When did you last visit a shopping mall? In many places, the answer would be “last weekend”.Some people go even more often. Why? For one thing, malls offer goods and services that people need all in one place: food, clothing, things for their houses, entertainment, even medical services. So, are malls one of the highlights of modem civilization? Environmental activists would say No! They would go even further and say that consumer behavior is causing a huge enwronmental disaster. They cause consumers of ignorance of the side effect of their shopping-urban sprawl (扩大) .
Social scientists agree that patterns of development have changed the landscape a great deal in the last half century. Prior to 1950, most people lived in towns or cities and either walked to work or took public transportation. Only very wealthy people had automobiles. Farmers lived in rural areas or isolated villages and came into town only when they needed things they couldn’ t produce themselves. If you gazed at the landscape you would see towns surrounded by countryside. Then a massive change occurred.
Automobiles became affordable and people were quick to adopt them. Now ambitious workers could live in the suburbs, the areas just outside cities, which started to grow rapidly. As long as there was lots of cheap land in the suburbs, no one paid much attention to le usage of that land. Malls, fast food restaurants, cinemas, and car dealerships spread out in large, flat buildings. These one-storey buildings and their parking lot took up a great deal space. Well-meaning farmers thought they were better off selling their land than growing crops. In ignorance, no one realized that once the land was built up in urban sprawl, the good farming land would be ruined forever. There was no way to preserve it.
Only in recent years have people come to mourn the old way of life as they have developed insight into the problems of unconditional grows. Now people realize that urban sprawl has come with serious environmental problems. The negative aspects of sprawl include air and water pollution, loss of agricultural land, traffic jams, and the death of businesses in the old town centers. Many scholars think the time has come to analyze the problems better so we can develop appropriate policies to control further sprawl. Some think the best way to do is to educate citizens about their priceless environment. What is mainly discussed in the passage?
A.Weekend Fun. |
B.Urban Sprawl. |
C.New Automobiles. |
D.Isolated Villages. |
What does the underlined word "They" refer to in the first paragraph?
A.Malls. |
B.Activists. |
C.Farmers. |
D.Scientists. |
Who do activists blame for environmental problems?
A.Endangered animals. |
B.Shopping mall owners. |
C.Unthinking shoppers. |
D.Ambitious farmers. |
What do scholars think should be done about urban sprawl?
A.Understand the situations better. |
B.Follow customary policies. |
C.Start school in shopping mails. |
D.Charge polluters a lot of money. |
What is the scholars' attitude toward urban sprawl?
A.Respectful. |
B.Disapproving. |
C.Pessimistic. |
D.Doubtful. |
In a movie, a woman reads a storybook to her friend’s daughter. As they approach the last page, she reads, “...and Cinderella and the prince lived happily together ever after.” She closes the book and looks at the young girl, adding, “You know, things don’t always happen like this in real life. I just think you should know that now.”
We were all raised on fairy tales with glass slippers, brave princes and magic! It didn’t take too long to realize that stories like that aren’t necessarily true. In the life, you learned that glass slippers are really uncomfortable, no prince is perfect and magic doesn’t always work.
So what do you do when the way you planned things is not the way they turned out?
Know that parts of your fairy tale have already been written, and sadly, there’s not a whole lot you can do about those first few chapters.You didn’t get the best start.Your trust was unexpectedly betrayed. You didn’t get the job. Whatever falls and failures that happened in your past are just that in your past. There’s still more to the story.
While your life has a lot of contributors(投稿者), you are the editor-in-chief. You take what’s there and create the masterpiece. All the good pages and the bad can come together to make a beautiful adventure.
When you find yourself wishing your life was more like the fairy tales, remember that in some ways it already is. There will be dragons, bad witches, great romances, winding roads and friends to help you along the way. So, keep rewriting your story every day that you’re alive. Whether it’s a comedy, tragedy or a little of both, the pen is in your hand. How it all ends is up to you. What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage?
A.To help the readers to live a good life. |
B.To encourage the readers to write their own stories. |
C.To advise parents to tell the fairy tale to their kids. |
D.To describe the difficulties in today’s education. |
Which of the following may NOT often appear in the fairy tale?
A.Glass slipper. | B.Winding roads. |
C.Sad ending. | D.Bad witches. |
According to the fires paragraph, we know the woman is ________.
A.wise | B.cruel | C.brave | D.stupid |
Why does the author mention the question in Paragraph 3?
A.To express the doubt to life |
B.To compare different ideas. |
C.To introduce a point for discussion. |
D.To describe the conditions in life. |
The aims of the Illustrators(插图画家) Exhibition, staged as part of the Bologna Children's Book Fair, organized by BolognaFiere and held from 23 to 26 December, are to bring illustrators and publishers together and to promote illustrators and their works among publishers.
QUALIFICATIONS
*Individual illustrators or groups of illustrators of any nationality, if they were born before 31st December 1996, whose artwork is intended for use in children's books, are qualified to enter the Exhibition, either directly or through publishing houses or schools.
*Please state in the application form whether you are entering work for the Fiction or Non Category. Illustrators may only enter one category.
`*Artwork previously presented to the Exhibition may not be re-entered.
*The confirmationform must be filled in and a photograph attached, then presented together with illustrations no later than15 October.
SHIPMENT
Entries may be delivered by post, express delivery service or by hand. From abroad, please use the following forms:Form "A" for registered mail or post by air;Form "B" if using an international forwarding agent or airline. To avoid delays, material should not be sent by normal post. Material should be sent "carriage (运费) paid", including any customs and delivery costs.
BolognaFiere may not be held responsible for the non-arrival or late arrival of artwork.
All published works must be accompanied by a declaration bearing the ISBN number, publisher's name and address.
REQUIREMENTS
The illustrations (i.e. the size of the sheet)must not exceed the following dimensions:
Fiction: 32*42cm (or 42*32cm) Non-fiction: 50*70cm (70*50cm)
Illustrations in larger formats will not be considered, nor will they be returned by BolognalFiere.
The illustrations must be on paper or flexible board, maximum thickness 2mm.According to the text, the Illustrators Exhibitions_________.
A.will last five days in all |
B.is intended to pick out works for story-books |
C.can strengthen the relationship between illustrators and publishers |
D.is held by the Bologna Children's Book Fair |
The illustrators of the Illustrators’ Exhibitions_________.
A.should be no more than 16 |
B.may re-enter their artwork after it is returned |
C.may choose to attach a photo to the application form |
D.should state the category of their artwork clearly |
Which of the following is unacceptable for delivering entries?
A.Normal post. | B.Airline post |
C.Registered mail. | D.Express delivery |
In life, people come across many experiences, which they remember throughout their lives. I had a similar experience, too.
I was very excited. It was the day of my last paper of the final examination. My mind was full of thoughts of how I would spend my vacation. I was especially excited of the invitation that my uncle had given me to stay with him for a few days in Cambridge.
I was prepared for the subject, physics. My friends and I were on the ground doing the last minute revisions and also discussing the questions that were supposed to come in the paper. Suddenly the bell rang and we got into our classrooms. The teacher came and quickly handed out the answer paper and the question paper. The paper was of two hours and some of the expected questions came. I finished it almost forty-five minutes earlier. But since it was a rule not to collect the answer paper before the allotted(规定的)time. the teacher was not collecting and I had to sit till the time was over. I checked my paper twice and corrected some of the mistakes in it. I started thinking about the place my friends and I had planned to go after the paper.
Though I was thinking for a long time, the time seemed to be endless. So I thought of drawing something on the question paper and turned it overleaf. I was shocked to see that the page which I had supposed to be blank had four more questions on it which carried 20 marks and would take at least half an hour to complete. I had a quick glance at my watch. There were only 10 minutes left. I was so nervous that I was hardly in a state to write anything. They were the sub-questions(小题)of the last question. Suddenly our physics teacher came in and told all of us that in the last question, out of 6 sub-questions only 2 had to be solved. I felt very much relieved.
Thereafter I never made such mistakes again. But I realized that my anxiousness and excitement could have cost me to lose 20 marks and decided never to make such a mistake again.Which of the following statements is true?
A.The writer didn’t work hard at physics. |
B.The writer lost 20 marks for the last question. |
C.The writer made some mistakes during the exam. |
D.The questions on the paper were difficult for the writer. |
The underlined word “relieved” means ________.
A.more nervous | B.less afraid |
C.more surprised | D.less worried |
We can infer from the passage that _____________.
A.the writer did 2 sub-questions of the last question |
B.the writer turned overleaf to do the sub-questions |
C.the writer spent 45 minutes finishing the paper |
D.the writer got full marks in the physics exam |
We can learn from the passage that we should _____________.
A.learn some exam skills |
B.concentrate on what we are doing |
C.try our best to do well in the exam |
D.be careful not to make mistakes in the exam |
Bicycle Safety
Operation Always ride your bike in a safe, controlled manner on campus. Obey rules and regulations. Watch out for walkers and other bicyclists, and always use your lights in dark conditions.
Theft Prevention Always securely lock your bicycle to a bicycle rack---even if you are only away for a minute. Register( 登记)your bike with the University Department of Public Safety. It’s fast, easy, and free. Registration permanently records your serial number, which is useful in the possible recovery of the bike stolen.
Equipment
Brakes Make sure that they are in good working order and adjusted properly.
Helmet A necessity, make sure your helmet meets current safety standards and fit properly.
Lights Always have a front headlight---visible at least 500 feet in front of the bike. A taillight is a
good idea.
Rules of the Road
Riding on Campus As a bicycle rider, you have a responsibility to ride only on streets and posted bicycle paths. Riding on sidewalks or other walkways can lead to a fine. The speed limit for bicycles on campus is 15mph, unless otherwise posted. Always give the right of ways to walkers. If you are involved in an accident, you are required to offer appropriate aid, call the Department of Public Safety and remain at the scene until the officer lets you go.
Bicycle Parking Only park in areas reserved for bikes. Trees, handrails, hallways, and sign posts are not for bicycle parking, and parking in such posts can result in a fine.
If Things Go Wrong
If you break the rules, you will be fined. Besides violating rules while riding bicycles on campus, you could be fined for:No bicycle registration---------------------------------------------------$25
Bicycle parking banned--------------------------------------------------$30
Blocking path with bicycle ---------------------------------------------$40
Violation of bicycle equipment requirement -------------------------$35
Registration of your bicycle may help you _____________.
A.find y our stolen bicycle | B.get your serial number |
C.receive free repair services | D.settle conflicts with walkers |
When you ride a bicycle on the campus, ___________.
A.ride on posted bicycle paths and sidewalks |
B.cycle at a speed of over 15 mph |
C.put the walkers’ right of way first |
D.call the police before leaving in a case of accident |
What is the passage mainly about?
A.A guide for safe bicycling on campus. |
B.Directions for bicycle tour on campus. |
C.Regulations of bicycle race on campus. |
D.Rules for riding motor vehicles on campus. |
Have you ever complained why life is so tiring? Does the sky sometimes seem dark to you? Are your studies sometimes not successful? Well, friends, cheer up and smile all the time. If you see the world with your warm heart, you’ll find that the whole world smiles to you.
While in school, sometimes you are tired of your lessons, but have you ever noticed the happy smile on your teacher’s face when you did a good job?
One day it is fine. Just before you go out, it suddenly starts to rain. Maybe you would feel very sad and start to complain about the weather. But dear friends, why don’t you sit down and listen to the free concerts that the nature offers you? And with the timely rain, crops in the fields will grow better and better and farmers will have a good harvest.
Although everyone wants to succeed in what he tries to do, sometimes failure can’t be avoided. I think failure is not terrible, and the terrible thing is that we are afraid of it and give up hope. When we face failure, we must be confident in ourselves, draw a useful lesson from it and try our best to finish what we have decided to do. As a popular saying goes, “Failure is the mother of success”.
Attitude decides everything. With an optimistic attitude life is easy and pleasant. Let’s smile to whatever we meet and the whole world will smile to us.People sometimes complain _________.
A.the sky is always dark |
B.their studies are successful |
C.they see the world with their heart |
D.life is tiring |
When we face failure, we ___________.
A.must be confident in ourselves |
B.shouldn’t be afraid of it |
C.shouldn’t give up hope |
D.All of the above |
The best title for the passage is_______.
A.Smile and the World Smiles to You |
B.Complaining about Life |
C.Failure is the Mother of Success |
D.It is Very Hard to Succeed |