For the last couple of weeks, I had been stuck in front of my computer working on a project that was very important to me. My every waking hour was consumed by the project and although I imagined that I would feel happy after completing parts of the project, I was confused to find that instead, I was feeling rather depressed. I tried a range of methods to help cheer myself up. I had a relaxing bath, cooked a delicious meal to enjoy with my family and even watched a lighthearted movie, but to no avail. It was only when I turned to meditation(沉思)for a solution that the answer came to me: turn to nature!
The very next day, I grabbed my camera and a bottle of water and set off to spend a few hours walking in a nature reserve, even though it was pouring with rain. Within a couple of minutes I felt alive again. To be honest, I felt like a young school girl again and had to stop myself from hopping along the path singing, "I'm singing in the rain", a song I used to sing when I was a child. I think as adults we often try too hard to control our inner children and as a result we restrain(限制) our own spirits, which only leads to depression and stress.
Interestingly, it has been shown that people who spend 40 minutes walking in a nature reserve have a drop in their blood pressure levels, but this does not happen when they spend a similar amount of time walking in a busy city centre.
If you feel a little low in spirit and know that you have spent too much time indoors, relax completely, remove your shoes and let your inner child come out and play. The author felt depressed because she __________.
| A．couldn't consume her waking hour |
| B．had not seen a film for a long time. |
| C．had not finished her work on time |
| D．had worked on a hard job for too long |
The author walked in a nature reserve in the rain in order to__________.
| A．take photos |
| B．find a solution to the project |
| C．hop along the path |
| D．cheer herself up |
The underlined part "to no avail" in Paragraph 1 probably means " __________.".
| A．unsuccessful | B．unrelated |
| C．uninteresting | D．unexpected |
In the author's opinion, __________.
| A．a bath can make people relaxed |
| B．depression is usually caused by hard work |
| C．walking in a busy city centre harms people's health |
| D．adults should express their inner feelings freely |
The last paragraph mainly serves as a(n) __________.
| A．explanation | B．suggestion |
| C．introduction | D．reminder |
In the second half of each year, many powerful storms are born in the tropical Atlantic and Caribbean seas. Of these, only about a half a dozen generate (引起，导致) the strong, circling winds of 75 miles per hour or more that give them hurricane status, and several usually make their way to the coast. There they cause millions of dollars of damage, and bring death to large numbers of people.
The great storms that hit the coast start as innocent circling disturbances hundreds--- even thousands--- of miles out to sea. As they travel aimlessly over water warmed by the summer sun, they are carried westward by the trade winds. When conditions are just right, warm, moist air flows in at the bottom of such a disturbance, moves upward through it and comes out at the top. In the process, the moisture in this warm air produces rain, and with it the heat that is converted to energy in the form of strong winds. As the heat increases, the young hurricane begins to swirl in a counter-clockwise (逆时针方向) motion.
The average life of a hurricane is only about nine days, but it contains almost more power than we can imagine. The energy in the heat released by a hurricane’s rainfall in a single day would satisfy the entire electrical needs of the United States for more than six months.
Water, not wind, is the main source of death and destruction in a hurricane. A typical hurricane brings 6 to 12 inch downpours resulting in sudden floods. Worst of all is the powerful movement of the sea, the mountains of water moving toward the low-pressure hurricane center. The water level rises as much as 15 feet above normal as it moves toward shore.When is an ordinary tropical storm called a hurricane?
| A．When it begins in the Atlantic and Caribbean seas. |
| B．When it hits he coastline. |
| C．When it is more than 75 mils wide. |
| D．When its winds reach 75 miles per hour. |
What is the worst thing about hurricane?
| A．The destructive effects of water. |
| B．The heat they release. |
| C．That they last about nine days on the average. |
| D．Their strong winds. |
The counter-clockwise swirling of the hurricane is brought about by .
| A．the low-pressure area in the center of the storm |
| B．the force of waves of water. |
| C．the trade winds |
| D．the increasing heat |
Apparently the word “downpour” in the fourth paragraph means.
| A．heavy rainfall |
| B．dangerous waves |
| C．the progress of water to the hurricane center |
| D．the increasing heat |
Henry Edwards Huntington was born in 1850 in Oneonta, New York. In 1872 he went to work for his uncle, one of the owners of the Central Pacific Railroad. Twenty years later, Huntington moved to San Francisco at his uncle’s request to share management of the Southern Pacific Railroad. On the way to San Francisco, he visited San Marino, and later bought it, which is home to his collections today.
In 1902, Huntington moved his business operations to Los Angeles, where he developed the street railway system that created the structure of the Los Angeles area. He greatly expanded the existing electric railway lines, creating an extensive inter-urban system providing the transportation necessary. Huntington’s business interests continued to grow particularly in the areas of water, power, and land development; at one time he served on as many as 60 corporate boards throughout the United States.
At the age of 60, he announced his decision to retire in order to devote time to his book and art collections and the landscaping of the 600-acre farm. In 1911 the large Beaux Arts building, in the charge of the architect Myron Hunt, was completed.
In 1913, Huntington married Arabella Duval Huntington. She shared his interests in collecting. As one of the most important art collectors of her generation, she was highly influential in the development of the art collection now shown in the former building.
In 1919, Henry and Arabella Huntington signed the agreement that conveyed their San Marino property and collections to a nonprofit educational trust, creating the Huntington, one of the world’s great cultural, research, and educational centers.
Henry E. Huntington died in 1927, leaving his great treasures the Huntington, including the world-famous Huntington Library, Art Gallery, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California to the public, which hosts more than 500,000 visitors each year. What can you learn about Huntington from the first two paragraphs?
| A．He worked in many fields before he came to Los Angeles. |
| B．He built a house to store his art collection in San Marino. |
| C．He did a lot to the USA railway development. |
| D．He founded the Central Pacific Railroad. |
What did Huntington do after his retirement?
| A．He devoted himself to his personal interests. |
| B．He worked part time for non-profit business. |
| C．He was in charge of an educational center. |
| D．He shared his wife’s interests with her. |
Which of the following can best describe Huntington?
| A．An excellent artist. | B．A talented architect. |
| C．An ambitious educator. | D．A successful businessman. |
This article is most probably taken from_______.
| A．a science fiction | B．a newspaper report | C．a novel | D．a biography |
[1] More than 40 million Americans move each year, but not always by choice. Whether you relocate because of a new job or school for you or your spouse, for a lower cost of living, or for better opportunities, adjusting to life in a new place can be scary and difficult--especially when you’re not in love with your new city. Here are some tips on how to make the most of your relocation and find happiness in your new home.
[2] Treat it as an adventure
Living in a new place is a great opportunity to experience new things and to grow as a person. So stay positive, and get out there and explore! Sample the local cuisine. Visit landmarks and museums. Try local activities that weren’t available or popular in your former city, such as skiing if you came from a beach town or surfing if you lived in the mountains. You may discover a talent or interest you never knew you had.
[3] Get involved
Attend local events that interest you. Visit the weekly farmer’s market or the neighborhood yard sale. Volunteer. Take a class. Join a sports league. All of these things will help you meet people and feel connected to your new town.
[4] Locate the necessities
Driving, riding, or walking around your new neighborhood is the best way to learn where everything is. So head out and take note of the nearest supermarket, pharmacy, post office, library, etc.
[5] Keep pieces of your old home
To keep from getting too homesick, subscribe to your former city magazine or newspaper. Display photos of or souvenirs from your favorite places in your old town. Hang decorations from your former home. Just don’t go overboard—hanging on to too much from your past will keep you from moving forward and really enjoying your new home.
[6] _________
It takes time to get to know a new place, so don’t expect to feel comfortable right away. Give yourself time to adjust. To help the process and to meet new people, find a support group near you at Just Moved.org.What does the passage mainly talk about? (within 15 words.)
What does the underlined word “it” in the last paragraph refer to? (within 7 words)
According to the passage, what can you do to learn where everything is?( within 5 words)
Fill the blank with proper words. (within 5 words)
If you are a new comer, where to find a support group near you based on this passage? (within 3 words)
I was brought up in the British, stiff upper lip style. Strong feelings aren’t something you display in public. So, you can imagine that I was unprepared for the outpouring of public grief(悲伤) at a Chinese funeral.
My editorial team leader died recently after a short illness. He was 31. The news was so unexpected that it left us all shocked and upset. A female colleague burst into tears and cried piteously at her desk. Somehow we got through the day's work. The next day was the funeral.
Our big boss stepped forward to deliver a eulogy(悼词) and was soon in tears. She carried on, in Chinese of course, but at the end said in English: "There will be no more deadlines for you in heaven." Next came a long-term colleague who also dissolved in tears but carried on with her speech despite being almost overcome by emotion. Then a close friend of the dead man paid tribute(哀悼), weeping openly as he spoke. Sorrow is spreading. Me and women were now sobbing uncontrollably. Finally, the man's mother, supported between two women, addressed her son in his coffin. At one point, the mother almost collapsed and had to be held up. We were invited to step forward to each lay a white rose on the casket. Our dead colleague looked as if he was taking a nap. At the end of the service I walked away from the funeral parlor stunned at the outpouring of emotion.
In the UK, families grieve privately and then try to hold it together and not break down at a funeral. Here in China it would seem that grieving is a public affair. It strikes me that it is more cathartic to cry your eyes out than try to keep it bottled up for fear of embarrassment, which is what many of us do in the West.
Afterwards, a Chinese colleague told me that the lamenting at the funeral had been restrained(克制) by Chinese standards. In some rural areas, she said, people used to be paid to mourn noisily. This struck me like something out of novel by Charles Dickens. But we have all seen on TV scenes of grief-stricken people in Gaza and the West Bank, in Afghanistan, Iraq and the relatives of victims of terrorist bombings around the world. Chinese grief is no different. I realized that it's the reserved British way of mourning that is out of step with the rest of the world.
It was our newspaper's production day. We were bussed back to the office to resume work. No more deadlines for our former colleague, but we had to pull together to put the newspaper to print. The boss invited the team to go out for dinner after work. We relaxed, smiled, joked. There was no mention of the funeral or our poor colleague. Enough sorrow had been shed already. We needed a break.The underlined words “stiff upper lip style” in Paragraph 1 mean “________”.
| A．cold-blooded | B．warm-hearted | C．light-hearted | D．self-controlled |
At the funeral, ________.
| A．five individuals made speeches |
| B．the boss’s speech was best thought of |
| C．the writer was astonished by the scene |
| D．everyone was crying out loudly |
According to the writer, people in the West ________.
| A．are not willing to be sad for the dead |
| B．cry their eyes out at the public funeral |
| C．prefer to control their sadness in public |
| D．have better way to express sadness |
It is implied that ________.
| A．Chinese express their sadness quite unlike other peoples |
| B．the English might cry noisily for the dead in Dickens’ time |
| C．victims of terrorist bombings should be greatly honored |
| D．English funeral culture is more civilized than the others |
This passage talks mainly about________.
| A．an editor’s death | B．bad funeral customs |
| C．cultural differences | D．western ways of grief |
Chinese media and Internet users on Monday condemned(谴责) a lack of morals in society after a toddler(学步的小孩)was struck twice by two different vans and left bleeding on the road as more than a dozen bystanders did nothing to help the seriously injured girl.
The incident, captured by a surveillance camera and aired by Southern Television Guangdong (TVS), showed the two-year-old girl was knocked down and run over by a white van on a narrow market street on the afternoon of Oct. 13, in Foshan City of Guangdong Province.
The driver fled the scene of the accident, leaving the girl to bleed on the sidewalk. Over the next six minutes, more than a dozen people walked by the girl, yet not one individual did anything to help her. The girl was then hit a second time by another van before an elderly trash collector came to her aid and brought the attention of the girl’s mother, according to the video and eyewitnesses.
Doctors said that the girl, who was put on life support after being hospitalized, remains in a deep coma. The girl’s parents, who are migrants living in the city, are now with her. Police said the drivers of both vehicles have been arrested. However, the indifference of the bystanders shown in the video has shocked the public, as Internet forums have boiled with anger, and people are questioning the morality of society.
High moral standards were once triumphed as national pride in China where individuals known for selflessly helping others were adored by the public. But in recent years, the perception of a decline of morals has become a hot topic as profit and materialism are recognized to be affecting society’s values.
On Sept. 2. an 88-year-old man in central China collapsed, his face striking the pavement. Yet, no one came to his aid, and he ended up choking to death on the blood from his nose. Some have linked the absence of good models to a previous case in which a man trying to help an elderly woman who fell was accused of harming her.
A strong chorus of opinion on the Internet says laws should exempt（免除）models from responsibility, yet laws themselves cannot solve society’s morality dilemma.
Cao Lin, a China Youth Daily commentator, said in a signed article published on Monday that the worry of responsibility should not be an excuse for not helping, and this case exposes the decline of humanity in Chinese society.What happened to the two-year-old girl?
| A．Nobody helped her after she was struck by two different vans. |
| B．She died immediately after she was hit a second time. |
| C．An old trash collector saved her and attracted her mother’s attention. |
| D．Journalists from TVS captured her story by using a camera. |
From the passage, what would happen if someone helped others selflessly in the past?
| A．The public would feel proud of him/ her and showed love and respect for him/ her. |
| B．He/she would be awarded by the government. |
| C．He/she would be condemned by the public. |
| D．He/she would have to worry about legal responsibility. |
In recent years, society’s values are believed to be affected by________.
| A．people’s awareness |
| B．the indifference of bystanders |
| C．profit and materialism |
| D．the morals of society |
According to Cao Lin, what is the fundamental reason for not helping the girl?
| A．The worry of responsibility. |
| B．Lack of laws that exempt role models from responsibility. |
| C．The fear of being accused of harming her. |
| D．The decline of humanity in society. |
Where is the article probably taken from?
| A．A news report. | B．A fashion magazine. |
| C．A science fiction. | D．An education column. |