Yesterday the police were joined by more than 20 volunteers in the continuing search for the two missing teenagers, Vicky Gray and Tom Hunter, and their guide, Gavin Jones. The police said that they had disappeared during an adventure tour of Cape York Peninsula.
This was the second day of the search and the police were now very worried about the safety of the three missing people.
The police said that the search had covered a wide area, but the rainforest was thick and their work was made harder by the recent rain. Later on Chief Inspector (警官) Roger Fleet said, “The travelers had a radio with them. If they had been in trouble, they would have called us.”
The three travelers left Cooktown very early on Saturday morning in a Toyota car. They took a small dirt road that runs down to the Daintree River, a dangerous river full of crocodiles (鳄鱼). Chief Inspector Roger Fleet said the tourists wouldn’t have got into trouble if they had stayed on the main road.
A photo of Vicky and Tom was found by a policeman under the “Be Careful about crocodiles” sign near the river. Why was the photo left behind? This is just one of the unanswered questions. Other questions are: Why was the Toyota parked and locked at the edge of the rainforest? The police said that the travelers had left a map of the area behind. Why? Why had someone drawn a cross on the place where the car is? Is this a sign? What does it mean? If anyone can give information or has seen these three young people, contact the local police in Cooktown.This article is probably taken from ________
| A．a newspaper | B．a magazine | C．a storybook | D．a guidebook |
Which word best describes the search of the three missing people?
| A．Helpless | B．Tough | C．Delightful | D．Successful |
Which of the following things wasn’t found by the police?
| A．A touring map. | B．A photo of the travelers. |
| C．The travelers’ radio. | D．The travelers’ car |
All the following questions are unanswered except________.
| A．why they left a photo behind |
| B．why they came to this area |
| C．why their Toyota was parked in the place |
| D．why a cross was drawn on the map |
The article asks people to ________.
| A．join the police in searching for the missing people |
| B．tell the police about the travelers’ ages and their appearance |
| C．learn the lesson and stop taking adventure tours |
| D．provide information about the missing people |
How quickly can you count from one to ten? Do you use ten different words to do it? Can you do it in English, or do you have to use your first languages? Do you count on your fingers? Many people think that numbers and math are the same all over the world. But scientists have discovered that it is not true.
People in different parts of the world use different ways to count on their fingers. In the United States, people think begin counting with their first fingers, which they extend or stick out. They then extend the rest of their fingers and finally the thumb(拇指）to count to five. Then they repeat this with the other hand to get to ten. In China, people count by using different finger positions. In this way, a Chinese person can easily count to ten on only one hand.
Besides ways of finger counting, scientists have found that cultures and languages are also different when it comes to numbers. Some languages have only a few words for numbers, and others have no words for numbers. A group of scientists studied aboriginal(土著的）people in Australia. These people don’t have hand movements to stand for numbers. They don’t even have word for numbers. However, they are still able to understand different ideas about numbers.
In a similar study, researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology discovered that people of the Piraha tribe (部落） in northwestern Brazil don’t have words for numbers such as “one” or “three.”. They are not able to say “five trees” or “ten trees” but can say “some trees,” “more trees,” or “many trees.” Professor Edward Gibson said that mist people believe that everyone knows how to count, “but here is a group that does not count. They could learn, but isn’t not useful in their culture, so they’ve never picked it up.”
Although all humans are able to understand quantities(数量）,not all languages have numbers and not all people use counting. Number words in a certain language are a result of people needing numbers in their daily lives. Now we know that people have different ideas about numbers and math, too.The writer begins with the four questions in order to______.
| A．make a survey | B．interest readers |
| C．tell a story | D．solve math problems |
What do we learn from the difference in finger counting between the U.S. and China?
| A．People from China count much faster than people from the U.S. |
| B．People from China need two hands to count from one to ten. |
| C．People of different cultures may use different ways of finger counting |
| D．People of different cultures use the same way of finger counting. |
Which of following is true about aboriginal Australians?
| A．They have only a few words for numbers |
| B．They have hand movements to stand for numbers |
| C．They can only count to five on their fingers |
| D．They can understand different ideas about numbers |
The study of the Piraha tribe shows that____
A. people all over the world know how to count
B. People of the tribe have words for number
C. Some groups of people are not smart enough to count
D, Counting is not useful in the culture of the tribeWhat is the main idea of the passage?
| A．people from different cultures have different ideas about numbers and math |
| B．Chinese people can count more easily on their fingers than Americans |
| C．In some aboriginal culture,p eople don’t even know how to count |
| D．Some languages don’t have number words because people don’t need numbers. |
To us, it seems so natural to put up an umbrella to keep the water off when it rains. But in fact the umbrella was not invented as protection against the rain. Its first use was as a shade(遮蔽)against the sun.
Nobody knows who first invented it, but the umbrella was used in very ancient times. Probably the first to use it were the Chinese, back in the eleventh century BC.
We know that the umbrella was used in ancient Egypt and Babylon as a sunshade. And there was a strange thing connected with its use : it became a symbol of honor and power(权力). In the Far East in ancient times, the umbrella was allowed to be used only by those in high office or by royal people such as the kings or queens.
In Europe, the Greeks were the first to use the umbrella as a sunshade. The umbrella was in common use in ancient Greece, but it is believed that the first people in Europe to use the umbrella as protection against the rain were the ancient Romans. During the middle ages in Europe, the use of the umbrella almost disappeared. Then it appeared again in Italy in the late sixteenth century. And again it became a symbol of power.
Umbrellas have not changed much in style during all this time, though they have become much lighter in weight. It wasn't until the twentieth century that the umbrellas for women began to be made in all kinds of colors.Ancient people first used umbrellas as ____.
| A．a symbol of honor |
| B．protection against the sun |
| C．a symbol of power |
| D．protection against the rain |
According to the passage, the umbrella was probably first used in ancient ______.
| A．Egypt . | B．Babylon | C．Rome | D．China |
The underlined word royal might mean _ in Chinese.
| A．皇室的 | B．富裕的 | C．中产的 | D．平民的 |
According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
| A．The ancient Greeks used the umbrella in their daily life. |
| B．Europeans hardly used the umbrella during the middle ages. |
| C．The umbrellas for women were made colorful in ancient times. |
| D．The style of the umbrella hasn't changed a lot since it was invented |
This passage is mainly about _____.
| A．the sales of the umbrella |
| B．the differences among umbrellas |
| C．the invention of the umbrella |
| D．the history and the use of the umbrella |
There was a boy and his family was very rich. One day his father took him on a trip to a place. He wanted to show his son how poor people were there. They spent several days on a farm. There were many poor families living on the farm.
On their way home, the father asked the son, “How was the trip?” “It was great, Dad,” the son answered. “Did you notice how poor people were there?” asked his father. “Oh, yes,” said the son. “So, tell me,” said his father. The son said, “Well, we have one dog and they have four. We have a pool in our garden, while they have a river that has no end. We have expensive lanterns (灯), but they have stars above their heads at night. We have only a small piece of land to live on, while they have the endless fields. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have high walls around our houses to protect us, but they don’t need walls, because their friends will protect them.”
The father had nothing to say. Then the boy added, “Thank you, Dad, for letting me see how poor we are.”The father wanted to show his son ________.
| A．how people on the farm worked |
| B．how poor people were on the farm |
| C．how beautiful the farm was |
| D．how far it was from the city to the farm |
How often did they go to the farm?
| A．Once a week. | B．Twice a month. |
| C．Every year. | D．The writer doesn’t tell us. |
When the father asked the son how the trip was, the son thought it ________.
| A．great | B．tiring |
| C．terrible | D．boring |
According to the boy, people on the farm can see ________ at night.
| A．expensive lanterns | B．a lot of cars |
| C．stars above their heads | D．many horses |
Which of the following is TRUE, according to the passage?
| A．The boy was from a very poor family. |
| B．The father and the son spent several weeks on a farm. |
| C．People on the farm have high walls around their houses. |
| D．The boy thought that people on the farm lived a happy life. |
Alfred Nobel, the great Swedish inventor and industrialist, was born in Stockholm on October 21, 1833, but moved to Russia with his parents in 1842, where his father, Immanuel, made a strong position for himself in the engineering industry. Immanuel Nobel invented landmine (地雷) and made a lot of money from the government during the Crimean War, but went bankrupt (破产) soon after. Then, the family returned to Sweden in 1859, where Alfred began his own study of explosives in his father’s lab. He had never been to school or university but had taught himself, and by the time he was twenty, he became a skillful chemist and excellent linguist, speaking Swedish, Russian, German, French and English.
He built up over 80 companies in 20 different countries. He wasalways searching for a meaning to life. He spent much time and money working on how to end the wars, and the peace between nations, until his death in Italy in 1896. His famous last will, in which he left money to provide prizes for outstanding work in physics, chemistry, physiology, medicine, literature and peace, is a memorial to his interests and ideas. And so, the man is remembered and respected long after his death.Where was Alfred Nobel born？
_____________________________________________________.What did Immanuel Nobel invent during the Crimean War？
_____________________________________________________.Why did Alfred Nobel return to Sweden？
_____________________________________________________.How many companies did Alfred Nobel build up in different countries?
_____________________________________________________.What did Alfred Nobel leave money for？
_____________________________________________________.
With more and more cars on the road, traffic jams (堵车) areinevitable. Traffic jams can lead to increased accidents as there are more cars, with more people trying to get to their destination, all the while getting worse. Although it’s impossible to avoid traffic jams altogether, there are some tips you can follow to reduce the amount of time on the road.
Check for traffic jams before you leave. You can listen to the radio for traffic news, or check on the Internet to get up-to-minute information on traffic. If the route you want to take is heavy with traffic, you can choose another.
Look for a different route all the time. Most traffic jams happen on busy roads. Using country roads could avoid a lot of traffic. Although the distance you may have to travel is further, it can work out quicker.
Set your car radio to receive traffic bulletins. Many new car stereo systems (汽车音响系统) are equipped with a radio system by which you can hear the traffic channel. This way you can get the latest traffic information and change your journey if necessary.
__________ Most traffic jams usually occur(发生) during rush hour, so try to avoid this time period if possible. Some jobs offer flexible working hours so that you can travel to work outside of rush hour. Some jobs even allow you to work at home so as to avoid moving altogether. Ask your manager to see what you can do if traffic is a problem for you.
Use public transport instead. The easiest way to avoid traffic jams is to take buses or the underground instead of driving your own car. Not only will you avoid traffic jams but you will most likely be saving money.The underlined word “inevitable” in Paragraph 1 probably means _____.
| A．hard to accept | B．impossible to avoid |
| C．getting less serious | D．seen everywhere |
The writer wrote the text in order to ______.
| A．explain why there are traffic jams |
| B．tell us how to save time on the road |
| C．tell us what we can do on the road |
| D．tell us the negative(消极的) effects of traffic jams |
To get the latest traffic information, you could do the following EXCEPT ______.
| A．surfing the Internet |
| B．listening to the radio for traffic news |
| C．listening to the traffic channel |
| D．turning to other drivers for information |
Which of the following can be put in the blank(空白处) in the text?
| A．Choose a job that has flexible working hours |
| B．Make friends with your manager |
| C．Try traveling at different time |
| D．Work from home |
According to the writer, we should use public transport because __________.
| A．it is cheaper and can avoid traffic jams |
| B．it is useful to us |
| C．it is environmentally-friendly |
| D．it is completely free from traffic jams |