Are you a media addict who would go mad after two hours without TV, friend requests, exciting online games and your mobile or would you easily survive?
Recently, university students around the world were asked to volunteer in a global experiment called Unplugged. It was designed to see how young people would react if they were asked to observe a total media ban （禁令）by unplugging （切断）all forms of media devices for 24 hours.
Unplugged is being run by Dr. Roman Gerodimos, a lecturer in Communication and Journalism at Bournemouth University. Dr. Gerodimos said there were already signs of how much the exercise affected volunteers. " They're reporting withdrawal symptoms （脱瘾症状），overeating, feeling nervous, lonely and disconnected. "
During the 24-hour experiment, three of the experiment's guinea pigs had to bear one intrusion （扰乱）from the media ： a BBC reporter and cameraman who followed them around for the day. They were asked to write down 100 lines about their day off-line, but of course, they all waited until the next day when they had access to their laptops.
Elliot Day wrote，"Today, my whole morning routine （常规）was thrown up into the air. Despite being aware of the social importance of the media, I was surprised by how empty my life felt without the radio or newspapers. "
And Charlotte Gay wrote，" I have to say the most difficult item for me to be without has been my mobile; not only is it a social tool, but also it's my main access point of communication. "
Earlier in the year, a UK government study found that in the UK we spend about half our waking hours using the media, often plugged into several things at once.
So, with technology continuing to develop at an alarming rate, how much time will you set aside for sleep in the future?What's the purpose of the first paragraph?
| A．o ask for information. | B．To entertain the readers. |
| C．To lead to the topic. | D．To present an idea. |
About Dr. Roman Gerodimos' experiment, we know that __________.
| A．volunteers felt uncomfortable in it |
| B．three pigs were included in it |
| C．a BBC reporter discussed the experiment |
| D．volunteers were allowed to take their laptops |
The underlined expression "was thrown up into the air" in the fifth paragraph means __________.
| A．went on normally | B．was completely disturbed |
| C．turned out perfectly | D．was badly designed |
Which of the following can best serve as the title of the passage?
| A．Surviving without the media. |
| B．Unplugging your life. |
| C．Valuing social communication. |
| D．Setting aside time for sleep. |
Full of beauty, happiness and a healthy love of life, the Bulgarian (保加利亚人的) festivals and customs date back to old time when man tried to live in peace with nature. The merriest and richest festivals are
Christmas and the New Year, when the so-called. "sourvakari" makes the round of house with wishes for health and wealth. Other main festivals include "ladouvane"-a holiday for young girls on New Year's Day or
Midsummer Day (24th June), Shrovetide and Mummers' Games which mark the start of spring, and "lazrouvane"-a traditional festival for love and family, health and richness. And among them, the widely popular and typical Bulgarian customs and festivals are "martenitsas" and rose-picking.
Every year on March lst, the Bulgarians give each other "mar-tenitsas"-a small doll made of white and red strings, a symbol of the beginning of spring, health and happiness.
In late May and early June every year, the rose-picking season starts in the Valley of Roses which is between the Balkan Range and the Sredna Gora Mountains. Rose-picking starts at dawn, before sunrise and before the pleasant smell of the rose has disappeared. The Bulgarian rose produces 70 percent of the world's rose oil which is used by the very well-known perfume (香水) company as a basic element of its products.
This is the time of the Festival of Roses, celebrated with carnivals, happy activities, folk songs and dances in Karlovo and Kazanluk on the first Sunday in June. The passage is mainly about _____.
| A．Christmas and the New Year in Bulgaria |
| B．the origin of Bulgarian festivals and customs |
| C．rose-picking and perfume industry in Bulgaria |
| D．typical customs arid festivals of Bulgaria . |
Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
| A．"Martenitsas"-the Beginning of Spring |
| B．Beauty, Happiness and Love |
| C．Bulgarian Festivals and Customs |
| D．Rose-picking and "Martenitsas" |
The author of this passage intends to _____.
| A．let us know some knowledge of Bulgarian culture |
| B．tell us the differences between customs and festivals |
| C．explain the connection between customs and industry |
| D．find the origin of the Bulgarian customs |
The second and the third paragraphs of the passage _____.
| A．tell us how popular rose-picking is |
| B．link two festivals with health and richness |
| C．show us two merriest and richest festivals |
| D．talk about two typical Bulgarian festivals |
People in the United States honour their parents with two special days: Mother's Day, on the second Sunday in May, and Father's Day, on the third Sunday in June. These days are set aside to show love and respect for parents. They raise their children and educate them to be responsible citizens. They give love and care to their children. These two days offer an opportunity to think about the changing roles of mothers and fathers. More mothers now work outside the home. More fathers must help with childcare.
These two special days are celebrated in many different ways. On Mother's Day people wear camations（康乃馨）. A red one symbolizes（象征） a living mother. A white one shows that mother is dead. Many people attend religious services to honour their parents. It is also a day when people whose parents are dead visit the cemetery. On these days families get together at home, as well as in restaurants. They often have outdoor barbecues(烤肉)for Father's Day. These are days of fun and good feelings and memories.
Another tradition is to give cards and gifts. Children make
them in school. Many people make their own presents. These are
valued more than the ones bought in stores. It is not the value of
the gift that is important, but it is "the thought that counts".
Greeting card stores, florists,candy makers, bakeries,
telephone companies, and other stores do a lot of business during
these holidays. Which is NOT a reason for children to show love and respectfor their parents?
| A．Their parents bring them up. |
| B．Their parents give love and care to them. |
| C．Their parents educate them to be good persons. |
| D．Their parents passed away before they grew up. |
What do you learn from the passage?
| A．Mother's Day and Father's Day are both in May. |
| B．Fewer women worked outside the home in the past. |
| C．Not all the children respect their parents. |
| D．Fathers are not as important as mothers at home. |
Which do you think is RIGHT about "carnation" ?
| A．It only has two kinds of colour. |
| B．It refers to the special clothes people wear on Mother's Dayor Father's Day. |
| C．It's a kind of flower showing love and best wishes. |
| D．People can wear carnations only on the second Sundayin May. |
The world’s astronomers came to their senses yesterday and approved a new definition of the word “planet” that would drop tiny Pluto from the club and relegate it instead to a lesser realm of “dwarf planets.” It was a welcome step away from a proposal that would have kept Pluto as a planet but meantime opened the door for dozens of small, icy bodies on the fringes of the solar system.
The important vote came after fierce debate at a meeting of the International Astronomical Union, which had been considering a proposal to define a planet as any object that orbits a star and is large enough for its own gravity to pull it into a spherical (球形的) shape. That definition was scientifically precise but led to results that offended common sense. An asteroid, a small moon, and another icy ball like Pluto would suddenly have risen to planet-hood, swelling the number of planets to 12, with many more icy rocks likely to qualify as more was learned about them.
Fortunately, the astronomers have now added another requirement to the definition. Planets must not only be large enough to be round, they must also have cleared out the neighborhood around their orbits. Pluto would not qualify — it orbits in a belt of icy debris on the edge of the solar system. Neither would an icy rock nicknamed Xena, which orbits in that same zone, nor Ceres, a big asteroid that marches in the company of other asteroids. Pluto’s moon, Charon, which had qualified under the first proposal, is also out of the running.
Pluto, with its small size and oddball orbit, should never have been deemed a planet in the first place. Henceforth there will be eight planets, at least three dwarf planets, and tens of thousands of “smaller solar system bodies,” like comets and asteroids. Our only regret is that the astronomers chose the name “dwarf planets” for Pluto’s new category instead of abandoning the word entirely when discussing these less-than-planetary bodies. We can know from the passage that the new definition of planet __________.
| A．has been welcomed by all walks of life |
| B．will kick the Pluto out of the planet group in the solar system |
| C．still makes the Pluto as a planet |
| D．will enlarge the number of planets in our solar system into permanently 12 |
After the new definition of “planet” was put forward, all of the following are regarded as planet except________.
| A．Venus |
| B．Ceres |
| C．Mars |
| D．Jupiter |
The writer’s attitudes towards the new definition of “planet” is________.
| A．welcome |
| B．indifferent |
| C．hostile |
| D．neutral |
If the original definition of “planet” had not been changed, there would be the following consequences except that ________.
| A．thousands of icy rocks in space will be classified as planets |
| B．some asteroids big enough to pull itself into a spherical shape will be regarded as planets. |
| C．the Pluto will be relegated to “dwarf planet” |
| D．there will be at least twelve or even more planets in the solar system. |
More and more English-educated Chinese Singaporean parents are realizing the importance for their children to be not only good at the all-important English language, but also at Chinese. China has become a great political and economic superpower and they want their children to become bilingual.
It is common knowledge that, to master any language, especially one’s mother tongue, one must begin from childhood. But there are challenges and barriers for children of English-speak ing homes to succeed in their journey towards bilingualism.
Take my family as an example. While my wife and I are products of English education, we had some foundation (基础) in Chinese which we kept up in our working life. But the language of communication in our home is mainly English.
We are glad that our three children had between 8 and 11 years’Chinese schooling before switching over to English schools. Their foundation in Chinese has become an advantage in their adult life. They can hold their own in the spoken language, but would find it hard to write a business letter in Chinese for lack of usage.
We have a grandson who will be two years old shortly. His parents have given my wife and I the unenviable task of making him bilingual. It is a very tough assignment, as we are with him only a couple of hours on most days. For the rest of the time, he is being surrounded by English sounds by his busy parents.
Fortunately, our perseverance is paying off. After eight months, he has been used to hearing Chinese sounds, and even he can now quite comfortably identify common everyday objects in Chinese. Why is it becoming necessary for some Chinese Singaporean children to learn Chinese?
| A．Because most of the Singaporeans come from China. |
| B．Because their parents are missing their motherland. |
| C．Because China has become a great political and economic superpower. |
| D．Because Chinese is the official language in the UN. |
The underlined word “bilingual”in Paragraph 1 probably means _______ .
| A．a person who knows English |
| B．a person who knows Chinese |
| C．a person who knows only one language |
| D．a person who knows two languages |
What do we know about the author and his children?
| A．He lives in China now. |
| B．His children hate learning English. |
| C．He usually speaks Engliah at home. |
| D．His three children master Chinese very much. |
The author uses the example of teaching his grandson mainly to prove that _______ .
| A．there are challenges for children of English-speaking homes to learn Chinese |
| B．his foundation in Chinese is a big advantage in teaching his grandson |
| C．he is quite good at teaching small children Chinese |
| D．learning Chinese is very popular in Singapore |
We learn from the passage that _______ .
| A．all the children in Singapore need to learn Chinese |
| B．understanding Chinese is becoming an advantage in Singapore |
| C．the author’s children know nothing about Cshinese |
| D．the author feels it easy to teach others Chinese |
Welcome to one of the largest collections of footwear（鞋类）in the world that will make you green with envy. Here at the Footwear Museum you can see exhibits（展品）from all over the world. You can find out about shoes worn by everyone from the Ancient Egyptians to pop stars.
| Room 1 The celebrity（名人）footwear section is probably the most popular in the entire museum. Started in the 1950s there is a wide variety of shoes and boots belonging to everyone from queens and presidents to pop stars and actors! Most visitors find the celebrities' choice of footwear extremely interesting. |
Room 2 Most of our visitors are amazed and shocked by the collection of “special purpose”shoes on exhibition here at the Museum of Footwear. For example , there are Chinese shoes made of silk that were worn by women to tie their feet firmly to prevent them from growing too much! |
| Room 3 As well as shoes and boots the museum also exhibits shoe shaped objects. The variety is unbelievable. For example , there is a metal lamp that resembles a pair of shoes, and Greek wine bottles that like legs! |
The footwear Library People come from all over the world to study in our excellent footwear library. Designers and researchers come here to look up Information on anything and everything related to the subject of footwear. |
Where would you find a famous singer's shoes?
| A．Room 1. |
| B．Room 2. |
| C．Room 3. |
| D．The Footwear Library |
All exhibits in each room _________.
| A．share the same theme |
| B．have the same shape |
| C．are made of the same material |
| D．belong to the same social class |
Which of the following is true according to the text?
| A．The oldest exhibits in Room 1 were made in the 1950s. |
| B．Room 2 is the most visited place in the museum. |
| C．Room 3 has a richer variety of exhibits than the other two. |
| D．Researchers come to the Footwear Library for data. |
The purpose of the text is to get more people to ________.
| A．do research |
| B．design shoes |
| C．visit the museum |
| D．follow celebrities |