A Tale of Two Cities was written by the famous English writer Charles Dickens. The tale is mainly about the French Revolution in 1789, where the poor rose up against the king and the nobles. Dickens showed deep sympathy for the poor and deep hatred for the cruelty of the upper class, though he wrote quite a lot about the love triangle between Lucie, Charles and Sydney.
In this novel, Dickens wrote some lively characters like Sydney and those crazy revolutionaries. In this tale, we can’t see any absolute roles. Charles, though he’s a brave and good man, obviously he hasn’t as much ability as Sydney. Sydney, a typical tragic(悲剧的) man, a man like him, usually has great ability. But he has some weak points on characters and the worst is that he always loves a woman he shouldn’t love and 99.99% die for her at last in an extremely heroic or tragic way. The revolutionaries are not as full of justice as usual. They get mad when they can get revenge(报复) for their unfair treatment. The fire of hatred burns everything. When they’re at the bottom of the society, they’re calling for justice, for fair treatment, for freedom, but when they’re in charge of the society, their world is up-side-down. They hate everything that is connected to the very people against them, even including Charles’ wife, Dr. Manette’s daughter. So these men have no difference from those former governors at heart.
Though Dickens told us how the authority is recycling over and over again in some way, the novel is about something good. Love from Sydney to Lucie is one of the only few bright points in the novel and it’s really great. A man can sacrifice his life to save his lover’s husband. He doesn’t have any personal purpose and just for his lover’s happiness. So Dickens may imply us, only love can solve the problems between people, between the poor and the rich, love is everything.. A Tale of Two Cities is mainly about .
| A．Charles Dickens | B．the French Revolution |
| C．deep sympathy | D．the upper class |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Charles is as brave and able as Sydney. |
| B．Sydney loves a woman he shouldn’t love. |
| C．The revolutionaries show justice as usual. |
| D．Charles hates his wife, Dr. Manette’s daughter. |
The underlined phrase “these men” in Paragraph 2 most probably refers to “ ”.
| A．Charles and Sydney | B．the nobles |
| C．the revolutionaries | D．former governors |
What may Dickens really want to imply us readers?
| A．The authority is changing over and over again. |
| B．The novel is about something good only. |
| C．A great man can sacrifice his life for his lover. |
| D．Only love can settle the problems between people. |
Opening week specials at Munchies Food Hall
At the corner of Green and Brown Streets in the city
Monday 7th of January until Sunday, 13th of January 2008
Feast until you’re full ! Come down to Munchies this week to enjoy the special dishes on offer at all of our food outlets. Order from the following:
·Succulent chicken rice ·Spicy satay beef
·Delicious noodle dishes ·Plump park chops
·Seafood specialties ·Crunchy vegetables
·Sweet tropical fruit
Halal food is available at the stall Malay Food Heaven
Win Prizes and Gifts !
·Spend $ 20.00 or more and win instant prizes from our lucky draw box.
·Collect a free party balloon and whistle for each young diner.
·Enjoy a free meal if you are the first customer of the day at any of our stalls.
·Win a holiday to Western Australia. A free raffle ticket is given with every receipt. Just fill in your information and place your entry in the box provided.
Winner to be announced in The Straits Times on the 15th of January.
Join in the Fun !
Between 7:00 pm and 8:00 pm each evening until the 10th of January, your favorite Channel 3 television actors and singers will entertain you:
·May Lee ·Jackie Chen
·Kim Yap ·Kamal
Autograph sessions will follow each performance ! And who will be our extra special mystery star? Come down on Saturday at noon to find out.The prices at Munchies are__________.
| A．lower than usual |
| B．bargain prices for the opening |
| C．lower for two people |
| D．lower if you spend $ 21.00 |
Everyone who eats at Munchies will receive a _________.
| A．free raffle ticket |
| B．lucky draw coupon |
| C．free meal |
| D．balloon and whistle |
I will find out who has won the trip to Western Australia when I _________.
| A．watch Channel 3 television |
| B．come down to Munchies at noon |
| C．read The Straits Times on the 15th of January |
| D．attend the lucky draw at Munchies Food Hall |
When a child is told he is "uncool", it can be very painful. He may say he doesn't care, and even act in ways that are opposite of cool on purpose. But ultimately, these are simply ways to handle sadness by pretending it's not there.
Helping a child feel better in school had to be careful. If you say, "Why are you worried about what other children think about you? It doesn't matter!" children know that it does matter. Instead, an active way may be best. You could say, "I'm going to do a couple of things for you to help you feel better in school."
If a boy is having trouble making friends, the teacher can help him. The teacher can arrange things so that he has chances to use his abilities to contribute to class projects. This is how the other children learn how to value his good qualities and to like him. A teacher can also raise a child's popularity in the group by showing that he values that child. It even helps to put him in a seat next to a very popular child, or let him be a partner with that child in activities, etc.
There are things that parents can do at home, too. Be friendly when your child brings others home to play. Encourage him to invite friends to meals and then serve the dishes they consider "super". When you plan trips, picnics, movies, and other shows, invite another child with whom your child wants to be friends.
What you can do is to give him a chance to join a group that may be shutting him out. Then, if he has good qualities, he can start to build real friendship of his own.A child who has been informed of being "uncool" may _____.
| A．care nothing about it |
| B．develop a sense of anger |
| C．do something uncool purposely |
| D．pretend to get hurt very much |
A teacher can help an unpopular child by _____.
| A．seeing the child as the teacher's favourite |
| B．asking the child to do something for partners |
| C．forcing other children to make friends with the child |
| D．offering the child chances to show his good qualities |
How can parents help their child fit in better?
| A．By cooking delicious food for him. |
| B．By being kind to his schoolmates. |
| C．By forcing him to invite friends home. |
| D．By taking him to have picnics in the park. |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．Children don't care about others' comments on them. |
| B．It's only a teacher's work to make children popular. |
| C．Parents should take their children out for picnic and shows more often. |
| D．Inviting children's friends to family activities is good for them to make friends. |
D
As thousands of communities in the USA — especially in the South — became booming gateways for immigrant families from Central and South America during the 1990s and the early years of the new century, public schools struggled with the unfamiliar task of serving the large numbers of English learners arriving in their classrooms.
Education programs needed to be built from scratch. “We had no teaching resources suitable for English learners here before. We had to develop them all ourselves,” a Texas principal said. Throughout the country, districts had to train their own teachers to teach English to non-native speakers or recruit (招聘)teachers from elsewhere. School staff members had to figure out how to communicate with parents who spoke no English.
But even as immigration has slowed or stopped in many places, and instructional programs for English-learners have matured, serving immigrant families and their children remains a work in progress in many public schools, especially those in communities that are skeptical, or sometimes unwelcoming, to the newcomers. One of the biggest challenges educators face, is communicating effectively with parents who don’t speak English — an issue that, in part, has contributed to recent complaints of discrimination by Latino students in some cities.
“The parents’ role is very important for the success of these students, but it's also one of the most difficult things we’ve had to tackle(处理),” said Jim D. Rollins, the president of the Springdale school district, where the 19,000-student school system has gone from having no English-learners 15 years ago to more than 7,500 now. “You have to make it a priority and work on it, work on it, and work on it.”
Aside from the practical challenges, such as finding bilingual (会说两种语言的) staff members, guiding districts through such dramatic changes requires school leaders to bridge difficult political and cultural divides. For school leaders in the South, especially in the last few years, this difficult job has been made harder still by the negative attitudes of some locals towards immigrants.According to the passage, what is the problem that public schools are facing?
| A．Handling more cases from the immigrant Mexican communities. |
| B．Offering services to immigrant families in the southern states. |
| C．Offering enough communicative lessons to immigrant parents. |
| D．Providing education for non-native English learners. |
The underlined part “built from scratch” (in Paragraph 2) probably means “________”.
| A．completely new |
| B．painful to make |
| C．based on past experience |
| D．constructed gradually |
What do we know about the immigrant parents?
| A．Many of them cannot speak English. |
| B．Most of them think education is not important. |
| C．Some of them feel skeptical about the local community. |
| D．Few of them have attended American schools. |
C
Imagine having an idea, drawing it on paper, bringing it to a store and seeing it turned into a physical object．This is now possible with the help of 3D printers．Such machines were once used just by universities and big companies．But now, stores with 3D printing services are appearing around the United States．
Bryan Jaycox and his wife opened The Build Shop LLC in Los Angeles two years ago．The store is filled with tools like a laser cutter, an industrial sewing machine and 3D printers．Bryan Jaycox requires $ 15 an hour to print an object．He also charges a fee depending on the size of the object and up to $ 50 an hour for design and labor services．
The Jaycoxs also offer 3D printing classes for anyone who is interested．One of the students in a recent class was Ki Chong Tran．He plans to open a 3D printing business in Cambodia．"The demand has been amazing．It's been much more than I would have imagined," said Ki Chong Tran．
"I think 3D printing is going to be huge． It's going to make a huge impact on society as a whole," he added．
Mr Jaycox predicts that within five years, 3D printing technology could become
more consumer friendly．
But Ki Chong Tran says even current technology can make a difference in a developing country like Cambodia．"With 3D printing you can give them tools, and you put it in their hands so they are responsible more for their own development．
They learn skills beyond just learning English and becoming a tour guide or something like that or working at a bank．You can actually create things that give value to the world," said Ki Chong Tran．
He says it's not just Cambodia but anywhere where there is a 3D printer, it can turn a good idea into reality．We learn from Paragraph l that 3D printing_________．
| A．is now available to ordinary people |
| B．first appeared in the United States |
| C．can turn your every dream into reality |
| D．is now only used by universities |
Bryan Jaycox opened The Build Shop LLC to__________．
| A．sell 3D printers and different kinds of tools |
| B．produce all types of printing machines |
| C．offer 3D printing classes and services |
| D．design different types of 3D printers |
In Mr Jaycox's opinion, within five years 3D printing will_________．
| A．make it easier to do business |
| B．be accessible to all consumers |
| C．change the way of social contact |
| D．bring about more profits to the sellers |
How will 3D printing technology benefit developing countries according to the text?
| A．It helps the people work efficiently at a bank． |
| B．It will promote the learning of English |
| C．It will accelerate the development of tourism． |
| D．It offers them a new way of development． |
B
Well, parents, surprise! Lots of us are using Twitter and Facebook to thumb rides, and not just to school. It’s awkward to be refused when you call a friend and ask for a ride. But with Twitter, you just look for other people heading the same way.
It may sound risky, so many teens stay within their own social circles to find rides, and don’t branch out beyond friends when asking on Twitter just like me, but to some young people, especially those taking longer trips, stranger danger is less of a concern.
“I think the digital connection of young people is really key, because younger generations grew up sharing things on line, sharing files, photos, music, etc, so they’ve been very used to sharing,” said Juliet Schor, a sociology professor at Boston College.
The sharing economy got big during the recession (经济衰退), allowing people to access more goods, services using technology and even to share costs. And that technology, for me, is what the car was for my mom, a gateway to more freedom, like what my friend Earl says, “The symbol of freedom isn’t the car any more because there’s technology out there connecting you to a car.”
According to the researchers at the University of Michigan, 30 years ago, eight in ten American 18-year-olds had a driver’s license compared to six in ten today. So it’s not that surprising that on my 16th birthday I wasn’t rushing to get a license but an iPhone.
“Driving, for young people, does mean they have to disconnect from their technology, and that’s a negative. So if they could sit in the passage side and still be connected, that’s going to be a plus.” Schor continued. www..com
To me, another plus is that ridesharing represents something, something much bigger than trying to save money. I see it as evidence that people still depend on each other. My generation shares their cars and apartments the way neighbors used to share cups of sugar. For the system to work, some of us still need our own cars. But until I get my own version of the silver Super Beetle, you can find me on Twitter.The American teens like the author, prefer to possess an iPhone as a birthday gift because _______.
| A．it is most fashionable and cool |
| B．they are bored with driving cars |
| C．they are fond of being connected |
| D．it is much cheaper than a car |
We can learn from the text that _______.
| A．Twitter is a website for teens to make friends and achieve goals |
| B．ridesharing can be seen as a sign that people still count on each other |
| C．driving cars for teens means a plus and connecting with technology |
| D．having a car and cost-sharing symbolize more freedom for the author’s mother |
Professor Juliet would agree that _______.
| A．young people will sit waiting to be contacted by reading a passage |
| B．sharing economy is bound to be responsible for the recession |
| C．young people tend to share a car with strangers by means of Twitter |
| D．being connected via technology comes first for young people |
The best title for the passage is probably _______.
| A．Twitter, an Awesome Website |
| B．Cars or iPhone |
| C．Teens Use Twitter to Thumb Rides |
| D．Cool Teens on the Go |