Holidaymakers who are bored with baking beaches and overheated hotel rooms head for a big igloo. Swedish businessman Nile Bergqvist is delighted with his new hotel, the world’s first igloo hotel. Built in a small town in Lapland, it has been attracting lots of visitors, but soon the fun will be over.
In two weeks’ time Bergqvist’s ice creation(作品) will be nothing more than a pool of water. “We don’t see it as a big problem,” he says. “We just look forward to replacing it.”
Bergqvist built his first igloo in 1991 for an art exhibition. It was so successful that he designed the present one, which measures roughly 200 square meters. Six workmen spent more than eight weeks piling 1,000 tons of snow onto a wooden base; when the snow froze, the base was removed. “The only wooden thing we have left in the igloo is the front door,” he says.
After their stay, all visitors receive a survival certificate recording their success. With no windows, nowhere to hang clothes and temperatures below 0℃, it may seem more like a survival test than a relaxing(轻松的) hotel break. “It’s great fun,” Bergqvist explains, “As well as a good start in survival training.”
The popularity of the igloo is beyond doubt: it is now attracting tourists from all over the world. At least 800 people have stayed at the igloo this season even though there are only 10 rooms. “You can get a lot of people in,” explains Bergqvist. “The beds are three meters wide by two meters long, and can fit at least four at one time.” Bergqvist designed and built the world’s first igloo hotel because ________.
| A．an art exhibition was about to open |
| B．he wanted to make a name for the small town |
| C．he believed people would enjoy trying something new |
| D．more hotel rooms were needed |
When the writer says “the fun will be over,” he refers to the fact that ________.
| A．hotel guests will be frightened at the thought of the hard test |
| B．a bigger igloo will replace the present one |
| C．holidaymakers will soon get tired of the big igloo |
| D．Bergqvist’s hotel will soon become a pool of water |
According to the text, the first thing to do in building an igloo is ________.
| A．to gather a pool of water |
| B．to prepare a wooden base |
| C．to cover the ground with ice |
| D．to pile a large amount of snow |
When guests leave the igloo hotel they will receive a paper stating that ________.
| A．they have had a taste of adventure |
| B．they have had an ice-snow holiday |
| C．they have had great fun sleeping on ice |
| D．they have visited Lapland |
Which of the following pictures below is closest to the igloo hotel as described in the text?
What would you do if you were a fifth grader facing a huge homework load every night，and you found out that there was a machine that would do all the work for you? That’s the situation presented to Sam，Kelsey，Judy and Brenton in Dan Gunman’s entertaining new book for young readers，The Homework Machine．
The four children．all fifth graders in Miss Rasmussen’s class at Grand Canyon School，are as different as any other 11 year-old children could be，but they have one thing in common--all are somewhat separated from their classmates. Sam is a newcomer and has had his share of school trouble before; Kelsey quietly carries her pain at losing her father；Judy’s sense of justice always annoys others；and Brenton---well，he is another story entirely．Brenton is the smartest child in the school, so smart that even his parents and teachers have trouble keeping up with him．When Brenton and his three classmates are put into the same study group by their teacher，the others discover that Brenton has made a time-saving gadget(装置)to do his homework for him．While the boy is perfectly able to do the homework himself，Sam，Kelsey and Judy could use the help．
Having perfect grades is something new for these three，and as they meet every day to “do homework”，they find that they’re learning a lot about each other．Such a good thing can't last though，and when a secret man starts trying to get in touch with them，the children begin to get nervous. Soon there’s an even more frightening problem--why can’t the Homework Machine be turned off?
Gunman is a gifted writer who has written dozens of children’s books，each with a funny and impressing tale that should be equally liked by boys and girls．What type of text is it?
| A．A book review． | B．A school report． |
| C．A science story． | D．A student’s diary． |
What is one common thing that all four children have to deal with at school?
| A．Getting along with classmates． |
| B．Overcoming sad feelings． |
| C．Following school rules． |
| D．Keeping good grades． |
What can we learn about Brenton?
| A．He is strange and nervous. |
| B．He is clever and helpful. |
| C．He is brave and special. |
| D．He is quiet and smart. |
Why did the children get frightened?
| A．They had no idea how to stop the machine． |
| B．They lost the connection with each other． |
| C．They were questioned by a strange man． |
| D．They were tracked down by the police． |
A city child's summer is spent in the street in front of his home’, and all through the long summer vacations I sat on the edge of the street and watched enviously the other boys on the block play baseball. I was never asked to take part even when one team had a member missing—not out of special cruelty, but because they took it for granted, I would be no good at it. They were right, of course.
I would never forget the wonderful evening when something changed. The baseball ended about eight or eight thirty when it grew dark. Then it was the custom of the boys to retire to a little stoop(门廊) that stuck out from the candy store on the corner and that somehow had become theirs. No grownup ever sat there or attempted to. There the boys would sit，mostly talking about the games played during the day and of the game to be played tomorrow. Then long silences would fall and the boys would wander off one by one. It was just after one of those long silences that my life as an outsider changed. I can no longer remember which boy it was that summer evening who broke the silence with a question；but whoever he was, I nod to him gratefully now. “What's in those books you're always reading?” he asked casually. “Stories,” I answered. “What kind?” asked somebody else without much interest.
Nor do I know what drove me to behave as I did, for usually I just sat there in silence, glad enough to be allowed to remain among them; but instead of answering his question, I told them for two hours the story I was reading at the moment. The book was Sister Carrie. They listened bugeyed and breathless. I must have told it well, but I think there was another and deeper reason that made them so keen an audience. Listening to a tale being told in the dark is one of the most ancient of man's entertainments, but I was offering them as well, without being aware of doing it, a new and exciting experience.
The books they themselves read were the Rover Boys or Tom Swift or G．A. Henry. I had read them too, but at thirteen I had long since left them behind. Since I was much alone I had become an enthusiastic reader and I had gone through the booksforboys series. In those days there was no reading material between children's and grownups' books，or I could find none. I had gone right from Tom Swift and His Flying Machine to Theodore Dreiser and Sister Carrie. Dreiser had hit my young mind，and they listened to me tell the story with some of the wonder that I had in reading it.
The next night and many nights thereafter，a kind of unspoken ritual(仪式) took place. As it grew dark, I would take my place in the centre of the stoop and begin the evening's tale. Some nights, in order to taste my victory more completely, I cheated. I would stop at the most exciting part of a story by Jack London or Bret Harte, and without warning tell them that was as far as I had gone in the book and it would have to be continued the following evening. It was not true, of course; but I had to make certain of my newfound power and position. I enjoyed the long summer evenings until school began in the fall. Other words of mine have been listened to by larger and more fashionable audiences, but for that tough and athletic one that sat close on the stoop outside the candy store, I have an unreasoning love that will last forever.Watching the boys playing baseball, the writer must have felt ________.
| A．bitter and lonely | B．special and different |
| C．pleased and excited | D．disturbed and annoyed |
The writer feels grateful even now to the boy who asked the question because the boy ________.
| A．invited him to join in their game |
| B．liked the book that he was reading |
| C．broke the long silence of that summer evening |
| D．offered him an opportunity that changed his life |
According to Paragraph 3, storytelling was popular among the boys basically because ________.
| A．the story was from a children's book |
| B．listening to tales was an ageold practice |
| C．the boys had few entertainments after dark |
| D．the boys didn't read books by themselves |
Sometimes the writer stopped at the most exciting part of a story to ________.
| A．play a mean trick on the boys |
| B．add his own imagination to the story |
| C．experience more joy of achievement |
| D．help the boys understand the story better |
What is the message conveyed in the story?
| A．One can find his position in life in his own way. |
| B．Friendship is built upon respect for each other. |
| C．Reading is more important than playing games. |
| D．Adult habits are developed from childhood. |
Today just as technology changed the face of industry, farmers have undergone an “agricultural revolution”. On the farm of today, machines provide all the power.
One of the most important benefits will be the farm computer. A few forward-looking farmers are already using computers to help them run their farms more efficiently. The computers help them keep more accurate records so they can make better decisions on what crops to plant, how much livestock to buy, when to sell their products, and how much profit they can expect. Many computer companies have been developing special computer programs just for farmers. Programs are being written for hog(猪) producers, grain farmers, potato farmers, and dairy farmers. In the future, farmers will be able to purchase computer programs made to their needs. Because of the growing importance of computers on the farm, students at agricultural colleges are required to take computer classes in addition to their normal agricultural courses. There can be no doubt that farmers will rely on computers even more in the future. While the old-time farm depended on horse power, and modern farms depend on machine power, farms of the future will depend on computer power.
Another technological advance which is still in the experimental stage is the robot, a real “mechanized hired hand” that will be able to move and, in some ways, think like a human being. Unlike farmers of the present, farmers of the future will find that many day-to-day tasks will be done for them. Scientists are now developing robots that will be able to shear(修剪) sheep, drive tractors, and harvest fruit. Even complex jobs will be done by robots. For example, in order to milk their cows, farmers must first drive them into the special barn(畜棚), then connect them to the milking machines, watch the machines, and disconnect them when they are finished. In the future, this will all be done by robots. In addition, when the milking is completed, the robots will automatically check to make sure that the milk is pure. The complete mobilization of the farm is far in the future, but engineers expect that some robots will be used before long.Which sentence carries the main idea of the whole passage?
| A．The first sentence of the first paragraph. |
| B．The first sentence of the second paragraph. |
| C．The first sentence of the third paragraph. |
| D．The last sentence of the second paragraph. |
According to the passage, computers can not help farmers decide _____________.
| A．how much money they can earn from their products |
| B．whether to plant a certain kind of crop |
| C．whom to sell their livestock to |
| D．when to sell their products |
Which of the following statements is true?
| A．Farmers in the future will depend totally on computers. |
| B．Both computers and robots have been in use on today's farms. |
| C．Farmers mainly use machines on their farms at present. |
| D．Farmers can do nothing without the help of computers on today's farms. |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Computer—Farmers' Best Friend |
| B．Farmers in the Future |
| C．Robots in the future |
| D．Revolution on the farm |
BLOOD DRIVE & MARROW(骨髓) REGISTRATION
“These patients deserve a chance at a normal, happy future and they rely on the kindness of strangers to make that happen.”
—Daisy, Isabelle's Mother
Isabelle is the daughter of Daisy and Saman Mirzaei. In January 2008 Isabelle was diagnosed with a genetic blood disorder, beta thalassemia. Isabelle's body is unable to produce healthy red blood cells. As a result, Isabelle has been receiving blood transfusions(输血) every 4～6 weeks since she was 11 months old. A lifetime of regular transfusions can lead to serious medical problems. Her only chance at a normal, healthy life is to have a marrow transplant. Isabelle is an only child, so doctors have started a search for an unrelated marrow donor through the Be The Match Registry. The Mirzaei family asks that you consider helping patients like Isabelle by registering to be a marrow donor and give the gift of life, the gift of blood.
Held at Wiley Hall
Wednesday,_March_26,_2014
Behind Heathman Dormitory/Butterfield Rd.
12：00_PM—6_：00_PM
Don't forget to bring your driver's licence or
another form of identification when you donate.
Visit www.ribc.org to make an appointment,
Sponsor Code 3390.
FREE Kingston Pizza！！！
Marrow Donors: BE THE MATCH
be 18 to 44 years old bethematch.org
in good health
give a swab(化验标本) of your cheek cells for marrow typing
FREE—sponsored by Michael's Fund
www.ribc.org 8002838385
The Rhode Island Blood Centre distributes
blood products to hospitals in Rhode Island and
Southern New England.We can learn from the passage that________．
| A．the blood drive is organized by Isabelle's mother |
| B．Isabelle receives blood transfusions regularly |
| C．Isabelle has been ill for 11 months |
| D．doctors will sponsor Isabelle's family |
To be a marrow donor, you must________．
| A．be a relative of the patient |
| B．carry a driver's licence |
| C．be at least 18 years old |
| D．apply to Michael's Fund |
Those who want to help patients like Isabelle can ________．
| A．come to Wiley Hall every Wednesday |
| B．visit www.ribc.org for an appointment |
| C．contact their parents at 8002838385 |
| D．call at hospitals in Rhode Island |
A new study shows students who write notes by hand during lectures perform better on exams than those who use laptops．
Students are increasingly using laptops for notetaking because of speed and legibility(清晰度). But the research has found laptop users are less able to remember and apply the concepts they have been taught.
Researchers performed experiments that aimed to find out whether using a laptop increased the tendency to make notes “mindlessly” by taking down word for word what the professors said.
In the first experiment，students were given either a laptop or pen and paper. They listened to the same lectures and were told to use their usual notetaking skills. Thirty minutes after the talk，they were examined on their ability to remember facts and on how well they understood concepts.
The researchers found that laptop users took twice as many notes as those who wrote by hand. However, the typists performed worse at remembering and applying the concepts. Both groups scored similarly when it came to memorizing facts.
The researchers' report said, “While more notes are beneficial，if the notes are taken mindlessly, as is more likely the case on a laptop, the benefit disappears.”
In another experiment aimed at testing longterm memory，students took notes as before but were tested a week after the lecture. This time, the students who wrote notes by hand performed significantly better on the exam.
These two experiments suggest that handwritten notes are not only better for immediate learning and understanding, but that they also lead to superior revision in the future.More and more students favor laptops for notetaking because they can ________.
| A．write more notes | B．digest concepts better |
| C．get higher scores | D．understand lectures better |
While taking notes, laptop users tend to be ________.
| A．skilful | B．mindless |
| C．thoughtful | D．tireless |
The author of the passage aims to ________.
| A．examine the importance of longterm memory |
| B．stress the benefit of taking notes by hand |
| C．explain the process of taking notes |
| D．promote the use of laptops |