Bissel is a small village of the West Sahara. It lies next to a l.5-square-kilometer oasis（绿洲）, from where three days and nights are generally required to go out of the desert. However, before Ken Levin discovered it in 1926, none of the Bissel villagers had ever walked out of the desert. Reportedly, they were not unwilling to leave this barren land. Many had previously tried but failed, always somehow finding themselves back at the oasis after several days of trying to walk out.
When interviewed by Ken Levin, an expert at the British Royal College of Sciences, the villagers explained that no matter which direction they walked it always brought them back to the village.Why couldn’t the Bissel villagers walk out of the desert? Levin was very puzzled. He had, by himself, managed to walk north from the village and reach the nearest town in three and a half days. He decided to carry out an experiment to solve the mystery. He and a Bissel villager called Argutel, would walk out of the desert together. They prepared enough water for a half-a-month journey and two camels. But this time Ken Levin didn't bring his compass. Levin would follow Argutel.
Ten days later, they had walked for about 500 miles but were still in the desert. On the 11th morning, an oasis came into their view. They were back at Bissel. Levin now understood why the Bissel people couldn’t escape the desert. They had no knowledge of the North Star, which had for centuries provided sailors and other travelers with a point of direction. In the desert, if a person goes forward relying only on their senses, they will not be able to travel in a straight line. Rather they will travel in a very large circle and eventually track back to where they began. Levin explained to Argutel the function of the North Star and said, “As long as you rest in the daytime and walk towards the brightest star at night, you would be able to walk out of the desert.” Argutel did as he was told. Three days later, he came to the edge of the desert.
Now in the West Sahara, Bissel has become a bright pearl, where tens of thousands of tourists come every year. Argutel’s bronze statue stands in the center of the town. On its base are the words:
__________________________________.
| A．prove that people could walk out of the desert see |
| B．how far away Bissel was to the edge of the desert |
| C．tell people not to walk in circles |
| D．show Argutel was a great person |
| A．knew Argutel before he came to the village |
| B．came to Bissel to do experiments on behalf of his college |
| C．became the first man to walk out of the desert from Bissel Village |
| D．taught Bissel villagers knowledge of the North Star when he first arrived |
| A．Ken Levin didn’t walk south because it would take more days |
| B．the use of a compass was necessary to walk out of the desert |
| C．tourism in Bissel has been greatly developed and improved |
| D．Argutel became the leader of Bissel after his return |
| A．A new life starts from the fixed direction. |
| B．Where there is a will, there is a way. |
| C．A long journey starts with the first step. |
| D．Two heads are better than one. |
It’s not easy being a teenager---nor is it easy being the parent of a teenager．You can make your child feel angry, hurt or misunderstood by what you say without realizing it yourself．It is important to give your child the space he needs to grow while gently letting him know that you’ll still be there for him when he needs you．
Expect a lot from your child, just not everything．Except for health and safety problems，such as drug use or careless driving, consider everything else open to discussion．If your child is unwilling to discuss something, don’t insist he tell you what’s on his mind．The more you insist，the more likely that he’ll calm up．Instead, let him attempt to solve things by himself．At the same time, remind him that you’re always there for him should he seek advice or help．Show respect for your teenager’s privacy（隐私）．Never read his mail or listen to personal conversations．
Teach your teenager that the family phone is for the whole family．If your child talks on the family’s telephone for too long, tell him he can talk for l5 minutes, but then he must stay off the phone for at least all equal period of time．This not only frees up the line so that other family members can make and receive calls, but teaches your teenager moderation（节制）．Or if you are open to the idea, allow your teenager his own phone that he pays for with his own pocket money or a part-time job．The main purpose of the text is to tell parents_________．
| A．how to get along with a teenager |
| B．how to help a teenager grow up |
| C．how to understand a teenager |
| D．how to respect a teenager |
What does the phrase "calm up" in Paragraph 2 probably mean?
| A．refuse to talk | B．show respect |
| C．become excited | D．seek help |
The last paragraph is about how to teach a teenager______．
| A．to share the phone with friends |
| B．to pay for his own telephone |
| C．to use the phone in a sensible way |
| D．to answer the phone quickly |
What should parents do in raising a teenager according to the text?
| A．Not allow him to learn driving or take drugs． |
| B．Not talk about personal things with him． |
| C．Let him have his own telephone． |
| D．Give him advice only when necessary． |
| Eco reading We offer new, used and out-of-print books, supplied by over 3,000 people from 50 countries．We ship your order directly to you．We also take in used books from schools, libraries, students—anyone with old books—and resell them at low prices．If you order on the Internet, you will get 20% off the cost of your entire order． |
| Name Your Music Name Your Music carries personalized music CDs for kids．The songs have a lot of styles, and most of them are familiar to your kids．Every song has a child’s name and they’ll be excited to hear their own name come up in the song．We also do several names on one CD, which is designed for a family with more than one kid． |
| Fast Flower It was founded over 77 years ago．We are sure that your order will be filled and sent the same day by a local fast flower shop to your total satisfaction．All of our flowers are put in safe containers．We provide many types of gifts for every holiday．We have over 16,000 member shops throughout the U．S．With the largest flower-sending network, we promise to fill your order within 24 hours． |
| Down To Earth Fun Personalized toys can be found at Down To Earth Fun which is owned and run by a work-at-home mother．With over 90% of our toys made in the USA, we offer good service to those who are searching for safe toys．If you are looking for special, high quality toys for a child, Down To Earth Fun is the place for you． |
If you buy books from Eco Reading, you can _______．
| A．get to know a lot of teenage students． |
| B．select textbooks in fifty languages |
| C．make small savings by ordering online． |
| D．spend little time finding what you want |
In what way is Fast Flower different from the other three shops?
| A．It provides safe and beautiful products． |
| B．It provides chances of replacing containers． |
| C．It offers gift packaging on holidays． |
| D．It offers a quick door-to-door service． |
Both Name Your Music and Down To Earth Fun try to _______．
| A．start a well-known business | B．meet the needs of kids |
| C．work to save the earth | D．help busy working moms |
The passage is most probably．
| A．an advertisement | B．a news report |
| C．a notice | D．a survey paper |
The only survivor of one of the two Sandy Hook Elementary School first-grade classrooms where Adam Lanza shot and killed 20 children tricked the gunman by playing dead, the girl’s pastor （牧师） said．
“She ran out of the school building covered from head to toe with blood and the first thing she said to her mom was, “Mommy, I’m OK but all my friends are dead” Pastor Jim Solomon told ABC News’ Lara Spencer this weekend．
“Somehow, at that moment, by God’s grace, she was able to act as she was already dead．” he said．
The girl, a 6-year-old whose name is not being announced for privacy （隐私） reasons, was the first student to appear from the lockdown （封锁） at Sandy Hook, Solomon said．He said the young girl described the shooter to her mom in a way that only a young child can．
“Well, she saw someone who she felt was angry and someone she felt was very mad,” Solomon said．“I think it’s impossible without the help of God．She has wisdom beyond her years, for sure’’．
Of the 20 children killed on Friday, eight were boys and l2 were girls．Six staff members, all female, were also killed．The gunman, whose mother was also killed by him before he went to the schoo1 classrooms, was found dead at the present spot．
“The mom told me — and I thought this was very insightful （有深刻见解的） — that she was suffering from what she felt was survivor’s guilt because so many of her friends no longer have their children but she has hers,” Solomon said how the girl’s mother and father are handling the trauma （伤害）．“I don’t know whether I would have the type of faith that they have if the same thing happened to me．”How did the girl manage to avoid being shot?
| A．She persuaded the shooter into not shooting her． |
| B．She hid herself under the desk． |
| C．She rushed out of the school building in time． |
| D．She pretended to be dead． |
The killing case which happened in Sandy Hook Elementary School．
| A．ended up with the shooter being killed |
| B．was a shooting by a group of people |
| C．was due to the gunman getting angry with the pupils |
| D．was not open to the public for the moment |
Which of the following is TRUE about the girl’s mom?
| A．She was disappointed with the pastor． |
| B．She felt very dissatisfied with other parents． |
| C．She felt terribly sorry for those who had lost their children． |
| D．She strongly complained the police． |
When there are some strangers in front of us, which of them will we trust?
According to a new study in the online PLOS One, people make their decisions to trust others largely based on their faces．Your appearance can do a lot for you, especially if you are in the financial industry．The more trustworthy you look, the more likely people will buy what you’re selling．
Researchers from Britain’s University of Warwick Business School, University College London, and Dartmouth College, US, did a number of experiments．
The research team used computer software to make 40 faces, from the least to the most trustworthy-looking．
The study said that the difference between a trustworthy face and one that isn’t as trustworthy comes from features that look slightly angry or slightly happy, even when the face is at rest．However, a slightly happy face is more likely to be trusted．
Researchers gave participants some money and asked them which face they trusted to invest the money for them．Then researchers gave some good and bad information about the people with these faces, and asked the participants again whom they trusted．
The results showed that even if they got different information, the participants didn’t change their choices．They were still more likely to invest their money with the more trustworthy-looking faces．
Chris Olivola, one of the study’s authors, said in the University of Warwick’s press release: “It seems we are still willing to go with our own instincts about whether we think someone looks like we can trust them．The temptation to judge strangers by their faces is hard to resist．”Which of the following can be a proper title for this passage?
| A．What kind of face do you trust? |
| B．Who did the experiments? |
| C．Why do you trust him or her? |
| D．Why did they do the experiments? |
According to the study, which of the following faces is most likely to be trusted?
| A．A sad face． | B．A smiling face． |
| C．A crying face． | D．An angry face． |
Which of the following about the experiment is TRUE?
| A．The trustworthy faces were given good information． |
| B．Researchers took photos of the 40 people’s faces in college． |
| C．Most participants gave their money to the trustworthy-looking faces． |
| D．Participants liked to choose the faces with good information． |
What did the researchers learn from their experiment?
| A．People can’t refuse temptations． |
| B．People always do things with their instincts． |
| C．People don’t trust strangers with sad faces． |
| D．People often judge strangers by their faces． |
Reducing the amount of salt in our diets could save nearly 20,000 lives in the UK every year, according to researchers.
The recommended maximum daily intake for adults is 6g in the UK, although just month the World Health Organization (WHO) revised this down to 5g. Yet according to figures from the British Heat Foundation, men consume around 9.7g a day, while women have 7.7 g.
| Fast food |
Salt Content |
| Original chicken |
2.9g per portion (份) |
| Spicy crayfish |
3.5g per portion |
| Large chips |
1 per portion |
| McDonald’s Big Mac |
2.1 per portion |
Not researchers at three universities, including Harvard Medical School, have revealed the dramatic effect reducing salt could have on death rates by using computer models. They estimated that reducing salt intake to 6g would save 500,000 to 850,000 lives in the US over the next decade.
British doctor Ian Campbell, medical director of charity Weight Concern, told Mail Online: Salt is a big problem in the UK, too. It’s a silent killer. Over time consuming too much of it increases the risk of high blood pressure, which can lead to heart attacks. About 80 percent of our salt intake comes from processed foods, so it can be difficult to avoid.
Many people are unaware of where salt is hidden, such as bread, soups, ready meals, and even breakfast cereals (麦片). The government approach has been to encourage food companies to cut the amount of salt in their products. There has been a reduction but it is taking too long. The Food Standards Agency should consider setting compulsory maximum levels for salt.
Victoria Taylor, Senior Dietitian at the British Heat Foundation, added: Eating too much salt may raise your blood pressure and having high blood pressure increases your risk of developing heart disease.
The government has worked with the food industry to reduce the amount of salt in our food and make labels clearer. But there is still work to be down by everyone because the majority of Brits are still consuming more salt than they would be.Which of the following in the table reaches the daily maximum amount of salt recommended by the WHO?
| A．A large chips and a McDonald’s Big Mac. |
| B．A spicy crayfish and a large chips. |
| C．An original chicken and a spicy crayfish. |
| D．A McDonald’s Big Mac and an original chicken. |
According to the passage, when people eat processed food they ________.
| A．needn’t add salt |
| B．should add a little salt |
| C．may ruin their health |
| D．can have risk of heart attacks |
To solve the problem of eating too much salt, Ian Campbell advises ________.
| A．having healthier breakfast |
| B．punishing the illegal food companies |
| C．reducing the amount of processed food |
| D．making laws about maximum levels for salt |
The last paragraph emphasizes the importance of ________.
| A．making food tables clearer |
| B．monitoring the food industry |
| C．promoting the awareness of salt content |
| D．strengthening the government’s functions |