While students in Hainan are quite used to clear skies, Beijing teenagers are not so lucky. As another warm winter approaches, the city can expect the normal clouds of smoke caused by air pollution.
But things may start to improve soon. The government is co-operating with a US-based environmental protection agency to update existing buses and trucks with clean fuel technology. The new technology could reduce air pollutants in existing diesel engines(柴油机)by 40 percent. The programme will begin by testing buses in Beijing to see if the technology can be applied to them.
“We encourage the development of public transports. But at the same time we need to reduce pollution from them, ”said an official.
Efforts are being made to improve the capital’s environment with tighter controls on emissions(排放). Some heavily polluting factories and construction sites, such as those owned by the steel giant Shougang Group, have been asked to cut production in November and December or be closed.
Beijing was the third polluted city in the world at the end of last century, according to the UN. But thanks to recent measures, the capital has made some progress. Last year 224 clear days were rated as having good air quality. In 1998 the air quality index(指数)gave just 100 days as good.
“I am glad to see an improvement, ”said a senior 1 boy living in the northwest of Beijing. “Compared to other places, the air quality of Beijing is still worrying though. I hate pollution. Once I was riding my bike in the morning when I almost had a traffic accident because I couldn’t see a car only metres away from me in fog. ”
In early October, the skies were covered by such a thick fog that a display show by the visiting French Air Force was called off.
Rapid development, industry, traffic fumes and sandstorms from the desert all contribute to the city’s bad air. The passage is mainly about .
| A．a programme aiming at improving Beijing’s air quality |
| B．progress made in Beijing’s air quality |
| C．Beijing’s air pollution |
| D．the differences between Hainan and Beijing |
Which of the following is NOT the measure taken or to be taken to improve Beijing’s air quality?
| A．Clean fuel technology will be used in public transports. |
| B．Some factories have been asked to cut production. |
| C．Some construction sites have been told to be closed. |
| D．A display show of airplanes has been called off. |
We can infer from the passage that, with the aim of being an ecological(生态的)city, .
| A．far more still needs to be done |
| B．nothing else needs to be done |
| C．all traffic has to be closed |
| D．the development of the city has to be slowed down |
Which of the following is NOT correct according to the passage?
| A．Beijing’s air quality is getting worse and worse. |
| B．Rapid development, industry, traffic fumes and sandstorms are all the causes of bad air quality. |
| C．People see clouds of smoke in the sky in the winter of Beijing. |
| D．The government is making efforts to stop air pollution. |
Daniel Anderson, a famous psychologist, believes it’s important to distinguish television’s influences on children from those of the family. We tend to blame TV, he says, for problems it doesn’t really cause, overlooking our own roles in shaping children’s minds.
One traditional belief about television is that it reduces a child’s ability to think and to understand the world. While watching TV, children do not merely absorb words and images (影像). Instead, they learn both explicit and hidden meanings from what they see. Actually, children learn early the psychology of characters in TV shows. Furthermore, as many teachers agree, children understand far more when parents watch TV with them, explaining new words and ideas. Yet, most parents use an educational program as a chance to park their kids in front of the set and do something in another room.
Another argument against television is that it replaces reading as a form of entertainment. But according to Anderson, the amount of time spent watching television is not related to reading ability. TV doesn’t take the place of reading for most children; it takes the place of similar sorts of recreation, such as listening to the radio and playing sports. Things like parents’ educational background have a stronger influence on a child’s reading. “A child’s reading ability is best predicted by how much a parent reads.” Anderson says.
Traditional wisdom also has it that heavy television-watching lowers IQ (智商) scores and affects school performance. But here, too, Anderson notes that no studies have proved it. In fact, research suggests that it’s the other way around. “If you’re smart young, you’ll watch less TV when you’re older,” Anderson says. Yet, people of lower IQ tend to be lifelong television viewers.
For years researchers have attempted to show that television is dangerous to children. However, by showing that television promotes none of the dangerous effects as conventionally believed, Anderson suggests that television cannot be condemned without considering other influences.By watching TV, children learn _________.
| A．images through words |
| B．more than explicit meanings |
| C．more about images than words |
| D．little about people’s psychology |
An educational program is best watched by a child _________.
| A．on his own |
| B．with other kids |
| C．with his parents |
| D．with his teachers |
Which of the following is most related to children’s reading ability?
| A．Radio-listening |
| B．Television-watching |
| C．Parents’ reading list |
| D．Parents’ educational background |
Anderson believed that _________.
| A．the more a child watches TV, the smarter he is |
| B．the younger a child is, the more he watches TV |
| C．the smarter a child is, the less likely he gets addicted to TV |
| D．the less a child watches TV, the better he performs at school |
What is the main purpose of the passage?
| A．To advise on the educational use of TV. |
| B．To describe TV’s harmful effects on children. |
| C．To explain traditional views on TV influences. |
| D．To present Anderson’s unconventional ideas. |
When I was nine years old, I loved to go fishing with my dad. But the only thing that wasn’t very fun about it was that he could catch many fish while I couldn’t catch anything. I usually got pretty upset and kept asking him why. He always answered, “Son, if you want to catch a fish, you have to think like a fish”, I remember being even more upset then because, “I’m not a fish!” I didn’t know how to think like a fish. Besides, I reasoned, how could what I think influence what a fish does?
As I got a little older I began to understand what my dad really meant. So, I read some books on fish. And I even joined the local fishing club and started attending the monthly meetings. I learned that a fish is a cold-blooded animal and therefore is very sensitive to water temperature. That is why fish prefer shallow water to deep water because the former is warmer. Besides, water is usually warmer in direct sunlight than in the shade. Yet, fish don’t have any eyelids(眼皮) and the sun huts their eyes… The more I understood fish, the more I became effective at finding and catching them..
When I grew up and entered the business world, I remember hearing my first boss say, “We all need to think like sales people.” But it didn’t completely make sense. My dad never once said, “If you want to catch a fish you need to think like a fisherman.” What he said was, “You need to think like a fish.” Years later, with great efforts to promote long-term services to people much older and richer than me, I gradually learned what we all need is to think more like customers. It is not an easy job. I will show you how in the following chapters. Why was the author upset in fishing trips when he was nine?
| A．He could not catch a fish. |
| B．His father was not patient with him. |
| C．His father did not teach him fishing. |
| D．He could not influence a fish as his father did. |
What did the author’s father really mean?
| A．To read about fish. |
| B．To learn fishing by oneself. |
| C．To understand what fish think. |
| D．To study fishing in many ways. |
According to the author, fish are most likely to be found _________.
| A．in deep water on sunny days |
| B．in deep water on cloudy days |
| C．in shallow water under sunlight |
| D．in shallow water under waterside trees. |
After entering the business world, the author found _________.
| A．it easy to think like a customer |
| B．his father’s fishing advice inspiring |
| C．his first boss’s sales ideas reasonable |
| D．it difficult to sell services to poor people |
This passage most likely comes from _________.
| A．a fishing guide |
| B．a popular sales book |
| C．a novel on childhood |
| D．a millionaire’s biography |
Peter loved to shop used articles. Almost a month ago, he bought popular word game that used little pieces of wood with different letters on them. As he was purchasing it, the salesgirl said, “Uh, look, the game box haven’t even been opened yet. That might be worth some money. ”
Peter examined the box, and, sure enough, it was completely covered in factory-sealed plastic. And he saw a date of 1973 on the back of the box.
“You should put that up for auction (拍卖) on the Internet, and see what happens.”the salesgirl said.
“Yes, you’re right. People like something rare.” Peter agreed, “I can’t imagine there being very many unopened boxes of this game still around 40 years later.”
“Don’t forget to tell me if you sell it.” the salesgirl smiled.
“No problem.” Peter said.
After he got home, Peter went online to several auction websites looking for his game. But he couldn’t find it. Then he typed in the name of the word game and hit Search. The search result was 543 websites containing information about the changes of the game. Over the years, the game had been produced using letters in different sizes and game boards in different colors. He also found some lists of game fans looking for various versions of the game. Peter emailed some of them, telling them what he had.
Two weeks later, Peter went back to the shop.
“Hello. Do you still remember the unopened word game?”
The salesgirl looked at him for a second, then recognized him and said, “Oh, hi!”
“I’ve got something for you,” Peter said. “I sold the game and made $1,000. Thank you for your suggestion.” He handed her three $ 100 bills.
“Wow!” the salesgirl cried out. “Thank you, I never expected it.”Which of the following best describes Peter’s word game?
| A．It was made around 40 years ago. |
| B．It had game boards in different sizes. |
| C．It was kept in a plastic bag with a seal. |
| D．It had little pieces of wood in different colors. |
What did the salesgirl probably think of Peter’s word game?
| A．Old and handy. |
| B．Rare and valuable. |
| C．Classic and attractive. |
| D．Colorful and interesting |
Peter got the names of the game fans from _________.
| A．an auction |
| B．the Internet |
| C．a game shop |
| D．the second-hand shop |
What happened at the end of the story?
| A．Peter gave the girl $300 as a reward. |
| B．The salesgirl became Peter’s friend. |
| C．Peter returned the word game for $ 1,000. |
| D．The salesgirl felt confused to see Peter again. |
What is the main theme of the story?
| A．It’s important to keep a promise. |
| B．It’s great to share in other people’s happiness. |
| C．We should be grateful for the help from others. |
| D．Something rare is worth a large amount of money. |
Food serves as a form of communication in two fundamental ways. Sharing bread or other foods is a common human tradition that can promote unity and trust. Food can also have a specific meaning, and play a significant role in a family or culture's celebrations or traditions. The foods we eat-and when and how we eat them-are often unique to a particular culture or may even differ between rural (农村的) and urban areas within one country.
Sharing bread, whether during a special occasion (时刻) or at the family dinner table, is a common symbol of togetherness. Many cultures also celebrate birthdays and marriages with cakes that are cut and shared among the guests. Early forms of cake were simply a kind of bread, so this tradition hits its roots in the custom of sharing bread.
Food also plays an important role in many New Year celebrations. In the southern United States, pieces of corn bread represent blocks of gold for prosperity (兴旺) in the New Year. In Greece, people share a special cake called vasilopita. A coin is put into the cake, which signifies (预示) success in the New Year for the person who receives it.
Many cultures have ceremonies to celebrate the birth of a child, and food can play a significant role. In China, when a baby is one month old, families name and welcome their child in a celebration that includes giving red-colored eggs to guests. In many cultures, round foods such as grapes, bread, and moon cakes are eaten at welcome celebrations to represent family unity.
Nutrition is necessary for life, so it is not surprising that food is such an important part of different cultures around the world.
| 1． |
According to the passage, sharing bread.
|
| 2． |
What does the coin in vasilopita signify for its receiver in the New Year?
|
| 3． |
The author explains the role of food in celebrations by.
|
| 4． |
What is the passage mainly about?
|
D
There are an extremely large number of antsworldwide. Each individual (个体的) ant hardly weigh anything, but put together they weigh roughly the same as all of mankind. They also live nearly everywhere, except on frozen mountain tops and around the poles.Foranimals their size, ants have been astonishingly successful, largely due to their wonderfulsocial behavior.
In colonies (群体) that range in size from a few hundred to tens of millions, they organize their lives with a clear division of labor. Even more amazing is how they achievethis level of organization. Where we use sound and sight to communicate, ants dependprimarily on pheromone (外激素), chemicals sent out by individuals and smelled or tastedby fellow members of their colony. When an ant finds food, it produces a pheromone that will lead others straight to where the food is. When an individual ant comes under attack or is dying, it sends out an alarm pheromone to warn the colony to prepare for a conflict as a defense unit.
In fact, when it comes to the art of war, ants have no equal. They are completely fearless and will readily take on a creature much larger than themselves, attacking in large groups and overcoming their target. Such is their devotion to the common good of the colony that not only soldier ants but also worker ants will sacrifice their lives to help defeat an enemy.
Behaving in this selfless and devoted manner, these little creatures have survived on Earth, for more than 140 million years, far longer than dinosaurs. Because they think as one, they have a collective (集体的) intelligence greater than you would expect from itsindividual parts.We can learn from the passage that ants are ____________.
| A．not willing to share food |
| B．not found around the poles |
| C．more successful than all other animals |
| D．too many to achieve any level of organization |
Ants can use pheromones for______.
| A．escape | B．communication |
| C．warning enemies | D．arranging labor |
What does the underlined expression "take on" in Paragraph 3 mean?
| A．Accept. | B．Employ. |
| C．Play with. | D．Fight against. |
Which of the following contributes most to the survival of ants?
| A．Their behavior. | B．Their size. |
| C．Their number. | D．Their weight |