When I was nine，my parents divorced (离婚) and our house was to be taken away. My dad，with whom my four younger siblings (兄弟姐妹) and I lived，spent countless hours filling out housing forms，calling shelters，and looking for places to stay. Although Dad had four siblings，none offered us a hand until we could get back on our feet.Family problems had caused them to go in separate directions，and，as a result，none were very close.
In spite of all this，my dad told us that we should stick together. His motto was “All of us or none of us，” even if we were just going to the supermarket. He especially stressed the importance of family during these hard times.He told us not to worry because we’d get through this together.He promised that if we stuck together，we’d be all right.
Naturally，like any nineyearold，my mind wandered to playing cops (警察) and robbers and whatever else nineyearolds think about.His heartfelt (衷心的) words seemed to go in one ear and out the other. However，seven years have passed since that time.As my dad promised，we have stuck together and ended up all right.We stayed at a friend’s house until my dad’s many forms produced results and we received housing in a nice neighborhood.
Now I can understand the importance of my dad’s words.I also know that no matter what happens，I can depend on my siblings.Sure，we have our disagreements like any other kids，but we all know we can all depend on each other.That is what family should mean，and that is what matters most to me.When the parents divorced，the main problem for the father to settle was to________.
| A．get enough food for daily life |
| B．find a suitable house to live in |
| C．get in touch with his siblings |
| D．find a job to support the family |
By saying “All of us or none of us”，the author’s father meant________.
| A．some of the siblings could go to the supermarket |
| B．friendship is always the most important thing |
| C．all or none of them could go to the supermarket |
| D．the family should stick together in hard times |
What matters most to the author?
| A．Believing in the parents. | B．Getting a nice house. |
| C．Depending on the siblings. | D．Leading a comfortable life. |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Stick together | |
| B．Father’s advice | |
| C．My siblings | D．Life’s lesson |
(RAMALLAH, West Bank) — Israel（以色列） freed 26 Palestinian（巴勒斯坦） prisoners early Wednesday, the second of four groups to be released as part of an agreement that started the current Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, which had broken down since 2008. In all, 104 prisoners are to be released in four rounds over the coming months.
In the West Bank and Gaza（加沙）, the mood was overexcited as hundreds of Palestinians welcomed the prisoners back home, after many had spent more than 20 years behind bars.
Crowds of people rushed toward the 5 prisoners released to Gaza, raising them on their shoulders, waving Palestinian flags and dancing to music. Relatives held signs that read “we will never forget our heroes.” More than 2,000 people welcomed the 21 prisoners released to the West Bank, who were greeted at a ceremony by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah.
Hazem Shubair, thrown into prison in 1994 for the death of an Israeli according to the Israeli Prison Service, was over delighted upon his return to Gaza. “I am speechless,” he said. “Thanks to God. God is greater than the aggressors (meaning Israel)”.
Abbas said a final peace agreement with Israel was possible on the release of the prisoners. “There will be no final agreement without the release of all the prisoners,” he told the violent crowd.
Israel’s Supreme Court (最高法院) earlier refused an appeal that intended to cancel the prisoner release. An organization of bereaved (失去亲人的) families behind the appeal has said it fears the prisoners, all in connection to the deaths of Israelis, will return to violence once freed.Why did Israel free 26 Palestinian prisoners early Wednesday?
| A．Because they would take part in the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. |
| B．Because that was part of an agreement between Israel and Palestinians. |
| C．Because the current Israeli-Palestinian peace talks failed. |
| D．Because the peace talks had broken down since 2008. |
How many Palestinian prisoners had been released by Wednesday?
| A．21 | B．26. | C．Over 26. | D．104. |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．Wednesday’s release was the whole part of the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. |
| B．The other 104 Palestinian prisoners will be freed in the coming months. |
| C．All the Palestinian prisoners were greeted by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. |
| D．All the Palestinian prisoners were welcomed warmly. |
There will be no final peace agreement between Israel and Palestinians until______.
| A．all the Palestinian prisoners kept in Israeli prisons are set free |
| B．all the prisoners return to violence once again |
| C．God is greater than the aggressors |
| D．Palestinians welcome some prisoners back home |
From the last paragraph we know _______.
| A．Israel stopped to release the rest of the Palestinian prisoners |
| B．some Israelis didn’t agree to release the Palestinian prisoners |
| C．all the Israelis are in favor of setting the Palestinian prisoners free |
| D．the Palestinian prisoners will return to violence once freed |
The Internet of Things (IoT) aims to get everything and everyone talking. Attaching sensors to “things”, such as cows, cars and refrigerator, and then assigning them unique IP addresses allow them to “talk” to the Internet. Of course, the IoT will involve much more than a handful of sensors. Networking company Cisco estimates that 50 billion Internet-connected devices and objects will
be sending over data by 2020.
| Specific Benefits The IoT will allow people to track things and processes like never before. Airplane manufacturers will be able to continuously track the condition of airplane parts, allowing them to do preventive maintenance and avoid costly downtime. Consumers could install smart meters in their homes to monitor energy usage and observe energy price changes in real time. That would allow people to adjust their habits and use electrical appliances during lower-priced hours. |
| Some Fears Some critics fear that the IoT could end up being a fashion that people lose interest in over time. Having Twitter feeds on refrigerator doors may sound cool at first, but the attraction could fade as quickly as the excitement over last year’s smartphone! Other critics are doubtful that companies making Internet-connected appliances will provide long-term software updates. If that happens, a refrigerator or washing machine that should last 10 years or more could last two or three due to software that’s outdated. |
| A Positive Example Early this year, owners of the Tesla Model S electric car received a recall notice alerting them to a charger plug needing to be fixed. Amazingly, owners of the Model S sat back while the company performed an “over the air” wireless update. Customers confirmed the update by tapping on the car’s touchscreen console to see that the Model S was running the latest software version. No trip to the dealer was required! Perhaps Tesla’s remote fix is a sign of things to come. Someday soon, people’s lives might become a lot more efficient and convenient thanks to the IoT. |
How do researchers get everything and everyone talking?
| A．By establishing the IoT and launching a handful of sensors. |
| B．By connecting sensors with them and appointing them unique IP addresses. |
| C．By communicating with them all the time through the IoT. |
| D．By sending people to track them day and night and collect useful data. |
According to the article, which of the following is NOT TRUE?
| A．IoT can help people do preventive maintenance and save money. |
| B．IoT can help people monitor energy usage and observe price changes timely. |
| C．IoT can help people adjust their habits and use electrical appliances more smartly. |
| D．IoT can help people investigate things and update a lot of important data. |
What else do critics worry about the IoT besides its probably ending up being a fashion?
| A．People will lose interest in it as quickly as the thrill over last year’s smartphone. |
| B．Refrigerators and washing machines will be replaced by other devices in a few years. |
| C．Whether related companies will provide long-term software updates or not. |
| D．The software provided by companies will be outdated easily and quickly. |
According to the passage, when owners of the Tesla Model S electric received a recall notice, they ______.
| A．just waited in the car while the maintenance is being done through wireless update |
| B．were required to go to the nearest 4s store to make some adjustments or repairs |
| C．could definitely depend on the IoT to send them the charger plug to be fixed |
| D．had to confirm the update with the help of the equipment provided by the company |
When I left home for college, I sought to escape the limited world of farmers, small towns, and country life. I long for the excitement of the city, for the fast pace that rural life lacked, for adventure beyond the horizon. I dreamed of exploring the city, living within a new culture and landscape, and becoming part of the pulse of an urban jungle.
Yet some of my best times were driving home, leaving the city behind and slipping back into the valley. As city life disappeared and traffic thinned, I could see the faces of the other drivers relax. Then, around a bend in the highway, the grassland of the valley would come into being, offering a view of gentle rolling hills. The land seemed permanent. I felt as if I had stepped back in time.
I took comfort in the stability of the valley. Driving through small farm communities, I imagined the founding families still rooted in their grand homes, generations working the same lands, neighbors remaining neighbors for generations. I allowed familiar farmhouse landmarks to guide me.
Close to home, I often turned off the main highway and took a different, getting familiar farms again and testing my memory. Friends lived in those houses. I had eaten meals and spent time there; I had worked on some of these farms, lending a hand during a peak harvest, helping a family friend for a day or two. The houses and lands looked the same, and I could picture the gentle faces and hear familiar voices as if little had been changed. As I eased into our driveway I’d returned to old ways, becoming a son once again, a child on the family farm. My feelings were honest and real. How I longed for a land where life stood still and my memories could be relived. When I left the farm for college, I could only return as visitor to the valley, a traveler looking for home.
Now the farm is once again my true home. I live in that farmhouse and work the permanent lands. My world may seem unchanged to casual observers, but they are wrong. I know this: if there’s a constant on these farms, it’s the constant of change.
The good observer will recognize the differences. A farmer replants an orchard (果园) with a new variety of peaches. Irrigation is added to block of old grapes, so I imagine the vineyard has a new owner. Occasionally the changes are clearly evident, like a FOR SALE sign. But I need to read the small print in order to make sure that a bank has taken possession of the farm. Most of the changes contain two stories. One is the physical change of the farm, the other involves the people on that land, the human story behind the change.
I’ve been back on the farm for a decade and still haven’t heard all the stories behind the changes around me. But once I add my stories to the landscape, I can call this place my home, a home that continues to evolve and changes as I add more and more of my stories.
A poet returns to the valley and says, “Little has changed in the valley, and how closed–minded you all are!” He comments about the lack of interest in sports, social and environmental issues in the poverty and inequality of our life. He was born and raised here, so he might have the right to criticize and lecture us. Yet he speaks for many who think they know the valley. How differently would others think of us if they knew the stories of a grape harvest in a wet year or a peach without a home?The most important reason why the writer wanted to move to the city is that_________.
| A．he did not want to work on the farm |
| B．he wanted to make new friends |
| C．he was eager for a different life there |
| D．there were more things to do there |
What made the writer relax as he drove from the city to the country?
| A．He could see for miles and miles. |
| B．The traffic moved more slowly. |
| C．The people he passed seemed to be calmer. |
| D．The land seemed familiar to him. |
When driving through the valley the writer was guided home by________ .
| A．familiar farmhouses which left him a good memory |
| B．houses that had sheltered generations of the same family |
| C．land that had been worked by a family for generations |
| D．large farms which stretched out right before him. |
When he was in college, why was the writer sad when he returned to his family home?
| A．He remembered how hard he used to work. |
| B．He realized that he was only a visitor. |
| C．He recognized the old housed and land. |
| D．He remembered his next door neighbors. |
Which of the following most likely indicates that there is a sad human story behind a physical change on the farm?
| A．A new variety of peach is being planted. |
| B．Irrigation is being added to a grape operation. |
| C．A piece of land is being sold by a bank. |
| D．A farm is being sold to a large corporation. |
The fact that most upsets the writer with the poet is that________.
| A．the poet prefers to live in the urban area |
| B．the poet thinks that the folk people are backward |
| C．the poet says that little has changed in the valley |
| D．the poet’s criticism and comments are not objective |
Boy’s schools are the perfect place to teach young men to express their emotions and involve them in activities such as art dance and music. Far from the traditional image of a culture of aggressive masculinity(阳刚) , the absence of girls gives boys the chance to develop without pressure to agree with a stereotype, a US study says.
Boys at single-sex schools were said to be more likely to get involved in cultural and artistic activities that helped develop their emotional expressiveness, rather than feeling they had to agree with the “boy code”of hiding their emotions to be a “real man”.
The report, presented at a conference of the International Boys’Schools Coalition in London attended by the heads of private and state schools, goes against received wisdom that boys do better when taught alongside girls. Tony little, headmaster of Eton, warned that boys were being failed by the British education system because it had become too focused on girls. He criticized teachers for failing to recognize that boys are actually more emotional than girls.
The research argued that boys often perform badly in mixed schools because they become discouraged when their females peers do better earlier in speaking and reading skills. But in single-sex schools teachers can tailor lessons to boy’s learning style, letting them move around the classroom and getting them to compete in teams to prevent boredom, wrote the study’s author, Abigail James, of the University of Virginia. Teachers could encourage boys to enjoy reading and writing with “boy-focused”approaches such as themes and characters that interest them. Because boys generally have more acute(sharp)vision, learn best through touch, and are physically more active, they need to be given “hands-on”lessons where they are allowed to walk around. “Boys in mixed schools view classical music as feminine(女性的)and prefer the modern type in which violence and sexism are major themes” James wrote.
Single-sex education also made it less likely that boys would feel they had to agree with a stereotype that men should be “masterful and in charge” in relationships, “In mixed schools boys feel forced to act like men before they understand themselves well enough to know what that means.” The study reported.In the eyes of the author, a single-sex school would__________.
| A．force boys to hide their emotions to be “real man” |
| B．help to develop masculine aggressiveness in boys |
| C．encourage boys to express their emotions more freely |
| D．naturally stress in boys the traditional image of a man |
The phrase “received wisdom” (paragraph 3) is most likely to mean____________.
| A．better education | B．common belief |
| C．good behavior | D．strong responsibility |
What does Tony Little think of the British education system?
| A．It fails more boys than girls thoroughly |
| B．It makes boys more emotional than girls |
| C．It fails to give boys the attention they need |
| D．It focuses more on mixed school education |
Which is one of the advantages of single-sex schools according to Abigail James?
| A．Teaching can be tailored to suit the characteristics of boys |
| B．Boys can focus on their lessons without being disturbed |
| C．Boys can choose to learn whatever they are interested in |
| D．Teaching can be designed to promote boy’s team spirit |
According to Abigail James’s report, which of the following is characteristic of boys?
| A．They enjoy being in charge and master |
| B．They love to be greatly encouraged |
| C．They are violent and sexist |
| D．They have sharper vision |
Tales From Animal Hospital
David Grant
David Grant has become a familiar face to millions of fans of Animal Hospital. Here Dr Grant tells us the very best of his personal stories about the animals he has treated ,including familiar patients such as the dogs Snowy and Duchess , the delightful cat Marigold Serendipity Diamond . He also takes the reader behind the scenes at Harmsworth Memorial Animal Hospital as he describes his day , from ordinary medical check-ups to surgery （外科手术）. Tales From Animal Hospital will delight all fans of the program and anyone who has a lively interest in their pet, whether it be cat , dog or snake ! $ 14.99 Hardback 272 pp Simon Schuster
ISBN 0751304417
Isaac Newton: The Last Sorcerer
Michael White
From the author of Stephen Hawking: A Life in Science, comes this colorful description of the life of the world’s first modern scientist. Interesting yet based on fact, Michael White’s learned yet readable new book offers a true picture of Newton completely different from what people commonly know about him . Newton is shown as a gifted scientist with very human weaknesses who stood at the point in history where magic ended and science began.
£8.99 Hardback 320 pp Fourth Estate
ISBN 1857024168
Fermat’s Last Theorem
Simon Singh
In 1963 a schoolboy called Andrew Wiles reading in his school library came across the world’s greatest mathematical problem : Fermat’s Last Theorem (定理). First put forward by the French mathematician Pierre de Fermat in the seventeenth century, the theorem had baffled and beaten the finest mathematical minds , including a French woman scientist who made a major advance in working out the problem , and who had to dress like a man in order to be able to study at the Ecole Polytechnique . Through unbelievable determination Andrew Wiles finally worked out the problem in 1995 . An unusual story of human effort over three centuries , Fermat’s Last Theorem will delight specialists and general readers alike .
£12.99 Hardback 384 pp Fourth Estate
ISBN 1857025210What is Animal Hospital ?
| A．A news story. |
| B．A popular book. |
| C．A research report. |
| D．A TV program. |
In Michael White’s book , Newton is described as .
| A．a person who did not look the same as in many pictures |
| B．a person who lived a colorful and meaningful life |
| C．a great but not perfect man |
| D．an old-time magician |
Which of the following best explains the meaning of the word “baffle” as it is used in the text ?
| A．To encourage people to raise questions. |
| B．To cause difficulty in understanding. |
| C．To provide a person with an explanation. |
| D．To limit people’s imagination. |
What is the purpose of writing these three texts ?
| A．To make the books easier to read |
| B．To show the importance of science |
| C．To introduce new authors |
| D．To sell the books. |