Anger at the practice of demanding dowries, which can lead to violence against brides, has caused a takeoff of "Angry Birds" called "Angry Brides" that aims to highlight the illegal practice still common in many South Asian countries.
Dowries -- such as jewelry, clothes, cars and money -- are traditionally given by the bride's family to the groom and his parents to ensure she is taken care of in her new home.
The custom was outlawed more than five decades ago. But it is still widely practiced, with the groom's family demanding even more money after marriage, leading to mental and physical abuse that can drive the woman to suicide.
"The Angry Brides game is our way of throwing a spotlight on the nuisance (陋习) of dowry," said Ram Bhamidi, senior vice president and head of online marketing for Shaadi.com, a matrimonial (婚姻的) website with two million members.
"According to a 2007 study, there is a dowry-related death every four hours in India. We condemn this and have consistently run campaigns on social media to help create awareness of the issue."
The name of the app, available on the group's home page, is a spinoff from the globally popular "Angry Birds" game. Its home page shows a red-clad, eight-armed woman resembling a powerful female Hindu goddess. Underneath, there is a caption: "A woman will give you strength, care and all the love you need ... NOT dowry!"
To play the game, users have to try and hit three dodging grooms -- a pilot, builder and doctor. There is a wide array of weapons to choose from, including a stiletto shoe, a frying pan, broomstick, tomato and loafer.
Each groom has a price tag, starting at 1.5 million rupees ($29,165). Every time the player hits a groom, his value decreases and money is added to the player's Anti-Dowry Fund, which is saved posted on their Facebook page.
"Since we launched the game last week, more than 270,000 people have liked the app. Both men and women seem to be playing it," said Bhamidi.What caused "Angry Brides" to appear online?
| A．Women's rights' being seriously abused． |
| B．Anger at the practice of demanding dowries． |
| C．The bride's giving a great many dowries． |
| D．The popularity of Angry Birds online． |
Which of the following is True about "Dowries"?
| A．The custom of giving dowries has been in practice for five decades． |
| B．Lack of abundant dowries may lead to the bride's being in violence． |
| C．The illegal practice of dowries is still popular in many African countries． |
| D．More dowries the bride gives mean a high social status of her family． |
The underlined word "spinoff” probably means_____________．
| A．relation | B．connection | C．copy | D．fake |
Which of the following is NOT TRUE about the game "Angry Brides"?
| A．There are a variety of weapons to choose from． |
| B．Ram Bhamidi thinks highly of the game． |
| C．Men players don't find the game enjoyable． |
| D．The game character looks like a Hindu goddess． |
What is the text mainly about?
| A．Women's unfair treatment in the marriage． |
| B．The popularity of the game "Angry Brides"． |
| C．The groom's demanding too many dowries． |
| D．How to build an equal relation in the marriage． |
Given that many people's moods (情绪)are regulated By the chemical action of chocolate, it was proBaBly only a matter of time Before someBody made the chocolate shop similar to a drugstore of Chinese medicine. Looking like a setting from the film Charlie&the Chocolate Factory, Singapore's Chocolate Research Facility (CRF) has over 100 varieties of chocolates.its founder is Chris Lee who grew up at his parents' comer store with one handalmost always in the jar of sweets.
If the CRF seems to Be a smart idea, that's Because Lee is not merely a seasoned salesperson But also head of a marketing department that has Business relations with Big names such as Levi's and Sony. That idea surely results in the imagination at work when it comes to making different flavored(味道)chocolates.
The CRF's produce is "green". made within the country and divided into 10 lines, with the Alcohol Series Being the most popular. The Exotic Series一with Sichuan pepper, red Bean (豆).cheese and other flavors一also does well and is fun to taste. And for chocolate snoBs，who think that they have a Better knowledge of chocolate than others, the Connoisseur Series uses cocoa Beans from Togo, CuBa, Venezuela , and Ghana, among others.
| 1． |
What is good aBout chocolate?（）
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| 2． |
Why is Chris Lee aBle to develop his idea of the CRF?（）
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| 3． |
Which line of the CRF produce sells Best?（）
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| 4． |
The words "chocolate snoBs" in Paragraph 3 proBaBly refer to people who（）
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In 1947 a group of famous people from the art world headed By an Austrian conductor decided to hold an intemational festival of music,dance and theatre in EdinBurgh. The idea was to reunite Europe after the Second World War.
At the same time, the “Fringe” appeared as a challenge to the official festival.Eight theatre groups turned up uninvited in 1947,in the Belief that everyone should have the right to perform,and they did so in a puBlic house disused for years.
Soon,groups of studentsfirstly from EdinBurgh University, and later from the universities of Oxford and CamBridge,Durham and Birmingham were making the journey to the Scottish capital each summer to perform theatre By little-known writers of plays in small church halls to the people of EdinBurgh.
Today the “Fringe”,once less recognized, has far outgrown the festival with around 1,500 performances of theatre,music and dance on every one of the 21 days it lasts. And yetas early as 1959,with only 19 theatre groups performing,some said it was getting too Big.
A paid administrator was first employed only in 1971, and today there are eight administrators working all year round and the numBer rises to 150 during August itself. In 2004 there were 200 places housing 1,695 shows By over 600 different groups from 50 different countries. More than 1,25 million tickets were sold.Point was the purpose of EdinBurgh Festival at he Beginning?
| A．To Bring Europe together again. |
| B．To honor heroes of World War 11. |
| C．To introduce young theatre groups. |
| D．To attract great artists from Europe. |
Why did some uninvited theatre groups come to EdinBurgh in 1947?
| A．They owned a puBlic house there. |
| B．They came to take up a challenge. |
| C．They thought they were also famous. |
| D．They wanted to take part in the festival. |
Who joined the "Fringe" after it appeared?
| A．they owned a puBlic house there |
| B．University students. |
| C．人rusts from around the world. |
| D．Performers of music and dance. |
We may learn from the text that EdinBurgh Festival.
| A．has Become a non-official event |
| B．has gone Beyond an art festival |
| C．gives shows all year round |
| D．keeps growing rapidly |
Doctor are known to Be terriBle pilots. They don't listen Because they already know it all. I was lucky: Became a pilot in 1970, almost ten years Before I graduated from medical school. I didn't realize then, But Becoming a pilot makes me a Better surgeon. I loved flying. As I flew Bigger, faster planes, and in worse weather. I learned aBout crew resource management (机组资源管理), or CRM, a new idea to make flying safer. It means that crew memBers should listen and speak up for a good result, regardless of positions.
I first read aBout CRM in 1980. Not long after that, an attending doctor and I were flying in Bad weather. The controller had us turn too late to get our landing ready. The attending doctor was flying; I was safety pilot He was so Busy Because of the Bad turn, he had forgotten to put the landing gear (起落架) down. He was a Better pilot - and my Boss - so it felt unusual to speak up. But I had to: Our lives were in danger. I put aside my uneasiness and said, "We need to put the landing gear down now!" That was my first real lesson in the power of CRM, and I've used it in the operating room ever since.
CRM requires that the pilot/surgeon encourage others to speak up. It further requires that when opinions are from the opposite, the doctor doesn't overreact, which might prevent fellow doctors from voicing opinions again. So when I'm in the operating room, I ask for ideas and help from others. Sometimes they're not willing to speak up. But I hope that if I continue to encourage them , someday someone will keep me from "landing gear up".
| 1． |
What dose the author say aBout doctors in general?
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| 2． |
The author deepened his understanding of the power of CRM when.
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| 3． |
In the last paragraph"landing gear up" proBaBly means.
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| 4． |
Which of the following can Be the Best title for the text?
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Glaucoma（青光眼）is a major cause of blindness around the world, especially in developing countries. The World Health Organization says glaucoma is a greater public health challenge than cataracts（白内障）, because the blindness caused by the latter can be cured after operations.
Glaucoma is a disease that makes people around the world lose their sight, and they usually don’t even know they have the disease until it has permanently destroyed at least 40 percent of their sight. The process is usually so painless and subtle（不明显的）, so people don't notice it. Actually, the simplest medical test can discover it.
“It is the leading cause of blindness in the United States. In Hispanics and in African-Americans, it’s the second leading cause of blindness and so is the case in the Chinese and Indians.” said Dr. Alan Robin, a specialist in treating glaucoma. “The glaucoma we see in sub-Saharan Africa is a much more aggressive blinding disease than the glaucoma we see in Americans or even African- Americans in-the United States.” he said．．
Dr. Eric Fleischer also sees these differences at Medstar Washington Hospital Center. “Pretty much anybody who has ancestors in Africa has an increased chance of developing glaucoma.” Age is another thing that may lead to glaucoma, although people of all ages can get it.
Glaucoma is a group of diseases that commonly produce pressure in the eye. An eye is sort of like a watch. And behind the face of the watch, liquid is made. It goes through your pupil（瞳孔）and into the front of the watch between the face and the crystal．There's an area around the edge of the watch that drains（使排出）the liquid. When that drain is blocked, the liquid can't leave the eye as fast as it is produced. The rising pressure within the eye damages and eventually kills the optic（视觉的） nerve. The result is blindness.
Fortunately, if caught early, glaucoma can be controlled. Glaucoma is not curable. But as researchers worldwide lean more about it, they grow more hopeful that glaucoma can one day be cured or even prevented.In which country is glaucoma the biggest danger to people’s sight?
| A．In China | B．In India | C．In the USA | D．In Japan |
What do the underlined words “these differences”（in Para 4 ）refer to?
| A．The differences in regions（地区） | B．The cultural differences |
| C．The differences in age | D．The physical differences |
From the passage, we can learn that, .
| A．It is hard for medical tests to discover glaucoma |
| B．People in developed countries hardly develop glaucoma |
| C．Glaucoma only causes blindness among old people |
| D．The research on glaucoma is still going on worldwide |
“Dining out”, or “eating out”, is a phrase people use in Britain when they eat in a restaurant or a pub. Eating out is more popular in Britain today than ever before.
However, eating out can be expensive. Restaurants are normally more expensive than pubs, though many pubs serve very good, simple food. As British people don’t dine out every night of the week, eating in a restaurant is often seen as a special occasion. When going for the first date, or if celebrating an anniversary or a birthday, many people like to go to a restaurant. People often eat in a restaurant before going to the cinema or the theatre.
As in all cultures, there are many rules of etiquette (礼节)surrounding food and eating, and nowhere is this more pronounced than when eating in a smart restaurant. People are almost always expected to eat with a knife and fork and these should be held in the correct hand and used in the correct way. It is also impolite to have your elbows on the dining table when you are eating.
There’re many such “unspoken” rules — they are normally only important when eating in a very elegant and expensive restaurant, and vary slightly from restaurant to restaurant and place to place. A recent nationwide survey showed that there was a divide in manners between the north and south of Britain — the “worst” manners were in Scotland and the northeast, and the “best” in Wales and the southeast! However, this survey was almost certainly conducted by someone in the southeast, so it may not be entirely fair.
Naturally, restaurants vary greatly in quality and price. However, almost all British cities have a vast range of food and cooking styles to choose from as well as traditional British food,. from the very cheap to the very expensive — French, Italian, Indian, Greek, Thai, Japanese and many more. In fact, when asked what their favorite food is, many British people say an Indian curry (咖喱菜）rather than any other dish!
As well as dining in a restaurant, when people are too tired to cook after work they often get a “takeaway”. This means they order from a takeaway or takeout restaurant by phone, then go to collect it and take it home to eat. Many takeout restaurants also deliver to your house. While you can normally find a takeout restaurant for almost any cuisine, the most popular are Italian, Indian and Chinese — and all you have to do is to open the door, pay and eat!What can be concluded from the first two paragraphs?
| A．The British spend more eating out than cooking at home. |
| B．The British pay great attention to eating in a restaurant. |
| C．The British often dine out when celebrating festivals. |
| D．People tend to eat in a restaurant after watching a movie. |
The underlined word “pronounced” in Paragraph 3 probably means “_____”.
| A．polite | B．expensive | C．strange | D．obvious |
According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?
| A．There exist great differences of rules in different restaurants. |
| B．People from Wales and southeast Britain are the most polite. |
| C．Your order in a takeout restaurant can be sent to your home. |
| D．Traditional British food is seldom served in British restaurants. |
What does the passage mainly talk about?
| A．Restaurant culture in Britain. | B．Table manners in Britain. |
| C．Different restaurants in Britain. | D．Traditional and foreign foods in Britain. |