What would Barbie look like if she were average?
According to US artist Nickolay Lamm, she would be a brunette with a rounded face and a much thicker waist．
Frustrated with the unrealistic beauty standards of Barbie and her friends, Lamm took data from Disease Control and Prevention about an average 19-year-old American woman, who is about 163 cm tall, with a 84-cm waist． With those measurements, Lamm created a doll．
The doll-s tagline （口号）is “Average is beautiful．”
“I think a realistic-size doll is important because when I look at current dolls on the market, they all look like supermodels," the artist told APF． “I just had the impression that the wall of supermodels suggests that something is wrong with you if you don-t look like one． So I created an alternative to suggest that it’s OK to look like a normal person．"
The Lammily dolls, which are 27 cm tall, have been on sale since last month．
Lammily also has other features． Unlike Barbie and her friends, whose pointed legs would force her to walk on all fours if she were real, Lammily has articulated（枢接的） joints – able to walk, run, and play． The doll can even be put in a yoga position．
What’s more, the Lammily dolls include a sticker package that can help to add real-life marks to the dolls, including freckles, acne, moles, and tattoos．
“You can also add minor cuts and bruises, like ones you'd get from falling down while snowboarding," Lamm told NBC．
“I feel that, right now． dolls are very perfect looking, when, in real life, few of us have perfect skin," Lamm told The Huffington Post． “Things like pimples are a natural part of who we are． So, why not give dolls a real treatment?"
As The Huffington． Post said, "Getting kids used to the idea that these things are completely normal and not 6flaws'（缺陷） to be ashamed of can only be a good thing．"Why did Nickolay Lamm make the Lammily doll? （No more than 14 words） （2 marks）
How is the Lammily doll different from Barbie dolls? （No more than 13 words） （3 marks）
What does Lamm mean when he says, "why not give dolls a real treatment?" in the second-to-last paragraph? （No more than 1 words） （3 marks）
What is the author-s attitude toward Lammily dolls? （No more than 6 words） （2 marks）
A black hole is created when a large star burns out. Like our sun, stars are unbelievably hot furnaces(熔炉) that burn their own matter as fuel. When most of the fuel is used up, the star begins to die.
The death of a star is not a quiet event. First there is a huge explosion. As its outer layer is blasted off into space, the dying star shines as brightly as a billion suns.
After the explosion gravity pulls in what’s left of the star. As the outside of the star sinks toward the center, the star gets smaller and smaller. The material the star is made of becomes tightly packed together. A star is so dense that a teaspoon of matter from it weighs billion of pounds.
The more the star shrinks, the stronger the gravity inside it becomes. Soon the star is very tiny, and the gravity pulling it in is unbelievably strong. In fact, the gravity is so strong that it even pulls light into the star! Since all the light is pulled in, none can go out. The star becomes black when there is no light. Then a black hole is born!
That’s what we know about black holes. What we don’t know is this: What happens inside a black hole after the star has been squeezed into a tiny ball? Does it keep getting smaller and smaller forever? Such a possibility is hard to imagine.
But if the black hole doesn’t keep shrinking, what happens to it? Some scientists think black holes are like doorways to another world．They say that as the star disappears from our universe, it goes into another universe. In other words a black hole in our universe could turn into a “white hole” in a different universe. As the black hole swallows light, the white hole shines brightly — somewhere else. But where? A different place, perhaps, or a different time — many years in the past or future.
Could you travel through a black hole? Right now, no. Nothing we know of could go into a black hole without being crushed．So far the time being, black hole must remain a mystery.
Black holes are a mystery—but that hasn’t stopped scientists from dreaming about them. One scientist suggested that in the future we might make use of the power of black holes. They would supply all of Earth’s energy needs, with plenty to spare. Another scientist wondered if a black hole could some day be used to swallow earthly waste—a sort of huge waste disposal (处理) in the sky!When the star begins to die ______.
| A．there is no fuel left in it | B．its outer layer goes into space first |
| C．a huge explosion will happen | D．it doesn’t give off light any longer |
Which of the following doesn’t help produce a black hole?
| A．The gravity inside the star is very strong. |
| B．The light can’t go out of the star. |
| C．The star becomes smaller and smaller |
| D．The dying star shines very brightly. |
The black hole ______.
| A．continues becoming smaller and smaller all the time |
| B．goes into another universe and becomes a white hole |
| C．can pull in everything we know of in the world |
| D．will appear at another place at a different time |
What’s the best title for this passage?
| A．A New Scientific Discovery: Black Holes |
| B．How Do Black Holes Come Into Being? |
| C．What Are Black Holes? |
| D．Travel Through A Black Hole |
The diagram is mainly about ______.
| A．the food chain of the animal | B．the system of energy flowing |
| C．how to get food for man | D．the growth of the energy |
Which is not the result of photosynthesis of the plant?
| A．Oxygen is released into the air. | B．Food is provided for animals. |
| C．Certain forms of energy is produced． | D．The air is cleaned． |
What occurs when the energy flows through the system?
| A．Energy is consumed and one becomes the food of others. |
| B．Energy is stored and plants become animals. |
| C．Man plays an important part in energy flowing. |
| D．The more energy is consumed, the more energy the sun will supply. |
What should be done in order to improve the living conditions according to the diagram?
| A．More animals should be raised． | B．Decomposers should be made full use of. |
| C．More trees should be planted． | D．Man should be controlled． |
Perhaps the most astonishing theory to come out of kinetics, the study of body movement, was suggested by Professor Ray Birdwhistell. He believes that physical appearance is often culturally programmed．In other words, we learn our looks; we are not born with them.
A baby has generally unformed facial features. A baby, according to Birdwhistell, learns where to set the eyebrows by looking at those around family and friends. This helps explain why the people of some regions of the United States look so much alike. New Englanders or Southerners have certain common facial characteristics that cannot be explained by genetics (遗传学) “The exact shape of the mouth is not set at birth, it is learned after. In fact, the final mouth shape is not formed until well after permanent (永久的) teeth are set. For many, this can be well into adolescence (青春期). A husband and wife together for a long time often come to look somewhat alike. We learn our looks from those around us. This is perhaps why in a single country there are areas where people smile more than those in other areas. In the United States, for example, the South is the part of the country where the people smile most frequently. In New England they smile less, and in the western part of New York State still less. Many Southerners find cities such as New York cold and unfriendly, Partly because people on Madison Avenue smile less than people on Peach Tree Street in Atlanta, Georgia．People in densely (稠密地) populated urban areas also tend to smile and greet each other in public less than people in rural areas and small towns. Ray Birdwhistell believes that physical appearance ______.
| A．has little to do with culture | B．can be influenced by culture |
| C．is decided by culture | D．varies from place to place |
Ray Birdwhistell can tell what region of the United States a person is from by ______.
| A．how much he or she laughs | B．how he or she raises his or her eyebrows |
| C．what he or she likes best | D．the way he or she talks |
People who live _____ are more friendly according to the passage.
| A．in densely populated areas | B．in the country |
| C．in New York City | D．in the North |
This passage might have been taken out of a book dealing with ______.
| A．physics | B．health | C．chemistry | D．none of the above |
The UN Security Council was created in 1945. It is made up of 10 rotating (轮值的) members and five permanent members, which have a veto, the power to stop a resolution (决议). Most UN members now consider the organization's structure outdated． But any changes need the agreement of two-thirds of the 191 members, and no veto from any of the five permanent council members.
Last year, Japan, Germany, Brazil and India formed a lobbying (游说) group to get permanent council seats. But North and South Korea have doubts about Japan, Italy opposes Germany for a seat, Pakistan is against India's candidacy (候选资格) and Mexico and Argentina frown on Brazil.
A wave of emotion swept through China last week as millions voiced their opposition to Japan's permanent membership of the United Nations (UN) Security Council. By last Friday over 22 million Chinese had signed an online petition (请愿) against Japan's bid for a permanent seat on the council.
According to major Chinese websites, such as sina.com, more than 170,000 overseas Chinese also signed． This is the first online activity of its kind．
The petition was started by US-based Alliance for Preserving the Truth of the Sino-Japanese War (抗日战争史实维护会). They want Japan to apologize for crimes during World War II. The group also plans to present the petition to the UN this autumn.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said he didn't think the petition shows anti-Japanese feeling. He believed instead it is a request for Japan to take a responsible attitude towards history.What’s the main idea of the first paragraph?
| A．Function of the UN in world affairs. | B．Members of the UN. |
| C．Facts about the UN Security Council. | D．Reform of the UN Security Council. |
Which statement is true according to the text?
| A．Four countries, such as Japan, Germany, Brazil and India are applying for joining the UN. |
| B．Some countries, such as North and South Korea, Italy, Pakistan, Mexico and Argentina propose ticking the four countries out of the UN. |
| C．If the countries’ bids for permanent membership of the Council are turned down, the opponent countries will take the place. |
| D．The UN Security Council is going to take in new members. |
The underlined phrase “frown on” in the third paragraph can be replaced by _____.
| A．agree on | B．disapprove of |
| C．give a firm support to | D．say yes to |
What’s the main reason for China’s opposition to Japan’s permanent membership of the
Council?
| A．Japan is unwilling to admit to its crimes against the Chinese in the World War II. |
| B．Millions of people in Asia signed a petition against it. |
| C．The Chinese people have strong anti-Japanese feeling. |
| D．Japan is an irresponsible country that once had a history of invasion. |
Hiring a self-drive car really adds to the enjoyment of your holiday. There are so many interesting places to visit and if you enjoy seeing more than just the city center there is no better way to travel than by car.
|
| A．The city center is the best place for us to visit |
| B．Traveling by car is our first choice |
| C．To travel we must hire a car |
| D．Going sightseeing outside the city is not so interesting as visiting the city center |
If the car that has been hired breaks down on the way, whose duty is it to pay for its repairs?
| A．The driver that has hired the car. | B．The car-lending company. |
| C．The representative at the hotel. | D．Both the driver and the company. |
Which is not true according to the passage?
| A．The hirer must be responsible for the insurance against injury to the driver. |
| B．The company must answer for the insurance against damage to the car. |
| C．The cost of oil should be paid by the company. |
| D．The rates for car hire are especially cheap when two days are booked． |
Where can you probably read this passage?
| A．In a dictionary. | B．In a travel guide. | C．In a company. | D．In a newspaper. |