Ning Zetao has become China’s new swimming star due to his amazing performance at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon(仁川), South Korea.
With already two gold medals in hand, the 21-year-old clocked 47.70 seconds in the 100m freestyle, setting a new Asian record. This result has been recognized by FINA as the world’s third best time this year, fast enough to have won a gold medal in last year’s Barcelona World Championships.
“It is my first international event,”said Ning, who later won a fourth gold medal in Incheon. “I am happy that my results are pretty close to my personal best.”
Born in the central Chinese city of Zhengzhou,Ning entered the local team at the age of 11 and joined the navy team in 2007.He first caught people’s attention in 2009 when he finished eighth in the 200m individual medley at the National Games.
Nevertheless, Ning suffered from bone infection in both knees for a long time, which made him unable to train hard on his kicks.
He also had an indigestion problem and had to eat “soft” food which is easy to digest. His poor stomach even made it impossible for him to complete week-long full time training.
But the young swimmer never gives up. His idol is the great Russian swimmer Alexander Popov, who continued to win Olympic gold medals after he was stabbed on a street. Ning said, “He was a real fighter and I need to learn from him.”
Taken better care of by coaches and doctors, Ning can now train as normally as others. And that is why he can get today’s achievements.
The gold medals at the Asian Games also boosted the confidence of the new swimming star, who hopes to enter the national team and compete for China in more international events.
“Chinese men’s swimmers have never been placed among top eight in the short-distance freestyle,” he said. “I hope I can do it, just like what Sun Yang did in the mid-long distance freestyle.”
The best title could be ______.
| A．Ning Zetao, a world famous swimmer |
| B．Ning Zetao, a promising rising star |
| C．Ning Zetao, a strong-will soldier |
| D．Ning Zetao, a world gold medalist |
We can learn from the passage that ______.
| A．the results Ning got in Incheon are his best |
| B．Ning is good at both 100m and 200m freestyle |
| C．Ning broke an Asian record at the 2014 Asian Games |
| D．Ning has already got 5 gold medals in the international event |
It can be inferred from the passage that ______.
| A．some health problems have little effect on Ning’s training |
| B．being well cared of is the main reason for Ning’s achievements |
| C．the Chinese swimmers have never got into the top eighth in the world event |
| D．gold medalist as Ning is, he is not yet a member of National Swimming Team |
The underlined word “boost” in the last but one paragraph probably means ______.
| A．increase | B．weaken | C．lack | D．encourage |
Hidden in our subconsciousness (意识) is a perfect mental picture. We see ourselves on a long trip that goes across the continent. We are traveling by train. Out of the windows, we think in the passing scene of cars on nearby highways, of children waving at a crossing, of cattle feeding on a distant hillside, of smoke pouring from a power plant, or row upon row of corn and wheat, of flat lands and valleys, of mountains and rolling hills, of city skylines and village halls.
But uppermost in our minds is the final destination. On a certain day at a certain hour, we will pull into the station. Bands will be playing and flags waving. Once we get there, so many wonderful dreams will come true and the pieces of our lives will fit together like a completed jigsaw (拚图玩具) puzzle. How restlessly we pace the aisles(通道) ,condemning the minutes for loitering-waiting, waiting, waiting for the station.
‘‘When we reach the station, that will be it!” we cry, “When I'm 38.” “When I buy a new 450SL Mercdes Benz!” “When I put the last kid through co llege.” “When I have paid off!” “When I get a promotion.” “When I reach the age of retirement, I shall live happily ever after! " Sooner or later, we must realize there is no station, no one place to arrive at once and for all. The true joy of life is the trip. The station is only a dream. It constantly outdistances us.
“Relish (appreciate) the moment" is a good motto, actually it isn't the burdens of today that drive man mad. It is the regret over yesterday and the fear of tomorrow. Regret and fear are twin thieves who rob us of today.
So stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. Instead, climb more mountains, eat more ice cream swim more rivers, watch more sunsets, laugh more and cry less. Life must be lived as we go along. Then the station will come soon enough. .
Why does the author describe the mental picture?
| A．To lead us into a perfect world. | B．To let people enjoy the scenery. |
| C．To introduce an actual trip of his. | D．To compare it to our life's journey. |
.
How do people feel when they’re on their trip?
| A．Puzzled. | B．Happy. | C．Relaxed. | D．Impatient. |
.
What does the author mean by "Regret and fear are twin thieves who rob us of today" in Paragraph 4?
| A．Regret and fear are responsible for the loss of today. |
| B．We must be careful of the two thieves: regret and fear. |
| C．Regret and fear stop us from enjoying our present life. |
| D．We’re frequently challenged by the two : regret and fear. |
.
Why does the author write the passage?
| A．To teach us a good lesson. | B．To tell us the right attitude to life. |
| C．To advise us to forget our worries. | D．To stop us wandering along the aisles. |
★The regular use of text messages and e-mails can lower the IQ more than twice as much as smoking marijuana(大麻). Psychologists say that sending/receiving messages or looking through the many menu options your mobile phone has, lowers a person’s IQ by almost 10 points. British researchers have named this situation “infomania”. Instead of fixed on what they are doing, people’s minds are constantly focused on reacting to the technology surrounding them. This means they don’t pay full attention to the work they are paid to do. The report also added that the brain can not do so many things at once. If you try to do too many things, mistakes begin to occur. And while modern technology can have huge benefits, too much use can be damaging not only to a person’s mind, but to their social life.
★The more televisions 4-year-old children watch, the more likely they are to become bullies later on in school, a newest U.S. study said. At the same time, children whose parents read to them, take them on outings and just generally pay attention to them are less likely to become bullies, said the report from the University of Washington. Researchers also found gaps in learning and understanding such things as social skills early in life makes it more difficult for children to relate with other children. Watching violence on television leads to aggressive behavior.
★You could soon be able to add your favorite perfume to your e-mails. UK net provider Telewest Broadband is testing a system to let people send e-mails over the Internet with sweet smell. It has developed a kind of hi-tech air freshener that plugs into a PC and sprays a smell linked to the message. Telewest says it could be used by supermarkets to attract people with the smell of fresh bread or by holiday companies seeking to stir up images of sun-kissed beachers..
What does “infomania” refer to according to the first part of the text?
| A．A situation in which a person uses his mobile phone too much. |
| B．A situation in which a person has his IQ lowered using his mobile phone. |
| C．A situation in which a person performs badly at work.. |
| D．A situation in which a person lowers his IQ using his mobile phone improperly. |
.
According to the second part of the text, _____ are less likely to become bullies.
| A．children whose parents care about them |
| B．children whose parents give them more freedom |
| C．children whose parents direct them over watching TV |
| D．children whose parents stop them watching TV |
.
The children who watch TV frequently will not ______.
| A．be aggressive |
| B．be likely to become bullies |
| C．have difficulty in communicating with other children |
| D．understand socially skills as easily |
.
The new system provided by Telewest Broadband can _____.
| A．be used as a kind of air freshener |
| B．make people have imagination of sun kissed beachers |
| C．make people smell fresh bread |
| D．make e-mails smelly over the Internet |
BEIJING (Associated Press 美联社) —China has a growing middle class, a tradition of expecting education and 21 million new babies every year. Selling educational toys should be easy.
While China may be the world’s biggest toy-maker, many of the best are exported. Department stores here do not have enough high quality toys. It is said that the demand for educational toys is low.
A US company, BabyCare, is trying to change that with a new way to sell toys in China.
BabyCare works basically together with doctors in Beijing hospitals. People who join the company’s "mother club" can get lectures and newsletters on baby and child development at no extra cost, if they agree to spend 18 dollars a month on the company’s educational toys and child-care books.
"We want to build a seven-year relationship with those people," said Matthew J. Estes, BabyCare’s president. "It starts during pregnancy, when the anxiety and needs are highest." BabyCare works on a one-to-one basis. Doctors, nurses, and teachers paid by BabyCare advise parents, explain toys that a re de signed for children at each stage of development to age six.
BabyCare opened its first store in China last June in a shopping center in central Beijing and another near Beijing Zoo. It plans to have 80 stores in China within six years.
It is a new model for China and develops a market in young children’s education and health that no other companies are in..
What do the first two paragraphs mainly tell us?
| A．Educational toys and foreign toy markets. |
| B．Problems with China’s toy market and education. |
| C．Reason s for pushing sales of educational toys in China. |
| D．Baby population and various kinds of toys made in China. |
.
Which of the following is a fact according to the passage?
| A．Club members buy BabyCare products for free child-care advice. |
| B．Doctors in Beijing help in making BabyCare products. |
| C．Parents are encouraged to pay $ 18 for club act ivities. |
| D．BabyCare trains Chinese doctors at no extra cost. |
.
BabyCare is developing its business in China by________.
| A．opening stores in Beijing hospitals |
| B．offering 18-month courses on child-care |
| C．setting up children’s education centers |
| D．forming close relationships with parents |
.
Which of the following would be the most suitable title for the passage?
| A．Mother Club in China | B．BabyCare and Doctors |
| C．American Company Model | D．BabyCare’s Educational Toys in China |
When I was struggling with cancer a few years ago, my wife and I formed our own "couple caution circle". Anytime a doctor came with news of my progress, my wife would give me a big hug. The reports were seldom good during the early stages of my illness, and one day a doctor brought particularly frightening news. Staring at my reports, he said in a low voice, “It doesn't look like you're going to make it.”
Before I could ask him a question, my wife stood up, handed me my clothes, adjusted the tubes fastened to my body and said, “Let’s get out of here. This man is a risk to your health.” As she helped me struggle to the door, the doctor came near us. “Stay back,” demanded my wife. “Stay away from us.”
As we walked together down the hall, the doctor attempted to catch up with us “Keep going,” said my wife, pushing the intravenous（静脉注射的）stand. “We’re going to talk to someone who really knows what is going on. Then she held up her hand to the doctor. “Don't come any closer to us.”
The two of us moved as one. We escaped to the safety and hope of a doctor who did not confuse diagnosis with conclusion. I could never have made that walk toward wellness alone..
From the passage we know__________.
| A．hearing that her husband was not going to make it, the wife went out of her mind |
| B．the wife's decision in crisis contributed to the husband’s wellness |
| C．the husband was diagnosed with cancer by mistake |
| D．the husband became weaker and weaker as a result of the treatment conducted by the doctor |
.
What's the author's feeling when writing the passage?
| A．Angry. | B．Thankful. | C．Excited. | D．Sad. |
.
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．The wife was a woman hard to get along with. |
| B．The doctor was a dangerous man. |
| C．The wife loved her husband very much. |
| D．The husband was a man who believed everything would be OK. |
.
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．A Happy Couple in Crisis | B．Struggle with Cancer |
| C．In Crisis, Become As One | D．Don't Believe the Doctor |
In the eyes of dog lovers, the dog is man’s best friend. But for much wildlife, loose dogs may be a dangerous enemy, according to a study by a biologist from Utah State University in the US.
Based on much existing research and their own case studies, Julie Young of Utah State University and four other scientists conclude that loose dogs may represent a huge danger to wildlife, especially endangered species, by hunting down or worrying them and by spreading diseases. They also found that dogs, their worldwide numbers around 500 million, can cause more damage to wildlife and livestock(牲畜) than wolves and other enemies of these animals.
Young gave examples from the US state of Idaho, where research showed the presence of dogs reducing some deer populations. On the Navajo American Indians’ reservation in northeastern Arizona, packs of loose dogs are chasing livestock. They have killed populations of small animals such as rabbits and act as a disease carrier for rabies(狂犬病) among people and other animals, she said. Loose dogs also were to blame for distemper outbreak leading to a die-off of endangered black-footed ferrets in northwestern Wyoming in the 1980s.
The phenomenon is not just limited to US; it’s a global problen. Julie Young once studied three endangered species in central Asia: wild sheep, gazelles and antelope. The rate of injury and death to these animals by loose dogs was very high. In another case, Young found that dogs, not wolves, as originally suspected, were responsible for a large number of livestock killings in the mountainous Basque country between Spain and France.
Authors of the new study said the problem is likely to worsen as communities expand. Then how to deal with it?
Indeed, in many countries, leash(拴狗的皮带) laws permit punishment of dog owners whose pets chase wildlife. But lawbreakers are rarely punished because the police lack both people and money.
Young has low-cost solutions to the problem for dog lovers, though. They include public dog-training programs and vaccinating (预防接种) dogs against rabies and other illnesses.. What is the main point of Julie Young’s study?
| A．Many species are endangered because they are killed by loose dogs. |
| B．Wild dogs are immune to many diseases. |
| C．Wolves are still the greatest enemy of livestock. |
| D．Loose dogs pose a great danger to wildlife. |
. Which of the following statements about loose dogs is TRUE according to the research?
| A．There are around 500 million loose dogs around the world. |
| B．The black-footed ferrets in northwestern Wyoming were once the main food source of local loose dogs. |
| C．The problem caused by loose dogs is the most serious in the US. |
| D．People used to think that wolves, rather than loose dogs killed livestock in the Basque country. |
. Which of the following is among Julie Young’s solutions to the trouble caused by loose dogs?
| A．More strict leash laws |
| B．Public dog-training programs. |
| C．Vaccinating people against rabies and other illnesses. |
| D．More support from the police. |
. What is the main point of the article?
| A．A global disaster caused by loose dogs. |
| B．What makes the dog man’s greatest friend. |
| C．The problem of loose dogs and the possible solutions. |
| D．The danger of the increasing numbers of dogs. |