After a year of being prepared, Laura Dekker can’t wait to set sail .Last August ,the Dutch government decided that Laura Dekker was too young to take on the challenge of sailing around the world alone. But after a year of preparing herself , Laura has been allowed to sail.
”I was so happy I almost jump into the water,” Laura said , after learning of the court’s judgement. She was born on a yacht(游艇) in the South Pacific ,and now lives with her father in a boat. When Dutch child protection groups first heard about her plan to sail alone , they stopped her from doing so .
Since the decision, though, Laura had been preparing with her father to persuade the courts that she was ready. Last week she received the books and other materials she would need for school while she was at sea. She added safety equipment to a new, big ship. And she took her first aid course to learn several survival skills, like how to put out fires on the boat, take care of her own injuries and deal with lack of sleep. She also planned a safer course --- adding alternate routes(备用路径) to avoid pirate(海盗) attacks, and planning a course that would have her on dry land as she moved from port to port across the world.
Laura is using a larger and more safer boat. If she finished successfully in less than two years, she will take the title from current record-holder Jessica Watson, of Australia, who was 16 when she completed the journey.Why didn’t the Dutch government allow Laura Dekker to sail alone ?
| A．She was too old to take care of herself |
| B．She was too young to sail alone. |
| C．She was not well prepared |
| D．It would cause trouble to the government. |
It can be inferred that Laura’s sailing plan was first ______.
| A．not allowed by her father and mother |
| B．supported by her father and mother |
| C．not allowed by Dutch child protection groups |
| D．supported by Dutch child protection groups |
When Laura is at sea ,she might _____.
| A．learn some lessons by herself |
| B．learn some lessons with the help of her father |
| C．stop her school lessons for some time |
| D．not learn any lessons of her schooling |
According to the passage , Laura made good preparations in the following EXCEPT _____.
A, struggling against sharks
B. learning knowledge in first aid
C. improving the yacht
D. improving herself with survival skills
Everyday we talk about and use the Internet, but how many of us know the history of the Internet?
Many people are surprised when they find that the Internet was set up in the 1960s. At that time, computers were large and expensive. Computer network didn’t work well. If one computer in the network broke down, then the whole network stopped. So a new network system had to be set up. It should be good enough to be used by many different computers. If part of the network was not working, information could be sent through another part. In this way computer network system would keep on working on the time.
At first the Internet was only used by the government, but in the early 1970s, universities, hospitals and banks were allowed to use it too. However, computers were still very expensive and the Internet was difficult to use. By the start of the 1990s, computers became cheaper and easier to use. Scientists had also developed software that made “surfing” in the Internet more convenient.
Today it is easy to get on-line and it is said that millions of people use the Internet every day. Sending e-mail is more and more popular among students.The Internet has now become one of the most important parts of people’s life.The Internet has a history of more than _______ years.
| A．sixty | B．forty | C．fifty | D．twenty |
A new network system was set up to _________.
| A．make computers cheaper |
| B．make itself keep on working all the time |
| C．break down the whole network |
| D．make computers large and expensive |
__________ made “surfing” the Internet more convenient.
| A．Computers |
| B．Hardware |
| C．Software |
| D．Information |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．In the 1960s, computer network worked well. |
| B．In the early 1970s, the Internet was easy to use. |
| C．Today it’s still not easy to get on-line. |
| D．Sending e-mail is now more popular among students than before. |
Some children are natural-born bosses. They have a strong need to make decisions，manage their environment，and lead rather than follow. Stephen Jackson，a Year One student，“operates under the theory of what's mine is mine and what's yours is mine，” says his mother. “The other day I bought two new Star Wars light sabers (剑). Later，I saw Stephen with the two new ones while his brother was using the beat-up ones.”
“Examine the extended family，and you'll probably find a bossy grandparent，aunt，uncle or cousin in every generation. It's an inheritable trait，” says Russell Barkley，a professor at the Medical University of South Carolina. Other children who may not be particularly bossy can gradually gain dominance (支配地位) when they sense their parents are weak，hesitant，or in disagreement with each other.
Whether it's inborn nature or developed character at work，too much control in the hands of the young isn't healthy for children or the family. Fear is at the root of a lot of bossy behavior，says family psychologist John Taylor. Children，he says in his book From Defiance to Cooperation，“have secret feelings of weakness” and “a desire to feel safe.” It's the parents' role to provide that protection.
When a “boss child” doesn't learn limits at home，the stage is set for a host of troubles outside the family. The overly willful and unbending child may have trouble obeying teachers or coaches，for example，or trouble keeping friends. It can be pretty lonely as the top dog if no one likes your bossy ways.
“I see more and more parents giving up their power，” says Barkley，who has studied bossy behavior for more than 30 years. “They bend too far because they don't want to be as strict as their own parents were. But they also feel less confident about their parenting skills. Their kids，in turn，feel more anxious.”Bossy children like Stephen Jackson_________.
| A．make good decisions | B．show self-centeredness |
| C．lack care from others | D．have little sense of fear |
The underlined phrase “inheritable trait” in Paragraph 2 means ___________.
| A．inborn nature | B．developed character |
| C．accepted theory | D．particular environment |
The study on bossy behavior implies that parents_________.
| A．should give more power to their children |
| B．should be strict with their children |
| C．should not be so anxious about their children |
| D．should not set limits for their children |
What is the passage mainly about？
| A．How bossy behavior can be controlled. |
| B．How we can get along with bossy children. |
| C．What leads to children's bossy behavior. |
| D．What effect bossy behavior brings about. |
Lee Humberg, district manager for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, is the man in charge of figuring out how to remove the flocks (群) of 15,000 to 20,000 Canada geese(大雁) that could strike planes flying in and out of the New York area. The Port Authority, the agency that manages airport in New York and New Jersey, estimates that there have been as many as 315 bird strikes annually in the past 30 years.
Bird strikes have been a hot topic since a US Airways jet suffered a “double strike” and made an emergency landing on the Hudson River in January 2009. All 155 passengers were rescued safely and the flight was called “Miracle on the Hudson”. The plane finally ended up at the Carolinas Aviation Museum. The next major bird strike may not have such a happy ending.
To thin the flocks, Humberg and his team have tracked down goose nests and killed eggs with corn oil. They’ve also terrified the birds with dogs, remote-controlled boats and kites that look like eagles. But the only method that effectively decreases the goose population is the one that angers animal lovers the most: gassing hundreds at a time.
“If all you are doing is goose harassment (骚扰) every day, it’s very frustrating, because you are just playing Ping-Pong with the birds,” Humberg told New York magazine. “It’s basically an arms race to come up with the tools to deal with them.”
Now New York City plans to send the geese captured to Pennsylvania to be cooked and distributed at food banks as meals for the poor. That might just be a fate better than flying into a 747 engine.What can we learn form Humberg?
| A．He does research on geese’s living conditions. |
| B．He makes efforts to protect wild birds. |
| C．He deals with the danger of birds at airports. |
| D．He tries to find newer and safer airlines. |
Why was the flight called “Miracle on the Hudson”?
| A．It suffered a “double strike”. | B．It arrived at a plane museum. |
| C．It only caused a few deaths. | D．It succeeded in landing on a river. |
By saying “you are just playing Ping-Pong with the birds”, Humberg means ______.
| A．It’s interesting to fight with the birds |
| B．It’s a skill-needed race against the birds |
| C．you can’t defeat the bird in the end |
| D．you should live with birds peacefully |
It can be inferred from the passage that ______.
| A．Canada geese can fly as high as planes |
| B．New York airlines are in poor management |
| C．bird strikes happen once a week on average |
| D．the poor may also benefit from Humberg’s work |
If you haven’t heard or seen anything about Road Rage in the last few months, you’ve probably been avoiding the media. There have been countless stories about this new and scary phenomenon, considered a type of aggressive driving. You have most likely encountered aggressive driving or Road Rage recently if you drive at all.
While drunk driving remains a critical problem, the facts about aggressive driving are surely as disturbing. For instance, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Association, 41,907 people died on the highway last year. Of those deaths, the agency estimates that about two-thirds were caused at least in part by aggressive driving behavior.
Why is this phenomenon occurring more than ever now, and why is it something that seemed almost nonexistent a few short years ago? Experts have several theories, and all are probably partially correct. One suggestion is sheer overcrowding. In the last decade, the number of cars on the roads has increased by more than 11 percent, and the number of miles driven has increased by 35 percent. However, the number of new road miles has only increased by 1 percent. That means more cars in the same amount of space; and the problem is magnified（增强） in urban areas. Also, people have less time and more things to do. With people working and trying to fit extra chores and activities into the day, stress levels have never been higher. Stress creates anxiety, which leads to short tempers. These factors, when combined in certain situations, can spell Road Rage.
You may think you are the last person who would drive aggressively, but you might be surprised. For instance, have you ever yelled out loud at a slower driver, sounded the horn long and hard at another car, or sped up to keep another driver from passing? If you recognize yourself in any of these situations, watch out!
Whether you are getting angry at other drivers, or another driver is visibly upset with you, there are things you can do to avoid any major conflict. If you are easily influenced by Road Rage, the key is to discharge your emotion in a healthy way. If you are the target of another driver’s rage, do everything possible to get away from the other driver safely, including avoiding eye contact and getting out of their way.ThefirstsentenceinPara.1impliesthat______.
| A．onemaybeangeredbymediareportsandwantstoavoidthem | ||
| B．themediainventedtheterm“RoadRage”onlyafewmonthsago | C．RoadRagehasreceivedmuchmediacoverageinthelastfewmonths | D．peoplenotinterestedinthemediaknowlittleaboutrecenthappenings |
Theunderlined word“spell”inPara.3means ________.
| A．relieve | B．cause | C．spread | D．prevent |
Which of the following characterizes aggressive driving?
| A．Talking while driving. | B．Driving at high speed. |
| C．Sounding the horn when passing. | D．Shouting at another driver. |
Thelastparagraphisintendedto_________.
| A．tellpeoplehowtodealwithRoadRage |
| B．informpeoplehowaggressivedriverscouldbe |
| C．showpeoplehowtocontrolthemselveswhenangry |
| D．warnpeopleagainsteyecontactwithanotherdriver |
Andy loved the first grade. He loved his teacher，Mrs.Parks. He loved playing games on the playground. He loved learning about dinosaurs and the solar system (恐龙和太阳系)．
Every morning Andy’s mother dropped him off in front of his school on South Street. One foggy morning，the traffic was so bad on South Street that she decided to drop him off behind the school. Andy walked for about ten minutes and got to the gate. He held the icy handle，but it didn’t move！Using both hands，he tried his hardest and finally the gate opened.
After Andy closed the gate behind him，he looked in the direction of the teaching building. But all he could see was fog. He got to the spot where the slide had always been，but it was not there.“The slide is gone！” he cried. He walked a little more to look for the swings，but they were not where they had always been.“The swings are gone！” he cried again.
Andy kept walking. He was so anxious to see the school that he fell and landed on the ground. He still couldn’t see the school. A terrible thought appeared in his head.“The school is gone！” he cried sadly. No more games with Jennie，Angel and Dillon，he thought. No more reading about dinosaurs. No more watching videos on the solar system...
Suddenly the boy saw something up ahead.“It’s Jennie！”he shouted. Then he saw the outline of a school building. His school was still there！He was full of excitement!
“Hi，Jennie！” he stood up and caught up with the girl.“I couldn’t see the school. I thought it was gone.” Jennie just laughed.“You’re so silly.” “What happened to the slide and the swings？” Andy asked.
“We will have new playground equipment today，” Jennie answered.“The old equipment was taken away last night. Don’t you remember Mrs. Parks telling us about it yesterday？” “I guess I forgot，” Andy said，smiling.“Anyway，I’m glad the school is here.”It can be concluded from the passage that________．
| A．Andy’s mother might feel sorry for her son |
| B．Andy was a boy who loved school very much |
| C．many students would be late for school on that foggy day |
| D．Jennie did well in learning and was interested in nature |
Andy cried the second time probably because________．
| A．he couldn’t play on the slide any more |
| B．he carelessly fell down on the ground |
| C．it was too cold for him to walk a long way |
| D．he didn’t find the swings where they had been |
Why didn’t Andy see the school building before he met Jennie?
| A．Because his eyesight was not very good. |
| B．Because he went in the wrong direction. |
| C．Because there was heavy fog that morning. |
| D．Because he was not concentrated then. |
According to the passage，when Andy began his class that day he would________．
| A．still feel confused | B．have a nice day |
| C．miss his mother | D．behave badly |