What will people die of 100 years from now? If you think that is a simple question, you have not been paying attention to the revolution that is taking place in bio-technology(生物技术). With the help of new medicine, the human body will last a very long time. Death will come mainly from accidents, murder and war. Today’s leading killers, such as heart disease, cancer, and aging itself, will become distant memories.
In discussion of technological changes, the Internet gets most of the attention these days. But the change in medicine can be the real technological event of our times. How long can humans live? Human brains were known to decide the final death. Cells(细胞) are the basic units of all living things, and until recently, scientists were sure that the life of cells could not go much beyond l20 years because the basic materials of cells, such as those of brain cells, would not last forever. But the upper limits will be broken by new medicine. Sometime between 2050 and 2100, medicine will have advanced to the point at which every 10 years or so, people will be able to take medicine to repair their organs ( The medicine, made up of the basic building materials of life, will build new brain cells, heart cells, and so on—in much the same way our bodies make new skin cells to take the place of old ones.)
It is exciting to imagine that the advance in technology may be changing the most basic condition of human existence, but many technical problems still must be cleared up on the way to this wonderful future.According to the passage, human death IS now mainly caused by____.
| A．diseases and aging | B．accidents and war |
| C．accidents and aging | D．heart disease and war |
In the author’s opinion, today’s most important advance in technology lies in____.
| A．medicine | B．the Internet | C．brain cells | D．human organ |
Humans may live longer in the future because_____.
| A．heart disease will be far away from us |
| B．human brains can decide the final death |
| C．the basic materials of cells will last forever |
| D．human organs can be repaired by new medicine |
We can learn from the passage that ______.
| A．human life will not last more than 120 years in the future |
| B．humans have to take medicine to build new skin cells now |
| C．much needs to be done before humans can have a longer life |
| D．we have already solved the technical problems in building new cells |
What will people in 2113 mainly die of /from?
| A．Aging | B．Accidents | C．Cancer | D．Heart disease |
Without any previous notice, a documentary dominated headlines and social websites over the weekend. Under the Dome, a 103-minute documentary self-funded by former CCTV news anchor Chai Jing was released on video-sharing websites in China on Feb 28. It has rapidly pushed the public awareness about air pollution and encouraged people to join in efforts to make a difference.
Chai, 39, said she started the work out of her “personal clashes” with smog after she gave birth to a daughter. “I sealed tight all the windows. I started every day by checking the air pollution index,” Chai said. Millions of other people are also doing the same. While they stop there, Chai goes deeper. “I don’t want to live in this way. 1 need to find out where the smog comes from and what on earth is going on.”
Over a year, she investigated polluted sites to find the sources of smog, visited the US and the UK to learn about their anti-pollution experiences, and interviewed officials, scientists and the general public. Chai’s research reveals that the burning of coal and oil contributes to 60 percent of PM2.5 pollutants. She thus questions the country’s energy consumption habits in the film.
She then goes on to disclose loopholes (漏洞) in car emissions regulations. The film also explains that businesses are pressured not to abide by(遵守) the laws because violating(违反) them carries little or no cost, while making changes bumps up costs. The film also points at China’s petroleum and steel industries as the biggest sources of air pollution.
Cheng Chen, a 22-year-old student from Beijing Foreign Studies University, found the documentary “very inspiring”. “I used to think it’s not my duty to deal with air pollution—I don’t own a factory or a car,” said Cheng. “But Chai told me we share the same fate since we breathe the same air and there is a lot I can do.”
However, some people are annoyed by the film’s description of their polluted hometowns, especially when it shows a banner from Xingtai in Hebei saying “Congratulations to our city for no longer being ranked the last place among the country’s 74 cities in terms of air quality”.
Such a feeling of “being insulted”, in Cheng’s eyes, could also be a good thing. “What’s important is that Chai’s work has raised public attention toward the structure of the energy industry,” she said. Meanwhile, experts remind moved viewers of the film’s limitations.According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?
| A．The documentary was made by Chai jing , who works in CCTV now. |
| B．The documentary dominated headlines and social websites soon after it was broadcast on TV. |
| C．Chai started making the documentary after she gave birth to a daughter. |
| D．Chai thinks that it is the burning of coal and oil that leads to air pollution in china. |
Why Chai jing decided to make the film at first ?
| A．She wanted to do something for her daughter |
| B．She wanted to disclose loopholes in car emissions regulations. |
| C．She wanted to make money |
| D．She wanted to raise public attention toward the structure of the energy industry |
what’s the author’s attitude towards the film?
| A．positive | B．objective |
| C．negative | D．indifferent |
What’s the meaning of the underlined sentence?
| A．Some people deserve to be insulted. |
| B．The feeling of “being insulted” can help draw attention to air pollution. |
| C．Insulting people is good for protecting environment. |
| D．No longer being ranked the last place is not a bad thing. |
The character “duang” is so new that it does not even exist in the Chinese dictionary. But it has already spread like wildfire online in China, appearing more than 8 million times on China’s micro-blogging site Weibo, where it spawned a top-trending hashtag(标签) that drew 312,000 discussions among 15,000 users. On China’s biggest online search engine Baidu, it has been looked up almost 600,000 times. It’s been noticed in the West too, with Foreign Policy seeing it as a “break the internet” viral meme － like a certain Kirn Kardashian image, or a certain multicoloured dress.
But what does it mean? “Everyone’s duang-ing and I still don’t know what it means! As if it’s back to school for me,” said Weibo user Weileiweito. Another user asked: “Have you duang-ed today? My mind is full of duang duang duang.” “To duang or not to duang, that is the question,” wrote user BaiKut automan.
“Duang” seems to be an example of onomatopoeia(拟声词), a word that phonetically imitates a sound. It all seems to have started with Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan, who in 2004 was featured in a shampoo commercial where he said famously defended his sleek, black hair using the rhythmical-sounding “duang”. The word resurfaced again recently after Chan posted it on his Weibo page. Thousands of users then began to flood Chan’s Weibo page with comments, coining the word in reference to his infamous shampoo appearance.
The word appears to have many different meanings, and there’s no perfect translation, but you could use it as an adjective to give emphasis to the word that follows it. A kitten might be “duang cute”, for example. Or you might be “very duang confused” by this blog.
For readers of Chinese characters, the Jackie Chan theme is also apparent from the quirky(古怪的) way in which the word is written: a combination of Chan’s Mandarin names.How does the writer try to prove that Duang has already spread like wildfire online in China?
| A．giving examples | B．listing numbers |
| C．making comparisons | D．offering quotations |
Why does the author mention “a certain Kirn Kardashian image”?
| A．to tell us “Duang” also draws attention in the West. |
| B．to tell us “Duang” is just like a certain image on a certain multicolored dress. |
| C．to tell us Foreign Policy doesn’t like “Duang”. |
| D．to tell us a certain Kim Kardashian image breaks the internet. |
Which of the following statements about “duang is NOT true?
| A．It came from Jackie chan’s commertial. |
| B．Weibo users created the word about his infamous shampoo appearance. |
| C．It was first used as an adjective to stress the word that follows it. |
| D．Many people are confused by the word. |
What kind of people may not know the word “duang”?
| A．the old who are over sixties |
| B．the young who are in fashion |
| C．a boy who has dropped out of school |
| D．a woman who never surfs the internet |
The secret of carrier pigeons' unbelievable ability to find their way home has been discovered by scientists: the feathered navigators follow the roads just like we do.
Scientists at Oxford University spent 10 years studying homing pigeons using global positioning satellite (GPS) and got a surprising result. The birds often don't use the sun to decide their directions. Instead, they fly along motorways, turn at crossings and even go around roundabouts (绕道) , adding miles to their journeys.
“It really has knocked our research team sideways to find that after a decade-long international study, pigeons appear to ignore their inbuilt directional instincts (本能) and follow the road system,” said Prof Tim Guilford, reader in animal behavior at Oxford University's Department of Zoology.
Guilford said pigeons use their own navigational system (导航系统) when doing long distance trips or when a bird does a journey for the first time.
“But once homing pigeons have flown a journey more than once, they can fly home on a habitual route, much as we do when we are driving or walking home from work,” said Guilford.
“In short, it looks like it is mentally easier for a bird to fly down a road. They are just making their journeys as simple as possible.” What would be the best title of the passage?
| A．Birds Follow Roads as We Do. |
| B．Why Pigeons Can Fly Long Distance? |
| C．How Pigeons Find Their Ways Home? |
| D．Why Crows Fly the Shortest Distance? |
What does the underlined words "the feathered navigators" refer to?
| A．The pigeons. |
| B．The crows. |
| C．Dogs. |
| D．Animals that can swim. |
Scientists used to think that homing pigeons often find their directions _______.
| A．by global positioning satellite |
| B．by the sun |
| C．by the road system |
| D．by following other birds |
Volunteers Wanted
Ecuador
A village in Ecuador has recently developed a ecotourism (生态旅游) project that needs volunteers with a background in tourism. This is an unpaid, challenging job that might last one year. You must be enthusiastic and speak good level of Spanish. You will need to cover your food and lodging on your own.
To find out more information, e-mail volunteer@ ecuador.org.
Bali
Would you like to teach English or computer skills to our local school children in a lovely village in the mountains of Bali? There are also western children homeschooling here, some of whom need help with their daily programs. For volunteers of homeschooling, you are required to have baby-sitter experience. Please contact me for more information at Bali@yahoo.com.
Dominica
Experience nature and adventure in Dominica, the island of the Caribbean. Be part of a happy team, doing things from gardening, to building tree houses, to maintaining hydro systems.
For more information please e-mail info@Dominica.com.A college graduate who speaks good Spanish and is interested in ecotourism had better work in ______.
| A．an island of Dominica | B．a village in Ecuador |
| C．the mountains of Bali | D．a house in Caribbean |
One who wants to teach small children English will contact ______.
| A．volunteer@org | B．info@Dominica.com |
| C．volunteer@ ecuador.org | D．Bali@yahoo.com |
Which is NOT a required task for a volunteer at the island of Dominica?
| A．Gardening. |
| B．Building tree houses. |
| C．Swimming in the pool. |
| D．Maintaining hydro systems. |
When I was growing up, I was unhappy to be seen with my father. He was disabled and quite short. He used to walk together with me and his hand was on my arm for balance. At this time, people would look at us strangely. I was afraid to look at others but he never cares.
It was difficult to coordinate our steps — his slow, mine impatient. But each time, he always said, “You set the pace, I'll follow you.”
He never talked about himself as a disabled man and nor did he envy other people’s good fortune or health. What he looked for in others was a “good heart” — a good heart in man.
Now that I am older, I believe that is a right standard to judge people, even though I still don’t know exactly what a “good heart” is. But I know the times when I don’t have it. Unable to take part in many activities, my father still tried to participate in some way. When I played ball, he “played” it too. When I joined the Navy, he “joined” too. He often introduced me, saying “This is my son, but it is also me, and I could have done this if things had been different.”
He has been gone many years, but I am so sorry for my unwillingness to walk with him. I never told him how I regretted it. I think of him often when I complain about small affairs and when I don’t have a “good heart ”. At such times, I want to put my hand on his arm and say, “You set the pace, I'll try to follow you. ”The author felt unhappy walking with his father because ______.
| A．he was pitiful for his father’s disability |
| B．it was easy for them to walk together |
| C．he didn’t want others to know he had a disabled father |
| D．his father often blamed him |
In his father’s view, the most important quality a good person should have is ______.
| A．excellent health | B．a good heart |
| C．smart hands | D．beautiful appearance |
What does the underlined word “coordinate” mean?
| A．行走 | B．协调 | C．抚平 | D．暂停 |
According to the last paragraph, by saying “You set the pace. I will try to follow you.” the author means that ______.
| A．he will follow father’s standards of being a good man |
| B．his father didn’t participate in any activities |
| C．he is glad to walk on his own |
| D．he still cares more about the appearance |