In many cultures white is often associated with something positive. A white-collar job, for instance, is the kind of job many people look for, working with your brain and not your hands.
White has a clean and pure image. That is why doctors, dentists, and nurses usually wear white uniforms. Babies are dressed in white at baptisms(洗礼)and brides wear white wedding gowns at weddings. White in these cases is the symbol of innocence or purity.
Sometimes white is used in expressions that are not good. “Whitewash” is one such expression. At first, “whitewash” meant to paint over something with white paint to make it look better. However, it means something different today: to hide or to cover up mistakes or failures.
A “white elephant” is another example of white used in a negative way. In ancient Thailand, a white elephant was regarded as a sacred animal, but it was very expensive to keep. The kings of those days presented a white elephant to the people they wanted to ruin. Once they received this holy, royal animal as a gift, they were not allowed to sell or kill it. Today, a “white elephant” means something that is big, useless, and unwanted. In America, when people want to get rid of their furniture or clothes, they often have a “white elephant sale”.The text is mainly about________.
A.the history of some English idioms |
B.the meanings of white in English culture |
C.some interesting customs in English culture |
D.some useful English words and expressions |
Which expression has a historical background?
A.White elephant. | B.White-collar. |
C.White-wash. | D.White elephant sale. |
In which statement does “white” have a negative meaning?
A.A boy is dressed in white at baptisms. |
B.A bride wears a white wedding gown. |
C.A girl finds a white collar job. |
D.A man whitewashes his crime. |
The author develops the text mainly by ______.
A.analyzing its cause and effect |
B.comparing different ideas |
C.providing typical examples |
D.following the time order |
B
Jungle country is not friendly to man, but it is possible to survive there. You must have the right equipment and you must know a few important things about woodcraft. Then your chances of staying alive are very good.
No one should go into the jungle without the right equipment. You need light weight clothing, a good knife, and a compass. Fishhooks and a line, a rifle, matches in a waterproof container and a poncho are necessary too. So is a mosquito net to protect the head.
In the jungle you can get hopeless lost within five minutes after leaving a known landmark. That is why you should always carry a compass. In open country, during the day, you can tell which way o go by studying the sun. At night the stars are sure guides o direction. But in most places the jungle rooftop is so thick that it is impossible to see the sun or the stars. Again and again you must check your position by the compass.
Keep alert. Watch the ground in front of you carefully. Stop and listen now and again. Avoid haste, and rest often. In a place that is hot and humid, the person who sets a fast pace will soon become tired. A steady, even pace is wisest in the long run.
If you lose your way, don’t panic. Try to desire how long it has been since you were sure of your position. Mark the spot where you are with blazes on a tree. Put them on four sides of the tree, so that you will be able to see them from any direction. Then you can begin retracing your steps, knowing that you can always find the spot from which you started. Except in an emergency, never try to travel through the jungle at night.
Whenever possible, it is wise to follow streams and rivers that are going in your general direction. This may cause you many extra miles of travel. But in the end it will save time and energy. Nothing is more exhausting than hacking a trail cross-through umbrella jungle.
If a river is broad and deep and has no rapids, rafting is the best means of travel. Bamboo grows along the banks of many jungle streams. Since it is hollow and extremely strong, it makes a perfect raft.
Surviving in the jungle is a science. The jungle people have become perfect in this science, and you can too. Learn as much as you can about what to expect in the jungle. Make sure you have the right equipment. Then no part of the jungle will be able to “live off” it for a long time.
1. The author probably advises against traveling at night because ________.
A.one tends to move too slowly at night
B.some animals will attack you
C.emergencies occur most frequently at night
D.it is more difficult to check your position
2. Following streams and rivers will help you to ________.
A.avoid animal’s attacks
B.save many extra miles of travel
C.avoid crossing unbroken stretches of jungle
D.have a constant source of drinking water
3. The word “blazes” in Paragraph 5 means _________.
A. marks where bark (树皮) is removed B. light-colored spots
C.bursts of flame D. sides of knife
A
Orphans (孤儿) whose parents died of AIDS in Henan Province have been given new hope. Last week the provincial government answered the children’s cries by promising 60 million yuan to improve schools, orphanages (孤儿院) and living conditions. But without the efforts of Dr. Gao Yaojie, these cries may never have been heard.
“I’m a doctor and it’s my duty to cure diseases and save live,” said the 77-year- old grandmother. Gao was named one of the 2003 People of Year on February 20 by CCTV after millions of people took part in an online poll. But in 1996, when she started to promote AIDS awareness, using money from her own pocket, her actions were widely misunderstood.
“Although some of the children were born with HIV, 90 percent of them were not infected (被感染),” Gao said. “But people still reject them. Many orphans change their names after finding a foster family (领养家庭).”
The horror of Henan’s AIDS problem became known in 1996. Frequent and unsafe bloodselling by poor farmers in the late 1980s and early1990s had caused HIV to spread through dirty needles and infected blood use. As a doctor, Gao believed she should help: over the last eight years she has visited over 1 000 AIDS and HIV patients and published thousands of pamphlets on AIDS awareness. With her help, hundreds of orphans have returned to school or found foster families.
“It’s a disaster for the whole nation, not only for those innocent (无辜的) patients and their families,” she explained. Gao is delighted that so many childless families offer to foster orphans. But there is still much that can be done to support these children. “I hope that warm-hearted high school students will also reach out and offer a helping hand,” she said.
1. The passage mainly talks about _______.
A.the dangers of AIDS
B.how the government help those orphans
C.how Gao Yaojie helped the orphans
D.the serious AIDS problem in Henan
2. Gao Yaojie was named one of the 2003 People of Year because ________.
A.the government would not answer the children’s cry without her
B.she used her own money to start to promote AIDS
C.she is a doctor
D.she visited over 1 000 AIDS and HIV patients
3. The government promised 60 million yuan _______.
A.to reward Gao Yaojie
B.to help to treat HIV and AIDS patients
C.to help the children whose parents died of AIDS
D.to build new hospitals
根据短文内容,从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
Invitation
A woman came out of her house and saw three old men with long white beards sitting in her front yard. She thought they were hungry and invited them in to have something to eat.
They refused because her husband was out.
71“Go to tell them I am home and invite them in!” The woman went out and invited them in. “We do not go into a House together,” they replied. “Why is that?” she wanted to know.
One of the old men explained: “His name is Wealth,” he said pointing to one of his friends, and said pointing to another one, “He is Success, and I am Love.” Then he added, “Now go in and discuss with your husband which one of us you want in your home.”
The woman went in and told her husband what was said. Her husband was overjoyed. He said “ 72Let him come and fill in our home with wealth!”
His wife disagreed. “My dear, why don’t we invite Success?” Their daughter-in-law was listening from the other corner of the house. She jumped in with her own suggestion: “Would it not be better to invite Love? 73”
The woman went out and asked the three old men, “Which one of you is Love? Please come in and be our guest.”
Love got up and started walking toward the house. 74Surprised, the lady asked Wealth and Success: “I only invited Love. Why are you coming in?”
The old men replied together: “If you had invited Wealth or Success, the other two of us would’ve stayed out, but since you invited Love, wherever he goes, we go with him. 75”
A.The other two also got up and followed him. |
B.Our home will then be filled with love! |
C.In the evening when her husband came home, she told him what had happened. |
D.They were very happy to be invited. |
E.Wherever there is Love, there is also Wealth and Success!
F.He loved money badly.
G.Let us invite Wealth.
It seems that the Englishman just cannot live without sports of some kind. A famous French humourist once said that this is because the English insist on behaving like children all their lives. Wherever you go in this country you will see both children and grown-ups knocking a ball about with a stick or something, as if in Britain men shall always remain boys and women girls! Still, it can never be bad to get exercise, can it?
Taking all amateur(业余)and professional sports in Britain into consideration, there can be no doubt that football is at the top of the list. It is called soccer in the United States. The game originated in Britain and was played in the Middle Ages or even earlier, though as an organized game, or “association football”, it dates only from the beginning of the 19th century.
The next is rugby, which is called “football” in the United States. It is a kind of football played by two teams of fifteen players rather than eleven. The rugby, in which an oval-shaped ball is used can be handled as well as kicked. It is a pretty rough game.
In summer, cricket is the most popular sport. In fact, it has sometimes been called the English national game. Most foreigners find the game rather slow or even boring, but it enjoys great popularity among the British.
Tennis rates high on the list, too. It was introduced into England from France in the 15th century, but it was from England that it spread to practically every country in the world.
Table-tennis or “ping-pong” surely is not played on a great scale as it is in China or in Japan. Basketball and volleyball were introduced into Britain during the late 19th century from America and are gaining popularity. Horse-back riding, swimming, rowing and golf all attract a lot of people.The main purpose of paragraph one is to tell us that the English_______.
A.are all sports lovers | B.behave like children |
C.like to kick a ball around | D.can remain young all their lives |
According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true about football and rugby?
A.They differ in the shape of the ball |
B.They are played by different numbers of players |
C.They both can be handled |
D.They both can be kicked |
From the second and the third paragraph, we know that_____.
A.Americans love football most of all |
B.British people love rugby most of all |
C.Americans and British people may call the same thing differently |
D.football originated in Britain in the 18th century |
How clean are the nation’s homes?
According to a survey by CIF, there’s room for improvement all over Britain.
Love or hate it — cleaning your home is one job you simply can’t ignore(忽视). But that’s not to say everyone spends the same amount of time or effort on making their places spotless. A new survey by CIF— experts on making tough cleaning jobs easier—— shows that when it comes to washing windows or cleaning the oven(烤箱),where you live in the UK it may show how much effort you put into the task.
BATHROOM
25% of men have never cleaned the toilet — but those in Wales are the worst. Nearly four in 10 Welsh men said they never cleaned anywhere in the house. Hate cleaning the shower head? You’re not alone — a quarter of a million Brits say the same. 20% of Scots regard window-cleaning as their most hated job.
KITCHEN
36% of people in the south-east say cleaning the cooker is their hated task. 68% of those in the north-east spend more than six hours a week cleaning their homes — especially the kitchen — in sharp contrast to the 49% of Welsh and West Country folk, who put their hands up to cleaning for under an hour.
BEDROOM
18% believe cleaning starts here: that’s the percentage of women who clean wearing their dressing gowns. 51% of women in the north-west may be staying in bed and giving their husband a cuddle(拥抱)—as a thank-you for helping them clean. In other places, there are far fewer helpful men.
LIVING ROOM
32% of women in the north-east turn up the stereo to help make the dusting more fun. Almost six in 10 women agree, however, that cleaning is seriously energetic exercise.
SHIFT THE DIRT WITH CIF
It’s no secret that the right cleaning products will cut cleaning time and effort in half— and no one knows that better than How Clean Is Your house? Presenters Aggie Mackenzie and Kim Woodburn. For solutions(解决办法)to all your cleaning needs, here are some of CIF’s top tips:
·Stop a lot of build-up on your shower head—give it a quick squirt(喷洒)with CIF bathroom spray once a week.
·Stainless steel(不锈钢)tools seem to need endless cleaning. The CIF Wild Qrchid Qxy-Gel-it lifts dirt easily and leaves the kitchen smelling fresh and clean.
·Cooking outside? CIF cream will get your barbecue(烤架)spotlessly clean, ready for those long, lazy summer evenings. Perfect!The main purpose of this passage is to ______.
A.tell us the results of a certain survey |
B.advertise a certain product |
C.advise men to do more cleaning housework |
D.tell us which is the hardest job at home |
It can be concluded from the survey that people in different parts of Britain______.
A.have different views on house cleaning |
B.spend different amounts of time and effort on house cleaning |
C.like to do different kinds of housework |
D.have different ways to do housework |
According to the survey,______ spend the most time cleaning their homes.
A.the Welsh | B.people in the north-west |
C.people in the south-east | D.people in the north-east |
CIF in the passage probably refers to ______.
A.an organization doing research on housework |
B.a group of experts who give advice on doing housework |
C.a company providing advice and products on cleaning |
D.a company providing cleaning services |