Elizabeth Freeman was born about 1742 to African American parents who were slaves. At the age of six months she was acquired, along with her sister, by John Ashley, a wealthy Massachusetts slaveholders. She became known as Mumbet or Mum Bett.
For nearly 30 years Mumbet served the Ashley family. One day, Ashleys wife tried to strike Mumbets sister with a spade. Mumbet protected her sister and took the blow instead. Furious(狂怒的), she left the house and refused to come back. When the Ashleys tried to make her return, Mumbet consulted a lawyer, Theodore Sedgewick. With his help, Mumbet sued(起诉) for her freedom.
While serving the Ashleys, Mumbet had listened to many discussions of the new Massachusetts constitution. If the constitution said that all people were free and equal, then she thought it should apply to her. Eventually, Mumbet won her freedom---- the first slave in Massachusetts to do so under the new constitution.
Strangely enough, after the trial, the Ashleys asked Mumbet to come back and work for them as a paid employee. She declined and instead went to work for Segdewick. Mumbet died in 1829, but her legacy lived on in her many descendants(后裔). One of her great-grandchildren was W.E.B. Du Bois, one of the founder of the NAACP, and an important writer and spokesperson for African American civil rights.
Mumbets tombstone still stands in the Massachusetts cemetery where she was buried. It reads, in part: She was born a slave and remained a slave and remained a slave for nearly thirty years. She could neither read nor write, yet in her own sphere she had no superior or equal.What do we know about Mumbet according to Paragraph 1?
| A．She was born a slave |
| B．She was a slaveholder |
| C．She had a famous sister |
| D．She was born into a rich family |
What did Mumbet learn from discussions about the new consititution?
| A．She should always obey her owners’ orders |
| B．How to apply for a job |
| C．How to be a good servant |
| D．She should be as free and equal as whites |
What did Mumbet do after the trial?
| A．She chose to work for a lawyer |
| B．She found the NAACP |
| C．She continued to serve the Ashleys |
| D．She went to live with her grandchildren |
What is the test mainly about?
| A．A story of a famous writer and spokesperson |
| B．The friendship between a lawyer and a slave |
| C．A trial that shocked the whole world |
| D．The life of a brave African American woman |
D
HONG KONG — In China, the smartphone battle used to be Samsung versus Apple. But not any more .
Over the summer, a Chinese company, Xiaomi, took the No. 1 position in China’s competitive market and became the world’s third-largest phone maker in the process.
Founded in 2010 , Xiaomi was late to the game. But a clever social media strategy and a business plan that emphasized selling services that work on the phone helped Xiaomi build frenzied support from young and trendy Chinese.
With people in China expected to buy 500 million smart phones in 2015 — more than three times as many as will be sold in the United States, Xiaomi is likely to remain its place as one of the most powerful phone makers in the world’s most important market.
Now the company’s founders, who include the Chinese entrepreneur Lei Jun and the former Google executive Lin Bin, hope that status will help them take their brand globally.
Why Xiaomi gained such great success ? The reason partially lies in its fans’ participation. “Xiaomi fans have a high level of organization,” said Li Nan, vice president of the rival Meizu, “They love Xiaomi. It’s a form of idolatry.”
Han Yu, a 24-year-old studying for his master’s degree, is one of those idolaters. He, with tens of thousands of others, helps Xiaomi test its user interface by looking for bugs and offering suggestions. Much of his personal life revolves around Xiaomi. He said he was honored when his suggestion to create a private photo folder was adopted on phones by Xiaomi.
“I really enjoy the sense of participation,” Mr. Han said.
For all its success, Xiaomi’s biggest challenge looms outside China. In 2013, the company hired Hugo Barra, an old friend of Mr. Lin’s from Google, to lead the company’s international expansion. “I would put China No. 1, India two, Indonesia three, then hopefully follow with Brazil and Russia,” he said. “The developed countries with tightly controlled carrier networks are not in the top five.” The countries Lin identifies all have large populations who still have not bought their first smartphone, meaning Xiaomi has a chance.The passage mainly tells us ______.
| A．the competition between Xiaomi and Meizu |
| B．the cooperation between Xiaomi and Samsung |
| C．the battle among Smart phone Companies |
| D．the development and success of Xiaomi |
What helped Xiaomi win the support of young and trendy Chinese?
| A．Its low price. |
| B．Its social media strategy and business plan |
| C．Its fashionable design. |
| D．Its international promotion |
Who takes charge of expanding Xiaomi’s market abroad?
| A．Hugo Barra | B．Li Nan | C．Lei Jun | D．Lei Jun |
The example of Han Yu is used to ________.
| A．tell readers that the youth like to show off |
| B．prove Han Yu is very intelligent |
| C．show Xiaomi fans’ participation and devotion |
| D．introduce the designer of photo folder |
Why Xiaomi chooses less developed countries as targeted markets?
| A．Because Xiaomi doesn’t have to pay taxes. |
| B．Because more smartphone may be sold there. |
| C．Because Xiaomi was invited to develop there. |
| D．Because the young people there love Xiaomi. |
C
No one should be forced to wear a uniform under any circumstance. Uniforms are controlling the human spirit and totally unnecessary in a democratic(民主的) society. Uniforms tell the world that the person who wears one has no value as an individual but only lives to function as a part of the whole. The individual in a uniform loses all self-worth.
There are those who say that wearing a uniform gives a person a sense of identification with a larger, more important concept. What could be more important than the individual himself? If an organization is so weak that it must rely on cloth and buttons to inspire its members, that organization has no right to continue its existence.
Others say that the practice of making persons wear uniforms, say in school, gets rid of all envy and competition in a matter of dress, such that a poor person who cannot afford good-quality clothing is not to be looked down upon by a wealthy person who wears expensive clothing. Those persons ignore the concepts as freedom of choice, motivation, and individuality. If all persons were to wear the same clothing, why would anyone struggle to be better? It is only a short step from forcing everyone to drive the same car, have the same type of food. When this happens, all motivation to improve one’s life is removed. Why would parents bother to work hard so that their children could have a better life than they had when they know that their children are going to be forced to have exactly the same life as they had?
Uniforms also hurt the economy(经济). Right now, billions of dollars are spent on the fashion industry yearly. Thousands of people are employed in designing, creating, and marketing different types of clothing. If everyone were forced to wear uniforms, artistic personnel would be unnecessary. Salesmen would be extra as well. Why bother to sell the only items that are available? The wearing of uniforms would destroy the fashion industry which in turn would have a wave effect on such industries as advertising and sales promotion. Without advertising, newspapers, magazines, and television would not be able to remain in business. Our entire information and entertainment industries would collapse.What is the main idea of the passage？
| A．The advantages of uniforms. |
| B．The disadvantages of uniforms. |
| C．Different opinions of uniforms. |
| D．Measures to forbid uniforms. |
Why does the author discuss forcing everyone to buy the same car or eat the same food?
| A．To show that freedom of choices is absolute in modern society. |
| B．To show that the government has too much control over people’s lives. |
| C．To predict the way the society will be in the next few generations. |
| D．To suggest the result if uniforms became compulsory. |
What does the author talk about in the last paragraph?
| A．The effect uniforms have on personality. |
| B．The effect uniforms have on information industries. |
| C．The effect uniforms have on economy. |
| D．The effect uniforms have on cultural industries. |
What does the underline word “collapse” mean?
| A．Come up. | B．Turn out prosperous. |
| C．Come into being. | D．Come to an end. |
What is the author’s attitude towards uniforms?
| A．Opposed. | B．Favorable. |
| C．Unclear. | D．Doubtful. |
B
One hot afternoon I became a thief of music.
For the first time, I created an original piano arrangement of my favorite song. Using only my ears and iPod, I created complex harmonies and voices into something I could perform with only two hands. No help, no guide: I did it on my own.
I’ve been a pianist since before my hands were big enough to reach an octave: with a musician as a father, I was all but born on the piano bench. For many years, my musical identity was defined by the notes others had written before.
This was why, when I added the finishing touches to my piano version of a modern rock song, I was proud of myself : this arrangement was mine. What I’d done seemed magical: an ability to take what had already existed—to “steal” a song from my favorite band—and to change it into something different and all my own. I was a thief, but I was also an artist.
In music, as in other aspects of life, I believe trueoriginality rarely exists. Almost everything has, in one form or another, been done before. The most romantic novel may well be a slightly changed version of a play by Shakespeare, which is likely to be borrowed from the works of Ancient Greece: same themes, different characters. But, the novel is no less deserving of praise just because its uniqueness is compromised. Adaptation is not a symbol for failure.
The gift of creativity is the ability to do what I did on the piano: to find something beautiful, to analyze and twist it, and then to make it new. Such an act is not copying; it is finding inspiration and having the strength to use it as fuel for your own masterpiece. I believe it is my job, as an artist, to rearrange this world into what I imagine it to be.
I refuse to live as if I were trapped within the walls of a museum: looking but never touching, afraid to ruin the so-called perfection of the artifacts inside. Therefore, I will embrace my ability to be a thief, because if I don’t steal what the world has to offer, I’ll never have the tools to share with others a creation of my own.
My life is my own arrangement, and because of that, anything is possible.Which can be the best title?
| A．The Love for Music. |
| B．Changes from a Thief to an Artist. |
| C．My Stolen Piano Lessons. |
| D．A Man Who Steals Music. |
According to the passage , which statement is true ?
| A．Actually there was originality only in music |
| B．He was born on the piano bench. |
| C．The author created the original piano arrangement all by himself. |
| D．The author was once a thief who stole music from his favorite band. |
Why did the writer feel proud of himself ?
| A．Because he became a real artist without others’ help. |
| B．Because he changed a song into a piano arrangement by himself. |
| C．Because he has a father who was a composer. |
| D．Because he could play the piano at an early age. |
What does the underlined word “embrace” mean?
| A．Hug | B． Explain | C．Adapt | D．Quit |
From the passage we can learn that the writer______
| A．never accept others’ advice. |
| B．likes to recreate songs whenever it is possible. |
| C．would rather not turn to his father for help. |
| D．is more of a leader than a follower. |
A
More than one-third of adults in the United States are obese. In fact, over obesity has reached such proportions that one big-city mayor has gone about banning large-sized, sugary soft drinks and the First Lady has been on a campaign to control the dietary offerings in public schools.
Even many adults who do not fit the clinic definition of obesity are still overweight, and a large percentage are looking for the best ways to lose weight.
Reducing pounds largely comes down to the two-sided factors of diet and exercise. Not carrying out the first one enough, and not getting enough of the second one, ends up giving the individual a recipe for being overweight.
Advising someone to eat less and exercise more might be the easiest advice possible, but it’s also, partially, an oversimplification. Dieting has more to do with the types of food you eat than how much you eat. Reduce the amount of red meat in your diet. If you don’t want to eliminate red meat altogether, choose cuts of meat with less fat content. Limit your intake of salt and starches. If you’ve got to have potato chips alongside your sandwich at lunch, choose the baked potato chips that contain less fat than the deep-fried chips. You might find you’re really not sacrificing that much in terms of taste.
A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, egg whites, fish and nonfat dairy products will certainly aid in the mission of losing weight. Drink more water and less sugary drinks. If you have to have a soda, a diet soda is a better option, but seltzer is an even better choice than that.
It’s important—if not always easy—to make sure you get at least some physical activity each and every day. If your feet won’t allow for a regular jogging regimen, then make sure you take lots of walks. Next time you need to mail a letter, walk to the mailbox instead of driving. Try to work in a daily walk in your neighborhood.What is the closest meaning of the underlined word “proportions” ?
| A．Shares. | B．Degrees. |
| C．Stages. | D．Height. |
How can you lose weight?
| A．Try some weight-losing products. |
| B．Control your diet strictly. |
| C．Exercise as well as go on a diet. |
| D．Read more articles about losing weight. |
Why did the First Lady start a movement in public schools?
| A．To raise people’s health consciousness. |
| B．To help people realize the importance of dieting. |
| C．To forbid sugary soft drinks. |
| D．To control the dietary supplying. |
What does the fifth paragraph mainly talk about?
| A．What makes the proper diet. |
| B．Vegetables are good for health. |
| C．Drink more water and less sugary drinks. |
| D．Dairy products will helps losing weight. |
According to the last paragraph ,what can you do if you can’t jog to work out?
| A．Exercise | B．Walk | C．Swim | D．Jog |
E
Small endangered animals are often hard to find in their natural habitats, making it difficult for scientists to monitor them and develop conservation plans. But new technologies can help. Australian researchers have equipped flying drones with infrared cameras so they can spot koalas hiding high in trees.
Koalas spend most of their lives in eucalyptus trees, whose leaves are their favorite food. Since the leaves are low on calories and nutritional content, koalas are not very active - they sleep up to 20 hours a day. Curled-up in high branches, they are not easy to spot from the ground, and they have few natural predators. The greatest threat to this iconic symbol of Australia is logging.
“Every single tree in Australia right now, needs to be protected and unless that happens I can promise you the koala is going to go to extinction,” said Deborah Tabart, Australian Koala Foundation.
Scientists studying koalas say one of the keys for saving the animals is to know where they live and how many of them are left.
Using drones fitted with infrared cameras to conduct a census was an untested concept. Queensland Institute of Technology technician, Gavin Broadbent, said they were skeptical at first. “But when we saw the images come through, we saw the koalas were very distinct compared to the trees and the environment. So we thought, yes this is absolutely a proof of concept that could work,” he said.
The images beamed back to a computer clearly show the animal’s position, even from a distance far enough away not to disturb its sleep.
“We have tested at 20 meters and 80 meters. At 20 meters we get really good resolution,” stated Felipe Gonzalez, project leader.
The remotely controlled camera pivots and swivels, so scientists can scan the trees from all angles, picking out koalas even in the most dense areas, not visible to researchers on foot.
“So this will drastically reduce the manpower," said Amber Gillett, a veterinarian with the Australia Zoo. "Will greatly increase the area that can be covered to survey koalas and in areas where people may not be able to walk through because of dense undergrowth.”
Scientists say it is now clear that drones with infrared cameras can be used for spotting, and perhaps saving, other animals in the wild.What is an important factor in protecting the animals according to the passage?
| A．To know how they live and how many of them are left. |
| B．To protect the place they live in. |
| C．To learn their positions and their number. |
| D．To stop killing them by educating people. |
What is the meaning of the underlined word “logging”?
| A．cutting | B．hunting | C．killing | D．destroying |
Which is not the advantage of drones with infrared cameras?
| A．They can take photos of animals from a distance far away. |
| B．They can help reduce the manpower. |
| C．They can scan the trees from all angles. |
| D．They can send the images back to a computer. |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．Koalas in Australia have been found by drones with infrared cameras. |
| B．New technologies can be used in drones to set up environment suitable for endangered animals. |
| C．Drones with infrared cameras can be used to save small endangered animals. |
| D．The functions of the remotely controlled camera are proved. |