Poor weather. Technical difficulties. These are some of the typical causes of cancelled trains and planes. But sometimes, the excuse can be a lot more trivial.
Just recently, passengers waiting for a train to Peterborough heard the following announcement, “For reasons beyond our control, we regret to inform passengers that the 13:46 Train to Peterborough has been cancelled. The next train will be arriving on Platform in approximately 36 minutes.”
Oh, well, another delayed train, thought most passengers. But a couple of them decided to enquire further. Incredibly, they were informed that the real reason for the non-arrival of the train was that the driver refused to do his job because his seat was wet.
“A wet seat? That’s got to be a joke,” said one passenger angrily. “I wouldn’t normally complain if the train is just a bit delayed, but this was unbelievable, ” he added. “What really made me angry is that this driver refused to get in the train,” said another passenger. “He probably went off for a cup of tea after that!” she added.
A spokesperson for the rail company apologized for the incident, but said the driver couldn’t sit on the damp seat, and wouldn’t be able to drive the train standing up. The spokesperson went on to explain that the seat had become wet after water entered through an open window when the train was being cleaned in a “train wash”
In another transport-related incident, a flight from Chicago to Frankfurt made an emergency landing in Canada after the pilot spilled his coffee. Apparently, the spilt liquid caused the plane’s radio to send out “transponder code 7500”, which is used to inform ground control that there’s been a hi-jacking (劫机). After landing in Toronto, the 255 passengers crew members were put up in a hotel for the night, then flown on to Frankfurt the following afternoon. “What a disgusting trip!” said one tired passenger after the painful experience had ended.
So, does your job have the potential to cause such disorder?Why did the driver of the train refused to do his job?
| A．His seat was damp. | B．His pay was low |
| C．The weather was terrible | D．His coffee was spilled |
The underlined word “trivial” in Paragraph 1 means “____”.
| A．damp | B．unimportant | C．emergent | D．convincing |
The flight made an emergency landing in Canada because “_______”.
| A．the plane was hijacked |
| B．the plane engines went wrong |
| C．the pilot ran out of coffee |
| D．the plane’s radio sent out a wrong signal |
Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
| A．Wet seat, Canceled Train! |
| B．Spilled Coffee, Emergency Landing! |
| C．Small Incident, Big Disruptions! |
| D．Innocent Driver, Angry Passengers! |
B I really love my job because I enjoy working with small children and like the challenges and awards from the job．I also think my work is important．There was a time when I thought I would never have that sort of career（职业）．
I wasn’t an excellent student because I didn’t do much schoolwork．In my final term I started thinking what I might do and found I didn’t have much to offer．I just accepted that I wasn’t the type to have a career．
I then found myself a job．Looking after two little girls，It wasn’t too bad at first．But the problems began when I agreed to live in，so that I would be there if my boss had to go out for business in the evening．We agreed that if I had to work extra hours one week，she’d give me time off the next．But unfortunately，it didn’t often work out．I was getting extremely tired and fed up，because I had too many late nights and early mornings with the children．
One Sunday，I was in the park with the children，and met Megan who used to go to school with me，I told her about my situation．She suggested that I should do a course and get a qualification（资格证书）if I wanted to work with children．I didn’t think I would be accepted because I didn’t take many exams in school．She persuaded me to phone the local college and they were really helpful．My experience counted for a lot and I got on a part – time course．I had to leave my job with the family，and got work helping out at a kindergarten．
Now I’ve got a full – time job there．I shall always be thankful to Megan．I wish I had known earlier that you could have a career，even if you aren’t top of the class at school．What is the author’s present job？
| A．Working part – time in a college． |
| B．Taking care of children for a family． |
| C．Helping children with their schoolwork． |
| D．Looking after children at a kindergarten． |
When staying with the two girls’family，the author__________．
| A．was paid for extra work |
| B．often worked long hours |
| C．got much help from her boss |
| D．took a day off every other week |
Why did the author leave her first job？
| A．She found a full – time job． |
| B．She was fed up with children． |
| C．She decided to attend a part – time course． |
| D．She needed a rest after working extra hours． |
What has the author learned from her own experiences？
| A．Less successful students can still have a career． |
| B．Qualifications are necessary for a career． |
| C．Hard work makes an excellent student． |
| D．One must choose the job she likes． |
Welcome to Adventureland！
Everyone loves Adventureland ！The Parks and Exhibitions were built for you to explore(探索)，enjoy，and admire their wonders．Every visit will be an unforgettable experience．You will go away enriched，longing to come back．What are you going to do this time？
The Travel Pavilion
Explore places you have never been to before，and experience different ways of life．Visit the Amazon jungle(丛林)village，the Turkish market，the Tai floating market，the Berber mountain house and others．Talk to the people there who will tell you about their lives，and things they make．You can try making a carpet，making nets，fishing…
The Future Tower
This exhibition shows how progress will touch our lives．It allows us to look into the future and explore the cities of the next century and the way we’ll be living then．Spend some time in our space station and climb into our simulator(模拟装置)for the Journey to Mars！
The Nature Park
This is not really one park but several．In the Safari Park you can drive among African animals in one of our Range Cruisers：see lions，giraffes，elephants in the wild．Move on to the Ocean Park to watch the dolphins and whales．And then there is still the Aviary to see…
The Pyramid
This is the center of Adventureland．Run out of film，need some postcards and stamps？For all these things and many more，visit our underground shopping center．Come here for information and ideas too．The Travel Pavilion is built to help visitors _______．
| A．realize the importance of travelling |
| B．become familiar with mountain countries |
| C．learn how to make things such as fishing nets |
| D．learn something about different places in the world |
If you are interested in knowing about what people’s life will be，you may visit
_______．
| A．the Travel Pavilion |
| B．the Future Tower |
| C．the Safari Park |
| D．the Pyramid |
If you want to get a toy lion to take home，where will you most likely go？
| A．The Pyramid． |
| B．The Nature Park． |
| C．The Future Tower． |
| D．The Travel Pavilion． |
Are you single or married? Are you a cat or a dog owner? Do you exercise, or are you a “couch potato” (a person who sits on the sofa all day watching TV, eating and basically doing nothing)? These questions and many others are about your lifestyle．
People in the United States feel that they can choose their lifestyles and even shape their own identities．The great variety of lifestyles leads to constant national discussion of choices that people make．This freedom of choice is fun and exciting, but it also creates stress and uncertainty．In newspapers, lifestyle issues are discussed in the features or style section．In The Chicago Tribune this section is called “Tempo”．People turn to this section for lively discussion on lifestyle choices they face with regard to their personal identities, their families, and their social lives．
Many American people believe that they can make their lives happy and satisfying despite their problems．If they lack confidence or tend to feel anxious, shy, angry, or depressed, they believe that they can change themselves．Self-help books, magazines, and feature articles are filled with advice from experts about steps to take to become a happier or more satisfied person and to improve one’s self-respect．Part of this research for self-improvement is a belief that even one’s own appearance can be controlled．This is why there are so many articles in the newspaper about looking young, wearing the latest fashions, and becoming physically fit．
Lifestyle choices also involve moral and social issues．How should children be raised? How should people behave on a date? How should elderly people be treated? How can people stay happily married? All these kinds of issues are constantly discussed and are constantly changing．Not only are experts such as psychologists consulted, but stars from the political and entertainment worlds are held up as lifestyle leaders as well．In the newspaper, feature articles called profiles discuss in detail the personal lives or public work of movie stars, authors, artists, and exceptional individuals who are not stars．The lifestyle choices these people make contribute to the public discussion of all the issues that people think about．
A well-known advertising slogan is “Just do it．” In the culture of the United States, people believe that they can take action and become the kind of people they want to be and live the way they want to live．The section “Tempo” in The Chicago Tribune mainly discusses ______．
| A．lifestyle choices |
| B．current affairs |
| C．experts’ opinions on life |
| D．how to improve one’s self-respect |
According to the author, Americans are pretty sure that they can ______．
| A．control their own appearance |
| B．solve all the problems in their life |
| C．live a happy life in spite of their problems |
| D．improve their life by following the elders’ advice |
According to the passage, people’s opinions on moral or social issues can be influenced by ______．
| A．their superiors |
| B．family members |
| C．friends and colleagues |
| D．experts and famous people |
Which is the best title for the passage?
| A．Just Do It |
| B．Make Our Lives Happy |
| C．Lifestyles in the United States |
| D．Choosing the Way We Live |
Scientists have produced new evidence suggesting eating lots of red and processed meat damages health．They found big meat eaters had a raised risk of death from all causes over a 10-year period．In contrast, a higher intake of white meat was associated with a slightly reduced risk of death over the same period．
The US study, based on more than 500,000 people, found those whose diet contained the highest proportion (比例) of red or processed meat had a higher overall risk of death, and specifically a higher risk of cancer and heart disease than those who ate the least．
People eating the most meat were eating about 160g of red or processed meat per day— approximately a 6oz steak．Those who ate the least were only getting about 25g per day— approximately a small piece of bacon．Just the opposite, those who ate the highest proportion of white meat had a lower risk of overall death, and a lower risk of fatal cancer or heart disease than those who ate the lowest proportion．
Meat is a major source of saturated (饱和的) fat, which has been associated with breast and colorectal cancer．In addition, lower meat intake has been linked to a reduction in risk factors for heart disease, including lower blood pressure and cholesterol (胆固醇) levels．The latest study adds to a growing body of research linking high red and processed meat consumption to an increased risk of ill health．Ed Yong, of the charity Cancer Research UK, said, “Evidence from large studies tells us that cutting down on processed food, such as bacon or burgers, can reduce the risk of dying from cancer and other diseases．”
Dr Barry Popkin of the University of North Carolina stressed there were health benefits from eating some red meat．But he added: “The need is for a major reduction in total meat intake, an even larger reduction in processed meat and other highly processed and salted animal source food products and a reduction in total saturated fat．” Dr Mark Wahlqvist, a nutrition expert from Australia, said eating small amounts of red meat—around 30g a day—provided a good source of key nutrients．He said, “Fresh, lean red meat of these amounts is likely to be of more benefit than harm．”According to the passage, we know ______．
| A．big meat eaters eat a 6oz steak per day |
| B．big meat eaters have heart disease ten years earlier |
| C．people eating more meat will suffer from a heart attack |
| D．people eating more red meat have a higher risk of death |
Processed meat is a kind of ______．
| A．red meat |
| B．white meat |
| C．vegetable with a similar taste of meat |
| D．meat prepared by producers |
According to the passage, how should we eat red meat in a healthy way?
| A．We should eat red meat as we like． |
| B．We should eat proper amount of red meat per day． |
| C．We should reduce the amount of fresh, red lean meat． |
| D．We should completely cut out red meat from our diet． |
What does the passage mainly talk about?
| A．Too much red meat consumption contributes to ill health． |
| B．A well-balanced diet accounts for a healthy life． |
| C．A higher intake of white meat brings benefits． |
| D．Red meat contains saturated fat． |
Published March 30, 2011）Albert Einstein’s Theory of Relativity might have a few mistakes—and Jake Barnett has set out to prove it．Between attending college classes at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) and tutoring his fellow students, Jake is also working on a new theory about the creation of the universe．He happens to be 12 years old．
From an early age, Jake showed an extraordinary interest in stars．When he was 3, his parents took him to a space observatory．He tried to learn as much as he could about astronomy．Jake’s IQ measured remarkably high at 170．
As a baby, Jake was found out with Asperser’s syndrome, a form of autism (孤独症)．Autism causes difficulties in communication and social abilities．People with autism may also have strong interests—like Jake’s interest in the stars at a young age．
The symptoms of autism can range from mild to extremely severe．Asperser’s is one of the milder forms of autism．Sometimes people with Asperser’s, like Jake, develop extremely advanced skills in science, music or art．
When Jake was in elementary school, his parents worried that the effects of his Asperser’s were worsening．He became quiet．And he was withdrawing from people．So a doctor recommended that Jake’s parents let him study more advanced subjects, like math and physics．
Jake’s mother asked an astronomy professor to let Jake sit in on his class．Now, Jake studies advanced sciences like electromagnetic physics at IUPUI．
But Jake thinks it’s important to have a normal life too．He likes to play Guitar Hero with his friends and watch science fiction movies．He also enjoys playing classical music on the piano．But for Jake, studying physics is the most important thing．Jake’s professor, John Ross, is working on getting a large sum of money for him to do research at the university．
Doctors have said Jake’s autism symptoms have lessened over time．Still, Jake proudly refers to himself as an “Aspy”, or someone with Asperser’s．In an interview with his university student newspaper, he said, “I think the autism is the reason I’m even at IUPUI．”What did Jake want to do at IUPUI?
| A．Get a degree in astronomy． |
| B．Put forward his own theory in physics． |
| C．Become an Albert Einstein in the future． |
| D．Teach his fellow students Theory of Relativity． |
Which of the following is the correct order of the events that happened to Jake?
a．He set out to disprove Einstein’s theory．
b．He began to study math and physics．
d．He was found out with a mild form of autism．
| A．b-d-c-a |
| B．d-b-c-a |
| C．b-a-c-d |
| D．d-c-b-a |
The underlined sentence in the passage means ______．
| A．he was unable to help others |
| B．he was impolite to other people |
| C．he was afraid of seeing other people |
| D．he was only concerned about learning |
In the eyes of Jake, autism is something ______．
| A．not worth worrying about |
| B．annoying |
| C．not necessary to know about |
| D．embarrassing |