When building houses, people used to think about not only the climate of the areas but also the building materials and the fashions for their houses. However, since electricity became more and more expensive, people began to pay much more attention to the energy they could get for their houses and the new ways they could find to protect their houses from both cold and heat.
Now, houses of an old yet new type have been widely built. In some parts of the world, people share their houses with their livestock. During cold weather, they gather their cows, goats, or other animals and keep them on the first floor of their houses. The reasons are that the animals can be protected from the cold and that they can help to heat the houses as well. The body heat given off by the animals rises to the second floor of the houses, where people live. By sharing their houses with their livestock, people gain a source of heat.
People who live in or near cities do not usually keep livestock. However, home builders use the fact that heat rises. This natural law can be used in building houses in these areas. Instead of keeping livestock on the first floor, builders fill it with large rocks. As they are open to the sun’s rays during cold weather, these rocks take in heat. They also give off the heat, and, of course, the warm air rises into the living areas of the houses. So these houses are energy-saving.
House building becomes a great challenge to building designers and energy engineers. They try to meet this challenge by learning from old traditions and by using modern technology. And someday in the future, people will be able to live in more energy-saving houses.What did people begin to consider as electricity was no longer cheap?
| A．The climate of their areas |
| B．The building materials for their houses |
| C．The fashions for their houses |
| D．The energy for their houses |
People in some areas gain a source of heat by _________.
| A．keeping their livestock downstairs |
| B．protecting their livestock from the cold |
| C．sharing their houses only with their cows |
| D．living on the second floor with their livestock |
The underlined words “natural law” in the third paragraph refer to the fact that ________.
| A．heat raises the temperature in the houses |
| B．heat goes in the upward direction |
| C．heat goes up if temperature is raised |
| D．heat increases the temperature of rocks |
From the passage, we can conclude that _______ .
| A．people will no longer consider building materials in the future |
| B．almost all people will move into the houses heated by large rocks |
| C．energy-saving buildings will become more popular in the future |
| D．energy engineers will devote themselves only to modern technology |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．Energy-saving house building |
| B．House building is a great challenge |
| C．How to live in energy-saving houses |
| D．Energy-saving houses’ bright future |
Just call Apolo Anton Ohno the most decorated sportsman in the history of the Winter Olympics. The speed skater glided into the history books after the 2010 Olympics, winning a record-breaking eighth Olympic medal after completing the men’s 5,000-meter relay.
Apolo Anton Ohno, born on May 22, 1982, is an American short track speed skating competitor and an eight-time medalist (two golds, two silvers, four bronzes) in the Winter Olympics. He is one of the only four Americans who have won three medals in a single Winter Olympic Games. He started skating at age 12, and in two years became the best short track skater in the United States. In December1999, he became the youngest skater to win a World Cup event title.
“It feels amazing, especially in a sport as volatile as short track speed skating,” he remarked after his historic win. “This is my third Olympic Games and there is no other athlete here who has gone to three Olympic Games and won a medal every time. I wanted to leave my heart and soul on the ice and I did. I don’t look back at past medals, but I look back at the struggles. I live my life with the philosophy that anything’s possible but I had no idea I’d have this much success.”
Ohno’s third Olympics might have been his last. He is considering retirement, although US national coach Jimmy Jang is hoping to convince his longtime friend to compete four years from now in Sochi, a Russian city where the next Winter Olympics is going to be held.
“I never say ‘never’,” Ohno said. “I need a break from this sport that’s been very good to me.”
After the relay, Ohno skated over to congratulate the Canadians and shook hands with his South Korean competitors. One of them said: “We have some good memories and we also have some bad memories of Ohno. I will be sorry to see him leave the world of short track when he does.”
1. What would be the best title for the passage?
A. Short Track Speed Skating
B. Apolo Anton Ohno’s sport dream
C. Eight Gold Medalists in the Winter Olympics
D. “Michael Phelps” on the Ice—Apolo Anton Ohno
2. What does the underlined word “volatile” in Paragraph 3 mean?
A. changeable B. violent C. stable D. interesting
3. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. His three medals in this Olympics makes him the third one in American sports history.
B. He owes his success to his hard working and his strong belief.
C. He will retire after the next Winter Olympic Games to be held in Russia.
D. He has gained worldwide fame and recognition but his competitors’ envy.
4. In which section of a newspaper is the passage most likely to be found?
A. Health and Entertainment B. News abroad
C. Life and Society D. Great people
The home service industry in Beijing is expected to become more attractive both as a job and as an industry.
Sources at the Beijing People’s Political Consultative Conference said resistance to home service work is melting away from minds of the city’s laid-off workers. The Conference suggested the establishment of municipal (市政的) centers which supervise (监督) property management, household mending and installation, and house keeping services. Modern city life is creating a need for industrialization home services. This will create job opportunities for laid-off workers, said vice director of the Social Judicial Committee of the Conference.
Beijing residents have long desired a home service industry. The demand is expected to drive new economic growth. There are few high quality home help services in Beijing and customers are always complaining.
In the past, few laid-off workers in Beijing desired to work as home helpers, jobs largely taken by young women from the countryside. At the same time, some city residents have not felt safe trusting rural girls with modern household machines or with their small children. Many people would pay more for reliable house keepers who are more familiar with city life, but they have had no way of getting one, even though the city is home to thousands of laid-off workers.
By the end of June this year, there were 30,600 jobless workers in the city. Most of them are women in their 40’s, who are not blessed with particular skills and who have had their work ethics (准则) shaped by the planned economy. Many of them were at a loss when they first realized they had lost their jobs and a way of life they had got used to for decades. They never imagined being laid off by state owned enterprises; they never considered other kinds of employment. For them, the private sector (部门) meant taking risks; house-keeping implied lower social status. Gao Yunfang, 44, is a pioneer who is breaking the ice. She sells the Beijing Morning Post in the morning, and works at two households in the afternoon. She earns 1,000 yuan per month. So she no longer worries about her daughter’s tuition at a university in Shanghai.
1. What is talked about in the passage?
A. Home service. B. Modern city life. C. Laid-off workers. D. Social status.
2. What does the word “ laid-off” in the passage mean?
A. Heavily-burdened. B. Old C. Inexperienced. D. Jobless.
3. Why didn’t the laid-off workers like to do home services in the past?
A. Low salary. B. Lower social status.
C. Dirty working condition. D. Too much extra work.
4. Why were many laid-off workers at a loss?
A. Because they didn’t get used to the new way of life.
B. Because they are too old to find a new job.
C. Because they dislike being laid off.
D. Because they think they lost their social status.
III. 阅读理解
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D选项中，选出最佳选项。
I’ve written 14 movies. My characters smoke in many of them, and they look cool and glamorous doing it. Smoking was an integral（必需的） part of many of my screenplays because I was a heavy smoker. It was part of a bad-boy image I’d cultivated for a long time— smoking, drinking, partying, rock ’n’ roll.
Smoking, I once believed, was every person’s right. The second-hand smoke was non-existent problem invented by professional do-gooders. I put all these views into my plays.
Remembering all this, I find it hard to forgive myself. I have been an accomplice (帮凶) to the murders of untold numbers of human beings. I am admitting this only because I have made a deal with God. Spare me, I said, and I will try to stop others from committing the same crimes I did.
Eighteen months ago I was diagnosed with throat cancer, the result of a lifetime of smoking. I am alive but disabled. Much of my larynx (喉) is gone. I have some difficulty speaking; others have some difficulty understanding me.
I haven’t smoked or drunk for 18 months now, though I still take it day by day and pray for help. I believe in prayer and exercise. I have walked five miles a day for a year, without missing even one day. Quitting smoking and drinking has taught me the hardest lesson I’ve ever learned about my own weakness; it has also given me the greatest affection and empathy(同感) for those still addicted.
I don’t think smoking is every person’s right anymore. I think smoking should be as illegal as heroin. I’m no longer such a bad boy. I go to church on Sunday. I’m desperate to see my four boys grow up. I want to do everything I can to undo the damage I have done with my own big-screen words and images.
Screen writers know, too, that some movie stars are more likely to play a part if they can smoke —because they are so addicted to smoking that they have difficulty stopping even during the shooting of a scene.
My hands are bloody; so are Hollywood’s. My cancer has caused me to attempt to cleanse me. I don’t wish my fate upon anyone in Hollywood, but I beg that Hollywood should stop putting it upon millions of others.
1. The main idea of this passage probably is _________.
A. the writer is ashamed of the bad effects his screenplays have had on human beings
B. the writer’s smoking experience nearly killed himself
C. the bad effects that Hollywood screenplay have brought to children
D. the determination of the writer to overcome his illness
2. How do you think the writer has realized his mistake?
A. So many people have found the habit of smoking due to his plays.
B. His plays have brought great harm to teenagers.
C. He himself suffered greatly from smoking.
D. His screenplays have been doing more and more harm to human beings.
3. What is the writer determined to do in future?
A. He has made up his mind to give up smoking forever.
B. He will try his best to prevent others from writing screen plays encouraging smoking.
C. He will try his best to bring up his four children.
D. He has decided to write his screenplays without smoking scenes.
4. It can be inferred from the passage that _______.
A. the writer will soon be recovered from his illness thanks to his exercise
B. the writer will soon die because of his deadly disease
C. smoking will be got rid of in all Hollywood films
D. smoking in Hollywood films is still doing great harm to human beings
SHE dresses in saggy (宽松的) pants and is crazy about the pop star, Rain. Bin Xue is in love with South Korean culture. The 19-year-old from Sichuan Province feels a strong connection with the neighboring country.
"The two nations have a long history of friendship and there are many similarities between them," she said. "But Koreans are iron-willed, and we could learn this quality from them."
Bin is not the only Chinese deeply affected by Korean culture. A recent survey shows that most Chinese teenagers think highly of their eastern neighbor.
However, Koreans do not view the Chinese in the same good light. In a recent survey, only 5.5 per cent of Korean teens thought the Chinese people friendly.
The survey among high school students in China, Japan, South Korea and the United States, was conducted in 156 high schools. More than 7,000 teenagers were questioned on success, family, their self-identity (自我意识), as well as their opinions about the world at large.
Results showed that most Korean teens gave a low score to the Chinese for patriotism (爱国心), responsibility and honesty. In their eyes, Chinese people are not hard-working and don't obey the rules.
"The result is surprising, but it does reflect a real information gap between teenagers in the two countries," said Lei Li, a psychology professor from the Capital Normal University.
Experts say that Chinese students' positive feelings about South Korea were a result of the booming (繁荣) popularity of Korean pop music. Korean movies and TV series have flooded China. And 73 per cent of the Chinese respondents said they watched Korean TV serials and cartoons.
On the other hand, Lei added, Korean teenagers don't have much access to China. The survey found that only 6.7 per cent of Korean students have ever read Chinese books or news magazines or watch Chinese TV programmes.1
Professor Lei thinks that Chinese teens should give themselves a better basis for appreciating the cultures of their neighbors. It's not enough to simply enjoy their music, TV and fashion sense. "The survey shows that Chinese teens should make friends with their foreign peers . They shouldn't judge other countries by their media alone," said Lei.
Luo Xi'er, 17, from Hunan Province, hopes Chinese people can improve their image. "In my opinion, it is the bad behavior of Chinese tourists which has destroyed our image abroad," she said.
The girl has read several online articles in which Koreans put Chinese tourists' bad manners under the spotlight. "I would like to go to South Korea some day and show them that most Chinese are good-mannered."
1. Most Chinese teenagers think highly of South Korea because _____.
A. they are crazy about pop stars in South Korea
B. Korean people have certain qualities they respect
C. there are many similarities between China and South Korea
D. all of the above
2. Korean teens probably have low opinions of Chinese because ______.
A. they are friendly and iron-willed B. they don't know much about China
C. they hate Chinese because of historical conflicts
D. they only watch Korean TV serials and cartoons
3. According to professor Lei, ______.
A. Chinese teens should not enjoy the pop music of South Korea
B. Chinese teens should help Korean peers learn more about China
C. we should prevent Korean movies and TV series from flooding in China
D. we should have a better understanding of Korean peers
4. We can infer from the survey _________.
A. Chinese teenagers think highly of South Koreans
B. most Korean teens gave a low score to the Chinese
C. it is necessary to strengthen cultural communications
D. bad behavior of Chinese tourists destroyed our image abroad
Beverley had been feeling dull, bored and a bit out of it. He mentioned his mood (state of mind) when going to Andrew for a sports massage. He wondered whether he should take up Tai Chi. But Andrew didn’t think so.
“Tai Chi is great for people who want to feel grounded, but that isn’t your problem,” he said. “What you need is something more exciting, like dancing.”
In future, therapists (理疗专家) may well suggest that you fight your sadness with a course in kickboxing, and family doctors might suggest that you take a rest in the mountains instead.
We’ve long been aware that exercise has benefits beyond the physical ones; that activity can relax you, and help psychological well-being by reducing stress, anxiety and sadness.
Now some trainers and sports psychologists are going further and examining how to identify the correct exercise for a client’s (当事人) specific state of mind and personality.
Professor Stuart Biddle, an exercise and sports psychologist based at Loughborough University, England, has researched the effects of exercise on moods.
One of his findings was that, if your problem is low self-esteem, weight training should be your bag. “Working with weights builds strength,” he says, “and creates a stronger body image.”
Anger management, meanwhile, demands bursts of explosive (爆发性的) activity, from sports such as boxing or tennis.
This is because anger makes the body release（释放）adrenaline (肾上腺素), which causes heart rate and blood pressure to rise and muscles to become tighter —— the physiological changes required if you are to defend yourself.
Research shows that the “punch-bag (用拳头击打沙袋)” method of releasing disappointment and anger through hitting a boxing opponent (对手) or tennis ball, can help with fighting issues.
They have also found that teamwork is good for self-esteem and that those who are brought together to work in a social setting become more lively.
Which type of exercise will best help is, of course, down to the individual. Clearly, before you can find the best physical activity for yourself, you have to know your needs.
Ask yourself a few questions such as: What do I need in my life? Which issues are difficult for me? Am I sad or troubled? Only then can you decide whether you need taking up, or taking down.
1. Why did Andrew think Beverley shouldn’t take up Tai Chi?
A. Because Beverley was too weak. B. Because Beverley was too foolish.
C. Because Beverley’s mind was out of control. D. Because Beverley lacked activity.
2. Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. Psychologists haven’t realized the relationship between exercise and health.
B. People have already realized the relationship between exercise and spirits.
C. Boxing and tennis are the best ways to increase one’s self-esteem.
D. Trainers and psychologists don’t agree with each other on exercise.
3. Professor Stuart Biddle thinks that ____ .
A. anger should be examined by doctors B. anger should be taken away by medicine
C. anger should be given off by activities D. anger should be held back by oneself
4 The main idea of this passage may be ____ .
A. sports build up your body B. sports are helpful to your mind
C. heart trouble is due to anger D. anxiety and sadness are harmful to you