Last night’s meteor(流星) shower left many people in the community dissatisfied and demanding answers. According to Gabe Rothsclild, Emerald Valley’s mayor, people gathered in the suburbs of the city, carrying heavy telescopes, expecting to watch the brightly burning meteors passing through the sky. What they found instead was a sky so brightened by the city’s lights that it darkened the light of the meteors passing overhead.
“My family was so frustrated,” admitted town resident Duane Cosby, “We wanted to make this an unforgettable family outing, but it turned out to be a huge disappointments.”
Astronomers---scientists who study stars and planets----have been complaining about this problem for decades.They say that light pollution prevents them from seeing objects in the sky that they could see quite easily in the past. They call on people and the government to take measures to fight against it.
There is yet a population besides professional and amateur star observers that suffers even more from light pollution. This population consists of birds,bats frogs,snakes,etc. For example,outdoor lighting severely affects migrating(迁徙的)birds. According to the International Dark-Sky Association. “100 million birds a year throughout North America die in crashes with lighted buildings and towers.”
Countless more animals casualties(伤亡)result from the use of artificial lighting. Clearly, people enjoy the benefits of lighting their evenings,but some scientists think it can be harmful for humans,too. They worry that exposure to light while sleeping can increase person’s chances of getting cancer.
Emerald Valley is only one community that is becoming aware of the negative effects of hight pollution. For years, Flagstaff,Arizona, has enforced lighting regulations in its city in order to help astronomers at the Lowell Observatory. Similar efforts have been made worldwide, and a movement is underway to remind us to turn off lights when we are not using them, so that other creatures can share the night.It happened last night that __________ .
A.the city light show attracted many people |
B.the meteors flew past before being noticed |
C.the city’s lights affected the meteor watching |
D.the meteor watching ended up a social outing |
What do the astronomers complain about?
A.Light pollution has remained unsolved for years |
B.Their observation equipment is in poor repair |
C.Meteor showers occur less often than before |
D.Their eyesight is failing due to artificial lighting |
What the author concerned about according to Paragraph 4?
A.Birds may take other migration paths |
B.Animal’living habits may change suddenly |
C.Varieties of animals will become sharply reduced |
D.Animals’survival is threatened by outdoor lighting |
Lighting regulations in Flagstaff,Arizona are put into effect to__________.
A.Lessen the chance of getting cancer |
B.ensure citizens a good sleep at night |
C.create an ideal observation condition |
D.enable all creatures to live in harmony |
What message does the author most want to give us?
A.Saving wildlife is saving ourselves |
B.Human activities should be environmentally friendly |
C.Great efforts should be made to save energy |
D.New equipment should be introduced for space study |
The Beijing government has set out to recruit thousands of university graduates to work as junior officials in rural areas to both improve rural administration and ease the city's employment problems.
The government plans to recruit 3,000 university graduates this year, 1,000 more than last year, to work as assistants to village heads or Party secretaries in suburban areas.
People interested in jobs in Beijing's rural villages and townships can submit applications to the Beijing Municipal Personnel Bureau or online at www.Bjbys.com from February 1 through March 15.
"We hope university graduates will seize this opportunity to use their knowledge in rural villages and to start their careers," Sun Zhenyu, deputy director of Beijing Personnel Bureau, told Xinhua News Agency.
The government has promised successful candidates a monthly salary of 2,000 yuan ( $ 250) in the first year, 2,500 yuan ($ 320) the second year and 3,000 yuan ($ 385) the third year, provided their performance is up to the required standards.Sun said.
Wang Lina, who graduated from Beijing Union University last year, was one of the first graduates to find work in the city's countryside After majoring in industrial and commercial administration, Wang served as the assistant to the village head of Ertiaojie Village in suburban Besjing's Pinggu District.For one project, Wang contacted people at the BeijingAcadeny of Agricnitural Sciences and arranged for the local farmers to receive training in strawberry planting.Her efforts paid off.The village had a plentiful harvest of organic strawberries earlier this year.
Nationwide, about 150,000 university graduates found employment in rural areas last year, according to figures provided by the Ministry of Education.
The ministry predicts that 4.95 million students will graduate from universities across the country this year, 820,000 more than last year.About 1.4 million of them are unlikely to find jobs when they graduate.
In Beijing, a record 200,000 people are expected to graduate from university this year. Less than half of them are expected to be offered jobs, according to the personnel bureau.The underlined word "recruit" in the first paragraph probably means___.
A.employ | B.force | C.encourage | D.train |
We can see from the passage that____.
A.once you are hired as a junior official, you can get an endlessly rising salary |
B.the government guarantee a gradually high salary for the successful candidates |
C.working as junior officials is easy but very meaningful |
D.the competition for the job as junior officials is very fierce |
From the story of Wang Lina we can learn that .
A.the sooner you go to the countryside, the sooner you will be successful |
B.local fanners can get big harvests if they team more knowledge |
C.university graduates can also realize their value in rural areas |
D.Wang had great difficulty in helping villagers planting organic strawberries |
The last two paragraphs aim to tell us that .
A.more and more graduates will work.as junior officials |
B.the universities should not have so many students |
C.there are more and more graduates in recent years |
D.it is not easy for graduates to find jobs nowadays |
Which of the following can be the best title for this passage?
A.What is the best career? |
B.Graduates go to the countryside. |
C.Job hunting for university graduates. |
D.A good choice for university graduates. |
Summer school is something a kid will never forget.For some, it's a way to advance past their classmates.For most, summer school is' a requirement in order to graduate with their classmates I can remember being forced into taking a summer school course.It was not the school that forced me into this awkward situation it was my mother.
I was a 16-year-old kid in a new school; My school did not offer summer courses so I had to take my course at an alternative school in the city.It was an experience I will never forget.I was not concerned with making friends.I was there to get credit (学分) for a course that I should have received credit for the previous semester.It was.my doing that landed me in the situation and it was important that I understood this.
The fees were lowest but the experience was amazing.I enjoyed I didn't miss the day. The course was from Monday to Friday for an entire month.I passed the course with an A.I was thrown into an awkward situation and actually enjoyed it.My friends didn't even know I took the course.Most of them were still sleeping by the time my course ended each day.
Awkward situations are so important for personal growth.This situation made me feel more independent.I made friends.I finally understood what sacrifice and hard work were all about.While attending college, I remembered how much I enjoyed summer school and I chose to take summer school in my first three years of college.Some kids get pushed too much but some don't get pushed enough.I was never pushed enough.
Enable your children to struggle for success.If your child needs summer school you explain to them why it's important.Some parents are surprised by the situation and may want to be more involved in their children's education.Follow through and follow up.Most students go to the summer school in order to ____.
A.find good jobs graduation | B.become top students in their class |
C.have a chance to make more friends | D.graduate successfully on time |
What made the author go to summer school for the first time?
A.What he had done. | B.His mother's wish. |
C.His own requirement. | D.Study competition. |
Which of the following was NOT the benefit got by the author through attending summer school?
A.It helped him get rid of bad habits. |
B.It helped him make new friends. |
C.It helped him understand what sacrifice and hard work were. |
D.It increased his independence. |
From the last paragraph we can learn that the author ____.
A.does not like summer school at all even though it is useful |
B.thinks summer school is unnecessary for children |
C.encourages parents to make their children attend summer school |
D.is against forcing children to attend summer school |
What does the author think of summer school?
A.He thinks it is awkward. | B.He thinks it is significant. |
C.He doesn't think it is suitable. | D.He thinks nothing of it. |
Water goes around and around Earth in a never ending journey called the water cycle(循环). The sun heats up lakes, oceans, and other wet places on Earth. When the water gets warm enough, it changes into vapour. Plants also give off lots of water vapour. Some of this water vapour cools off high in the sky and becomes clouds. Then it falls back to Earth in a new place as rain or snow. This cycle happens over and over again.
The ground can absorb water like a sponge (海绵). If you could see this groundwater, it wouldn’t look like a lake or river. The groundwater is mixed in with the rocks and sand that lie in layers(层) below Earth’s surface.
Groundwater moves along slowly. How slowly? Maybe 1.5 kilometres in one century. Some of this water has been underground for thousands of years. And once groundwater is pumpedout of the ground from a deep well(井) by people, it may take hundreds of years for another water to take its place.In which order does water go around Earth?
a .Fall down as rain or snow.
b. Heated up by the sun on lakes, oceans and other wet places.
c. Cool off high in the sky.
d. Form clouds.
e. Change into vapour.
A.dacbe | B.becda | C.caebd | D.bceda |
The groundwater seems to________.
A.be just on the ground | B.be pure water like that in a lake or river |
C.exist in rocks and sand | D.flow along like rivers or streams |
What conclusion(结论) can we draw from the passage?
A.Groundwater can be quickly replaced by other water once pumped out. |
B.Groundwater is very valuable. |
C.Groundwater has nothing to do with human beings. |
D.Groundwater travel in an unknown way. |
All over the world people enjoy sports.Sports help to keep people healthy,happy and help them to live longer.
Sports change with the season. People play different games in winter and summer.
Games and sports often grow out of people’s work and everyday activities.The Arabs use horses or camels in much of their everyday life;they use them in their sports,too.
Some sports are so interesting that people everywhere go in for them.Football,for example,has spread around the world.Swimming is popular in all countries near the sea or in those with many rivers.
Some sports or games go back to thousands of years,like running or jumping.Chinese boxing,for example,has a very long history.But basketball and volleyball are rather new.Neither one is a hundred years old yet.People are inventing new sports or games all the time.
People from different countries may not be able to understand each other but after a game they often become good friends.Sports help to train a person's character(性格).One learns to fight hard but fight fair,to win without pride and to lose with grace(体面)The writer didn't tell us in this passage that________.
A.basketball was invented in America |
B.sports change with the season |
C.games and sports often grow out of people’s work and everyday activities |
D.football is played all over the world |
People all over the world enjoy sports because_______.
A.sports are interesting |
B.sports help to keep people healthy,happy and to live longer |
C.sports help to train one’s character |
D.all of the above |
From this passage we can see that _____.
A.sports and games are unimportant things that people do |
B.sports and games should be treated(对待)only as amusement(娱乐活动) |
C.sports and games are only useful to the old |
D.none of the above is true |
By May,after three months,I had lost22pounds and reached my goal of 115 pounds.My friends would say “Alice,you look great!”or“How did you lose so much weight?”Those compliments made me feel good and confident.
Soon I dropped to110 pounds.A few of my friends told me that I needed to stop dieting,because I was starting to look sick. They brought me a present—— a bag of chocolates,which I later gave to my sister.My mother would come to my room,with tears in her eyes,and have long chats about how harmful this diet was and begged me to stop.My dad would leave worried messages on my cell phone at school,telling me that it would do serious harm to my body.
By mid-June,when school was coming to an end,I was down to an only alive state of 95 pounds.All of a sudden,I knew I had to do something.I guessed the number itself scared me.I recalled my doctor.He told me about a girl who was 95 pounds and was at the risk of dying.I knew I was putting my life at risk,but for what? To make those who love me worried? Was it worthwhile to be thin?
Now I realize that models in magazines,TV and movies are not realistic.The price to pay for the“perfect body”is living with a dangerous and sometimes deadly eating disorder.And there are more important things to think about than how thin you are.The underlined word“compliments”in Paragraph I probably means_____.
A.questions | B.praise | C.understanding | D.experiences |
Why did the author's mother come to her room in tears?
A.Because the mother was worried about her daughter's health. |
B.Because the mother thought her daughter was brave enough. |
C.Because the mother was sorry to have helped her daughter go on a diet. |
D.Because the mother was deeply moved by her daughter's friends. |
The author decided to stop dieting_______.
A.after her parents persuaded her out of it |
B.when her weight dropped to 95 pounds |
C.after she reached her goal of losing weight |
D.after her friends told her to stop dieting |
From the text we learn that _________.
A.there are no models with a perfect body in real life |
B.it is too expensive for people to lose weight |
C.you will be healthy as long as you stop dieting |
D.an unhealthy diet can lead to serious health problems |