Men have long been puzzled by the amount women pack, when they go on holiday. They despair when they watch their beloved spend much money on extra baggage charge. Nearly half of these women admitted to lying about the weight of their case to their partner before leaving for the airport, in fear of being made to unload some unnecessary items.
But it’s a fact that women pack more than they need. On average, a woman needs around 57 items in suitcase for a two-week holiday, yet most women pack nearer to 150 items, ranging from skirts, tops, underwear and high heels. In addition, women pack more sun cream, make-up and hair appliances than they were likely to need. They all take up space in the suitcase, only a third of them will see the light of day once at the holiday place.
79 percent of women admitted to taking extra items with them, with the reason for this being “just in case”. Women plan their holiday wardrobe(衣橱) months in advance. Packing enough clothes and other items to last a month is not enough for some women. They’d take a chance to shop for new items while holidaying abroad. So they’ll return with even more luggage in their cases.
Professor Karen Pine said: “Women are tempted to take familiar items with them on holiday, often everything except the kitchen sink. Some people find traveling stressful, particularly when they’re unsure about the home comforts available at their holiday place. They over-pack to help cope with those feelings of stress and reduce the uncertainty.”
This will come as no surprise to some men, who are used to trying to squeeze their partner’s luggage into the boot of the car with their own, smaller case. On the other hand, men pack very lightly, with only an average of 40 items for a two-week holiday.Women pack too much on holiday because_________.
| A．they want to show off their items |
| B．they prefer a more comfortable holiday |
| C．they are afraid they’ll need them during the holiday |
| D．they would like to clean their clothes wardrobe very much |
How does a man feel about his wife packing too much?
| A．Opposed | B．Supportive |
| C．Positive | D．Surprised |
What do Dr Pine’s words imply?
| A．Going on holiday will cost a lot. |
| B．Women don’t prefer to go on a holiday. |
| C．It’s understandable that women over-pack in a sense. |
| D．People tend to feel tired and stressed on holiday. |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．All the items women take during their holiday are not of great use to them. |
| B．Women often tell their partners what they are going to take in advance. |
| C．Women will still buy new items when going abroad beacause what they take is not enough. |
| D．Men are indifferent towards their wife’s strange behaviours. |
Ocean Park
If you love the sea, Ocean Park is the place for you! Situated on the south side of Hong Kong Island, this 870,000 square metre educational theme park provides many opportunities to learn about marine life.
To start with, the park boasts the Atoll Reef, one of the world’s largest aquariums, with about 2,500 fish from nearly 300 different species. What makes this aquarium special, however, is not just its size, but also its design. The Atoll Reef is built with an observation passageway that circles the aquarium on four different levels. This lets visitors view sea life from a variety of depths and angles.
Then there’s the Shark Aquarium, a tank with more than 200 sharks from more than 30 species. Like the Atoll Reef, this unique aquarium is designed to make sure guests get the most out of their visit. Shaped like an underwater tunnel, guests can watch as sharks swim overhead and dive at them from every side.
There’s also the Sea Jelly Spectacular, an aquarium that houses more than 1,000 jellyfish of all shapes, colours and sizes. And at the park’s Dolphin University, visitors can go on educational tours and watch the training of dolphins up close.
The park’s most popular attraction is the Ocean Theatre, a huge outdoor pool where dolphins and sea lions entertain the visitors. Sometimes a killer whale even takes part in the performance!
Although Ocean Parks focus is on the water, the theme park has plenty of other activities, too. For people seeking excitement, there are rides like the Abyss Turbo Drop, a roller coaster ride that takes passengers on a 20-storey drop straight down. There are also exhibits like the Dinosaur Discovery Trail and Bird Paradise. Finally, no trip to Ocean Park would be complete without visiting the park’s most popular animals--four giant pandas that were given as a gift from China’s central government.Hong Kong Ocean Park is called an educational theme Park because____________.
| A．it offers chances for visitors to enlarge their knowledge of sea life. |
| B．it provides chances for people to broaden their knowledge of science. |
| C．it is specially designed to attract the young who are interested in the sea. |
| D．it has a lot of activities for people to have fun. |
What makes the Atoll Reef so special?
| A．It is one of the symbols of Hong Kong Ocean Park. |
| B．It has thousands of fish from various species. |
| C．It allows visitors to watch sea life from all angles. |
| D．It is the largest aquarium in the world. |
Which of the following activities is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Enjoying the show of dolphins and sea lions. |
| B．Visiting exhibitions about dinosaurs and birds. |
| C．Taking a roller coaster ride on a 20-storey drop. |
| D．Interacting with sea life in the huge outdoor pool. |
EVERY so often, a sensational (轰动的) story hits the media about the kind of role models influencing UK teenagers. Youth culture celebrates too many bad examples, the reports say, and the finger of blame is often pointed at celebrities (名人) who drink or take drugs, or who are seen as sexually casual. Yet according to parents and educationalists the media itself is partly to blame. They argue that television, newspapers and magazines are obsessed (迷恋的) with celebrity lives and over-promote a “celebrity culture” in which reality show stars are respected purely because they are on television.
Meanwhile child psychologists warn of the negative effects of unsuitable role models, claiming that young people are being brainwashed into wanting to become famous overnight. They are taught to value physical appearance over personal achievement and set themselves impossible goals. According to a 2010 Home Office study, too many girls think that they have to look “sexy” and “hot” like their idols , and when they can’t achieve this, they lose self-esteem (自尊) or suffer from depression and eating disorders.
But perhaps young people today are not as easily influenced as we think. The Girls’ Attitudes Survey by Girlguiding UK (2011), for example, showed that young girls aged 11 to 21 questioned the media’s description of women. Over half of the respondents disagreed with the statement that “girls and young women are portrayed fairly in the media”.
A Scout Association survey, of over a thousand 13- to 18-year-olds, showed that teenagers see their parents and siblings (兄弟姐妹) as far more positive role models than celebrities, and while many youngsters list celebrities like Kate Moss and Katie Price as role models, others list high achievers like David Beckham, Paralympian swimmer Eleanor Simmons, and grandparents who fought in the Second World War.What is the main purpose of this article?
| A．To analyze what influences UK’s youth culture. |
| B．To criticize the media’s influence on UK’s youth culture. |
| C．To figure out who is to blame for the celebrity obsession. |
| D．To discuss how much the media affects the role models UK’s young people choose. |
What’s the opinion of parents about role models according to the article?
| A．Bad role models should not appear on television. |
| B．Stars in the spotlight are actually not worthy of our respect. |
| C．The media should stop promoting a “celebrity culture” among teenagers. |
| D．The media somewhat encourages young people to admire bad role models. |
Which of the following is true according to psychologists, ______.
| A．those who set themselves high goals tend to achieve success faster |
| B．celebrities are famous because of their appearances rather than their achievement |
| C．young people should put more importance on achievement rather than appearance |
| D．role models have more negative effects on young people than positive ones |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．Role Modles | B．Celebrity Culture |
| C．Media Influence | D．Psychological Recognition |
BEIJING, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- Commander-in-chief of China's manned space program Chang Wanquan announced Thursday night that the launch of Tiangong-1 space lab module is successful.
China's first space lab module Tiangong-1 blasted off at 9:16 p.m. Beijing Time (1316 GMT) Thursday from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest desert area.
The unmanned module, carried by Long March-2FT1 rocket, will test space docking with a spacecraft later this year, paving the way for China to become the third country in the world to operate a permanent space station around 2020.
The Tiangong-1 will orbit the Earth for about one month to await Shenzhou-8 unmanned spacecraft. Once the two vehicles successfully rendezvous（对接）, they will conduct the first space docking at a height of 340 kilometers above Earth surface.
After two docking tests, Tiangong-1 will await Shenzhou-9 and Shenzhou-10 in the next two years, according to a plan of China's manned space program.
The 8.5-tonne Tiangong-1, with a length of 10.4 meters and maximum diameter of 3.35 meters, provides a room of 15 cubic meters for two to three astronauts to live and work.
Zhang Shancong, deputy chief designer of the Tiangong-1, told Xinhua that the module carries special cameras which will take hyperspectral（高光谱的） images of China's vast farmlands to detect heavy metal pollution and pesticide residue as well as plant disease.
Moreover, scientists on the ground will also conduct experiments on photonic crystal（光子晶体）, a new material expected to revolutionize information technology, in the low-gravity environment inside the Tiangong-1 as these experiments would be extremely difficult to conduct on Earth's surface.
"China is clearly becoming a global power and its investments in areas like technology and space exploration reflect this," said Peter Singer, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Brookings Institution.
"It is a natural result of the growth in political and economic power and is to be expected," said Zhou Jianping, chief designer of China's manned space program, "China will turn its future space station into an international platform for space research and application. A space station could provide a low-gravity environment for research on geography, astronomy and bio-technology, which will bring unimaginably greater achievements than those conducted on Earth's surface. " "The Chinese nation has pursued peace since ancient times," Zhou also said, "China's ultimate intention with the space program is to explore space resources and make use of them for mankind's well-being." From the passage we learn that________.
| A．China has become the third country in the world to operate a permanent space station. |
| B．Tiangong-1 will orbit the Earth for two years to await Shenzhou-9 and Shenzhou-10 unmanned spacecraft after a docking test. |
| C．The experiments inside the Tiangong-1 would be extremely difficult to conduct on the Earth. |
| D．A space station could provide a high-gravity environment for research on geography, astronomy and bio-technology |
Which word of the following has the same meaning with underlined word “paving” in paragraph 2?
| A．smoothing | B．rebuilding |
| C．removing | D．blocking |
Tiangong-1 will do the following things in the future Except that it will______.
| A．test space docking with a spacecraft later this year. |
| B．detect pollution and pesticide residue and disease. |
| C．provides a room for astronauts to live and work. |
| D．operate a permanent space station. |
According to what Zhou said, we can infer that________.
| A．The successful launch of Tiangong-1 contributes to the development of China’s politics and economy. |
| B．China will explore and share space resources peacefully with other countries. |
| C．A Chinese space station will bring unimaginably greater achievements than ever. |
| D．China's ultimate intention with the space program is helpful to its powerful future. |
57-year-old Mo Yan has become the first Chinese to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.
“I grew up in an environment immersed with folk culture, which inevitably comes in to my novels when I pick up a pen to write. This has definitely affected, even decided, my works’ artistic style,” Mo told a group of reporters in his hometown of Gaomi, Shandong Province, shortly after he won the award. Gaomi county is where most of Mo’s stories happen. It’s a place that has inspired him throughout his 31-year writing career.
“I really didn’t see this coming,” Lu Jiande, director of the Institute of Literature at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told 21st Century. “I know Mo Yan pretty well and one thing a lot of people don’t know is how good he is with words.” “His calligraphy (文笔) is surprisingly beautiful. In his writing, he can make words live and breathe,” Lu said.
Mo created a cast of colorful characters and said that if there was a prototype（原型）, it would be the abandoned “black boy” who first appeared in the 1985 novel Red Transparent Radish, which bears imprints of the author’s childhood.
Mo dropped out of school during the Cultural Revolution when he was 12 and began to work, first in agriculture, later in a factory. At 20, he joined the People's Liberation Army and during this time he began to study literature and write. His first short story was published in a literary journal in 1981. His breakthrough came a few years later with the novel Red Transparent Radish. Many got to know of Mo through director Zhang Yimou’s film, Red Sorghum. It was adapted from his 1986 novel of the same name, bringing to life a visual landscape of red sorghum fields and a fiery setting sun.
Mo left the army in 1997 and gradually developed a writing style all of his own. History, family sagas, blood and violence are frequent elements in his most famous works, such as Big Breasts and Wide Hips or Sandalwood Penalty. On August 20, 2011, Mo’s full-length novel The Frog won the eighth Mao Dun Literature Prize.
Some critics point out that Mo’s works have a tendency toward vulgarity（粗俗、庸俗. In an interview with South China Morning Post, Professor Xiao Ying of Tsinghua University said the award was “outside of my expectations, as Mo Yan’s works are still short on the idealism of pursuing humanity, which marks previous Nobel literature prize winners”.By saying, “I really didn’t see this coming”, Lu Jiande probably means that______.
| A．He can’t believe Mo has an ability to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. |
| B．He can’t expect Mo could win the Nobel Prize in Literature. |
| C．He can’t understand why Mo could win the Nobel Prize in Literature |
| D．He is doubtful about Mo’s great honor. |
Which of Mo Yan’s works reflects his own life experience?
| A．Red Transparent Radish | B．Red Sorghum |
| C．Big Breasts and Wide Hips | D．Sandalwood Penalty |
According to the passage, which of the following is not right?
| A．Mo’s living environment immersed with folk culture affected his works’ artistic style. |
| B．The Cultural Revolution is the main reason for Mo’s leaving school when he was young. |
| C．Mo enjoyed great popularity after his first short story was published in a literary journal. |
| D．It’s through director Zhang Yimou’s film that the public got to know Mo. |
What’s Professor Xiao Ying’s attitude toward Mo’s works?
| A．Supportive | B．Negative |
| C．Doubtful | D．Uninterested |
A new University of Graz study concludes that vegetarians(素食者) are more often ill and have a lower quality of living than meat-eaters. According to the German press release, vegetarians “have cancer and heart attacks more often”. The release also says that they show more psychological disorders than meat eaters. Consequently, the report writes, they are a greater burden on the health care system.
According to the press release the scientists evaluated data from the Austrian Health Interview Survey (AT-HIS), which is also part of an important and valuable EU survey (European Health Interview Survey).
The scientists examined a total of 1320 persons who were divided up into 4 groups . All groups were comparable with respect to gender, age, and socio-economic status. The study also accounted for smoking and physical activity. Also the BMI was within the normal range for all four groups. The only thing that really was different among the four groups was the diet. The four groups were: vegetarians, meat-eaters with lots of fruit and veggies, little meat-eaters and big meat-eaters.
The press release states that the results contradict the common cliché that meat-free diets are healthier. Vegetarians have twice as many allergies as big meat-eaters, and they showed 166% higher cancer rates . Moreover, the scientists found that vegans had a 150% higher rate of heart attacks. In total the scientists looked at 18 different chronic illnesses. Compared to the big meat-eaters, vegetarians were hit harder in 14 of the 18 illnesses.
In the analysis, the University of Graz found that vegetarians were also twice as likely to suffer for anxiety or depressions than big meat-eaters. That result was confirmed by the University of Hildesheim, which found that vegetarians suffered significantly more from depressions, anxiety, psychosomatic complaints and eating disorders. The University of Graz scientists also found that vegetarians are impacted more by ilnessses and visit the doctor more frequently.
Big meat-eaters were also found to have a “significantly better quality of life in all categories”, the study found. The four categories examined were: physical and psychological health, social relationships and environment-related life quality. What was the difference between the four groups in the experiment?
| A．Gender, age and socio-economic status. |
| B．Smoking and physical activity. |
| C．Diet. |
| D．BMI. |
What does the underlined phrase “the common cliché” refer to?
| A．Vegetarians have twice as amny allergies as big meat-eaters. |
| B．Vegetarians were hit harder in 14 of the 18 illneses. |
| C．Vegans had a higher rate of heart disease. |
| D．Meat-free diets are healthier. |
It can be inferred from the passage that a man who eats more meat tends to _______.
| A．show a higher cancr rate. |
| B．have a higher rate of psychological disorders. |
| C．have a better relationship with others. |
| D．suffer more from anxiety or depression. |
What would be be the best title for the passage?
| A．Are Vegetarians Healthier |
| B．A Better Quality of Life Is Important |
| C．Take Care of the Health Care System |
| D．Are You Impacted More by Illnesses |