Perhaps you’ve visited a restaurant and seen clear, water-filled bags hanging on the doors.You might ask,“What’s all this about? Some crazy new way to control temperature?A method of saving money on water containers?”While any effect on temperature is purely accidental,these hanging bags are all about driving pests away.
The water bag method to drive flies away has many supporters So how does the method drive flies away?Some insist the flies regard the clear liquid as the surface of a body of water.Others think the insect flies away at the sight of its own big reflection.But the most popular reasoning that exists among scientists is light refraction(折射).
The insect’s fiead mostly consists of a pair of large complex eyes,each of which is made up of 3,000,to 6,000 simple eyes.These eyes can’t focus on objects like human eyes,instead they provide the fly with a mosaic(拼凑的)view of the world around them.A housefly bases its sense of direction on the sunlight.Some scientists believe that when these complex and sensitive eyes experience refracted light,the insect becomes confused and flies away.
Plenty of people don’t think water bags can keep flies away.Mike Stringham,a professor,conducted a 13-week field trial on two egg farms.He concluded those areas equipped with water bags actually experienced higher levels of housefly activity.Its purpose was to determine whether the water bags could be used to decrease fly populations on egg farms.
So do bags of water lower the number of houseflies around homes and restaurants? There are reasonable explanations that argue yes and strong evidence that proves no.Anyway,you can still find water bags hanging near restaurants and backyards across the globe.
Some restaurants hang water-filled bags on the doors to ____________.
| A.control temperature | B.get hot water |
| C.save money | D.drive flies off |
What is considered more reasonable about the water bag method?
| A.The light refraction of the bag drives flies away. |
| B.Flies are frightened away by their own reflections. |
| C.Flies mistake the bags as the surface of the waters. |
| D.The heat of the bags by the sunlight keeps flies off. |
What is Paragraph 3 mainly about?
| A.How many eyes a fly has. |
| B.How flies focus on objects. |
| C.Where flies can get sunlight. |
| D.Why refracted light keeps flies away. |
We can describe the water bag method as“______________.”
| A.practical | B.useless |
| C.controversial | D.Ridiculous |
One year our family decided to have a special celebration of Mother’s Day, as a token of appreciations for all the sacrifices that Mother had made for us. After breakfast we had arranged, as a surprise, to hire a car and take her for a beautiful drive in the country. Mother was rarely able to have a treat like that, because she was busy in the house nearly all the time.
But on the very morning of the day, we changed the plan a little, because it occurred to Father that it would be even better to take Mother fishing. As the car was hired and paid for, we might as well use it to drive up into the hills where the streams are. As Father said, if you just go driving without object, you have a sense of aimlessness, but if you are going to fish there is a definite purpose that heightens the enjoyment.
So we all felt it would be nicer for Mother to have a definite purpose . Father had just got a fishing rod the day before, which he said mother could use if she wanted to. Only Mother said she would much rather watch him fish than try to fish herself.
So we got her to make up a sandwich lunch in case we got hungry, though we were to come home again to a big festive dinner.
Well, when the car came to the door, it turned out that there was not as much space in it as we had supposed. It was plain that we couldn’t all get in.
Father said that he could just stay home and put in the time working in the garden. He said that there was a lot of rough dirty work that he could do, like digging a trench for the garbage, which would save hiring a man, and so he said that he’d stay home; he said that we were not to let the fact that he had not had a real holiday for three years stand in our way. He wanted us to go right ahead and not to mind him.
But of course we all felt that it would never do to let Father stay home, especially as we knew he would make trouble if he did. The two girls, Anne and Mary, would have stayed and helped the maid get dinner, only it seemed such a pity,for the two girls were eager to show their new hats on a lovely day like this. But they said that Mother had only to say the word and they’d gladly stay home and work. Will and I would have dropped out, but unfortunately we wouldn’t have been any use in preparing the dinner.The author’s family decided to celebrate Mother’s Day specially to _______.
| A.show love for their mother |
| B.show gratitude to their mother |
| C.show respect for their mother |
| D.to make up for a previous appointment |
According to Paragraph 2, we know that the plan was changed because________.
| A.Father proposed to go fishing out |
| B.we thought that driving out is boring |
| C.we failed to hire a car to go out |
| D.the car was not big enough |
What problem did we find when the car arrived?
| A.The car was too old to drive on mountain roads. |
| B.The car was larger than we expected. |
| C.The car was too small to accommodate us all. |
| D.The car was too plain looking. |
Why didn’t the author drop out of the activity?
| A.Because his sisters didn’t join in. |
| B.Because he needed to have dinner. |
| C.Because he couldn’t cook the dinner. |
| D.Because he hadn’t had a real holiday for three years. |
Which of the following proverbs describes the text best?
| A.Everything comes to him who waits. |
| B.Changes always go beyond plans. |
| C.Better late than never. |
| D.Once on shore, one prays no more. |
When several people look at the same person, it is not unusual for each of them to see different things; when you are alone observing one behavior or a person at two different times, you may see different things. The followings are but some of the factors that lead to these varying perceptions(感知,认识):
(1) Each person’s perceptions of others are formed by his or her own cultural conditioning, education, and personal experiences.
(2) Sometimes perceptions differ because of what we choose to observe and how we deal with what’ve observed. It is not necessarily true that person perception is based on observations of a particular person. Your observations may be totally controlled by what others have told you about this person; or you may focus primarily on the situation or role relationship. Most people do not use the same standard to measure their parents, their friends, and strangers.
(3) Sometimes we see only what we want to see or don’t see what may be obvious to others because of our own needs, desires, or temporary emotional states. This is a process known as selective perception. Selective perception is obviously more difficult when contradictory information is particularly obvious, but it can be done. We can ignore the stimulus——“He’s basically a good boy so what I saw was not shoplifting(入店行窃).” We can reduce the importance of the contradictory information ——“All kids get into mischief(顽皮). Taking a book from a bookstore isn’t such a big deal.” We can change the meaning of the contradictory information--- “It wasn’t shoplifting because he was going to pay for it later.”…The first factor given by the author that affects our perception is _____.
| A.our hearing and visual abilities |
| B.cultural background and personal experiences |
| C.the experience one learns from others |
| D.critical measures taken by other people |
While observing a particular person,________.
| A.one is likely to take all aspects into consideration |
| B.one pays more attention to his/her advantages |
| C.children often differ from grown-ups in perception |
| D.one tends to choose certain aspects to look at |
Observation of the same person by two people at the same time may differ because _____.
| A.they follow different standards |
| B.either of them may be slow to catch information |
| C.the time for observation is not long enough |
| D.each of them uses different language to express his/her impressions |
The underlined word “stimulus” in Paragraph 4 refers to _____.
| A.something attractive |
| B.selective perception |
| C.contradictory information |
| D.shoplifting |
The worst thing in selective perception is that ______.
| A.the information received runs against your desire |
| B.facts can be twisted or totally ignored |
| C.importance of the contradictory information can be overrated (估计过高) |
| D.misbehaved children may not be punished |
It was the last day of July and the long hot summer was drawing to a close As for me.1 was out of spirits,and,if the truth must be told, out of money as well,During the past year I had not managed my finances as carefully as usual;and 1 was now limited to spending the autumn economically between my mother’s cottage at Hampstead and my own in town.
My father had been dead for some years,and my sister and 1 were the sole survivors of a family of five children. My father was a drawing-master before me He had been highly successful in his profession and my mother and sister were left economically independent after his death.
The view of London below me had sunk into the black shadow of the cloudy night, when I stood before the gate of my mother’s cottage I had hardly rung the bell.When the house door was opened violently.My worthy Italian friend,Professor Pesca,appeared in the servant’s place,and rushed out joyously to receive me.
I had first become acquainted(熟悉)with my Italian friend at certain great houses,where he taught Italian and I taught drawing What I then knew of the history of his life was that he had left Italy for political reasons and that he had been respectably established for many years in London as a teacher of languages It once happened that I saved him from certain death by drowning while we
were swimming in the sea at Brighton Afterwards he overwhelmed(淹没)me with the wildest expressions of affection and exclaimed passionately, that he would hold his life at my disposal from then on, and declared that he should never be happy again until he had had the opportunity of proving his gratitude.Little did I think that the occasion to serve me was soon to come.
Pesca dragged me in by both hands into the parlor, where my mother sat by the open window, laughing and fanning herself.Pesca was one of her especial favorites,and his wildest strange acts were always pardonable in her eyes.
“Now, my good dears.”began Pesca.“listen to me The time has come I recite my good news.I speak at last…'Hear, hear!”said my mother, humoring the joke“I go back into my life,and I address myself to the noblest of men,who found me dead at the bottom of the sea,and who pulled me up to the top. What did I say when l got into my own life and my own clothes again? I said that my life belonged to my dear friend,Walter, for the rest of my days Now,”cried the enthusiastic little mall at the top of his voice.“happiness bursts out of me at every pore of my skin.For I have found a job for you”The first two paragraphs of the passage serve as an introduction to——
| A.the financial situation the writer then faced |
| B.the season that the story was set in |
| C.the family members of the writer |
| D.the successful profession of the writer’s father |
The underlined word‘‘sole’’in the second paragraph probably means‘‘”
| A.main | B.only | C.lucky | D.possible |
It can be learned from the passage that Pesca
| A.used to be a politician |
| B.was a successful drawing-master |
| C.was quite close to the mother |
| D.wanted to give the writer some money in return |
According to the last paragraph,Pesca was more than happy because
| A.he went back into his life |
| B.he met his dear friend again |
| C.his friend ever saved his life |
| D.he had done something good for his friend |
BEIJING---Chinese President Xi Jinping has stressed the need to promote the country’s housing security and supply to guarantee people’s basic residential needs
On Tuesday, Xi said that pushing the construction of the housing supply system is a solid project that benefits all people.
‘‘Solving the housing issue is a long-term task,” the president said “China still faces problems such as insufficient affordable housing and imbalances in housing distribution”
Xi said future work will sick to market-oriented reform.and properly handle the roles of government and the market, economic and social functions of housing development,relations of necessity and possibility and the difference between housing security and welfare trap
Meanwhile,he vowed(誓言)the government shall meet the basic housing needs of the group troubled by inadaptable labor skills, lack of job opportunities or low income
Xi pointed out that the general scheme of building China’s housing supply system is that the government realizes most of the basic needs while leaving other diversified demands for the market rules
“China will spare no effort to increase housing supply while pursuing affordable, environmentally friendly and safe living standards in accordance with the country’s practical situation,”he said
According to the country’s 12th five-year plan,China will increase its quantity of affordable housing go that it covers 20 percent of all residential areas by 2015 through construction of 36 million affordable housing units,including renovation(改造)of run-down neighborhoods
Xi said the government will first ensure the quality and safety of these buildings and strive to accomplish the goal while speeding up the construction of public rental and low—rent housing as well as the renovation of run-down neighborhoods
Land and financial policies will be further improved to support the project,Xi said,adding the government will explore and encourage ways for non-profit institutions to participate in the construction and management of affordable housing.
The top leader also stressed that China shall strengthen supervision,establish standard management system and punish illegal occupation of affordable housing units.The housing supply system is constructed to
| A.guarantee people’s basic residential needs |
| B.handle the roles of government and housing market |
| C.improve land and financial policies |
| D.punish illegal occupation of affordable housing units |
As for solving China’s housing problems.President Xi is.
| A.helpless | B.pessimistic | C.determined | D.uncertain |
Building China’s housing supply system will .
A.be put to an end soon
B cover all residential needs by 2015
C.especially benefit low-income people
D.encourage profit-driven organizations What would be the best title for this passage ?
| A.Handle China’s Housing Issues and Policies |
| B.Better China’s Housing Security and Supply System |
| C.Balance the Functions 0foovermnent and Market Rules |
| D.Strengthen Housing Supervision and Management |
Growing strawberries in pots
·The best way to start growing strawberries is to buy pot-grown strawberry plants m spring:5plants are plenty for a hanging basket and 10 for the average 13 inch-sized pot.
·Plant them immediately in soil-based compost(混合肥料) and they will produce a modest crop in their first year.The second year should see a bumper(特大的)crop,followed by a slightly lower yield(产量)the third summer .Then start again with fresh stock
·Careful watering and feeding are essential Ifyou are to harvest a good crop,you must never
let the compost dry out,particularly when the fruit is forming and ripening;if you do.most of your
crop will drop off血e bush almost immediately.
·Water well then leave the pots for up to 3 weeks,until they reach the point of drying out Be
Careful not to overwater them during the winter months.
Pruning apple trees
·A one-year-old tree is known as a “maiden”. It has a single stem when purchased. Immediately after planting, cut it back by about half to leave 4 good buds at the base of the stem.. This will force growth from the base or the plant during the summer.
·In the second year ,prune in winter by cutting all side branches back by about one-third, Make sure each cut is made cleanly just above an outward-facing bud. In the third and fourth years, new side branches will have emerged from the previous year’s growth. Cut back all these new side branches by a third, pruning to an outward-facing bud.
·By the fifth year the tree should have a well-balanced shape. From then on ,cut back all new branches by one-third in winter .Remove any diseased wood and broken branches, and ensure the centre is open to air circulationThe two pieces of advice probably appear in
| A.a scientific repot | B.a gardening guide | C.a book review | D.a fashion column |
A good crop of strawberries mainly depends on
| A.the size of a pot | B.the season of harvesting |
| C.the number of plants in a pot | D.careful watering and feeding |
Cutting back all side branches by a third is to
| A.remove the diseased and broken branches |
| B.keep the whole tree open to air circulation |
| C.force the apple tree to grow from the base in winter |
| D.help the apple tree to form a well-balanced shape |
The two pieces of advice suggest that planting is closely related to
| A.season | B.water | C.compost | D.cutting |