As the first woman Chancellor(总理) in German’s history, Angela Merkel topped Forbes magazine’s list of “The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women” in 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009.She has even been compared to Margaret Thatcher and many people called her “Iron Lady”.
Merkel was born in Hamburg, West Germany, on July 17, 1954.Six weeks after she was born, her family moved to Templin. As a small child, Merkel quickly learned to speak but took longer to walk. “I was a stupid person when it came to moving?” Merkel said. “A normal person could do something naturally, but I had to think about it in my mind and practice.” As a teenager, she was the top student and graduated from high school with perfect marks. In 1973, Merkel went to the University of Leipzig, where she studied physics. At 32, she got her doctor’s degree in physics.
She stepped_into_politics in 1989.In her first big political job as Minister for the Environment in 1994, her scientific background and strong will proved very useful. In 2005 she became Germany’s Chancellor. She has been reelected to a second term as German Chancellor on September 27, 2009.
Through her political career, Merkel’s persistence (坚持) and patience helped her a lot. “She’s bright and openminded,” said Hubert Markl. “She is the person who wants to know exactly what is going on, and how never giving up will influence our society and future.”As a small child, Merkel was slow in ________.
A.speaking | B.walking | C.learning | D.thinking |
The underlined phrase in Paragraph 3 most probably means “________”.
A.fought the government | B.began her scientific career |
C.offered political guidance | D.became a government official |
We can infer from the passage that Angela Merkel ________.
A.is a powerful woman with a strong will and determination |
B.got her doctor’s degree in politics in University of Leipzig |
C.has worked as German Chancellor since Sep.27, 2009 |
D.showed her best talent as Minister for the Environment |
In the last paragraph the author mainly wants to express ________.
A.one must be brave in the political career |
B.one should be patient when making decisions |
C.persistence can help one’s dream come true |
D.one can have a strong will when others haven’t |
What’s the author’s attitude toward Angela Merkel?
A.Admiring. | B.Thankful. | C.Pitiful . | D.Dull. |
Comera is the only place in the world which has a whistle(口哨)language. We do not know how and why it began because we do not know the complete history of the island. But we can certainly imagine the reasons for the beginning of the whistle language. There are many deep valleys on the island. A person on one side of valley cannot easily shout to a person on the other side. But he can whistle and be heard from four miles away, and the record is seven miles. The people who live on the island usually have good teeth, and this helps them to whistle well. They must also have good ears so that they can hear other whistlers.
We can understand why the whistle language continues. It is very useful on the island, and quite easy to learn. When somebody is hurt or ill, the whistle language takes the place of the telephone. If the sick person is a long way from the town, boys and men pass the news from one to another. A boy guarding cattle on a hillside whistles to a man fishing from his boat. The last one is able to describe the trouble fully and exactly to the doctor in town. People help each other in the same way when a car breaks or a cow is lost.
The whistle language is hundreds of years old, and probably it will continue to live for hundreds of years more. Radio and TV often kill the special ways of speaking in the different parts of a country. But on Comera island you are nobody if you cannot whistle. Perhaps soon after TV arrives on the island, the people there will be whistling the news and other facts and opinions. If a person on Comera island is ill, .
A.others will phone the doctor in town |
B.the whistle language will pass the news to the doctor |
C.his family will take him to the doctor |
D.people will take him to the hospital |
From the passage we know radio and TV at that time.
A.killed the special ways of speaking |
B.whistled all the news and opinions |
C.helped Comera people to communicate |
D.did not appear on Comera island yet |
Comera island is special in that .
A.it attracts visitors every year |
B.no visitors have ever been there |
C.people there have special ears to hear whistles |
D.people there use the whistle language to communicate with each other |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A.It is not easy for a person to live on Comera island if he cannot whistle. |
B.The whistle language can only be found on Comera island. |
C.The whistle language has been used for hundreds of years on the island, but will not be used any longer. |
D.The record shows that one best whistler can be heard by others seven miles away. |
Many people think that the most popular way of communicating with other people is through the mouth. But what they don’t know is that actual communication using the mouth accounts for(占……比例)only around 10%(or even less)of all the means to communicate a message.
Moreover, you can never determine the truthfulness or honesty of people by what they say alone. In fact, words expressed through the mouth often do not reflect what people really think or feel. The more reliable way you can determine their true inner feelings and thoughts is by reading their body language. Everybody communicates using these gestures and if you understand the gestures and their meanings you will be able to read people and know what they are really communicating to you. One researcher even went as far as to say that we speak to hide what’s on our minds. But gestures cannot lie.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like if you can “see through” the emotions of other people? Let’s say you ask a person whether he can do an important task. He says “OK”. But deep inside, you are questioning yourself, “Is he really willing to do this job? ” or “Does he have the confidence in finishing this task? ”You can’t question him directly because that would be like belittling him. And even if you ask him those questions, his replies will not tell you what he really feels or thinks. So the most useful way is to observe his body language. Expressions like smiling, frowning(皱眉), pouting(撅嘴), facial reddening, sweating, toe curling and sideways glances are visible hints that can help you make a right judgment. According to the passage, we know .
A.words through the mouth are the most common way in communication |
B.body language is the quickest way to help people understand each other |
C.expressions are the most powerful tool to judge whether a man is confident or not |
D.you may know what a person really thinks with the help of reading his body language |
What does the underlined sentence mean in the second paragraph?
A.We can express ourselves well by body language. |
B.We use words to prevent others knowing our true thoughts. |
C.Spoken words can fully reflect our true self. |
D.We use body language to help express ourselves. |
The underlined word in the third paragraph can be replaced with .
A.looking down upon | B.speaking highly of |
C.laughing at | D.believing in |
The oldest stone buildings in the world are the pyramids(金字塔). They have stood for nearly 5, 000 years, and it seems likely that they will continue to stand for thousands of years yet. There are over eighty of them scattered(散布)along the banks of the Nile, some of which are different in shape from the true pyramids. The most famous of these are the “Step” pyramid and the “Bent” pyramid.
Some of the pyramids still look as much alike as they must have been when they were built thousands of years ago. Most of the damage suffered by the others has been at the hands of men who were looking for treasure or, more often, for stones to use in modern buildings. The dry climate of Egypt has helped to keep the pyramids in good condition, and their very shape has made them less likely to fall into ruin. These are good reasons why they can still be seen today, but perhaps the most important is that they were planned to last forever.
The “Step” pyramid had to be on the west side of the Nile, the side on which the sun sets. This was for spiritual reasons. It also had to stand well above the level of the river to protect it against the regular floods. It could not be too far from the Nile, however, as the stones to build it needed to be carried in boats down the river to the nearest point. Water transport was, of course, much easier than land transport. The builders also had to find a rock base, which was not likely to crack(破裂)under the great weight of the pyramid. Finally, it had to be near the capital, or better still near the king’s palace so that he could visit it easily to personally check the progress being made on the final resting place for his body. According to the passage, the “Step” pyramid .
A.is unlikely to fall into ruin in the near future |
B.was built on the sand along the Nile |
C.is one that was built later than the true pyramids |
D.is the most famous of the true pyramids |
The most important reason why some pyramids remain in good condition is that .
A.people have taken good care of them |
B.it doesn’t rain often in Egypt |
C.they were well designed |
D.the government has protected them from damage |
Most of the damage to the pyramids has been caused by .
A.the regular floods |
B.the dry climate of Egypt |
C.people searching for gold |
D.people in search of building materials |
The Egyptians built the pyramids along the banks of the Nile because .
A.they believed in their god |
B.it was difficult to find a large rock base far from the Nile |
C.the river helped a lot in the transport of building materials |
D.it was not easy to choose a suitable place for the pyramids |
“Avoid the rush hour” must be the slogan of large cities all over the world. Wherever you look, there are people, people, people. The trains which leave or arrive every few minutes are packed. The streets are so crowded; there is hardly room to move on the pavements. It takes ages for a bus to get to you because the traffic on the roads has almost come to a standstill. Even when a bus does at last arrive, it’s so full, and it can’t take any more passengers. The smallest unexpected event can bring about conditions of complete chaos. The strange thing is not that people stand these conditions, but that they actually choose them in preference to anything else.
Large modern cites are too big to control. People living there are forced by their environment to take a wholly unnatural way of life. They lost touch with the land and rhythm of nature. It is possible to live in such an air-conditioned existence in a large city that you can hardly tell the season. A few flowers in a public park may remind you that it is spring or summer. All the simple, good things of life like sunshine and fresh air are hard to find. Even the distinction between days and nights is lost.
The funny thing about it all is that you pay dearly to live in a city. The demand for accommodation is so great that it is often impossible for ordinary people to buy a house of their own. The cost of living is also very high. Just about everything you buy is likely to be more expensive than it would be in the country. Besides, the crime rate in most cities is very high. If you think about it, they’re not really fit to live in at all. Can anyone really doubt that the country is what man was born for and where he truly belongs? According to the writer, .
A.there is a slogan in every large city all over the world |
B.the rush hour traffic is terrible in large cities of the world |
C.one should try to avoid the traffic wherever he is |
D.rush hour exists in large cities but not in small ones |
It is unusual that .
A.people can stand the conditions in the city |
B.people are used to living in a city |
C.people know little about the problems of a city |
D.people still choose to live in a city |
City people can hardly tell the seasons because .
A.there in no such thing as changes of seasons |
B.seasons change only in public parks now |
C.they live unnaturally without contact with nature |
D.the temperature changes little between seasons |
The reason for things to be more expensive in a city than elsewhere is that .
A.city people have to pay higher to live in a city |
B.there is a greater demand for things in a city |
C.things are better in a city than elsewhere |
D.people in a city are much more wealthy |
What is the passage mainly about?
A.It’s crazy to choose to live in a large city. |
B.City life can be very disagreeable. |
C.Country life is better than city life. |
D.Conditions of cities should be changed. |
These days, many young people in Ho Chi Minh City(胡志明市), Vietnam, are taking gymnastics, dancing or yoga classes after work. Actually, there are many why young people are taking exercise classes and going to the gym, instead of shopping and entertaining friends work.
Nguyen Thu Nguyet, a white-collar worker, says, “Five o’clock is the time when everyone is in the street. If I to go home at that time, I’ll get in traffic. So rather than being in a traffic jam, in smoke and dust, I go to a gym near my office for about an hour. ”Tran Minh Tue, a staff member of a company, also says, “I’ve found dancing is a good way to the non-stop drinking. More , I’m in better health and my stomach has gotten smaller. ”
At present, traffic jams in Ho Chi Minh City are very . The government is installing(安装)water pipes, and many blockhouses(木屋)are built for their workers to work in. That the traffic problem. Authorities say that this year, another
57 km road will be up and more blockhouses will be built, the total dug-out road length to 200 km. At the same time, traffic jams can serious air pollution, people’s health and the city’s investment environment, not to mention(提到) the city’s future development.
If more people rush hour by exercising or taking classes the rush hour, traffic jams may be . This is a clever that can also help people improve their health and meet others with similar .
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