Thousands of people living in the Chinese eapital will celebrate the start of the Chinese New Year by heading for the ski resorts(滑雪场).Never mind that Beijing’s dry weather seldom produces now. It is cold enough in winter for snow-making machines to make a covering for the hills north to the capital. And the rapid growth of a pleasure-seeking middle class has formed the basis for this New craze(热潮).
Since Beijing’s first ski resort was opened ten years ago, the sport has enjoyed an astonishing increase.There are now more than a dozen resorts. Clothes markets in the city have added bright colored ski suits to their winter collections. Mr.Wei, a manager of a newly-opened ski resort in Beijing, sees the growth of an industry that could soon lead Chinese to head for the ski resorts of Europe. In recent years ski resorts offering natural snow have opened in China. But many are in faraway areas of the country and can’t really match the equipment and services of some ski resorts in Europe.
Beijing’s sking craze is partly a result of the recent increase in private(私有的)cars. This has led to the growth of a leisure industry in the capital’s suburbs(郊区).which until the late-1990s were unreachable to ordinary people. According to Mr. Wei,About 40％ of the visitors to his resort some in their own cars. The rest are bused in by schools, businesses or government offices.
The problem is making money.Starting ski resorturequires quite a lot of money:hiring land from the local government,preparing the hills,buying snow machines,making sure there are enough water and electricity to run them,and buying ski equipment for hiring out to customers.The ski resort where Mr.Wei works cost nearly $4m to set up.And,as so often in China when someone comes up with a good idea,many others rush in and price wars break out.Beijing now offers some of the cheapest ski training classes in the world,though with most people rather new to the sport, expecting a few more doing the same job.What does this text mainly talk about?
| A．Convenience for skiers brought about by private cars |
| B．Skiing as a new way of enjoying one’s spare time |
| C．Things to be considered when starting a ski resort |
| D．A sudden increase of ski training classes in Beijing |
Why are some Chinese likely to go skiing in Burope?
| A．To visit more ski areas |
| B．To ski on natrual snow |
| C．For a large collection of ski suits |
| D．For better services and equipment |
The underlined words”leisure industry”in Paragraph 3 refer to
| A．transport to ski resorts |
| B．production of familycars |
| C．business of providing spare time enjoyments |
| D．part-time work for people living in the suburbs |
What is the main problem in running a ski resort?
| A．Difficulty in hiring land |
| B．Lack of business experience |
| C．ski resorts. |
| D．Shortage of water and electricity |
Expensive and new gloves allow chatterboxes（话匣子）to take the term “handsfree” to a new level—by talking into them as they make a call. The gloves are known as “Talk to the Hand” and cost £1,000 a pair. They fixed a speaker unit into the thumb and a microphone into the little finger that can be connected to any mobile handset using Bluetooth.
Artist Sean Miles designed the new gloves that double as a phone in part of his project that shows the possibilities of gadget recycling. He uses outdated gloves and combines them with parts from mobile handsets recycled through O2, which commissioned（承担）the project. Mobile phone users will be able to keep their hands warm while they chat without taking their phones out of their pockets or handbags.
Mr Miles designed two pairs of the new gloves—one in pink and the other in brown and yellow. They will appear in an exhibition this July and visitors will be able to win the gloves. If demand is high, they will then be produced on a larger scale. O2 Recycle, which backed the project, estimates that there are already 70 million unused mobile handsets in the UK. The service pays up to £260 to those who recycle gadgets including phones, handheld consoles, MP3 players and digital cameras.
Designer Sean Miles hopes his work will get people thinking about recycling. The 41-year-old said, “I hope that my ‘Talk to the Hand’ project will get people to think again about the waste created by not recycling gadgets. If a few more people recycle their gadgets rather than send them to trash, I think this project will have fulfilled its aim.”
Bill Eyres, head of O2 Recycle, urges people to recycle their phone responsibly. He said, “There’s a pressing need for all of us to look at outdated handsets, and all the gadgets that we move on from or upgrade each year. Whether they are consoles or cameras, we should think of them as a resource that we need to recycle responsibly rather than throw them away.”The underlined word “O2” in Paragraph 2 is probably the name of ______.
| A．an artist | B．a company | C．a mobile | D．an exhibition |
Consumers can buy the “Talk to the Hand” gloves ______.
| A．in the exhibition |
| B．from Mr Miles |
| C．when they are mass produced |
| D．after they recycle the gadgets |
The purpose of the project is to _______.
| A．promote the technology of IT |
| B．enable people to talk to their hands |
| C．raise people’s awareness of recycling |
| D．attract visitors’ attention in the exhibition |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．New mobiles that are fashionable. |
| B．Outdated handsets that are upgraded. |
| C．Outdated gadgets that can be used for recycling. |
| D．New gloves that can be used for making phone calls. |
When the swim season began, my 11-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, and I cut a deal. She would go to practice three times a week and try really hard, and I wouldn’t make her compete in the swim meets because on the day of a meet, she would be nervous all day. Her nerves rooted from the possibility that she would do something horribly wrong and let everyone down.
Recently, they had a T-shirt relay, which works like this: one person from each relay team puts on a T-shirt and a pair of socks, swims 50 meters, and gets out of the pool. She takes off the clothes and puts them on the next person, who then swims 50 meters. This continues until everyone on the team has completed a lap.
By the last leg, Elizabeth’s team had built up a moderate lead. Then it was Elizabeth’s turn to swim. She seemed to swim faster in the T-shirt and socks than when she wasn’t wearing them.
Approaching the halfway mark, she was still in the lead. Then one of Elizabeth’s socks fell off and was floating in the pool. “She has to get that sock on before the end of the race,” a swimming official told her team, “or you will be disqualified.”
Everybody on her team started screaming, “Elizabeth! Elizabeth! Stop! Get the sock!” But she couldn’t hear them. As she started her last 25 meters, a girl in Lane 2 was gaining on Elizabeth. It was time for desperate measures. A girl on my daughter’s team jumped in the pool, grabbed the sock, and swam after Elizabeth. She grabbed Elizabeth’s foot. “You have to put the sock on,” the girl screamed. Elizabeth continued swimming while her teammate put on the sock.
By now, the girl in Lane 2 was about to pass Elizabeth. With the sock finally on, Elizabeth swam her heart out for the last 15 meters. It was close, but Elizabeth beat the other girl to the wall for the victory.
On the ride home, she relived her moment of glory again and again. She told me that if the T-shirt relay was an Olympic event, her team would win the gold medal. I told her that in my professional opinion, she was absolutely right. Elizabeth was nervous about swim meets because she _______.
| A．was afraid of disappointing everyone |
| B．didn’t expect to lose the swim match |
| C．didn’t want to compete against other girls |
| D．was worried about making errors in public |
From the passage, we know that _______.
| A．socks contributed greatly to Elizabeth’s victory |
| B．the match nearly drove Elizabeth desperate |
| C．good luck finally fell on Elizabeth’s team |
| D．Elizabeth’s team narrowly won the match |
It can be inferred that Elizabeth would _______.
| A．swim faster in the T-shirt |
| B．enjoy swim meets later on |
| C．experience the moment again |
| D．take part in an Olympic event |
The olinguito（小尖吻浣熊）is new to science. Although lt has been living in the cloud forests of South Amcrica for some time.
Scientists say the olinguito is the first new carnivore（食肉动物）discovered In the Americas in more than 30 years. It is a hairy orange-brown creature with a sweet face and big eyes The animal has small. rounded ears and lives in the trees An adult weighs one kilogram and measures about 75 centimeters. with half of those centimeters taken up by its ringed tail Most of the time. it likes to eat fruit, although it also eats meat. Active at night, the animal has lived in Colombia and Ecuador for a long time. But the olinguito did not exist in science books before now.
Kristofer Helgen, director at the National Museum in Washington, led the research team that confirmed the existence of the olinguito. It had been mistaken more than a century ago for a look-alike animal -- a similar but larger olingo(尖吻浣熊). Mr. Helgen had been studying olingos in a museum for ten years. At that time. he observed a difference in the size and shape of the heads and teeth. That led him on an effort to prove he was looking at an animal never before described by science. He got lucky when he communicated with a zoologist in Ecuador. The animal expert there made a short video that shows an olinguito in the trees. The video confirms that the oiinguito is different from the olingo Mr. Helgen says tens of thousands of olinguitos live in the wild and are not in danger of disappearing forever. Human beings, however, are moving closer to the olinguito habitat in the Andean cloud forests. The research team estimates that 42 percent of historic olinguiio habitat has been removedComparcd with most carnivores. the olinguito may seem more _____.
| A．terrble | B．fierce | C．clever | D．lovely |
The onlinguito was unknown to people in the past because ____
| A．it was mistaken for another species |
| B．it was active in the eveing |
| C．it was too small to be seen clearly |
| D．it covered itself by its long tail |
What does the underlined word "That" in Paragraph 3 refer to?
| A．Having been studying olingos for ten years. |
| B．The short video the animal expert made. |
| C．His communication with an expert in Ecuador. |
| D．Differences between olingos and olinguitos. |
We can infer from the text that ______.
| A．the olinguito could be made full use of |
| B．the number of olinguitos is in the conutrol |
| C．the clinguito is a completely new species up to now |
| D．people know more and more about animals |
Seek books that interest you. Reasonable prices. Best sellers for this season.
Which author tells you the way to do things with children?
| A．Chris Barnardo. | B．David Peace. | C．Rachel Carson. | D．David Kynaston |
Which book would an environmentalist probably be more concemed about?
| A．Red or Dead. | B．Dadcando. | C．Silent Spring | D． Family Britain. |
What is the purpose of the writer?
| A．To share newly-published books. |
| B．To summarize books for this season. |
| C．To find some interesting books. |
| D．To advertise popular books on sale. |
Parents are not only looking for a unique name for their baby, but they also want a name that has a special meaning. American Indians usually have pretty interesting names. These names are given to them through various methods and usually by an elder. American Indians feel very strongly abouL naming their child, and it is almost treated like a ritual. In some American Indian cultures. they even hold a ceremony when they are to name a child
Amcrican Indian children are usually named by an elder who could be eheir grandmother, grandfather. mother or father. The name given by the elder comes to them in many different forms such as charactcnstics of the person, dreams that the elder may have. or the name of a family member who has died It is also true that some Amerlcan Indians arc named after some sort of animal while others are named after nature Some tribes (部落) name their children after events that happen before thiir birth.
Also in different tribes. two of the American Indians in the same tribe can't share the same name Once the person with the name has died. then the name may be used again. It is said that Amcrican Indians believe that they shoutd not address the baby by the name that they are given because if the name is too well-known. the child or baby may be called back to the spirit world; this is what causes many American Indians to be given nicknames(绰号). Many Amcrican Indians arc more commonly known by their nicknames instead of their names given at birth What does the underlined word "ritual" in Paragraph l probably mean?
| A．exciting moment | B．special event | C．good opportunity | D．great time |
Which is not the way Indians name their child?
| A．The name of a certain animal. |
| B．Onc of the child's ancestors. |
| C．The dreaius of the Indian child. |
| D．An event before the child's birth. |
Why are American Indians given nicknames?
| A．It is not convenient to use their formal names |
| B．They don't want to be famous in the tribes. |
| C．Parents are afraid cheir child would die young. |
| D．Nicknames are shortcr and easier to address. |
What doCS the text mainly talk about?
| A．Ongins of American Indians' names |
| B．Hisrory of American Indians' names |
| C．Importance of American Indians' names. |
| D．Customs in American Indians' names. |