When Luca first heard of the Island of Inventions, he was still very young. But its wonders sounded so incredible that they were forever burned in his memory. From that moment, he never stopped searching for clues which might lead him to the island. He read hundreds of adventure books, histories, volumes of physics and chemistry, even music.
Over time, he pieced together his idea of what the Island of Inventions was like. It was a secret place, where all the great wise men of the world would meet to learn and invent together. Access to the island was totally restricted. To join, you had to have created some great invention for humanity. Only then could you receive the special invitation — which came with directions to the island.
So Luca spent his youth studying and inventing. Every new idea he got, he made it into an invention, and if there were something he didn't understand, he’d seek others to help him. Soon he met other young inventors and he told them about the Island of Inventions. They too dreamed of one day receiving an invitation letter.
As years passed, the disappointment of not receiving their invitation made Luca and his friends work harder and co-operate more. They would meet in Luca's house, share their ideas and build new machines. Their inventions became known throughout the world, and improved the lives of millions.
But still, no invitation came.
They didn’t lose heart. They continued learning and inventing every day, trying to come up with more and better ideas. Fresh young talent joined their group, as more inventors dreamed of getting to the island.
One day many years later, Luca, already very old, was speaking with a brilliant young man named Roberts, who had written to him, asking him to join the group. Luca started telling the man of the wonderful Island of Inventions, and of how he was sure that some day they would receive an invitation. Surprised, the young inventor interrupted: “You mean this place isn’t the Island of Inventions? Isn't the letter you sent me the real invitation?”
It was only then that Luca realised that his dream had become true in his very own house. No island could exist which would be better than where he was now. No place of invention would be better than what he and his friends had created. Luca felt happy to know that he had always been on the island, and that his life of invention and study had been a truly happy one.Why did Luca and his colleagues probably never receive an invitation to the island?
| A．Their ideas were not considered worthy enough. |
| B．They were too concerned with acquiring fame. |
| C．The organization had already broken up. |
| D．The island was not a real place. |
What did Luca learn at the end of the story?
| A．The island of inventions did not exist. |
| B．He had wasted most of his life. |
| C．He had unknowingly built his own dreamland. |
| D．He finally would receive his invitation. |
Which of the following best describes Luca?
| A．Aggressive. | B．Trusting. | C．Creative. | D．Easy-going. |
On April 16th, don't be surprised if the woman next to you on the subway looks like she forgot to get dressed for work. She won't be alone. People in their pajamas (睡衣裤)will be spotted all across the country—traveling on the subway, in line for their morning coffee, and even walking into office buildings. That's because people will be trading in their business suits for pajamas and celebrating National Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day.
There is nothing more comfortable than sitting at your desk in soft cotton flannel (法兰绒的）pajamas or wearing your favorite slippers while you deeply think about the day's tasks. The Pajama Gram Company, which produces and sells pajama, believes that Americans need a break, especially the day after income taxes are due. That's why they are celebrating National Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day.
Wearing pajamas to work can be relaxing and can actually help employees be more productive. David Alien, author of The Art of Stress-free Productivity, promotes (倡导）relaxation to increase productivity. "Our ability to be productive is directly proportional (成比例的）to our ability to relax," said Allen. "Only when our minds are clear and our thoughts are organized can we achieve stress free productivity."
At the Pajama Gram Company, it's not unusual to find employees wearing their pajamas at important meetings or at their desks. The company even invented the term" life is bananas, send some pajamas，"to describe how they feel about the world we live in.
The Pajama Grma Company offers over 100 styles of pajamas, robes, slippers and spa products. Each pajama gram gift comes along with beautiful pajamas, lavender(熏衣草)bath tea, Do-Not-Disturb sign for the door and a gift card. On April 16th, people in America often ________
| A．forget to change pajamas for work |
| B．do pajama business on the way to work |
| C．go to work in their pajamas |
| D．celebrate their traditional festival |
People celebrate this special day because they are expected to __________
| A．work in a more effective way |
| B．increase their ability to relax |
| C．spend less on their daily clothes |
| D．have more time to rest |
The underlined word "bananas" can be replaced by __________.
| A．easy and free |
| B．happy and interesting |
| C．crazy and busy |
| D．full of fruits |
According to the passage, which gifts will you receive from the Pajama Gram Company?
a. a sleepwear
b. a beautiful box
c. a Do-Not-Disturb sign
d. lavender bath tea
e. a personalized gift card
| A．c, d，e |
| B．a, c，d |
| C．b, c，d, e |
| D．a, c，d, e |
The main purpose of the passage is to __________.
| A．advertise the Pajama Gram Company |
| B．introduce a special day in America |
| C．describe the busy life in America |
| D．advise people to buy more pajamas |
At 227 billion yuan ($33 billion) for 2008, Guangdong's cultural industries accounted for 6.4 percent of its GDP and experienced a growth rate of 13.8 percent. But Lai admits that size does not equal weight. "Our businesses are mostly small, financing difficult and brands few."
One local brand that has made it big is Pleasant Goat and Big, Big Wolf, also translated as Happy Sheep and Gray Wolf, China's most popular cartoon series currently being aired. But Liu Manyi, general manager of Creative Power Entertaining Inc, the firm behind the hit show, is not laughing to the bank. Instead she is bitter: "Pirate discs were all over the streets before our first movie hit the screen. Their images appear on all kinds of products. All this has no proper licensing."
In case you don't know, China produces the largest amount of animated(动画的) programming in the world. But quantity is not quality. Behind every Pleasant Goat there are tens of thousands of flops. The best way for the government to promote the country's creative industries is to crack down on piracy (盗版). Hollywood often raises its voice about being victimized (受害) in China. Truth be told, Hollywood is probably the least affected since there is a quota system for China's importation of Hollywood films.
Many Chinese producers are taking baby steps and the domestic market is all they have. If their rights in the home market are not protected, they will never see the day their products find a foreign audience.
The sudden closure(关闭) of BT websites where copyrighted materials used to flow freely suggests a determination on the part of the government to take intellectual property rights seriously. This kind of websites is bad for us, so we should ban them.
Much of the news coming out of the 2009 International Cultural Industries Forum was encouraging. China's film industry is expected to get 6 billion yuan ($879 million) in box office receipts this year. A decade from now, this number may go up to 30 billion, according to some forecasts.
If the government takes serious action against online and offline pirates, China's creative industries may well have a bright future. What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 1 mean?
| A．Fast as the development of Guangdong's cultural industries is, Guangdong's cultural industries don't have a big challenge in the world. |
| B．Guangdong's cultural industries can make a big profit although they are just the small companies. |
| C．Guangdong's cultural industries make a big contribution to its GDP because of their strong economic power. |
| D．The development of Guangdong's cultural industries cannot catch up with any other industries. |
What does Liu Manyi think about Pleasant Goat and Big, Big Wolf!
| A．It is a failure since it is a local brand. |
| B．It is a success but cannot get the expected profit. |
| C．Its profit from the images has been shared legally. |
| D．Pirate discs make it more popular among the children. |
Hollywood films are mentioned to tell us that __________.
| A．Hollywood films make our creative industries have less space to survive |
| B．it is piracy that makes it possible for Hollywood films to get less influenced |
| C．our creative industries need enough protection to have a bright future |
| D．foreign films have taken up more market in China than the local ones |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Chinese creative industries are more advanced than foreign ones. |
| B．The domestic market is of little significance to the survival of Chinese creative industries. |
| C．BT websites stand in the way of the development of Chinese creative industries. |
| D．The growth of China's film industry is always slow and needs more support. |
In which column of a newspaper will you probably read this passage?
A. Regional.
B. Economic.
C. Sports.
D, Cartoon.
Mark and his brother Jason both were looking at the shining new computer enviously. Jason was determined not to go against their father’s wishes but Mark was more adventurous than his brother. He loved experimenting and his aim was to become a scientist like his father.
“Dad will be really mad if he finds out you’ve been playing with his new computer.” Jason said, “He told us not to touch it.”
“He won’t find out.” Mark said, “I’ll just have a quick look and shut it down.”
Mark had been scolded before for touching his father’s equipment. But his curiosity was difficult to control and this new computer really puzzled him.
“It was a strange-looking machine –one his dad had brought home from the laboratory where he worked. “It’s an experimental model,” his father had explained, “so don’t touch it under any circumstances.” But his warning only served to make Mark more curious. Without any further thought, Mark turned on the power switch. The computer burst into life and seconds later, the screen turned into colors, shifting and changing and then two big white words appeared in the center of the screen: “SPACE TRANSPORTER.”
“Yes!” Mark cried excitedly, “It’s a computer game. I knew it! Dad’s only been pretending to work. He’s really been playing games instead.” A new message appeared on the screen:
“ENTER NAMES
VOYAGER 1: …
VOYAGER 2: …”
Mark’s fingers flew across the keyboard as he typed in both of their names.
“INPUT ACCEPTED. START TRANSPORT PROGRAM. AUTO-RETRIEVE INITIATED（自动回收程序已启动）.”
The screen turned even brighter and a noise suddenly rose in volume.
“I think we’d better shut it off, Mark,” Jason yelled, reaching for the power switch. He was really frightened.
But his hand never reached the switch. A single beam of dazzling white light burst out of the computer screen, wrapping the boys in its glow (光芒), until they themselves seemed to be glowing. Then it died down just as suddenly as it had burst into life. And the boys were no longer there. On the screen, the letters changed.
“TRANSPORT SUCCESSFUL. DESTINATION: MARS. RETRIEVE DATE: 2025.”Why did Mark touch the computer against his father's warning?
| A．He wanted to take a voyage. |
| B．He wanted to practice his skill. |
| C．He was so much attracted by it. |
| D．He was eager to do an experiment. |
Where did the boys' father most likely work?
| A．In an electronic factory. |
| B．In a computer company. |
| C．In a scientific research center. |
| D．In an information processing center. |
Mark thought "SPACE TRANSPORTER" on the screen was the name of __________.
| A．a computer game |
| B．a company website |
| C．a software producer |
| D．an astronomy program |
Why did Jason want to shut off the computer?
| A．He was afraid of being scolded. |
| B．He didn't like the loud noise and light. |
| C．He didn't want to play games any more. |
| D．He was afraid something dangerous might happen. |
What happened to the boys at the end of the story?
| A．They were blown into the air. |
| B．They were sent to another planet. |
| C．They were hidden in the strong light. |
| D．They were carried away to another country. |
Grandpa Nybakken loved life—especially when he could play a trick on somebody. At those times, his large Norwegian frame shook with laughter while he pretended innocent surprise, exclaiming，"Oh, forevermore ！ “ But on a cold Saturday in downtown Chicago, Grandpa felt that God played a trick on him, and grandpa wasn't laughing.
Grandpa worked as a carpenter. On this particular day, he was building some boxes for the clothes his church was sending to an orphanage abroad. On his way home, he reached into his shirt pocket to find his glasses, but they were gone. He remembered putting them there that morning, so he drove back to the church. His search proved fruitless.
Suddenly, he realized what happened. The glasses had slipped out of his pocket unnoticed and fallen into one of the boxes, which he had nailed shut. His brand new glasses were heading for China ！The Great Depression was at its height, and Grandpa had six children. He had spent twenty dollars for those glasses that very morning.
"It's not fair，" he told God as he drove home in frustration. "I've been very faithful in giving of my time and money to your work, and now this."
Several months later, the director of the orphanage was on vacation in the United States. He wanted to visit all the churches that supported him, so he came to speak on Sunday night at my grandfather's small church in Chicago. Grandpa and his family sat in their usual seats among the small congregation (教堂会众).
"But most of all，" he said，" I must thank you for the glasses you sent last year. “ Even if I had the money, there was simply no way of replacing those glasses. Along with not being able to see well, I experienced headaches every day, so my coworkers and I were much in prayer about this. Then your boxes arrived. When my staff removed the covers, they found a pair of glasses lying on the top. " After a long pause, he continued，" Folks, when I tried on the glasses, it was as though they had been custom-made just for me! I want to thank you for being a part of that！"
The people listened, happy for the amazing glasses. But the director surely must have confused their church with another, they thought, there were no glasses on their list of items to be sent overseas.
But sitting quietly in the back, with tears streaming down his face, an ordinary carpenter realized the Master Carpenter had used him in an extraordinary way. Which of the following is NOT true about Grandpa Nybakken according to the passage?
| A．He was an outgoing man and held an active attitude towards life. |
| B．He had a large family to support. |
| C．He was a carpenter working in the church. |
| D．He was a loyal Christian. |
Grandpa spent much of his time and money in church mainly to __________
| A．help the priest do some religious work |
| B．help those people in need |
| C．make some woodwork for the church |
| D．seek some help from God |
The people in the church but Grandpa felt confused at what the director said because __________.
| A．Grandpa didn't tell the director that he was the owner of the glasses |
| B．the director wanted to return the glasses even though he liked it |
| C．the director could not get such glasses in their own country |
| D．the glasses were not included in the donation list |
Who does “the Master Carpenter" in the last paragraph probably refer to?
| A．Grandpa's master. |
| B．One of Grandpa's friends. |
| C．God. |
| D．Grandpa's coworker. |
Which can be the best title of the passage?
| A．Grandfather's life |
| B．The Helpful Donation |
| C．The Perfect Mistake |
| D．An Impressive Speech |
At the time friends visit us in the evening, they often tell us they are in a hurry and look at their watches. It isn't that our friends are all very busy; it is just that we haven't got a television. People think that we are very strange. “But what do you do in the evening?”，they are always asking. The answer is very simple. Both my wife and I have hobbies. We certainly don't spend our evenings looking at the walls. My wife enjoys cooking and painting and often attends evening classes in foreign languages. This is quite useful as we often go abroad for our holidays. I collect stamps and I'm always busy with my collection. Both of us enjoy listening to the music and playing chess together.
Sometimes there are power（电源） cuts and we have no electricity in the house. This does not worry us and we just light candles and carry on with what we were doing before. Our friends, however, are lost－no television!—So they don't know what to do. On such evenings our house is very full for they all come to us. They all have a good time. Instead of sitting in silence in front of the television, everybody talks and plays games.The couple have not got a television, because ________.
| A．they are not rich enough |
| B．they are strange people |
| C．they enjoy spending evenings in their own ways |
| D．they don't know what to do when there are power cuts |
Both of them are interested in __________.
| A．learning languages |
| B．travelling |
| C．staying home alone |
| D．watching people play games |
At night when there is no electricity, the couple ________.
| A．have to look at the walls |
| B．can do nothing but sit in silence |
| C．will have many visitors |
| D．have to go out for candles |
The writer tries to tell us that ________.
| A．life is possible without a television |
| B．life is enjoyable with many friends |
| C．electricity is important |
| D．television is useful |
The best title for this passage is ________.
| A．Why Do We Need a Television? |
| B．Candle! But No Electricity! |
| C．Different Friends, Different Hobbies. |
| D．We Go Without Televisions ！ |