When many people in the west think of China, the animal that they think of is the dragon. For them, the dragon is an aggressive monster that breathes fire. Many popular legends tell how dragons have killed brave knights and eaten beautiful young girls.
For Chinese people, however, the dragon is not an evil monster. It’s a cultural and spiritual symbol for prosperity and good luck. The dragon’s main task is to create harmony and bring rain. Dragons are celebrated in art and architecture, and of course the dragon dance is a very popular ritual (仪式).
China isn’t the only country to have the dragon as its symbol. Wales in the UK, has a red dragon proudly displayed on its flag. Another country in the world with a dragon on its flag is Bhutan, a tiny country between China and India.
Almost all countries in the world have an animal symbol representing their countries. This is particularly obvious during sports. The English think lions to be brave and proud animal and the English football teams have three lions on their football shirts.
Australia is famous for kangaroos, of course. The national rugby team is more commonly known as the Wallabies, a type of small kangaroo. The South African team is known as the Springboks, a type of African antelope. Likewise the New Zealanders, whether playing sports or not, are commonly known as kiwis. A kiwi is a native New Zealand bird that can’t fly.
All countries are proud of their symbols, which they feel reflect national characteristics or the beauty and variety of their natural environments. Recently, a Shanghai professor claimed that using the dragon as a national symbol could make western countries have a negative view of China. But in an Internet survey 90% of Chinese people wanted to keep the dragon.In the opinion of the west, the dragon is ______.
| A．a terrible animal that is not popular |
| B．a cultural and spiritual symbol of good luck |
| C．a reflection of China’s national characteristics |
| D．an animal that can create harmony and bring rain |
Which of the following does NOT use the dragon as its national symbol?
| A．China. | B．Wales. | C．Bhutan. | D．India. |
According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．The national rugby team from the South Africa is well known as the Wallabies. |
| B．The Australian team is known as Springboks, a type of kangaroo. |
| C．The New Zealanders are commonly known as kiwis only when playing sports. |
| D．The dragon is mentioned to have been used on the flag in two countries. |
Have you ever thought, “I wish I could take a year off and just travel around the world”? Well, three lucky American teenagers were able to do just that. The teens—two males and one female--got an all-expenses paid, yearlong hike to five continents.
This trip didn’t include any five-star hotels or shopping funs. Eighteen-year-old Jamie Fiel from Keller, Texas, 17-year-old Arsen Ewing from Canyon, California, and 16-year-old Tyler Robinson from Lincoln, Massachusetts, didn’t expect fancy treatment. They signed up for the experience of a lifetime, which included hard work, often uncomfortable accommodations, and encounters with some of nature’s most dangerous animals and environments.
Jamie, Arsen, and Tyler were among hundreds of high school kids nominated by their science teachers to take this trip. Earthwatch Institute sponsored (赞助) this adventure. Each year, Earthwatch employs thousands of volunteers worldwide to help with scientific research projects.
The group went all around the world to get a close look at the most pressing environmental issues of our time. Their assignments were as varied as their locations, and included measuring and attending pink flamingos in Kenya’s Great Rift Valley, and tracking giant sea turtles in Costa Rica.
As they worked with the Earthwatch scientists, Jamie, Arsen, and Tyler began to understand that we are at a critical moment in the life of our planet. Time for change is running out. As the teens went from country to country and witnessed different environmental dangers and challenges, they understood that solutions to important environmental issues start with the power of one person's actions. They realized that each of them can make a difference.These teenagers went on the journey around the world _____.
| A．to experience the most serous environmental problems on the earth |
| B．to bring the kindness of America to the other parts of the world |
| C．to go on sightseeing around the world |
| D．to call on more teenagers to join Earthwatch Institute |
What’s true about their journey?
| A．They had to pay for their journey on their own expense. |
| B．They often had to move from one hotel to another. |
| C．They had to take great pains to collect environmental information. |
| D．They received a warm welcome every time they arrived at a new place. |
It can be inferred that Earthwatch Institute could be _____.
| A．an international university that takes in students from all over the world |
| B．a TV station that makes programmes on the beautiful scenery of the earth |
| C．a travel agency that organizes adventure trips specially for school children |
| D．an organization that brings science to life for people concerned about earth’s environment |
What did they these teenagers learn from the journey?
| A．It was high time that people protected the environment. |
| B．Long journey was not suitable for school children. |
| C．It should take the whole world to help the children. |
| D．Environmental problems can be solved if school children take part. |
You may have heard the term "the American Dream". In 1848, James W. Marshall found gold in California and people began having golden dreams. That 19th century "American Dream" motivated (激发起) the Gold Rush and gave California its nickname of the "Golden State".
The American Dream drove not only 1800s gold-rush prospectors but also waves of immigrants throughout that century and the next. People from Europe, and a large number of Chinese, arrived in the US in the 19th century hoping that in America they would find gold in the streets. But most, instead, worked as railroad labourers. They created the oldest Chinatown, in San Francisco, and gave the city a Chinese name "the old gold hill".
In the 20th century, some critics said that it was no longer possible to become prosperous through determination and hard work. Unfair education for students from poor families and racial discrimination almost made the American Dream a nightmare.
Then, in the 1990s, California saw a new wave of dreamers in Silicon Valley. People poured their energy into the Internet. This new chapter of the American Dream attracted many business people and young talents from China and India to form start-ups and seek fortunes in America.
Better pay, a nice house, and a rising standard of living will always be attractive. However, the new American Dream is no longer just about money. It encourages Americans to consume wisely to protect the environment, improve the quality of life, and promote social justice.
The Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, has become the model of the new American Dream. After years of hard work, he grew from a poor young man from Austria into a movie superstar and then governor. Many people hope his story can save the American Dream and give California a brighter future. It can be inferred that _____.
| A．America’s golden dream could never be realized |
| B．America’s golden dream had bought great fortunes to Chinese immigrants |
| C．each period of time has its own taste of the American dream |
| D．determination and hard work are the best way to realize the American dream |
Why did most of the early immigrants work as railroad laborers?
| A．Because they could earn more money as railroad laborers. |
| B．Because they had to make a living by working as railroad laborers. |
| C．Because they thought railroad was the first step to find gold. |
| D．Because railroad laborers were greatly honored at that time. |
The underlined sentence “his story can save the American Dream” (in the last paragraph) indicates that _____.
| A．the dream of seeking fortunate in America is easy to realize |
| B．most of the immigrants to America don’t reach their previous goal |
| C．the success of Arnold Schwarzenegger is among the common examples of the immigrants |
| D．the immigrants have made great contributions to California |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．Wave of Immigrants to America | B．Make Fortunes Abroad |
| C．Hard Work Leads to Success | D．Changes of America’s Golden Dream |
Want to take an out-of-this-world trip? Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic plans to make that possible. Beginning in 2009, people should have the opportunity to become space tourists, traveling at about 3,000 mph to heights about 75 miles above Earth. Branson has high hopes for his latest plans. "It is just the start of what we believe will be a new age in the history of mankind—one day making the affordable exploration of space by human beings a real possibility," he said.
At the start, though, the trip won’t be cheap. Seats aboard Virgin’s first craft—VSS Enterprise—will cost about $200,000. Prices could drop after the first hundred space flights. Despite the current ticket cost, more than 30,000 people—including celebrities(名人) Sigourney Weaver and Victoria Principal—have expressed interest in getting onboard.
People who don't have an extra $200,000 still have a chance to get a seat aboard the craft. A computer game contest and a reality television show are in the works. Those who can’t afford a ticket will have an opportunity to win a seat.
Virgin is expected to be the first commercial spacecraft. It will hold six passengers and two pilots. Passengers will be able to see the Earth from many different viewpoints. The cabin will include 15 floor-to-ceiling windows, allowing for views that extend about 1,000 miles in any direction.
Passengers will have three days of preflight preparation. On the big day, the spacecraft will take off from the Mojave Spaceport in the California desert. The craft will rocket passengers into space at four times the speed of sound. The journey will last about 2 1/2 hours. Passengers will wear spacesuits and helmets(头盔). They will be able to float around the cabin and do somersaults(空翻) during the five minutes of weightlessness they will experience in zero gravity. At the end of the flight, the craft will land on a runway.Virgin Galactic could be _____.
| A．the engineer of the first commercial spacecraft |
| B．the name of a series of spacecrafts |
| C．the company of the first commercial spacecraft |
| D．a passenger aboard the first commercial spacecraft |
The space passengers will do all the following except that _____.
| A．they will receive a three-day training course |
| B．they will wear spacesuits and helmets |
| C．they will take about $200,000 with them |
| D．they will experience weightlessness |
Which statement is true according to the passage?
| A．More than 30,000 people have got to travel in spacecraft. |
| B．Many people signed up for space travel in spite of the high ticket cost. |
| C．Those without much money could also go space travel without occupying the seats. |
| D．The first commercial spacecraft will have six persons on board. |
What is the text mainly about?
| A．The exciting moment of the spacecraft’s launching. |
| B．The living condition of space tourists in the craft. |
| C．Preparations for a space travel. |
| D．Plans for the first commercial space flight. |
Think of some of your favorite singers. When you listen, they can make you happy or sad, peaceful or angry. They can make you relax or want to get up and dance. Gifted singers have the power to affect us in many ways — emotionally, physically and mentally.
But becoming a great singer isn’t as easy as listening to one. It takes practice, devotion and strong lungs! Just ask the well-known American opera（歌剧）star Carol Vaness.
At the Metropolitan Opera in New York City where she often sings, Carol’s voice must be loud enough to be heard by four thousand people. It must reach every person in the theater, without a microphone, even when she’s singing softly. The reason Carol can project her voice that far is the way she breathes.
“When you breathe, it’s like a swimmer taking a deep breath before going underwater, ” Carol explains. “You have to take a lot of air into your lungs.”
According to Carol, the main difference between pop singing and opera is “how you breathe, how much air you take in, and how you control it coming out. Regular singing is more like speaking, and it’s a lot softer. When I sing for children, they’re often surprised by how the vibrations strike their ears — like waves on a beach, ” Carol says. “In opera, the air doesn’t just go out of your mouth — it vibrates in your chest, the way a guitar vibrates when it’s played.”
Ever since she started piano lessons at the age of ten, Carol has loved music. As she got older, she decided to become a music teacher. When she went to college, she took singing lessons as part of her studies. Her voice teacher discovered that nineteen-year-old Carol had an exceptionally beautiful soprano voice – the highest singing voice for women.
Carol decided to make opera her goal, not only because she loved to sing but also because she loved the drama. Opera is a play in which the characters sing the words instead of speaking them. The stories of opera can be tragic or comical. They can be personal stories about two people falling in love or grand stories about kings and queens who lived long ago. As the characters in an opera sing, the emotions(情感) expressed by words and music come to life.
Today, Carol performs throughout the United States and Europe and she has song for almost twenty years. But she has never forgotten where she started singing in the first palace.
“Put your heart into your singing and enjoy it,” says Carol, “because singing is a great joy. That’s why I sing. In fact, that’s why everybody sings.”According to the passage, the Metropolitan Opera in New York City _____.
| A．is a five-story building | B．can seat 4,000 people |
| C．has no microphone in it | D．can project the singer’s voice |
What is the best title for this passage?
| A．Opera Singing and Pop Singing | B．The Way an Opera Star Sings |
| C．An Opera Star | D．Singing without a Microphone |
Which statement is true?
| A．A pop singer breathes more deeply than an opera singer when he or she sings. |
| B．Opera singing is more like speaking. |
| C．A pop singer takes in much more air than an opera singer when singing. |
| D．An opera singer breathes differently from a pop singer when singing. |
From the passage you can conclude all the following EXCEPT that _____.
| A．Carol once learned to play the piano |
| B．Carol worked as a music teacher |
| C．Carol has been singing opera for 20 years or so |
| D．Carol is popular with Americans and Europeans |
The sentence “Put your heart into your singing” in the last paragraph means “_____”.
| A．devoting yourself to singing | B．taking trouble to sing |
| C．singing happily | D．trying your best to sing |
Buckminster Fuller once said, “The minute you choose to do what you really want to do, it’s a different kind of life.” If you want to live abundantly, decide what you really want and figure out a way to do it. Be clear and live with intent (意向).
You may have heard of Fred Lebow. He complained to his doctor that he lacked energy. His doctor advised him to take up running. He fell in love with it! He was 39 years old when he entered his first race.
Fred joined the New York Road Runners Club and organized New York City’s first marathon race. But what Fred truly wanted to do was to bring people together. He believes that anybody should be able to run — people of all ages and of any country.
Not everyone in New York was excited about people running through their neighborhood. A youth gang warned him that nobody had better run through their turf. “That’s great,” Fred said. “I need someone to protect the runners in your area, and you look like just the fellows to do it.”
He gave them each a hat, shirt and jacket and that year, when the marathon went through their neighborhood, these young men proudly guarded the runners along their way.
Fred decided what was truly important to him and he found a way to do it. He lived with intent. That single decision made his life remarkably different.
As one sports writer said, “Fate handed him a short race. With his goal, with his love of life, Fred turned it into a marathon.” Fred would say that it’s not about how long you live, but how you run the race of life. The purpose that Fred Lebow organized New York City’s first marathon race was _____.
| A．to be popular with people |
| B．to display his true love for sports development |
| C．to drive away his loneliness in the running |
| D．to get more people together |
Which word in the passage is the closest in meaning to the underlined word “turf”?
| A．Neighborhood. | B．Way. | C．Decision. | D．Race. |
What’s the best title for this passage?
| A．Determination guarantees you a success. |
| B．The race of life with intent. |
| C．Nothing is impossible in one’s life race. |
| D．The benefits of taking up running. |