Scientists today are making greater effort to study ocean currents (洋流) . Most do it using satellites and other high-tech equipment. However, ocean expert Curtis Ebbesmeyer does it in a special way -- by studying movements of random floating garbage. A scientist with many years’ experience, he started this type of research in the early 1990s when he heard about hundreds of athletic shoes washing up on the shores of the northwest coast of the United States. There were so many shoes that people were setting up swap meets to try and match left and right shoes to sell or wear.
Ebbesmeyer found out in his researches that the shoes — about 60,000 in total — fell into the ocean in a shipping accident. He phoned the shoe company and asked if they wanted the shoes back. As expected, the company told him that they didn't. Ebbesmeyer realized this could be a great experiment. If he learned when and where the shoes went into the water and tracked where they landed, he could learn a lot about the patterns of ocean currents.
The Pacific Northwest is one of the world's best areas for beachcombing(海滩搜寻) because winds and currents join here, and as a result, there is a group of serious beachcombers in the area. Ebbesmeyer got to know a lot of them and asked for their help in collecting information about where the shoes landed. In a year he collected reliable information on 1, 600 shoes. With this data, he and a colleague were able to test and improve a computer program designed to model ocean currents, and publish the findings of their study.
As the result of his work, Ebbesmeyer has become known as the scientist to call with questions about any unusual objects found floating in the ocean. He has even started an association of beachcombers and ocean experts, with 500 subscribers from West Africa to New Zealand. They have recorded all lost objects ranging from potatoes to golf gloves.The underlined phrase swap meets in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ______________.
A.fitting rooms |
B.trading fairs |
C.business talks |
D.group meetings |
Ebbesmeyer phoned the shoe company to find out _____________.
A.what caused the shipping accident |
B.when and where the shoes went missing |
C.whether it was all right to use their shoes |
D.how much they lost in the shipping accident |
How did Ebbesmeyer prove his assumption?
A.By collecting information from beachcombers. |
B.By studying the shoes found by beachcomber. |
C.By searching the web for ocean currents models. |
D.By researching ocean currents data in the library. |
Ebbesmeyer is most famous for ___________________.
A.traveling widely the coastal cities of the world |
B.making records for any lost objects on the sea |
C.running a global currents research association |
D.phoning about any doubtful objects on the sea |
What is the purpose of the author in writing this passage?
A.To call people's attention to ocean pollution. |
B.To warn people of shipping safety in the ocean. |
C.To explain a unique way of studying ocean currents. |
D.To give tips on how to search for lost objects on the beach. |
WASHINGTON — Money can buy happiness, but only if you spend it on someone else, according to researchers.
Spending as little as $5 a day on someone else could significantly boost happiness, the team at the University of British Columbia and Harvard Business School found on Thursday.
Their experiments on more than 630 Americans showed they were measurably happier when they spent money on others --- even if they thought spending the money on themselves would make them happier.
“We wanted to test our theory that how people spend their money is at least as important as how much money they earn,” said Elizabeth Dunn, a psychologist at the University of British Columbia.
They asked their 600 volunteers first to rate their general happiness, report their annual income and detail their monthly spending including bills, gifts for themselves, gifts for others and donations to charity.
“Regardless of how much income each person made, those who spent money on others reported greater happiness, while those who spent more on themselves did not,” Dunn said in a statement.
Dunn’s team also surveyed 16 employees at a company in Boston before and after they received an annual profit-sharing bonus of between $3,000 and $8,000.
“Employees who devoted more of their bonus to pro-social spending experienced greater happiness after receiving the bonus, and the manner in which they spent that bonus was a more important predictor of their happiness than the size of the bonus itself,” they wrote in their report, published in the journal Science.
“Finally, participants who were randomly (随机地) required to spend money on others experienced greater happiness than those required to spend money on themselves,” they said.
They gave their volunteers $5 or $20 and half got clear instructions on how to spend it. Those who spent the money on someone or something else reported feeling happier about it.
“These findings suggest that very minor adjustment in spending allocations (分配) --- as little as $5 --- may be enough to produce real gains in happiness on a given day,” Dunn said.
This could also explain why people are no happier even though US society is richer.
“Indeed, although real incomes have increased dramatically in recent decades, happiness levels have remained largely flat within developed countries across time,” they wrote.
Dune’s experiment on 630 Americans was to ________.
A.help people make careful plans for their money | B.encourage people to be generous to others |
C.see how to spend money is important to happiness | D.![]() |
What can we conclude according to the experiment?
A.Happiness largely depends on the size of your bonus money. |
B.Happiness, as a matter of fact, has nothing to do with money. |
C.The more money you give away, the happier person you will be. |
D.Spending money for the good of society will make you happier. |
How many different ways are used by the researchers to test their theory?
A.Two. | B.Three. | C.Four. | D.Five. |
The last sentence of the passage means _______.
A.happiness does not necessary increase as money grows |
B.people in richer countries actually have more problems |
C.fast economic growth has a bad effect on people’s life |
D.great increase of income contributes to keeping happiness level stable |
She was born to wealth and power in an era when money and politics were left to the men. Later, as The Washington Post’s publisher, Katharine Graham became one of America’s most powerful women.
Despite a privileged background, Katharine had to deal, while growing up, with the high demands her mother placed on her children. Katharine’s love of journalism, which she shared with her father, led to her career after college at The Washington Post, the newspaper her father bought in 1933. At the Post, Katharine met Phil Graham, a young, charming lawyer who became her husband. When, in 1945, Katharine’s father chose Phil over her to take over his struggling paper, Katharine didn’t object and stayed at home as a wife and mother of four.
While Phil’s successful efforts to restore the Post to prominence (显著) made the Grahams popular members of the Washington social scene, Katharine privately suffered tremendous pain from her husband’s increasingly abusive behavior and wild mood swings caused by severe depression. When Phil committed suicide (自杀), the 46-year-old Katharine found herself thrown into a new job, that of newspaper publisher. But determined to save the family paper for her children, Katharine rose to the challenge of running the Post, attending meetings in every department, working endlessly to prove herself to her critics, and becoming the toast of Washington.
In 1971, Katharine ordered the Post to print a copy of the Pentagon Papers, the top-secret documents disclosing the truth about the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War. What’s more, her courageous decision and support for her journalists prep
ared the Post to break the most important political story in modern history: Watergate, one of the greatest scandals (丑闻) in American political history. Katharine managed to keep control over the most chaotic (disorder) of situations when it was reported, all the time insisting the news stories be accurate and fair. Watergate made the Washington Post an internationally known Paper and Katharine was considered as the most powerful woman in America.
Katharine Graham was born in a time when women were not ________.
A.given the chance to receive education | B.considered as intelligent as men |
C.permitted to achieve their goals | D.allowed to enter every field |
When her husband was chosen to take charge of the newspaper, Katharine Graham ________.
A.was strongly against the idea |
B.was not happy to be rejected |
C.was willing to take her share of responsibility |
D.didn’t believe her husband would do a good job |
Which of the following statements is true?
A.It was Katharine Graham’s husband who made the greatest contributions to the Post. |
B.When Katharine Graham first took over the Post, her critics dou![]() |
C.Katharine Graham was successful in her career but suffered severe depression. |
D.Katharine Graham was free to do whatever she liked in her early life. |
Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A.Ups and downs of The Washington Post. |
B.Katharine Graham’s family life and career. |
C.Katharine Graham: from housewife to successful publisher. |
D.Katharine Graham: a woman who shaped American journalism. |
LIDAC MAYNARD
11 Windrift Circle
Methuen, MA
978 – 555 – 4539
JOB OBJECTIVE
Seek special education, primary school, or middle school math teaching position.
EDUCATION
Rivier College, Nashua, NH
Bachelor of Arts in Education – May, 2006
Major: Elementary Education
Have successfully completed PRAXIS I and PRAXIS II. Meet highly qualified testing requirements for Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
November, 2005 – January, 2006
Wilkins Elementary School, Amherst, NH
Student Teacher
· Developed and completed student–centered lessons in all subject areas for various groups of fifth grade special and regular education students.
· Adapted lessons to meet student’s needs by reviewing their backgrounds and learning needs through IEPs.
· Communicated with parents on a regular basis via newsletters, daily or weekly progress reports, phone calls, and email, resulting in increased parental participation at home.
August, 2005 – November, 2005
Charlotte Avenue Elementary School, Nashua, NH
Student Teacher
· Taught reading and writing through Language Experience Approach methods.
· Introduced a Writer’s Workshop appropriate for first grade students to help them to develop their writing skills.
· Developed learning stations in reading and science, enabling students to be more independent learners.
Spring, 2005
Wilkins Elementary School, Amherst, NH
Designed and taught a unit on Insects and Spiders, based on New Hampshire Standards to 23 self-contained, third and fourth grade students with disabilities.
Fall, 2004
Amherst Street Elementary School, Nashua, NH
Taught a class of 24 third grade students with a wide range of abilities.
ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE
· After–School Aid, Amherst School District, Amherst, NH (2004 – 2005)
· Summer Camp advisor, YMCA, Nashua, NH (Summers, 2002 and 2003)
· Big Brother / Big Sister Volunteer, Nashua, NH (2002 – 2005)
What kind of job does Linda want to get?
A.A Big Brother / Big Sister Volunteer. | B.A middle school math teacher. |
C.A special education advisor. | D.A summer camp advisor. |
Linda has worked for the following schools EXCEPT ___________.
A.Rivier College, Nashua, NH |
B.Wilkins Elementary School, Amherst, NH |
C.Charlotte Avenue Elementary School, Nashua, NH |
D.Amherst Street Elementary School, Nashua, NH |
What can we know about Linda according to the passage?
A.She is merely interested in developing student’s math abilities. |
B.She is not active in participating in after–school activities. |
C.She is permitted to teach in any of the high schools of New York. |
D.She has some teaching experiences in several elementary schools. |
I made a pledge (发誓) to myself on the way down to the vacation beach cottage. For two weeks I would try to be a loving husband and father. Totally loving. No ifs, ands or buts.
The idea had come to me as I listened to a talk on my car radio. The speaker was quoting (引用) a Biblical (圣经的) passage about husbands being considerate towards their wives. Then he went on to say, “Love is an act of will. A person can choose to love.” To myself, I had to admit that I had been a selfish husband. Well, for two weeks that would change.
And it did. Right from the moment I kissed Evelyn at the door and said, “That new yellow sweater looks great on you.”
“Oh, Tom, you noticed,” she said, surprised and pleased, maybe a little puzzled.
After the long drive, I wanted to sit and read. Evelyn suggested a walk on the beach. I started to refuse, but then I thought, “Evelyn’s been alone here with the kids all the week and now she wants to stay with me.” We walked on the beach when the children flew their kites.
So it went. Two weeks of not calling the Wall Street firm where I am a director; a visit to the shell museum though I usually hate museums. Relaxed and happy, that’s how the whole vacation passed, I made a new pledge to keep on remembering to choose love. There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment, however. Evelyn and I still laugh about it today. Last night at our cottage, preparing for bed, Evelyn stared at me with the saddest expression.
“What’s the matter?” I asked her.
“Tom,” she said in a voice filled with sorrow, “do you know anything I don’t?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well…that checkup (体检) I had several weeks ago…our doctor…Did he tell you anything about me? Tom, you’ve been so good to me... Am I dying?”
It took a moment for it all to sink in. Then I burst out laughing.
“No, honey,” I said, wrapping her in my arms. “You’re not dying; I’m just starting to live.”
From the story we may infer that Tom went to the beach cottage ________.
A.with his family | B.with Evelyn | C.alone | D.with his children |
During the two weeks on the beach, Tom showed more love to his wife because ________.
A.she looked lovely in her new clothes |
B.he had made a lot of money in Wall Street |
C.he was determined to be a good husband |
D.she was seriously ill |
The underlined words “one thing” in the passage refer to the fact that ________.
A.he praised her sweater, which puzzled her |
B.she insisted on visiting a museum, which he hated |
C.he knew something about her illness but didn’t tell her |
D.he was so good to her that she thought she must be dying |
By saying “I’m just starting to live”, Tom means that ________.
A.he is just beginning to understand the real meaning of work |
B.he is just beginning to enjoy his life as a loving husband |
C.he lived an unhappy life before and is now starting to change |
D.he is beginning to feel sorry for what he did to his wife |
Large wall posters for kids. Your kids will love these cool posters by artist Darla Daly—zebras boarding in the skateboard park, a group of jungle animals playing in the playground and two giraffes taking a drive in the city. Your kids will enjoy decorating their bedroom walls with these posters and their friends will think they are the coolest!
Displaying 1 to 4 (of 4 products)
Name: Alphabet Wall Art Size: 44×72cm (17.5’×28’) Dispatch time: at 9:00 a.m. every day Prices: $6.8/piece Colorful alphabet art for your kids’ bedroom and playroom. A fun, educational art piece that all kids will enjoy. Kids and babies will love learning their animals and the ABC at the same time! |
Name: Kids World Map Size: 45×75cm (17.5’×29.5’) Dispatch time: at 5:00 a.m. on Wednesday Prices: $7.2/piece A Colorful, large print by artist Carla Daly. Your kids will love this illustrated world map showing the lands, oceans and the fun animals that live in them. An educational map that will keep your kids amused for hours! |
Name: Skateboard Park Size: 44×60cm (17.5’×23.5’) Dispatch time: at 9:00 a.m. on weekends Prices: $8.8/piece Fun zebra children’s wall art! Children and kids will love these fun animals enjoying this popular kids’ sport. Boys and girls will enjoy decorating their bedroom walls with this colorful bedroom wall art. |
Name: City slickers Size: 44×55cm (17.5’×23.5’) Dispatch time: at 2:00 pm. every day except Friday Prices: $6.5/piece Cute kids wall art of two cool giraffes taking a drive through the city. Unusual, fun style for kids walls! Your kids will love this fun giraffe wall art. Boys and girls will have fun decorating their bedroom walls with this colorful bedroom wall art. |
The passage is written for ________.
A.teachers | B.students | C.kids | D.parents |
. Which poster has the biggest size?
A.Alphabet Wall Art. | B.Kids World Map. | C.Skateboard Park. | D.City Slickers. |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A.Kids can just learn some English letters on Alphabet Wall Art. |
B.City Slickers posters can be bought at 2:00 p.m. every day in a week. |
C.Kids can get some geography knowledge on Kids World Map. |
D.Kids can find two cool giraffes on Skateboard Park. |
The underlined word “illustrated” in Poster II means “________” in Chinese.
A.印刷 | B.装饰 | C.展示 | D.图解 |