about 60,000 homes in Fujian |
D.caused great economic losses |
The name of Typhoon Sepat comes from _____.
A.a tropical storm | B.a Malaysian fish |
C.a place | D.a person |
It is often necessary to release a fish, that is , set it free after catching, because it is too small, or you just don’t want to take it home to eat. In some cases, releasing fish is a good measure that will help keep fish variety and build their population size. The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF) encourages fishermen who practice catch-and-release fishing to use a few simple skills when doing so. The advice provided below will help make sure that the fish you release will survive to bite again another day.
—When catching a fish, play it quickly and keep the fish in the water as much as possible.
Don’t’ use a net in landing the fish and release it quickly to prevent it from dying.
—Hold the fish gently. Do not put your fingers in its eyes. Don’t wipe the scales (鱼鳞) off the fish because it might cause it to develop a disease and reduce its chance of survival.
—Remove your hook quickly. If the hook is too deep or hooked in the stomach, cut the line and leave the hook in. The hook left inside will cause no serious problem to the fish.
—Take good care of the fish by moving it gently in water. Release the fish when it begins to struggle and is able to swim.
—Do not hold fish in a bucket or some other containers and later decide to release it. If you are going to release a fish, do so right away.
With a little care and by following the suggestions given above, you can give the released fish a better chance of survival.
69. People sometimes set a fish free after catching it because they _________
A. don’t want it to die B. hope it will grow quickly
C. don’t want to have it as food D. want to practice their fishing skills
70. Which of the following will probably make a fish ill?
A. Taking the hook off it. B. Removing its scales.
C. Touching its eyes D. Holding it in your hand.
71. A proper way to release a fish is to _________.
A .move it in water till it can swim B. take the hook out of its stomach
C. keep it in a bucket for some time D. let it struggle a little in your hand
72. What is the purpose of the text?
A. To show how to enjoy fishing. B. To persuade people to fish less often.
C. To encourage people to set fish free. D. To give advice on how to release fish.
More than 10 years ago, it was difficult to buy a tasty pineapple. The fruits that made it to the UK were green on the outside and, more often than not, hard with an unpleasant taste within. Then in 1966, the Del Monte Gold pineapple produced in Hawaii first hit our shelves.
The new type of pineapple looked more yellowy-gold than green. It was slightly softer on the outside and had a lot of juice inside. But the most important thing about this new type of pineapple was that it was twice as sweet as the hit-and-miss pineapples we had known. In no time, the Del Monte Gold took the market by storm, rapidly becoming the world’s best-selling pineapple variety, and delivering natural levels of sweetness in the mouth, up until then only found in tinned pineapple.
In nutrition it was all good news too. This nice tasting pineapple contained four times more vitamin C than the old green variety. Nutritionists said that it was not only full of vitamins, but also good against some diseases. People were understandably eager to be able to buy this wonderful fruit. The new type of pineapple was selling fast, and the Del Monte Gold pineapple rapidly became a fixture in the shopping basket of the healthy eater.
Seeing the growing market for its winning pineapple, Del Monte tried to keep market to itself. But other fruit companies argued successfully that Del Monte turned to law for help, but failed. Those companies argued successfully that Del Monte’s attempts to keep the golden pineapple for itself were just a way to knock them out the market.
65 We learn from the text that the new type at pineapple is __________.
A. green outside and sweet inside
B. good-looking outside and soft inside
C. yellowy-gold outside and hard inside
D. a little soft outside and sweet inside
66. Why was the new type of pineapple selling well?
A. It was rich in nutrition and tasted nice.
B. It was less sweet and good for health.
C. It was developed by Del Monte.
D. It was used as medicine.
67. The bold word “fixture” in Paragraph 3 probably refers to something _________.
A. that people enjoy eating B. that is always present
C. that is difficult to get D. that people use as a gift
68. We learn from the last paragraph that Del Monte _________.
A. slowed other companies to develop pineapples
B. succeeded in keeping the pineapple for itself
C. tried hard to control the pineapple market
D. planned to help the other companies
Last week my youngest son and I visited my father at his new home in Tucson, Arizona. He moved there a few years ago, and I was eager to see his new place and meet his friends.
My earliest memories of my father are a tall, handsome, successful man devoted to his work and his family, but uncomfortable with his children. As a child I loved him. He seemed unhappy with me unless I got straight A’s and unhappy with my boyfriends if their fathers were not as “successful” as he was. Whenever I went out with him on weekends, I used to struggle to think up things to say, feeling on guard.
On the first day of my visit, we went out with one of my father’s friends for lunch at an outdoor café. We talked along that afternoon, did some shopping, ate on the street table, and laughed over my son’s funny facial expressions. Gone was my father’s critical (挑剔的) air and strict rules. Who was this person I knew as my father, who seemed so friendly and interesting to be around? What had held him back before?
The next day dad pulled out his childhood pictures and told me quite a few stories about his own childhood. Although our times together became easier over the years, I never felt closer to him at that moment. After so many years, I’m at last seeing another side of my father. And in so doing, I’m delighted with my new friend. My dad, in his new home in Arizona, is back to me from where he was.
61. Why did the author feel bitter about her father as a young adult?
A. He was silent most of the time.
B. He was too proud of himself.
C. He did not love his children.
D. He expected too much of her.
62. When the author went out with her father on weekends, she would feel .
A. nervous B. sorry C. tired D. safe
63. What does the author think of her father after her visit to Tucson?
A. More critical.B. More talkative
C. Gentle and friendly.D. Strict and hard-working.
64. The underlined words “my new friend” in the last paragraph refer to .
A. the author’s sonB. the author’s father
C. the friend of the author’s father D. the café owner
Language is a major problem for the European Union(EU).The agreement or treaty (条约) which created the organization that eventually became the EU, the Treaty of Rome,stated that each country’s language must be treated equally.The original six countries had only three languages between them:French, German and Dutch . However, there are now 15 countries in the EU, with a total of 12 languages. EU documents must be translated into all these languages,and at official meetings, the speeches must be translated into all the languages by interpreters.
All this translating is very expensive and time consuming . It is said that nearly half of all employees of the EU are engaged in translating documents and speeches, and nearly half of the EU’s administrative (管理方面的) costs are spent on this task.In the near future it is probable that several more countries, most of them having their own languages, will join the EU, thus making the situation even worse.
The problem is not just cost:there are practical difficulties as well. With 12 languages,there are 132 possible “translation situations” that might be needed.It is often difficult to find people in the right place at the right time who can translate from (for example) Danish into Greek, or Dutch into Portuguese, at a high professional standard.
In practice, the problem has been made less severe by the use of English in many contacts between EU officials,since almost all of them speak some English. However, any action to reduce the number of official languages (perhaps to four or five) would be a blow to the pride of the smaller countries. Another commonly suggested solution is to make English the official language for all EU business. However, this is strongly resisted by powerful member countries like France and Germany. What’s the main purpose of this passage?
A.To give a solution to a problem. |
B.To find out a problem and show how severe it is |
C.To criticize the European Union![]() |
D.To show that the problem cannot be solved. |
According to the writer,the use of English in contacts among EU officials has _________.
A.angered the officials who don’t speak English |
B.increased the number of official languages |
C.reduced the effect of the problem |
D.been supported by powerful member countries |
The writer mentions “Danish into Greek” as an example of ________.
A.a situation that might be difficult to deal with |
B.a situation that occurs at times |
C.one of the 12 situations that requires an interpreter |
D.languages easily being interpreted |
The writer suggests that if the number of offici
al languages were reduced, ________
A.the EU would not know which official languages to choose |
B.countries whose languages were not used officially would be unhappy |
C.only easy languages would be us![]() |
D.the smaller member countries would be pleased |
“Wanted by the FBI.” To the murderer, or the bank robber, these are the most frightening words in the world. When the criminal hears them,he knows that six thousand trained persons are after him.
Why should he be so afraid? There are thousands of cities and villages where he can hide,and forests and deserts, as well. Besides, he’s usually rich with stolen money.
Money can make it easier to hide. With money, the criminal can even pay a doctor to operate on his face and make him hard to recognize. But the criminals know that as public enemies, they can be found by the FBI no matter where they hide.
They know every trick the criminal knows and many more. If he makes just one mistake,they’ll get him. That’s why the man who is wanted can’t sleep. That’s why he becomes nervous, why he jumps at every sound.
The FBI began on May 10th, 1924. General Harlan Stone chose Edgar Hoover, a young lawyer, to head the new agency . “What we need is a wholly new kind of police force,” he said. “Criminals today are smart.They use stolen cars and even planes to make their gateways. They have learned to open any lock,using advanced technology. We can’t beat them with old methods. We have to train officers to work scientifically.”
Edgar Hoover quietly went ahead with his plans. He picked his men carefully. They had to be between the ages of twenty-five and thirty-five. He wanted only men with good manners and good character. When working as his officers, they would have to meet all kinds of people. Hoover wanted men who could handle a teacup as well as a gun. But the FBI cannot help in every police problem. It can look into only certain crimes against the government. Solving all other crimes is the duty of local police forces.A man wanted by the FBI will find that money is ________.
A.not at all useful | B.very helpful for a while |
C.necessary for his crime | D.everything for him |
Before he worked with the FBI,Edgar Hoover was a ____________.
A.policeman | B.lawyer | C.teacher | D.general |
The FBI was begun in order to ____.
A.reduce crimes | B.bring younger men into police work |
C.fight crimes scientifically | D.offer jobs |
A man who can “handle a teacup as well as a gun” has both ____________.
A.courage and manners | B.strength and kindness |
C.wisdom and energy | D.ability and humor |