D
Traditionally regarded as one of the safest planes in the skies, the Boeing 777’s reputation will have been damaged by the second fatal crash in less than a year. There are around 1,000 Boeing 777s in service, and the plane is a long haul workhorse(长途运输的主力), shouldering some of the longest routes. It entered service in 1995 and the National Transportation Safety Board, which is responsible for monitoring US-made aircraft, has recorded fewer than 60 incidents. But the recent record has been more patchy(不协调) with two major incidents---a crash at San Francisco airport last July, which claimed three lives, and the crash-landing of a British Airways 777 at Heathrow in January 2008.
However, the Malaysian disaster is very different from both the BA incident and the crash involving a Asiana Airlines flight at San Francisco InternationalAirport in July. Both the BA and Asiana accidents occurred shortly before landing, while the Malaysia airlines plane disappeared off the radar during the early stages of the trip.
The accident at San Francisco in July was attributed to pilot error which led to the engines being set to idle because he believed the computer would maintain sufficient speed to keep the plane up in the air. But initial reports suggest that Zaharie Ahmad Shah, the 53-year-old Malaysian airlines pilot, was hugely experienced - having joined thecarrierin 1981 and with 18,365 hours in the cockpit under his belt. The BA crash landing, which did not result in any fatalities, was finally found to have been caused by a blockage in the fuel line feeding theengine. Simply put the aircraft had the aviation equivalent of a cardiac arrest because some of the fuel failed to melt and blocked the supplylineat the end of a long flight from Beijing to London, during which the plane travelled through unusually cold airspace over Siberia.
This crash makes people think of the disaster in which 288 people on board an Air France Airbus 330. That plane, another long-haul workhorse, crashed into the Atlantic en-route from Rio de Janeiro in June 2009 killing 228 people. A variety of explanations have been given for the Air France crash, with investigators finding that the plane’s speed sensors were giving an incorrect reading. But with this crash involving a different aircraft, it will take several months before investigators can find out the cause.What’s the author’s purpose of writing the passage?
A.To arouse our attention of some famous crashes of plane. |
B.To find out the causes of plane crash. |
C.To inform us of the Malaysian disaster. |
D.To warn us not to travel by plane any more. |
The Malaysian disaster is quite different mainly because_____.
A.The plane disappeared off the radar during the early stages of the trip. |
B.The accident occurred shortly before landing. |
C.The pilot believed the computer would maintain sufficient speed. |
D.The pilot was less experienced. |
What methods are used to describe the whole passage?
①Giving examples
②Making comparisons
③Reasoning matters
④Offering figures
A.①②③ | B.②③④ | C.①②④ | D.①③④ |
What does “this crash” refer to in the last paragraph?
A.the crash of Air France |
B.the crash of the Malaysia airlines plane |
C.the crash-landing of a British Airways 777 |
D.the crash at San Francisco airport |
Night after night, she came to tuck me in(掖好被子), even long after my childhood years. Following her longstanding custom, she'd lean down and push my long hair out of the way, then kiss my forehead.
I don't remember when it first started annoying me — her hands pushing my hair that way. But it did annoy me, for they felt work-worn and rough against my young skin. Finally, one night, I shouted at her: "Don't do that anymore — your hands are too rough!" She didn't say anything in reply. But never again did my mother close out my day with that familiar expression of her love. Lying awake long afterward, my words rang in my mind. But pride overwhelmed my conscience, and I didn't tell her I was sorry.
Time after time, with the passing years, my thoughts returned to that night. I missed my mother's hands, missed her goodnight kiss upon my forehead. Sometimes the incident seemed very close, sometimes far away. But always it appeared in the back of my mind.
Well, the years have passed, and I'm not a little girl any more. Mom is in her mid-seventies, and those hands I once thought to be so rough are still doing things for me and my family. She's been our doctor, reaching for medicine to calm a young girl's stomach or ease the pain of a boy's injured knee. She cooks the best fried chicken in the world…gets stains out of blue jeans like I never could…and still insists on dishing out ice cream at any hour of the day or night.
Through the years, my mother's hands have put in countless hours of toil, and most of hers were before automatic washers!
Now, my own children are grown and gone. Mom no longer has Dad, and on special occasions, I find myself drawn next door to spend the night with her. So it was that late on Thanksgiving Eve, as I drifted into sleep in the bedroom of my youth, a familiar hand hesitantly stole across my face to brush the hair from my forehead. Then a kiss, ever so gently, touched my brow.
In my memory, for the thousandth time, I recalled the night my surly young voice complained: “Don't do that any more —your hands are too rough!” Catching Mom's hand in hand, I blurted out how sorry I was for that night. I thought she'd remember, as I did. But Mom didn't know what I was talking about. She had forgotten —and forgiven —long ago.
That night, I fell asleep with a new appreciation for my gentle mother and her caring hands. And the guilt I had carried around for so long was nowhere to be found.Why was the author annoyed with her mother?
A.Her mother disturbed her rest by tucking her in. |
B.She felt uncomfortable with her mother’s non-smooth hands. |
C.Her mother leant down and kissed her forehead. |
D.She was not accustomed to her mother’s action. |
Which of the following best describes the author’s mother?
A.devoted and hardworking |
B.caring and intelligent |
C.thoughtful but stubborn |
D.optimistic but careless |
We can learn from the passage that __________.
A.The author lived separately from her mother |
B.The author’s father has passed away |
C.The author alone took care of her children |
D.The author’s mother never kissed her again since that night |
What’s the author’s main purpose of writing the passage?
A.To thank her mother’s help |
B.To express her regret |
C.To appreciate her mother’s love |
D.To call up memories of her childhood. |
With only a click of the mouse, rumors can be forwarded between microblogs very quickly. As an example, recently, perceptive netizens discovered that some photos displayed on microblogs depicting Beijing’s June rainstorm had actually been fabricated.
Sina. com is one of the major internet portals(门户网站) in China with hundreds and thousands of users, and a majority of celebrities and renowned citizens have their microblog accounts on this portal. As recently as six months ago, the website decided to establish a specialized team to verify rumors and provide accurate information for its users. Tan Chao is in charge of the team.
“Before I took the job, I usually couldn’t identify what information was real and what was fake. But during the rumor verification process, we discovered that a lot of information was false, including fake photos, fake news stories and rumors that had been spread through microblogs.”
It‘s not just website portals which are taking on fact-checking responsibilities, but also a number of civic-minded netizens, who recently set up a Rumor Verification Federation on Sina.com’s microblog system to help netizens identify fake information online.
Dianzizheng is the team leader of the federation. He says they’ve publicized more than 150 pieces which refute rumors, which attracted more than 10 thousand visitors within two months.
“We live in an age of new media, so we can’t use the old methods to verify rumors. We can’t wait for the media to verify the facts with related administrative departments and then release a formal announcement. We can’t allow rumors to run rampant and then deal with it, we need to fight rumors while they’re spreading. I think that this is the best way to deal with rumors nowadays.”
Some experts say this demonstrates the advantages of the internet compared to other traditional media. The open platform allows information to be examined and clarified by netizens. But experts like Ding Wenguo, President of the Journalism and Communication College at the China University of Political Science and Law says this self-correction function of the internet is still quite limited.
“It’s still quite difficult to tell which information is true in such an open environment by just reading a number of different opinions on the same issue. This is something which we need to pay attention to. If society is deluged with too much false information, and it’s allowed to spread in such a fast manner, then people will be suspicious of all kinds of information including important information from authorities. It also exacerbates(恶化) problems relating to social communications and mutual-understanding, which in turn harms society as a whole.”
Experts suggest that the government should react more quickly in the internet age. Once a rumor begins to spread, administrative departments should make announcements as early as possible to dispel rumors before they lead to bad outcomes.Sina.com decided to found a specialized team to ____.
A.limit the number of microblogs |
B.advance the development of microblogs |
C.prevent the spread of rumors on the Internet |
D.urge the government to react quickly to the rumors |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?
A.All the rumors have been spread through microblogs. |
B.Sina.com is the most popular Internet portal in China. |
C.The photos displayed on microblogs might be fake. |
D.Traditional media tend to get rumors examined and clarified. |
The underlined word "fabricated" in the first paragraph can be replaced by "__".
A.dug out | B.made up |
C.got round | D.given away |
The writer cited Ding Wenguo's words in Paragraph 8 to __.
A.draw a conclusion | B.support an argument |
C.introduce a topic | D.describe a scene |
Have you read " 'To Kill a Mockingbird’ The only novel by Harper Lee offers moral lessons about racial justice and respect.It tells the story of a young girl named Scout and her father, Atticus Finch, a lawyer.He defends a black man .
Tom Robinson wrongfully accused of raping(强奸)
a white woman.In the end, an all-white- jury (陪审团)sentences Tom Robinson to death. The book is set in the American, South in the 1930s.
But it came out on July11th, 1960 as the civil rights movement in the United States was gaining strength.
Laws and customs in the South, however, still kept blacks and whites mostly separated.
A mockingbird is a land of gray songbird.The book
gets its title from something Atticus Finch was told in his
childhood when his father gave him a gun. Atticus Finch said, "I remember when my daddy first gave me that gun, he told me that I should never point at anything in the house, and that I could shoot all the blue jays I wanted, if I could hit them.But remember, it was a sin (罪过) to kill a mockingbird, for they don't hurt anyone, they just make music."
Some people said, " 'To Kill a Mockingbird' treats racism in a way that is simplisite(过分单纯化的), even offensive to blacks, and out of date in today's America." Still, it has been translated into more than forty languages and has sold over forty million copies. It is often required reading in high schools. Harper Lee won a Pulitzer Prize in America in 1961 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom of the United States for her contribution to literature in 2007.
The story takes place in a town that Harper Lee called Maycomb. But she based the characters on real people she knew growing up.Since then her hometown Monroeville has changed a lot.A number of African-Americans serve m the local government.The courthouse, made famous by the book, is now a museum.A small shop and a fast-food restaurant called Mel's Dairy Dream have replaced Harper Lee's childhood home.We can learn from the passage that Harper Lee __.
A.has written more than-one novel in her life |
B.lived in a town called Maycomb as a child |
C.had been awarded two prizes in America by 2007 |
D.likes a mockingbird very much that makes music |
According to the passage, __ in the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” is compared to a Mockingbird.
A.Harper Lee | B.Scout |
C.Attricus Finch | D.Tom Robison |
What is the main idea of the 4th paragraph?
A.A mockingbird doesn't hurt anyone at all. |
B.To tell readers how the novel gets its title, |
C.A mockingbird is a kind of gray songbird. |
D.To kill a mockingbird is more than a hunting. |
We can infer from the passage that the novel "To Kill Mockingbird" __.
A.was published about 60 years ago |
B.was very popular in the late 1930s |
C.has been read by millions of high school students |
D.gets its title from a story told by Harper Lee's father |
Here is some information about several famous local bakeries(面包烤房) in Indiana, the US. They serve as a social gathering place for locals.
Maple Lane Bakery
At 8260 S. State Rd. Claypool, IN. (574) 566-2917, it offers a variety of cooked pies, cookies, and bread. With 20 years’ experience Maple Lane Bakery has specialized in the making of pies. The menu includes peach pie $7.19, berry pie $7.70, apple pie $7.19 and banana pie $6.99. Feel free to place an order at least 24 hours in advance.
Betty’s Cakes & Candy Shop
At 816 E. Winona Avenue Warsaw, IN. (574) 269-1231, it specializes in cakes and offers cookies and candies. The chocolate cookies are sold at $8.99 a dozen. Betty’s Cakes & Candy Shop, started half a century ago, specializes in wedding cakes and birthday cakes. Buying a cake from Betty’s will not disappoint you as they are always excellent.
Crepes’ Quality Bakery
At 217 S. Cavin Street Ligonier, IN. (260) 894-3024, this third generation bakery is located downtown Ligonier. It offers cookies and cupcakes, and specializes in rolls and bread. If you plan to buy cookies for the office or work area, you had better get there early as the building workers arrive just before 5:00 am waiting for the doors to open.
Olympia Candy Kitchen
At 136 N. Main Street Goshen, IN. (574) 533-5040, it has been welcoming visitors for almost a century in its unchanged location in downtown Goshen, Indiana. Its tradition began in 1912 when Greek Nicholas began making his own chocolates. Today this family-owned operation offers all kinds candies and boxed candies.
If you need an order, you should call ahead of time to see if they can meet your request.Which of the following pies is the most expensive?
A.Peach pie. | B.Banana pie. |
C.Apple pie. | D.Berry pie. |
If you want to order a birthday cake, you are advised to call _________.
A.(574) 533-5040 | B.(574) 269-1231 |
C.(260) 894-3024 | D.(574) 566-2917 |
Which of the following bakeries has the shortest history?
A.Crepes’ Quality Bakery |
B.Betty’s Cakes & Candy Shop |
C.Olympia Candy Kitchen |
D.Maple Lane Bakery |
The author wrote this passage mainly to __________.
A.tell readers some travel information |
B.persuade more people to eat pies |
C.make the bakeries better known to readers |
D.warn customers to order bakeries in advance |
Would it surprise you to learn that, like animals, trees communicate with each other and pass on their wealth to the next generation?
UBC Professor Simard explains how trees are much more complex than most of us ever imagined .Although Charles Darwin thought that trees are competing for survival of the fittest, Simard shows just how wrong he was. In fact, the opposite is true: trees survive through their co-operation and support, passing around necessary nutrition “depending on who needs it”.
Nitrogen(氮) and carbon are shared through miles of underground fungi(真菌) networks, making sure that all trees in the forest ecological system give and receive just the right amount to keep them all healthy. This hidden system works in a very similar way to the networks of neurons(神经元)in our brains, and when one tree is destroyed, it affects all.
Simard talks about “mother trees”, usually the largest and oldest plants on which all other trees depend .She explains how dying trees pass on the wealth to the next generation, transporting important minerals to young trees so they may continue to grow .When humans cut down “mother trees” with no awareness of these highly complex “tree societies” or the networks on which they feed, we are reducing the chances of survival for the entire forest.
“We didn't take any notice of it.” Simard says sadly .“Dying trees move nutrition into the young trees before dying, but we never give them chance.” If we could put across the message to the forestry industry, we could make a huge difference towards our environmental protection efforts for the future.What would be the best title for the passage?
A.Old Trees Communicate Like Humans |
B.Young Trees Are In Need Of Protection |
C.Trees Contribute To Our Society |
D.Trees Are More Complex Than You Think |
In Simard's opinion, trees _______
A.compete for survival |
B.protect their own wealth |
C.depend on each other |
D.provide support for dying trees |
We can learn from the passage that.
A.“mother trees” are usually of no use to other trees. |
B.Charles Darwin had the same thought as Simard. |
C.if “mother trees” are cut down, the survival for the entire forest will be affected. |
D.people know much about the complex “tree societies”. |
The underlined word “it” in the last paragraph refers to .
A.how “tree societies” work |
B.how trees grow old |
C.how forestry industry develops |
D.how young trees survive |