Loch Ness, the largest freshwater lake in the British Isles, is twenty four miles long and, at one point, one mile wide. It has an average depth of four hundred and fifty feet and at times drops close to a thousand. It is cold and murky (混沌的), with dangerous currents. In short, it is the perfect place to hide a monster from even the sharpest eyes of science.
The Loch Ness Monster, also called Nessie, is supposedly living in this area. The earliest recorded sighting of the Loch Ness Monster was in the biography of Life of St. Columba by Adamnan in the year AD 565. The monster apparently attacked a man who was swimming in the River Ness.
The monster didn’t make headlines again until August 27, 1930, when 3 fishermen reported seeing a creature with 20 feet long approaching their boat, throwing water in the air. In 1933, after a new road was built along the edge of the Loch, the number of reports rose suddenly. Early in 1934, Author Grant, a young student, was out on his motorcycle one evening when he almost ran into the monster as it crossed the road. Grant’s description of the thing – small head, long thin neck and tail with a big body, seemed to match the appearance of the plesiosaur (蛇颈龙), an aquatic (水生的) type of dinosaur that has been extinct (已灭绝的) for 65 million years.
The Loch Ness Investigation Bureau was formed in 1962 to act as a research organization for information about the creature. Even now, efforts have continued to find the monster. A great deal of information was discovered about the Loch, but there isn’t any yet to produce any specific evidence of a monster.
Skeptics (怀疑论者) argue that the water in the Loch is too cold for a plesiosaur to live in. They also argue that an air-breathing animal, like a whale or seal, would spend much more time on the surface than the creature seems to, and would be spotted more often.
Some scientists have wondered if the sightings might be caused by an underwater wave which is known to sometimes occur in deep, long, and cold lakes, like Loch Ness. Such a wave might push debris (废弃物) to the surface that might look like a strange animal.
However, none of these is identified.According to the skeptics, which of the following is TRUE?
A.It is impossible for a monster to live in cold water. |
B.The Loch Ness Monster often stays under the water. |
C.The Loch Ness Monster is an air-breathing animal. |
D.There is no so-called monster in Loch Ness. |
Which of the following is the correct order for the things that happened in the passage?
a. A young student met with a monster crossing the road.
b. A swimmer was attacked by a monster in Loch Ness.
c. A new road was built along the edge of the Loch.
d. The Loch Ness Investigation Bureau was set up.
e. Three fishermen saw a creature swimming towards their boat.
A.b, e, c, a, d | B.a, b, e, d, c |
C.b, d, a, c, e | D.d, c, e, b, a |
What does this passage mainly talk about?
A.The natural scenery of Loch Ness. |
B.The Nessie. |
C.Skeptics’ opinions on Loch Ness Monster. |
D.The Loch Ness Investigation Bureau’s research results. |
TOKYO - Japan is considering plans to calm tensions(紧张)with China by acknowledging(承认) Chinese claims to the disputed islands in the East China Sea, while maintaining its own position, Kyodo News cited sources as saying on Tuesday.
The report said that the plans would allow Japan, without changing its long-held position, to compromise a little with China, which has called on Tokyo to acknowledge the existence(存在) of a dispute(冲突)over the Chinese Diaoyu Islands, referred to as Senkaku Islands in Japan.
Japan has refused to rescind its recent purchase(购买) in mid-September of three of the five Diaoyu islands from a so-called private Japanese owner, which the government says was meant to maintain(继续)the uninhabited islands in a stable manner, despite China's strong protest.
It remains uncertain, however, whether China would be encouraged by the Japanese step to improve the tensioned ties, said Kyodo.The passage may come from___________.
A.a magazine | B.a newspaper | C.a textbook | D.a map |
From the passage we can know________.
A.Japan will give in. |
B.China is against Japan’s purchase of Diaoyu islands. |
C.The problem between China and Japan has been settled. |
D.China is the owner of Diaoyu islands. |
What does the underlined word mean?
A.agree | B.give up | C.compete | D.change |
What is the writer’s attitude?
A.He supports China. | B.He supports Japan. |
C.He doesn’t have his own attitude. | D.He dare not show his attitude. |
Mo Yan, the winner of this year’s Nobel Prize for Literature, said he is not sure about whether he is happy after winning the prize.
In an interview with China Central Television broadcast on Sunday night, Mo said “I don't know,” when a reporter asked if he was happy.“Happiness means a healthy body and a total absence of mental burdens, but now I’m under high pressure and bothered by worries. Can I say that I'm happy?” he said. “But if I say I'm not happy, people will consider that I'm striking a pose. How could you be unhappy after winning the Nobel Prize?”
Mo, born into a farmer’s family in East China’s Shandong province, As a 12-year-old during the Cultural Revolution he left school to work, first in agriculture, later in a factory. In 1976 he joined the People’s Liberation Army and during this time began to study literature and write. His first short story was published in a literary journal in 1981.
“In his writing, Mo Yan draws on his youthful experiences and on settings in the province of his birth. This is apparent in his novel Hong gaoliang jiazu (1987, in English Red Sorghum 1993),” said the academy in a statement of Mo’s biography. Red Sorghum was successfully filmed in 1987, directed by famous Chinese director Zhang Yimou.
Mo won the Nobel Prize for Literature, which is worth $1.2 million, on Oct 11 for his “hallucinatory realism” which merges “folk tales, history and the contemporary”. Dozens of his works have been translated into English, French and Japanese and many other languages.
He is the first Chinese citizen to win the prize.The award sparked strong interest about contemporary Chinese literature among the public, and his books have been flying off the shelves in many bookstores across the country.The followings are TRUE except_____________.
A.He has won about 8 million yuan. |
B.His works are all about farmers. |
C.He has a big influence on Chinese contemporary literature. |
D.Reporters have interviewed him about his winning. |
From the passage we can know__________.
A.He won the prize because of his story Red Sorghum. |
B.He wanted to become a writer when he was very young. |
C.Mo Yan’s works have been translated into Russian. |
D.Mo Yan was born in a farmer family. |
What is Paragraph Three mainly about ?
A.His different work. | B.His early life. |
C.He switched over to literature. | D.His family and hometown. |
What can we infer from the passage?
A.Mo Yan is very happy to win the Nobel Prize. |
B.More and more readers are buying Mo’s books to read in China. |
C.Winning the Nobel Prize is not easy. |
D.Mo Yan won the prize with the help of Zhang Yimou. |
Random ramblings from a guy who is too busy to have a Web site. On the bright side, you won't find any ads, pop-ups, hype, or any attempts to sell you anything at all. Furthermore, you won't find any pages divided into a hundred little boxes. And the text is so large, you don't need an electron microscope to read it. A refreshing break from reality. Anyway, here's what I have so far as I gradually resurrect my poor neglected Web site.
PC Survival Camp
Being new to computers, or even just being a “casual user”, isn’t always fun. It's as though everybody on the planet assumes you already know all the buzzwords, and already possess all the skills necessary to use a computer. Which is a really big assumption, when you consider that nobody was ever born knowing how to use a computer. The links below provide some quick mini-tutorials on all the skills and buzzwords that everyone else seems to assume you already know. Click on any link (underlined text) for a quick mini-lesson. Use the Back button at the bottom of any
page to work your way back to this page.
TechFear Camp |
Jargon Camp |
Internet Camp |
Windows XP Camp |
Wrong button! |
Hardware |
What is the Net? |
Desktop |
Crash the Internet! |
Ports |
What's Bandwidth? |
Start menu |
Erase everything! |
KB, megabytes, etc. |
What's Download? |
Taskbar |
Run out of space! |
Software |
What Web browser? |
Quick Launch |
Email privacy! |
Toolbars |
Getting around |
Notifications |
Viruses! |
What e-Mail client? |
Moving and Sizing |
|
Hackers! |
Death to pop-ups |
Control Panel |
|
More... |
If you're looking for Microsoft Access stuff, click here.
lI'm gradually bringing back some of my old HTML stuff here.
lIf you have a question, Ask Alan Who is the passage written for?
A.Everyone | B.College students. |
C.Anyone who wants to use a computer. | D.An expert on computers. |
What’s the advantage of this web site?
A.It’s cheap. | B.There are no ads. |
C.It’s modern. | D.It provides an electron microscope. |
You can learn computer skills except_____.
A.Erase everything! | B.Software. | C.Flash . | D.Taskbar. |
If you have problems, ask____ for help.
A.Coolnerds.com | B.PC survival Camp |
C.Alan | D.HTML Stuff |
This recently-released documentary(纪录片)had some fantastic footage(镜头) in it, and a very personal look at many of the astronauts who went to the moon. Overall, that is a very exclusive(独特的) club; only about a dozen men ever did it in the history of the world and just eight or nine ever stepped foot on it. Most of them are still alive and they discuss their adventures, insights and personal feelings here.
One gets the feeling that the rest of us will never know exactly how beautiful the moon is except to take the astronauts’s words about it, because even the pictures on this DVD can’t convey that.
Since this documentary is about 100 minutes long, you get a lot of information. You also get reminded how close two of the three men who went up on that historic first walk on the moon almost didn’t get home alive.
An absence in this documentary is the most famous astronaut of them all: Neil Armstrong, the first man to step foot on the moon! Apparently, he did not want to be part of this film. One of the astronauts mentions something briefly about Armstrong being somewhat of a “recluse(隐居者)” now and it “being understandable with what he’s gone through”. From what I’ve read, a lot of people have tried to make money off him in shady ways and so now he’s withdrawn(退出) from the public spotlight.
This film, a legacy to the Apollo program and the brave men who ran it, should be in every schoolroom. It would make history more interesting to students.What can we know from the passage?
A.One of the astronauts talks about how beautiful the moon is. |
B.Two of the three men who went to the moon lost their lives. |
C.The documentary would make more students interested in history. |
D.The astronauts talk about their adventures, insights and excitement. |
How many astronauts first flew to the moon?
A.1 | B.2 | C.3. | D.4 |
Why was Armstrong absent from the film?
A.Because he didn’t like to show in public. |
B.Because he has been tired of astronaut’s life. |
C.Because someone wanted to make money off him. |
D.Because he thought what he did was nothing to mention. |
What made Armstrong famous around the world?
A.That he came back safely to the earth alive. |
B.That he became an astronaut. |
C.That he first stepped on the moon. |
D.That he walked on the moon for 100 minutes. |
For 40 years, the people of London have been happy to discover in their parks a bird that seems to have made its way from the Himalayas to the capital of England. With its shocking green body, red mouth, long tail and noisy screech(尖叫), the rose-ringed parakeet (长尾小鹦鹉) brought a vivid colour to parks in and around London.
However, the parakeets are no longer welcome. The government has suddenly woken up to the fact that there are many more parakeets in and around London making life harder for the local bird population. Government experts put the number of parakeets at around 30,000. They fear that if the number of parakeets keeps rising, these birds will push out local birds like wood-peckers, starlings and nuthatches from trees to build their own nests.
Not only that. According to an online report by The Independent, the parakeets will then also get control of most of the food available in the parks — seeds, berries, fruit and nuts. The local bird population will then have a hard time staying alive. An organization called the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has asked the government to investigate (调查) what kind of a threat the parakeet brings to local birds. If the government decides that these birds are indeed a threat to local birds, steps will be taken to control the number of parakeets.
The most surprising thing about the case of the rose-ringed parakeet is that no one quite knows how the parakeets came from India and started breeding (繁殖) in areas around London.Parakeets are no longer welcome mainly because ______.
A.the local birds are being driven out |
B.the government doesn’t like the birds |
C.they are a threat to people’s health |
D.people have a great fear of this kind of birds |
According to an online report by The Independent, ______.
A.the parakeets’ future threat is impossible |
B.the number of the parakeets is around 3,000 |
C.the parakeets should fly back to the Himalayas |
D.the local birds won’t have enough food |
People are not certain ______.
A.where the parakeets live |
B.how the parakeets breed |
C.how they flew to London |
D.when they started living in London |
The best title for this passage would be _____.
A.Help the parakeets | B.Pretty birds have trouble |
C.Birds invade London | D.Pretty birds |