Do you know how Uncle Sam became the popular symbol of the United States?
Some historians believe that he is based on a real person,Samuel Wilson.During the War of 1812,Wilson sold meat to American troops. Wilson labeled
the meat barrels(桶)US.This meant that it was for the army.At that time,US was not used to mean“United States”.An officer asked what the US on the barrels meant.A soldier replied,“United States”,meaning Samuel Wilson.
The Uncle Sam image(形象)today shows a man with a beard,a stars and stripes(星条旗)top hat,and a suit.Thomas Nast created this image in about 1838.It represented the government in Nast's political cartoons.Some people believe that Nast based his image on Dan Rice,a popular entertainer.Rice performed while wearing a top hat and suit.
Others think it was James M.Flagg that drew the most famous image of Uncle Sam in 1917, during World War I.It shows a serious man pointing a finger at the viewer and says“United States”.Flagg drew this enduring image to encourage Americans to join the U.S.Army.It has been used for this purpose ever since.
Today, Uncle Sam is a symbol of the United States that is recognized around the world. 
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A.Uncle Sam was a character created by the government of the United States. |
| B.Samuel Wilson,a businessman,sold meat to American troops during the War of 1812. |
| C.Uncle Sam was based on an entertainer to show Americans were popular people. |
| D.The image of Uncle Sam has been used to urge Americans to join the army since 1838. |
The underlined word“enduring”in the fourth paragraph is closest in meaning to“________”.
| A.long-lasting | B.short-lived |
| C.painful | D.scary |
It can be inferred from the passage that___________.
| A.Uncle Sam is an officer from the American army |
| B.Uncle Sam’s top hat and suit reflect the American flag |
| C.Tile Uncle Sam symbol is the best of all American symbols |
| D.Opinions differ about how Uncle Sam became a national symbol |
Which of the following can best sum up the passage?
| A.The name Uncle Sam was invented during the War of 1821. |
| B.There are many symbols of the United States,including Uncle Sam. |
| C.Over time,the image of Uncle Sam came to represent the United States. |
| D.Uncle Sam is a national symbol that is recognized around the United States. |
From Art to Zoo, the Smithsonian, the world's largest museum and research complex, has something to interest kids and students of all ages.
Plan ahead online with The Official Kids Guide to the Smithsonian Institution – an interactive guidebook just for kids.
The Last American Dinosaurs: Discovering a Lost World
November 25, 2014 – 2018
Museum: Natural History Museum
Location: 2nd Floor, West
Explore how we learn about past ecosystems and organisms through the study of their fossils and find what goes into making a large-scale fossil exhibition. Watch fossils being prepared in a working fossil preparation lab.
As We Grow: Traditions, Toys, Games
August 22, 2012 – Indefinitely
Museum: American Indian Museum
Location: 1st Floor, near Imaginations Activity Center
All children play. Native American children play like any others, but their toys and games are more than playthings. They are ways of learning about the lives of grown men and women and ways of learning the traditions of their families and their people. The toys, games, and clothing come from all over North, Central, and South America, representing many tribes and many time periods.
The First Ladies
November 19, 2011 – Indefinitely
Museum: American History Museum
Location: 3rd Floor, Rose Gallery
On view are more than two dozen gowns, including those worn by Michelle Obama, Laura Bush, Barbara Bush, Nancy Reagan, and Jacqueline Kennedy. Four cases provide in-depth looks at Mary Todd Lincoln, Edith Roosevelt, and Lady Bird Johnson and their contributions to their husband's presidential administrations.
Apollo to the Moon
July 1, 1976 – Permanent
Museum: Air and Space Museum
Location: 2nd Floor, East Wing
This gallery traces NASA's manned space program beginning with Project
Mercury's Freedom 7 (1961); then the Gemini Project (1965 – 66); followed by the Apollo Program
(1967 – 1972), with Apollo 17 as the last manned exploration of the moon.The purpose of the text is to ______.
| A.promote some scientific projects |
| B.highlight some children activities |
| C.release some entertainment videos |
| D.introduce some museum exhibitions |
If you are interested in American history and politics, you can go to ______.
| A.the 1st Floor | B.the East Wing |
| C.the Rose Gallery | D.the Natural History Museum |
Which of the following has been on for the longest time?
| A.The First Ladies. |
| B.Apollo to the Moon. |
| C.As We Grow: Traditions, Toys, Games. |
| D.The Last American Dinosaurs: Discovering a Lost World. |
If you visit all the four locations, you can _______.
| A.see gowns once worn by Edith Roosevelt |
| B.help prepare a dinosaur fossil exhibition |
| C.learn about Apollo 17's space exploration |
| D.play with children's toys from Central America |
When Lucy and Maria Aylmer tell people they are twins, disbelief is the response. The 18-year-olds from Gloucester, U.K. are two of the five children born to their Caucasian (白种人的) father and "half-Jamaican" mother. While their other siblings (brothers and sisters) have a blend (混合) of features from their parents who have different skin colours, Lucy and Maria are unique: Lucy has fair skin and red hair, while Maria has brown skin and dark hair.
"No one ever believes we are twins because I am white and Maria is black," Lucy said. "Even when we dress alike, we still don't look like sisters, let alone twins. When we meet friends for the first time they all refuse to believe we are twins and some have even made us produce our birth certificates to prove that we are really twins."
Unlike identical (同卵的) twins, fraternal twins are bom from two separate eggs. The BBC reports that for a biracial (双人种的) couple expecting twins, there is about a 1 in 500 chance those twins will have different skin colors.
The Aylmers are proud of their uniqueness.
"Now we have grown older, even though we still look so different, the bond between us is much stronger," Lucy said. "Now we are proud of the fact that we are each other's twin sister. Maria loves telling people at college that she has a white twin sister — and I'm very proud of having a black twin sister, too."Lucy and Maria are unique because _______.
| A.they are fraternal twins |
| B.their siblings are all black |
| C.they are hybrids of multi-racial parents |
| D.they are twins with different skin colours |
How do people usually react to the twins' physical appearances?
| A.They think it possible. |
| B.They joke about them. |
| C.They find it unbelievable. |
| D.They regard them as lucky dogs. |
What can we learn about Maria from the text?
| A.She comes from Jamaica. |
| B.She was born of biracial parents. |
| C.She bears mainly features other father. |
| D.She shares a birth certificate with her twin sister. |
If your job requires a lot of sitting, you could be putting your health at danger.
The American Journal of Epidemiology (流行病学) did a study in 2010 on the correlation (相互联系) between sitting and an individual's physical health. In the study, 53,440 working men and 69,776 working women were surveyed on their time spent sitting. The subjects were all disease free when employed. The researchers identified 11,307 deaths in men and 7,923 deaths in women during the 14-year follow-up.
The findings: Women who reported sitting for more than six hours per day had an approximately 40 higher all-cause death rate than those who reported less than three hours a day, and men had an approximately 20 higher death rate.
Well, now's a fine time to get this information. But why didn't they tell me this years ago? I would have planned on taking a more active job instead of the sedentary (坐着的) job of an editor.
So what can you do if you have to work for a living at a job that requires a lot of sitting? Here are some ideas:
Take frequent breaks. It is recommended that workers vary activities, change their position, and take short breaks every 20 minutes to rest muscles and increase blood circulation. Get a standing desk. Some studies have shown that working from an upright position may be better for health. The serious fitness people can even purchase a treadmill (跑步机) desk. It only goes about one mile per hour. Have a walking meeting. If your group is kind of small, going for a walk while discussing topics is a good alternative.According to the text, the study in 2010 ______.
| A.found men reporting shorter sitting time than women |
| B.surveyed more men than women on their daily sitting time |
| C.identified fewer deaths in men than in women during the 14-year follow-up |
| D.discovered correlation between sitting and physical health in men and in women |
We can infer from the text that the author did not recommend ______.
| A.using a standing desk | B.resting one's muscles |
| C.quitting sedentary jobs | D.taking a walk while discussing |
What does the underlined word "subjects" in Paragraph 2 mean?
| A.Things being discussed. | B.People being studied. |
| C.Areas of knowledge being learned. | D.Objects being painted. |
What is the main idea of the text?
| A.Your job could be killing you. |
| B.Working out leads to health risks. |
| C.Long-time sitting is positively associated with health. |
| D.A study on sitting time and physical health was completed. |
In 1992, I had just launched a new business called Video News International.
It was the world's first video journalist network. The idea was to cover news and sell the service to news organizations.
One day, a young intern (实习生) who was working for us named Anthony Lappe pulled me aside.
"There is something you have to see," he told me. "Comcast is doing this really cool thing."
"What?"
"The Internet," he said. "It's going to be really big."
Anthony later introduced me to the head of the Internet project.
"We are looking for content to put on our network here," the guy said to me.
Well, I said I had lots of content to offer.
The guy's eyes lit up. "Cool," he said. "We would like to put it on our network."
Well, I was always looking for new clients.
"What are you going to pay?" I asked.
He said that they could not pay anything for the content, but they would set up a URL for me.
"What's that?" I asked.
"It's kind of like your address on the web."
"What would I do with this URL thing?"
"Well, it could be your business."
"I don't see how it is a business, and there's not even any advertising," I cleverly replied.
"Not yet," he said. "But one day there might be."
I thought about it for two seconds.
"Naah..." I said. "I've got bigger fish to fry. I've got to be going now. Maybe we can cooperate next time."
And I walked out.
Idiot!
Well, that Internet thing turned out to be so much bigger than I had thought. I wish I had never made such a mistake. Sorry Anthony. You were right.The head of the Internet project expected the author to _______.
| A.become a user of their product |
| B.put advertisements on their web |
| C.provide video news for their network |
| D.get an email address from the Internet |
The guy's offer was rejected because the author ______
| A.didn't think it a good deal |
| B.was unwilling to trust a stranger |
| C.was too occupied to start a new business |
| D.was worried about the safety of e-business |
What does the underlined sentence mean?
| A.I don't believe your words. |
| B.I ought to cook dinner now. |
| C.I need to get more payment. |
| D.I have something more important to do. |
Which of the following can be the best title for this text?
| A.Power of New Technology |
| B.Never Too Old to Learn |
| C.My Biggest Mistake Ever |
| D.Building a Business Partnership |
My friend had mentioned the other day that her father had a lot of children's toys he was looking to give away. She knew I have a three-year-old daughter so she thought of me first. I told her I would love it if I could get some nice things for my daughter, which I wouldn't otherwise have been able to afford.
When I met her father, he began to explain he was too poor once and that he would hate to throw away things that can be very useful.
Before he showed me what he was giving away, I thought the toys would be mostly lego's(乐高积木) or things like that. When he was showing me around I saw a bed, a slide, a kitchen set and many other things that just blew my mind. He told me to write a list of everything my daughter could use and as my eyes were wide, he told me not to feel guilty. He said I was helping him by getting rid of the stuff.
As I was looking around I did feel guilty, but I tried to remain more grateful than guilty. Every time I tried to thank him for giving me and my daughter all this wonderful stuff he would thank me right back. I wanted to believe that he was just thanking me so that I wouldn't feel so guilty but in reality I believe that he was as grateful as I was that these toys would be put to good use.
In the eyes of charity, it makes sense to feel grateful, but guilt is just as normal. I know that we could have lived without a slide, which is why I do feel guilty, but I am grateful all the same because my daughter really does enjoy all these nice things!Why did the old man want to give away his toys?
| A.He wanted to help those poor children. |
| B.He was wealthy enough to buy new toys. |
| C.He wanted to make full use of those toys. |
| D.He needed some space for more useful things. |
In the writer's opinion, the old man felt grateful because________.
| A.he wanted to make her more guilty |
| B.he wanted her to take the toys quickly |
| C.the toys would be put to good use |
| D.he finally got rid of the stuff |
What can we know from the passage?
| A.The writer took all the toys home. |
| B.The old man was a kind and thoughtful person |
| C.The writer wanted to refuse the stuff when she first saw them. |
| D.The writer's daughter enjoyed the slide most among all the stuff. |
How did the writer feel when given the stuff?
| A.Guilty and honored. | B.Grateful and respected. |
| C.Honored and respected. | D.Guilty and grateful. |