One day, a train was approaching the small town of Cheekyville. On the train was a young man with a big suitcase. He was called William Warbler, and he looked very common indeed. What made him most unusual, though, was the fact that whenever he needed to communicate he did it by singing opera (歌剧). It didn’t matter to William whether it was simply a matter of answering a brief greeting, like “good day”. He would clear his voice and respond, “Gooood dayyy to youuuuuuuu... toooooo!”
No one could get a normal spoken word out of him and no one knew how he made his living. As he lived quite simply, always wearing his same old second-hand suit, people often looked down on him.
William had been in Cheekyville for some years, when, one day, word spread round town like wildfire: William had played a role in a very important opera in the nation’s capital. Everyone in the capital went to see it, and it was a great success. Everyone in Cheekyville felt it was a surprise. But something more surprising was, when William was being interviewed by reporters, he answered their questions by speaking rather than singing. And he did it with great manners, and with a clear and pleasant voice.
From that day, William gave up singing at all hours. Now he did it only during his stage appearances and world tours. Some people suspected why he had changed, but others continued believing him to be somewhat mad. They wouldn’t have thought so if they had seen what William kept in his big suitcase. It was a large stone, with a hand-carved (手工雕刻的) message on it. The message said: “Practice, my boy. Practice every second, for you never know when your chance will come.”
Little did people realize that he only got the role in the opera because the director had heard William singing while out buying a newspaper.Why did people in Cheekyville consider William strange?
A.He always carried a big suitcase. |
B.He always spoke by singing opera. |
C.He always greeted people gladly. |
D.He always wore an old suit. |
Hearing the news about William, people in Cheekyville felt it was _____.
A.unbelievable | B.satisfying |
C.disappointing | D.interesting |
According to the text, William _____.
A.had no idea whether he should continue doing something mad |
B.was nervous and didn’t know how to sing when he was interviewed |
C.was selling newspapers when the opera director heard him singing |
D.practiced singing whenever possible before he became famous |
What can we learn from the story?
A.Live and learn. |
B.Better late than never. |
C.Practice makes the master. |
D.Experience is the best teacher. |
A sick little girl is being kept alive thanks to her best friend — a dog who carries her oxygen tank on his back. Alida’s faithful dog companion Mr Gibbs has been specially trained to shepherd the three-year-old, who breathes through a tube most of the time. He follows her closely as she plays in her family’s ten-acre land in Louisville, uses the slide or even rides her bike.
Alida was diagnosed with neuroendocrine hyperplasia of infancy(NEHI)when she was just eight months old. Her rare condition has just eight hundred documented sufferers throughout the world, and causes diseased pieces of the lungs to filter oxygen through extra layers of cells, making it hard or almost impossible to breathe. For Alida and her parents, it meant that even a walk in the park was very difficult because oxygen equipment was too heavy for the youngster to be able to carry herself. As parents, they wanted to do something to help their daughter survive despite having a tube following her all the time. The couple found out about “service dogs” from a TV program and realized an animal trained to help the blind could be trained to help Alida. They finally found help in the shape of golden doodle—a retriever crossed with a poodle-dog Mr Gibbs. Now thanks to trainer Ashleigh Kinsley—Alida and Mr Gibbs love nothing more than playing and running around together with the dog acting as Alida’s life saver.What is Mr Gibbs?
A.A pet dog. | B.A policeman. |
C.A doctor. | D.A firefighter. |
When did the doctor know Alida caught the disease?
A.At her birth. |
B.At the age of eight. |
C.Before she was one year old. |
D.When she was three years old. |
The underlined part “the couple” in paragraph 3 refers to _______.
A.Alida’s classmates | B.Alida’s parents |
C.Alida’s doctors | D.Alida’s pets |
How did Alida keep alive?
A.By training her dog. |
B.By staying with her parents. |
C.By playing with her fellows. |
D.By breathing through a tube. |
It was reported last week that developers could take photos from Apple mobile and Google Android devices without the phone owners knowing that the images were being taken. In Apple’s case, developers can also obtain the location information for each photo.
Senator(参议员) Charles Schumer said in a telephone interview that his office had spoken with officials at both Apple and Google on Monday.
“We asked them if they could find a way on their own to prevent Apple from having access to private information,” Mr. Schumer said. “They were friendly and open to the idea that this ought to be changed.”
On Sunday, Mr. Schumer said that he planned to send a letter to the Federal Trade Commission asking the agency to investigate Apple and Google after the privacy concerns came to light. Claudia Bourne Farrell, an F.T.C. spokeswoman, said the agency had received the letter but she could not comment further.
“It worries people to think that one’s personal photos, address book, and who knows what else can be obtained and even posted online without permission,” Mr. Schumer wrote in his letter to the F. T.C. “If the technology exists to open the door to this kind of privacy invasion, then surely technology exists to close it, and that’s exactly what must happen.”
Mr. Schumer said if Apple and Google could not come to an agreement to fix the problem, then he would be forced to take the issue further.
He said other companies had been willing to work with his office to fix issues. “I’m optimistic that we can get this changed without any regulation,” he said. “If it’s not changed, then we’ll turn to the F.T.C., and if that doesn’t work then we’ll consider legislative approach.”
The F.T.C. has warned companies to try to be more vigilant(警醒的) in their efforts to protect consumers when it comes to privacy.The senators spoke with officials at both Apple and Google_______.
A.to urge them not to invade consumers’ privacy. |
B.to discuss whether it is illegal to have access to private information. |
C.to stop them from developing the technology of taking photos. |
D.to keep them from obtaining the location information for each photo. |
Which of the following statements is True?
A.Privacy invasion from Apple has existed for a long time. |
B.Mr. Schumer takes the privacy concerns caused by Apple and Google seriously. |
C.Privacy invasion from Google has existed for a long time. |
D.Apple and Google have decided to make a change. |
Mr. Schumer’s letter to the F.T.C. mainly shows that the technology to open the door to privacy invasion_______.
A. causes privacy invasion to happen frequently.
B. can be used if permitted.
C. causes people to worry about the safety of their personal information.
D. causes personal information to be posted online without permission.Where can we read about the passage?
A.In a newspaper. | B.In a magazine. |
C.In a science report. | D.In a textbook. |
Besides containing attractive flowers, trees and other plants that beautify the community, ecofriendly rain gardens are healthy for the environment and the people living and working nearby.
A rain garden is not very different from a traditional garden. It is just a far more ecofriendly garden. Usually it is built lower than the ground. Rain gardens make smart use of rain and storm water by temporarily holding water from rain and storms and letting it soak(浸入)slowly into the ground before it runs into streams or enters the public drinking water supply.
Thus, a rain garden keeps the water, allowing it to be used as needed by plants in the rain garden, rather than flowing immediately into nearby streams and going unused. The water will soak slowly into the ground within a day or two. This creates an advantage that the rain garden does not allow mosquitoes to breed. This is a simple, attractive, and ecofriendly “green” way to treat storm water.
What’s more, planting a rain garden helps reduce pollution and improve the environment. Without using expensive machinery and chemicals, rain gardens remove harmful chemicals in the rainwater and cut down on the amount of pollution reaching streams and rivers by up to 30%.
Native plants are recommended for rain gardens because they are more used to the local climate, soil, and water conditions. They may attract local wildlife such as native birds. Water your rain garden immediately after planting and once a week, unless you have had at least an inch of rain during the week. Once native plants establish the necessary root system, they will require little care.
Often, local governments and private businesses develop large rain gardens in their yards and in public parks as a way to improve the environment and solve flooding problems. However, you don’t need to be a professionally environmental engineer to create a rain garden. As long as you’re ecoconscious homeowners, you can help the environment by building smaller rain gardens in your yards.Which of the following is NOT true for the function of rain gardens?
A.They are good for living conditions. |
B.They increase pollution. |
C.They can beautify the community. |
D.They improve the environment. |
Which of the following is the ecofriendly function of rain gardens discussed in Paragraph 4 ?
A.They can help reduce the pollution problem. |
B.They can keep the rain and storm water. |
C.They can be healthy for the people around. |
D.They can make the environment more beautiful. |
One of the main reasons why native plants are recommended is that.
A.they cost less and are much easier to get |
B.they may attract local wildlife to come |
C.they require little care from the local gardener |
D.they are more used to the local growing conditions |
What do we know about rain gardens?
A.They need little water after all the plants are planted. |
B.They may attract local birds and change the local climate. |
C.They usually need at least an inch of rainwater a week. |
D.They may reduce the water pollution problem by 70%. |
A sure way to destroy your chances of learning how to write skillfully is to believe that writing is a “natural gift” rather than a learned skill. People with such an attitude think that they are the only ones for whom writing is unbearably difficult. They feel that everyone else finds writing easy or at least tolerable. Such people often say, “I’m not any good at writing” or “English was not one of my good subjects.” They imply that they simply do not have a talent for writing while others do. The result of this attitude is that these people try to avoid writing, and when they do write, they don’t try their best. Their writing fails chiefly because they believe that they don’t have the “natural talent” needed to write. Unless their attitude changes, they probably will not learn how to write effectively.
A realistic attitude about writing must build on the idea that writing is a skill. It is a skill like driving, typing, or cooking; and, like any skill, it can be learned. If you have the determination to learn, you will develop your writing skills by practicing extensively.
Many people find it difficult to do the active thinking that clear writing demands. It is frustrating to discover how much of a challenge it is to transfer thoughts and feelings from one’s head onto a sheet of paper. But writing is not an automatic process: We will not get something for nothing — and we should not expect to. For almost everyone, skillful writing comes from hard work — from determination and sweat. The good news is that the skill of writing can be mastered, and if you are ready to work, you will learn what you need to know.Why do some people think writing is difficult?
A.They have no time to practice writing. |
B.They believe few people can write well. |
C.They have no good teachers to help them. |
D.They don’t think writing can be learned. |
It can be inferred from Para. 1 that ______.
A.“natural gift” is the determining factor in one’s success |
B.diligence can result in success |
C.a person without “natural gift” is sure to fail in writing |
D.attitude determines what one will be |
What is the topic of the passage?
A.Why writing is important. |
B.Whether writing is a born gift. |
C.Benefits of essay writing. |
D.How to improve writing skills. |
Scientists have discovered a special biological behavior in dolphins(海豚) that could lead to a treatment for late-onset diabetes(晚发的糖尿病) in humans. Studies on dolphins found that healthy dolphins switch into a diabetic-like state overnight when they are not feeding, but return to normal when they eat the following morning.
The extraordinary finding has led scientists to suggest that dolphins have “genetic switch” that allows them to imitate diabetes while they are not feeding for a night, without suffering any ill effect.
If researchers can identify a similar genetic pathway in human, they may be able to develop drugs to effectively switch off diabetes. Some 2.2 million people in Britain have type 2 (or late-onset) diabetes, a figure that is expected to reach 4 million by 2025 as a consequence of rising levels of obesity(肥胖).
The tissues of people with type 2 diabetes have become resistant to insulin(胰岛素)so they lose the ability to control sugar levels in their blood. The condition can damage the heart, eyes, kidneys(肾脏) and nerves and contribute to 5% of all deaths, according to the World Healthy Organization.
Dolphins appear to imitate diabetes to keep high levels of blood sugar when food is rare. Like humans, dolphins need some sugar in their blood for their brains to function normally. Venn-Watson’s team analyzed 1,000 blood samples(样本) from 52 dolphins while they didn’t eat anything overnight and fed in the morning. At night time, the dolphins’ metabolism(新陈代谢)changed greatly and showed similar characteristics to that seen in people with type 2 diabetes.
“It is our hope that this discovery can lead to new ways to prevent, treat and maybe even cure diabetes in humans,” said Stephanie Venn-Watson, director of clinical research at the National Marine Foundation in San Diego.What’s the main idea of the passage?
A.Humans get some idea of treating diabetes from dolphins. |
B.Dolphins can switch into a diabetic-like state overnight. |
C.Humans can suffer the same disease as dolphins. |
D.Dolphins should be fed regularly to avoid diabetes. |
The key to applying the finding to curing human diabetes lies in ____________.
A.producing insulin in a larger amount |
B.developing drugs from healthy dolphins |
C.identifying a similar genetic pathway in human |
D.analyzing more blood samples from hungry dolphins |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A.Scientists have found a similar genetic switch in humans. |
B.More British people will suffer type 2 diabetes due to obesity. |
C.2.2 million people with type 2 diabetes die in Britain every year. |
D.Dolphins imitate diabetes to avoid a high blood sugar level. |
What will happen to dolphins if not fed for a night according to Venn-Watson?
A.Their metabolism breaks down. |
B.They become resistant to insulin. |
C.Their heart and kidneys are damaged. |
D.They keep high levels of blood sugar. |