First published in 2001, the book Life of Pi written by Canadian author Yann Martel won the Man Booker Prize and an Asian American Prize for Literature. It is the story of a young boy named Pi who spends 227 days at sea with a small group of animals after disaster strikes their ship and is an account of his journey of survival and hardship.
Piscine “Pi” Molitor Patel, on whom Life of Pi is based, is a young boy living in Pondicherry, India, where his father owns a zoo. The story starts when Patel’s family decide to move to Canada, along with their zoo animals for their new home.
However, because of the bad weather, the ship sinks. Pi along with an orangutan (猩猩), an injured zebra, a hyena (鬣狗) and a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker are the only survivors who take shelter in a small lifeboat. Both the injured zebra and the orangutan are soon killed and eaten by the hyena. The tiger in turn kills and eats the hyena, leaving just the two of them alone on the boat now.
In an effort to avoid being eaten by Richard Parker, Pi acts himself as the head of the group and remains safe from harm. Since he does not want the tiger to die for fear of going mad by being alone on the boat, he fishes and feeds the two of them in order to stay alive.
The life of Pi then enters its third stage when their lifeboat washes up on the shores of Mexico and the tiger escapes into a nearby forest leaving Pi alone. After the Mexicans refuse to believe Pi’s story, he changes his tale by replacing the animals with his mother, a cook and a sailor and asks the Mexicans which one they prefer. They prefer hearing the first story though they do not believe a word of it.
In my view, Life of Pi is a must read book for all those who love reading.We can learn that the book Life of Pi _____.
| A．was written in 2001 |
| B．was awarded two prizes |
| C．tells a story about friendship |
| D．is based on the author’s personal experience |
In the book Life of Pi the hyena is killed by _____.
| A．Pi |
| B．the zebra |
| C．the orangutan |
| D．Richard Parker |
How does Pi escape being eaten by the tiger?
| A．By catching fishes for the tiger. |
| B．By locking the tiger in a cage. |
| C．By being the leader of the two of them. |
| D．By fighting with the tiger. |
What happens after Pi arrives in Mexico?
| A．The tiger dies. |
| B．He tries to escape. |
| C．The Mexicans feel sorry for him. |
| D．The Mexicans doubt his experience. |
Nowadays, studying abroad gains popularity in China. Many parents would rather send their children abroad to receive education than let them be educated in China.
Every coin has two sides and studying abroad is no exception(例外). There are advantages for people to attend school abroad. In the first place, he can use the foreign language in his daily life so that his ability in the second language may be greatly improved, as it is obvious that there is no better opportunity to improve second language skills than living in the country where it is spoken. While studying in a foreign country, he will mostly meet many others from overseas and it is possible to make friends with people from all over the world. This is not only exciting on the social level, but could lead to important overseas contacts in his career as well. He can learn the latest knowledge in science and make use of the first-rate facilities(设备) available. In this way, there are many chances for him to widen his horizons and broaden his mind.
Of course, attending school abroad may bring about a series of problems as well. The most serious problem is language barrier(障碍). Not all of the students who plan to go abroad are good at the language spoken there. As a result, on arriving there, they will find it difficult to understand what the teachers say. Besides, for lack of knowledge of the customs of the local people, they may constantly(不断地) run into trouble in dealing with various situations. Furthermore, the tuition and the cost of living are much higher than those in our country, which may add more burdens to their family.
Therefore, given an opportunity to attend a school abroad, one must consider both its advantages and its disadvantages carefully before making up his mind.What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Students life in the foreign countries. |
| B．The advantages and disadvantages of studying abroad. |
| C．Problems that will be met when we study abroad. |
| D．The reasons why many parents sent their children abroad. |
All the following are the advantages of studying abroad EXCEPT______
| A．the ability in the second language may be greatly improved |
| B．you may make friends from all over the world |
| C．you can learn to live an independent life |
| D．you can get to know the latest knowledge in science. |
The writers attitude towards studying abroad is ________
| A．Positive(肯定的) | B．Negative（否定的） |
| C．Neutral（中立的） | D．Not clear |
Advice to "sleep on it" could be well founded, scientists say. After a good night's sleep a problem that couldn't be solved the night before can often appear more manageable. Researchers at the University of Luebek in Germany have designed an experiment that shows a good night's sleep can improve insight（顿悟）and problem-solving ability.
“If you have some newly-got memories in your brain, sleep acts on these memories and restructures them, so that after sleep the insight increases," said Dr Jan Born, a neuroscientist, at the University. To test the discovery, they taught volunteers two simple rules to help them turn a string of numbers into a new order. There was also a third, hidden rule, which could help them increase their speed in solving the problem. The researchers divided the volunteers into two groups: half were allowed to sleep after the training while the rest were forced to stay awake. Dr Jan Born and his team noticed that the group that had slept after the training were twice as likely to figure out the third rule as the other group. "Sleep helped," Born said in a telephone interview .¨The important thing is that you have to have a memory description of the problem you want to solve in your brain and then you sleep, so it can act on the problem."
But Born admitted that he and his team don't know how restructuring of memories occurs or what controls it. Pierre Maquet and Perrine Ruby of the University of Liege in Belgium said the experimental evidence supports the suggestion that sleep can help develop creative thinking. Although the role of sleep in human creativity will still be a mystery, the research gives people good reasons to fully respect their periods of sleep, they added.What is the purpose of the experiment?
| A．To test problem-solving ability in sleep. |
| B．To discover people's insight during sleep. |
| C．To prove a good sleep helps solve problems. |
| D．To discuss how to improve sleeping quality. |
How did Jan Born and his team carry out the experiement ?
| A．Through comparison. | B．Through interview. |
| C．Trough talking | D．Through imagination. |
What can be inferred from Paragraph 2 ?
| A．Sleep can help solve problems. |
| B．People should sleep as long as they want. |
| C．Different people have various periods of sleep. |
| D．Scientists know how sleep restructures memories from now. |
Which of the following is TRUE about the experiments evidence?
| A．It helps scientists control memories. |
| B．It explains the role of sleep in human. |
| C．It shows people's sleeping well helps a lot. |
| D．It shows how to develop creative thinking. |
Three years ago when I was still in the University, I also worked at a restaurant.
An old man named Mr. Candido Filio was one of our regular customer at the restaurant. He was one of the most intelligent people I've ever known.
Every Sunday the Philippine Star Newspaper had a special page for word puzzles and among his peers (同龄人), Mr.Filio held the record for solving all the puzzles in less than five minutes. He encouraged me to solve them too, and for months and months, I did my best to beat him but failed.
Then one Sunday, I did it! I was able to complete them before anyone else. Everyone cheered for me. He came up to me with a smile and said, " No one has ever beaten me before. You are the first. I'll have a prize for you tomorrow."
The next day, he gave me a special Scrabble（拼字游戏）set. I would have never been able to afford one like that by myself. Then he said to me, " Kate, what do you think is man's final goal in life? Happiness, isn't it? You are happy and that should be considered as a success. Many people spend a lifetime searching for that. Be thankful that you have found it." I looked at him and knew that my life had changed, probably forever. He must have known that I always felt sad about not having much money.
He encouraged me to learn the game and love words. And true to his words, I was never able to beat him again.We can learn from the text that Mr.Filio _
| A．was generous to young people |
| B．was good at word puzzles |
| C．lived quite near the restaurant |
| D．won a prize from the Philippine Star Newspaper |
The author was given a gift because________.
| A．Mr.Filio was thankful for her help. |
| B．Mr. Filio was satisfied with her service |
| C．she was the first person to beat Mr.Filio |
| D．she was the new record keeper in the restaurant |
After she heard what Mr. Filio said, the author probably felt ．
| A．amazed | B．excited |
| C．touched | D．inspired |
Juac has made the leap from being an African refugee (难民) to a chess champion in the United States. His job is to share his expertise(专长) with students in schools, chess camps and other events.
During Sudan's civil war in the mid-1980s, Juac was forced out of the country with 20,000 0ther so -called Lost Boys. He fled to Ethiopia, then to Kenya staying in a refugee camp for eight years, where he learned to play chess.
Juac described a dangerous journey in which half the boys didn't survive. To eat, they had to kill wild animals.
"There were animals on the way. It was about a thousand miles and sometimes there was no water. When we were in Ethiopia, we had to cross the river and there a lot drowned."
Juac arrived in the United States in 2004 and began working as a security guard. Winning a chess tournament gave him this teaching opportunity. Juac believes chess helps prepare young people for life.
"Some kids are not interested, so it's your job to make them like the game, to explain them what chess is going to help them with." He said. "Like, I can tell, this game will give you patience, and help with your math skills."
Julie Cathone, a second grade teacher in Jackson Public School, agrees. The School's principal, Meghan Kelley, said Juac and chess have made a big difference.
"What a role model. I mean when you think about just overcoming, and finding what you love and turning that into your life's work."
Juac said he enjoys the freedom he has in the United States. But his passion is playing and teaching chess to youngsters. His boss, Michael Propper , said Juac has one great advantage.
"I think he's believable. I think they look at him and he's so unassuming that they feel like they can do what he's doing and be a person as he is too."
Ju ac still has a big goal ahead of him-becoming an international chess master. With his skill and patience, Propper and his peers have no doubt that will happen.How long did Juac most probably stay in Ethiopia?
| A．About six years. | B．About eight years. |
| C．About twelve years. | D．About sixteen years. |
We can learn from the passage that Juac _
| A．must be teaching kids chess for free |
| B．is patient and good at math problems |
| C．surely has his own chess school in American |
| D．hasn't taken part in international chess contests |
The underlined word "unassuming" probably means __
| A．not appear important | B．seem to be very great |
| C．appear very charming | D．be not strict or serious |
Which is the best title for this passage?
A. "Lost Boys" Experienced Difficult Times.
B. Former Sudan "Lost Boy" Appears in NYC.
C. Former Sudan “Lost Boy" Becomes Chess Master.
D. African Boy Is Teaching Chess in the United States.
INTEX Giant Dolphin Inflatable Swimming Pool Ride-On Raft
Price:$88
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Contact Information of intex Recreation: Tel:800-876-0987 E-mail: In texrecreation@hotmail.comWhere do you probably read the article?
| A．In a science fiction. | B．In a newspaper |
| C．In a medical magazine | D．In a guidebook. |
How does Mike Smith feel about the product?
| A．Satisfied. | B．Troublesome. |
| C．Useless. | D．Terrible. |
What do you know about the product?
| A．It is hard for children to control. |
| B．It can be used only for adults. |
| C．It is easily broken by rocks and small branches. |
| D．It is soft, comfortable and inflatable. |
It is known from the passage that _
| A．Intex Recreation only produces outdoor toys |
| B．the product is too small to hold three people |
| C．there are two ways to contact Intex Recreation |
| D．Intex Recreation is a newly - built company |