In the second half of each year, many powerful storms are born in the tropical Atlantic and Caribbean seas. Of these, only about a half a dozen generate the strong, circling winds of 75 miles per hour or more that give them hurricane status, and several usually make their way to the coast. There they cause millions of dollars of damage, and bring death to large numbers of people.
The great storms that hit the coast start as innocent circling disturbances (气旋) hundreds — even thousands — of miles out to sea. As they travel aimlessly over water warmed by the summer sun, they are carried westward by the trade winds. When conditions are just right, warm, moist (潮湿的) air flows in at the bottom of such a disturbance, moves upward through it and comes out at the top. In the process, the moisture in this warm air produces rain, and with it the heat that is switched to energy in the form of strong winds. As the heat increases, the young hurricane begins to turn around in a counter-clockwise motion (反时针方向).
The average life of a hurricane is only about nine days, but it contains almost more power than we can imagine. The energy in the heat released (释放) by a hurricane’s rainfall in a single day would satisfy the entire electrical needs of the United States for more than six months.
Water, rather than wind, is the main source of death and destroying in a hurricane. A typical hurricane brings 6-to-12-inch downpours resulting in sudden floods. Worst of all is the powerful movement of the sea — the mountains of water moving toward the low-pressure hurricane center. The water level rises as much as 15 feet above normal as it moves toward shore.An ordinary tropical storm is called a hurricane when ______.
| A．it occurs in the Caribbean seas |
| B．its winds reach 75 miles per hour |
| C．it makes its way to the coastline |
| D．its winds begin to circle on the sea |
What is the worst thing about hurricane?
| A．The rough water. | B．The violent winds. |
| C．The heat it gives out. | D．The length of its life. |
What does the third paragraph mainly talk about?
| A．The hurricane is extraordinarily powerful. |
| B．The hurricane is used to generate electricity. |
| C．The hurricane can otherwise offer an unusual sight. |
| D．The hurricane can give people an unforgettable experience. |
The counter-clockwise movement of the hurricane is caused by ______.
| A．the low-pressure area in the center of the storm |
| B．the force of waves of water |
| C．the increasing heat |
| D．the trade winds |
Nanjing and Hangzhou summer camps offered
We are looking for hard-working and open-minded English teachers to join the Nanjing (Jiangsu Province) and Hangzhou (Zhejiang Province) summer camps!
Both of the summer camps will run from the beginning of July to the end of August. You will be expected to teach spoken English to Chinese students of different ages. We encourage you to bring your own culture to the classes to make things more interesting.
The information of the Nanjing camp:
● Working hours: 40 hours per week, 5 working days per week.
● Salary: about 7,000 RMB per month.
● Accommodation : free (single room).
The information of the Hangzhou camp:
● Working hours: 5 hours per day (=" 50" min. / class × 6 classes), one day rest per week.
● Salary: 20,160 RMB in total (420 RMB per day =" 70" RMB / class × 6 classes).
● Accommodation: free (shared room).
The requirements of the summer camps:
● Native English speakers (US, England, Canada, Australia, New Zealand).
● A university degree.
● Teaching experience.
Please send us your resume (简历), copies of certificates and passport if you are interested in the camps.
E-mail: teacher1324@sina.com.cn
For more information you can visit our website at http://www.Englishsummercamps.com.cn
Look forward to hearing from you soon! What kind of people is the passage mainly written for?
| A．Chinese English teachers. | B．Foreign English teachers. |
| C．Chinese-speaking students. | D．English-learning students. |
How long will a teacher work for the summer camps?
| A．Less than one month. | B．About five weeks. |
| C．About eight weeks. | D．More than two months. |
Which of the following people might be accepted as a teacher at the summer camps?
A. Wang Li, an excellent teacher from China.
B. Robert, a high school student from the USA.
C. Linda, an experienced university teacher from Canada.
D. Jerry, a university student from Australia. Compared with the Nanjing camp, the Hangzhou camp ______.
| A．has longer working hours | B．has fewer students to teach |
| C．provides better accommodation | D．pays a higher salary |
The global financial crisis is likely to cause increased mental health problems as people struggle to deal with poverty and unemployment, the World Health Organization warned Thursday．
Hundreds of millions of people worldwide are already affected by mental problems such as depression and bipolar disorders （带躁狂的抑郁症） and the current market meltdown （崩溃） could worsen feelings of despair among people who can't stand such illnesses．
The United Nations agency said the impact(冲击) could be especially marked for those living in low and middle income countries where access to treatment is often limited．
"We should not be surprised at the turbulence （动荡） and likely consequences of the current financial crisis．Now we are seeing a huge gap in taking care of people in great need," WHO director general Margaret Chan told at a meeting of mental health experts．
"It should not come as a surprise that we continue to see more stresses, suicides and mental disorders," Chan warned．
Benedetto Saraceno, director of WHO's mental health, said mental health disorders affected one in four people at some point in their lives．
Mental and neurological（精神的） disorders are often chronic （慢性） and disabling, he said．Nearly 1 million people commit suicide worldwide every year, a large part of them are young adults．
Asked about the financial crisis, Saraceno said, "Poverty can be the consequence of such events, the debts, despair and sense of loss that may reach middle and lower classes．Even the poor can be affected by this crisis．"
"There is clear evidence that suicide is linked to financial disasters．I am not talking about the millionaire's jumping out of the window but about poor people," he said．The global crisis could be expected to affect the "stability of communities and families", according to Saraceno．According to the passage, the chief result of the worldwide financial crisis is that ．
| A．more people will be poorer | B．more people will be out of jobs |
| C．more people will suffer from mental problems | |
| D．more people will commit suicide |
The United Nations agency worried that ．
| A．more rich people would commit suicide |
| B．the financial crisis might especially influence developing or underdeveloped countries |
| C．the current market meltdown could worsen feelings of despair |
| D．hundreds of millions of people in the world were already affected by mental problems |
It can be inferred that ．
| A．far more work should be done to help those who are mentally ill |
| B．it will be surprising to see more people commit suicide |
| C．a mental disorder is a chronic disease |
| D．many more young adults commit suicide worldwide than people of other ages |
The best title for the passage is．
| A．Global Financial Crisis． |
| B．Mental Disorders Resulting From Global Financial Crisis． |
| C．Suicides as a Result of Market Meltdown． |
| D．Chronic Mental Disorders． |
“Dad! He took a book without paying!” I yelled .
My father looked surprised. Before the boy could say anything, his mother grabbed his arm and shook it. “Is it true? You stole? Tell me!”
Everyone was quiet. The boy began to cry, and he nodded his head. He pulled out the comic book (漫画书) from under his shirt.
“Oh, Mr. Kim. I am sorry! My Ted made a big mistake!” Mrs. Diaz told my father. She tried to take the comic book, but Ted wouldn’t let go.
“It’s OK. He can keep it,” my father said with a smile.
“Oh no,” Mrs. Diaz said. “Let me pay right now ...” She dug in her purse. “How much?”
“Three seventy-five.”
Mrs. Diaz’s eyes widened, and she dug deeper. I saw her mouth make a small line. “Three seventy-five?” she asked.
“It’s OK. You can pay later,” my father said.
“No,” Mrs. Diaz said. She kept looking in her purse. “I have money here.”
I felt bad for yelling, for I realized that Ted had tried to steal the comic book because he didn’t have the money. Maybe the boy could have a job, I thought.
I had an idea.
“What if he worked with me?” I asked. They turned to me.
I said, “He can work with me to pay for the comic book.”
“Good,” my father said smiling at me. Mrs. Diaz nodded. She turned to her son, “You hear? You will work and buy the comic book!”
“Yes, Mama,” Ted said, hanging his head.
As they left, Ted looked back, and though he still seemed sad, he stuck out (伸出) his tongue at me.
Ted has been working here for two weeks. He has paid for the comic book, but my father says he is such a good worker that he can work with me as long as he wants. We are friends now. Where did the story most probably take place?
| A．In a classroom. | B．In a supermarket. | C．At a bookstore. | D．At a library. |
By saying “but Ted wouldn’t let go” in Paragraph 4, the author means Ted ______.
| A．took the book by mistake | B．wanted to keep the book |
| C．didn’t want to go home | D．didn’t think he was wrong |
From the underlined sentences in the eighth paragraph, we may infer that Mrs. Diaz ______.
| A．didn’t think her son stole the book |
| B．had been out of work for a long time |
| C．forgot to take money with her that day |
| D．couldn’t afford to pay for the book |
In the last paragraph, what does the author mainly tell?
| A．His idea was successful. | B．Ted didn’t like the job. |
| C．He liked Ted very much. | D．Ted was a naughty boy. |
How much can environment affect intelligence? In one study, striking increases in IQ occurred in 25 children who were moved from an orphanage(孤儿院) to more stimulating（使人兴奋的，使人振奋的） environments．The children, who were all considered mentally retarded and unadoptable, were moved to an institution where they received personal attention from adults．Later, these supposedly retarded children were adopted by parents who gave them love, a family ,and a stimulating home environment．The children gained an average of 29 IQ points．For one child, the increase was an amazing 58 points．A second group of initially less "retarded" children, who stayed in the orphanage, lost an average of 26 IQ points.
Other encouraging results can be found in early childhood education programs, which provide stimulating intellectual experiences for disadvantaged children．In one study, children from low-income families were given enriched environments from early infancy(婴儿期) through preschool．By age 2 their IQ scores were already higher than those in a control group．More important, they were still 5 points higher seven years later．High-quality enrichment programs such as Head Start can prevent children from falling behind in school.
A particularly striking environmental effect is the fact that 14 nations have shown average IQ gains of from 5 to 25 points during the last 30 years．These IQ boosts, averaging 15 points, occurred in far too short a time for genetics to explain them．It is more likely that the gains reflect environmental forces, such as improved education, nutrition, and living in a technologically complex society.What's the main idea of this passage
| A．Retarded children cannot improve their IQ's. |
| B．Orphanages are full of mentally retarded children. |
| C．Environmental factors influence a child's IQ. |
| D．Early childhood education programs are important. |
The author is in favor of _____________ according to the passage.
| A．putting retarded children into institutions |
| B．providing early childhood education programs |
| C．keeping children in orphanages |
| D．keeping retarded children with others like themselves |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned as an environmental factor that affects IQ .
| A．Good nutrition． | B．Improved technology. |
| C．Better education． | D．Food pollution. |
What can we conclude from the passage ?
| A．Attention from parents has little effect on a child's IQ. |
| B．Head Start programs are a waste of money. |
| C．Increases in IQ have happened in the US more rapidly than elsewhere. |
| D．Genetics are less important than environment in gaining one's IQ. |
Have you ever thought, “I wish I could take a year off and just travel around the world”?
Well,three lucky American teenagers were able to do just that．The teens—two males and one female--got an all-expenses paid, yearlong hike to five continents.
This trip didn’t include any five-star hotels or shopping funs．Eighteen-year-old Jamie Fiel from Keller, Texas, 17-year-old Arsen Ewing from Canyon, California, and 16-year-old Tyler Robinson from Lincoln, Massachusetts, didn’t expect fancy treatment．They signed up for the experience of a lifetime, which included hard work, often uncomfortable accommodations, and encounters with（遭遇） some of nature’s most dangerous animals and environments.
Jamie, Arsen, and Tyler were among hundreds of high school kids nominated by their science teachers to take this trip．Earthwatch Institute sponsored this adventure．Each year, Earthwatch employs thousands of volunteers worldwide to help with scientific research projects．
The group went all around the world to get a close look at the most pressing environmental issues of our time．Their assignments were as varied as their locations, and included measuring and attending pink flamingos in Kenya’s Great Rift Valley, and tracking giant sea turtles in Costa Rica.
As they worked with the Earthwatch scientists, Jamie, Arsen, and Tyler began to understand that we are at a critical moment in the life of our planet．Time for change is running out．As the teens went from country to country and witnessed different environmental dangers and challenges, they understood that solutions to important environmental issues start with the power of one person's actions．They realized that each of them can make a difference.These teenagers went on the journey around the world _____.
| A．to experience the most serous environmental problems on the earth |
| B．to bring the kindness of America to the other parts of the world |
| C．to go on sightseeing around the world |
| D．to call on more teenagers to join Earthwatch Institute |
What’s true about their journey?
| A．They had to pay for their journey at their own expense. |
| B．They often had to move from one hotel to another. |
| C．They had to take great pains to collect environmental information. |
| D．They received a warm welcome every time they arrived at a new place. |
It can be inferred that Earthwatch Institute could be _____．
| A．an international university that takes in students from all over the world |
| B．a TV station that makes programmes on the beautiful scenery of the earth |
| C．a travel agency that organizes adventure trips specially for school children |
| D．an organization that brings science to life for people concerned about the earth’s environment |
What did they these teenagers learn from the journey?
| A．It was high time that people protected the environment. |
| B．Long journey was not suitable for school children. |
| C．It should take the whole world to help the children. |
| D．Environmental problems can be solved if school children take part. |