A lot of us enjoy doing it: you turn on the camera on your mobile phone and hold it at a high position, making your eyes look bigger and your cheekbones more marked out. You turn to your best side and click. There it is --- your selfie.
Over the past year, “selfie” has become a well-known term across the globe. This August the Oxford dictionary added the word to their online dictionary and defined it as: “A photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically with a smart phone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website.”
Today it’s not difficult to find social networking pages full of photos people have taken of themselves and their friends. And selfie culture has become especially related to young people. As many as 91 percent of teenagers have posted photos of themselves online, according to a recent survey by the US Pew Research Center.
So what are the reasons for the rise of selfie culture?
“The craze of the selfie celebrates regular people,” Pamela Rutledge, a professor at the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology, told Vogue magazine. “There are many more photographs available now of real people than models.”
Posting selfies also allows you to control your image online. “I like having the power to choose how I look, even if I’m making a funny face,” Samantha Barks, 19, a high school student in the US, told Vogue.
In addition, selfies “allow for a close friendship for long-distance friends, because you can see each other’s faces every day”, wrote Casey Miller at The Huffington Post.
But US psychologist Jill Weber is concerned that selfies might lead to social problems. “There’s a danger that your self-esteem （自尊心） may start to be tied to the comments and ‘likes’ you get when you post a selfie, and they aren’t based on who you are ---they’re based on what you look like,” Weber told Vogue. “When you get nothing or a negative response, your confidence can plummet.”
The first paragraph is intended to _________.
| A．introduce the topic of selfie |
| B．describe how to enjoy selfie |
| C．show the importance of selfie |
| D．explain why selfie is popular |
How many reasons for the rise of selfie culture are mentioned in the passage?
| A．One | B．Two | C．Three | D．Four |
What is Jill Weber’s opinion about selfies?
| A．Comments on selfie are based on who you are. |
| B．Others’ response to selfies might affect one’s self-esteem. |
| C． Selfies have more disadvantages than advantages. |
| D． Selfies shouldn’t be encouraged for they lead to social problems. |
The underlined word “plummet” in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to __________.
| A．put up | B．calm down |
| C．pick up | D．go down |
Mauritius, with its full name the Republic of Mauritius, an island country, lies 1,200 miles off the southeastern coast of Africa, and just east of Madagascar, another African island country, which is larger by far than Mauritius. It covers 788 square miles and has a population of 1,100,000, about 750,000 Indians, 300,000 Chinese and 20,000 Whites included. They are living together peacefully, although they share such different beliefs as Hindu, Roman Catholic, Muslim and so on.
The country can be divided into many parts with different climates all because of its peculiar terrains (地形). In the center there are volcanoes several thousand feet high, and 90% of its arable land is covered with sugarcane.
There were no people living on the island before the Dutch landed on it in 1638. The Dutch abandoned it in 1710, and five years later, the French came and succeeded in planting sugarcane there. It was conquered by Britain in 1818. As a result, its official language is English. The main big cities are Beau-Bassin and Mahebourg, with Port Louis as its capital.
Mauritius has many rare and unique animals, such as the snakes, parrots and lizards. The giraffe is a type of animal with a very long neck and legs and yellow skin with dark spots. It is the tallest of all living animals.
Mauritius was extremely poor when it declared its independence in 1968. In the past ten years, obvious economic prosperity(繁荣) has shown itself in this island country. Nowadays its business, culture and tourism are developing rapidly. Every year, thousands of millions of people rush there to enjoy the silver sand beach and song and dance performances with native national characteristics. The underlined word “abandoned” in the third paragraph means ___________.
| A．took its place | B．gave it up |
| C．left for it | D．held it out |
The right order that shows the history of Mauritius should be ___________.
a. seized by the French b. became its master
c. ruled by the Dutchd. conquered by the British
| A．b, a, c, d | B．a, c, d, b |
| C．d, c, a, b | D．c, a, d, b |
According to the passage all of the following statements are true EXCEPT______.
| A．Arable land covers 90% of the country’s total area |
| B．Tourism is one of the driving forces for the economic development of Mauritius. |
| C．More than half of Mauritius population are Indians |
| D．British ruled the island longer than French and Dutch |
Which of the following maps shows the right position of Mauritius?
(Mau =" Mauritius;" Ma =" Madagascar;" A = Africa)
| A． | B． A AMA MA  Mau Mau |
| C． | D． A A
|
Have you ever wondered?
1. Why do airplanes take longer to fly west than east?
It can take five hours to go west-east from New York(NY) to London but seven hours to travel east-west from London to NY. The reason for the difference is an atmospheric phenomenon known as the jet(喷射) stream. The jet stream is a very high altitude wind which always blows from the west to the east across the Atlantic. The planes moving at a constant air speed thus go faster in the west-east direction when the air moving with the wind than in the opposite direction.
2. What would happen if the gravity(重力) on Earth was suddenly turned off?
Supposing we could magically turn off gravity. Would buildings and other structures float away? What happened would depend on how strongly the things were attached to the Earth. The Earth is moving at quite a speed moving at over a thousand miles per hour. If you turn something round your head on a string, it goes around in a circle until you let go of the string. Then it flies off in a straight line. “Switching off ” gravity would be like letting go of the string. Things not attacked to the Earth would fly off in a straight line . People in buildings would suddenly shoot upwards at a great speed until they hit the ceiling. Most things would fly off into space.What information can we get from the first passage?
| A．It is the jet stream that affects how fast airplanes fly. |
| B．Planes go slower when they are moving with the wind. |
| C．It takes more time to fly from NY to London than from London to NY. |
| D．The jet stream always blows from the east to the west across the Atlantic. |
The word “shoot” underlined in the 2nd passage probably means“”.
| A．send for | B．move quickly | C．come out | D．grow quickly |
It can be inferred that without gravity .
| A．buildings and other structures would float away |
| B．trees and buildings would not so easily fly off |
| C．something around your head would not float away |
| D．everything outside buildings would fly off into space |
Where can we most probably read this text?
| A．In a research paper. | B．In a short story. |
| C．In a travel magazine. | D．In a students’ book |
In 1955, a man named Raymond Kroc entered a partnership with two brothers named McDonald. They opened a popular restaurant in California which sold food that was easy to prepare and serve quickly. Hamburgers, French fries, and cold drinks were the main food there. Kroc opened similar eating places under the same name, “McDonald’s”, and they were an instant success. He later took over the company, and today it is one of the most famous and successful “fast-food” in America and round the world.
Why was his idea successful? Probably the most important reason was that his timing was right. In the 1950s, most married women stayed home to keep house and take care of their children. In the 1960s, many women returned to the workplace. This meant that they had less time or energy to prepare meals, so they spent more on “ TV dinners ” and fast-food restaurants. Single parents also have little time to spend in the kitchen. People living alone also depend on this type of food, since cooking for one is often more trouble than it is worth.
Fast-food is not part of the diet of all Americans. Another trend of the 1960s, sometimes called the back-to-nature movement influenced many people to avoid food that was packaged or processed(处理). This preference for natural food continued to this day.
From the success of Raymond Kroc’s fast-food business, we can say that social economic trends influence where and what we eat.The underlined sentence “Cooking for one is often more trouble than it is worth” means that ______.
| A．cooking for some people is worth more money |
| B．it is not worthwhile to take too much time to cook for one person |
| C．there are more problems when one person cooks |
| D．divorce (离婚) causes people to change their eating habits |
An idea implied but not directly stated in the reading is that ________.
| A．many married women began to work in the 1960s |
| B．natural foods are still popular today |
| C．fast food is not part of the diet of all Americans |
| D．divorce causes people to change their eating habits |
McDonald’s success lies in the following causes BUT_________.
| A．people living alone tend to depend on fast food |
| B．single parents have little time to spend in the kitchen |
| C．many women returned to the workplace in the 1960s |
| D．Kroc chose the “Mc Donald” brothers as his partners |
The main idea of the reading is that ________.
| A．Raymond Kroc is the most successful fast-food business owner in the world |
| B．social and economic changes affect eating habits |
| C．fast-food is easy to prepare and serve quickly |
| D．Americans eat either fast food or natural food |
There were smiling children all the way. Charily they knew at what time the train passed their homes and they made it their business to stand along the railway, wave to complete strangers and cheer them up as they rushed towards Penang. Often whole families stood outside their homes and waved and smiled as if those on the trains were their favorite relatives. This is the simple village people of Malaysia. I was moved.
I had always traveled to Malaysia by plane or car, so this was the first time I was on a train. I did not particularly relish the long train journey and had brought along a dozen magazines to read and reread. I looked about the train. There was not one familiar face. I sighed and sat down to read my Economics.
It was not long before the train was across the Causeway and in Malaysia. Johore Baru was just another city like Singapore, so I was tired of looking at the crowds of people as they hurried past. As we went beyond the city, I watched the straight rows of rubber trees and miles and miles of green. Then the first village came into sight, Immediately I came alive; I decided to wave hack.
From then on my journey became interesting. I threw my magazines into the waste basket and decided to join in Malaysian life. Then everything came alive. The mountains seemed to speak to me. Even the trees were smiling. I stared at everything as if I was looking at it for the first time.
The day passed fast and I even forgot to have my lunch until I felt hungry. I looked at my watch and was surprised that it was 3:00 pm. Soon the train pulled up at Butterworth. I looked at the people all around me. They all looked beautiful. When my uncle arrived with a smile, I threw my arms around him to give him a warm hug (拥抱). I had never done this before. He seemed surprised and then his weather-beaten face warmed up with a huge smile. We walked arm in arm to his car.
I looked forward to the return journey.The author expected the train trip to be
| A．adventurous |
| B．pleasant |
| C．exciting |
| D．dull |
What did the author remember most fondly of her train trip?
| A．The friendly country people. |
| B．The mountains along the way. |
| C．The crowds of people in the streets. |
| D．The simple lunch served on the train. |
Which of the following words can best take the place of the word "relish" in the second paragraph?
| A．choose |
| B．enjoy |
| C．prepare for |
| D．carry on |
Where was the writer going?
| A．Johore Baru. |
| B．The Causeway. |
| C．Butterworth. |
| D．Singapore. |
What can we learn from the story?
| A．Comfort in traveling by train. |
| B．Pleasure of living in the country. |
| C．Reading gives people delight. |
| D．Smiles brighten people up. |
The day before the deadline for this article,I had no clue what I was going to write about. I took my problem to the editor-in-chief, and.he said to me:“Don’t worry; you’re creative. ”
I’m not sure where the editor-in-chief reached the conclusion that I was “creative”. Maybe it was through the poems I wrote. Personally, I simply enjoy writing because it’s fun. There’s also the fact that I can’t draw or do anything else creatively, I’m equally sure that there are people in the boat on the other side who can make things look excellent, but can’t write a poem.
At this point you probably want to ask me what poetry and art have to do with engineering. For one, it makes you a more rounded person, making you a better engineer. More importantly, as an engineer, you will be faced with many problems every day. There are some that can be solved by consulting a textbook, but more often than not, you will need that thing in your brain to put together things in a completely original combination to solve the problem at hand.
Think of the wonderful things that creative engineers have done. Civil engineers have made the road more long-lasting so we don’t have to close them for repairs as often. Coming up with a new innovation (创新) is similar to writing a good poem. It’s not some-thing you plan to do. The critical moment comes unexpectedly in the middle of nowhere. You don’t think about what you’re doing, you simply do. After some mad struggling you take a look at the end product and say to yourself, “This is a masterpiece . ” This is perhaps the greatest personal satisfaction one can experience.
So all you engineers out there get out and do something creative. I don’t care if it’s writing a poem or a computer program, just be natural and do something creative.This passage mainly deals with.
| A．the creativity of engineers | B．the power of editor-in-chief |
| C．engineering in general | D．a way of thinking |
In the author’s opinion, writing poems can
.
| A．show one is creative | B．make him happy |
| C．bring him in lots of money | D．have an effect on one’s mental health |
According to the author, art can help an engineer to.
| A．find the solutions to problems | B．learn to write poetry |
| C．be courageous in face of challenges | D．get along well with others |
Coming up with a new innovation is similar to writing a good poem in that both are.
| A．logically developed | B．strictly planned |
| C．experience- based | D．naturally creative |
The greatest personal satisfaction of an engineer comes from.
| A．planning his work successfully | B．building things quickly |
| C．finishing his work innovatively | D．writing good poems naturally |
MA MA
Mau