NEWS BRIEF
●Prime Minister Tony Blair faced new allegations (指控) on Thursday that he misled Parliament and the public in making the case for the war in Iraq after he disclosed his chief legal adviser's written opinion raising questions about the legality (合法) of the war.
●US Forest Service officials are reminding people to stay off Forest Service roads that are closed. The fine for disobeying the rule of road closures is a maximum of $ 5, 000 fine and/or six months in prison. Those who enter the area and cause road damage may also be required to pay for repairs.
●In a second study presented at the meeting, scientists from the UK and Denmark showed that even a few days of high temperatures can severely reduce production of crops such as wheat, soybeans, rice and groundnuts, if it occurs when the plants are flowering.
●A bomb exploded in Thailand's mainly Muslin south on Sunday, killing two policemen and wounding three others, a day after Thailand' s queen condemned those behind a 15-month wave of violence (暴力).
●Mechanicsburg 3, West York l: Ken Stamper and Rusty Bowman had seven kills each, and Ryan Warfield had six to lead the Wildcats past the Bulldogs, 25-11, 25-15, 15-25, 25-23, in a non-league match.The news brief covers ____.
| A．war, law, violence, culture and agriculture |
| B．sports, war, violence, politics and climate |
| C．politics, culture, violence, climate and sports |
| D．violence, sports, politics, law and agriculture |
From the news brief, we can learn that ____.
| A．the Bulldogs defeated the Wildcats by 3-1 in a non-league match |
| B．Forest Service roads are closed for repairs before they are opened again |
| C．quite a few violent accidents happened in Thailand before the latest one |
| D．the British people think the decision made by Blair about the war is of legality |
According to the U. S. Forest Service officials, those who enter the area and damage the closed roads ____.
| A．shall have to pay a $ 5,000 fine for the repairs to them |
| B．shall be fined or put in prison, and may pay for the repairs |
| C．shall be fined $ 5,000 and kept in prison for six months |
| D．shall pay a fine and repair the roads as a punishment |
The study of the scientists from the UK and Denmark is about ____.
| A．the importance of climate and the growth of crops |
| B．the damage caused by high temperatures to some crops |
| C．the relationship between crops flowering and high temperatures |
| D．the effect of high temperatures on the production of some crops |
Recently a study, led by Pedro Hallal of the Federal University, suggests that nearly a third of adults, 31%, are not getting enough exercise. That rates of exercise have declined is hardly a new discovery. Since the beginning of the industrial revolution, technology and economic growth have helped to create a world in which taking exercise is more and more an option rather than a necessity. But only recently have enough good data been collected from enough places to carry out the sort of analysis Dr Hallal and his colleagues have engaged in.
There are common themes in different places. Unsurprisingly, people in rich countries are less active than those in poor ones, and old people are less active than young ones. Less obviously, women tend to exercise less than men—34% are inactive, compared with 28% of men. But there are exceptions. The women of Croatia, Finland, Iraq and Luxembourg, for example, move more than their male countrymen.
Malta wins the race for most slothful country, with 72% of adults getting too little exercise, and Swaziland and Saudi Arabia are in close behind, with 69%. In Bangladesh, just 5% of adults fail to exercise enough. Surprisingly, six Americans in ten are active enough according to Dr Hallal’s study, compared with fewer than four in ten British.
These high rates of inactivity are worrying. Human beings seem to have evolved(进化) to benefit from exercise while deliberately avoiding it whenever they can. In a state of nature it would be impossible to live a life that did not provide enough of it. But that is no longer the case. Actually lack of enough activity these days has nearly the same effect on life span(寿命) as smoking.We may learn from Paragraph 1 that_________.
| A．the decline of exercise rates is newly discovered |
| B．the study suggests 31% of female adults get too little exercise |
| C．the good enough data has been collected from only one country |
| D．the industrial revolution has changed the way people live to some degree |
According to the study, women of Luxembourg_________.
| A．have little time to exercise |
| B．hate to get regular exercise |
| C．take more exercise to lose weight |
| D．exercise more than men in their country |
The underlined word “slothful” in Paragraph 3 most probably means_________.
| A．powerful | B．rich | C．lazy | D．unpopular |
What can be the best title for the text?
| A．Worldwide Lack of Enough Exercise |
| B．New Health Discovery |
| C．Evolvement of Human Beings |
| D．Benefits of Taking Exercise |
My oldest child, Emma, just returned to campus after a long holiday break to finish up her last period of college. These days, friends and family have begun flooding me with one question: What is she going to do after graduation?
The job market is, after all, awfully tough. Just this month the Federal Reserve Bank published a study showing that “recent graduates are increasingly working in low-paid jobs or working part-time.” The bright spot, according to the study, is for students who majored(主修) in STEM— science, technology, engineering and mathematics — areas in which recent graduates “have tended to do relatively well”.
But Emma is a student of the humanities(人文) at a small college. She’s an American Studies major with a focus on the politics and culture of food. For quite a while, I think her field of study is so fashionable right now that I’m not the least bit worried she will find a good job.Yet the more I’ve thought about it, the more I’ve decided to be honest. “I’m not sure what Emma is going to do,” I now say. “But she’s gotten a great education and has really found her interest. — and I know those things will serve her well over the course of her life.”
Nowadays, more and moreuniversities and collegesare being measured by the salaries of their recent graduates. In this climate, encouraging your kid to study the humanities, seems, at best, unwise or, at worst, unconcerned with earning a living. But a college is not a vocational(职业) school. And promoting STEM subjects should not be society’s only answer to helping the next generation grow in a competitive world.
From the beginning, we never urged Emma to pick a college or a major with an eye on its expectedreturn on money, as more and more families are doing.To Emma, what really matters will be something that we may not be able to measure for quite a long time: Emma’s contribution to the world and how happy she is in it.The author’s friends and family_________.
| A．are worried about Emma’s safety |
| B．have been worrying about the flood |
| C．are concerned about Emma’s future |
| D．are worried about the job market |
What can we learn from Paragraph 2?
| A．The number of the graduates is increasing. |
| B．STEM graduates can be better employees. |
| C．STEM graduates are in relatively greater demand. |
| D．More and more graduates like to do a part-time job. |
Why did Emma choose a major in the humanities?
| A．Because she is interested in it. |
| B．Because her mother told her to. |
| C．Because it is increasingly popular. |
| D．Because she wants further education. |
According to the author, what matters most in choosing a major is that_________.
| A．it should be among the STEM |
| B．it should be fashionable and interesting |
| C．it should allow a good job and a high salary |
| D．it should bring achievements and happiness |
I used to think of myself as a fairly open person, but my bookshelves told a different story. Apart from a few Indian novels and the Australian and South African book, my literature collection consisted of British and American titles. Worse still, I hardly ever read anything in translation. My reading was limited to stories by English-speaking authors.
So, at the start of 2012, I set myself the challenge of trying to read a book from every country in a year to find out what I was missing. As I was unlikely to find publications from nearly 200 nations on the shelves of my local bookshop, I decided to ask the planet’s readers for help. I created a blog called A Year of Reading the World and put out an appeal for suggestions of titles that I could read in English.
The response was amazing. Before I knew it, people all over the planet were getting in touch with ideas and offers of help. Some posted me books from their home countries. Others did hours of research on my behalf. In addition, several writers sent me unpublished translations of their novels, giving me a rare opportunity to read works otherwise unavailable to the 62% of the British who only speak English. Even so, selecting books was no easy task. With translations making up only around 4.5 percent of literary works published in the UK and Ireland, getting English versions (版本)of stories was difficult.
But the effort was worth it. I found I was visiting the mental space of the storytellers. These stories not only opened my mind to the real life in other places, but opened my heart to the way people there might feel.
And that in turn changed my thinking. Through reading the stories shared with me by bookish strangers around the globe, I realised I was not alone, but part of a network that spread all over the planet.Which of the following might be found on the blog A Year of Reading the World?
| A．Lists of English version books. |
| B．Research on English literature. |
| C．Unfinished novels by British writers. |
| D．Comments on English literature. |
Why was it hard for the author to select the right books to read?
| A．The author had a busy schedule. |
| B．The author was only interested in a few topics. |
| C．The author could only read books written in English. |
| D．Most books recommended are not available in local bookshops. |
The author is probably from_________.
| A．America | B．the UK | C．Australia | D．Canada |
Which of the following words can best describe the author’s experience?
| A．fast and effortless | B．challenging but rewarding |
| C．hopeless but beneficial | D．meaningful but fruitless |
As a group of young African immigrants struggle to adapt to life in the United States, an after-school drama program at White Oak Middle School aims to make their lives easier by first making them a little harder.
Project X is a program that uses drama, dance, poetry and other creative outlets to help students discuss the tough and sometimes painful problems they face as pre-teen immigrants with language barriers. A final unveiling of their creation will be performed for friends and family at the end of the year at Imagination Stage.
Wanjiru Kamau, coordinator of White Oak’s African Club said it’s important to give troubles to group members to help them find their place at the school. “It comforts those who are uncomfortable, and it discomforts those who are comfortable,” Kamau said of Project X.
Kamau teamed up with Imagination Stage after she noticed that many African students seemed uncomfortable talking about problems, such as being laughed at by their fellow students about how they look and talk. When most of the kids join the club, they speak little or no English, Kamau said. Each week, the club typically draws five to ten students who are originally from Africa for discussion sessions and the Project X programme.
“We are going to express ourselves through our words and our actions, and that’s powerful,” said teaching artist Meg Green as she introduced fill-in-the-blank poems the students wrote about their identities.
One student, Frank Ketchouang, 13, wrote, “I am from the world; I am love,” which drew oohs and aahs from the group. Ketchouang has been in the United States for less than a year, said Program Coordinator Chad Dike. When Ketchouang started attending Project X, he had been in the United States for two months and spoke no English. Now he’s one of the group’s most outgoing members and helps translate instructions from English to Creole for the group’s newest member, who is from Haiti.
Many people will give up when there’s a language barrier, “but these students prove them wrong”. Kamau said. “You do have something to give. You are important. When TV, media, etc. are bringing them down, this program is bringing them up.”Project X is intended for helping the young African immigrants to_________.
| A．get over language barriers |
| B．enrich after-school life |
| C．overcome tough problems |
| D．become more creative |
How well the members learn in the Project X program is shown by_________.
| A．their annual creative performances |
| B．their annual scores gained at school |
| C．the comments of friends and family |
| D．the comments of the program teachers |
What do we know about the Imagination Stage?
| A．It’s established by Kamau for Project X. |
| B．It’s a cooperative partner of White Oak’S African Club. |
| C．It’s a project designed by White Oak Middle School. |
| D．It’s operated once at the end of each year. |
According to the author, what Franck Ketchouang wrote was______.
| A．silly | B．simple | C．excellent | D．contradictory |
The passage is written mainly to_______.
| A．introduce the Project X program |
| B．inspire immigrants to never give up |
| C．advocate White Oak’S African Club |
| D．call for more attention to immigrants |
I was interested to read a newspaper article about a new concept in old people’s homes in France. The idea is simple, but revolutionary——combining a residential home for the elderly with a nursery school in the same building. The children and the residents eat lunch together and share activities. In the afternoons, the residents enjoy reading or telling stories to the children, and if a child is feeling sad or tired, there is always a kind lap to sit on and a cuddle(拥抱). There are trips out and birthday parties too.
The advantages are enormous for everyone concerned. The children are happy because they get a lot more individual attention, and respond well because someone has time for them. They see illness and death and learn to accept them. The residents are happy because they feel useful and needed. They are more active and more interested in life when the children are around and they take more interest in their appearance too.
Nowadays there is less and less contact between the old and the young. There are many reasons for this, including the breakdown of the extended family, working parents with no time to care for aging relations, families that have moved away, and smaller flats with no room for grandparents. But the result is the same——increasing numbers of children without grandparents and old people who have no contact with children. And more old people who are lonely and feel useless, along with more and more families with young children who desperately need more support. It’s a major problem in many societies.
That’s why intergenerational programmes, designed to bring the old and the young together, are growing in popularity all over the world. There are examples of successful attempts all over the world. Using young people to teach IT skills to older people is one obvious example. Using old people as volunteer assistants in schools is another, perhaps reading with children who need extra attention.A nursery school is a place where _______.
| A．future nurses are trained |
| B．the elderly live |
| C．children are taken care of |
| D．the old join in activities |
Which is true according to the passage?
| A．A number of assistants are employed to take care of the children. |
| B．The new concept benefits both the elderly and the children. |
| C．The children become stronger after getting more individual attention. |
| D．The children learn that sick people will die. |
What is mainly talked about in Paragraph 3?
| A．The reason why the old and the young are separated. |
| B．The support children need. |
| C．One reason why children don’t live with their grandparents. |
| D．The problem that the old and the young are separated. |
What does the “intergenerational programmes” in Paragraph 4 refer to?
| A．Combining elderly homes with nursery schools. |
| B．Letting the children and the residents eat together. |
| C．Asking young people to teach IT skills to older people. |
| D．Using old people as volunteer assistants in schools. |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Old people’s Homes in France |
| B．Building Bridges of Life |
| C．A Solution to the Elderly Problem |
| D．Children’s New Happy Life |