The financial crisis is reminding Americans of a lesson they first learned in childhood: Share and share alike. They are sharing or swapping tools and books, cars and handbags, time and talent.
The renewed desire to share shows up in a variety of examples: A car-sharing service has had a 70 percent membership increase since the crisis occurred. Some companies encouraged his employees to take vanpooling. Governments are putting bikes on the street for public use. How-to-swap Web sites are increasing quickly.
The economy reflects the way Americans have cut back, especially on daily items: Department store sales dropped 1.3 percent in June. People are not buying cars, and as a result, auto sales dropped 27.7 percent last month. They are not paying others to do what they can do themselves — Home Depot reports increased attendance at in-store do-it-yourself clinics. And although paint sales are down in general, according to Sherwin-Williams, individual consumers are still buying.
When Tom Burdett needed to cut some tiles at his home outside Annapolis, he refused to buy expensive tools. So he asked his neighbors and friends for help. Sure enough, someone had just what he needed. And when that friend needed help fixing a satellite dish, Burdett volunteered to help.
The sharing mind-set is not new to the American culture, but many Americans give it up when the nation changed from an agricultural society to an industrial one, said Rosemary Hornak, a psychology professor at Meredith College in Raleigh, N.C. They moved farther from their families and did not have time to connect with new neighbors because they worked so much, she said.
Neighborhood conversations tell more of the story as the movement grows organically (持续地) in communities across the Washington region and the nation. On one street in Arlington, for example, neighbors are collecting their separate money for mulch (覆盖料) and dividing it among themselves.What is the text mainly about?
| A．Introducing a new way of life. |
| B．Sharing in the financial crisis. |
| C．How to reduce the living expense. |
| D．How to handle the financial crisis. |
Why do people in modern times give up the sharing mind-set?
| A．Because they don’t need it at all. |
| B．Because they aren’t interested in it. |
| C．Because they are busy with work. |
| D．Because they hate being disturbed. |
The underlined phrase “cut back” in Para. 3 probably means ________.
| A．shared | B．helped |
| C．abandoned | D．reduced |
It can be inferred from the passage that _________________________.
| A．more and more Americans solve problems in their daily life by helping each other . |
| B．if the prices of service goes down, individual consumers won’t do something themselves. |
| C．the sharing-mind set is a strange to many Americans. |
| D．when the crisis ends, Americans will abandon the sharing-mind set. |
While most high school students spend most of their time worrying about who likes who, and different relationships between their classmates, I choose to focus on my school lessons and sports.
When I was young, my mother encouraged me to develop and keep friendship with boys in order to build strong relationships. But she told me not to risk a good friendship with a boy with the title of boyfriend. It’ s indeed a wise choice to stay friends with those of the opposite sex. In my opinion, even though some high school relationship might continue after graduation, the probability of them lasting much longer is so slim that there really is not a point to it.
Firstly you have to think about such a question— whether it is p
ossible to hurt both of you, or even hurt both of your future husbands or wives. My second point is that you still can date if you hope marriage could possibly follow. Except this, there really is not any other reason for dating. Some students desire relationships for a chance to be romantic. While these are nice to have, there are many more important things at this point in our lives.
The titles of boyfriend and girlfriend put too much stress on a relationship between high school students. Just staying as common friends may be the best choice for us. I strongly recommend we should deal with it in an appropriate way and follow our teachers’ advice if necessary.The author writes this passage probably for to read.
| A．high school students | B．school teachers |
| C．parents and teachers | D．married couples |
Between sexes, the relationship of being good friends might be than that of being boy/girl-friends.
| A．weaker | B．safer | C．slimmer | D．stronger |
How does the writer like the idea of dating among the students?
| A．Dating is a nice chance for students to be romantic. |
| B．Studying is far more important than dating in school. |
| C．In high school dating can surely lead to future marriage. |
| D．Dating in high school is sure to hurt your future family. |
The underlined word “it” in the last paragraph might refer to .
| A．the title of boyfriend or girlfriend at school |
| B．advice given by both teachers and parents |
| C．the pressure from school lessons and sports |
| D．the relationship between students of opposite sexes |
Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis was one of the most private women in the world, yet when she went to work as an editor in the last two decades of her life, she revealed (展现) herself as she did nowhere else.
After the death of her second husband, Greek shipping magnate(巨头) Aristotie Onassis Jacqueline’s close friend and former White House secretary Letitia Baldrige made a suggestion that she consider a career in publishing. After consideration, Jacqueline accepted it. Perhaps she hoped to find there some ideas about how to live her own life .She became not less but more interested in reading. For the last 20 years of her life, Jacqueline worked as a publisher’s editor, first at Viking, then at Doubleday, pursuing（追求）a late-life career longer than her two marriages combined. During her time in publishing, she was responsible for managing and editing more than 100 successfully marketed books. Among the first books were In the Russian Style and Inventive Paris Clothes. She also succeeded in persuading TV hosts Bill Moyers and Joseph Campbell to transform their popular television conversations into a book ,The Power of Myth. The book went on to become an international best-seller. She dealt, too, with Michael Jackson as he prepared his autobiography(自传)，Moonwalk.
Jaequeliner may have been hired for her name and for her social relations, but she soon proved her worth. Her choices, suggestions and widespread social relations were of benefit both to the publishing firms and to Jacqueline herself. In the books she selected for publication, she built on a lifetime of spending time by herself as a reader and left a record of the growth of her mind. Her books are the autobiography she never wrote. Her role as First lady, in the end, was overshadowed by her performance as an editor. However, few knew that she had achieved so much.We can learn from the passage that Jacqueline ______.
| A．became fond of reading after working as an editor |
| B．was in charge of publishing 100 books |
C．promoted her books through social relations |
| D．gained a lot from her career as an editor |
The underlined sentence in the last paragraph probably means that ______.
| A．Jacqueline ended up as an editor rather than as First Lady |
| B．Jacqueline’s life as First Lady was more colorful than as an editor |
| C．Jacqueline was more successful as an editor than as First Lady |
| D．Jacqueline’s role as First Lady was more brilliant than as an editor |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．Jacqueline’s two marriages lasted more than 20 years |
| B．Jacqueline’s own publishing firm was set up eventually |
| C．Jacqueline’s views and beliefs were reflected in the books she edited |
| D．Jacqueline’s achievements were widely known |
The passage is mainly ______.
| A．an introduction of Jacqueline’s life both as First Lady and as an editor. |
| B．a brief description of Jacqueline’s lifelong experiences. |
| C．a brief account of Jacqueline’s career as an editor in her last 20 years. |
| D．an analysis of Jacqueline’s social relations in publishing |
Far from the land of Antarctica (南极洲), a huge shelf of ice meets the ocean. At the underside of the shelf there lives a small fish, the Antarctic cod.
For forty years scientists have been curious about that fish. How does it live where most fish would freeze to death? It must have some secret. The Antarctic is not a comfortable place to work and research has been slow. Now it seems we have an answer. Research was begun by cutting holes in the ice and catching the fish. Scientists studied the fish’s blood and measured its freezing point. The fish were taken from seawater that had a temperature of -1.88°C and many tiny pieces of ice floating in it. The blood of the fish did not begin to freeze until its temperature was lowered to -2.05°C. That small difference is enough for the fish to live at the freezing temperature of the ice-salt mixture.
The scientists’ next research job was clear: Find out what in the fish’s blood kept it from freezing. Their search led to some really strange thing made up of a protein (蛋白质) never before seen in the blood of a fish. When it was removed, the blood froze at seawater temperature. When it was put back, the blood again had its antifreeze quality and a lowered freezing point.
Study showed that it is an unusual kind of protein. It has many small sugar molecules held in special positions within each big protein molecule. Because of its sugar content, it is called a glycoprotein. So it has come to be called the antifreeze fish glycoprotein, or AFGP. What is the text mainly about?
| A．The terrible conditions in the Antarctic. | B．A special fish living in freezing waters. |
| C．The ice shelf around Antarctica. | D．Protection of the Antarctic cod. |
Why can the Antarctic cod live at the freezing temperature?
A. The seawater has a temperature of -1.88°C. B. it loves to live in the ice-salt mixture
C. A special protein keeps it from freezing.
D. Its blood has a temperature lower than -2.05°C.What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 5 refer to?
| A．A type of ice-salt mixture. | B．A newly found protein. |
| C．Fish blood. | D．Sugar molecule. |
What does “glyco-” in the underlined word “glycoprotein” in the last paragraph mean?
| A．sugar | B．ice | C．blood | D．molecule |
With only about 1, 000 pandas left in the world, China is desperately trying to clone the animal and save the endangered species. That’s a move similar to what a Texas A & M University researchers have been undertaking for the past five years in a project called “Noah’s Ark”.
Noah’s Ark is aimed at collecting eggs, embryos(胚胎), semen and DNA of endangered animals and storing them in liquid nitrogen. If certain species should become extinct, Dr. Duane Kraemer, a professor in Texas A & M’s College of Veterinary Medicine, says there would be enough of the basic building blocks to reintroduce the species in the future.
It is estimated that as many as 2, 000 species of mammals, birds, reptiles will become extinct in over 100 years. The panda, native only to China, is in danger of becoming extinct in the next 25 years.
This week, Chinese scientists said they grew an embryo by introducing cells from a dead female panda into the egg cells of a Japanese white rabbit. They are now trying to implant the embryo into a host animal. The entire procedure could take from three to five years to complete.
“The nuclear transfer of one species to another is not easy, and the lack of available(capable of being used) panda eggs could be a major problem,” Kraemer believes. “They will probably have to do several hundred transfers to result in one pregnancy (having a baby). It takes a long time and it’s difficult, but this could be groundbreaking science if it works. They are certainly not putting any live pandas at risk, so it is worth the effort,” adds Kraemer, who is one of the leaders of the Project at Texas A & M, the first-ever attempt at cloning a dog.
“They are trying to do something that’s never been done, and this is very similar to our work in Noah’s Ark. We’re both trying to save animals that face extinction. I certainly appreciate their effort and there’s a lot we can learn from what they are attempting to do. It’s a research that is very much needed.” The aim of “Noah’s Ark” project is to _______.
| A．make efforts to clone the endangered pandas | B．save endangered animals from dying out |
| C．collect DNA of endangered animals to study | D．transfer the nuclear of one animal to another |
According to Professor Kraemer, the major problem in cloning pandas would be the lack of _______.
| A．available panda eggs | B．host animals | C．qualified researchers | D．enough money |
The best title for the passage may be _______.
| A．China’s Success in Pandas Cloning | B．The First Cloned Panda in the World |
| C．Exploring the Possibility to Clone Pandas | D．China —the Native Place of Pandas Forever |
From the passage we know that _______.
| A．Kraemer and his team have succeeded in cloning a dog |
| B．scientists try to implant a panda’s egg into a rabbit |
| C．Kraemer will work with Chinese scientists in clone researches |
| D．about two thousand of species will probably die out in a century |
Some of the best-known names in the entertainment industry have taken part in an unprecedented telethon to help victims of the terrorist attacks in the United States.
The benefit(义演), called “America: a Tribute to Heroes,” was sponsored by all four major U.S television networks, ABC,CBS, FOIX and NBC. It was broadcast by three-dozen television, cable and radio networks across the country and aired live to more than a hundred countries around the world.
Hollywood stars joined music entertainers in asking listeners and viewers to pledge cash donations to charities helping the victims of the September 11th attacks.
Actors, including Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, tom Cruise and Clint Eastwood, told stories of heroic acts by people who tried to save others from the burning World trade Center and the Pentagon. Former heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali made a rare public appearance in show of support. The appeals alternated with performances by such popular entertainers a Bruce Springsteen, Mariah Carey, Steve Wonder, Paul Simon and the rock band U—2. They appeared on stages in New York, Los Angeles and London, decorated with hundreds of burning candles.
Singer Billy Joel sang “ New York State of Mind” with a New York City firefighter’s hat on his piano. Sting dedicated his song “ Gragile” to a friend who died in the World Trade Center. Stevie Wonder condemned hatred in the name of religion before singing his song “ Love’s in Need of Love today”. Pledge phones were manned by dozens of other celebrities, including Jack Nicholson, Meg Ryan, Whoopic Goldberg, Cindy Crawford, Al Pacino and Sylvester Stallone.
Organizers say the two-hour telethon raised millions of dollars. All participants, from stars to stagehands, worked without pay.Those who appeared on stages were ______.
| A．some best-known names in the USA |
| B．some famous singer, film stars and other music entertainers |
| C．People who tried to save others from the burning World trade Center and the Pentagon. |
| D．Former heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali and Hollywood stars |
The underlined word “ telethon” most probably means ______.
| A．a performance to raise money |
| B．a concert held by some television networks |
| C．a television program which lasts a long time |
| D．a television program for entertainment |
Which of the following statements is true?
| A．Four major U.S. television networks broadcast the benefit |
| B．The former heavy weight champion Muhammad Ali sang a song to show his support |
| C．Billy Joel, wearing a firefighter’s hat, played the piano for the listeners and viewers |
| D．The organizers, stars and people who worked for the benefit didn’t get any money for themselves. |
The best title for the news report is ______.
| A．U.S Telethon Raises Money for Attack Victims |
| B．Best-known names Pledge Donations |
| C．Seeking More Support |
| D．More People Join |