Scientists today are making greater effort to study ocean currents (洋流) . Most do it using satellites and other high-tech equipment. However, ocean expert Curtis Ebbesmeyer does it in a special way -- by studying movements of random floating garbage. A scientist with many years’ experience, he started this type of research in the early 1990s when he heard about hundreds of athletic shoes washing up on the shores of the northwest coast of the United States. There were so many shoes that people were setting up swap meets to try and match left and right shoes to sell or wear.
Ebbesmeyer found out in his researches that the shoes — about 60,000 in total — fell into the ocean in a shipping accident. He phoned the shoe company and asked if they wanted the shoes back. As expected, the company told him that they didn't. Ebbesmeyer realized this could be a great experiment. If he learned when and where the shoes went into the water and tracked where they landed, he could learn a lot about the patterns of ocean currents.
The Pacific Northwest is one of the world's best areas for beachcombing(海滩搜寻) because winds and currents join here, and as a result, there is a group of serious beachcombers in the area. Ebbesmeyer got to know a lot of them and asked for their help in collecting information about where the shoes landed. In a year he collected reliable information on 1, 600 shoes. With this data, he and a colleague were able to test and improve a computer program designed to model ocean currents, and publish the findings of their study.
As the result of his work, Ebbesmeyer has become known as the scientist to call with questions about any unusual objects found floating in the ocean. He has even started an association of beachcombers and ocean experts, with 500 subscribers from West Africa to New Zealand. They have recorded all lost objects ranging from potatoes to golf gloves.
The underlined phrase swap meets in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ______________.
| A．fitting rooms |
| B．trading fairs |
| C．business talks |
| D．group meetings |
Ceaseless technology. A punishing workweek. That to –do list that keeps multiplying. It is no wonder many of us find it difficult to have a sufficient amount of sleep. But will sleeping more on the weekend make up for hours of lost snoozing (小睡)? One sleep expert, W. Christopher Winter raised the question.
Sleeping binge
Getting eight hours of shut-eye each night is generally recommended, but many people don’t. As the week rolls from Monday to Friday, they accumulate a sleep debt. Spending a few extra hours in bed on a Saturday morning, people assume, will help them “ catch up” on lost sleep. They’re likely right, “ Nobody knows how long the horizon is, probably a few nights, but studies show that recovery sleep in the short term does work,” says Dr. Winter, a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
Sleep banking
Recent data suggests that banking sleep in advance of a long night can actually offset (补偿) upcoming sleep deprivation(丧失). If you knew you were going to have to stay up all night on a particular day, for example, you could sleep for 10 hours a day for multiple days before the event, and be fine, Dr. Winter says. Just plan ahead.
Routine (惯例的)naps
A scheduled nap is healthier than catching up on or banking sleep. “ Because sleep extension can make you feel groggy (昏昏沉沉), I always recommend a short nap [if a person feels they need it ], at the same time, every day,” says Dr. Winter. He adds that 25 minutes is ideal. “ When you schedule a short nap, your body anticipates it and slows down, without falling into a deep dream sleep,” he says. That refreshing, scheduled break is better than an occasional weekend lie-in. “ The body likes routine,” he says, “ When it’s prepared, it works more efficiently.”From Monday to Friday, many people _________.
| A．accumulate a sleep debt | B．have no time to sleep |
| C．work hard to achieve their goals | D．have to stay up all nights |
Research shows that in the short term________.
| A．a nap have no effect on work |
| B．a nap have effect on work |
| C．recovery sleep does work |
| D．recovery sleep doesn’t work |
If a soccer fan wants to stay up all night to watch two World Cup semi-finals, it may help if ________.
| A．he keeps taking a nap for a week |
| B．he sleeps for 8 hours a day for days |
| C．he keeps sleeping for 2 days |
| D．he banks sleep in advance |
What is better than banking sleep, according to Dr. Winter?
| A．Sleeping binge | B．Recovery sleep |
| C．Scheduled naps | D．Sleep extension |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Sleep Matters | B．Disadvantage of Sleeping Binge |
| C．Advantage of Routine Naps | D．How to Sleep Well |
When asked to point out one or two things that are most important to themselves, many put friends ahead of homes, jobs, clothes and cars.
A true friendship carries a long history of experience that determines who we are and keeps us connected. It is a treasure we should protect. Unfortunately, the better friends you are, the more probably you’ll have disagreements. And the result can be what you don’t want ---an end to the relationship.
The good news is that most troubled friendships can be mended. First, don’t let your pride get in your way. Most of us can forgive each other when differences are brought out in the open. Second, apologize when your’re wrong---even if you’ve been wronged. Over the course of a friendship, even the best people make mistakes. Sometimes, it may be best if the wronged person takes the lead and apologizes. When you apologize, give your friend a chance to admit that he has been wrong also. Third, see things from your friend’s point of view. And finally, accept that friendships change as our needs and lifestyle change. Making friends can sometimes seem easy. The hard part is keeping the connections strong during the natural ups and downs that have an effect on all relationships. My suggestion: consider friendship an honour and a gift, and worth the effort to treasure and nurture.What is likely to happen if you have disagreements with your friends?
| A．An end to the friendships. |
| B．Getting experience for the later life. |
| C．Quarrelling with each other. |
| D．Sitting down and have a talk. |
The author wrote the article mainly to tell us ________.
| A．how to make friends |
| B．the benefits of making friends |
| C．what is a true friendship |
| D．how to mend a troubled friendship |
The underlined word “nurture” probably means ________.
| A．mend | B．develop | C．keep | D．accept |
What causes the change of friendships?
| A．Our characters. | B．Our hobbies. |
| C．Our living habits. | D．Our needs and lifestyle. |
Which of the following is True according to the passage?
| A．A true friend can never have a disagreement with each other. |
| B．Most troubled friendships can be mended. |
| C．You don’t need to apologize when you know you are wronged. |
| D．Friends are more important than jobs, homes and cars. |
The British aren’t having as many children as they used to , One reason is that people are having children much older than before, meaning they have fewer year in which they can have them, After years at university ,they need a few years of work experience before they can get the job they want, They might then get married, but it’s incredibly expensive to buy a house in the UK.
The above explains why young British people now don’t move out of their parents’ home until they are around 30 years old on average, It’s only after this age that many young people start thinking about having a child , However , it is quite expensive to bring up a child in the UK, Both parents need to work just to pay for their child during the day, Paying for this childcare is always expensive, What’s more ,financial crisis and unemployment are making things even harder for families, With so much pressure on families, is it any surprise that the divorce rate is so high?
So what is Britain doing to try and save the British family ? The government is trying to make it cheaper to have children , For example ,there are increasing government subsidies for nursery schools, so that parents do not need to bay so much for child care.
The government is also trying to reduce the number of hours British parents have to work to earn enough money to pay their bills, If parents didn’t have to work so many hours, they’d have moue time to spend with their children and wouldn’t need to spend so much on childcare, On average, a Briton works 49 hours a week ,which is the most in Europe, The state is now considering introducing laws to encourage companies to improve their employees’ work –life balance, Let’s hope they’re not too late to save the British family , Otherwise, the British will always be too tired ,and won’t have enough time and money, to have children.Young British people live in their parents’ home until around 30 because
| A．They are allowed to get married at 30 |
| B．they can’t allowed to get married at 30 |
| C．they can’t afford a house of their own until then |
| D．they enjoy family life with their parents |
The British are now having fewer children than before for all the following reasons EXCEPT that
| A．they have fewer years to have children |
| B．they live much shorter lives than before |
| C．it is more expensive to bring up a child |
| D．people are losing their jobs because of the recent financial crisis |
The underlined word “subsidies” in Paragraph 5 means
| A．food paid by the government |
| B．school buildings for poor students |
| C．free transportation |
| D．money from the government to benefit the public |
It can be inferred from the text that
| A．with long work hours, it is hard for British parents to balance life and work |
| B．more and more families in Britain are breaking up because they are having fewer children |
| C．among Europeans, British people work hardest and earn the least |
| D．childcare takes up too much energy and time for the British |
To make it cheaper to have children , the British government is
| A．bringing down prices |
| B．raising the salaries of parents |
| C．reducing family income tax |
| D．increasing subsidies for families and nursery schools |
Many parents have learned the hard way that what sounds like open communication is otfen the very thing that closes a youngster’s ears and mouth, One common mistake is the Lecture, the long monologue that often starts with “When I was your age……”Eighteen –year –old Kelly calls lectures “Long , one-side discussions in which I don’t say much.”
Kids reflexively（条件反射地）shout down in the face of a lecture , Their eyes glaze over（呆滞）,and they don’t register any incoming information , Listen to 13-year –old Sarah describe her least favorite times with her mom and dad, “First, they scream, Then comes the“We’re so disappointed’ speech , Then the ‘I never did that to my parents’ lecture begins , After that, even if they realize how ridiculous they sound, they never take it back’”.
Lines like “When you have children of your own, you’ll understand” have been seriously said by parents since time immemorial, But many of our expert parents, like Bobby , a registered nurse and mother of three, feel that by falling back on cliches（陈词滥调）to justify our actions, we weaken our position.
Since kids are creatures of here and now, the far-off future has no relevance to them, Therefore ,good communicators like Bobby suggest, “Give specific reasons for your actions in present language:‘I’m not letting you go to the party because I don’t think there will be enough adult supervisions（监护）”。
Betty, who lives in Missouri ,uses and indirect approach, “I find that warnings are accepted more readily if I discuss a news article on a subject I am concerned about, My husband and I talk about it while our children absorb the information, Then they never think I’m preaching（布道）”.
This really helped when Betty’s kids began driving , Instead of constantly repeating “Don’t drink; don’t speed”, She would talk about articles in the paper and express sympathy for the victims of a car crash, Betty made no special effort to draw her kids into the conversation, She depended on a teenager’s strong desire to put in his opinions—especially if he thinks he isn’t being asked for them.The purpose of the passage is to
| A．compare two ways of parents’ communicating with their kids |
| B．give parents advice on how to communicate with their kids |
| C．explain why kids won’t listen to their parents |
| D．introduce kids’ reaction to the communication between them and their parents |
Which of the following statements is NOT right?
| A．Kids won’t listen to their parents because they think what their parents say is boring |
| B．Many kids think they have no right to express their own opinions |
| C．Some kids think their parents should apologize when they are wrong |
| D．Kids don’t like any discussion at all. |
What does the underlined word in the first paragraph mean?
| A．独白 | B．对话 | C．插话 | D．讨论 |
Which of the following topic may appeal to kids?
| A．Parents own experience |
| B．Kids possible life in the future |
| C．Something related to kids’ present life |
| D．What parents have done to their own parents |
In order to make kids follow their advice, parents should
| A．tell their kids to listen carefully |
| B．set out their warnings directly |
| C．list out as many examples as possible |
| D．arouse kids’ desire to express themselves |
The name sounds funny but the idea is no joke: it’s a personal toilet called the pee-pool, Anders Wilhelmson, a Swedish architect, is the inventor of the pee-pool.
He became interested in the idea of sanitation(卫生设施) after taking part in a research project on the social and political development of cities, One of the most common problems he found in developing countries was the lack of toilets, He wanted to do something to help, So working with others, he started the project in 2005, and the next year started a company called Peepoolple.
The toilet is a single—use bag made of environmentally friendly plastics, The inside is treated with urea （尿素）, a chemical commonly used as fertilizer, The hotter the weather, the more quickly the waste turns into what is needed by plants The sanitation process can be as soon as a couple of hours or as long as two to four weeks ,You can just bury it in a pot and grow whatever you like.
The company expects to start selling the bags in August in Kenya and Bangladesh, But it is just beginning production and sales in Nairobi now , Full production could reach about half a million bags a day and people may be able to buy the pee-pool in countries Vietnam, Bangladesh, etc.
The United Nations says more than two and a half billion people around the world do not have good sanitation ,Many have no choice but to use the outdoors, which is not only bad for the environment ,but also harmful to people’s health, Each year, poor sanitation leads to three fifths of those people getting an infectious disease which on average causes one out of 1,000 patients to die.
Jack Smith ,the founder of the World Toilet Organization ,says “This is quite an unacceptable situation given the fact that we are living in the modem world , And strangely, many of them own televisions ,phones but have no toilet.”What was the original purpose of Anders Wilhelmson in starting the company?
| A．To protect the local environment |
| B．To earn a lot of money from the project |
| C．To do research on the social development |
| D．To help solve the problem of lack of toilets in developing countries |
What can be learned about the pee-pool from the passage?
| A．It can be used over again |
| B．Its sanitation process doesn’t last long |
| C．It works better in summer than in winter |
| D．It should be buried in a pot after being used |
In which place can people buy the Pee-pool now?
| A．Nairobi | B．Vietnam | C．Sweden | D．Bangladesh |
The fifth paragraph is written mainly to tell us that
| A．poor sanitation may cause many problems |
| B．many people don’t care for the environment |
| C．many people get ill from using the outdoors |
| D．quite a number of people died from poor sanitation |
The underlined word“This ”in the last paragraph probably refers to
| A．the outdoors being damaged |
| B．many places being shout of toilets |
| C．many people having TVs and phones |
| D．many people getting an infection disease |