When Zhang Ning , whose pen name was Misha, started drawing manga(漫画) in junior high school, it was a time when Japanese cartoonists occupied most of the Chinese market. She was warned about the poor wage cartoonists earn and the risk of pursuing a career in an industry where China is not yet competitive.
But with the growth of domestic animation and manga industry in recent years, Zhang managed to draw her way up to become one of the country’s top cartoonists. In 2011, the 29-year-old won the Golden Dragon award, one of the most influential awards in China’s manga industry.
Looking back, the graduate of Zhejiang University of Technology said: “It was a dream come true.” Zhang’s success boomed along with the industry. In 2010, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, China’s animation and manga industry was worth 47 billion yuan. It has seen annual growth rates of more than 20 percent in recent years.
These big numbers seem a far stretch from Zhang’s in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. But she thinks the very reason why cartoonists can enjoy a decent life is the country’s decision to well develop the industry. “The country is not giving us money directly, but it’s creating a market in which we can succeed,”said Zhang.
Apart from government investment, Zhang is also benefiting from technology advances. The Internet has provided a wider platform for cartoonists to publish their work. The electric edition of Zhang’s work ranked the 6th among free book apps on the Apple Store. “I think the Internet has encouraged new cartoonists and given them more chances. Before we could only contribute to magazines and it was difficult to convince the editors to publish our work”, said Zhang. “But when you release your work online, you receive encouragement and support from many netizens. It increases your confidence. ”said Zhang.
New technology has also attracted more people to read comics. “China has entered 3G era. It’s very convenient for people to read on their smart phones when traveling around. It opens comics to a bigger readership,” said Zhang. Only last week, Zhang published her new manga based on the ancient classic Tangzi(汤子) which set during the warring states period. According to Zhang, the inspiration came from wall painting in Dunhuang, Gansu province. She hopes her works will encouraged more people especially the young, to explore the cultural treasures of ancient China. “Chinese youths now need a spirit to help them to realize their dreams,” said Zhang. “Like Kua Fu(夸父) chasing the sun --- people can accomplish great things by choosing to something seemingly beyond their ability. I think that’s my “Chinese dream” and I want to share it with the public through my cartoons.”When Zhang Ning started drawing manga,________.
| A.she nearly finished her study in junior high school. |
| B.Japanese cartoonists took up the majority of Chinese market. |
| C.Chinese cartoonists could earn so much money. |
| D.She was encouraged by her teachers. |
Which statement can be inferred from the passage?
| A.Before the widespread use of the Internet, cartoonists merely send the works to magazines. |
| B.The Internet has been a wonderful platform only for Chinese cartoonists’ works. |
| C.China’s animation and manga industry will have a promising future. |
| D.New cartoonists have received support from the people from across China. |
This passage is mainly about _____________.
| A.that Chinese cartoonists are the greatest in the world. |
| B.that China’s dream of being the top animation and manga nation. |
| C.that technology alone helps cartoonists to achieve success. |
| D.that a Chinese cartoonist has chased her dream and lived it. |
All of the following except _____ have contributed to Zhang Ning’s success.
| A.her new manga Tangzi | B.technology advances |
| C.widespread use of Internet | D.government support. |
Of all the areas of learning the most important is the development of attitudes. Emotional reactions as well as logical thought processes affect the behavior of most people. “The burnt child fears the fire” is one example. Another is the rise of despots(独裁者) like Hitler. Both these examples also point out the fact that attitudes come from experiences. In the one case the experience was direct and impressive; in the other it was indirect and cumulative(累积的). The Nazis got certain ideas largely by the speeches they heard and the books they read.
The classroom teacher in the elementary school is in a key position to influence(影响) attitudes. This is true partly because children obtain attitudes from those adults who they respect.
Another reason is that pupils are often curious about a subject in school that has only been touched upon at home or has possibly never occurred to them before. To a child who has previously got little knowledge of Mexico, his teacher’s method of dealing with such a unit will greatly affect his attitude toward Mexicans.
However, when children go to school with undesirable attitudes, it is unwise for the teacher to change their feelings by praising or scolding them. She can achieve the proper effect by helping them obtain good experiences.
For example, first-grade pupils afraid of policemen will probably change their attitudes after a classroom
chat with the neighborhood officer in which he explains how he protects them. In the same way a class of older children can develop attitudes through discussio
n, research outside reading and all-day trips.
Finally a teacher must not constantly show her own attitudes because her influence can be no good if she has personal prejudices(偏见). This is especially true in respect to controversial(引起争议的) questions on which children should be encouraged to reach their own decision as a result of objective analysis(分析) of all the facts.. The passage mainly tells us _____.
| A.attitudes affect our actions |
B.teachers play an important role in develop ing children’s attitudes |
| C.attitudes can be changed by some classroom experiences |
| D.teachers gradually affect pupils’ attitudes by their attitudes |
. In the first paragraph the writer gives us two examples to _____.
| A.show that attitudes come from experiences | B.compare with each other |
| C.show all experiences are direct and impressive | D.tell experiences from attitudes |
.When children in school have unpleasant attitudes, teachers should _____.
| A.change their feelings by scolding them | B.think highly of their good attitudes |
| C.help them by giving them good experiences | D.take no notice of their feelings |
.The passage specially states in the last paragraph that _____.
| A.direct experiences are more valuable than indirect ones |
| B.what a child learns in school has already been introduced at home |
| C.teachers can sometimes have a bad influence on children |
| D.teachers should always cover up their own attitudes |
Most of us use the telephone several times a day to talk with friends or make social arrangements(安排). These calls are usually quite easy and require little planning.
Using the telephone for business purpose is different. In any organization the person on the telephone represents the company and gives an impression of the firm to the outside world.
If you want to ensure good public relations, you need to master effective telephone techniques.
You should try to give an impression of an efficient, friendly, progressive company eager to give good service.
Before calling
Choose the right time. Consider the cost, urgency and convenience. When calling overseas, you need to consider the time difference.
Check the number. A great deal of money is wasted each year on dialing wrong numbers.
Plan your call. Make a list of points and questions to be raised.
Be prepared. Gather any files, papers or information that may be needed during the call. It is unprofessional to have to say “Hold on while I look for that.”
If y
ou have to ask a caller to hold on, keep going back and assuring him/her that you will be as quick as possible.
Avoid interruptions. Call at a time when you are unlikely to be distracted(分心).
During the call
Be courteous, polite. Make time for suitable greetings like “How are you today, Jim?” and “Did you enjoy your holiday”?
Put a smile in your voice. Remember, your caller can not see you, so use intonation to good effect and try to sound confident, decisive, helpful, and interested.
Check your notes. Look back at your notes to ensure that you have covered everything and quote figures and other data correctly.
Get feedback. Make sure the caller understands the message correctly, especially deadlines and actions that are involved.
Be courteous. Finish by thanking the caller for his or her time and trouble.
After the call
Make notes. Let it become a habit to make notes of the call and place them in an appropriate file.
Take actions. If you need to send a letter of confirmation or inform someone in your organization about any details of the call, do it immediately so that you do not forget important points. Before calling, you have to _____.
| A.stay at your company only | B.learn important data and figures by heart |
| C.get things ready for the communication | D.choose the right time and place |
During the call, it is unsuitable to _____.
| A.be decisive | B.be heard in low spirits | C.check your notes | D.get feedback |
What does the underlined word “courteous” in the passage mean?
| A.Polite. | B.Active. | C.Effective. | D.Correct. |
Standardized exam in American public education are being reformed. Over the next four years, hundreds of university professors and testing experts will work together to design new assessment system.
The new tests will be computer-based and will measure higher-order skills ignored by the multiple-choice exams used in all states,including students’ ability to read complex texts, synthesize(合成)information and do research projects.
Because the new tests will be computerized and will be administered several times throughout the school year, they can provide faster feedback(反馈)to teachers.If these plans work out, It’ll turn the current testing system upside down.
One group,led by Florida,will be made up of 25 states and the District of Columbia.The group was awarded $170 million.The other group, whose membership over-laps the first,has31 states and is led by Washington.The group was given $160 million.Twelve of the 44 states are
participating in both groups but are expected eventually to choose one set of tests.
The two groups are supposed to work in a friendly competition,though their plans are very similar.Both groups will produce tests that rely heavily on technology and both groups’ tests will include so-called performance-based tasks,designed to mirror complex,real-world situations.
In performance-based tasks,students are given a problem-they could be told, for example, to suppose they are a mayor who needs to reduce a city’s pollution—and must write about how they would solve the problem.
The new tests could be useful to teachers by giving them information on what their students are le
arning, but it might also require some mid-course adjustments.
Over the past decade, the federal No Child Left Behind law has emphasized helping low-achieving students improve their basic reading and math by encouraging states to produce tests that measure relatively low-1evel skills. Although the Bush-era law is still on the books, two
years of Obama administration policy have been leading schools in new directions... What is the main idea of this passage?
| A.Obama’s education policy takes the lead. |
| B.A computer-based testing system is adopted. |
| C.American education system has been changed. |
| D.Experts are reinventing the student testing system. |
.Why are multiple-choice exams to be given up?
| A.Because they are not computer-based. |
| B.Because they can’t test students’ higher-order skills. |
| C.Because they can’t provide proper feedback for teachers. |
| D.Because they can’t test students’ general reading ability. |
.The underlined part in Para. 4 probably means________.
| A.the two groups have some shared members |
| B.the other group is more demanding than the first |
| C.the groups have different tasks of their own |
| D.the other group does better than the first group in the task |
.According to the passage, performance-based tasks may refer to tasks that______.
| A.are related to real-world problems |
| B.have to be performed in an imaginary world |
| C.teach us theories through complex problems |
| D.can only be completed by relying heavily on technology |
.. From the last paragraph, we can infer that_________.
| A.the No child Left Behind policy is not helpful |
| B.the Obama administration’s policy is highly praised |
| C.the two policies both emphasize math and reading abilities |
| D.the two policies both emphasize the development of practical skills |
A town in Oxfordshire has become the first in the UK to have biomethane(生物甲烷)gas from human waste piped to their homes for gas central heating and cooking.
Up to 200 families in Didcot now receive the gas via the national gas power system. Head of energy and technology at British Gas,Martin Orrill,said customers wouldn’t notice any difference as the gas is purified to the highest standard and has no smell.The gas is produced at a sewage(污物) treatment works in Didcot.
The entire process takes only less than three weeks, with the sewage being collected and sent first to settlement tanks.The solid waste material is then fed into digesters, where anaerobic bacteria(厌氧菌)digest the sewage,with the aid of enzymes(酶)to speed up the process.The digestion process produces methane,which can be burned to drive machines(甲烷)to prod
uce electricity,or can be purified and fed into the gas network and piped to homes and businesses. British Gas says supplying the gas rather than electricity is far more efficient since around two-thirds of the energy is lost in producing electricity.
Partners in the Didcot project,British Gas,Scotia Gas Network,and Thames Water,all hope to expand the process to other towns,and other companies such as Ecotricity and United Utilities have also announced biomethane projects being planned.One of these projects in Manchester could be supplying 500 homes with biometh
ane by mid next year. Another British Gas project in Suffolk will provide gas from digestion of brewery(啤酒厂)waste to around 235 families.
The Didcot project cost£25 million and was influenced by promises of government aids aimed at encouraging companies to develop renewable technologies.An EU directive means the UK must ensure at least 15 percent of its energy is from renewable sources by 2020.
The UK produces about 1.73 million tons of sewage annually.If all sewage treatment works in the UK were fitted with the technology,they could supply gas for up to 350, 000 families..Which of the following is TRUE of the biomethane gas?
| A.it’s mainly made from rotting plants | B.It’s an environmentally friendly gas |
| C.Its production process is too long | D.It’s easily recognized by customers |
.What is the function of the enzymes?
| A.To digest the solid waste material | B.To help get rid of anaerobic bacteria |
| C.To help purify the biomethane. | D.To speed up the digestion process. |
.According to the passage,the biomethane gas had better be used.
| A.as the power for vehicles | B.for heating and cooking |
| C.to produce electricity | D.to drive a variety of machines |
.The last three paragraphs mainly show that .
| A.the UK government supports the biomethane projects |
| B.the biomethane projects are very costly |
| C.the biomethane projects still face many barriers |
D.the biomethane project s are promising |
.. What should the text belong to?
| A.Computer science | B.Engineering | C.Energy | D.Business |
The UK has a well-respected higher education system and some of the top universities and research institutions in the world.But to those who are new to it all, sometimes it can be confusing.
October is usually the busiest month in the college calendar.Universities have something called Freshers’ Week for their newcomers.It’s a great opportunity to make new friends,join lots of clubs and settle into university life.
However,having just left the comfort of home and all your friends behind,you can feel nervous when meeting lots of strangers in big halls. Where do you start? Who should you make friends with? Which clubs should you join?
Luckily, there will be thousands of others in the same boat as you worrying about starting their university social life on the right foot.So just take it all in slowly.Don’t rush into anything that you’ll regret for the next three years.
Here are some to
p tips from past students on how to survive Freshers’ week:
·Learn rules.Make sure you know British social etiquette (礼节).Have a few wine glasses and snacks handy for
your housemates and friends.
·Be kind.Sometimes cups of tea or even pieces of French fries can give you a good start in making friends.
·Be sociable.The more active you are, the more 1ikely you’ll meet new people than if you’re someone who is shy and never leaves his room.
·Bring a doorstop. Keep your door open when you’re in and that sends positive messages to your neighbors that you’re friendly.
So with a bit of clever planning and motivation,Freshers’ Week can give you a great start to your university life and soon you’ll be passing on your experience to the next year’s recruits... Which of the following statements is FALSE according to the passage?
| A.October is generally the busiest month for universities |
| B.It’s a good idea to put a doorstop in your suitcase |
| C.A bit of planning can make Freshers’ Week easier |
| D.The first week of your every year at university is called Freshers’ Week |
.. The underlined word “recruits” in the last paragraph refers to.
| A.courses | B.freshers |
| C.neighbors | D.challenges |
.We can infer from Paragraph 4 that.
| A.the newcomers usually miss the days at home |
| B.most of the students in the UK spend three years in universities |
| C.many freshers are worried about how to fit university 1ife |
| D.all the new students will make new friends and join certain clubs |
.Why does the author suggest having wine glasses and snacks handy?
| A.To pass the busy university life |
| B.To help make friends with other freshers |
| C.To show yourself drinker as others |
| D.To pass the time in a happy way |
..The main purpose of the passage is to.
| A.tell the newcomers how to make a new start in universities |
B.introduce something about higher education system of the UK |
| C.discuss something about the Freshers’ Week in the UK |
| D.advise the freshmen how to behave well in the beginning |