Happy April Fool’s Day! In celebration of the day, we have put together a list of some of the greatest hoaxes (恶作剧) in history. They are the lies that have been designed for innocent people who are ready to believe them.
INSTANT COLOR TV
In 1962 there was only one TV channel in Sweden, and it broadcast in black and white. The station’s Kjell Stepson, appearing on the news to announce that thanks to a newly developed technology, all viewers could now quickly and easily transform their existing sets to display color reception. All they had to do was pull a nylon (尼龙) stocking over their TV screen, and they would begin to see their favorite shows in color. Reportedly, hundreds of thousands of people, were taken in. Actual color TV transmission only started to appear in Sweden on April 1, 1970.
SAN SERRIFFE
In 1977 the British newspaper The Guardian published a special seven–page supplement(增刊) in honor of the tenth anniversary of San Serriffe, a small republic located in the Indian Ocean. A series of articles affectionately asked for more information about the beautiful holiday spot. Few noticed that every thing about the island was made up.
NIXON FOR PRESIDENT
In 1992 American National Public Radio’s Talk of the Nation program announced that, Richard Nixon, in a surprise move, was running for President again. His new campaign slogan was, “ I didn’t do anything wrong, and I won’t do it again.” Accompanying this announcement were audio clips(片断) of Nixon delivering his election speech. Listeners responded immediately to the announcement, flooding the show with calls expressing shock and anger. Only during the second half of the show did the host John Huckleberry reveal that the announcement was a practical joke. Nixon’s voice was copied by comedian Rich Little.Which of the following countries is NOT mentioned in the text?
| A．India | B．The UK | C．The United States | D．Sweden |
Who worked as a host on the radio?
| A．Kjell Stepson | B．Rich Little | C．Richard Nixon | D．John Huckleberry |
When did the small republic San Serriffe come into being?
| A．In 1962 | B．In 1977 | C．In 1992 | D．Never |
Where can we probably read this article?
| A．In the ad. | B．In a magazine | C．In a novel | D．In a news report |
At present we will explain a very old saying that has had a great effect on rock-and-roll music. That saying is “A rolling stone gathers no moss（苔藓）”．It has several meanings. One meaning is that a person who never settles down in one place will not be successful. Another is that someone who is always moving, with no roots in one place, avoids responsibilities.
This proverb was said to be first used in the 1500s. But in the 1960s, the expression “rolling stone” became famous in the world of rock-and-roll music. It became the name of a song, a rock group and a magazine.
Experts say it all started with a song by the American singer and guitarist Muddy Waters. He was one of the country's top blues musicians until his death in 1983. His music influenced singers like Elvis Presley and Bob Dylan. In 1950, Muddy Waters recorded a song called “Rolling Stone”．
A British rock group is said to have taken its name from Muddy Waters' song. The Rolling Stones performed for the first time in 1962.The group's members called themselves “the world's greatest rock-and-roll band”．
In 1965, Bob Dylan released （发行）his song “Like a Rolling Stone”．It is one of his best known and most influential works.
It is an angry song about a woman who was once rich and successful. But now she is on her own, “with no direction home, like a complete unknown, like a rolling stone”.
In 1967, a young man named Jann Wenner started a magazine and he named it “Rolling Stone”. The magazine reported on rock music and the popular culture that the music created. By 1971, “Rolling Stone” had become the leading rock music and counterculture publication. It is still popular today.All of them are musicians except ________．
| A．Jann Wenner | B．Muddy Waters |
| C．Elvis Presley | D．Bob Dylan |
Which person can be described as a rolling stone according to the proverb?
| A．A person who has a successful career. |
| B．A person who always changes his jobs. |
| C．A person who is out of work. |
| D．A person who has no family. |
Who first used “rolling stone” as a name for music?
| A．Elvis Presley. | B．Jann Wenner. |
| C．Muddy Waters. | D．Bob Dylan. |
Earn Money Online
You can earn money online without any investment or without anytime limit. I have many useful and easy methods for earning easy money while we all spend our useful time on the Internet by surfing, chatting, downloading and other work. There is no need to stop any other work. We can earn with or without our daily routine. Here I tell you the complete method for online earning.
First Method
Earn money with “Bux. to”. You can earn money through “Bux.to” by clicking （敲打）on ads on “Bux. to” site. First you need to open an account at “Bux. to”.
“Bux. To” is a new international and FREE English based service that allows advertisers to reach thousands of potential customers by displaying their ads on our “Surf Ads” page. An exact calculated percentage of all advertising income is paid to our members. “Bux. to” makes money through advertising.
How you make money
You view websites in 30 seconds through the “Surf Ads” page. Once the 30 seconds is up, you’ll either get a green tick sign or a red “x”. The green tick sign means you’ve earned $0.01and the “x” means you have not earned money for the visit. You’ll get red x’s when you have more than one websites from the “Surf Ads” page open. When this happens, you get no credit.
Earnings example
You click 10 ads per day =$0.10
20 referrals(转送) click 10 ads per day =$2.00
Your daily earnings =$2.10
Your weekly earnings =$14.70
Your monthly earnings =$63.00
How to get paid
If you have at least $10.00 accumulated, you can click on your account balance within your states area and it will meet your request. At present, it only makes payments through “AlertPay”. It will soon be using other methods of payment.
AlertPay is the payment processing solution that we use to pay members. Your AlertPay address is the e-mail address you use to register with AlertPay. You can get a free AlertPay account at http:// alertpay. com.
Method 2 will publish soon…What is the author’s purpose of writing this passage?
| A．To tell an interesting story. |
| B．To introduce a surprising way to earn money. |
| C．To present an exciting research. |
| D．To solve a puzzling problem. |
You can earn money by ________.
| A．advertising some products |
| B．choosing green ticks or x’s |
| C．chatting online |
| D．clicking on advertisement |
The underlined word “accumulated” can be replaced by “_________”.
| A．lost | B．gathered | C．wasted | D．spent |
What can we know from the passage?
| A．You’ll earn $0.10 if you click 1 ad. |
| B．Your AlertPay account is not for free. |
| C．You can get your payments through AlertPay. |
| D．You’ll get many green ticks if you have many websites open. |
A new research of 8,000 young people in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior shows that although love can make adults live healthily and happily, it is a bad thing for young people. Puppy love (早恋) may bring stress for young people and can lead to depression . The study shows that girls become more depressed than boys, and younger girls are the worst of all.
The possible reason for the connection between love and higher risk of depression for girls is “loss of self”. According to the study, even though boys would say “lose themselves in a romantic relationship”, this “loss of self” is much more likely to lead to depression when it happens to girls. Young girls who have romantic relationships usually like hiding their feelings and opinions. They won’t tell that to their parents.
Dr Marian Kaufman, an expert on young people problems, says 15% to 20% young people will have depression during their growing. Trying romance often causes the depression. She advises kids not to jump into romance too early. During growing up, it is important for young people to build strong friendships and a strong sense of self. She also suggests the parents should encourage their kids to keep close to their friends, attend more interesting school activities and spend enough time with family.
Parents should watch for signs of depression—eating or mood changes —and if they see signs from their daughters or sons, they need to give help. The good news is that the connection between romance and depression seems to become weak with age. Love will always make us feel young, but only maturity gives us a chance to avoid its bad side effects.Which of the following is more likely to have depression?
| A．Young girls who always hide their feelings and opinions. |
| B．Careless parents whose children are deep in love. |
| C．Young people who have a strong sense of selfishness. |
| D．Young boys whose parents watch for their behavior. |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．Early love makes young people keep close to their friends and parents. |
| B．Parents should help their children to be aware of the signs of depression. |
| C．Lacking love can lead young people to grow up more quickly. |
| D．The older a woman is，the less likely she seems to lose herself in romance. |
What’s the author’s attitude towards puppy love?
| A．Scared | B．Disapproving. |
| C．Confused | D．Disinterested. |
What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．.Romance is a two edged sword for adults. |
| B．.Romance is good for young people. |
| C．Parents should forbid their children’s love |
| D．Puppy love may bring young people depression |
When Nancy Lublin got $5,000 from her grandpa in 1996, she never once considered taking a vacation or paying off student loans .Instead, the 24-year-old New York University law student began thinking about helping low-income women get better jobs. "If a woman goes for a job interview poorly dressed, she won't get the job." Lublin says. “ but without a job, she can't afford suitable clothes."
So with the money Lublin founded "Dress for Success” and began collecting women's clothes which were still in good condition but which their owners no longer needed. "So many women have clothes lying around that they will never wear again," one of Lublin's assistants says "Nancy's idea is so simple and yet so important to women."
Many women come to Lublin's office before going to a job interview. Here, they receive a suit, shoes and any other things they need. Since it was set up, more than 1,000 women have turned to "Dress for Success" for help. Many of them have won jobs. Some have round jobs after being out of work for many years. Jenny, a 32-year-old woman who was recently hired as a law-firm office manager , says, "I made a good impression because of “Dress for Success”What can we learn from the text?
| A．Low-income women can get jobs at "Dress for Success" |
| B．Nancy's office gathers used clothes from women |
| C．Nancy's grandfather lent her the money to set up the office. |
| D．Nancy set up "Dress for Success" to make money. |
"Dress for Success" attracts many women because they_______
| A．prefer buying clothes at a low price |
| B．like to wear different clothes. |
| C．need to look smart when looking for a job. |
| D．like the design of the dresses |
From what Jenny says, we know that ______.
| A．she got a lot of good ideas from Nancy |
| B．"Dress for Success" has a good business relation with her firm. |
| C．clothes from Nancy's office helped to get her a job. |
| D．she is working happily at her present job |
What would be a good title for the text?
| A．Nancy: A Successful Law Student. |
| B． A Helping Hand for Women |
| C．Keep Your Old Clothes |
| D．A Successful Clothing Business |
Here’s a movie-a sharp, sugar-rush of fun that’s guaranteed to entertain the entire family.
With some terrific computer-generated effects, a great cast and a fun-packed storyline, Robots is the best animated film(动画片) since The Incredibles. Yep, it really is that good.
Set in a world populated by robots, Ewan McGregor plays Rodney Copperbottom, a young robot who leaves his small-town home to pursue his dream of becoming an inventor.
But after arriving in Robot City, his hopes of getting a job at Bigweld Industries are destroyed when he learns the firm has been taken over by the evil Ratchet (Greg Kinnear).
Egged on by his controlling mum, Madame Gasket (Jim Broadbent), Ratchet plans to reduce half on Robot City’s citizens to scrap metal by refusing to sell the spare Pans they need to survive.
Instead, he wants to make a fortune selling expensive upgrades that few can afford. As he says, “Why be you when you can be new?”
Aided by a few misfit robots known as the Rustles-including Robin Williams as the cowardly(胆小的) Fender (“I’m made of a metal called Afraidium”)-Rodney must track down the firm’s founder, Bigweld (Mel Brooks), and convince him to save the city from Ratchet’s plans.
The first thing that’ll strike you about the movie is the thought that’s gone into creating Robot City. It’s a wondrous world full of mechanical marvels including wind-up cars and walking streetlamps.
Also terrific are the special effects. This might be animated movie but at times you’ll catch yourself thinking it’s really a live-action film.
Of course, there have been plenty of animated movies that looked the part but were let down by a weak storyline(see Shark Tale, for example).
But Robots grips(扣人心弦)right from the start thanks to a heart-warming and thoroughly engaging plot that never bores.
My only complaints are with Williams who, as usual, has a one-in-10 success rate with his jokes. Also a letdown is a romantic subplot between Rodney and a shapely robot called Cappy (Halle Berry) that doesn’t go anywhere.
Complains aside, this is a mechanical marvel that’ll have you bolted firmly to your seat.
BEST QUOTE(引述)：Fender：“Even though you had a discouraging day, just remember there’s another one coming tomorrow.
BEST BIT：Check out those amazing images.
WORST BIT：Robin Williams’ character does an unfunny Britney Spears dance routine.
IF YOU LIKED…Ice Age, The Incredibles, Toy Story…YOU’LL LIKE THIS.This piece of writing is a _____.
| A．film review | B．commercial advertisement |
| C．movie poster | D．1iterary essay |
The cast of Robots is made up of all the following actors or actresses EXCEPT ______.
| A．Ewan McGregor | B．Britney Spears |
| C．Robin Williams | D．Halle Berry |
What is Shark Tale an example of?
| A．A great cast. | B．Special effects. |
| C．A poor plot. | D．Clumsy animation. |