Do you have any skiing equipment you no longer need? A ski school in the far north of India could put it to good use.
In March we published a photo story about the extraordinary Zsnskar region in northern India，which is cut off from the outside world for more than seven months of the year，and only accessible (可通行的)via a frozen river．We also included information about the limited use of skiing in the region and the recent creation of the Zanskar Ski School:
“Despite the difficulties of travelling through the region when the snow comes，skiing hasn’t traditionally been used as a means of transport by the locals，largely because trees don't grow here, so there is little in the way of raw materials from which to make skis．In 1995, a group of British scientists in the region noticed the lack of skis and one of them returned to set up the Zanskar Ski School in Padam．The school provides lessons for a small fee and rents skis to the local people. Among the benefits that the school hopes to bring are improved education—children often find it difficult to get to school through the deep snow—and the possibility of offering ski tours to tourists in the future．So far，more than 300 local people have received training，and local doctors and policemen regularly borrow skis.”
But what we weren't able to include in the article is that the ski school is always on the look out for old skiing equipment—particularly of a size suitable for children—and, I thought. Now the European ski season is drawing to a close，there might be a few of you out there who have some old equipment you'd like to see go to a good home．If that's the ease you can get in touch with the school via their website www.zanskarski school.org.What's the purpose in writing the text?
| A．To raise money to develop this area |
| B．To attract more tourists to the area |
| C．To appeal to more locals to attend the school |
| D．To ask people to give away their skis to the school |
The local people don't use skiing to go about because .
| A．it is against the local custom |
| B．they don't have the wood to make skis |
| C．trees are in the way of the skiing route |
| D．it is dangerous to go skiing in this region |
Who would be the most helpful to the school now?
| A．People having old skiing equipment． |
| B．Students in the Zanskar Ski School |
| C．Locals in Zanskar region |
| D．Tavellers enjoying skiing |
What can be the best title for the text?
| A．An extraordinary region in India |
| B．A home for old skis |
| C．A good means of transport |
| D．A popular sport—skiing |
Runners in a relay(接力) race pass a stick in one direction. However, merchants passed silk, gold, fruit, and glass along the Silk Road in more than one direction. They earned their living by traveling the famous Silk Road.
The Silk Road was not a simple trading network. It passed through thousands of citied and towns. It started from eastern China, across Central Asia and the Middle East, and ended in the Mediterranean Sea. It was used from about 200 B, C, to about A, D, 1300, when sea travel offered new routes(路线) , It was sometimes called the world’s longest highway. However, the Silk Road was made up of many routes, not one smooth path. They passed through what are now 18 countries. The routes crossed mountains and deserts and had many dangers of hot sun, deep snow and even battles. Only experienced traders could return safe.
The Silk Road got its name from its most prized product. Silk could be used like money to pay taxes or buy goods. But the traders carried more than just silk. Gold, silver, and glass from Europe were much found in the Middle East and Asia. Horses traded from other areas changed farming practices in China. Indian merchants traded salt and other valuable goods. Chinese merchants traded paper, which produced an immediate effect on the West. Apples traveled from central Asia to Rome. The Chinese had learned to graft(嫁接) different trees together to make new kinds of fruit. They passed this science on to others, including the Romans. The Romans used grafting to grow the apple. Trading along the Silk Road led to world-wide business 2,000 years before the World Wide Web.
The people along the Silk Road did not share just goods. They also shared their beliefs. The Silk Road provided pathways for learning, diplomacy(外交), and religion (宗教)It’s probable that traders along the Silk Road needed .
| A．to remember the entire trade route | B．to know the making of products |
| C．to receive certain special training | D．to deal with a lot of difficulties |
The Silk Road became less important because.
| A．it was made up of different routes | B．silk trading became less popular |
| C．sea travel provided easier routes | D．people needed fewer foreign goods |
New technologies could travel along the Silk Road because people.
| A．learned from one another | B．shared each other’s beliefs |
| C．traded goods along the route | D．earned their living by traveling |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．The Silk Road ; Past and Present | B．The Silk Road; East Meets West |
| C．The Silk Road; Routes Full of Dangers | D．The Silk Road; Pathways for Learning |
This was no ordinary class. The students who came together were all science or engineering professors at Cornell University. They had interrupted their research to accept an invitation to take part in an unusual experiment: "an interesting week of poetry." This class was part of a study to answer the questions: Why is science difficult for many nonscience students? What can teachers learn about teaching if they take a class that is not in their field?
The students in the poetry class listened to lectures and took notes. They had reading tasks and had to write three short papers. All students noticed one thing - the importance of spoken words. In science and engineering classes, the instructors put tables and drawings on the blackboard. But in this poetry class, the instructors just talked. They didn't write anything on the board.
The scientists and engineers noticed one similarity between science and poetry. In both subjects, students need to find layers (层次) of meaning . Some layers are simple, clean, and on the surface; other layers are deeper and more difficult. This search for different levels of meaning doesn't happen much in undergraduate(本科) science classes, but it is important later, in graduate school. And it is always important in humanities(人文科学).
Both the poetry instructors and their students learned something about teaching from this experience. One poetry instructor, for example, now sees the importance of using informative as he teaches. Most of the scientists agreed on several points. First, humanities classes might help science students to see patterns and decide which information is important. Second, the poetry class was fun. One engineer decided, "We need to change the way we teach engineering to make to make it an enjoyable experience for students."
But perhaps the most important result of the experience was this; All of the professors began to think about how they teach and how they cam teach better.
| 1． |
What do we know about this unusual class?
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| 2． |
The experiment was designed to find out
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| 3． |
Finding levels of meaning is.
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| 4． |
What did the science professors learn after the experiment?
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Photographs are everywhere. They decorate (装饰) the walls of homes and are used in stores for sales of different goods. The news is filled with pictures of fires, floods, and special events. Photos record the beauties of nature. They can also bring things close that are far away. Through photos, people can see wild animals, cities in foreign lands, and even the stars in outer space. Photos also tell stories.
Reporting the news through photos is called photojournalism. At times photojournalists tell their stories through a single picture. At other times, they use a group of pictures to tell a story. Each picture is like a chapter in a book, which can do more than record the facts. It can also be a strong force for social change.
Jacob Riis was among the first photojournalists. He took pictures of parts of New York City where the poor lived. Riis believed that poverty(贫穷) caused crime, and he used photos to help him prove his point. A few years later, the photos of small children working in factories by Lewis Hine shocked the public. Hine’s pictures helped bring about laws to protect such children.
Hundreds of pictures may have to be taken in order to get one or two really good photos. It takes science to have the photo come out clearly and art to make a photo that has a good design and expresses feeling. Photojournalists make an actual record of what they see. A photo, however, can be both a work of art and an actual record. It can record an important event as a beautiful or exciting picture.
As historical and artistic documents(文献) ,photos can become more important over time. Today photojournalists still have their pictures appear in newspapers and magazines. They also publish(发表) them in books and on the Internet.The underlined word “They” in the first paragraph refers to.
| A．beauties | B．photos | C．goods | D．events |
The photos of the small children by Hine show us that photos.
| A．are also works of art | B．are popular ways of reporting news |
| C．often shock the public | D．can serve as a force for social change |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．News with pictures is encouraging. | B．Photos help people improve |
| C．News photos mean history in a sense. | D．People prefer reading news with pictures. |
The text is mainly about.
| A．telling the story through picture | B．decorating the walls of homes |
| C．publishing historical papers | D．expressing feeling through pictures |
They say there are three ways to experience the Grand Canyon; on foot, on mules(骡子) or by air. We chose the first. Up early; my husband and I and our three children couldn’t wait to get started. We decided to walk along a lovely path named Bright Angel Trail.
As we set out, I was shocked at how narrow the path was. And I couldn’t help noticing that the other tourists weren’t like us. They had heavy backpacks, water bottles, and hats. But as usual we were dressed, As the sun rose higher, Arizona’s famous heat seemed to roast(烘烤) us. There was no shade and our legs were aching. We decided to go back, with the girl on my back and the boys far behind. By the time we finally got back, our legs were like jelly.
The next day, after we’d had a long rest and a good breakfast, we were ready for another view of the Canyon – by air. After our last walk, this would be the easiest thing in the world.
We called to each other excitedly as the plane took off and circled around the Canyon. But the smiles on our faces disappeared as the pilot tossed(翻转) the plane around, pretending he was going to hit the ground. I shouted, “STOP, TAKE US BACK!” When we finally arrived back on land, once again our legs were like jelly. We hardly spoke as we drove back.
As I said, there are three ways to view the Grand Canyon. We never tried the mules, but personally I’d suggest a fourth: buy yourself a good magazine like National Geographic. That way, you can see the Canyon, without fear or tiredness.Which of the following is true according to the second paragraph?
| A．They made a careful preparation before the trip |
| B．They children were more joyful than their parents. |
| C．Bright Angel Trail was not as lovely as they expected. |
| D．The summer heat prevented them from enjoying the view. |
The underlined expression “Our legs were like jelly” probably means .
| A．we were weak | B．we were unhappy |
| C．we were dissatisfied | D．we were disappointed |
Which of the following best describes their Canyon trip by air?
| A．It proved to be frightening. | B．It was more comfortable |
| C．It turned out to be exciting | D．It made each of them tired. |
We can infer from the passage that .
| A．experiencing the Canyon on mules would be the best way |
| B．one needs to dress less when visiting the Grand Canyon. |
| C．the writer was not serious when she made the suggestion. |
| D．the whole family narrowly escaped from the air accident. |
Last week my youngest son and I visited my father at his new home in Tucson, Arizona. He moved there a few years ago, and I was eager to see his new place and meet his friends.
My earliest memories of my father are of a tall, handsome, successful man devoted to his work and family, but uncomfortable with his children. As a child I loved him; as a school girl and young adult I feared him and felt bitter about him. He seemed unhappy with me unless I got straight A's and unhappy with my boyfriends if their fathers were not as "successful" as he was. Whenever I went out with him on weekends, I used to struggle to think up things to say, feeling on guard.
On the first day of my visit, we went out with one of my father's friends for lunch at an outdoor café. We walked along that afternoon, did some shopping, ate on the street table, and laughed over my son's funny facial expressions. Gone was my father's critical(挑剔的) air and strict rules. Who was this person I knew as my father, who seemed so friendly and interesting to be around? What had held him back before?
The next day my dad pulled out his childhood pictures and told me quite a few stories about his own childhood. Although our times together became easier over the years, I never felt closer to him at that moment. After so many years, I'm at last seeing another side of my father. And in so doing, I'm delighted with my new friend. My dad, in his new home in Arizona, is back to me from where he was.
| 1． |
Why did the author feel bitter about her father when she was a young adult?
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| 2． |
When the author went out with her father on weekends, she would feel.
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| 3． |
What does the author think of her father after her visit to Tucson?
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| 4． |
The underlined words "my new friend" in the last paragraph refer to. |