“I pity the empress. Poor empress.” “Do you think Zhen Huan really loves the emperor?” From campuses to offices, from shopping malls to the streets, talk about Legend of Zhen Huan is everywhere.
Unlike other long TV series, Legend of Zhen Huan, the 76-episode Qing dynasty drama series, has kept attracting new audiences along the way. It has enjoyed widespread popularity on the Chinese mainland over the past months.
The story is seemingly the same as those dramas which look into the lives of women in the imperial palace. It focuses on plots and intrigues(阴谋) within the Inner Palace during Emperor Yongzheng’s reign.
The heroine, Zhen Huan, initially a kind and innocent young lady, enters the emperor’s harem(后宫) of concubines. Discovering that the palace is a cruel and harsh place, Zhen learns how to survive on her own.
However, Legend of Zhen Huan seems to arouse more discussion than any drama series. Why? Some experts say it’s because it’s a well-made series from inside out.
Niu Hanting, deputy editor-in-chief of Art Panorama magazine, told Xinhua News Agency that the sets, props and costumes are carefully chosen. And the screenplay and dialogue are well-written. “The series takes care of every detail a good period drama should have,” Niu said. “From that aspect, it’s no coincidence that Zhen Huan could be big.” More importantly, Niu added, the TV series strikes a chord among audiences in different ways. “For example, as a woman, Zhen is hurt by the man she once loved. And as a newcomer to the palace, she finds herself caught in the fierce infighting and she has to survive,” Niu said, “Everyone may find themselves in Zhen’s position at a certain point.”
Then it’s not hard to understand why the story of Zhen Huan is even seen as a survival guide for newcomers in the workplace. Its director, Zheng Xiaolong, once admitted that in terms of society today, the “promotion” of Zhen Huan reflects a person’s career path in some way. “Whether the principles can be applied in today’s society, or not, I want to make the story as real as possible,” Zheng told Sina.com. “There are many fairytale-like series that make audiences ignore or avoid reality, and the complexity of humanity.” “But Legend of Zhen Huan, is a series that makes you think.”What’s the main idea of the first paragraph?
| A．People have pity on the empress. |
| B．Zhen Huan really loves the emperor. |
| C．Legend of Zhen Huan is very popular. |
| D．Legend of Zhen Huan is shown everywhere. |
What does the underlined word “it” in paragraph 3 most probably refer to?
| A．The imperial palace. |
| B．The life of women. |
| C．Emperor Yongzheng’s reign. |
| D．The story of Zhen Huan. |
When Legend of Zhen Huan finds the palace is a cruel one, she ______.
| A．learns to survive on her own |
| B．asks others for advice |
| C．feels down and disappointed |
| D．becomes an innocent young lady |
We can learn from Niu Hanting that she ______.
| A．thinks Zhen has had effects on newcomers |
| B．makes little of Legend of Zhen Huan |
| C．speaks highly of Legend of Zhen Huan |
| D．wants newcomer to follow Zhen’s example |
This text is most probably taken from a(n) _________.
| A．textbook | B．newspaper |
| C．advertisement | D．story book |
If Confucius(孔子) were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake, there would be a lot of candles. He’d need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out.
While many people in China will remember Confucius on his special day, few people in the United States will give him a passing thought. It’s nothing personal. Most Americans don’t even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes.
But this doesn’t mean that Americans don’t care about Confucius. In many ways he has become a bridge the foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China.
In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities. More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries. These schools teach both Chinese language and culture. The main courses of Chinese culture usually included Chinese art, history and philosophy(哲学). Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantage of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up for the drawbacks of Western philosophy. Students in the United States, at the same time, are racing to learn Chinese. So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States. Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers.
So the old thinker’s ideas are still alive and well.
Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West.
As for the old thinker, he will not soon be forgotten by people in the West, even if his birthday is.The opening paragraph is mainly intended to_______.
| A．provide some key facts about Confucius |
| B．attract the readers’ interest in the subject |
| C．show great respect for the ancient thinker |
| D．prove the popularity of modern birthday celebrations |
We can learn from Paragraph 4 that American students_______
| A．have a great interest in studying Chinese |
| B．taken an active part in Chinese competitions |
| C．try to get high scores in Chinese exams |
| D．fight for a chance to learn Chinese |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Forgotten Wisdom in America |
| B．Huge Fans of the Chinese Language |
| C．Chinese Culture for Westerners |
| D．Old Thinker with a Big Future |
The passage is likely to appear in_______.
| A．a biography |
| B．a history paper |
| C．a newspaper |
| D．a philosophy textbook |
Astronauts on shorter shuttle missions (使命) often work very long days. Tasks are scheduled so tightly that break times are often used to finish the tightly that break times are often used to finish the day’s work. This type of scheduled is far too demanding for long missions on the International Space Station (ISS). ISS crewmembers usually live in space for at least a quarter of a year. They work five days on and two days off to mimic the normal way they do things on Earth as much as possible. Weekends give the crew valuable time to rest and do a few hours of housework. They can communicate with family and friends by email, internet phone and through private video conferences.
While astronauts cannot go to a baseball game or a movie in orbit, there are many familiar activities that they can still enjoy. Before a mission, the family and friends of each ISS crewmember put together a collection of family photos, messages, videos and reading material for the astronauts to look at when they will be floating 370 kilometers above the Earth.
During their mission, the crew also receives care packages with CDs, books, magazines, photos and letters. And as from early 2010, the internet became available on the ISS, giving astronauts the chance to do some “web surfing(冲浪)”in their personal time. Besides relaxing with these more common entertainments, astronauts can simply enjoy the experience of living in space.
Many astronauts say that one of the most relaxing things to do in space is to look out the window and stare at the universe and the Earth. Both the shuttle and the ISS circle the planet several times each day, and every moment offers a new view of the Earth’s vast land mass and oceans.What does the word “mimic” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?
| A．Find |
| B．Copy |
| C．Change |
| D．Lose |
Which of the following best describes the families of the astronauts on the ISS?
| A．They are caring and thoughtful. |
| B．They are worried and annoyed. |
| C．They are impatient and annoyed. |
| D．They are excited and curious. |
In the final paragraph, the author shows that astronauts______.
| A．get more pleasure in space than on the Earth. |
| B．finding living in space a bit boring and tiring |
| C．regard space life as common |
| D．love to see the Earth from space |
The passage mainly discusses how astronauts_______.
| A．work for longer missions in space |
| B．connect with people on the Earth |
| C．observe with Earth from space |
| D．spend their free time in space |
Some schools in the United States offer Chinese language classes with government support from China.
Saint Mary’s School is a private college preparatory school in Medford, Oregon. Carly Irvine is in her fourth year of learning Mandarin. Carly Irvine said, “Since China and America are working so closely and our relationship is growing more and more, I think it will be very important in the future to know Chinese.”
Saint Mary’s School also teach Spanish, German and Latin. It added Mandarin in 2005. Two years ago, it became the first school in the country to join the Confucius Classroom Program. China’s Education Ministry also provides books and other material.
Saint Mary’s school principle, Frank Phillips, says knowing Chinese will help students in a world where China is quickly gaining economic power.
Zheng Ling, a teacher at Saing Mary’s school, came from China in 2008. She said, “People do not know much about China, especially the latest development. So I think this is a chance for them to know more about China, what China is really like. It’s quiet different from what ot was twenty years ago.”
The Confucius Classroom Program is in about forty countries, including more than fifty American schools and universities.
A recent report said more schools in the United States are teaching Chinese and Arabic, although the numbers are still low.What does Carly Irvine think of learning Chinese?
| A．Helpful |
| B．Useless |
| C．Unnecessary |
| D．Terrible |
Which of the following is TRUE about Saint Mary’s school?
| A．It is a public college preparatory school. |
| B．It added Mandarin in 2006. |
| C．It’s the first American school to join the Confucius Classroom Program. |
| D．It also teaches Spanish, Germanand French to its students. |
How many American schools and universities have the Confucius Classroom Project?
| A．About 40. |
| B．42. |
| C．50. |
| D．More than 50. |
According to the passage, we can learn that Zheng ling ______.
| A．Doesn’t know a lot about China and latest development. |
| B．Has been a teacher at Saint Mary’s School for several years. |
| C．Is principle of Saint Mary’s School. |
| D．Thinks Saint Mary’s School is quiet different now. |
What’s the passage mainly about?
| A．Some US students learn Mandarin with China’s help. |
| B．China is quickly gaining economic power. |
| C．Saint Mary’s School. |
| D．Carly Irvine. |
When you want to buy or rent a house, you are expecting not only the quality of the house itself but also the nice neighbours who live near you. Almost everyone agrees that it is helpful to live with some good neighbours. However, the standard of good neighbours is different from people to people. In my opinion, a good neighbour should be someone that respects your life. Is ready to help others and concerns zbout the environment in the neighbourhood.
First of all, it is very important for neighbours to expect your life. Just imagine, if you have a neighbour who is curious about you, especially your personal life, and tries to know more about it by whatever means. How will you feel? What is more, he or she may talk with others about your life. Do you want to live near him or her any more? The answer is definitely negative. You will feel very uncomfortable to have such kind of people in your neighbourhood and you may move as soon as possible.
Next, what you should consider is that a good neighbour is always willing to give you a hand when you need help. For example, if you are not at home and someone suspect tries to unlock your door, your neighbour who sees it should call 110, and it will help you to protect your property.
Finally, a good neighbour should be concerned about the environment, especially around your neighbourhood. He or she should throw all the rubbish into the garbage and keep the place clean, because a good environment can make people who live in it comfortable and relaxed all the time.
Therefore, it is very important for a neighbour to have such qualities as above.What is mainly discussed in the passage?
| A．How to find a good neighbour. |
| B．The advantage of living with rich neighbours. |
| C．Neighbours should help each other. |
| D．Qualities a good neighbour should have. |
According to the passage, a good neighbour may do the following except______.
| A．show special interest in your personal life |
| B．help you when you in trouble |
| C．keep the environment clean |
| D．all the police when strangers unlock your door |
If a neighnour always wants to know about your personal life, you may ______.
| A．tell him your story as soon as possible |
| B．think he is a good neighbour |
| C．feel rather proud and pleased about it |
| D．decide to find another place to live |
The underlined words “someone suspect” in the third paragraph refers to ______.
| A．friendly person |
| B．A doubtful stranger |
| C．A shy friend |
| D．And old classmate |
We can learn from this passage that ______.
| A．Good neighbours are very hard to find |
| B．Good neighbours should concern about your personal life |
| C．Finding a good neighbour is very important |
| D．You should never live with stranger |
Michael Fish may soon be replaced as a weather forecaster by something truly fishier — shark.
Research by a Britain biology student suggests that sharks could be used to predict storms.
Lauren Smith,24,is close to completing her study on shark’s ability to sense pressure.
If her studies prove the theory, scientists may be able to monitor the behavior of sharks to predict bad weather
Miss Smith had previously studied the behavior of lemon sharks.
She then used their close relatives, lesser spotted dogfish, for further research.
Her work—thought to be the first of its kind to test pressure theory—resulted from observation that juvenile sharks off Florida moved into deeper water ahead of a violent storm in 2001.
Miss Smith said, “I’ve always been crazy about travelling and diving and this led me to an interest in sharks.”
“I was delighted to gave been able to reach in the area for my degree. I know there’s so much more we need to understand—but it certainly opens the way to more research.” It has been discovered that a shark senses pressure using hair cells in its balanced system.
She is due to complete her study and graduate later this year. She says she will be looking for a job which will give her the chance to enrich her experience of shark research.The passage is most probably taken from______?
| A．A short-story collection |
| B．A popular science magazine |
| C．A research paper |
| D．A personal diary |
What do we learn from the first four paragraphs of the passage?
| A．Sharks may be used to predict bad weather |
| B．Shark’s behavior can be controlled |
| C．Michael Fish is not qualified for his job |
| D．Lauren Smith will become a weather forecaster |
Lauren Smith conducted her research by ______.
| A．Removing hair cells from a shark’s balance system |
| B．Measuring the air pressure of weather fronts |
| C．Recording shark’s body temperature |
| D．Monitoring shark’s reaction to weather changes |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．A popular way of forecasting weather |
| B．A new research effort in predicting storms |
| C．Biologist’ interest in the secrets of sharks. |
| D．Lauren Smith’s devotion to scientific research |