For most city people, the elevator is an unremarkable machine that inspires none of the enthusiasm or interest that Americans afford trains, jets，and even bicycles. Dr. Christopher Wilk is a member of a small group of elevator experts who consider this a misunderstanding. Without the elevator, they point out, there could be no downtown skyscrapers or tall buildings, and city life as we know it would be impossible. In that sense, they argue，the elevator’s role in American history has been no less significant than that of cars. In fact, according to Wilk? the car and the elevator have been locked in a “secret war” for over a century, with cars making it possible for people to spread horizontally (水平地)，and elevators pushing them toward life in close groups of towering vertical (垂直的)columns.
If we tend to ignore the significance of elevators, it might be because riding in them tends to be such a brief, boring, and even awkward experience^one that can involve unexpectedly meeting people with whom we have nothing in common, and an unpleasant awareness of the fact that we’re hanging from a cable in a long passage.
In a new book, Lifted, German journalist and cultural studies professor Andreas Bernard directed all his attention to this experience, studying the origins of elevator and its relationship to humankind and finding that riding in an elevator has never been a totally comfortable experience. “After 150 years, we are still not used to it”， Bernard said. “We still have not exactly learned to cope with the mixture of closeness and displeasure.” That mixture, according to Bernard, sets the elevator ride apart from just about every other situation we find ourselves in as we go about our lives.
Today，as the world’s urban population explodes，and cities become more crowded, taller, and more crowded, America’s total number of elevators—900,000 at last count, according to Elevator World magazine’s “2012 Vertical Transportation Industry”一are a force that’s becoming more important than ever. And for the people who really, really love them, it seems like high time that we looked seriously at just what kind of force they are.What does the underlined word “this” in Paragraph 1 refer to?
| A．The general view of elevators. |
| B．The particular interests of experts. |
| C．The desire for a remarkable machine. |
| D．The enthusiasm for transport vehicles. |
The author’s purpose in mentioning cars is .
| A．to contrast their functions with elevators, |
| B．to emphasize the importance of elevators |
| C．to reveal their secret war against elevators |
| D．to explain people’s preference for elevators |
According to Prof. Bernard, what has made the elevator ride different from other life experiences?
| A．Vertical direction. |
| B．Lack of excitement. |
| C．Little physical space. |
| D．Uncomfortable conditions. |
The author urges readers to consider .
| A．the exact number of elevator lovers |
| B．the serious future situation of elevators |
| C．the role of elevators in city development |
| D．the relationship between cars and elevators |
Chimps(黑猩猩) will cooperate in certain ways, like gathering in war parties to protect their territory. But beyond the minimum requirements as social beings, they have little instinct (本能) to help one another. Chimps in the wild seek food for themselves. Even chimp mothers regularly decline to share food with their children. Who are able from a young age to gather their own food.
In the laboratory, chimps don't naturally share food either. If a chimp is put in a cage where he can pull in one plate of food for himself or, with no great effort, a plate that also provides food for a neighbor to the next cage, he will pull at random ---he just doesn't care whether his neighbor gets fed or not. Chimps are truly selfish.
Human children, on the other hand are extremely corporative. From the earliest ages, they decide to help others, to share information and to participate a achieving common goals. The psychologist Michael Tomasello has studied this cooperativeness in a series of expensive with very young children. He finds that if babies aged 18 months see an worried adult with hands full trying to open a door, almost all will immediately try to help.
There are several reasons to believe that the urges to help, inform and share are not taught .but naturally possessed in young children. One is that these instincts appear at a very young age before most parents have started to train children to behave socially. Another is that the helping behaviors are not improved if the children are rewarded. A third reason is that social intelligence. Develops in children before their general cognitive（认知的）skills,at least when compared with chimps..In tests conducted by Tomtasell, the children did no better than the chimps on the physical world tests, but were considerably better at understanding the social world
The cure of what children's minds have and chimps' don't in what Tomasello calls what. Part of this ability is that they can infer what others know or are thinking. But that, even very young children want to be part of a shared purpose. They actively seek to be part of a "we", a group that intends to work toward a shared goal.
58. What can we learn from the experiment with chimps?
| A． |
Chimps seldom care about others' interests. |
| B． |
Chimps tend to provide food for their children. |
| C． |
Chimps like to take in their neighbors' food. |
| D． |
Chimps naturally share food with each other. |
59. Michael Tomasello's tests on young children indicate that they____.
| A． |
have the instinct to help others |
| B． |
know how to offer help to adults |
| C． |
know the world better than chimps |
| D． |
trust adults with their hands full |
60. The passage is mainly about ____.
| A． |
the helping behaviors of young children |
| B． |
ways to train children's shared intentionality |
| C． |
cooperation as a distinctive human nature |
| D． |
the development of intelligence in children |
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|
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Day school Program Secondary students across Toronto District School Board(TDSB) are invited to take one or two e-Learning courses on their day school timetable. Students will remain on the roll at their day school. The on-line classroom provides an innovative relevant and interactive Learning environment. The courses and on-line classroom are provided by the Ministry of Education These on-line courses Benefits of e-Learning Include: Is e-Learning for You? Students who are successful in on-line course are usually; Students need to spend at least as much time with their on-line course work as they would in a face-to-face classroom course. |
56. E-Learning courses are different from other TDSB courses in that .
A. they are given by best TDSB teachers.
B. they are not on the day school timetable.
C. they are not included on students' reports.
D. they are an addition to TDSB courses.
57. What do students need to do before completing e-learning courses?
| A． |
To learn information technology on-line. |
| B． |
To do their assignments independently. |
| C． |
To update their mobile devices regularly. |
| D． |
To talk face to face with their teachers. |
Why College Is Not Home
The college years are supposed to be a time for important growth in autonomy(自主性) and the development of adult identity. However, now they are becoming an extended period of adolescence, during which many of today's students and are not shouldered with adult responsibilities.
For previous generations, college was decisive break from parental control; guidance and support needed help from people of the same age and from within. In the past two decades, however, continued connection with and dependence on family, thanks to cellphones, email and social media, have increased significantly. Some parents go so far as to help with coursework. Instead of promoting the idea of college as a passagefrom the shelter of the family to autonomy and adult responsibility, universities have given in to the idea that they should provide the same environment as that of the home.
To prepare for increased autonomy and responsibility, college needs to be a time of exploration and experimentation. This process involves "trying on " new ways of thinking about oneself both intellectually(在思维方面) and personally. While we should provide "safe spaces" within colleges, we must also make it safe to express opinions and challenge majority views. Intellectual growth and flexibility are fostered on debate and questioning.
Learning to deal with the social world is equally important. Because a college community(群体) differs from the family, many students will struggle to find a sense of belonging. If students rely on administrators to regulate their social behavior and thinking pattern, they are not facing the challenge of finding an identity within a larger and complex community.
Moreover, the tendency for universities to monitor and shape student behavior runs up against another characteristic of young adults: the response to being controlled by their elders. If acceptable social behavior is too strictly defined(规定) and controlled, the insensitive or aggressive behavior that administrators are seeking to minimize may actually be encouraged.
It is not surprising that young people are likely to burst out, particularly when there are reasons to do so. Our generation once joined hands and stood firm at times of national emergency. What is lacking today is the conflict between adolescent's desire for autonomy and their understanding of an unsafe world. Therefore, there is the desire for their dorms to be replacement homes and not places to experience intellectual growth.
Every college discussion about community values, social climate and behavior should include recognition of the developmental importance of student autonomy and self-regulation, of the necessary tension between safety and self-discovery.
67.What's the author's attitude toward continued parental guidance to college students?
| A． |
Sympathetic |
B． |
Disapproving |
| C． |
Supportive |
D． |
Neutral |
68.The underlined word "passage" in Paragraph 2 means______.
| A． |
change |
B． |
choice |
| C． |
text |
D． |
extension |
69.According to the author，what role should college play?
| A． |
to develop a shared identity among students |
| B． |
to define and regulate students' social behavior |
| C． |
To provide a safe world without tension for students |
| D． |
To foster students' intellectual and personal development |
70.Which of the following shows the development of ideas in the passage?
| A． |
|
| B． |
|
| C． |
|
| D． |
|
California Condor's Shocking Recovery
California condors are North America's largest birds, with wing-length of up to 3 meters. In the 1980s, electrical lines and lead poisoning(铅中毒) nearly drove them to dying out. Now, electric shock training and medical treatment are helping to rescue these big birds.
In the late 1980s, the last few condors were taken from the wild, and there are now more than 150 flying over California and nearby Arizona, Utah and Baja in Mexico.
Electrical lines have been killing them off. "As they go in to rest for the night, they just don't see the power lines," says Bruce Rideout of San Diego Zoo. Their wings can bridge the gap between lines, resulting in electrocution(电死) if they touch two lines at once.
So scientists have come up with a shocking idea. Tall poles, placed in large training areas, teach the birds to stay clear of electrical lines by giving them a painful but undeadly electric shock. Before the training was introduced, 66% of set-freed condors died of electrocution. This has now dropped to 18%.
Lead poisonous has proved more difficult to deal with. When condors eat dead bodies of other animals containing lead, they absorb large quantities of lead. This affects their nervous systems and ability to produce baby birds, and can lead to kidney(肾) failures and death. So condors with high levels of lead are sent to Los Angeles Zoo, where they are treated with calcium EDTA, a chemical that removes lead from the blood over several days. This work is starting to pay off. The annual death rate for adult condors has dropped from 38% in 2000 to 5.4% in 2011.
Rideout's team thinks that the California condors' average survival time in the wild is now just under eight years. "Although these measures are not effective forever, they are vital for now," he says. "They are truly good birds that are worth every effort we put into recovering them. "
63.California condors attract researchers' interest because they ______.
| A． |
are active at night |
| B． |
had to be bred in the wild |
| C． |
are found on in California |
| D． |
almost died out in the 1980s |
64.Researchers have found electrical lines are______.
| A． |
blocking condors' journey home |
| B． |
big killers of Califorbnia condoras |
| C． |
rest places for condors at night |
| D． |
used to keep condors away |
65.According to Paraghaph 5，lead poisoning______.
| A． |
makes condors too nervous to fly |
| B． |
has little effect on condors' kidneys |
| C． |
can hardly be gotten rid of form condors' blood |
| D． |
makes it different for condors to produce baby birds |
66.The passage shows that______ .
| A． |
the average survival time of condors is satisfactory |
| B． |
Rideout's research interest lies in electric engineering |
| C． |
the efforts to protect condors have brought good results |
| D． |
researchers have found the final answers to the problem |
Surviving Hurricane Sandy(飓风桑迪 )
Natalie Doan,14, has always felt lucky to live in Rockaway, New York. Living just a few blocks from the beach, Natalie can see the ocean and hear the wave from her house. "It's the ocean that makes Rockaway so special," she says.
On October 29, 2012, that ocean turned fierce. That night, Hurricane Sandy attacked the East Coast, and Rockaway was hit especially hard. Fortunately, Natalie's family escaped to Brooklyn shortly before the city's bridge closed.
When they returned to Rockaway the next day, they found their neighborhood in ruins. Many of Natalie's friends had lost their homes and were living far away. All around her, people were suffering, especially the elderly. Natalie's school was so damaged that she had to temporarily attend a school in Brooklyn.
In the following few days, the men and women helping Rockaway recover inspired Natalie. Volunteers came with carloads of donated clothing and toys. Neighbors devoted their spare time to helping others rebuild. Teenagers climbed dozens of flights of stairs to deliver water and food to elderly people trapped in powerless high-rise buildings.
"My mom tells me that I can't control what happens to me," Natalie says. "but I can always choose how I deal with it."
Natalie's choice was to help.
She created a website page matching survivors in need with donors who wanted to help. Natalie posted introduction about a boy named Patrick, who lost his baseball card collecting when his house burned down. Within days, Patrick's collection was replaced.
In the coming months, her website page helped lots of kids: Christopher, who received a new basketball; Charlie, who got a new keyboard. Natalie also worked with other organizations to bring much-need supplies to Rockaway. Her efforts made her a famous person. Last April, she was invited to the White House and honored as a Hurricane Sandy Champion of Change.
Today, the scars(创痕)of destruction are still seen in Rockaway, but hope is in the air. The streets are clear, and many homes have been rebuilt. "I can't imagine living anywhere but Rockaway," Natalie declares. "My neighborhood will be back, even stronger than before."
59.When Natalie returned to Rockaway after the hurricane，she found______.
| A． |
some friends had lost their lives |
| B． |
her neighborhood was destroyed |
| C． |
her school had moved to Brooklyn |
| D． |
the elderly were free from suffering |
60.According to paragraph4，who inspired Natalie most?
| A． |
The people helping Rockaway rebuild |
| B． |
The people trapped in high_rise building |
| C． |
The volunteers donating money to survivors |
| D． |
Local teenagers bringing clothing to elderly people |
61.How did Natalie help the survivors?
| A． |
She gave her toys to the kids |
| B． |
She took care of younger children |
| C． |
She called on the White House to help |
| D． |
She built an information sharing platform |
62.What does the story intend to tell us?
| A． |
Little people can make a big difference |
| B． |
A friend in need is a friend indeed |
| C． |
East or West,home is best |
| D． |
Technology is power |
are taught by TDSB secondary school teachers
