I once had a friend that was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and the news that he might only live up to six months was a great shock to him, his family, and his friends. However, in spite of the serious illness, he was initially determined to look into all available treatments that might cure or extend his life. I think that when you find yourself in such situations, you tend to look up every possible way for hope of saving your life.
As months went on and his health grew worse, I noticed an unexpected change in attitude that came over him. He had also been a happy person with a cheerful personality, but rather than give in to discouragement and self-pity, he took comfort in God and humanity. His talks focused on others rather than himself, and he spoke of the afterlife as something he was prepared for, believing that his concerned ancestors, including his mother and father, were there waiting for him.
During the last few months, weeks, and days of his life, he was kindly cared for by family, friends, his loving wife, who looked after both his physical and emotional needs, and workers from a local hospice (安养院) came to the home to regulate his medication and provide any other needed support. He didn't complain about his fate, and he willingly allowed others to serve him.
Indeed, one might think why God allows death and suffering in our world, but for me, such experiences taught me to value family more and kindness for others. You often can't learn these important attributes in the lap of luxury, and perhaps, such an experience is the greatest and final gift the illness can give those left behind.What did the man do after he first learned of his illness?
| A．He was operated on immediately. |
| B．He retired from his job. |
| C．He researched cancer treatments. |
| D．He felt sad, doing nothing. |
What was the man's main source of comfort after several months with the disease?
| A．His family and friends. | B．His belief in humanity. |
| C．His doctors’ encouragement. | D．The care from others. |
What did the author learn from his friend’s story?
| A．Giving more respect to friends. |
| B．Extending life as possible. |
| C．Caring for yourself and enjoying luxury. |
| D．Getting comfort from God. |
What does the author mainly want to tell?
| A．All people will face death, and thus, we must prepare for it spiritually. |
| B．Our characters can be strengthened by such an unpleasant situation. |
| C．Families provide the best support system during such a crisis. |
| D．People should help those who have got serious illness. |
Many Americans take their summer vacations in August. President Obama and his family are among them. This August the first family visited the Florida Gulf Coast. The president wants to promote tourism in the area after the BP oil spill (漏油). The first family took a ten-day vacation on Martha’s Vineyard, an island off the coast of Massachusetts.
Martha’s Vineyard is known for the sailing, sunsets and its tall cliffs overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The island is about 13 kilometers off the coast and is less than 260 square kilometers. Homes designed like those of earlier times line the streets of Edgartown, Oak Bluffs and Vineyard Haven. These are the major towns on Martha’s Vineyard.
For most of the year, the population of Martha’s Vineyard is about 15 000. In summer, more than 100 000 people crowd the island. In addition to the Obamas, you might see some Hollywood stars and other rich and famous people. Many visitors return year after year.
During warm weather the Vineyard is a good place for many different activities. People can play golf or catch fish. They can rid
e in sailboats or motor boats. They can waterski and swim. They can take quiet walks along sandy beaches and among the thick green trees.
One of the popular places for families with children is the Flying Horses Carousel in Oak Bluffs. It is the oldest continually operated merry-go-round ride in the United States. The colorful wood horses that turn in a circle were created in 1876. One of the best places for children to swim is the Joseph A. Sylvia state beach. The water there is warmer and calmer. Families also enjoy the Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary where they can observe much of the island wildlife.
Visitors watch the sunsets sitting on the beach and on rocks in the fishing village of Menemsha. As the sun goes down in the sky it paints yellow, red, and other colors on the clouds. Fishing boats rise and fall with the waves. Bells sound to help guide the boats to land as darkness covers the water.
Historians say British mapmaker Bartholomew Gosnold first made a map of the island for the rulers of England in 1602. Gosnold named the island to honor his baby daughter, Martha. The Vineyard part of the name came from the many wild grape vines Gosnold found on the island. Later, King Charles of England gave the island to businessman Thomas Mayhew of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, whose son established the first European settlement on the island in 1642. By the middle of the nineteenth century, ships from the 
American mainland began bringing visitors to the island. Big hotels were built near the edge of the water. Martha’s Vineyard was on its way to becoming the visitors center that it is today. .
We can infer that ______.
| A．the BP oil spill has a negative effect on the tourism along the Florida Gulf Coast |
| B．the BP oil spill has contributed to the tourism along the Florida Gulf Coast |
| C．President Obama went to the Florida Gulf Coast to deal with the BP oil spill |
| D．this was the first time that President Obama and his family had taken the vacation on Martha’s Vineyard |
.
Which month is the peak time for tourism in Martha’s Vineyard?
| A．January. | B．August. | C．December. | D．March, |
.
If children want to see wild animals, the family should go to ______.
| A．the Flying Horses Carousel | B．the Sylvia state beach |
| C．the fishing village of Menemsha | D．the Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary |
.
Bartholomew Gosnold named the island Martha in honor of _______.
| A．his mother | B．the king of England |
| C．his daughter | D．his father |
AN upper class British lady once declared: “Anyone seen on a bus after the age of 30 has been a failure in life.”
I guess she meant that if you’re middle aged and don’t have a car then you are a loser. How arrogant (傲慢) and ignorant！
Unfortunately, there are still people who think that way: that somehow public transport is only for the poor. And the rest have a right to their cars. Some wealthy folk in the West look down on buses and boast (吹嘘) about how many years it has been since they last traveled by one.
How sad is that? Our roads are packed with cars and the air is full of the pollution they emit (排放). But still, many car users are u
nwillingly to get on a bus or a bike or a train to take themselves to work.
It’s convenient to drive, they’ll say. Buses are so unreliable, they’ll claim. And trains are expensive ---- at least in the UK.
It’s an attitude which may have to change. It doesn’t make sense to drive a car in a city where there’s a public transport system. Also, these rush hour commuters (往返上班者) usually travel alone.
As a result, transport authorities in the UK are looking at solutions to city center congestion (拥堵).
One is to increase the number of parking spaces at out-of-town railway stations. More motorists (乘汽车的人) can then leave their cars and travel into the city by train.
Light rail or tramways are another environmentally friendly solution. Many cities across Europe have installed light rail or tramway systems.
The subway in London is used by everyone, rich and poor. It’s the quickest way of getting around the city, whatever your bank balance.
And then there are the cycle hire schemes you find in many modern cities. In London and Paris, you can hire a bike by the hour to get you where you need to go.
While commuters in Beijing abandon their bicycles for cars, cycling to work grows in popularity in the West.
Many cyclists are willing to pay more than 10,000 yuan for their bicycles. Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, is often pictured cycling to work. David Cameron, the British prime minister, cycled to the House of Commons before he became leader. These days he takes the prime ministerial limousine (豪华轿车).. According to the article, some British people, like the upper class woman, think that .
| A．buses are inconvenient | B．bus services are unnecessary |
| C．having a car is a sign of success | D．only the upper class should have cars |
Which of the following measures is taken by transport authorities in the UK to solve city center congestion?
| A．The development of cycle hire schemes. |
| B．Increasing the number of parking spaces in the city center. |
| C．Installing light rail or tramway systems in out-of-town areas. |
| D．Banning commuters from traveling alone during rush hour. |
The author mentions the example of Boris Johnson in the last paragraph to .
| A．express his respect for the mayor of London |
| B．point to the growing popularity of cycling to work in the West |
| C．criticize Beijing commuters for abandoning their bicycles for cars |
| D．show that cars are still the most common means of transportation for famous people in Britain |
Which of the following might the writer agree with?
A. The British prime minister should give up his limousine.
B. Beijing commuters should learn from British commuters.
C. British solutions to public transport problems are inadequate.
In a few years, you might be able to speak Chinese, Korean, Japanese, French, and English
— and all at the same time. This sounds incredible, but Alex Waibel, a computer science professor at US’s Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and Germany’s University of Karlsruhe, announced last week that it may soon be reality. He and his team have invented software and hardware that could make it far easier for people who speak different languages to understand each other.
One application, called Lecture Translation, can easily translate a speech from one language into another. Current translation technologies typically limit speakers to certain topics or a limited vocabulary. Users also have to be trained how to use the programme.
Another prototype(雏形机) can send translations of a speech to different listeners depending on what language they speak. “It is like having a simultaneous translator right next to you but without disturbing the person next to you,” Waibel said.
Prefer to read? So-called Translation Glasses transcribe(转录) the translations on a tiny liquid-crystal(液晶) display(LCD) screen.
Then there’s the Muscle Translator. Electrodes capture the electrical signals from facial muscle movements made naturally when a person is mouthing words. The signals are then translated into speech. The electrodes could be replaced with wireless chips implanted in a person’s face, according to researchers.
During a demonstration held last Thursday in CMU’s Pittsburgh campu
s, a Chinese student named Stan Jou had 11 tiny electrodes attached to the muscles of his cheeks, neck and throat. Then he mouthed — without speaking aloud — a few words in Mandarin(普通话) to the audience. A few seconds later, the phrase was displayed on a computer screen and spoken out by the computer in English and Spanish: “Let me introduce our new prototype.”
This particular gadget(器械),when fully developed, might allow anyone to speak in any number of languages or, as Waibel put it, “to switch your mouth to a foreign language”. “The idea behind the university’s prototypes is to create ‘good enough’ bridges for cross-cultural exchanges that are becoming more common in the world,” Waibel said.
With spontaneous(自发的) translators, foreign drivers in Germany could listen to traffic warnings on the radio, tourists in China could read all the signs and talk with local people, and leaders of different countries could have secret talks without any interpreters there. Which of the following statements is not TRUE?
| A．A lecture translation can translate what you said into other languages easily. |
| B．There is no Muscle Translator in the world now. |
| C．Muscle Translators can translate what you think into speech if you just move your mouth. |
| D．The spontaneous translators will help us a lot. |
. What kind of equipment is NOT mentioned in this passage?
| A．Lecture Translation. |
| B．Muscle Translator. |
| C．Multiple Translator. |
| D．Translation Prototype. |
.. What’s the final destination of inventing the language translators?
| A．To make cultural exchanges between different countries easier. |
| B．To help students learn foreign languages more easily. |
| C．To make people live in foreign countries more comfortably. |
| D．To help people learn more foreign languages in the future. |
.. What can be inferred from the seventh paragraph?
| A．The translator is so good that it can translate any language into the very language you need. |
| B．The translator is becoming more and more common in the world as a bridge. |
| C．With the help of the translator, you only need to open your mouth when you want to say something without saying the exact words at all. |
| D．The translator needs to be improved before being put into market. |
. Where can this passage probably be excerpted from?
| A．A newspaper. |
| B．A magazine on science. |
| C．A fairy tale. |
| D．A scientific fantasy book. |
The crisis(危机) at Japan’s Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear(核) energy center caused by the terrible earthquake has raised questions about the future of the nuclear energy industry. Arjun Makhijani is president of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research in the United States. He says the disaster(灾难)in Japan is historic.
This week, the chairman of America’s nuclear agency said there is little chance that harmful radiation(辐射) from Japan could reach the United States. Gregory also said America has a strong program in place to deal with earthquake threats. No new nuclear power centers have been built in the United States since nineteen seventy-nine. That was when America’s worst nuclear accident happened at the Three Mile Island center in Pennsylvania. The accident began to turn public opinion against nuclear energy. At present, about twenty percent of electricity in the United States comes from nuclear energy.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Germany would close seven nuclear power centers while energy policy is reconsidered. The European Union is planning to test all centers in its twenty-seven member nations.
Developing nations are less willing to slow nuclear expansion. China said it will continue with plans to build about twenty-five new nuclear reactors（反应堆）. And India, under a cooperation agreement with the United States, plans to spend billions on new centers in the coming years.
Nuclear reactors supply fourteen percent of global electricity. Nuclear energy is a clean resource, producing no carbon gases. But radioactive waste is a serious unresolved issue. So is the presence of nuclear power centers in earthquake areas like the one near Bushehr, Iran.
The best title of the text is .
A. Various Opinions on Japan’s Nuclear Disaster
B. Japan’s Disaster is Likely to Run out of Control
C. America Feels Great Concern for Japan’s Nuclear Crisis
D. Japan’s Disaster Throws Doubt on Nuclear Energy Industry.
We can learn from the text that America .
| A．experienced a terrible nuclear accident 32 years ago |
| B．has a strong program to deal with radiation danger |
| C．depends heavily on nuclear energy to produce electricity |
| D．will check all the reactors before cooperating with India |
.
According to the text, which country will be most likely to have a similar disaster?
| A．German. | B．Iran. | C．India. | D．China. |
.
How does the author seem to feel about the future of nuclear energy?
| A．Satisfied. | B．Pleased. | C．Wordless. | D．Surprised. |
.
The best title of the text is .
| A．Various Opinions on Japan’s Nuclear Disaster |
| B．Japan’s Disaster is Likely to Run out of Control |
| C．America Feels Great Concern for Japan’s Nuclear Crisis |
| D．Japan’s Disaster Throws Doubt on Nuclear Energy Industry |
…That’s my second piece of advice, very simple: Don’t make excuses. Take responsibility not just for your successes; take responsibility where you fall short as well.
Now, the truth is, no matter how hard you work, you’re not going to ace (取得好成绩) every class. You’re not going to succeed the first time you try something. There are going to be times when you screw up (弄糟). There will be times where you hurt people you love. There will be times when you make a mistake and you stray (偏离) from the values that you hold most deeply.
And when that happens, it’s the easiest thing in the world to start looking around for somebody else to blame. Your professor was too hard; the coaches were playing favorites; your friend just didn’t understand.
No, but this is an easy habit to get into. You see it every day in Washington — every day -—folks calling each other names, making all sorts of accusations on television. Everybody is always pointing a finger at somebody else. You notice that?
Now, this community could have easily gone down that road. This community could have made excuses — well, our kids have fewer advantages, our schools have fewer resources — how can we compete? You could have spent years pointing fingers— blaming parents, blaming teachers, blaming the principal , blaming the superintendent.
But that’s — Class of 2010, I want you to pay attention on this because that’s not what happened. Instead, this community was honest with itself about where you were falling short. You decided to do better, push your kids harder, open their minds wider, expose them to all kinds of ideas and people and experiences.
So, graduates, I hope you’ll continue those efforts. Don’t make excuses. And I hope that wherever you go, you won’t narrow the broad intellectual and social exposure you’ve had here at Kalamazoo Central — instead, seek to expand it. Don’t just hang out with people who look like you or share your political views. Broaden your circle to include people with different backgrounds and life experiences, because that’s how you’ll end up learning what it’s like to walk in somebody else’s shoes. That’s how you’ll come to understand the challenges other people face.
And this is not just an academic exercise. It’s a way to broaden your ambit (范围) of concern and learn to see yourselves in each other.
—adapted from US President Barack Obama’s graduation ceremony speech at the Kalamazoo Central High School. The underlined words “fall short” in Paragraph 1 probably mean .
| A．make a decision | B．begin to experience something |
| C．have someone else to blame | D．fail to reach a standard |
The underlined word “this” in Paragraph 4 refers to .
| A．misunderstanding your friends | B．straying from the values you hold |
| C．making accusations on television | D．blaming someone else for your mistake |
We can infer from Paragraphs 5 and 6 that the community .
| A．has got used to making excuses | B．has lived up to its responsibility |
| C．is satisfied with itself | D．provides fewer resources than it used to |
In the last two paragraphs, Obama calls on the graduates to .
| A．welcome different ideas, people and experiences |
| B．participate in as many social activities as they can |
| C．make friends with people who share their political views |
| D．be honest and concerned about the community |