Cao Min couldn’t believe she was experiencing exactly what she had seen years ago in the film “Titanic”.
Cao and her two children from Anhui Province were traveling on board the “Liaoludu 7” on February 22. They were among the first people on the ship who were rescued by lifeboats. Cao’s one-year-old son was the youngest passenger on board.
The “Liaoludu 7” was traveling in the Bohai Straits from Lvshun in Liaoning Province to the port city of Longkou in Shandong Province. It suddenly lost its power at 2:30 pm and tilted(倾斜) on its side. With 81 people on board, the ferry began to sink.
“I was so scared that my legs couldn’t move forward. They kept shaking even when I was asked to jump onto a lifeboat,” Cao recalled.
Upon receiving the mayday appeal (紧急呼救), China Marine Search and Rescue Centre immediately informed the State Council. The center sent eight lifeboats to the fishing boats.
After more than four hours of fighting strong winds and freezing ocean water, the passengers were recovered. All but four survived. These four died after spending too long time in the freezing waters, according to a spokesperson for the Beijing-based center. According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．The film “Titanic” had been on show again in Shanghai. |
| B．Cao Min and her children experienced the terrible accident. |
| C．“Liaoludu 7” with all passengers on board were saved. |
| D．The ferry began to sink on the way to the port of Liaoning. |
From the passage we can infer that .
| A．China Marine Search and Rescue Centre quickly carried out the rescue task |
| B．the center sent eight lifeboats and asked for help from the United Nations |
| C．the passengers were fighting strong winds and freezing ocean water for one hour |
| D．the ferry sank into the sea immediately it tilted on its side at 2:30 pm |
According to the passage, ________ passengers on board were still alive.
| A．four | B．seventy-seven | C．eight | D．eighty-one |
Air pollution is a leading cause of cancer and classified among Group 1,or top, human carcinogens (致癌物质), said the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which is the World Health Organization's (WHO) cancer agency, on Oct 17,2013.
The most widely used system for classifying carcinogens comes from the IARC, which places them into five groups. Group 1 carcinogens definitely cause cancer in humans. Group 2A is probably carcinogenic to humans, Group 2B is possibly carcinogenic, the carcinogenicity of Group 3 in humans is unclassifiable, and Group 4 is probably not carcinogenic to humans. Only a little more than 100 are classified as Group 1 cancer-causing substances, including ultraviolet radiation and tobacco smoke.
“Our task was to evaluate the air everyone breathes rather than focus on specific air pollutants,” the lARC's Dana Loomis said in a statement. “The results from the reviewed studies point in the same direction: the risk of developing lung cancer is significantly increased in people exposed to air pollution.”
In 2010, lung cancer resulting from air pollution killed 223,000 people worldwide, and there was also convincing evidence that it increases the risk of bladder (膀腕) cancer, according to the IARC.
Air pollution is already known to raise risks for a wide range of illnesses, including respiratory and heart diseases.
Air pollution is global, although the levels of it vary over space and time.
Loomis said people in Asia, eastern North America, some places in Central America and Mexico, as well as North Africa have relatively high exposure. Developing countries with large populations and booming manufacturing sectors, such as China, are particularly at risk.
Many cities in China, such as Beijing, frequently see smog. This week, Harbin, the capital city of Heilongjiang province, became the first Chinese city to officially suspend classes due to serious smog
Many developed countries face similar problems, although to a lesser degree than most developing nations. In Europe, levels of many pollutants have fallen. But between 91 and 96 percent of Europeans living in cities are exposed to levels of PM2.5—tiny particles with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers—that are higher than the WHO safety limits, says a report published by the European Environment Agency on Oct 15.
Although both the composition and levels of air pollution can vary dramatically from one location to the other, the 1ARC said its conclusions apply to all regions of the world.
“Given the scale of the exposure affecting people worldwide, this report should send a strong signal to the international community to take action without further delay,” said Christopher Wild, director of the IARC.What might be the best title of the passage?
| A．Signals of air pollution |
| B．Safety limits of air pollution |
| C．Air pollution, cancer risk |
| D．Air pollution, smog risk |
What’s the main task of IARC?
| A．To focus on cancer-causing substances. |
| B．To evaluate the air quality. |
| C．To study the developing risk of cancer. |
| D．To send signals to the international community. |
Why should the international community take action without further delay?
| A．The composition and levels of air pollution vary from place to place. |
| B．More and more people in developing countries are exposed to air pollution. |
| C．Developed countries face air pollution, the level of which is higher than the safety limits. |
| D．A large number of people worldwide are exposed to air pollution. |
Here’s a movie—a sharp, sugar-rush of fun that’s guaranteed to entertain the entire family.
With some terrific computer-generated effects, a great cast and a fun-packed storyline, Robots is the best animated film (动画片) since The Incredibles. Yep, it really is that good.
Set in a world populated by robots, Ewan McGregor plays Rodney Copperbottom, a young robot who leaves his small-town home to pursue his dream of becoming an inventor.
But after arriving in Robot City, his hopes of getting a job at Bigweld Industries are destroyed when he learns the firm has been taken over by the evil Ratchet (Greg Kinnear).
Egged on by his controlling mum, Madame Gasket (Jim Broadbent), Ratchet plans to reduce half of Robot City’s citizens to scrap metal by refusing to sell the spare parts they need to survive.
Instead, he wants to make a fortune selling expensive upgrades that few can afford. As he says, “Why be you when you can be new?”
Aided by a few misfit robots known as the Rustles—including Robin Williams as the cowardly' (胆小的）Fender (“I’m made of a metal called Afraidium”)—Rodney must track down the firm’s founder, Bigweld (Mel Brooks), and convince him to save the city from Ratchet’s plans.
The first thing that’ll strike you about the movie is the thought that's gone into creating Robot City. It’s a wondrous world full of mechanical marvels including wind-up cars and walking streetlamps.
Also terrific are the special effects. This might be an animated movie but at times you’ll catch yourself thinking it’s really a live-action film.
Of course, there have been plenty of animated movies that looked the part but were let down by a weak storyline (see Shark Tale, for example).
But Robots grips (扣人心弦) right from the start thanks to a heart-warming and thoroughly engaging plot that never bores.
My only complaints are with Williams who, as usual，has a one-in-10 success rate with his jokes. Also a letdown is a romantic subplot between Rodney and a shapely robot called Cappy (Halle Berry) that doesn’t go anywhere.
\Complains aside, this is a mechanical marvel that’ll have you bolted firmly to your seat.
BEST QUOTE(引述): Fender: “Even though you had a discouraging day, just remember there’s another one coming tomorrow.”
BEST BIT: Check out those amazing images.
WORST BIT: Robin Williams, character does an unfunny Britney Spears dance routine.
IF YOU LIKED…Ice Age, The Incredibles, Toy Story... YOU’LL LIKE THIS.This piece of writing is a _______.
| A．commercial advertisement | B．film review |
| C．movie poster | D．literary essay |
The cast of Robots is made up of all the following actors or actresses EXCEPT _______.
| A．Ewan McGregor | B．Robin Williams |
| C．Britney Spears | D．Halle Berry |
What is Shark Tale an example of?
| A．A great cast. | B．A poor plot. |
| C．Special effects. | D．Clumsy animation. |
They already guide blind and disabled people; now dogs are to be trained to help people with dementia（痴呆） or Alzheimer's．Alzheimer's can make people confuse night and day or forget basic things such as washing or drinking enough water．
The dogs will be trained to respond to sound triggers（触发器） in the home that cause them to perform tasks．The duties will include reminding their owners to take medicine, as well as encouraging them to eat, drink and sleep regularly．
The idea was developed by design students at the Glasgow School of Art and will now be put into practice by Alzheimer's Scotland and Dogs for the Disabled．The first dogs will be distributed to four Scottish couples, where one of the partners is in the early stages of dementia．Some 670,000 people in Britain have dementia and one in three over 65s will develop the condition．By 2021 this is expected to rise to one million．
Joyce Gray of Alzheimer's Scotland said, "People in the early stages of dementia are still able to live a relatively normal life, and dogs help to maintain routine．" Another advantage of using the pets as companions is that dogs can give them a sense of silent support and companionship．Ms Gray said, "The evidence is that people may forget familiar faces but not pets．It's such a strong bond that people often remember them longest．People don't need to communicate verbally （言语地） but they can still interact．You can have a speechless bond．"
Helen McCain, director of Dogs for the Disabled, said, "People with dementia often forget to take the medicine．If a dog presents them with a bag with pills in it there's a greater chance of them taking it．The dog would also encourage the owner to take them out for walks, ensuring they keep exercising and interacting with other people．"In Britain people with dementia _ _．
| A．are likely to increase in number |
| B．are mostly over 65 years old |
| C．will be trained to respond to sound triggers |
| D．will be able to live a relatively normal life |
The dogs are taught to perform tasks by -．
| A．making some sound signals |
| B．communicating with the patients |
| C．reminding the patients by barking |
| D．reacting to some sound triggers |
What does the underlined word "them" in Paragraph 4 refer to?
| A．Faces． | B．Triggers． | C．Pets． | D．Companions． |
What is mainly talked about in the passage?
| A．The idea of dementia dogs was developed by students． |
| B．Dogs are trained to assist Alzheimer's patients． |
| C．British people with Alzheimer's are in poor condition． |
| D．The dementia dogs perform most duties of a doctor． |
Dining Experiences at Belmond Grand Hotel Europe
Delicious cuisine is paired with excellent musical entertainment at Belmond Grand Hotel Europe．
TCHAIKOVSKY NIGHT
Every Friday, dine in Lobby Bar and be treated to a special musical accompaniment．
Enjoy timeless classics from the great Russian composer Tchaikovsky, performed by local dancers and a
chamber orchestra．
Time: 7 pm - 10 pm
Price: RUB 2, 000 per adult
RUSSIAN AFTERNOON TEA
Take a seat in the Mezzanine Cafe at a table laid out with Imperial Porcelain china．Feast on Borodinsky
bread sandwiches with various fillings, hot smoked trout（鳟鱼）, delightful mini pirozhki and sweets such
as vatrushkas, all accompanied by good, strong tea and light music．
Available daily 2 pm - 6 pm, priced at 1800 RUB for two．
TAITTINGER CHAMPAGNE BRUNCH
Enjoy a wide variety of international dishes and unlimited drinks accompanied by live jazz at L'Europe
Restaurant every Sunday．A supervised playroom for children is also available．
Time: I pm - 4:30 pm
Price: RUB 4, 900 per adult; Children': up t0 7 - free / 7 t0 15 - RUBI, 800 / above 16 - full price
VODKA EXPERIENCE
Available in the Caviar Bar, let our seasoned chef take you through caviar and vodka pairings．
You can also take part in cocktail demonstrations, or enjoy vodka-themed treatments at the beauty salon．
Available daily 4 pm - 11 pm, priced at RUB 3, 000 for one bottle．A couple with twins aged 5 dining at L'Europe Restaurant should pay at least ．
| A．RUB 14, 400 | B．RUB 19, 600 |
| C．RUB 9, 800 | D．RUB 3, 600 |
Which of the following will be your best choice, if you like classical music?
| A．Lobby Bar． | B．The Mezzanine Caf6． |
| C．Caviar Bar． | D．L'Europe Restaurant． |
Where does this passage probably come from?
| A．A science fiction． | B．A hotel brochure． |
| C．A recipe book． | D．A geography textbook． |
On countless mornings over the past year, I stood with my son, James, in our driveway, watching our neighbor hurry off to kindergarten．My wife and I wanted to give James the best education, but that meant we'd have to change our jobs and spend less time with our kid．I asked myself, "Would this trade-off be worth it?" When I look at the research on child development, I think it might not．Where our kids go to school might matter less than most American parents think．
Social scientists have long tried to determine why some children grow up to be successful．In a 2001 study, Greg Duncan, a professor of education at the University of California, measured the influence that the people in a child's life have on how well the child does in school．Duncan and his team found almost no relationship between how students did on the test and whom they sat beside in class, whom they hung out with after school and who lived in their block．The only meaningful link they found was between siblings （兄弟姐妹） and twins in particular．
For a long time, scholars thought that a family's income heavily affected how well kids did in life．But that might not be the case．When Susan Mayer at the University of Chicago looked at the relationship between family income and lifetime achievement, she ran a series of experiments to measure it, finding such outcomes weren't caused by income．She argued that the things that make a difference are relatively inexpensive: the number of books a kid has or how often his family goes to museums．
Lareau, another scholar began one of the most in-depth observations of American parenting．He concluded that success is much more related to the amount of time parents spend with their children．He said "Many parents I interviewed are anxious about their children's futures．But they have exaggerated（夸大） the sense of the risks involved if they don't give their children 'the best' of everything．"
So at last, we decided to leave things as it were．More time with our kid is the best we can provide．The first paragraph is intended to _．
| A．introduce the topic of the passage |
| B．confirm the result of a research |
| C．stress the importance of good education |
| D．support a research on child development |
From the passage we know that most American parents _．
| A．spend a lot of time with their children |
| B．like to buy a variety of books for their children |
| C．think children's achievement largely depends on schools |
| D．believe their income cannot afford children's education |
Who believes children's brothers and sisters may influence their academic performance?
| A．Lareau． | B．Greg Duncan． | C．Susan Mayer． | D．James． |
Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
| A．Parents' time matters to children's future． |
| B．School education determines children's future． |
| C．Family income counts to children's achievements． |
| D．Less education means more risks for children's success． |