You may know the English letters A, B and C. But do you know there are people called ABC? You may like eating bananas. But did you know there is a “banana person”? How strange! Are these people from “another Earth”? No. They are just Chinese people like you and me.
ABC means American-Born Chinese. An ABC is a Chinese, but was born in the United States. Sometimes, people call an ABC a “banana person”. A banana is yellow outside and white inside. So, when a person is a banana, he or she is white inside--thinking like a Westerner and yellow outside--looking like a Chinese.
Do you know why? Usually, ABCs know little about China or the Chinese language. Some of them don’t speak Chinese.
But if ABCs cannot speak Chinese, can we still call them Chinese people? Yes, of course. They are Chinese. They are overseas (海外) Chinese. These people may be citizens(公民) of another country like the US, Canada or Singapore. But they have Chinese blood. Their parents, grandparents or even great-grandparents were from China. They all have black eyes and black hair.
But they are not Chinese citizens. They are not the people of the People’s Republic of China. For example, we all know the famous scientist? C.N. Yang(杨振宁). He got the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1957. The Chinese love him, but he is an American citizen.“ABC” in this passage means “____________”.
A.three English letters | B.a kind of banana |
C.Chinese born in America | D.Americans born in China |
What’s the author’s purpose in writing this passage?
A.He wants to tell us something about “ABC”. |
B.He wants to show that Chinese are well respected in America. |
C.He wants to tell us some knowledge about the English language. |
D.He wants to introduce the American culture to us. |
Chinese in Western countries are called “banana persons” because ____.
A.their bodies are white inside but yellow outside |
B.they think like Westerners but look like Chinese |
C.they were born in China but go to study in America |
D.they like to eat bananas |
C.N. Yang is mentioned here to show that ____.
A. American Chinese are great.
B. we love American Chinese
C. The Chinese can win Nobel Prizes
D. American Chinese are not Chinese citizens
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项。
“BANG!” the door caused a reverberation (回声). It was just standing there, with father standing on one side, and I on the other side.
We were both in great anger. “Never set foot in this house again!” stormed father. With tears welling up in my eyes, I rushed out of the flat and ran along the street.
The street lights were shining, causing rather sad-feeling. I wandered aimlessly.
A young father who held a child in his arms walked past me. I felt as if I saw my childhood from another space: happy and carefree.
But now … I don’t know whether it is because I have grown up or because dad is getting old. We differ in our ways of thinking. He always put his opinions and codes of behavior on me. Whenever I do something wrong, he never admits it. We are just like two people coming from two different worlds. It feels like there is an iron door between us that can never be opened.
I wandered the streets, without a destination in mind. My heart was frozen on this hot summer night. As I walked on there were fewer and fewer people on the streets, until I had only the street lights to keep me company. When I finally reached the high-rise apartment block in which I lived ,I saw that the light was still on.
I thought to myself: “Is father waiting for me, or is he still angry with me?”
In fact, it was nothing. Perhaps, dad was throwing away some of his old stamps. Perhaps he thought they were useless. I never had the courage to tell him that I liked collecting stamps. I can’t stand his outrageous(蛮横的)words: “I can’t throw you away, let alone these old papers?”
All the lights were off except father’s.
Dad was always like this. Maybe he didn’t know how to express himself. After shouting at me, he never showed any mercy or any moments of regret. After an argument he has the habit of creeping up in my sleep and then tucking me underneath the covers.
This was how he always was.He has been a leader for so long that telling everyone else what to do has become his second nature.
The light was still on. “Am I wrong?” I whispered, maybe… With the key in hand, I was as nervous as I had ever been. At last, I decided to open the door. As soon as I opened the door tears ran down my cheeks. I suddenly realized that the iron door that I had imagined between us did not exist at all. Love—it second to none.Decide which is the best order of the following according to what happened in the passage.
a. I opened the door and entered the house.
b. Sadly I ran out into the street.
c. I reached the place where I lived and saw my house still brightly lit.
d. I thought of my father’s kindness towards me.
e. I walked about in the street without any aim.
A.b, e, d, c, a | B.b, e, c, d, a |
C.b, e, a, c, d | D.b, e, c, a, d |
What made the writer think of his childhood ?
A.The sight of the street lights. |
B.The sight of the empty street. |
C.The sight of a father with a child in his arms. |
D.The sight of light in his own house. |
Why do you think the father often shouts at his son?
A.perhaps the father is getting older and older. |
B.perhaps the son has already grown up. |
C.perhaps they never agree with each other. |
D.perhaps the father has got used to doing that. |
What conclusion can you come to after reading the passage?
A.The father treats his son in an unfair way. |
B.The father is actually kind to his son. |
C.The father is neither kind nor cruel to his son. |
D.The father is always finding fault with his son. |
阅读理解
Can you believe everything that you read? It seems as if every day, some new articles come out about a new discovery about this or that. For example, water is bad for you, or good for you. The answer depends on which scientific study has just come out. People cannot decide which food items are healthy, how pyramids were constructed, and why dinosaurs disappeared. When we look for answers we sometimes can believe persuasive researches and scientists. But how trustworthy are they really? Here are two examples of scientific hoaxes (骗局).
As far back as 1726, Johann Beringer was fooled by his fellow scientists into thinking he had made an amazing discovery. The fossils of spiders, lizards, and even birds with the name of God written on them in Hebrew were unlike anything that had been found before. He wrote several papers on them and was famous for those only to have it revealed that they were planted by jealous colleagues to ruin his reputation.
When an early human being was discovered in 1912, scientists at this time were wild with excitement over the meaning it had for the theory of evolution. There were hundreds of papers about this Piltdown man over the next fifty years until it was finally discovered to be a complex hoax. The skull (头骨) of a man had been mixed with the jawbone of an orangutan (猩猩) to make the ape (猿) man.
The next time you read the exciting new findings of a study of the best scientist, do not automatically assume that it is true. Even qualified people can get it wrong. Though we certainly should not ignore scientific research, we do need to take it with a grain of salt. Just because it is accepted as the truth today does not mean it will still be trustworthy tomorrow.What is the reason why Johann Beringer was fooled?
A.His fellow scientists wanted to make fun of him. |
B.His workmates are eager to become famous too. |
C.These scientists made a mistake because of carelessness. |
D.His colleagues was jealous of him and did so to destroy his fame. |
The excited scientists thought that this Piltdown man ________.
A.was in fact a complex hoax |
B.was a great scientific invention |
C.contributed to the theory of evolution |
D.had the skull like that of an ape |
What does the underlined phrase “with a grain of salt” in Paragraph 4 mean?
A.Happily. | B.Generally. |
C.Doubtfully. | D.Completely. |
What can we learn from the passage?
A.Hebrew is probably a kind of language. |
B.Truths of science will never be out of time. |
C.People believe scientists because they are persuasive. |
D.We are advised to believe famous scientists. |
阅读理解
More students than ever before are taking a gap-year (间隔年) before going to university. It used to be called the “year off” between school and university. The gap-year phenomenon originated with the months left over to Oxbridge applicants between entrance exams in November and the start of the next academic year.
This year, 25,310 students who have accepted places in higher education institutions have put off their entry until next year, according to statistics on university entrance provided by University and College Admissions Service (UCAS).
That is a record 14.7% increase in the number of students taking a gap year. Tony Higgins from UCAS said that the statistics are good news for everyone in higher education. “Students who take a well-planned year out are more likely to be satisfied with, and complete, their chosen course. Students who take a gap year are often more mature and responsible,” he said.
But not everyone is happy. Owain James, the president of the National Union of Students(NUS), argued that the increase is evidence of student hardship –young people are being forced into earning money before finishing their
education. “New students are now aware that they are likely to leave university with up to £15,000 in debt. It is not surprising that more and more students are taking a gap year to earn money to support their study for the degree. NUS statistics show that over 40% of students are forced to work during term time and the figure increases to 90% during vacation periods,” he said.What do we learn about the gap year from the text?
A.It is flexible in length. |
B.It is a time for relaxation. |
C.It is increasingly popular. |
D.It is required by universities. |
According to Tony Higgins, students taking a gap year_________.
A.arc better prepared for college studies |
B.know a lot more about their future jobs |
C.are more likely to leave university in debt |
D.have a better chance to enter top universities |
What would most students do on their vacation according to NUS statistics?
A.Attend additional courses. |
B.Make plans for the new term. |
C.Earn money for their education. |
D.Prepare for their graduate studies. |
阅读理解
The China Daily newspaper group is looking for English-language senior business editors, senior copy editors, copy editors and graphic designers to strengthen its international team. We offer a competitive salary package,
accommodation with furniture paid for 90 percent, medical reimbursement(报销), a seven-day paid leave, eleven-day public holidays and a return ticket to the country of residence.
Senior Business Editor
You must:
(1) Assist the business editor in setting goals and working on achieving them;
(2) Be an excellent team person who can generate ideas and think creatively and be able to rewrite totally if needed;
(3) Ideally have been working or have worked in a position of responsibility and understand what leadership intends;
(4) Have had at least five years’ editing experience working on editing the Business Desk and be familiar with industry software.
Senior Copy Editor
You must:
(1) Work on shifts in the Business Desk and usually have the last word before the page is sent to print;
(2) Edit or rewrite copy and give smart headlines and captions;
(3) Have had at least two years’ editing experience working on editing desks and be familiar with industry software.
Copy Editor
You must:
(1) Be good at editing or rewriting copy and writing smart headlines and captions;
(2) Be able to work on shifts for different pages, and usually have the last word before the page is sent to print;
(3) Have two years of editing experience working on copy desks, and be familiar with industry software.
Graphic Designer
You must:
(1) Have excellent skills in information graphics;
(2) Be good at illustrations and freehand drawings;
(3) Be experienced in newspaper or magazine layouts;
(4) Have a good sense of typography (活版印刷术);
(5) Have good new judgment;
(6) Be fluent in English.
For enquiries or to apply, write to job @chinadaily.com.cn.What is the purpose of this passage?
A.To describe the positions of the China Daily newspaper group. |
B.To tell you how to become part of this group. |
C.To describe the working conditions of the China Daily newspaper group. |
D.To advertise for employing some good employees. |
What is not required about Graphic Designer?
A.Be expert in illustrating newspapers. |
B.Writing smart headlines and captions. |
C.Have excellent skills in information graphics. |
D.Having a good sense of typography. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.The workers there can enjoy a seven-day leave without pay. |
B.Free accommodations are available to the workers. |
C.The senior business editor’s only job is to help the business editor to set goals. |
D.Senior copy editors can decide on sending the page to print. |
Imagine your body is like the house you live in. Every day, your family creates rubbish. The rubbish builds up until it is put out for the weekly garbage collection.
Now, say you put three bags of garbage out, but because one of the collectors was away sick, only two bags are collected. You take the leftover bag inside to be put out again next week. The following week you put on another three bags, plus the leftover bag from last week. But again, only two bags are collected. Imagine this cycle is repeated over the following weeks.
This is a simple description of what happens to your body when your kidneys (肾脏) don’t work efficiently. Your body is not thoroughly emptied of waste products. Other areas of the body such as blood pressure and red blood cell production are affected and the insidious process that may lead to kidney failure begins.
It’s not uncommon for people to lose up to 90% of their kidney function before developing any symptoms. There may be no warning signs. This makes early detection (诊查) difficult.
Kidney’s main job is to remove toxins (毒素) and unwanted water from our blood. Every day our kidneys clean an average of 200 litres of blood. Kidney failure may be a gradual and silent process, going unnoticed because there is no apparent pain.
Research shows that more than 25% of the patients requiring dialysis (透析) do not see a kidney specialist before they have to do so. Some risk factors for kidney disease such as age and genetic make up are out of our control; however, some changes in lifestyle may help prevent kidney damage.Two major risk factors for kidney disease, diabetes (糖尿病) and high blood pressure, have been on the rise over the last few decades.Both conditions are chiefly affected by being overweight and not getting enough exercises, which are the potential risk factors for the kidney disease. The author gives the example of the house we live in to indicate that _______.
A.it’s safe and harmless for our body to keep some waste |
B.it’s important for our body to empty the waste in time every day |
C.our body will not produce any waste if our kidneys work efficiently |
D.it doesn’t matter much if the waste in our body is not emptied in time |
The underlined word “insidious” in the third paragraph means _______.
A.smooth and safe | B.obvious and fast |
C.gradual and unnoticed | D.long and painful |
We can infer that when we find some symptoms related to our kidneys, _______.
A.the kidney failure begins |
B.the kidneys can still work properly |
C.we have lost about 10% of kidney function |
D.the kidneys may have been seriously damaged |
Which of the following helps prevent kidney damage most effectively?
A.Go to see a kidney specialist shortly before dialysis starts. |
B.Take enough exercise and make early detection of kidney disease. |
C.Try to keep low blood pressure and a stable lifestyle. |
D.Go to hospital whenever you find any warning signs. |