In Singapore，most of us love window-shopping while some others enjoy having a picnic at East Coast Park or Changi Beach on sunny days．Singaporeans are never bothered by the occasional thunderstorm．However，we know that if it rains for long continuous periods，there will be more serious effects．Just recently the main shopping street of Orchard Road was flooded and some part of Bukit Timah was impassable(不能通行的)to traffic．People reacted by writing in to the newspaper to complain about this! We forget that other countries suffer much worse effects.
Elsewhere，heavy tropical(热带的)storms often result in floods that ruin crops especially in Thailand and Malaysia．This in turn usually means that the price of rice and vegetables here in Singapore will rise because we import these products from them．If there is a typhoon or tsunami，thousands of lives are lost too．This happened in Indonesia and Phuket in Thailand in 2004 and It serves to remind us of how Mother Nature can cause great damage．
Weather patterns in general have changed dramatically in recent years．Scientists believe that global warming and the resulting melting of the polar ice-cap has caused the level of the ocean to rise．This in turn causes flooding of low-lying areas in countries where the land is rather flat and some parts of which is below water level．It is believed that human activities have caused Mother Nature to show her extreme anger，so it is now important that we really work together to cut down on harmful activities，for example，illegal logging(伐木)or irresponsible forest-burning to clear land for farming．．From Paragraph 1，we can see that most Singaporeans love ______________．
| A．making complaints | B．going out for picnics |
| C．doing window-shopping | D．traveling along the coast |
．What will happen in Singapore if there are floods in its neighboring countries?
| A．Heavy tropical storms will follow shortly． |
| B．The price of rice and vegetables will go up． |
| C．Many people will write in to the newspaper． |
| D．More rice and vegetables will be imported． |
．The underlined word“it”in Paragraph 2 refers to ___________．
| A．the arrival of heavy tropical storms |
| B．the import of rice and vegetables |
| C．the rising price of rice and vegetables |
| D．the loss of lives in natural disasters |
．What’s the right order of the following events?
a．global warming
b．the rise in ocean level
c．harmful human activities
d．the flooding of low-lying areas
e．the melting of the polar ice-cap
| A．c→a→e→b→d | B．a→c→e→b→d |
| C．c→a→b→e→d | D．d→a→c→b→e |
．What should we do in order not to make Mother Nature angry?
| A．Clear more land for farming． |
| B．Reduce harmful human activities． |
| C．Bring down the price of food． |
| D．Improve the quality of weather． |
Dear MSN,
I live in San Diego. I’m single and would like to meet people near me. Can I do this on the Internet?
Searching in San Diego
Dear Searching,
On the Internet, you could easily go looking for love in all the wrong places, but here are lots of great ways to meet singles near you.
The Web is a good place to start. MSN also has international sites for Europe, Australia and South America.
There are several California-based MSN web communities where you can meet like-minded people near you as well as city-specific chat rooms for real-time interaction (互动). Hope for some clever friends. What about a little more excitement in your online interactions? Try the “Gaming Zone!”
I also tried MSN Search, looked under the “Personal” heading and found “Relationships”. Clicked on that, then found “Ads & Personals”, by “Region” and found San Diego specific personal from there. Try it!
Also, give “IRC” (Internet Relay Chat) and “Usenet Newsgroups” a shot. Many a net romance has started and then developed in these off-the-Web communities. If you’d rather make friends F2F (face to face), the Web has some helpful dating and redating tips. Searching has written this letter with the purpose of ______________.
| A．getting help from MSN with his computer |
| B．winning the heart of a love from the web. |
| C．meeting single people online |
| D．looking for love in all the wrong places |
According to the second letter, MSN has several advantages such as _______________.
| A．shooting IRC and Usenet Newsgroups |
| B．giving you time and places to chat with others |
| C．satisfying you with whatever kind of help you want |
| D．supplying you with many methods to make friends |
From the second letter we can infer that MSN treats an ordinary reader so kindly and warmly because _______________.
| A．it is its duty to help those who have trouble with their computers |
| B．it needs to attract as many readers as possible so as to make greater benefit |
| C．it likes to see more net romances to share their happiness |
| D．all people need it and it needs all people |
Drink drivers could be prohibited from driving under the influence if new technology from Nissan is introduced.
The Japanese car maker has developed a new odor (气味) detection system designed to prevent drivers from operating a car if they are over the legal limit. The system works by using a series of sensors (传感器) to detect the level of alcohol the driver has consumed.
A high-sensitivity alcohol odor sensor is built into the gear stick (变速杆), which is able to detect the presence of the driver’s palm as he or she attempts to start driving. If the alcohol level detected is above a pre-determined limit, the system automatically locks the transmission(变速器), immobilizing the car. A voice alert is also issued via the car navigation system telling the driver that he or she is over the limit.
Extra sensors are also placed in the driver and passenger seats and a warning is issued if these sensors detect the presence of alcohol in the air inside the vehicle cabin.
While still in the developmental stage the concept of drink driving detectors being built into cars has generally been welcomed by many drivers.
Nissan said the technology is part of a project aimed at halving the number of fatalities (灾祸) and serious injuries in Nissan cars by 2015 compared to 2005 levels.The detection system works _______________.
| A．by detecting the smell of alcohol in the vehicle cabin |
| B．by measuring the volume of the alcohol in vehicle cabin |
| C．by detecting the weight of the school in the vehicle cabin |
| D．by using a car navigation system |
What do we know about the detection system?
| A．The detection system is still in the developmental stage. |
| B．The new technology from Nissan has been introduced. |
| C．The driving detectors are being built into cars. |
| D．The system has already been used in some car companies. |
The driver’s attitude toward the detection system is that of _______________.
| A．annoyance | B．welcome | C．unconcern | D．doubt |
What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．Nissan will release drink-proof cars. |
| B．Traffic accidents will be decreased. |
| C．A project halving the number of accidents. |
| D．A new odor detection system. |
Have you ever been in a situation, where you felt uneasy because of something you think you may have forgotten to do or perhaps a feeling that you annoyed someone whom you wanted to get along with really well. If you have experienced such feelings and worse on a regular basis, then you most probably are a victim of anxiety attacks.
All of us, to some extent, have experienced anxiety at different levels. There are somethings you may know about anxiety, and some things that you may not be familiar with. So in order to be prepared for your unexpected feeling of anxiety, you need to get to know what anxiety is before it escalates into a panic attack.
Anxiety is simply the feeling of discomfort, uneasiness or fear of what may eventually happen resulting from an imagined, or a real threatening condition. On the extreme end panic attacks can occur due to heightened(增加) feelings of anxiety.
There are two main symptoms(症状) during an anxiety / panic attack and these are physical and emotional symptoms. Physical symptoms include difficulty in breathing, shaking, direct feeling of heat, rapid heartbeat and tiredness while emotional symptoms deal with worrying, depression, fear, and lack of focus.
In spite of the negative impression we have for anxiety, it is not dangerous in any way whatever. The feeling of anxiety is not bad, in fact it’s more of a defensive feeling which protects us from possible danger by engaging a response within us in fight or fight situations. So it’s not the “bad guy”, you just have to learn how to control it. Panic attacks, however, are far more dangerous and should be a concern to your health. Panic can sometimes result in blurred (模糊不清的) vision, difficulty in breathing due to a tight chest. The best way to different anxiety from any serious illness is to ask a medical expert for advice on a regular basis.According to the passage, a panic attack is _______________.
| A．as serious as an anxiety attack | B．not so serious as an anxiety attack |
| C．resulted from an anxiety attack | D．resulted in an anxiety attack |
The underlined word “escalates” in the second paragraph means “_______________”.
| A．happens suddenly | B．becomes more serious |
| C．mixes things together | D．connects something with |
A victim of anxiety attacks may have the symptoms that ______________.
| A．he doesn’t want to have anything to eat |
| B．he has trouble in hearing and vision |
| C．he is always worried about others |
| D．he can’t pay attention to what he does |
From the passage we can draw a conclusion that ______________.
| A．an anxiety attack does good to us | B．an anxiety attack does no harm to us |
| C．an anxiety attack is a serious illness | D．an anxiety attack is very dangerous |
What is the best title for this passage?
| A．Symptoms of Anxiety Attacks | B．Ways of Getting Rid of Anxiety |
| C．Harm Caused by Anxiety | D．Getting to know Anxiety |
Arabs consider it extremely bad manners to start talking business immediately. Even the busiest government official always takes extra time to be polite and offer refreshments (茶点). No matter how busy you are, you should make time for this.
The conference visit is a way of doing business throughout the Arab world. Frequently, you will have to discuss your business in the presence of strangers, who may or may not have anything to do with your business. Do not be surprised if your meeting is interrupted several times by people who come into the room unannounced, whisper, or speak softly to the person with whom you are talking, and leave. Act as though you do not hear, and never show displeasure at being interrupted.
Making decisions quickly is not an Arab custom. There is a vagueness (模糊) in doing business in the Middle East which will puzzle a newcomer. Give yourself lots of time and ask lots of questions.
When an Arab says “yes”, he may mean “maybe”. When he says “maybe”, he probably means “no”. You will seldom get a direct “no” from an Arab because it is considered not polite. Instead of “no”, he will say “inshallah”, which means “if God is willing”. On the other hand, “yes” does not necessarily mean “yes”. A smile and a slow nod might be like an agreement but in fact your host is being polite. An Arab considers it rude to disagree with a guest.The main purpose of this article is to explain _________________.
| A．why you need extra time when you visit Arab countries |
| B．how to be polite when doing business in the Arab world |
| C．why Arab officials are so busy |
| D．what Arabs say when doing business |
According to the article, which of the following would be considered polite?
| A．You leave angrily because of interruptions. |
| B．You demand an immediate decision. |
| C．You refuse a cup of tea and show pictures of your product right away. |
| D．You look out of the window while a stranger comes in to speak with your host. |
Which of the following is NOT an Arab custom?
| A．To care less about being interrupted during their meeting. |
| B．Often to give you a vague answer. |
| C．Seldom to say “no” directly. |
| D．Seldom to hesitate to start talking business in the presence of strangers. |
A proven method for effective textbook reading is the SQ3R method developed by Francis Robinson. The first is to survey (the S step) the chapter by reading the title, introduction, section headings, summary., and by studying any graphs, tables, illustrations or charts. The purpose of this step is to get an overview of the chapter so that you will know before you read what it will be about. In the second step (the Q step), for each section you ask yourself questions such as "What do I already know about this topic?" and "What do I want to know?" In this step you also take the section heading and turn it into a question. This step gives you a purpose for reading the section. The third step (the first of the 3 R's) is to read to find the answers to your questions. Then at the end of each section, before going on to the next section, you recite ( the second of the 3 R's) the answers to the questions that formed in the question step. When you recite you should say the information you want to learn out loud in your own words. The fifth step is done after you have completed step 2, 3 and 4 for each section. You review (the last of the 3 R's) the entire chapter. The review is done much as the survey was in the first step. As you review, hold a mental conversation with yourself as you recite the information you selected as important to learn. The mental conversation could take the form of asking and answering the questions formed the headings or reading the summary, which lists the main ideas in the chapter, and trying to fill in the details for each main idea. The passage implies that the SQ3R method.
| A．needs to be prove | B．leaves much to be desired |
| C．turns out to be practicable | D．cannot be used by every reader |
The SQ3R method consists of steps.
| A．three | B．four | C．five | D．seven |
According to the passage, the first step helps the readers.
| A．read the first several paragraphs | B．scan the whole chapter |
| C．study the graphs | D．get the theme of chapter |
Which of the following statements is true?
| A．In the last step, you should remember all the information. |
| B．When you finish the last step, you will get both the main idea and the details. |
| C．The mental conversation involves answering the questions asked by the author. |
| D．While you are holding a mental conversation you select the important information. |