China is having such a huge influence on the United States that many Americans are struggling to learn the Chinese language in a bid to keep competitive.
“Interest in learning Chinese among American youth and their parents has grown quickly in the past five years,” said Vivien Stewart, vice president at the Asia Society. China’s quick rise to near-superpower and its effects politically, economically and culturally are driving the American’s interest to learn the language, experts say. From kindergartens to high schools, studies by the Asia Society show, there is a “rapid rise” in interest among pupils to study the Chinese language. “The Chinese rich cultural traditions and blossoming economy mean that it is now important for all of our students to be better prepared,” said Michael Levine, Asia Society's executive director of education. A survey found that 2,400 high schools - an unbelievably high number - would be interested in offering the Advanced Placement (AP) courses in Chinese language and culture when the courses become available in 2016.
China, the world’s most popular nation, is important to the United States because it is a leading trader, consumer and investor. Its political influence is also rising across the world. It has replaced the United States as the world’s largest consumer and could become the second largest economy in the world, after the United States, in the next two to three decades.
Even though the US State Department has described the Chinese language “critical” to national prosperity and security, “the current facilities to support recruitment(招募) of students and teachers as well as the growth of high quality programs is terribly not enough,” an Asia Society study says. The Society has set an aim of having at least five percent of American high school students learning Chinese by 2015.
“Millions of Chinese are learning English, but only 24,000 Americans are learning Chinese,” said Andrew Corcoran of the San Francisco-based Chinese American International School. The most popular languages after English in US schools at present are Spanish and French while Japanese is the most popular Asian language.The underlined word blossoming (Para. 2)means______.
| A．weak | B．old | C．developing | D．developed |
Why do more and more Americans begin to learn the Chinese language?
| A．To be a bridge between the two big countries. |
| B．To keep competitive. |
| C．Because they are always interested in it. |
| D．To gain advantage in trade. |
What problems is the US faced with when it comes to learning Chinese?
| A．A lack in current facilities to support recruitment of students and teachers and programs. |
| B．Not many people want to learn foreign languages. |
| C．The language is rather difficult compared with English. |
| D．Too many Chinese are learning English. |
What is the best title for this passage?
| A．Foreign Language Learning |
| B．Danger from China |
| C．The Chinese Language gets More Popular |
| D．Difficulties in Learning the Chinese Language. |
C
Texting pedestrians arena' t just an annoyance to their fellow walkers, but something dangerous to themselves．
“1 was checking emails while walking to work this morning," said Wilbert van den Hoorn．“But it has a serious influence on the safety of people who type or read text while walking．"
Anecdotes back him up．A tourist from Taiwan walked off a port near Melbourne last month while checking Face book-bringing an abrupt, and icy end to a penguin- watching visit． Another shopper in the U．S． was too addicted to his mobile phone to notice the fountain ahead! walking straight into it．
And as mobile-phone use has grown-to about 77% of the world's population, the study says-so has the number of phone-related accidents．The number of U．S．emergency-room visits linked to phone use on the move doubled to as many as l,500 between 2005 and 2010, an Ohio State University study recently showed．
Authorities world-wide have taken note．Signs on Hong Kong's subway system advise passengers in three languages to keep their eyes off their phones．Police and transport authorities have also warned the danger in Singapore, where the Straits Times newspaper ranked it as No．2 Bad Habit"' due to the rising number of road deaths．Some U．S．states, including New York and Arkansas, are even considering bans on this act．
The Australian study used 26 volunteers, a third of whom admitted having hit objects while texting．They were fitted with different equipment in different parts of their body, and asked to walk 8．5 meters three times-once without a phone, once while reading a text and once while writing a text-while eight cameras captured the action．
Volunteers using the phone walked slower and with shorter steps （and slowest of all when typing）, and! more seriously, they locked their arms and elbows in-like “robots", in the researchers' words．That forced their heads to move more, throwing them off balance．
“In a pedestrian environment, inability to maintain a straight path would be likely to increase potential for hits, falls and traffic accidents," said Mr．van den Hoorn．“The best thing to do is to step aside and stop, or keep off the phone．"Which of the following about” Texting pedestrians" is WRONG?
| A．People who type while walking． |
| B．People who phone while walking． |
| C．People who text while walking． |
| D．People who read text message while walking． |
The writer uses the two examples in Paragraph 3 to show
| A．the advantages of mobile phones |
| B．the use of mobile phones in water |
| C．the use of mobile phones in a wrong way |
| D．the popularity of mobile phones |
What is New York and Arkansas' attitude to texting pedestrians?
| A．Considering forbidding their acts． |
| B．Ranking it as” No．l Bad Habit"． |
| C．Setting up signs to warn them． |
| D．Equipping them with advanced machines． |
Why are texting pedestrians likely to hit or fall according to the passage?
| A．They walk too fast． |
| B．They lock their arms and elbows． |
| C．They are out of balance． |
| D．They walk with longer steps． |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Text message or e-mail only? |
| B．Ways to avoid falls |
| C．Mobile phones for entertainment |
| D．Safety or text message? |
What can we infer from the conversation between the woman and the recorder at the beginning of the passage?
| A．The woman felt ashamed to admit what her job was． |
| B．The recorder was impatient and rude． |
| C．Motherhood was not recognized and respected as a job by society． |
| D．The author was upset about the situation that mothers faced． |
How did the female clerk feel at first when the author told her occupation?
| A．Puzzled． | B．Curious． |
| C．Upset． | D．Frightened． |
How did the author feel when describing her job to the clerk?
| A．Angry． | B．Calm． |
| C．Unconfident． | D．Annoyed． |
Why did the woman clerk show more respect for the author?
| A．Because the author cared little about rewards． |
| B．Because she admired the author's research work in the lab． |
| C．Because the author did something she had little knowledge of． |
| D．Because she thought the author did admirable work． |
What is the author's purpose of writing the passage?
| A．To show that motherhood is a worthy career and deserves respect． |
| B．To show how you describe your job affects your feelings toward it． |
| C．To show that the author had a grander job than Emily． |
| D．To show that being a mother is hard and boring work． |
A
Over the last 30 years, Bangkok, once a small fishing village, has transformed into a rich, concrete, high-rise city that it is today．The spreading metropolis and its population of 12 million now produces 35 per cent of Thailand's economic wealth．
As a magnet for foreign companies, Bangkok attracts many overseas managers and business people from different fields, including tourism! automobiles and electronics．The city's population of foreigners is in the high hundreds of thousands, with tens of thousands of Japanese, Chinese and western employees working alongside hundreds of thousands of Burmese who mostly do unskilled jobs shunned by Thais．
For those used to the good life, the variety and quality of the city's food is a key attraction, says one US manager, before listing many of his favorite Italian, Mexican and, of course, Thai restaurants．Most offer quality meals for less than the cost of a takeaway sandwich in London．
Great choice and value can be found in Bangkok's other attractions, too．For overseas business people who enjoy shopping in luxury and air-conditioned comfort! The city has hundreds of modern shopping malls．Some foreigners, however, prefer the charms of Chanukah Market, where anything can be bought at a good price by the skilled bargainer．
When the time comes to talk business many overseas business people prefer to move out of the markets and onto the golf course．Thailand has thousands of courses, which can provide a welcome break from the busy and noisy city life．But most business people go to the golf course because it's the perfect place to discuss the next big deal．
Because of the fast-paced life some foreign business people see Bangkok as a place to stay for the short term! rather than a lifetime．Australian computer software designer Sarah Huang is seven months pregnant but still working full-time in her Bangkok office．She says the city is” definitely a place I want to stay for the next five, ten years"．Nannies and home help are affordable, but high fees for quality secondary education have convinced Ms．Huang to return to Australia when her child reaches high school age．According to the first two paragraphs, we know that
| A．Bangkok offers many working opportunities for people |
| B．Bangkok has always been a rich Thai city |
| C．most foreigners coming to Bangkok are tourists |
| D．Burmese in Bangkok mostly work for Thais |
The underlined word” shunned" in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to
| A．forgotten | B．unwanted |
| C．appreciated | D．rewarded |
What is the main attraction of golf for business people according to the passage?
| A．It is the most convenient way for them to get regular exercise． |
| B．It is a good place in which to discuss business matters． |
| C．It is a great way to escape from the noise and pollution of the city． |
| D．It gives them the opportunity to meet local people in a social setting． |
Sarah Huang says she’ll eventually leave Bangkok because.
| A．she is going to have a baby |
| B．her working hours are too long |
| C．it's not easy to find suitable home help there |
| D．the cost of a good education there is too high |
The main purpose of the passage is to．
| A．explain the reasons for Bangkok's rapid economic growth over the past 30 years |
| B．promote the many attractions Bangkok has to offer tourists visiting the city |
| C．describe the attractions of living in Bangkok for foreign business people |
| D．compare the lifestyles of Burmese workers and foreign business people in Bangkok |
E
Imagine a house that keeps itself warm in the wintertime. Think of the savings in terms of fuel bills and unfriendly emissions. Such houses in fact exist, called “passive houses”. The concept of these highly energy-efficient buildings took root in the 1990s, before slowly consolidating as a niche construction (生态位构建) concept in the 2000s. Are passive houses now actively moving into the mainstream as sustainable buildings?
For Brian McGarry, an economics lecturer who built a family house based on passive housing criteria in the Pyrenees this year, the arguments look convincing. As his first full winter in the low energy house draws in, we asked him to keep us informed. Do passive houses work?
I had never heard of a passive house in February 2012, when I purchased a plot of land. Nor did I expect that I would be persuaded to build a pre-constructed, custom-designed house based on energy-efficient passive house criteria. It promised to be easier and quicker to build, cheaper to run, and more comfortable to live in. The objective was to incorporate the fundamental concepts of passive energy management into my project: an airtight and highly insulated building envelope; large southfacing double or triple-glazed windows (if possible, filled with argon gas) that passively capture the energy of the sun; a heat recovery ventilation system to provide fresh air; and a simple, low-cost heating system consisting of a modern wood-burning stove, a bathroom heater and a portable radiator backup for when the sun doesn’t shine and temperatures decline. No significant
limitations were placed on the design, and it had excellent environmental credentials. Moreover, the cost was no more than a conventional build.
After six months in use, the house is proving to be both cheap to run and remarkably comfortable–staying cool in the hot summer was effortless, as long as the windows were shuttered or shaded from the sun. Nowstaying warm in the cold, high-altitude December climate also seems easy, so far.
Winter arrived in force in the Pyrenees in November, with abundant snowfalls and temperatures as low as minus 8° Celsius. Though early days, the house has responded well: the stove is lit during cold evenings but the portable radiator has not yet been needed. This type of construction seems not only to make economic andenvironmental sense, but to enhance our quality of life, too.We can learn from Paragraph one that passive houses __________.
| A．consume extra energy to keep warm in winter and cool in summer |
| B．had been introduced for a decade before the birth of the theory |
| C．appeal to both the self-builders and those constructors |
| D．refer to a certain house comfortable, costly and also pleasing |
Regarding the passive energy management, the houses have characteristics EXCEPT _______
| A．using south-facing windows to take in solar energy |
| B．Providing energy for taking a shower when it’s rainy |
| C．supplying fresh air with a special heat recovery system |
| D．placing more demands and restrictions on the design |
How did Brian McGarry find his self-built passive house?
| A．very unaffordable |
| B．Energy-consuming |
| C．comfortable to live in |
| D．Awkward to use |
What is the writer’s attitude towards the passive housing?
| A．supportive | B．critical |
| C．oppositive | D．doubtful |
D
A man may usually be known by the books he reads as well as by the company he keeps; for there is a companionship of books as well as of men; and one should always live in the best company, whether it be of books or of men.
A good book may be among the best of friends. It is the same today that it always was, and it will never change. It is the most patient and cheerful of companions. It does not turn its back upon us in times of adversity or distress. It always receives us with the same kindness; amusing and instructing us in youth, and comforting and consoling us in age.
Men often discover their affinity (密切关系) to each other by the mutual love they have for a book just as two persons sometimes discover a friend by the admiration which both entertain for a third. There is an oldproverb, “Love me, love my dog.” But there is more wisdom in this: “Love me, love my book.” The book is a truer and higher bond of union. Men can think, feel, and sympathize with each other through their favorite author. They live in him together, and he in them.
A good book is often the best urn(瓮) of a life enshrining the best that life could think out; for the world ofa man’s life is, for the most part, but the world of his thoughts. Thus the best books are treasuries of good words, the golden thoughts, which, if remembered and cherished, become our constant companions andcomforters.
Books possess an essence of immortality. They are by far the most lasting products of human effort.
Temples and statues decay, but books survive. Time is of no account with great thoughts, which are as fresh today as when they first passed through their author’s minds, ages ago. What was then said and thought still speaks to us as vividly as ever from the printed page. The only effects of time have been to filter out the bad products; for nothing in literature can long survive but what is really good.A good book may be among the best of friends because_____.
| A．it changes over the past of time |
| B．it contains all kinds of knowledge |
| C．it doesn’t betray us when we are in trouble |
| D．it comforts us in youth and instructs us in age |
“Love me, love my book” in paragraph 3 probably means _______?
| A．If you love me, you must reading books. |
| B．The book can be a bond between friends. |
| C．I love books as much I love friends. |
| D．If you love the author, you will love his books. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Time can tell whether a literature is good or bad. |
| B．All books are our constant companions and comforters. |
| C．Temples, statues and books cannot stand the test of time. |
| D．The world of a man’s thoughts is what his life is all about. |
The best title for this passage can be .
| A．Reading Books |
| B．A Good Book |
| C．Our Best Friend |
| D．Companionship of Books |