Human beings are the most intelligent of all animals because we are gifted with the ability to think and reason logically.Scientists and even common people with special intelligence have made a lot of inventions and contributions to modern lifestyle in the past.“Houses” have been the most popular area for discoveries and inventions in the past and even now.
Many household items have been the result of inventions of people who desired better functioning of the existent products.Every individual has intelligence and if it is used properly for the right purpose it leads to invention of a new tool or device.Many new household inventions are made almost every day and there are specific companies，which particularly keep a record of all these inventions.
A lot of inventions have been made recently in the household field.These products are patented (专利) and have trade mark licenses.The patented sliding cinch is a very simple but effective method to prevent shoulder stress and injury for those who work before computers all day long.Vanity PC is a type of computer furniture that specifically hides all the computer wires and keeps a clean and good look.All the outdoor dust，mud and snow can be kept out of the house by installing (安装) the dirt drain (排水管) at the entrance of the door.Another important invention is the automatic toilet nightlight，in which a small light starts when the lid of the toilet seat is opened and closes as soon as the lid is closed.
These are some of the new household inventions invented mostly by common people.Thus，a variety of new household items are invented every day，which helps in a better functioning of household chores and in a more useful manner.The first paragraph is intended to________.
| A．stress the importance of inventions |
| B．introduce the topic of the article |
| C．show the advantages of modern lifestyle |
| D．tell the differences between human beings and animals |
According to the passage，people make house inventions to________.
| A．earn more money and gain awards |
| B．accumulate their wealth |
| C．improve the present living conditions |
| D．meet the new demands of new science |
It can be inferred that the sliding cinch is used to________.
| A．prevent your shoulder from being overpressured |
| B．keep your shoulder safe and sound in an accident or an operation |
| C．help you practice your shoulder more often and reduce shoulder pains |
| D．cover your shoulder and make it stronger to resist the outside strike |
Common people can also make good inventions because________.
| A．wisdom and inspiration sometimes come from everyday life |
| B．some inventions are easy to be made and can be mastered by them |
| C．they have a strong desire to do something for science research |
| D．success is often connected with hardship and bitter experience of common people |
The passage mainly talks about________.
| A．the correct use of household facilities |
| B．different ideas about household inventions |
| C．the history of household inventions |
| D．household inventions and their influence |
American Airlines
Date of Issue： 233 JAN 10
Ping Luo：
Thank you for choosing American Airlines/American Eagle， a member of the one world TMAlliance． Below is your journey plan for the ticket（s） purchased． Please print and keep possession of this document for use throughout your trip．
Record locator： HPMDLH
You may check in and obtain your boarding pass for U．S． domestic electronic tickets within 24 hours of your flight time online at AA． Come by using www．aa．com/ checkin or at a Self﹣Service Check﹣In machine at the airport． For faster check﹣in at the airport， scan the barcode at any AA Self﹣Service machine．
Effective February 1， American Airlines will be cashless onboard all flights． For in﹣flight purchases， we will accept Citi®/A Advantage®MasterCard® and other major credit or debit cards only． Cashless cabins will not be implemented onboard American Eagle and American Connection flights …only cash will continue to be accepted onboard those flights．
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American Airlines |
4290 |
NASHVILLE |
SUN， 31 JAN 11：05 AM |
CHICAGO OHARE |
12：40 PM |
Q |
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OPERATED BY AMERICAN EAGLE |
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Ping Luo |
Economy |
Seats 9C |
Food for Purchase |
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American Airline |
4131 |
CHICAGO OHARE |
SUN 31 JAN 2：40 TM |
MADISON |
3：25 PM |
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OPERATED BY AMERICAN EAGLE |
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Ping Luo |
Economy |
Seats 17C |
Food for Purchase |
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（1）The above document serves as ．
| A． |
evidence of booked tickets． |
| B． |
explanations of check﹣in policies． |
| C． |
a reminder of airline regulations． |
| D． |
an airline ticket and its confirmation． |
（2）During his journey， Ping Luo will ．
| A． |
fly non﹣stop to his destination． |
| B． |
arrive in Chicago in the late afternoon of the same day． |
| C． |
have to stay at CHICAGO OHARE airport for two hours． |
| D． |
reach his final destination on the next day． |
（3）According to the document， in order to check in at the airport faster， a passenger may ．
| A． |
arrive at the airport far ahead of time． |
| B． |
choose the seat in advance． |
| C． |
use a self﹣service machine． |
| D． |
contact the record locator online． |
The adaptation of books to the big screen is nothing new to our society． Books have become well﹣respected tools for creating a better Hollywood． However， films should be just as respected for their ability to create better writers．
The main skill films help writers develop is attention to progress． Most directors and screenwriters know that the majority of people are not willing to sit through a five﹣hour film． Thus， every scene must have a purpose． This is a vital objective to keep in mind when writing a novel or short story． With most writing courses placing emphasis on literary techniques， it is easy to become more invested in diction than with actually moving the plot forward． Films remind the writer that while a novel ought to have some degree of literary complexity， the goal at the end of each chapter， page， or sentence is simple： keep the story moving． Films not only help writers develop a plot， but also help writers develop specific moments within their stories． Although writing a means of expression， not all things are easy to express in writing， especially facial expressions and emotions． Films allow writers to study the bodily and emotional actions that make characters read more realistically and make stories more tempting．
Lastly， sometimes it takes a film to bring about a story idea in the first place． Stop using a horribly specific or extremely uninteresting prompt． A pleasing theme or aesthetic can be enough to inspire a character or setting． As writers， whether fiction or independent， our works often arise from the things we see around us or the things we wish we could see． Nonetheless， our works also arise from the visuals that have been created for us． As literature continues to enter the film industry， perhaps we should make use of film techniques in our literature．
（1）Reminded by films， a writer can move the plot forward by ．
| A． |
keeping in mind that every word should mean something． |
| B． |
providing a description of as many details as possible． |
| C． |
paying attention to further enhancing literary complexity． |
| D． |
choosing the perfect word to go with his/her thought． |
（2）According to the passage， films help writers develop in many aspects except ．
| A． |
getting an improved expressiveness |
| B． |
focusing on keeping the story moving． |
| C． |
complicating their thinking and life． |
| D． |
bringing in inspiration for new works． |
（3）The word "prompt" （paragraph 4）probably means ．
| A． |
a reason to write． |
| B． |
a topic to start from． |
| C． |
an excuse to put off working． |
| D． |
an element to attract relationship． |
（4）Which of the following statements best represents the author's thoughts in this passage？
| A． |
book writers are the ones promoting the growth of the film industry． |
| B． |
directors and screenwriters are more respected than fiction writers． |
| C． |
writers should spend more time on wording rather than on other things． |
| D． |
filmmaking technique could help book writers to improve themselves． |
Adults understand what it feels like to be flooded with objects． Why do we often assume that more is morewhen it comes to kids and their belongings？ The good news is that I can help my own kids learn earlier than I did how to live more with less．
I found the pre﹣holidays a good time to encourage young children to donate less﹣used things， and it worked． Because of our efforts， our daughter Georgia did decide to donate a large bag of toys to a little girl whose mother was unable to pay for her holiday due to illness． She chose to sell a few larger objects that were less often used when we promised to put the money into her school fund （基金）（our kindergarten is serious about becoming a doctor）
For weeks， I've been thinking of bigger， deeper questions． How do we make it a habit for them？ And how do we train ourselves to help them live with， need， and use less？ Yesterday， I sat with my son， Shepherd， determined to test my own theory on this． I decided to play with him with only one toy for as long as it would keep his interest． I expected that one toy would keep his attention for about five minutes， ten minutes， max． I chose a red rubber ball﹣simple， universally available． We passed it， he tried to put it in his mouth， he tried bouncing it， rolling it， sitting on it， throwing it． It was totally， completely enough for him． Before I knew it an hour had passed and it was time to move on to lunch．
We both became absorbed in the simplicity of playing together． He had my full attention and I had his． My little experiment to find joy in a single object worked for both of us．
（1）What do the words "more is more" in paragraph l probably mean？
| A． |
The more， the better． |
| B． |
Enough is enough． |
| C． |
More money， more worries． |
| D． |
Earn more and spend more． |
（2）What made Georgia agree to sell some of her objects？
| A． |
Saving up for her holiday |
| B． |
Raising money for a poor girl |
| C． |
Adding the money to her fund |
| D． |
Giving the money to a sick mother |
（3）Why did the author play the ball with Shepherd？
| A． |
To try out an idea |
| B． |
To show a parent's love |
| C． |
To train his attention |
| D． |
To help him start a hobby |
（4）What can be a suitable title for the text？
| A． |
Take it or leave it |
| B． |
A Lesson from Kids |
| C． |
Live More with Less |
| D． |
The Pleasure of Giving |
While famous foreign architects are invited to lead the designs of landmark buildings in China such as the new CCTV tower and the National Center for the Performing Arts， many excellent Chinese architects are making great efforts to take the center stage．
Their efforts have been proven fruitful． Wang Shu a 49﹣year﹣old Chinese architect， won the 2012 Pritzker Architecture prize ﹣which is often referred to as the Nobel Prize in architecture﹣on February 28． He is the first Chinese citizen to win this award．
Wang serves as head of the Architecture Department at the China Department at the China Academy of Art（CAA）． His office is located at the Xiangshan campus （校园）of the university in Hangzhou， Zhejiang Province． Many buildings on the campus are his original creations．
The style of the campus is quite different from that of most Chinese universities． Many visitors were amazed by the complex architectural space and abundant building types．The curves（曲线） of the buildings perfectly match the rise and fall of hills， forming a unique view．
Wang collected more than 7 million abandoned bricks of different ages． He asked the workers to use traditional techniques to make the bricks into walls， roofs and corridors． This creation attracted a lot of attention thanks to its mixture of modern and traditional Chinese elements．
Wang's works show a deep understanding of modern architecture and a good knowledge of traditions． Through such a balance， he had created a new type of Chinese architecture， said Tadao Ando， the winner of the 1995 Pritzker Prize．
Wang believes traditions should not be sealed in glass boxes at museums． "That is only evidence that traditions once existed，" he said．
"Many Chinese people have a misunderstanding of traditions． They think tradition means old things from the past． In fact， tradition also refers to the things that have been developing and that are still being created ，"he said．
"Today， many Chinese people are learning Western styles and theories rather than focusing on Chinese traditions． Many people tend to talk about traditions without knowing what they really are，" said Wang．
The study of traditions should be combined with practice． Otherwise， the recreation of traditions would be artificial and empty， he said．
（1）Wang's winning of the prize means that Chinese architects are ．
| A． |
following the latest world trend |
| B． |
getting international recognition |
| C． |
working harder than ever before |
| D． |
relying on foreign architects |
（2）What impressed visitors to the CAA Xiangshan campus most？
| A． |
Its hilly environment． |
| B． |
Its large size． |
| C． |
Its unique style． |
| D． |
Its diverse functions． |
（3）What made Wang's architectural design a success？
| A． |
The mixture of different shapes． |
| B． |
The balance of East and West． |
| C． |
The use of popular techniques． |
| D． |
The harmony of old and new． |
（4）What should we do about Chinese traditions according to Wang？
| A． |
Spread them to the world． |
| B． |
Preserve them at museums． |
| C． |
Teach them in universities． |
| D． |
Recreate them in practice． |
Cities usually have a good reason for being where they are， like a nearby port or river．People settle in these places because they are easy to get to and naturally suited to communications and trade． New York City， for example， is near a large harbour at the mouth of the Hudson River． Over 300 years its population grew gradually from 800 people to 8 million． But not all cities develop slowly over a long period of time． Boom towns grow from nothing almost overnight． In 1896， Dawson， Canada， was unmapped wilderness（荒野）．But gold was discovered there in 1897， and two years later it was one of the largest cities in the West， with a population of 30，000．
Dawson did not have any of the natural conveniences of cities like London or Paris． People went there for gold． They travelled over snow﹣covered mountains are sailed hundreds of miles up icy rivers． The path to Dawson was covered with thirty feet of wet snow that could fall without warning． An avalanche（ 雪崩）once closed the path， killing 63 people．For many who made it to Dawson， however， the rewards were worth the difficult trip． Of the first 20，000 people who dug for gold， 4，000 got rich． About 100 of these stayed rich men for the rest of their lives．
But no matter how rich they were， Dawson was never comfortable． Necessities like food and wood were very expensive． But soon， the gold that Dawson depended on had all been found． The city was crowded with disappointed people with no interest in setting down， and when they heard there were new gold discoveries in Alaska， they left Dawson City as quickly as they had come． Today， people still come and go﹣ to see where the Canadian gold rush happened． Tourism is now the chief industry of Dawson City﹣ its present population is 762．
（1）What attracted the early settlers to New York City？
| A． |
Its business culture． |
| B． |
Its small population． |
| C． |
Its geographical position． |
| D． |
Its favourable climate |
（2）What do we know about those who first dug for gold in Dawson？
| A． |
Two﹣thirds of them stayed there． |
| B． |
One out of five people got rich． |
| C． |
Almost everyone gave up． |
| D． |
Half of them died． |
（3）What was the main reason for many people to leave Dawson？
| A． |
They found the city too crowded． |
| B． |
They wanted to try their luck elsewhere． |
| C． |
They were unable to stand the winter． |
| D． |
They were short of food． |
（4）What is the text mainly about？
| A． |
The rise and fall of a city． |
| B． |
The gold rush in Canada． |
| C． |
Journeys into the wilderness． |
| D． |
Tourism in Dawson． |