They leap from helicopters or speeding boats, bringing aid to swimmers who get into trouble off Italy’s popular beaches.
Hundreds of specially trained dogs from Italy’s corps of canine(犬类的) lifeguards set out each summer to help swimmers in need of rescue.
These "life dogs" wear a harness that victims can grab to be dragged back to shore, and unlike human lifeguards, they can easily jump from helicopters and speeding boats to reach swimmers in trouble.
With millions flocking to Italy’s crowded beaches each summer, the Italian Coast Guard says it rescues about 3,000 people every year —and their canine helpers have saved several lives.
It takes three years for the canines to reach expert rescue status, and currently 300 dogs are fully trained for duty, said Roberto Gasbarri, who directs the Italian School of Canine Lifeguards program.
"Dogs are of good physical strength. They can increase the speed at which victims are rescued," Gasbarri said.
"The dog becomes a sort of intelligent lifebuoy(救生圈). It is a buoy that goes by itself to a person in need of help, and comes back to the shore also by himself, choosing the best landing point and swimming through the safest currents," he said.
The school will train any breed, as long as they weigh at least 30 kilograms, but New found lands and golden retrievers are most commonly used because they are good at swimming. Each dog works together with a human lifeguard, who also acts as the animal’s trainer.
"Being retrievers, they set out to pick up anything we tell them, be it a human being, an object, or a fish, and they bring it back to the shore," said lifeguard Monia Luciani. "They do not associate it with a physical activity, but it is rather a game for them."The dogs wear a harness so that __________.
The dogs are helpful to _________.
Why does the school usually choose to train the New found lands and golden retrievers?
___________________________________.How do the dogs regard the pickup training?
____________________________________.
Ashley and Chris work in the same department designing postcards. Chris had a college degree in art and deeply felt that the degree of his designs was excellent. His last postcard showed the depth of a desert’s beauty and delights.
“It’s just a picture of the desert,” Ashley said. “Not deep at all.”
“Some people desire seeing beauty,” Chris replied. “Mine delivers that”.
Ashley laughed and said, “well, that depends on what you think beauty is.”
Days later, someone delivered a letter to Ashley. The letter said, “You are worthy of the bad things that will come your way. You will know the taste of defeat, and I will destroy you.”
Ashley suddenly felt very cold. It was as if the room temperature had dropped 30 degrees. “Who would do such a shocking deed?” she wondered. “I will not let a simple letter defeat me.”
Just then, Chris came into the room and offered Ashley a piece of his sandwich.
“Try some,” he smiled widely. “It’s delicious.”
“Are you trying to poison me?” Ashley asked. Chris’s answer was delayed from confusion. “What’s your problem?” he asked.
The next day, Ashley brought a bat to use to defend herself. When Chris saw her bat, he joked, “Defend and win one for the team.”
Ashley took no notice of him. She spent the whole day reading self-defending books and placed her work on delay. “You can’t delay your work. Our job demands us to do our work on time,” Chris said. “We must meet the demands of our job.”
“You‘re not the boss,” Ashley replied. “Don’t make demands of me.”
Because Ashley failed to do her work, she was fired.
Chris glanced at Ashley’s empty desk and smiled.What kind of work did Chris and Ashley do?
| A．Drawing. | B．Designing. |
| C．Painting. | D．Building. |
What did Ashley think of the last postcard designed by Chris?
| A．Excellent |
| B．Too bad |
| C．It didn’t show the real beauty of the desert. |
| D．He expressed himself in an indirect way. |
We may infer from this passage that ___________.
| A．Chris was not a good designer |
| B．Chris and Ashley were friendly to each other |
| C．Chris herself must have written the letter |
| D．It may sometimes bring about bad luck to speak out one’s mind |
How do you know if your home is an easy aim for thefts? Around the holidays, many families don't consider taking proper measures to prevent their homes from suffering holiday thefts． With just a few simple steps, you can better make sure of the safety of your home during all of the holiday celebrations． Here are a few tips for making it difficult to tell you are away from home．
●Either have a trusted neighbor pick up your mail and newspapers, or tell your mailperson to hold your mail until you return． Nothing says “Hey, we are not home!” like when your postbox is filled with all kinds of mails and you have many different newspapers in your driveway．
● Set several different lights in your house on random timers（随机定时器）. Don't leave your outdoor lights on all the time．Instead, put your outside light on timers to be on during the nights. If an outdoor light remains on for days at a time, it means that nobody is home to turn it off．
● If you have pets that you are not taking with you on vacation, leave them with friend, rather than having someone come into your house every day to take care of them, When thefts see a neighbor or friend entering your house every day, they will know you are not home．
● Close all your curtains when you leave town. This is effective to deter possible thefts, as no one can see what is in your house. If they don't know what there is to take, then the risk is even greater for them to break in．
●This article just has suggested a few tips to help you keep your house safe on holiday．Nothing can truly protect your home unless you have it monitored by a professional home security system．What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．To let the outdoor lights on all the time． |
| B．To tell us how to prevent the thefts around the holidays． |
| C．To tell us many families suffering from the thefts while they are on holiday． |
| D．To tell us to have our neighbor go to our house to take care of our pets． |
If you are on holiday in other places, the lights in your house should.
| A．be turned on only once a day |
| B．be kept on all the night |
| C．be replaced by random timers |
| D．be lit in an irregular way |
To make your home well protected, what does the writer advise you to do?
| A．Equip your home with security system． |
| B．Stop your mail service at once． |
| C．Turn to your close neighbors or friends |
| D．Have all the curtains closed． |
The underlined word “deter” probably means.
| A．discover | B．surprise | C．discourage | D．attract |
President Barack Obama has complained about the loss of privacy that comes with being leader of the United States, regretting the loss of simple pleasures such as a long walk or a trip to the car wash or supermarket．
"I just miss - I miss being anonymous," he said"I miss Saturday morning, rolling out of bed, not shaving, getting into my car with my girls, driving to the supermarket, squeezing the fruit, getting my car washed, taking walks. I can't take a walk． "
His dream, he said, was to "go through Central Park and watch folks passing by．．．spend the day watching people --- I miss that"．
Faced with angry criticism for playing more golf than most previous occupants of the White House, he explained that the sport was simply the best way of getting away from it all． "It's the only excuse I have to get outside for four hours." he told Hearst magazines．
Though he said he enjoyed his life in the White House, he felt disappointed with some of the ways of Washington, which he has failed in his pledge to change, such as the "kabuki dance" （日本歌舞）among political parties before serious policy discussions begin． His comments may be seen as vindication （证实） by critics who have accused him of appearing too detached（漠然）, and being slow to engage in vital issues such as Libya and the near shutdown of the US government last week．
Since arriving at the White House in January 2009, Mr.Obama has already racked up （打）60 rounds of golf in office, more than George W Bush did in his eight years．
In terms of ability, Golf Digest magazine has ranked Mr.Obama eighth out of the 18 presidents who played the game since it became established in the early 20th century． What do the second paragraph and the third paragraph mainly tell us?
| A．Obama likes living a busy life． |
| B．Obama used to spend most of his time with his family． |
| C．Obama wishes to enjoy simple pleasures． |
| D．He used to wash his car himself． |
According to Obama, he plays golf to.
| A．release his pressure | B．keep fit |
| C．balance his work | D．show his ability |
We can infer from the passage that Obama is kabuki dance．
| A．curious about | B．interested in |
| C．content with | D．tired of |
Which of the following statements is from the critics?
| A．The president lost lots of privacy, but he loves the life in the White House |
| B．There are always unnecessary procedures among political parties． |
| C．The president seems to be indifferent towards some really important issues |
| D．The president is really a great golf player． |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Obama's favorite pastime． |
| B．Obama’s complaints about lack of privacy as president． |
| C．The public's criticism of Obama． |
| D．Obama’s regrets for being the U．S．president． |
Criticism(批评) never changes a thing. Accept yourself exactly as you are. Everybody changes. When you criticize yourself, your changes are negative. When you approve of yourself, your changes are positive.
Don’t scare yourself
Stop scaring yourself with your thought that it’s terrible to live this way. Find a mental image that gives you pleasure, and immediately change your scary thought to a pleasant one. Imagine a positive future ahead of you.
Be gentle, kind and patient
Be patient with yourself as you learn new ways of thinking. If you make a mistake you will develop self-hatred, but don’t hate yourself for thinking. Gently change your thoughts. Praise and support yourself.
Criticism breaks your spirit, while praise builds it up. Praise yourself as much as you can. Tell yourself how well you are doing with everything. Find ways to support yourself. Reach out to friends and allow them to help you. It is best to ask for help when you need it.
Take care of your body
Learn about nutrition. What kind of fuel does your body need in order to have enough energy and vitality(活力)? Learn about exercise. What kinds of exercise do you enjoy? Insist on doing exercise every day.
Mirror work
Look into your eyes in the mirror often and express the growing sense of love you have for yourself. At least once a day you should say to yourself: "I love you." If you have confidence in yourself, you’ll never give in to difficulty.
Love yourself. Do it now, begin now, and do the best you can. According to the author, you should _____.
| A．praise yourself now and then |
| B．change yourself |
| C．criticize someone else |
| D．criticize yourself |
The underlined phrase in paragraph 1 probably means ______.
| A．to defend | B．to challenge |
| C．to appreciate | D．to suspect |
You should face the mirror and say that you love yourself so that you can _____.
| A．imagine a positive future ahead of you |
| B．grow more confident of yourself |
| C．find out the expressions on your face |
| D．learn more about yourself |
| Interested In Childcare? Qualified person or preschool teacher needed for busy childcare center, south of the river. Full-time work guaranteed. Immediate(马上的) start necessary. The candidate(候选人) must be able to work as a co-operative team member. Phone 6345 2345 for an interview and fax resume to 6345 2345. |
| We Need Office Cleaners! Three people are required for professional cleaning in the CBD area. Working hours from 5: 00 pm on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays for each one. Approximately five hours per shift(轮班). A good record is necessary. Experience preferred. Phone 6345 7843 now. |
| Want To Work As A Dental Nurse? This is an exciting opportunity for a qualified dental nurse with a confident and cheerful personality to work in the School Dental Health Scheme. You must be able to get along well with children because work involves talking to groups about dental health practices. For further information, visit our website at schooldentalservices @ gov.sg. And fax your resume to 6234 4567. |
| Florist Wanted! Are you a creative and trained florist with at least two years of experience? Then this may be just what you are seeking. The city’s leading Florist Artist Studio needs another part-time member on their wedding team. Please phone 6098 7888 now! |
You may find the above advertisements _____.
| A．in a store window | B．in a school magazine |
| C．in a newspaper | D．on a company notice-board |
The position of a(n) _____ is a part-time job.
| A．florist | B．artist |
| C．preschool teacher | D．dental nurse |
Which of the following is the most important for the childcare job?
| A．Cooking skills |
| B．The ability to work well with other people. |
| C．Childcare experience |
| D．The ability to start work in two weeks |
An office cleaner will be required to work about _____ hours a week.
| A．5 | B．10 | C．15 | D．45 |