The Chinese art of paper cutting has a long history. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has recognized the art, called Jianzhi, on its Intangible Cultural Heritage List(无形文化遗产). But Jianzhi is at risk of disappearing. Voyo Woo, a Chinese immigrant(移民) to the US, hopes to bring the art back to life.
Voyo Woo loves paper cutting. And she works hard to celebrate the ancient art form. On a recent Saturday, Ms. Woo held a paper cutting show at a shopping center near Washington. She demonstrated the art for hours to crowds at the center.
Voyo Woo began to study the art of Jianzhi as a 14-year-old in her hometown in southeastern China. She says all the students at school had to learn the art. But she says she discovered a special love for it. So, her teacher gave her extra training after class. Later, she won second prize in a national painting and calligraphy competition. Ms. Woo came to the U.S. after she finished college in 2008. Soon after, she became involved in an event to support and expand understanding of Chinese paper cutting. She has been invited to demonstrate the art at a wide collection of events. She also has shown her skill at famous museums like the Smithsonian Institution’s Freer and Sackler art galleries in Washington. Ms. Woo says paper cutting represents Chinese cultural values, history and stories of people’s lives. She uses the art as a tool to present Chinese culture to people who know little about it.
Ms. Woo placed examples of her art around her as she demonstrated paper cutting at the shopping center. Some shoppers, like Ann Russ, took part in a workshop. Ms. Russ was struck by the finely detailed nature of the work. She said it put her at ease. Voyo Woo says Chinese art is for all people. “It is amazing how Chinese art can resonate, can echo with people from other cultural backgrounds.”What can we learn from Paragraph 1?
| A．Paper cutting is popular now in the US. |
| B．Jianzhi isn’t regarded as cultural heritage in the world. |
| C．Ms Woo hopes to make the art of Jianzhi come back to life. |
| D．Paper cutting has a long history in the US. |
Ms Woo held a paper cutting show at a shopping center to _________.
| A．earn more money |
| B．do her job for the United Nations |
| C．celebrate an art festival |
| D．make paper cutting well-known |
What is Paragraph 3 mainly about?
| A．Ms Woo’s success as a paper cutting artist. |
| B．Ms Woo’s experience as a Jianzhi artist. |
| C．The story of Ms Woo and her teacher. |
| D．The school life of Ms Woo in China. |
The events mentioned in Paragraph 3 are developed __________.
| A．in order of time | B．in order of space |
| C．by giving examples | D．by comparison(比较) |
Maybe ten-year-old Elizabeth put it best when she said to her father, “But, Dad, you can’t be healthy if you’re dead.”
Dad, in a hurry to get home before dark so he could go for a run, had forgotten to wear his safety belt—a mistake 75% of the US population make every day. The big question is why.
There have been many myths about safety belts ever since their first appearance in cars some forty years ago. The following are three of the most common.
Myth Number One: It’s best to be “thrown clear” of a serious accident.
Truth: Sorry, but any accident serious enough to “throw you clear” is also going to be serious enough to give you a very bad landing. And chances are that you’ll have traveled through a wind shield(挡风玻璃) or door to do it. Studies show that chances of dying after a car accident are twenty-five times greater in cases where people are “thrown clear".
Myth Number Two: Safety belts “trap” people in cars that are burning or sinking in water.
Truth: Sorry again, but studies show that people knocked unconscious(昏迷) due to not wearing safety belts have a greater chance of dying in these accidents. People wearing safety belts are usually protected to the point of having a clear head to free themselves from such dangerous situations, not to be trapped in them.
Myth Number Three: Safety belts aren’t needed at speeds of less than 30 miles per hour.
Truth: When two cars traveling at 30 mph hit each other, an unbelted driver would meet the windshield with a force equal to diving headfirst into the ground from a height of 10 meters. Why did Elizabeth say to her father, “But, Dad, you can’t be healthy if you’re dead”?
| A．He was driving at great speed. |
| B．He was running across the street. |
| C．He didn’t have his safety belt on. |
| D．He didn’t take his medicine on time. |
According to the text, the “thrown clear” of a serious accident is very dangerous because you _____.
| A．may be knocked down by other cars |
| B．may get seriously hurt being thrown out of the car |
| C．may find it impossible to get away from the seat |
| D．may get caught in the car door |
One of the reasons that some people prefer to drive without wearing a safety belt is that____.
| A．the belt prevents them from escaping in an accident |
| B．they will be unable to think clearly in an accident |
| C．they will be caught when help comes |
| D．cars catch fire easily |
What will people die of 100 years from now？If you think that is not a simple question，you have not been paying attention to the revolution that is taking place in biotechnology(生物技术). With the help of new medicine，the human body will last a very long time. Death will come mainly from accidents，murder and war. Today's leading killers，such as heart disease，cancer，and aging itself，will become distant memories.
In discussion of technological changes，the Internet gets most of the attention these days. But the change in medicine can be the real technological event of our times. How long can humans live？Human brains were known to decide the final death. Cells are the basic units of all living things，and until recently，scientists were sure that the life of cells could not go much beyond 120 years because the basic materials of cells，such as those of brain cells，would not last forever. But the upper limits will be broken by new medicine. Sometime between 2050 and 2100，medicine will have advanced to the point at which every 10 years or so，people will be able to take medicine to repair their organs. The medicine，made up of the basic building materials of life，will build new brain cells，heart cells，and so on－in much the same way our bodies make new skin cells to take the place of old ones.
It is exciting to imaging that the advance in technology may be changing the most basic condition of human existence，but many technical problems still must be cleared up on the way to this wonderful future.According to the passage，human death is now mainly caused by____
| A．diseases and aging | B．accidents and war |
| C．accidents and aging | D．heart disease and war |
Humans may live longer in the future because____
| A．heart disease will be far away from us |
| B．human brains can decide the final death |
| C．the basic materials of cells will last forever |
| D．human organs can be repaired by new medicine |
We can learn from the passage that____
| A．human life will not last more than 120 years in the future |
| B．humans have to take medicine to build new skin cells now |
| C．much needs to be done before humans can have a longer life |
| D．we have already solved the technical problems in building new cells |
I suddenly heard an elephant crying as though frightened. Looking down，I immediately recognized that something was wrong，and ran down to the edge of the near bank. There I saw Ma Shwe with her threemonthold calf struggling in the fast-rising water，and it was a lifeanddeath struggle. Her calf was floating(漂浮) and screaming with fear.Ma Shwe was as near to the far bank as she could get，holding her whole body against the rushing water，and keeping the calf pressed against her huge body.Every now and then the rushing water would sweep the calf away.
There was a sudden rise in the water and the calf was washed clean over the mother's body and was gone. Ma Shwe turned quickly to reach it and pressed the calf with her head and trunk (象鼻) against the rocky bank. Then with a huge effort，she picked it up in her trunk and tried until she was able to place it on a narrow shelf of rock.
Just at this moment，she fell back into the river. If she were carried down，it would be certain death. I knew，as well as she did，that there was one spot (地点) where she could get up the bank，but it was on the other side from where she had put her calf.
While I was wondering what I could do next，I heard the sound of a mother's love. Ma Shwe had crossed the river and got up the bank and was making her way back as fast as she could，roaring (吼叫) all the time，but to her calf it was music.The moment the author got down to the river bank he saw .
| A．the calf was about to fall into the river |
| B．Ma Shwe was placing the calf on the rock |
| C．the calf was washed away by the rising water |
| D．Ma Shwe was holding the calf against the rushing water |
How did Ma Shwe manage to save her calf from the fast flowing water？
| A．By putting it on a safe spot. | B．By pressing it against her body. |
| C．By taking it away with her. | D．By carrying it on her back. |
How did the calf feel about the mother elephant's roaring？
| A．It was a great comfort. | B．It was a sign of danger. |
| C．It was a call for help. | D．It was a musical note. |
What can be the best title for the text？
| A．A Mother's Love | B．A Brave Act |
| C．A Deadly River | D．A Matter of Life and Death |
Computer programmer David Jones earned￡35,000 ayear designing new computer games, yet he cannot find a bank prepared to let him have a check card, he has been told to wait another two years until he is 18.
He works for a small firm inLiverpool, where most young people of his age are finding jobs. David’s biggest headache is what to do with his money. Though he has high payment, he cannot drive a car, or get credit card(信用卡).
David got his job four months ago, a year after leaving school with six O-levels（普通成绩）and working for a time in a computer shop. “I got the job because the people who run the firm knew I had already written some programs,” he said.
“I suppose￡35,000 sounds a lot but I hope it will come to more than that this year.” He spends some of his money on records and clothes, and gives his mother￡20 aweek as he lives with his parents. But most of his spare time is spent working.
“Unfortunately, computing was not part of our studies at school, ” he said. “But I had been studying it in books and magazines for four years in my spare time. I knew what I wanted to do and never considered staying on at school. Most people in this business are fairly young, anyway. I would like to earn a million and I suppose early retirement(退休) is a possibility. You never know when the market might disappear.”Why is David so different from other young people of his age?
| A．He earns an extremely high payment |
| B．He has got a job. |
| C．He lives at home with his parents. |
| D．He does not go out much. |
David’s greatest problem is that______.
| A．he can’t be treated as an adult by the bank. |
| B．he doesn’t make as many games as he wishes. |
| C．he doesn’t know what to buy with the money. |
| D．he is too young to drive a car. |
He was employed by the company because ____.
| A．he had worked in a computer shop. |
| B．he had written some computer programs. |
| C．he is clever and works hard at his lessons. |
| D．he had learnt to use computers at school. |
He left school after taking six O-levels because____.
| A．he was afraid of getting too old to start computing. |
| B．he did not enjoy school. |
| C．he wanted to work with computers. |
| D．he wanted to earn a lot of money. |
Why does David think he might retire early?
| A．He thinks computer games might not always sell so well. |
| B．He wants to stop working when he is a millionaire. |
| C．One has to be young to write computer programs. |
| D．He thinks his firm might close down. |
We all know that theme parks are places to have fun and amuse ourselves, but among so many exciting rides there are also some dangers, Make sure you know what the safety standards are for all the attractions at the park. If you do that , you will be safe and have fun.
Drink water. Believe it or not , dehydration-- when your body doesn’t have enough water--is the commonest cause of injuries at theme parks. Drinking water while you are at the park is not enough.You must make sure that you drink enough water before your visit.
Use your “common sense”. There are lots of people around , so make sure where your friends or family are .Also ,if you are walking and want to stop , make sure nobody is walking behind you. First step aside,then look behind and if you aren’t in anybody’s way,then stop.It might sound exaggerated(夸张的),but crashes between people can cause accidents.
Follow the instructions. The majority of theme parks have instructions for each ride. Some rides only allow people of a certain height. So make sure you are not too tall or too short before boarding any ride. Also, people with certain diseases or conditions are advised not to go on some rides. Do remember : If you are told not to go on a ride, then DON’T.
Do not ride with a bad atomach or if you’ve just eaten. Rides can make you ill because of their violent changes of direction and your lunch may end up on someone else’s head: surely not a very pleasant experience.
Have fun, relax, and be a little brave!
Some rides might look scary but theme parks are very safe places.What is the leading reason for injuries at theme parks?
| A．Snow | B．Dehydration | C．Fire | D．Crashes |
According to the author,____.
| A．it doesn’t pay to go to theme parks |
| B．people can have lots of fun in theme parks |
| C．men are more interested in theme parks than women |
| D．shy people should not go to theme parks |
Which of the following will the author accept?
| A．Children should notplay in theme parks. |
| B．One shouldn’t eat anything before riding. |
| C．One must always stay with his friends or family in theme parks. |
| D．One must read the instructions before playing in theme parks. |