My grandmother often said to me, “You can count the number of your true friends on the fingers of one hand.” For a long time I thought this was true. However, I’ve now discovered my grandmother was only half right. Maybe we do only make a few “best” friends in our lifetime, but those aren’t the only people that we can call friends. There are many different types. Let me tell you about a few of them.
One type of friends is the type I call the “football mom friend”. My neighbor Sally is a good example. We both have kids who play football in a football club, and someone has to take them to practice and pick them up. Sally and I and two other mothers take turns to do this. We meet sometimes and have tea and talk about what our kids are doing, but those are the only times that we meet each other. I enjoy being with these women, but we don’t do anything else together.
Another type is called the “hobby friend”. That’s the person you share an interest or a hobby with. Michael and Cater, who are brothers, are a good example of this type. We’re all in a bird watching club. Every few weekends the members of the club go on a trip to watch different kinds of birds. There’s nothing romantic（浪漫的）about my relationship with Michael and Cater, of course. We just share interest in birds.
Then there’s the “other half of the couple” type of friends. Jim is married to Rose, a friend that I’ve known since college. When Rose married Jim, I realized that I would have to be Jim’s friend if I want to continue to be Rose’s. Jim and I don’t share so many interests, but we do have a friendly relationship.What does the first paragraph tell us about?
| A．We need true friends in our lifetime. |
| B．We have few best friends in our lifetime. |
| C．We should make new friends. |
| D．We must be friendly to all our friends. |
Many people are mentioned in this passage. Who is the writer’s true friend?
| A．Sally. | B． Michael. | C． Jim. | D． Rose. |
Which of the following statements is RIGHT?
| A．Finally the writer agrees with her grandmother. |
| B．Michael and Cater both fall in love with the writer. |
| C．The writer herself sometimes takes her kid to the football club. |
| D．Sally and the writer are close friends. |
How many types of friends are mentioned in the passage?
| A．2. | B． 3. | C． 4. | D．5 |
From the last paragraph we learn that ________.
| A．the writer made friends with Jim only because of Rose |
| B．Jim was the writer’s good friend at college |
| C．Rose didn’t want the writer to be a friend of her husband |
| D．the writer made friends with Rose because of Jim |
You never see them, but they're with you every time you fly. They record where you are going, how fast you're traveling and whether everything on your airplane is functioning normally. Their ability to withstand almost any disaster makes them seem like something out of a comic book. They're known as the black box.
When planes fall from the sky, as a Yemeni airliner did on its way to Comoros Islands in the India ocean June 30, 2009, the black box is the best bet for identifying what went wrong. So when a French submarine (潜水艇) detected the device's homing signal five days later, the discovery marked a huge step toward determining the cause of a tragedy in which 152 passengers were killed.
In 1958, Australian scientist David Warren developed a flight-memory recorder that would track basic information like altitude and direction. That was the first mode for a black box, which became a requirement on all U.S. commercial flights by 1960. Early models often failed to withstand crashes, however, so in 1965 the device was completely redesigned and moved to the rear of the plane – the area least subject to（易遭受）impact – from its original position in the landing wells (起落架舱). The same year, the Federal Aviation Authority required that the boxes, which were never actually black, be painted orange or yellow to aid visibility.
Modern airplanes have two black boxes: a voice recorder, which tracks pilots' conversations, and a flight-data recorder, which monitors fuel levels, engine noises and other operating functions that help investigators reconstruct the aircraft's final moments. Placed in an insulated (隔绝的) case and surrounded by a quarter-inch-thick panels of stainless steel, the boxes can withstand massive force and temperatures up to 2,000℉. When submerged, they're also able to emit signals from depths of 20,000 ft.
Experts believe the boxes from Air France Flight 447, which crashed near Brazil on June 1, 2009, are in water nearly that deep, but statistics say they're still likely to turn up. In the approximately 20 deep-sea crashes over the past 30 years, only one plane's black boxes were never recovered.What information could be found from the black box on the Yemeni airliner?
| A．Data for analyzing the cause of the crash. |
| B．The total number of passengers on board. |
| C．The scene of the crash and extent of the damage. |
| D．Homing signals sent by the pilot before the crash. |
Why was the black box redesigned in 1965?
| A．New materials became available by that time. |
| B．Too much space was needed for its installation. |
| C．The early models often got damaged in the crash. |
| D．The early models didn't provide the needed data. |
Why did the Federal Aviation Authority require the black boxes be painted orange or yellow?
| A．To distinguish them from the colour of the plane. |
| B．To caution people to handle them with care. |
| C．To make them easily identifiable. |
| D．To obey international standards |
What do we know about the black boxes from Air France Flight 447?
| A．There is still a good chance of their being recovered. |
| B．There is an urgent need for them to be reconstructed. |
| C．They have stopped sending homing signals. |
| D．They were destroyed somewhere near Brazil. |
How the Iron of Tomorrow Can Change Your Lifestyle Today.
(the first Self Cleaning Iron)
General Electric introduces the iron of tomorrow. The iron can clean itself inside where an iron gets dirty. Because it cleans itself each time you empty it. How? With a push of a magic blue button.
◆The magic blue button
The first thing you’ll notice that’s different about this iron is the blue button on the side. It’s marked "Self Clean". Push this blue button, and you can wash out loose mineral deposits(沉淀物) that remain and block up inside. Push this button, and you’ve made life a lot easier.
◆Less chance of brown spots
Sure, Self Cleaning Iron is going to cut down on brown spots. (Those ugly spots that happen on nice, cleanly pressed clothes.) Because a Self Cleaning Iron becomes clean each time you press that magic blue button.
◆Steams better longer
Common sense tells you that if you’ve an iron that blocks less often it has to stay younger for a long period of time. In other words, it steams better longer. That’s another joy of owning General Electric’s Self Cleaning Iron.
◆What does it mean to you
Today you are doing so much more than just running a house and running after the kids. You’re working. You’re going to school. It’s all part of your lifestyle. The iron can change that lifestyle by giving you less trouble before you iron. If we can make it easier for you to be a better wife, a better mother, a better housekeeper, we want to. The new Self Cleaning Iron is another one of Home-Makers from General Electric.
Lifestyle .We are with yours. General Electric.This passage is ________.
| A．an introduction to General Electric |
| B．an operating instruction of Self Cleaning Iron |
| C．an advertisement of Self Cleaning Iron |
| D．a description of the change of lifestyle |
This iron can clean itself by ________.
| A．emptying itself | B．washing out mineral deposits |
| C．blocking up mineral deposits | D．giving off more steam |
According to the passage, what is most likely to attract the customers?
| A．It is made by General Electric. |
| B．The iron will not produce mineral deposits. |
| C．There will be fewer brown spots on pressed clothes. |
| D．Their clothes will be cleaned at the same time. |
Self Cleaning Iron can help change your lifestyle because________.
| A．you can run your house better |
| B．you don’t have to run after the kids |
| C．you can use it while you are working |
| D．we want you to be a better housekeeper |
For nearly 100 years, the heartbroken Little Mermaid has sat on a rock looking out over Copenhagen's port but now the sculpture ,based on the famous fairytale, is heading back out to sea, set for China.
The small bronze statue inspired by the tale of author Hans Christian Andersen and unveiled in 1913, is a major tourist attraction in Copenhagen. But her life has not always been easy. She has been beheaded twice, had her arm cut off, was blown off her rock in 2003 and was dressed in a Muslim headscarf two years ago in a protest - but she never left her native country.
This week she was lifted from the harbor, boxed, and shipped to Shanghai where she is the star guest in the Danish Pavilion at EXPO 2010 which runs until October 31. Details over her trip were not revealed due to security issues.
"The Little Mermaid," published in 1837, is a sad story about a mermaid who falls in love with a prince and gives up her life in the sea and her tail for legs.
The fairytale has been adapted many times into stage shows and into a Disney movie.
Copenhagen mayor Frank Jensen said in a statement that the loan of The Little Mermaid was part of a cultural exchange between Denmark and China. "I am convinced that she will be an excellent ambassador of Denmark, particularly since the Chinese already are very fond of Hans Christian Andersen and his fairytales," he said in a statement.
Her departure from Copenhagen will not leave the harbor empty. Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has created a video installation(设备/装置)to be installed at her spot.
The Little Mermaid's 165 cm (65 inches) tall sculpture, which sits on a granite block, was created in 1913 by Edvard Eriksen.The following statements are true EXCEPT________________.
| A．the statue of The Little Mermaid will be given to China as a gift |
| B．the statue of The Little Mermaid is a major tourist attraction in Copenhagen |
| C．The Little Mermaid is a famous fairytale written by Hans Christian Andersen |
| D．the story of The Little Mermaid was once adapted into a Disney movie |
The underlined word “departure” here means_______________.
| A．escaping | B．retiring | C．arriving | D．leaving |
From the passage, we can infer that ________________.
| A．Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has created another Little Mermaid instead |
| B．the Danish people don’t like the statue of The Little Mermaid |
| C．the statue of The Little Mermaid will return to Denmark in the future |
| D．Edvard Eriksen wrote the story of the Little Mermaid |
BEIJING—Seven prestigious universities in China announced Sunday that they would begin using the same independent exam —besides the national one —to test students hoping to gain entrance to them in 2011.
The seven are Peking University, Beihang University, Beijing Normal University, Nankai University, Fudan University, Xiamen University and Hong Kong University.
Students who want to gain entrance to any of the seven universities will only have to sit one independent exam, according to the joint announcement.
“This will help lighten the students’ load, otherwise they must take several exams for different universities ,”said the announcement.
Passing the exam could result in more than one interview chance, giving the students more opportunities to choose their favorite universities.
China’ s college entrance exam system is undergoing reform as universities aim to select students based on independent criteria rather than just using the results of the national exam.
In 2003, Peking University and another 21 universities were allowed to pilot (试用) the reform by using their own criteria to independently select five percent of their students.
Now nearly 80 universities across the country have the right to select talented students based on their own exams.
Education experts regard universities selecting students according to independent examinations as conducive (有助的) to better understanding where the students’ talents lie.
Although this may be the case, it has also created problems as students may sit many different exams as they often apply for a number of universities.
To relieve students from such pressures, the national education outline (2010—2020) released in July this year encourages high-level universities to group together to use the same exams.If students want to be admitted to the seven prestigious universities, they can______.
| A．only pass the interview. |
| B．only take the national exam. |
| C．only take the independent exam. |
| D．either take the national exam or take the independent exam. |
What’s the purpose of students sitting one independent exam to gain entrance to the seven universities?
| A．It can reduce students’ load to take several exams. |
| B．The universities will have the same standard to test students. |
| C．There will be less trouble marking students’ test papers. |
| D．It can avoid fierce competition among these universities. |
If students pass the independent exam, they will ______.
| A．take the national exam. |
| B．have one or more interview chances. |
| C．be admitted to one of the universities. |
| D．he trained to be adapted to universities life and studies. |
What is the advantage of universities selecting students according to independent examinations?
| A．Students needn’t take the national exam. |
| B．Students ’education cost can be lowered. |
| C．Students’ abilities and talents can be better found. |
| D．It can encourage middle schools to recommend more qualified students. |
In the current economic downturn, many American schools are adding a new subject to the curriculum（课程）; financial literacy. One program in Virginia even gets students out of the classroom for a day to learn how far their money will go in the real world.
What looks like a shopping mall is actually an educational field trip experience for a group of young people. Finance Park is a special facility where students apply what they have been taught in class about money management.
“They become, essentially, adults for the day,” says Alice Reilly, social studies coordinator for Fairfax County Public Schools. “They are asked to develop a budget for 18 line items that you and I might have in our budget; things like utilities, insurance, groceries, housing.”
Each budget item is represented by a storefront where students collect an option sheet. Students must refer to a card that shows their income and their family size, when they choose what to buy. There’s also a stock ticker so students can keep track of shares in their portfolios（投资组合）.
The facility opened last year in Fairfax, Virginia. It is the fifteenth Finance Park built in the last decade by Junior Achievement USA, a non-profit organization dedicated to preparing young people for financial success.
“Since the financial crisis, the demand for Finance Parks around the country has grown exponentially," says Ed Grenier, president of the Washington, DC chapter. "We have a number under way in the planning and building stages.”
Financial literacy has only recently become part of the regular curriculum in Fairfax County.“Some students, some teachers, some schools did it, but now it is much more systematic," Reilly says, "and it is much more consistent to ensure that all students get this background information.”
That is why every eighth grade student in Fairfax County will eventually spend a day here.Thirteen-year-old Sam says she has learned an important life lesson. “I didn’t know how expensive everything would be.”
Anthony, also 13, is looking forward to telling his parents what he learned. “I’ll probably tell them I want to stay a kid a little longer and take my time to become an adult.”
This isn’t the end of financial studies for Anthony and the other students here. Virginia is one of 13 states which requires students to take a financial education in high school in order to graduate.What is the aim of this Finance Park?
A . To raise enough money for the secondary schools in Virginia.
B. To enable students to apply money management knowledge to practice.
C. To provide students in Virginia with special chances for Advanced Placement.
D. To direct students in Washington,D.C. to learn more about money management.Who is expected to spend a whole day in the Finance Park?
A .Young people all over Virginia.
B. Junior students in Washington,D.C.
C. Eighth graders in Fairfax County.
D. Eighth graders' parents in Virginia. What can we learn from this passage?
A . Extra curriculum is necessary in secondary schools.
B. Fairfax County Public Schools set a good example.
C. An organization helps youth in U.S. for financial success.
D. Financial Literacy is very popular in Washington,D.C.It can be inferred from the passage that _________________.
A . Alice Reilly developed a budget for 18 items in the Finance Park.
B. ED Grenier was against building more finance parks in U.S.A.
C. Sam did quite well in managing his budge in the Finance Park.
D. Anthony came to know that adult life wasn't as good as expected.