Homeboy Goes to Harvard University
On January 11, 2007, as students sat and listened, a very important guest speaker named Richard, spoke to the students in the lecture hall. He not only showed the potential（潜能）within young adults, but encouraged them to work hard at their lessons.
Richard was a young child when his mother died and his father walked out. He was forced into many different foster homes（寄养家庭）where he felt unhappy. He did not know that his life was taking a turn for the worst.
His uncle, after getting out of prison, got him into drugs and alcohol. His uncle taught him that his place in life was either to be in prison or die trying to be “a man.” His uncle’s teaching almost started affecting him until a very important person came into his life: a teacher. This teacher taught him there is a place in the world for everyone and it isn’t related to drugs.
Richard is now a Harvard University graduate and has a great and loving family. Why? He was taught to have respect not only for others, but for himself.
After the meeting, it was hoped that the students realized within them there is a potential, and within everyone around them, is knowledge. As Richard reminded them, “Knowledge is power.”On January 11, 2007, students listened to a speech made by Richard, who graduated from ________.
| A．Harvard University | B．a foster school |
| C．his teacher’s school | D．his uncle’s university |
Richard encouraged the students ______.
| A．to love life | B．to be a man | C．to study hard | D．to leave drugs |
When he was young, Richard lived a（an）_______ life in foster homes.
| A．rich | B．unhappy | C．relaxing | D．interesting |
Who played an important role in Richard’s successful life?
| A．His uncle. | B．His teacher. | C．His friends. | D．His parents. |
Texting pedestrians aren' t just an annoyance to their fellow walkers, but something dangerous to themselves.
"I was checking emails while walking to work this morning," said Wolbert van den Hoorn. "But it has a serious influence on the safety of people who type or read text while walking. "
Anecdotes back him up. A tourist from Taiwan walked off a port near Melbourne last month while checking Facebook-bringing an abrupt, and icy end to a penguin-watching visit. Another shopper in the U.S. was too addicted to his mobile phone to notice the fountain ahead, walking straight into it.
And as mobile-phone use has grown-to about 77% of the world's population, the study says-so has the number of phone-related accidents. The number of U. S. emergency-room visits linked to phone use on the move doubled to as many as l,500 between 2005 and 2010, an Ohio State University study recently showed.
Authorities world-wide have taken note. Signs on Hong Kong's subway system advise passengers in three languages to keep their eyes off their phones. Police and transport authorities have also warned the danger in Singapore, where the Straits Times newspaper ranked it as "No.2 Bad Habit", due to the rising number of road deaths.
Some U.S. states, including New York and Arkansas, are even considering bans on this act.
The Australian study used 26 volunteers, a third of whom admitted having hit objects while texting. They were fitted with different equipment in different parts of their body, and asked to walk 8.5 meters three times-once without a phone, once while reading a text and once while writing a text-while eight cameras captured the action.
Volunteers using the phone walked slower and with shorter steps (and slowest of all when typing), and, more seriously, they locked their arms and elbows in-like "robots", in the researchers' words. That forced their heads to move more, throwing them off balance.
"In a pedestrian environment, inability to maintain a straight path would be likely to increase potential for hits, falls and traffic accidents," said Mr. van den Hoorn. "The best thing to do is to step aside and stop, or keep off the phone."Which of the following about "Texting pedestrians" is WRONG?
| A．People who type while walking. |
| B．People who phone while walking. |
| C．People who text while walking. |
| D．People who read text message while walking. |
The writer uses the two examples in Paragraph 3 to show
| A．the advantages of mobile phones |
| B．the use of mobile phones in water |
| C．the use of mobile phones in a wrong way |
| D．the popularity of mobile phones |
What is New York and Arkansas' attitude to texting pedestrians?
| A．Considering forbidding their acts. |
| B．Ranking it as "No.l Bad Habit". |
| C．Setting up signs to warn them. |
| D．Equipping them with advanced machines. |
Why are texting pedestrians likely to hit or fall according to the passage?
| A．They walk too fast. |
| B．They lock their arms and elbows. |
| C．They are out of balance. |
| D．They walk with longer steps. |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Text message or e-mail only? |
| B．Ways to avoid falls |
| C．Mobile phones for entertainment |
| D．Safety or text message? |
A woman renewing her driver's license at the County Clerk's office was asked to state her occupation. She hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself.
"What I mean is," explained the recorder, "do you have a job, or are you just a. . . "
"Of course I have a job," said Emily. "I'm a mother."
"We don't list in mother' as an occupation... in housewife' covers it," said the recorder.
One day I found myself in the same situation. The clerk was obviously a career woman, confident and possessed of a high sounding title. "What is your occupation?" she asked.
The words simply came out. "I'm a Research Associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations. "
The clerk paused, ballpoint pen frozen in mid-air.
I repeated the title slowly, and then I stared with wonder as my statement was written in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire.
"Might I ask," said the clerk with new interest, "just what you do in this field?"
Coolly, without any trace of panic in my voice, I heard myself reply, "I have a continuing program of research (what mother doesn't), in the lab and in the field (normally I would have said indoors and out). Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities (any mother disagrees?) , and I often work 14 hours a day (24 is more like it) . But the job is more challenging than most careers and rewards are more of a satisfaction rather than just money. "
There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk's voice as she completed the form, stood up, and showed me out.
As I drove into our driveway, feeling happier by my attractive and exciting new career, I was greeted by my lab assistants-aged 13, 7 and 3.
Upstairs I could hear our new experimental model (a 6-month-old baby), in the child-development program, testing out a new vocal pattern.
I felt proud! I had gone on the official records as someone more distinguished and essential to mankind than "just another mother".
Motherhood... What a glorious career! Especially when there's a title on the door.What can we infer from the conversation between the woman and the recorder at the beginning of the passage?
| A．The woman felt ashamed to admit what her job was. |
| B．The recorder was impatient and rude. |
| C．Motherhood was not recognized and respected as a job by society. |
| D．The author was upset about the situation that mothers faced. |
How did the female clerk feel at first when the author told her occupation?
| A．Puzzled. | B．Curious. |
| C．Upset. | D．Frightened. |
How did the author feel when describing her job to the clerk?
| A．Angry. | B．Calm. |
| C．Unconfident. | D．Annoyed. |
Why did the woman clerk show more respect for the author?
| A．Because the author cared little about rewards. |
| B．Because she admired the author's research work in the lab. |
| C．Because the author did something she had little knowledge of. |
| D．Because she thought the author did admirable work. |
What is the author's purpose of writing the passage?
| A．To show that motherhood is a worthy career and deserves respect. |
| B．To show how you describe your job affects your feelings toward it. |
| C．To show that the author had a grander job than Emily. |
| D．To show that being a mother is hard and boring work. |
Over the last 30 years, Bangkok, once a small fishing village, has transformed into a rich, concrete, high-rise city that it is today. The spreading metropolis and its population of 12 million now produces 35 per cent of Thailand's economic wealth.
As a magnet for foreign companies, Bangkok attracts many overseas managers and business people from different fields, including tourism, automobiles and electronics. The city's population of foreigners is in the high hundreds of thousands, with tens of thousands of Japanese, Chinese and western employees working alongside hundreds of thousands of Burmese who mostly do unskilled jobs shunned by Thais.
For those used to the good life, the variety and quality of the city's food is a key attraction, says one US manager, before listing many of his favourite Italian, Mexican and, of course, Thai restaurants. Most offer quality meals for less than the cost of a takeaway sandwich in London.
Great choice and value can be found in Bangkok's other attractions, too. For overseas business people who enjoy shopping in luxury and air-conditioned comfort, the city has hundreds of modern shopping malls. Some foreigners, however, prefer the charms of Chatuchak Market, where anything can be bought at a good price by the skilled bargainer.
When the time comes to talk business many overseas business people prefer to move out of the markets and onto the golf course. Thailand has thousands of courses, which can provide a welcome break from the busy and noisy city life. But most business people go to the golf course because it's the perfect place to discuss the next big deal.
Because of the fast-paced life some foreign business people see Bangkok as a place to stay for the short term, rather than a lifetime. Australian computer software designer Sarah Huang is seven months pregnant but still working full-time in her Bangkok office. She says the city is "definitely a place I want to stay for the next five, ten years". Nannies and home help are affordable, but high fees for quality secondary education have convinced Ms. Huang to return to Australia when her child reaches high school age.According to the first two paragraphs, we know that
| A．Bangkok offers many working opportunities for people |
| B．Bangkok has always been a rich Thai city |
| C．most foreigners coming to Bangkok are tourists |
| D．Burmese in Bangkok mostly work for Thais |
The underlined word "shunned" in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to _
| A．forgotten | B．unwanted |
| C．appreciated | D．rewarded |
What is the main attraction of golf for business people according to the passage?
| A．It is the most convenient way for them to get regular exercise. |
| B．It is a good place in which to discuss business matters. |
| C．It is a great way to escape from the noise and pollution of the city. |
| D．It gives them the opportunity to meet local people in a social setting. |
Sarah Huang says she'll eventually leave Bangkok because
| A．she is going to have a baby |
| B．her working hours are too long |
| C．it's not easy to find suitable home help there |
| D．the cost of a good education there is too high |
The main purpose of the passage is to
| A．explain the reasons for Bangkok's rapid economic growth over the past 30 years |
| B．promote the many attractions Bangkok has to offer tourists visiting the city |
| C．describe the attractions of living in Bangkok for foreign business people |
| D．compare the lifestyles of Burmese workers and foreign business people in Bangkok |
The dodo is among the most famous extinct creatures, and a poster child for human-caused extinction events. Despite its bad name, and the fact that the species was alive during recorded human history, little is actually known about how this animal lived, looked, and behaved. A new study of the only known complete skeleton(骨架) from a single bird takes advantage of modern 3-D laser scanning(扫描) technology to open a new window into the life of this famous extinct bird.
The study was presented at the 74th Annual Meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology in Estrel, Berlin. Leon Claessens, Associate Professor at the College of the Holy Cross, and lead researcher on the study said that, "the 3-D laser surface scans we made of the fragile dodo skeletons enable us to reconstruct how the dodo walked, moved and lived to a level of detail that has never been possible before. There are so many outstanding questions about the dodo bird that we can answer with this new knowledge."
A complete dodo skeleton, found by an amateur collector and barber, Etienne Thirioux, on the island of Mauritius between 1899 and 1917, has remained unstudied, even though it is the only complete dodo skeleton from a single individual bird known to exist. All other skeletons are incomplete combinations, meaning that they are gathered from more than one individual. In addition, Thirioux constructed a second, partially combined skeleton, which contains many bones that also belong to a single bird. "Being able to examine the skeleton of a single, individual dodo, which is not made up from as many individual birds as there are bones, as is the case in all those other combined skeletons, truly allows us to appreciate the way the dodo looked and see how tall or fat it really was," said Juilan Hume, of the Natural History Museum UK, a co-author on the study.
The scans were performed on site in Durban, South Africa, and allow examination of the biology of this mysterious extinct bird in detail for the first time. Using the newest digital tools and techniques, the scans provide an insight into how the flightless dodo may have developed its giant size, and how it walked and lived in its forest home. According to Kenneth Rijsdijk, a biologist from University of Amsterdam, “the skull of the dodo is so large and its mouth so strong that it is easy to understand that the earliest naturalists thought it was related to sharks and other birds of prey（猛禽）, rather than the pigeon family.”The underlined phrase “a poster child” in Para. 1 is closest in meaning to “”.
| A．a typical example |
| B．an endangered animal |
| C．a child who puts up posters on the board |
| D．a child posted in a newspaper as an advertisement |
The researchers study the dodo skeleton to find out.
| A．ways to save the dodo |
| B．the dodo’s living habits |
| C．the bird’s natural habitat |
| D．the cause of the dodo’s extinction |
What is special about the dodo skeleton found by an amateur collector?
| A．It is gathered from more than one individual. |
| B．It reminded unstudied between 1899 and 1917. |
| C．It is the only complete dodo skeleton from a single individual bird. |
| D．It can be examined with 3-D laser scanning technology. |
What is the purpose of the author in writing this passage?
| A．To call people’s attention to wildlife protection. |
| B．To criticize humans for the extinction events. |
| C．To introduce a new way of studying the dodo. |
| D．To give tips on how to study extinct creatures. |
It doesn’t look like the heart of a green revolution. The huge chimneys stick up above the line of pine trees and don’t make for the most scenic view as you wander around the clear blue waters of the nearby lake.
But it is this power plant that has helped the small Swedish city of Vaxjo become arguably the greenest place in Europe. On closer observation, the only thing emerging from the chimneys is the faintest mists of steam. And inside it smells more like a sauna(桑拿) than a furnace(炉子). That’s because it is not oil fuelling the plant, but woodchip and other wood waste from the area’s sawmills. And as well as generating electricity, it also supplies 90 per cent of this southern Swedish town with heating and hot water.
The gases produced as the wood burns are changed into liquid form, and are purified before they reach the chimney. And instead of wasting this liquid, the power plant pumps it around town. Some runs out of the town’s public taps; the rest is directed through pipes that run through individual heaters, warming homes and offices.
The pile of wood chippings in the yard towers above head height and takes almost five minutes to walk around. That’s enough to keep Vaxjo warm on the snowiest day in winter, or supply it with hot water for a fortnight in summer, and it’s good way of using the paper industry’s waste. As well as the centuries-- old Swedish policy of planting a new tree for every one felled, the ashes swept out of the furnace each day find their way back to the forest as fertilizer(肥料).
It was this green plant that netted Vaxjo the European Union’s award for sustainable(可持续的)development, making it the greenest city on the continent.
However, it is not just the citizen’s consciences and moral histories to which the town’s current day authorities are appealing. They know how to talk to their wallets too. Oil-generated electricity costs about 16,000 kronor a year(￡1,170) per person, while the new power plant’s electricity comes in at two thirds of the price.
They’ve been planning for over ten years to become a “Fossil Fuel Free City”. But according to Anders Franzen, the head of planning and development department at the city council: “The battle in the energy sector has been won, yes, but the next battleground is transport.”What’s the main reason for “inside it smells more like a sauna than a furnace”?
| A．It is surrounded by pine trees. |
| B．It produces lots of hot water. |
| C．It is fuelled by woodchip and wood waste . |
| D．It sends out the smoke from the chimneys. |
It can be concluded from the passage that the power plant.
| A．promotes tree planting |
| B．makes full use of waste |
| C．relies heavily on paper industry |
| D．mainly supplies hot water and heating |
What impresses the town’s current-- day authorities most?
| A．The citizens’ consciences. |
| B．The town’s moral histories. |
| C．The lower cost of electricity |
| D．The award for sustainable development |
What Anders Franzen said in the last paragraph indicates that .
| A．they will continue their effort in green plan |
| B．they have great difficulty in transport |
| C．they have no room for further development |
| D．they are perfectly content with the achievement |