Do you know the following expressions?
Faustian bargain
According to most stories, Faust was a German scholar who was rather unhappy with his life．The devil（魔鬼）, Mephistopheles, promises him that in return for his soul．he will give Faust unlimited power and knowledge．Faust agrees and experiences all kinds of pleasures, but, in the end, his soul goes to the hell．A “Faustian bargain” therefore is a deal that finally results in one's ruin．It means a bargain made for temporary gain without taking future consequences into consideration．
A three-ring circus
When you refer to a situation as being a three-ring circus, you are saying that it is a situation of complete confusion．There are so many activities taking place all together that they leave you confused or annoyed．The expression comes from the world of entertainment—the circus．The area where the artists perform their acts is called the “ring”．In the past, some of the circuses were so large that they had three acts taking place meanwhile in three different “rings”．The audience had to decide which “ring” they wanted to focus on．
In the swim（of things）
When someone is in the swim of things, he is actively participating in the things happening around him, as in “I've been ill, but soon I'll be back in the swim of things.” In the world of fishing, fishermen use the word “swim” to refer to the section of the lake/river where fish can be found in plenty．So, if you are a fish man and wish to catch a lot of fish, where would you be? You would be “in the swim”!If a person makes a Faustian bargain, _____．
| A．he might come to a bad end |
| B．he would be considered clever |
| C．his life would become satisfying |
| D．he would gain power and knowledge |
In the past, why did a circus perform different acts at the same time ?
| A．It was the audience’s requirement. |
| B．The time was limited. |
| C．The circus was very big. |
| D．They wanted to earn more money. |
What do we learn about the expression “in the swim（of things）”?
| A．It means having a lot of things to do． |
| B．It has nothing to do with swimming． |
| C．Originally it was used to refer to "going fishing"． |
| D．Patients use it to express their desire for health. |
What is the text mainly about?
| A．The development of English phrases |
| B．Some old and interesting stories |
| C．Some phrases' meanings and origins |
| D．Some misunderstandings about words |
It can be hard to encourage families of preschoolers to turn off the TV，but there are plenty of highquality shows that promote learning and positive relationships rather than violence，researchers noted.
“Although clearly kids watch too much，what’s more worrying is that they watch poor quality shows，” said Dr Christakis，the lead researcher on the new study from the University of Washington in Seattle.His former survey of parents of threeto fiveyearold children showed the kids often watched violent cartoons and movies that are “totally inappropriate”．
For their study，he and his colleagues randomly divide 565 preschoolers into two groups.In one group，parents recorded notes about kids’ normal TV viewing，without receiving any guidelines to reduce or change those habits.In the other group，researchers made visits and calls and sent monthly newsletters encouraging parents to replace violent TV with educational programming.After six and 12 months，parents reported their kid’s angry，aggressive or anxious behaviors on a questionnaire.At both time points，children in the TV intervention (干预) program had slightly fewer problems than those in the comparison group.Boys in lowincome families seemed to benefit most from the change in programming，the researchers found.
“The point is，this is something that is as effective as other things we do to try to guide behavior in children，and it’s fairly simple，” Christakis said.
Another study published in Pediatrics found the more TV kids and teens watched，the more likely they were to have a crime or other problems in society.Children may imitate violence they see—or more time in front of the TV could simply mean less communication with peers and families，and worse performance in school.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends kids watch no more than one to two hours of highquality programming each day.Researchers agreed parents should be mindful of what exactly their young kids are watching on TV as well.“It’s not just about turning the TV off，it’s about changing the channel，” Christakis said. What is the positive effect of highquality TV shows on kids?
| A．Good learning results and relationships. |
| B．Being affected by violence. |
| C．Spending less time on TV programming. |
| D．Encouraging them to turn on the TV. |
For Christakis，what is more concerning?
| A．Kids watching too much TV. |
| B．TV shows being of poor quality. |
| C．Kids watching too many cartoons. |
| D．Parents receiving no guidelines. |
We can learn from the survey mentioned in Para.3 that________.
| A．Children don’t like being disturbed while watching TV |
| B．Preschoolers seems to like newsletters more than TV |
| C．Poor children prefer to watch educational programming |
| D．Kids watching highquality programs have fewer problems |
Christakis thought the effect of educational programming on children’s behaviour was________.
| A．unclear | B．slight |
| C．obvious | D．great |
According to the researchers，________.
| A．getting preschoolers away from TV is difficult |
| B．shows on TV in America are full of violence |
| C．parents should communicate more with their kids |
| D．parents should keep an eye on what kids watch on TV |
Moving to a new neighborhood，town，state，or even country can be a pretty scary experience.All you know is that things will be different and chances are you won’t know the kids at your new school.
The experiences that go with moving make many kids feel nervous and worried.This is perfectly normal but don’t let these emotions overrun your thoughts！You will soon get used to your surroundings and find new friends at your new school.
Leaving old friends and familiar places behind can be difficult.However，as you begin the moving process，keep in mind that saying goodbye to your old house，school，and friends does not mean that you have to forget them or that your farewell is permanent！If you’re moving to a new state or even a different country and won’t see your friends for a long nme，don’t despair.Make sure to ask everyone for their address so you can write them letters.Also，thanks to the Internet，it is very easy to stay in touch through email or instant messaging technologies.With your parent’s permission，you can even create a blog or web page to chronicle all of your new experiences.Include your thoughts，tales of your new adventures，even pictures of new friends，your new house，and new town.Your old friends will love seeing what you are busy with.
Many schools have an orientation program where a student already established at the school shows a new student around for their first week.This can help you to find your way around the school and to make new friends faster.
While moving is tough on kids of any age，high school counselor Karen Turner says moves can be particularly difficult for teens.“I think moving during adolescents is an extremely stressful experience，especially if you are into your junior high or senior year.Students tend to have established a very strong peer network during that period in their lives.Often this has more influence on them even than their families in some cases，and when they are torn from that there’s often resentment (怨气)．” However，Turner adds that while moving isn’t easy，there are things that your parents and the school can do to help you cope with the change.Who are the intended readers of the passage?
| A．Education experts. | B．School teachers. |
| C．Parents. | D．Students. |
Which of the following is mainly suggested in Paragraph 3?
| A．Staying in contact with old friends. |
| B．Expressing yourself when it is possible. |
| C．Forming good habits at school. |
| D．Keeping positive about your new school. |
According to the passage，an orientation program________.
| A．helps local students in many ways |
| B．is organized by new students |
| C．offers help to new students |
| D．focuses on all the students at school |
According to the passage，Karen Turner may agree that________.
| A．many parents seem to care little about their children |
| B．teens can easily be attached to their friends |
| C．parents should communicate with the school teachers |
| D．teens tend to behave rudely in a new school |
If this passage continues，what would the author further discuss?
| A．What a new school is like. |
| B．why parents move with their children. |
| C．How parents and the school can help the children. |
| D．How children can express their anxiety. |
Human beings are the most intelligent of all animals because we are gifted with the ability to think and reason logically.Scientists and even common people with special intelligence have made a lot of inventions and contributions to modern lifestyle in the past.“Houses” have been the most popular area for discoveries and inventions in the past and even now.
Many household items have been the result of inventions of people who desired better functioning of the existent products.Every individual has intelligence and if it is used properly for the right purpose it leads to invention of a new tool or device.Many new household inventions are made almost every day and there are specific companies，which particularly keep a record of all these inventions.
A lot of inventions have been made recently in the household field.These products are patented (专利) and have trade mark licenses.The patented sliding cinch is a very simple but effective method to prevent shoulder stress and injury for those who work before computers all day long.Vanity PC is a type of computer furniture that specifically hides all the computer wires and keeps a clean and good look.All the outdoor dust，mud and snow can be kept out of the house by installing (安装) the dirt drain (排水管) at the entrance of the door.Another important invention is the automatic toilet nightlight，in which a small light starts when the lid of the toilet seat is opened and closes as soon as the lid is closed.
These are some of the new household inventions invented mostly by common people.Thus，a variety of new household items are invented every day，which helps in a better functioning of household chores and in a more useful manner.The first paragraph is intended to________.
| A．stress the importance of inventions |
| B．introduce the topic of the article |
| C．show the advantages of modern lifestyle |
| D．tell the differences between human beings and animals |
According to the passage，people make house inventions to________.
| A．earn more money and gain awards |
| B．accumulate their wealth |
| C．improve the present living conditions |
| D．meet the new demands of new science |
It can be inferred that the sliding cinch is used to________.
| A．prevent your shoulder from being overpressured |
| B．keep your shoulder safe and sound in an accident or an operation |
| C．help you practice your shoulder more often and reduce shoulder pains |
| D．cover your shoulder and make it stronger to resist the outside strike |
Common people can also make good inventions because________.
| A．wisdom and inspiration sometimes come from everyday life |
| B．some inventions are easy to be made and can be mastered by them |
| C．they have a strong desire to do something for science research |
| D．success is often connected with hardship and bitter experience of common people |
The passage mainly talks about________.
| A．the correct use of household facilities |
| B．different ideas about household inventions |
| C．the history of household inventions |
| D．household inventions and their influence |
Success is often measured by the ability to overcome adversity.But，it is often the belief of others that gives us the courage to try.
J．K.Rowling，author of the Harry Potter book series，began writing at the age of 6.In her biography，she remembers with great fondness when her good friend Sean，whom she met in secondary school，became the first person to encourage her and help build the confidence that one day she would be a very good writer
“He was the first person with whom I really discussed my serious ambition to be a writer.He was also the only person who thought I was bound to be a success at it，which meant much more to me than I ever told him at the time.”
Despite many setbacks，Rowling persevered in her writing，particularly fantasy stories.But it wasn’t until 1990 that she first conceived the idea about Harry Potter.As she recalls，it was on a long train journey from London to Manchester that the idea of Harry Potter simply fell into her head.“To my immense frustration (沮丧)，I didn’t have a functioning pen with me，and I was too shy to ask anybody if I could borrow one.I think，now，that this was probably a good thing，because I simply sat and thought，for four (delayed train) hours，and all the details bubbled up in my brain，and this scrawny，blackhaired，bespectacled (戴眼镜的) boy who didn’t know he was a wizard became more and more real to me.”
That same year，her mother passed away after a tenyear battle with multiple sclerosis，which deeply affected her writing.She went on to marry and had a daughter，but separated from her husband shortly afterwards.
During this time，Rowling was diagnosed with clinical depression.Unemployed，she completed her first novel in area cafes，where she could get her daughter to fall asleep.After being rejected by 12 publishing houses，the first Harry Potter novel was sold to a small British publishing house.
Now with seven books that have sold nearly 400 million copies in 64 languages，J.K.Rowling is the highest earning novelist in history.And it all began with her commitment to writing that was fostered by the confidence of a friend!Who believed J．K.Rowling was to be a good writer?
| A．Her friend Sean. | B．Her mother. |
| C．Her daughter. | D．Her husband. |
Rowling first came up with the idea about Harry Potter________.
| A．at the age of 6 | B．on a train journey |
| C．after her mother’s death | D．in her secondary school |
She felt frustrated on the train because________.
| A．her train was delayed for four hours |
| B．she didn’t have a pen with her |
| C．her mind suddenly went blank |
| D．no one would offer her help |
It can be concluded from Paragraph 5 and 6 that Rowling is________.
| A．openminded | B．warmhearted |
| C．goodnatured | D．strongwilled |
The text mainly tells us________.
| A．hardship makes a good novelist |
| B．the courage to try is a special ability |
| C．you can have a wonderful idea everywhere |
| D．encouragement contributes to one’s success |
An alcohol breath test (ABT) is often used by the police to find out whether a person is drunk while driving.In the United States，the legal blood alcohol limit is 0.08% for people aged 21 years or older，while people under 21 are not allowed to drive a car with any level of alcohol in their body.A “positive” test result，a result over the legal limit，allows the police to arrest the driver.However，many people who tested positive on the test have claimed that they only drank a “nonalcoholic” energy drink.Can one of these energy drinks really cause someone to test positive on an ABT？Researchers in Missouri set up an experiment to find out.
First，the amount of alcohol in 27 different popular energy drinks was measured.All but one had an alcohol level greater than 0.005%.In nine of the 27 drinks，the alcohol level was at least 0.096%.The scientists then investigated the possibility that these small levels of alcohol could be discovered by an ABT.They asked test subjects to drink a full can or bottle of an energy drink and then gave each subject an ABT one minute and 15 minutes after the drink was finished.
For 11 of the 27 energy drinks，the ABT did find the presence of alcohol if the test was given within one minute after the drink was taken.However，alcohol could not be discovered for any of the drinks if the test was given 15 minutes after the drink was consumed.This shows that when the test is taken plays an important role in the test result.The sooner the test is conducted after the consumption of these drinks，the more likely a positive alcohol reading will be obtained.What is the legal alcohol level for a 20yearold driver in the US?
| A．0.000%. | B．0.005%. |
| C．0.080%. | D．0.096%. |
What is the purpose of the Missouri experiment?
| A．To introduce a new method of calculating blood alcohol levels. |
| B．To discover the relation between energy drinks and ABT test results. |
| C．To warn people of the dangers of drinking energy drinks. |
| D．To change the current legal alcohol limit for drivers in the United States. |
The underlined word “subjects” in Paragraph 2 refers to________.
| A．the things that are being discussed |
| B．areas of knowledge studied in school |
| C．the participants in an experiment |
| D．the people who belong to a country |
Which of the following affects the ABT test result most for energy drink consumers?
| A．The age of the person who takes the test. |
| B．The place where the test is given. |
| C．The equipment that the test uses. |
| D．The time when the test is taken. |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．A driver whose blood alcohol level is found to be 0.1% will be arrested. |
| B．No energy drinks really cause anyone to test positive on an ABT. |
| C．Few popular energy drinks contain alcohol in them. |
| D．Those taking an ABT 15 minutes after drinking alcohol cannot be found out. |