A meteor(陨星) that exploded over Russia’s Ural mountains and sent burning to earth has set off a rush to find fragments of the space rock which hunters hope could fetch thousands of dollars a piece.
Friday’s explosion and following shockwave shattered windows, injured almost 1200 people and caused about $33 million worth of damage, said local authorities.
It also started a “meteorite rush” around the industrial city of Chelyabinsk,where groups of people have started combing through the snow and ice.
“The price is hard to say yet… The fewer meteorites that are discovered, the higher their price is.” Said Dmitry Kachkalin, a member of the Russian Society of Amateur Meteorite Lovers.
Meteorites are parts of a meteor that have fallen to earth.
Scientists at the Urals Federal University were the first to announce a significant find-53 small, stony, black objects around Lake Chebarkul, near Chelyabinsk, which tests confirmed were small meteorites.
The fragments were only 0.5 to 1 cm across but the scientists said larger pieces may have crashed into the lake, where a crater in the ice about eight metres wide opened up after Friday’s explosion.
“We just completed tests and confirm that the pieces of matter found by our experts around Lake Chebarkul are really meteorites.” said Viktor Grokhovsky, a scientist with the Urals Federal University and the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Many other people were in the area just hoping to find a meteorite after what was described by scientists as a once-in-a-century event.
Residents of a village near Chelyabinsk searched the snowy streets, collecting stones they hoped prove to be the real thing. But not all were ready to sell.
“I will keep it. Why sell it? I didn’t have a rich lifestyle before, so why start now?” a woman in a woollen hat and winter jacket, clutching a small black pebble(小圆石), told state television.
The Internet was filled quickly with advertisements from eager hunters hoping to sell what they said were meteorites - some for as little as 1,000 roubles ($33.18).
One seller of a large, silver-hued rock wrote in an advertisement:” Selling an unusual rock. It may be a piece of meteorite. It may be a bit of a UFO. It may be a piece of a rocket!”According to the passage, lots of people rushed to find meteorites for_____.
| A．fun | B．money |
| C．research | D．fame |
The underlined phrase in the third paragraphmeans ______.
| A．striking hard |
| B．enjoying the happiness of |
| C．searching carefully |
| D．making a place tidy and clean |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．The price of meteorites will be very high without doubt. |
| B．A meteor exploded over Russia’s Ural mountains on Friday. |
| C．All meteorites hunters want to sell what they found and become rich. |
| D．People from all across Russia have rushed to Ural mountains to find meteorites. |
Which of the following can best serve as the title of the passage?
| A．How to identity a meteorite |
| B．To sell or to keep your meteorite |
| C．Meteorite rush around Chelyabinsk |
| D．Meteor explosion caused great damage |
Remember how great exercise was when you were a little kid? Back then, racing around the playground or skipping rope for hours, you weren’t thinking fitness, you were thinking entertainment. But in this age of high-tech home equipment and underused gym memberships, the simple joy of jumping rope has been forgotten. Rediscovering it will give you a total-body exercise you can find.
Although considered an excellent form of exercise, jumping rope has never gained widespread acceptance because of two fundamental reasons. First, most people recognize jumping rope as an excellent form of cardiovascular (心血管的) exercise, but they also believe that it is simply too difficult. In other words, they don’t think they’ll be able to continue jumping for the near 20 minutes that it takes to achieve a beneficial physical outcome. Second, many view it as somewhat boring and overly repetitive—not as something fun or enjoyable.
As a matter of fact, jumping rope can be great fun if you find a proper way to practice it. Instead of doing the usual two-foot bounce over and over again, people good at rope-jumping often change their pattern every 10 or 20 jumps. A single bounce, a double–bounce, a skip, a knee-up, side swings, as well as a variety of other easy-to-learn free-style rope-jumping.
Now researchers are learning that jumping rope also prepares the brain for learning. It is an exercise allowing both brain hemispheres to perform in parallel to each other. In short , jumping rope can be a life-long activity requiring little equipment, time and space, yet leading to a much healthier life. From the first paragraph we learn that .
| A．jumping rope has faded from people’s memories |
| B．people now have more advanced equipment |
| C．racing around the playground was preferred |
| D．people now like to have exercise in a gym |
Rope jumping has not spread widely because.
| A．it benefits the cardiovascular system | B．it is neither easy nor enjoyable |
| C．it is considered boring and repetitive | D．it requires little equipment, time and space |
The first sentence in the 3rd paragraph implies .
| A．there is only one proper way to follow | B．the usual way should not be used |
| C．the easiest way is always the best | D．there are many ways to follow |
What is the author’s attitude towards rope jumping?
| A．He is arguing against it. | B．He is in favor of it. |
| C．He is sitting on the fence of it. | D．He is not clear about it. |
A primary school teacher who left a class of 25 pupils in tears after she told them Santa Claus did not exist has been fired. When excited youngsters became rowdy as they talked about Santa, the supply teacher said out suddenly, "It's your parents who leave out presents on Christmas Day."
The class of seven-year-olds at Blackshaw Lane Primary School, Royton, Greater Manchester burst into tears and told their parents when they arrived home. Mothers and fathers then complained about the incident and were sent a letter by the school saying the teacher, who only worked at the school for one day last week, has been punished.
The school has now said it will not hire her again.
One father said, "My son came home and said that his teacher had told the class that Santa doesn't exist and it’s their mum and dad that put out presents for them. Obviously, they were all talking about Christmas and being a bit rowdy. She just came straight out with it. "
"My son was in tears and so was everyone else in the class — especially as it was so close to Christmas. I thought it was wrong. He was crazy about it. He’s only seven-year-old and it's part of the magic of Christmas to him. "
"We told him that she did not believe in Father Christmas because of her religion and he's fine now."
"The father described the incident as ' shocking' and believed it was done with malicious intent (恶意地). A lot of parents were angry and complained to the school. The teacher, who was supplied by Rochdale and Oldham Supply Agency, is still listed and will work with other schools," the agency said.
However, the head teacher in Angela McCormick refused to comment on the incident. Who felt the angriest about the incident?
| A．The teacher who was fired. | B．The parents whose children cried. |
| C．The pupils who were in tears. | D．Santa Claus the teacher talked about. |
We can infer from the passage that .
| A．the teacher was fired and couldn't continue her career in teaching |
| B．the parents complained about the discipline of the school |
| C．the little pupils felt disappointed after hearing the words said by the teacher |
| D．in reality, Santa Claus exists and gives out presents once a year |
What’s the meaning of the underlined word "rowdy"?
| A．surprised. | B．noisy. | C．discouraged. | D．annoyed. |
There seems never to have been a civilization without toys, but when and how they developed is unknown. They probably came about just to give children something to do .
In the ancient world , as is today ,most boys played with some kinds of toys and most girls with another .In societies where social roles are rigidly determined, boys pattern their play after the activities of their fathers and girls are being prepared, even in play , to step into the roles and responsibilities of the adult world .
What is remarkable about the history of toys is not so much how they changed over the centuries but how much they have remained the same . The changes have been mostly in terms of craftsmanship ,mechanics, and technology . It is the universality of toys with regard to their development in all parts of the world and their persistence to the present that is amazing .In Egypt ,America ,China ,Japan and among the Arctic (北极的)people, generally the same kinds of toys appeared. Variations depended on local customs and way of life because toys imitate their surrounding. Nearly every civilization had dolls, little weapons, toy soldiers, tiny animals and vehicles.
Because toys can be generally regarded as a kind of art form, they have not been subject to technological leaps that characterize inventions for adult use .The progress from the wheel to the cart to the automobile is a direct line of ways up. The progress from a rattle (拔浪鼓) used by a baby in 3000BCto one used by an infant today , however , is not characterized by inventiveness. Each rattle is the product of the artistic tastes of the times and subject to the limitations of available materials.The reason why the toys most boys play with are different from those that girls play with is that .
| A．their social roles are rigidly determined |
| B．they like challenging activities |
| C．most boys would like to follow their fathers’ professions |
| D．boys like to play with their fathers while girls with their mothers. |
One aspect of “the universality of toys ”lies in the fact that .
| A．the basic characteristics of toys are the same all over the world |
| B．technological advances have greatly improved the durability of toys |
| C．the exploration of the universe has led to the creation of new kinds of toys |
| D．the improvement of craftsmanship in making toys depends on the efforts of universities |
Which of the following is the author’s view on the historical development of toys?
| A．Toys are playing an increasingly important role in shaping a child’s character. |
| B．The toy industry has witnessed great leaps in technology in recent years. |
| C．The craftsmanship in toy-making has remained essentially unchanged. |
| D．Toys have remained basically the same all through the centuries. |
Regarded as a kind of art form, toys.
| A．reflect the pace of social progress |
| B．are not characterized by technological progress |
| C．follow a direct line of ascent |
| D．also appeal greatly to adults |
A friend of mine, in response to a conversation we were having about the injustices of life ,asked me the question,“Who said life was going to be fair, or that it was even meant to be fair?” Her question was a good one. It reminded me of something I was taught as a youngster :life isn’t fair. It’s a disappointment, but it’s absolutely true .One of the mistakes many of us make is that we feel sorry for ourselves, or for others ,thinking that life should be fair, or that someday it will be .It’s not and it won’t be .
One of the nice things about surrendering (屈从)to the fact that life isn’t fair is that it keeps us from feeling sorry for ourselves by encouraging us to do the very best we can with what we have . We know it’s not “life’s job ”to make everything perfect :it’s our own challenge .Surrendering to this fact also keeps us from feeling sorry for others because we are reminded that everyone is dealt a different hand ; everyone has unique strengths and problems in the process of growing up, facing the reality and making decisions; and everyone has those times that they feel unfairly treated.
The fact that life isn’t fair doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do everything in our power to improve our own lives or the world as a whole. To the contrary , it suggests that we should .When we don’t recognize or admit that life isn’t fair ,we tend to feel pity for others and for ourselves .Pity ,of course ,is a self –defeating emotion that does nothing for anyone ,except to make everyone feel worse than they already do .When we do recognize that life isn’t fair, however ,we feel compassion (热情)for others and for ourselves. And compassion is a heartfelt emotion that delivers loving-kindness to everyone it touches .The next time you find yourself thinking about the injustices of the world, try reminding yourself of this very basic fact .You may be surprised that it can make you out of self-pity and into helpful action.The writer thought of his friend’s question as a good one because .
| A．he also wanted to know who held such an opinion |
| B．it made him recall something during his childhood |
| C．like his friend , he also thought life was unfair |
| D．he learned something from the question as a youngster |
The second paragraph of the passage mainly tells us that .
| A．it’s nice to accept the injustice of life | B．it’s nice to surrender to life |
| C．we should not feel sorry for everything | D．we should not surrender to life |
From the passage, we can learn that the author’s attitude to life is.
| A．negative | B．positive | C．self-pity | D．indifferent |
Which of the following could be the best title of the text ?
| A．A Helpful Action: Try to Feel Compassion | B．A Good Question: Why Life Isn’t Fair |
| C．Do Our Best to Improve Ourselves | D．Surrender to the Fact That Life Isn’t Fair |
Each year , millions of people go abroad to work ,study ,or travel .It’s a great way to find out what life is like in another part of the world !You’re probably hoping to make new friends and learn about the culture in your host country everything from attitudes and beliefs to social customs and popular foods. But constantly having to deal with new situations can be frustrating (挫折), even stressful.
Homesickness, stress, fear , and confusion are all symptoms of “culture shock”. At first ,you may feel like getting on the plane and heading home .It’s OK to have those feelings, but the following are some tips to help you handle the challenges that you will face .
Don’t expect to be perfect , You may feel frustrated that you have culture shock ,especially since you probably spent so much time preparing for your trip .No matter how much information you read ,or how well you speak the host language ,it is natural to feel overwhelmed sometimes. If you give yourself some time, things will gradually get easier.
Have an open mind .While it’s certainly OK to feel frustration or confusion in your new surroundings ,try not to form an opinion about the new culture too soon .Don’t think of the host as better or worse , just different –you’ll be more willing to try new things .
Participate .This is obvious ,but everybody needs to be reminded. Just watching life go on around you isn’t good enough .You really need to try things for yourself . Don’t worry about making a mistake; people in your host country will generally be very understanding and willing to help if you have question .Your study abroad experience is a unique and special time in your life, one that you’ll never forget. If you follow our suggestions ,you’ll be able to handle it well ,and have a wonderful time. Good luck!What is culture shock ?
| A．Something you feel surprised at . |
| B．The problems you have when you go to another country |
| C．The frightening feelings you have |
| D．Something different from your own culture |
What should you do when you feel depressed ?
| A．Go back to your own homeland |
| B．Talk to someone about your problem |
| C．Give yourself some time to get used to it |
| D．Stop thinking of it |
Which of the following statements is WRONG ?
| A．It is natural to feel overwhelmed sometimes |
| B．Not everything is perfect |
| C．Try to form the opinion about the new culture as soon as possible |
| D．Tell others about your problems |
What is the main idea of this article ?
| A．How to overcome culture shock | B．Why do people have culture shock |
| C．Who might have culture shock | D．When will you have culture shock |