A mother’s ad calling for her son to come home for Chinese New Year ran on the front page of the Chinese Melbourne Daily newspaper on January 14.
It placed a full page ad, saying “Dear Peng, I’ve called you many times but you don’t pick up, maybe you will see this. Dad and mom won’t ever force you to get married anymore, come home for Chinese New Year! From your mom who loves you.”
The ad, which appeared on the front page of the Chinese Melbourne Daily on Tuesday, would cost $2,796.80 Australian dollars ($2465). The newspaper serves the city’s Chinese community. The mother, who lives in Guangzhou had placed the ad after losing contact with her son.
Every year around this time, many Chinese prepare to head home for China’s most important festival. But many of the younger generation are afraid of facing family confrontations about their love life.
On the online Chinese forum Tianya. cn, a single man asked for advice on facing his family. “It’s almost that time of the year. How should I explain to my family and relatives that I am single?” a user in Guangzhou “1979xiaozhu” posted. Many of the replies were telling him not to go home instead.
User “qianlidaiwanwoduxing” wrote: “Going home means they will either arrange blind dates for you or you get scolded.”
“This year my mom gave me an ultimatum. One, bring 50,000 yuan; second, bring a wife home. If I don’t have both then she said I don’t need to come home. What a tragedy!” said user “fghjkh84”.
Those girls who can’t handle the pressure of parents can rent a boyfriend for the day through China’s online shopping giant, Taobao.com. Rental boyfriends come with services such as meeting the parents, shopping and watching movies.The mother placed a full page ad in order to _______.
A.ask her son to come back to China for the festival |
B.beg her son to answer her telephone more times |
C.force her son to come home and get married |
D.make her son become famous in Melbourne |
Why did the mother place the ad in the Chinese Melbourne Daily?
A.Because her son didn’t want to get married in China. |
B.Because she couldn’t get in touch with her son any more. |
C.Because her son wanted to live alone in Australia. |
D.Because she wanted her son to come back to work. |
What leads many Chinese young people not to go home for New Year?
A.Their busy work. | B.The long distance. |
C.Their low pay. | D.Their love life. |
From the passage we can infer ______.
A.the user “1979xiaozhu” is a married young man |
B.the user “qianlidaiwanwoduxing” will go home |
C.the user “fghjkh84” will bring a wife home |
D.some single girls have to bring an untrue boyfriend home |
Everybody has one of those days when everything goes wrong. This is what happened to Harry.
He got up one morning very late because he had forgotten to wind up his alarm clock(闹钟). He tried to shave(刮脸)quickly and cut himself. When he got dressed he got blood all over his clean shirt, so he had to find another one. The only other shirt that was clean needed ironing(熨), so he ironed it. While he was ironing it, there was a knock at the door. It was the man to read the electricity meter(表). He showed him where the meter was, said good-bye and found that the iron had burnt a hole in his shirt. So he had to wear the one with the blood on it after all. By this time it was very late, so he decided he couldn’t go to work by bus. He telephoned for a taxi to take him to work. The taxi arrived and Harry got in and began to read the newspaper.
In another part of the town, a man had killed a woman with a knife and was seen to run away in a taxi. When Harry’s taxi stopped outside his office, a policeman happened to be standing there. He saw the blood on Harry’s shirt, and took him to the police station. He was kept till 3 o’clock in the afternoon before the police were sure that he was not the man they wanted. When he finally arrived at the office at about four, his boss took a look at him and told him to go away and find another job.Harry had __________.
A.a lucky day | B.an unlucky day | C.a busy day | D.a good day |
Put the following sentences into correct order according to the passage.
a. The man who read the electricity meter came.
b. Harry ironed his shirt.
c. Harry got blood all over his clean shirt.
d. There was a knock at the door.
e. Harry wore the shirt with blood on it.
A.a, b, c, d, e | B.b, a, d, c, e | C.b, a, c, d, e | D.c, b, d, a, e |
Why did Harry wear the shirt with blood on it?
A.The iron had burnt a hole in his clean shirt. |
B.The only other needed ironing. |
C.He had only one shirt. |
D.He cut himself and got blood all over his shirt. |
Harry was taken to the police station because __________.
A.his taxi stopped outside his office and a policeman happened to be there |
B.there was blood on his shirt and he was in a taxi |
C.a man killed a woman with a knife |
D.the murderer(杀人犯)was seen to run a away in a taxi |
His boss told him to go away and find another job because __________.
A.he had been kept by the police | B.there was blood on his shirt |
C.he was late for work | D.he had killed a woman |
The teacher who did the most to encourage me was, as it happened, my aunt. She was Myrtle C. Manigault, the wife of my mother’s brother Bill. She taught in second grade at all-black Summer School in Camden, New Jersey.
During my childhood and youth, Aunt Myrtle encouraged me to develop every aspect of my potential, without regard for what was considered practical or possible for black females. I liked to sing; she listened to my voice and pronounced it good. I couldn’t dance; she taught me the basic dancing steps. She took me to the theatre ---- not just children’s theatre but adult comedies and dramas—and her faith that I could appreciate adult plays was not disappointed.
My aunt also took down books from her extensive library and shared them with me. I had books at home, but they were all serious classics. Even as a child I had a strong liking for humor, and I’ll never forget the joy of discovering Don Marquis’s Archy & Mehitabel through her.
Most important, perhaps, Aunt Myrtle provided my first opportunity to write for publication. A writer herself for one of the black newspapers, she suggested my name to the editor as a “youth columnist”. My column, begun when I was fourteen, was supposed to cover teenage social activities—and it did—but it also gave me the freedom to write on many other subjects as well as the habit of gathering material, the discipline of meeting deadlines, and, after graduation from college six years later, a solid collection of published material that carried my name and was my passport to a series of writing jobs.
Today Aunt Myrtle is still an enthusiastic supporter of her “favourite niece”. Like a diamond, she has reflected a bright, multifaceted (多面的) image of possibilities to every pupil who has crossed her path.
Which of the following did Aunt Myrtle do to the author during her childhood and youth?
A.She lent her some serious classics. | B.She cultivated her taste for music. |
C.She discovered her talent for dancing. | D.She introduced her to adult plays. |
Aunt Myrtle recommended the author to a newspaper editor mainly to ______.
A.involve her in teenage social activities | B.give her a chance to collect material |
C.develop her capabilities for writing | D.offer her a series of writing jobs |
We can conclude from the passage that Aunt Myrtle was a teacher who ______.
A.gave pupils confidence in exploiting their potential |
B.trained pupils to be diligent and well-disciplined |
C.emphasized what was practical or possible for pupils. |
D.helped pupils overcome difficulties in learning |
The old shopkeeper led me through to the back of the shop. The room was filled with boxes and photographs of people dressed in old-fashioned clothes, holding packages in their hands.
“Who are these people?” I asked.
“Satisfied customers,” answered young Mr. Hopkins. “We have a very wide choice of items for sale. Whenever I serve a new customer, I always take their picture.” Mr. Hopkins pointed to an ancient camera standing next to one wall. “Now, how can I serve you?” he added.
By this time, I had started to trust Mr. Hopkins and had begun to appreciate the lovely items on sale. I needed to buy Christmas presents for my family and friends, and this seemed to be the perfect place to purchase them. I spent a very pleasant hour being shown the commodities in Mr. Hopkins’shop. No matter what I asked for, Mr. Hopkins found it for me. Finally, I bought an antique jewelry box, a pair of riding boots, a leather-bound edition of the Complete Works of Mark Twain, and a sewing machine.
I was very excited that I had found such a good little shop. I promised Mr. Hopkins that I would come back soon. “I will tell all my friends about your lovely place,” I told the shopkeeper.
“Please do not do that, sir”, said Mr. Hopkins. “This is a special place for special people. You must keep this shop a secret.” Then he took my photograph, and handed me the picture straight away.
“That was quick!” I exclaimed. I looked at the photograph. In the picture I looked proud and excited holding the presents I had bought in Mr. Hopkins’ dusty shop.
On Christmas Day, my friends and relatives were delighted with the presents I had bought for them. For weeks, my brother begged me to show him where to find this wonderful little shop. I finally agreed to take him to London to show him.
When we arrived in London, we walked along Oxford Street, past the department store and found...nothing. The little shop was no longer there. In its place was an empty space being used as a car park. I checked the area again. There was the music shop, and there was the department store. In between should have been Hopkins and Son, but it wasn’t there.
As I was staring at the place where the shop should have been, an old policeman came along. “Are you looking for something sir?” he asked.
I turned and said “I am looking for a little shop called Hopkins and Son. I thought it was here.”
“Oh yes,” said the policeman. “There was a shop here once called Hopkins and Son. It sold all sorts of things, but it was knocked down over 30 years ago.”
I looked again at the place where the shop had been. Then I reached into my pocket and took out the photograph that Mr. Hopkins had taken of me holding my presents in the little shop.
“How strange” I exclaimed. How did the writer like the shop?
A.He found it a modern big shop. |
B.He thought it a wonderful shop for all Christmas presents. |
C.He thought it a good shop with an ancient camera. |
D.He found it a dusty, old but friendly and lovely little shop. |
Which of the following is true about the shop?
A.It was knocked down a few weeks ago. |
B.It was a well-known little shop in London. |
C.It was a special shop selling special presents. |
D.It was between a music shop and a department store. |
The word “the commodities’ in the 4th paragraph means _____.
A.the writer’s works |
B.the goods in the shop |
C.Mr. Hopkins’ photographs |
D.Some presents left by other customers |
Which of the following is the best title of this passage?
A.Christmas Shopping |
B.Hopkins and His Son |
C.The Strange Little Shop |
D.The Strange Experience |
In a natural disaster—a hurricane, flood, volcanic eruption, or other catastrophes—minutes and even seconds of warning can make the difference between life and death.Because of this, scientists are working to use the latest technological advances to predict when and where disasters will happen.They are also studying how best to analyze and communicate this information once it is obtained.
On September 29, 1998, Hurricane Georges made landfall in Biloxi, Mississippi, after damaging Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and several islands of the Caribbean badly with torrential rains and winds up to 160 km per hour.Few people lost their lives along the Gulf Coast of the United States, although hundreds died in the Caribbean.
This was a very different outcome from 1900, when a powerful Gulf Coast hurricane made an unexpected direct hit on Galveston, Texas, killing at least 6,000 people.
Vastly improved hurricane warnings explain the different circumstances at either end of the 20th century——residents of Galveston had no advance warning that a storm was approaching, while residents of Biloxi had been warned days in advance, allowing for extensive safety precautions(预防).
At the same time that people in Biloxi were thankful for the advance warning, some residents of New Orleans, Louisiana were less satisfied.A day before Georges made landfall, forecasters were predicting that the hurricane had a good chance of striking New Orleans.Because much of New Orleans lies below sea level, the city is at risk for flooding.Emergency management officials must begin evacuations(疏散)well before a storm strikes.But evacuation costs money: businesses close, tourists leave, and citizens take precautionary measures.The mayor of New Orleans estimated that his city' s preparations for Georges cost more than 50 million.After Georges missed New Orleans, some residents questioned the value of the hurricane forecasts in the face of such high costs.
The different views on the early warnings for Hurricane Georges show some of the complexities related to predicting disasters.Disaster prediction is a process of providing scientific information to the government officials and other decision makers who must respond to those predictions.What is the purpose of disaster prediction according to the passage?
A.To identify the cause of disasters. |
B.To save people' s lives and property. |
C.To prevent natural disasters from happening, |
D.To apply advanced technology to disaster prediction. |
Which of the following areas suffered the most severe damage?
A.Puerto Rico. | B.New Orleans. |
C.Biloxi, Mississippi. | D.Galveston, Texas. |
The city residents of New Orleans were unsatisfied because ___ .
A.the forecast hurricane did not hit the city |
B.the hurricane warning arrived rather late |
C.their preparations were made in vain |
D.they suffered from a heavy hurricane attack |
What does the passage mainly talk about?
A.The different ways of disaster prediction. |
B.Technological advances in disaster prediction. |
C.The importance and uncertainty of disaster prediction. |
D.The benefits and preparations of disaster prediction. |
Did you know that women’s brains are smaller than men’s? The average women’s brain weighs 10% less than men’s. Since research has shown that the bigger the brain, the cleverer the animal, men must be more intelligent(聪明的) than women. Right? Wrong. Men and women always score similarly on intelligence tests, despite the difference in brain size. Why? After years of study, researchers have concluded that it’s what’s inside that matters, not just the size of the brain. The brain consists of“grey matter” and “white matter” while men have more of latter, the amount of “thinking” brain is almost exactly the same in both sexes.
It has been suggested that smaller brain appears to work faster, perhaps because the two sides of the brain are better connected in women. This means that little girls tend to learn to speak earlier, and that women can understand sorts of information from different sources at the same time. When it comes to talking to the boss on the phone, cooking dinner and keeping an eye on the baby all at the same time, it’s women who come out on top every time.
There are other important differences between two sexes. As white matter is the key to spatial(空间的) tasks, men know better where things are in relation to other things. “A great footballer always knows where he is in relation to the other players, and he knows where to go,” says one researcher. That may explain one of life’s great mysteries: why men refuse to ask for directions … and women often need to!
The differences begin when fetuses(胎儿) are about mine weeks old, which can be seen in the action of children ad young as one. A boy would try to climb a barrier (障碍物) before him or push it down while a girl would attract help from others. These brain differences also explain the fact that more men take up jobs that require good spatial skills, while more women speech skills. It may all go back to our ancestors, among whom women needed speech skills to take care of their babies and men needed spatial skills to hunt, according to one research.
If all this disappoints you, it shouldn’t. “The brain changes throughout our lives according to what we do with it.” says a biologist.Which of the following is true according to the first paragraph?
A.Women’s brain is 10% less than men’s |
B.Grey matter plays the same role as white matter. |
C.Both sexes have the same amount of white matter. |
D.Grey matter controls thinking in the brain. |
What can we infer from the second and third paragraphs?
A.Men do better dealing with one job at a time. |
B.Women prefer doing many things at a time. |
C.Women do not need to tell directions. |
D.Men have weaker spatial abilities. |
Which of the following do you agree with according to the fourth paragraph?
A.Young boys may be stronger than young girls. |
B.More women take up jobs requiring speech skills |
C.Women may have stronger feelings than men. |
D.Our ancestors needed more spatial skills. |
What is the writer’s attitude in writing this passage?
A.Defensive. | B.Persuasive. | C.Objective. | D.Supportive. |