Tattoos and body piercings(穿孔) have moved up on the trend list in recent years.Around Western schools lots of teens are sporting new holes and “flesh ink”(纹身)．As with all other subjects, the Chinese will surely have to deal with this situation with respect to their children.To get a better view of what has happened in the West, let's sit down and hear what they say.
Tiara from Indiana：
I personally think body piercing is sickening.If there were supposed to be holes in your body, you would have been born with them.I do, however, think that ear piercing is not wrong.There is a difference between ear piercing and belly button piercing.Ear piercing is not nearly as dangerous.I would be sick if someone stuck a needle in my belly button.
Lee from Illinois：
Hi! I live in Illinois.I am 23.I have 12 tattoos and three piercings.I love my tattoos and consider myself an art collector.You would be surprised at who has given me the thumbs up on my art work.People on the street stop me to look at the tattoo on my leg.Most of them don't know what it is.They just think the work itself is great.
Subotai from California：
I'm not forbidden of selfexpression, but when I see high school students getting these piercings, I really wonder.In some cases, the drive is deeper and darker than mere fashion.A friend of mine tried piercing her own tongue with a safety pin.It got infected and she had a tongue the size of a cow's.
Jackson from Ohio：
I don't think it is wrong, but when people do it all over the place like their face and everything—I think that's ridiculous.People who get the big “dragons that cover the whole body—I don't think that's necessary.” When I see naked chicks on guys, I think, “You have no respect for women.”Who doesn't think tattoos and piercings except ear piercing are beautiful?
| A．Jackson. | B．Lee. | C．Tiara. | D．Subotai. |
We can conclude that ________.
| A．tattoos and piercings are a new kind of elegant art |
| B．all the teachers in the West are in favour of tattoos and piercings |
| C．everything is changeable as time goes on |
| D．it is necessary to live with different views of beauty |
The best title for this passage is probably ________.
| A．Body Art or Causing Damage |
| B．Doing Damage to the Young People's Bodies |
| C．Young People's Different Curiosities |
| D．The Latest Fashion |
High school could be a scary time for everyone. The school seems bigger; there are more kids and it’s a totally new environment. In fact, it isn’t that bad.
High school is a lot like middle school after a while. The first day of course is always scary, and the first day of middle school must have been the same. Of course, the first few days you might get lost while looking for your classes but after a while, what seemed to be a large school really isn’t.
One thing that’s really cool about high school is that there are so many more classes you can take. If you happen to like art, there are many art classes. In addition, there are other classes that weren’t available in middle school like photography or psychology.
In high school, there are a lot of things that are similar to how middle school was but at the same time, there are other opportunities available as well. There are more clubs, sports, and other activities you can join in.
You’re able to join in these activities and make new friends with kids with the same interest as you. These activities also give you a chance to learn something you never had the opportunity to learn before.
High school has something for everyone. You just have to decide what to take part in. but there’s one thing that’s certain that you’re going to have just as much fun in high school as you did in middle school. And if middle school wasn’t that great for you, high school is a chance to make up for it.
High school isn’t just about having fun though. You have to be responsible while you’re growing up. Teachers aren’t going to chase (催促) you up to do your homework.The passage is mainly about __________.
| A．high school life |
| B．how to take art classes |
| C．the fun side of high school life |
| D．how to make new friends in high school |
In the author’s opinion, high school life __________.
| A．is a scary time for everyone |
| B．is full of fun without any worries |
| C．is the same as middle school life |
| D．is as much fun as middle school life |
It can be inferred that you can do the following things in high school EXCEPT __________.
| A．making more friends |
| B．taking photography classes |
| C．getting lost while looking for classes |
| D．ignoring your homework until your teacher reminds you |
The article is probably taken from __________.
| A．a travel magazine |
| B．a book review |
| C．an advice column for students |
| D．a film poster |
Every student wants to learn English well, but how can we learn it well? It’s a good topic for English learners. Here are some good methods, which can help you improve your English quickly.
First of all, you must have correct attitude. Please love English, not hate it. And you don’t feel shy when you say or speak English. Remember one sentence: Put your face in your pocket.
Secondly, I think grammar rules, new words and phrases are important, but they are not enough. For example, some people are quite good at grammar and learned a lot of English words and phrases. But they can’t speak English when they meet foreign friends.
The most effective(有效的) way to learn English well is to often use English. Don’t be afraid and don’t laugh at others. We’d better listen, speak, read and write more. You can go to English corner, talk with foreigners or talk with your friends. If you have time, listen to the radio or English program. Listening to this good material can help you improve your listening and understanding. And then, you can read English books, newspapers or novels. They are wonderful. You can use the internet, chat with net-friends or write E-mails, dairies …Through these ways, you can get more for your English.
English isn’t so difficult that we can’t learn it well. As long as we set our mind to learn English well, I’m sure everyone will be successful.The underlined sentence “Put your face in your pocket.” suggests that____
| A．you should love English |
| B．you should not let others recognize your face |
| C．you should try not to make mistakes when speaking English |
| D．You should not feel shy when using English |
In the writer’s opinion,_____
| A．English learners should not spend time on grammar rules, new words and phrases. |
| B．Grammar rules, new words and phrases are the most important thing for an English learner. |
| C．If you are good at grammar, your spoken English will be bad. |
| D．Learning grammar rules, new words and phrases is only part of English learning. |
The writer gives the following tips EXCEPT____
| A．go to English corner |
| B．communicate with people in English |
| C．travel in English-speaking countries |
| D．write English diaries |
Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
| A．How to learn English well |
| B．English isn’t difficult |
| C．Use English often in your life |
| D．Grammar learning is not enough |
While success is surely sweeter than failure, it seems failure is a far better teacher, and organizations that fail miserably often flourish (繁荣) more in the long run, according to a new study by Vinit Desai, assistant professor of management at the University of Colorado Denver Business School. Researchers have found that people missing their goals perform much better in the long run. That is because they gain more knowledge from their failures than their successes and the lessons are more likely to stay longer in their minds.
“We found that the knowledge gained from success was often fleeting while knowledge from failure stuck around for years,” said professor Desai, who led the study. “But companies often ignore failure. Managers may fire people or turn over the whole workforce while they should treat the failure as a learning opportunity.”
Prof Desai compared the flights of the space shuttle Atlantis and the Challenger. During the Atlantis flight last year, a piece of insulation (绝缘体) broke off and damaged the left solid rocket booster (助推火箭) but didn’t influence the program. There was little investigation. The Challenger was launched next and another piece of insulation broke off. This time the shuttle and its seven–person crew were destroyed. The disaster led to a major investigation resulting in 29 changes to prevent future disasters.
The difference in response in the two cases came down to this: Atlantis was considered a success and the Challenger a failure.
“Despite crowded skies, airlines are extremely reliable,” he said. “The number of failures is extremely small. And past researches have shown that older airlines, those with more experience in failure, have a lower number of accidents.”
Prof Desai doesn’t recommend finding out failure in order to learn. Instead, he advises organizations to analyze small failures to collect useful information rather than wait for major failures.Why did experts pay little attention to the problem of Atlantis?
| A．Because it worked perfectly. |
| B．Because the right booster was still OK. |
| C．Because nothing serious happened then. |
| D．Because fewer people died in the flight. |
Fewer accidents happen to older airlines in that ________.
| A．their planes couldn’t fly high in the sky |
| B．they gained much from experience in failure |
| C．their planes were often checked by the experts |
| D．they were unpopular among passengers |
The passage is written mainly to ________.
| A．show failure is a better teacher than success |
| B．explain why Challenger failed |
| C．introduce something about Prof Desai |
| D．tell managers how to achieve success |
HOLIDAY FUN AT THE POWERHOUSE
500 HARRIS STREET ULTIMO •TELEPHONE (02)9270111
Join in the holiday fun at the Powerhouse this month linked to our new exhibition, Evolution & Revolution: Chinese dress 1700s to now. DON’T FORGET our other special event, the Club Med Circus School which is part of the Circus（马戏团）！150 years of circus in Australia exhibition experience!
◆ Chinese Folk Dancing: Colorful Chinese dance and musical performances
by The Chinese Folk Dancing School of Sydney. Dances include: the Golden and the Chinese drum dance. A feature will be the Qin dynasty Emperor’s count dance.
Also included is a show of face painting for Beijing opera performances.
Sunday 29 June and Wednesday 2 July in the Turbine Hall, at 11.30 am & 1.30 pm.
◆ Australian Chinese Children’s Arts Theatre: Well-known children’s play experts from Shanghai leas this dynamic youth group. Performance include Chinese fairy tales and plays.
Thursday 3 to Sunday 6 July in the Turbine Hall, at 11.30 am & 1.30 pm.
◆ Chinese Youth League: A traditional performing arts group featuring
performance highlights such as Red scarf and Spring flower dances, and a musician
playing Er Hu.
Sunday 6 to Tuesday 8 July in the Turbine Hall, 11.30 am to 1.30 pm.
◆ Kids Activity : Make a Paper Horse: Young children make a paper horse
cut-out. (The horse is a frequent theme in Chinese painting, including a kind of
advancement.) Suitable for ages 8-12 years.
Sunday 28 June to Tuesday 8 July in the Turbine Hall, 12.30 pm to 1.00 pm.
◆ Club Med Circus School: Learn circus skills, including the trapeze, trampolining and magic. Note only for children over 5. There are 40 places available in each 1 hour session and these must be booked at the front desk, level 4 on the day.
Tuesday 1 to Saturday 5 July at 11.30am & 1.00 pm.
Enjoy unlimited free visits and many other benefits by becoming a family
member of the Powerhouse. Our family memberships cover two adults and all children under the age of 16years at the one address.
Members receive Powerline, our monthly magazine, discounts in the shops and
restaurants, as well as free admission to the Museum. All this for as little as $50,00 a year! Call (02)9217 0600 for more details.When can you watch the Chinese drum dance?
| A．On July 2. | B．On July 3. |
| C．On July 6. | D．On July 8. |
To learn the magic tricks, you can go to.
| A．Kids Activity. |
| B．Chinese Youth League. |
| C．Club Med Circus School. |
| D．Children’s Arts Theatre. |
What is required if you want to enjoy free visits to the Museum?
| A．Calling (02)92170600. |
| B．Gaining family membership. |
| C．Coming for the holiday fun. |
| D．Paying Powerline $50.00 a year. |
What is the main purpose of the text?
| A．To attract visitors. |
| B．To present schedules. |
| C．To report the performances |
| D．To teach kids Chinese arts. |
Do you sometimes argue about what seems to you to be a simple fact? Do you argue whether it’s cold outdoors or whether the car in front of you is going faster than the speed limit?
If you get into such arguments, try to think about the story about the six blind men and the elephant. The first blind man who felt the elephant’s trunk said it was like a snake. The second who felt the elephant’s side said it was like a wall, while the third said it was like a spear as he touched the animal’s tusk. The fourth, who took hold of the elephant’s tail insisted that it was like a rope. The fifth man said it looked like a tree as he put his arms around one of the elephant’s legs. The sixth, who was tall and got hold of theelephant’s ears, said it was like a huge fan.
Each man’s idea of the animal came from his own experience. So if someone disagrees with you about a “simple fact”, it’s often because his experience in the matter is different from yours.
To see how hard it is for even one person to make up his mind about a “simple fact”, try this simple experiment. Get three large bowls. Put ice water in one. Put hot water in the second. Put lukewarm water in the third. Now put your left hand in the ice water. Put your right hand in the hot water. After thirty seconds, put both hands in the lukewarm water. Your right hand will tell you the water is cold. Your left hand will tell you it’s hot.What makes people think about simple facts differently?
| A．The fact that simple facts differ from one another. |
| B．The fact that people have different experience in the same simple fact. |
| C．The fact that people often disagree with one another. |
| D．The fact that it’s hard to make up one’s mind about simple facts. |
The writer’s advice is that ________.
| A．we should never think about simple facts |
| B．we should never judge something with a one-sided view |
| C．we should not agree about simple facts |
| D．we must learn from the six blind men |
What’s the main idea of this passage?
| A．People often judge something according to their own experience. |
| B．People often agree about simple facts. |
| C．It’s hard for a person to make up his mind about a simple fact. |
| D．Don’t care too much about simple facts. |