It was a village in India. The people were poor. However, they were not unhappy. After all, their forefathers had lived in the same way for centuries.
Then one day. Some visitors from the city arrived. They told the villagers there were some people elsewhere who liked to eat frog's legs. However, they did not have enough frogs of their own, and so they wanted to buy frogs from other places.
This seemed like money for nothing. There were millions of frogs in the fields around, and they were no use to the villagers. All they had to do was catch them. Agreement was reached, and the children were sent into the fields to catch frogs. Every week a truck arrived to collect the catch and hand over the money. For the first time, the people were able to dream of a better future, but the dream didn't last long.
The change was hardly noticed at first, but it seemed as if the crops were not doing so well. More worrying was that the children fell ill more often, and, there seemed to be more insects around lately.
The villagers decided that they couldn't just wait to see the crops failing and the children getting weak. They would have to use the money earned to buy pesticides(杀虫剂) and medicines. Soon there was no money left.
Then the people realized what was happening. It was the frog. They hadn't been useless. They had been doing an important job—eating insects. Now with so many frogs killed, the insects were increasing more rapidly. They were damaging the crops and spreading diseases.
Now, the people are still poor. But in the evenings they sit in the village square and listen to sounds of insects and frogs. These sounds of the night now have a much deeper meaning. From paragraph 1 we learn that the villagers ________.
| A．worked very hard for centuries |
| B．dreamed of having a better life |
| C．were poor but somewhat content（满意的） |
| D．lived a different life from their forefathers |
Why did the villagers agree to sell frogs?
| A．The frogs were easy money. |
| B．They needed money to buy medicine. |
| C．They wanted to please the visitors. |
| D．The frogs made too much noise. |
What might be the cause of the children's sickness?
| A．The crops didn't do well. |
| B．There were too many insects. |
| C．The visits brought in diseases. |
| D．The pesticides were overused. |
China supports international efforts to secure cyberspace but believes each nation’s “Internet sovereignty（主权）” must be respected, a top Chinese official said at a cyber security conference on Tuesday.
“China, like many other countries, is very concerned about cyber security,” said Liu Zhengrong, deputy director general of the Internet Affairs Bureau of the State Council Information Office.
“China faces severe cyber security threats,” Liu told participants here at the Worldwide Cyber Security Summit, a gathering of government and business leaders from 40 countries hosted by the EastWest Institute think tank.
“International cooperation is much needed to safeguard international cyberspace,” Liu said.
But “Internet sovereignty of each country needs to be respected,” the Chinese official added. “Different national and cultural conditions” should be taken into account.
Liu declined to answer repeated questions about cyber attacks last year on Google which the Internet giant said originated in China and led to the California company’s decision to reroute its searches through Hong Kong.
“The Chinese government firmly opposes cyber attacks in any form and Chinese law clearly states that any hackers will be held responsible for their actions,” he said.
Liu said China itself is a “a major victim of cyber attacks and network viruses” and has laws in place to deal with hackers.
“Internet-related crimes (in China) are showing a steady upward trend,” Liu said. “We suffer big economic losses from hacking networks and viruses - around $1 billion dollars (6.8 billion yuan) a year.”
In 2009, Chinese law enforcement authorities investigated about 48,000 cases, a 37 percent increase over 2008, he said.
While China has a dynamic Internet population of more than 400 million users and millions of bloggers, there is no “absolute freedom” on the Web, Liu said.
“I don’t think there is absolute freedom in this world,” he said. “When you are speaking via the Internet you must obey laws and respect others’ lawful rights.”
Last Thursday, Wang Chen, minister of the State Council Information Office, said China has been actively promoting a real-name registration system for Internet and cell phone users to better manage Internet information and services.
China needs laws that will step up monitoring for “harmful information” and block “overseas hostile forces from infiltrating（渗透）through the Internet,” Wang said.
Last week, China tightened its State Secrets law, holding Internet and mobile phone operators responsible for customers who try to leak State secrets.
Some 400 government officials, business leaders and cyber security experts are attending the summit, which features three days of discussions on ways to protect the world’s digital infrastructure from electronic threats.(427)
1. What was the top issue of Worldwide Cyber Security Summit?
A. To fight against Internet-related crimes.
B. To protect digital infrastructure in the world.
C. To respect Internet sovereignty of each country.
D. To make more laws to deal with hackers.
2. To respect a nation’s Internet sovereignty, _____________ must be considered.
A. different national and cultural conditions
B. attending Worldwide Cyber Security Summit
C. stopping the leaking of State secrets
D. safeguarding international cyberspace
3. According to paragraph 6, Internet giant refers to _____________.
A. Hong Kong B. hackers C. Google D. Liu Zhengrong
4. Which of the following is NOT the measure that China has taken to guarantee better Internet information and service management?
A. Promoting real-name registration for Internet use.
B. Promoting real-name registration for cell phone use.
C. Tightening State Secrets law to stop leaking State secrets.
D. Monitoring for harmful information and blocking overseas hostile forces.
After a lot of weightlifting and 25 exhausting days training, a 52-year-old woman recently became the first female “gripman” on San Francisco’s historic cable cars.
Fannie Barnes passed her written test and completed a final run under the watchful eye of a supervisor, Municipal Railway spokesman Alan Siegel said.
Deep calluses(茧) are already forming at the base of her fingers and there is a hole in her glove. Two other women quit after a single day with injured muscles. “Now they’re going to have to change the word from gripman to grip person, just because of me,” Barnes said earlier, “I’m so excited.”
After almost a year of serious workouts, Barns can pull more than 61 kilos, only 23 kilos less than her body weight. And she’ll need the muscle, for this is no modern, push-button technology. Every time a car starts up again after making a stop, the gripman must haul back on a lever controlling a device that grips the cable, which runs continuously at 14 kilometers per hour. If the grip slips, so does the car. A second person operates the brakes.
In addition to having to throw her weight around on the job, she’s got to throw out some attitude to men who were hard to convince. The city employs 76 men in the job.
“A lot of men said mean things to me and didn’t want to help train me. But I would like to thank the guys who were against me because they gave me even more inspiration to do it.” she said.
Not all the men were against her. Many of the male colleagues yelled out support as she did her training runs. One of her biggest tests was drizzly December morning. She first went down the Hyde Street Hill, considered the most dangerous incline on the cable car routes. “I had to have the will and I had to believe I could do it,” she said. “It was scary, but as I started going down full grip and felt that I was in control, I knew I was on my way,” Barnes already is a pioneer of sorts. She started working as a cable car conductor six years ago, collecting fares and assisting on the back brake. She is one of only three women to have that job. But she said she always wanted the job up front on the car. (400)
1. What is unusual about Fannie Barnes getting a job as a gripman?
A. She is the oldest one to work as a grpman.
B. She is the first women to work as a gripman.
C. She is the fattest women to work as a gripman.
D. She is the most suitable one to work as a gripman.
2. What did the 52-year-old woman do when she first began working on the city’s cable car?
A. As a gripman. B. As a conductor. C. As a brakeman. D. As a supervisor.
3. It can be inferred from the passage that Fannie Barnes is ________.
A. strong and easy-going B. strong-willed and self-confident
C. popular and humorous D. considerate and quick-tempered
阅读理解
A
Enjoy the sumptuous Easter lunch buffet and children will be given the lovely Easter chocolate eggs.
Time：Mar, 28-mar 30, 2010 11:00 am—3:00 pm
Place：lucky corner coffee shop（hotel first floor）
Price：150 + 15% service charge
half price for children under 12 years old.
Reservations：Scitech hotel 65123388-2114 or 2164
Bring your family and friends along to The Palace Hotel this Easter and enjoy the traditional treats of the season. Forget about the calories and enjoy favourite goodies such as Easter eggs, chocolate bunnies and hot cross buns, which will be sold outside.Palm Court Coffee House every day from 8:00 am to 9:00 pm.
PALM COURT COFFEE HOUSE
Friday, March 28-- lavish fish buffet for lunch and dinner priced at RMB 180 for adults, half price for children.
Sunday, March 30--Roast carving buffet priced at RMB 160 for adults, half price for children.
ROMA RISTORANTE ITALLANO
Sunday, March 30 --Delicious seafood lunch priced at RMB 198 for adults, children under 10 years half price. Youngsters can work off their extra energy in a special supervised play area next to the restaurant.
Prices are subject to a 15% surcharge
Reservations on 65128899, ext. 7492 for Roma Ristorante: ext. 7561 for Palm Court.
March 30th brings a fun-filled Easter entertainment program to the Crazy Sunday Brunch at the Patio Coffee Shop from 11:00 am-3:00 pm!
Children under 10 year old accompanying their parents will enjoy this special meal for free and can even win lots of treat prices in the Egg Painting Competition!
WE GUARANTEE You A Fun Easter Sunday
Please register your children for the contest no later the March 29th as space is limited.
For further information and reservations, please call 64376688 ext, 2873/2865 Holiday Inn Lido Beijing
RMB 150.00 + 15% Surcharge
Happy Easter
March 30 11:00—14:30
Hilton Hotel
The Easter Bunny is coming to town!
Join him for a special Easter Brunch at the Atrium cafe and enjoy traditional Easter favourites.
RMB 195 + 15% surcharge
Children under 12 years old free of charge. Surprise gift for the children at the Kid’s Corner.
1. The main purpose of the advertisements is to give information about .
A．weekend activities B．a holiday celebrations
C．the price for the meals in big hotelsD．Egg Painting Competition
2. It can be learned from the advertisements that the children can enjoy themselves most in .
A．Lido Holiday Inn B．Palace Hotel C．Scitech HotelD．Hilton Hotel
3. If you want to have an Easter meal on March 28, which hotel can you go to?
A．Scitech Hotel and Lido Holiday Inn B．The Palace Hotel and Hilton Hotel
C．Hilton Hotel and Lido Holiday Inn D．Scitech Hotel and the Palace Hotel
4. If you have Easter Brunch in Hiton Hotel you will pay RMB for it.
A．195 B．224.25 C．165.75D．97.5
If you're 70 and overweight, you may live longer
A few extra pounds might help you live longer if you're past your prime(壮年) but otherwise healthy, a new study finds.
Physicians routinely follow guidelines issued by the World Health Organization. Because weight depends on height, they use a standard measure called body mass index (BMI), which is calculated as the weight in kilograms divided by the height in meters squared.
Healthy weight is defined as a BMI anywhere between 18.5 and 24.9 in adults, whereas 25 to 29.9 is overweight and 30+ is obese.
The new study suggests that in the elderly, these boundaries may be too narrow. While no one is questioning that extra fat poses health risks in young and middle-aged adults, it may reduce the impact of frailty and old age, geriatrician(老年医学专家) Dr. Thomas Yoshikawa told Reuters Health.
So far, nobody knows exactly how BMI affects lifespan in older people. Some researchers speculate that it acts as an energy reserve that can help the elderly cope with illness.
For the study, Australian researchers followed more than 9,000 men and women who were between 70 and 75 years old at the beginning. The participants reported their height and weight as well as various factors related to health and lifestyle. About 33 percent of the women and 44 percent of the men were overweight.
Over 10 years, more than 2,000 of the participants died. Women who had an active life and didn't smoke were the most likely to be alive at the end of the study.
But neither health nor lifestyle could fully explain why overweight people of both sexes survived longer than their normal-weight peers, who fared no better than obese individuals. In terms of survival, the best BMI was between 26 and 27, well within the overweight range.
The new results agree with earlier research showing that fat may be beneficial in old age.
1．We can learn from the passage that_________．
A. the heavier one is, the better
B. we shouldn’t lose weight when old
C. one should keep his weight within the recommended range
D. we shouldn’t worry about our weight if we are slightly fatter than normal when old
2．According to the passage, if a person is 1.5 metres in height and 67.5 kg in weight, his BMI is________.
A．30 B．25 C．45 D． 28
3. What does the author want to tell us most?
A. Fatness has little to do with diseases in old age.
B. Fatness is not always bad.
C. Fatness may be beneficial instead of harmful in old age.
D. Overweight people of both sexes survive longer than their normal-weight peers.
The Grand Canyon (峡谷) in Arizona extends four hundred fifty kilometers. The canyons look as if they formed as the earth split apart. They were actually cut by rivers.
Looking at the Grand Canyon is like looking back in time. Forty million years ago, the Colorado River began cutting through the area. At the same time, the surrounding land was pushed up by forces deep within the Earth. Rain, snow, ice, wind, and plant roots rubbed away at the top of the new canyon. Below, the flowing river continued to uncover more and more levels of ancient rock. Their appearance changes endlessly -- with the light, the time of year, and the weather.
The Grand Canyon has several weather environments. The top is often much different from the bottom. On some winter days, for example, you may find cold winds and snow at the top. But at the bottom, you may find warm winds and flowers.
The Grand Canyon is known as one of the seven wonders of the natural world. About five million people visit the canyon each year. Most visitors walk along paths part way down into the canyon. Some visitors ride mules to the bottom and back.
There are several other ways to visit the Grand Canyon. Hundreds of thousands of people see the canyon by air each year. They pay a helicopter or airplane pilot to fly them above and around the canyon.
About twenty thousand people a year see the Grand Canyon from the Colorado River itself. They ride boats over the rapid, rocky water. These trips last from one week to three weeks.
Visitors can see the Grand Canyon in still another way. A huge glass walkway, called the Skywalk, extends from the edge and is hanging above the bottom of the canyon.
Some people say the Skywalk is an engineering wonder. However, other people have criticized the Skywalk and future development. They say it harms a national treasure and reduces the enjoyment of nature in the Grand Canyon.
1. We can learn from the first paragraph ____________.
A. the Grand Canyon is the most beautiful place in America
B. the Grand Canyon is four hundred fifty kilometers long
C. the Grand Canyon used to be a dried river
D. the Grand Canyon used to be a deep opening in the earth
2. According to the passage, people can visit the Grand Canyon in ______ ways.
A. 3 B. 4 C. 5 D. 6
3. We can learn that the author of the passage hold a(n) ______ attitude towards the Skywalk.
A. positive B. negative C. objective D. critical
4. All the following are true about the Grand Canyon EXCEPT ____________.
A. The top of the Grand Canyon is always cold.
B. The Grand Canyon displays different colors in different times.
C. The Grand Canyon is as old as forty million years old.
D. Every year more people see the Grand Canyon by air than by boat.