Last night’s meteor(流星) shower left many people in the community dissatisfied and demanding answers. According to Gabe Rothsclild, Emerald Valley’s mayor, people gathered in the suburbs of the city, carrying heavy telescopes, expecting to watch the brightly burning meteors passing through the sky. What they found instead was a sky so brightened by the city’s lights that it darkened the light of the meteors passing overhead.
“My family was so frustrated,” admitted town resident Duane Cosby, “We wanted to make this an unforgettable family outing, but it turned out to be a huge disappointment. ”
Astronomers—scientists who study stars and planets—-have been complaining about this problem for decades. They say that light pollution prevents them from seeing objects in the sky that they could see quite easily in the past. They call on people and the government to take measures to fight against it.
There is yet a population besides professional and amateur star observers that suffers even more from light pollution. This population consists of birds, bats frogs, snakes, etc. For example, outdoor lighting severely affects migrating(迁徙的)birds. According to the International Dark-Sky Association. “100 million birds a year throughout North America die in crashes with lighted buildings and towers. ”
Countless more animals casualties(伤亡）result from the use of artificial lighting. Clearly, people enjoy the benefits of lighting their evenings, but some scientists think it can be harmful for humans, too. They worry that exposure to light while sleeping can increase person’s chances of getting cancer.
Emerald Valley is only one community that is becoming aware of the negative effects of light pollution. For years, Flagstaff,Arizona,has enforced lighting regulations in its city in order to assist astronomers at the Lowell Observatory. Similar efforts have been made worldwide, and a movement is underway to remind us to turn off lights when we are not using them, so that other creatures can share the night. What is the author concerned about according to Paragraph 4?
| A．Birds may take other migration paths |
| B．Animals’ living habits may change suddenly |
| C．Varieties of animals will become sharply reduced |
| D．Animals’ survival is threatened by outdoor lighting |
Lighting regulations in Flagstaff, Arizona are put into effect to
| A．Lessen the chance of getting cancer |
| B．create an ideal observation condition |
| C．ensure citizens a good sleep at night |
| D．enable all creatures to live in harmony |
What message does the author most want to give us?
| A．Saving wildlife is saving ourselves |
| B．Great efforts should be made to save energy |
| C．Human activities should be environmentally friendly |
| D．New equipment should be introduced for space study |
As a teen, you’re going through big changes physically and mentally. Your interests are expanding. And your desire to take control of your own life is growing.
Here is the challenge: Kids need to explore the world in new ways, and parents need to protect them from the dangers that are out in that world. These conflicts can easily set off fireworks in otherwise calm houses. Sometimes conflicts can’t be avoided. But by paying attention to the building blocks of successful relationships, you can work towards making home a happy and healthy place for you and your parents.
For instance, try to find a time to talk when your parents are not angry, tired, distracted, or hungry. A good time to talk is when you’re all relaxed . Timing is everything. If the conversation begins to turn into an argument, you’d better calmly and coolly ask to stop the conversation for now. You can pick it up again when everyone’s more relaxed. Listen to what your parents are saying, and repeat it back to them. This shows them that you’re listening. It also gives them a chance to clear things up if you’re not on the same page.
Respect is the building block of good communication. People who respect each other and care about each others’ feelings can disagree without things getting ugly.
You are more likely to get along with your parents and have more independence(独立) if your parents believe in you. How do you build trust? Trust comes by actually doing what you say you’re going to do. Some teens find that doing fun activities with their parents can improve their relationships. Sometimes we forget that parents are more than rule-makers---they’re interesting people who like to watch movies, and go shopping ---just like their teenagers!
What do you do if you are trying your best, but your relationship with your parents continues to be rocky(冷酷的)? You may consider seeking outside help. You can find supportive adults, such as a teacher or a coach, who can lend an ear.
Remember you can only change your own behavior; your parents are the only ones who can change theirs.What does the underlined part “lend an ear” in the passage mean?
| A．care about | B．listen | C．solve | D．serve |
What’s NOT the proper way to improve relationship between you and your parents?
| A．Listen to your parents. | B．Work for your family. |
| C．Build their trust. | D．Change your parents’ behaviors. |
Why are there conflicts between children and parents?
| A．Parents are sometimes rule makers. |
| B．Children don’t respect their parents as before. |
| C．Children don’t want to stay together with their parents. |
| D．Children are grown up. |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．Change Your Own Behaviors. | B．Learn to Respect Your Parents. |
| C．Make Peace with Your Parents | D．Accept What Your Parents Say. |
TOKYO - Japan is considering plans to calm tensions（紧张）with China by acknowledging(承认) Chinese claims to the disputed islands in the East China Sea, while maintaining its own position, Kyodo News cited sources as saying on Tuesday.
The report said that the plans would allow Japan, without changing its long-held position, to compromise a little with China, which has called on Tokyo to acknowledge the existence(存在) of a dispute（冲突）over the Chinese Diaoyu Islands, referred to as Senkaku Islands in Japan.
Japan has refused to rescind its recent purchase（购买） in mid-September of three of the five Diaoyu islands from a so-called private Japanese owner, which the government says was meant to maintain（继续）the uninhabited islands in a stable manner, despite China's strong protest.
It remains uncertain, however, whether China would be encouraged by the Japanese step to improve the tensioned ties, said Kyodo.The passage may come from___________.
| A．a magazine | B．a newspaper | C．a textbook | D．a map |
From the passage we can know________.
| A．Japan will give in. |
| B．China is against Japan’s purchase of Diaoyu islands. |
| C．The problem between China and Japan has been settled. |
| D．China is the owner of Diaoyu islands. |
What does the underlined word mean?
| A．agree | B．give up | C．compete | D．change |
What is the writer’s attitude?
| A．He supports China. | B．He supports Japan. |
| C．He doesn’t have his own attitude. | D．He dare not show his attitude. |
Mo Yan, the winner of this year’s Nobel Prize for Literature, said he is not sure about whether he is happy after winning the prize.
In an interview with China Central Television broadcast on Sunday night, Mo said “I don't know,” when a reporter asked if he was happy.“Happiness means a healthy body and a total absence of mental burdens, but now I’m under high pressure and bothered by worries. Can I say that I'm happy?” he said. “But if I say I'm not happy, people will consider that I'm striking a pose. How could you be unhappy after winning the Nobel Prize?”
Mo, born into a farmer’s family in East China’s Shandong province, As a 12-year-old during the Cultural Revolution he left school to work, first in agriculture, later in a factory. In 1976 he joined the People’s Liberation Army and during this time began to study literature and write. His first short story was published in a literary journal in 1981.
“In his writing, Mo Yan draws on his youthful experiences and on settings in the province of his birth. This is apparent in his novel Hong gaoliang jiazu (1987, in English Red Sorghum 1993),” said the academy in a statement of Mo’s biography. Red Sorghum was successfully filmed in 1987, directed by famous Chinese director Zhang Yimou.
Mo won the Nobel Prize for Literature, which is worth $1.2 million, on Oct 11 for his “hallucinatory realism” which merges “folk tales, history and the contemporary”. Dozens of his works have been translated into English, French and Japanese and many other languages.
He is the first Chinese citizen to win the prize.The award sparked strong interest about contemporary Chinese literature among the public, and his books have been flying off the shelves in many bookstores across the country.The followings are TRUE except_____________.
| A．He has won about 8 million yuan. |
| B．His works are all about farmers. |
| C．He has a big influence on Chinese contemporary literature. |
| D．Reporters have interviewed him about his winning. |
From the passage we can know__________.
| A．He won the prize because of his story Red Sorghum. |
| B．He wanted to become a writer when he was very young. |
| C．Mo Yan’s works have been translated into Russian. |
| D．Mo Yan was born in a farmer family. |
What is Paragraph Three mainly about ?
| A．His different work. | B．His early life. |
| C．He switched over to literature. | D．His family and hometown. |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Mo Yan is very happy to win the Nobel Prize. |
| B．More and more readers are buying Mo’s books to read in China. |
| C．Winning the Nobel Prize is not easy. |
| D．Mo Yan won the prize with the help of Zhang Yimou. |
Random ramblings from a guy who is too busy to have a Web site. On the bright side, you won't find any ads, pop-ups, hype, or any attempts to sell you anything at all. Furthermore, you won't find any pages divided into a hundred little boxes. And the text is so large, you don't need an electron microscope to read it. A refreshing break from reality. Anyway, here's what I have so far as I gradually resurrect my poor neglected Web site.
PC Survival Camp
Being new to computers, or even just being a “casual user”, isn’t always fun. It's as though everybody on the planet assumes you already know all the buzzwords, and already possess all the skills necessary to use a computer. Which is a really big assumption, when you consider that nobody was ever born knowing how to use a computer. The links below provide some quick mini-tutorials on all the skills and buzzwords that everyone else seems to assume you already know. Click on any link (underlined text) for a quick mini-lesson. Use the Back button at the bottom of any
page to work your way back to this page.
| TechFear Camp |
Jargon Camp |
Internet Camp |
Windows XP Camp |
| Wrong button! |
Hardware |
What is the Net? |
Desktop |
| Crash the Internet! |
Ports |
What's Bandwidth? |
Start menu |
| Erase everything! |
KB, megabytes, etc. |
What's Download? |
Taskbar |
| Run out of space! |
Software |
What Web browser? |
Quick Launch |
| Email privacy! |
Toolbars |
Getting around |
Notifications |
| Viruses! |
What e-Mail client? |
Moving and Sizing |
|
| Hackers! |
Death to pop-ups |
Control Panel |
|
| More... |
If you're looking for Microsoft Access stuff, click here.
lI'm gradually bringing back some of my old HTML stuff here.
lIf you have a question, Ask Alan Who is the passage written for?
| A．Everyone | B．College students. |
| C．Anyone who wants to use a computer. | D．An expert on computers. |
What’s the advantage of this web site?
| A．It’s cheap. | B．There are no ads. |
| C．It’s modern. | D．It provides an electron microscope. |
You can learn computer skills except_____.
| A．Erase everything! | B．Software. | C．Flash . | D．Taskbar. |
If you have problems, ask____ for help.
| A．Coolnerds.com | B．PC survival Camp |
| C．Alan | D．HTML Stuff |
This recently-released documentary(纪录片)had some fantastic footage(镜头) in it, and a very personal look at many of the astronauts who went to the moon. Overall, that is a very exclusive(独特的) club; only about a dozen men ever did it in the history of the world and just eight or nine ever stepped foot on it. Most of them are still alive and they discuss their adventures, insights and personal feelings here.
One gets the feeling that the rest of us will never know exactly how beautiful the moon is except to take the astronauts’s words about it, because even the pictures on this DVD can’t convey that.
Since this documentary is about 100 minutes long, you get a lot of information. You also get reminded how close two of the three men who went up on that historic first walk on the moon almost didn’t get home alive.
An absence in this documentary is the most famous astronaut of them all: Neil Armstrong, the first man to step foot on the moon! Apparently, he did not want to be part of this film. One of the astronauts mentions something briefly about Armstrong being somewhat of a “recluse(隐居者)” now and it “being understandable with what he’s gone through”. From what I’ve read, a lot of people have tried to make money off him in shady ways and so now he’s withdrawn(退出) from the public spotlight.
This film, a legacy to the Apollo program and the brave men who ran it, should be in every schoolroom. It would make history more interesting to students.What can we know from the passage?
| A．One of the astronauts talks about how beautiful the moon is. |
| B．Two of the three men who went to the moon lost their lives. |
| C．The documentary would make more students interested in history. |
| D．The astronauts talk about their adventures, insights and excitement. |
How many astronauts first flew to the moon?
| A．1 | B．2 | C．3. | D．4 |
Why was Armstrong absent from the film?
| A．Because he didn’t like to show in public. |
| B．Because he has been tired of astronaut’s life. |
| C．Because someone wanted to make money off him. |
| D．Because he thought what he did was nothing to mention. |
What made Armstrong famous around the world?
| A．That he came back safely to the earth alive. |
| B．That he became an astronaut. |
| C．That he first stepped on the moon. |
| D．That he walked on the moon for 100 minutes. |