Indeed,” George Washington wrote in his diary in 1785, “some kind of fly, or bug, had begun to eat the leaves before I left home.” But the father of America was not the father of bug. When Washington wrote that, Englishmen had been referring to insects as bugs for more than a century, and Americans had already created lightning-bug(萤火虫). But the English were soon to stop using the bugs in their language, leaving it to the Americans to call a bug a bug in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
The American bug could also be a person, referring to someone who was crazy about a particular activity. Although fan became the usual term, sports fans used to be called racing bugs, baseball bugs, and the like.
Or the bug could be a small machine or object, for example, a bug-shaped car. The bug could also be a burglar alarm, from which comes the expression to bug, that is, “to install an alarm”. Now it means a small piece of equipment that people use for listening secret
ly to others’ conversation. Since the 1840s, to bug has long meant “to cheat”, and since the 1940s it has been annoying.
We also know the bug as a flaw in a computer program or other design. That meaning dates back to the time of Thomas Edison. In 1878 he explained bugs as “little problems and difficulties” that required months of study and labor to overcome in developing a successful product. In 1889 it was recorded that Edison “had been up the two previous nights discovering ‘a bug’ in his invented record player.” We learn from Paragraph 1 that __________________.
| A．Americans had difficulty in learning to use the word bug |
| B．George Washington was the first person to call an insect a bug |
| C．the word bug was still popularly used in English in the nineteenth century |
| D．both Englishman and Americans used the word bug in the eighteenth century |
What does the word “flaw” in the last paragraph probably mean?
| A．Explanation. | B．Finding. |
| C．Origin. | D．Fault. |
The passage is mainly concerned with__________________.
| A．the misunderstanding of the word bug |
| B．the development of the word bug |
| C．the public views of the word bug |
| D．the special characteristics of the word bug |
Why choose National Express?
When you travel with us we want to ensure you're safe, comfortable and arrive at your destination on time. This is why we've made some significant improvements to our services and added new and exciting tools to make sure travelling with us is an easy and relaxing experience.
You go there, we go there
We go to hundreds of towns, cities and airports across the UK. We've over 550 coaches covering 70 million miles a year, so if there's somewhere you want to go, then chances are we go there too.
Safe, modern coaches
A total of 25 million pounds has been invested on over 100 coaches in the last year. Most of our coaches now have leather seats and headrests, ample legroom, power sockets for charging mobiles, tablets and laptops and a toilet on board. For your safety, all our coaches are fitted with the latest safety features as standard. Please turn to page 4-5 for more safety information.
Coach Tracker
Why not use Coach Tracker while travelling with us, or tell your friends and relatives to use it to track where your coaches is in real-time, anytime, anywhere. Simply visit nationalexpresss.com/coachtracker and follow the on-screen instructions.
Assisted travel
The majority of our coaches have an easy-access passenger lift at the front of the coach, providing step free access to wheelchair users and anyone with reduced mobility. We can also offer practical assistance along the way to make your journey easier and more enjoyable. Call 03717 818181 for more information.
Greener journey
Travelling by coaches is one of the most environmentally friendly forms of transport. Our coaches emit up to five times less CO2 per passenger, per kilometer than an average car.
Mobile
If you are looking to book a ticket on the go you can use our mobile site, which your smartphone or tablet will automatically direct you to when you visit our website.
Satellite tracking
We track the majority of our coaches using a satellite tracking system. We know exactly where our coaches are at any given time, and can reroute them should there be any avoidable traffic block. We're committed to getting you to your destination safely and on time.
Thanks for choosing to travel with us. We've created this booklet to keep you up-to-date on our safety information and improvements. Whether you are travelling with us to the airport or visiting your favorite destination, sit back, relax and familiarize yourself with the safety features and facilities on board.
From the passage, we can know that ________
| A．National Express invests 25 million on its coaches every year. |
| B．Disabled passengers have easy access to every National Express coach. |
| C．A National Express coach emits less CO2 than an average four-seat car. |
| D．Family members can have National Express passenger’s real-time location through Coach Tracker. |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．The booklet on National Express has at least 5 pages. |
| B．You can call 03717 818181 for more information on mobility issues. |
| C．Most coaches now have leather seats, headsets, tablets and a toilet onboard. |
| D．Most coaches can change their route to avoid traffic jams by satellite tracking. |
The passage is intended to _________ .
| A．inform you of the safety features and latest improvements of the coaches |
| B．introduce the onboard facilities and tools for your safe and comfortable travel |
| C．keep you up-to-date on the safety information and improvements |
| D．promote and advertise the coach service offered by National Express |
What is true about the National Express?
| A．It is a company located in the US that offers coach service nationwide. |
| B．If you visit its website, a ticket will automatically be booked for you. |
| C．It aims to provide safe, relaxing and punctual service for its customers. |
| D．Its coach has step free lifts at both ends of the coach. |
Television has changed the lifestyle of people in every industrialized country in the world. In the United States, where sociologists have studied the effects, some interesting observations have been made.
Television, although not essential, has become an important part of most people’s lives. It alters people’s ways of seeing the world; in many ways, it supports and sustains (维持) modern life.
Television has become a baby-sitter, an introducer of conversations, the major transmitter of culture, and a keeper of tradition. Yet when what can be seen on TV in one day is critically analyzed, it becomes evident that television is not a teacher but a sustainer; the poor quality of programming does not elevate (提高) people into greater understanding, but rather maintains and encourages the life as it exists.
The primary reason for the lack of quality in American television is related to both the history of TV programming development and the economics of TV. Television in America began with the radio. Radio companies and their sponsors first experimented with television. Therefore, the close relationship which the advertisers had with radio programs became the system for American TV. Sponsors not only paid money for time within programs, but many actually produced the programs. Thus, in American society, television is primarily concerned with reflecting and attracting society rather than experimenting with new ideas. Advertisers want to attract the largest viewing audience possible. To do so requires that the programs be entertaining rather than educational, attractive rather than challenging.
Television in America today remains, to a large extent, with the same organization and standards as it had thirty years ago. The hope for further development and true achievement toward improving society will require a change in the entire system.
According to the author, American television is poor in quality because _________.
| A．it is controlled by radio companies |
| B．the programs have to be developed partly for economic reasons |
| C．advertisers are interested in experimenting with new ideas |
| D．it is still at an early stage of development, compared with the radio |
In the author’s view, American TV should _________.
| A．be entertaining and attractive |
| B．reflect society and attract society |
| C．attract as many viewers as possible |
| D．change with the development of society |
Based on the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．TV has become a must in the American’s life. |
| B．One can expect to improve his understanding significantly from watching TV. |
| C．American TV is important to most people as it affects their life in many ways. |
| D．American TV nowadays has some different standards from the past. |
The author’s attitude towards American television is _________.
| A．negative | B．positive |
| C．indifferent | D．sympathetic |
Merchant and passenger ships are generally required to have a life preserver for every person aboard and in many cases, a certain percentage of smaller sizes for children. According to United States requirements, life preservers must be simple in design, reversible( 可翻转的), capable of being quickly adjusted to fit the uninitiated individual, and must be so designed as to support the wearer in the water in an upright or slightly backward position.
Sufficient buoyancy(浮力) to support the wearer should be retained by the life preserver after 48 hours in the water, and it should be reliable even after long period of storage. Thus it should be made of materials resistant to sunlight, gasoline, and oils, and it should be not easily set on fire. The position in which the life preserver will support a person who jumps or falls into the water is the most important thing, as is its tendency to turn the wearer in the water from a face-down position to an upright or slightly backward position, with his face clear of the water, even when the wearer is exhausted or unconscious.
The method of adjustment to the body should be simple, and self-evident to uninitiated individuals even in the dark under the confused conditions, which follow a disaster. Thus, the life preserver should be reversible so that it is nearly impossible to set it on wrong. Catches, straps, and ties should be kept to a minimum. In addition, the life preserver must be adjustable to the wide variety of shapes and sizes of wearers, since this greatly affects the position of floating and the self-righting qualities. A suitable life preserver should also be comfortable to wear at all times, in and out of the water, not so heavy as to encourage to take it off on shipboard while the ship is in danger, nor so burdensome that it hinders a person in the water while trying to swim.
The passage is mainly about_____________.
| A．the uses of life preservers |
| B．the design of life preservers |
| C．the materials for life preservers |
| D．the buoyancy of life preservers |
According to the passage, a life preserver should be first of all, _________.
| A．adjustable | B．comfortable |
| C．self-evident | D．self-righting |
United States Coast Guard does NOT require the life preserver to be made ______.
| A．with as few strings as possible |
| B．capable of being worn on both sides |
| C．according to each wearer's size |
| D．comfortable and light to wear |
By “the uninitiated individual” (Para. 1, Line. 4) the author refers to the person ______.
| A．who has not been instructed how to use a life preserver |
| B．who has a little experience in using a life preserver |
| C．who uses a life preserver without permission |
| D．who becomes nervous before a disaster |
On a clear night, the sky is a wonderful thing. Is there life out there somewhere? Is there another place like Earth where life might exist? If so, where is it? And how far away is it?
Recently, the Kepler spacecraft found “22b”, a planet about six hundred light years away. It is the first planet in a “habitable zone” outside the solar system. That means the planet orbits(环绕) a star like our sun, but it is not too close to it, nor too far away. Because of this position, Kepler-22b might have water, one of the main things needed for life. The newly-discovered planet is about two and a half times larger than the Earth. It is closer to its star than we are to the Sun, but 22b’s sun is smaller than ours, and doesnt produce as much heat. Scientific instruments show the new planet could be made of gases, rocks or some kinds of liquids.
The Kepler spacecraft was named in honor of Johannes Kepler, the seventeenth century German astronomer. It was designed to examine a small part of the Milky Way galaxy(星系)and search for places like the Earth. It was made to inspect over 150,000 stars and measure how bright they are. It looks to see if a star’s brightness gets less over a short time.
If a planet passes between Kepler and the star, it blocks out part of the light. That is what suggested to scientists that there is at least one planet orbiting the star. The instruments on Kepler show the new planet as a small, black dot moving across its sun. An important part of the Kepler experiment is on the Earth. After the spacecraft gathers information, scientists use the telescopes on the ground.
Scientists have found over 2,300 new planets since Kepler was launched. Most are much larger, but it is the new planet’s distance from its star that is important. For life to possibly exist there, the planet’s temperature must not be too hot or too cold. What can we learn about Kepler-22b?
| A．Water must have existed on it. |
| B．It takes humans about 600 years to get there. |
| C．It is made of gases, rocks and plenty of liquids. |
| D．It is the first planet in outer space where life may survive |
The Kepler spacecraft was sent into space to
| A．show honor to Johannes Kepler |
| B．observe the changes of a star’s brightness |
| C．look for Earth-like planets in the Milky Way galaxy |
| D．measure the brightest star among 150.000 stars |
In Paragraph 4 the author mainly tells us
| A．how the Kepler system works |
| B．if the Kepler system sees a new planet |
| C．how the Kepler system shows a new planet |
| D．why an important part of the Kepler system remains on the Earth |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Life may exist on the new planet in another form. |
| B．It is colder on the new planet because its sun is smaller. |
| C．Life can’t exist on planets which are much larger than the Earth. |
| D．The new planet’s distance from its star decides on the possibility of life existence. |
Every year seals would crowd ashore in Farne Island and give birth to their pups. Between early October and early December, 1,500 seal pups will be born. Almost half of them will not make it past the first three weeks of life.
“The pups have to stay out of the water for the first three weeks, when they have their white coat, which is not very waterproof,” explains the warden (监察员)，who spends nine months on the Island.
“But when you’re born in November on a rock in the North Sea, it’s a tough start to life,” he said. Storms often wash young pups into the water. And occasionally, young, inexperienced mothers abandon their pups and head out to sea.
“We lost 41% last year,” said David Steel, the National Trust’s head warden on the Farne Islands. “Mother Nature certainly keeps them in check.”
Despite the early challenges for every newborn seal, the population is healthily and slowly and steadily growing. There are almost 4,000 seals on a set of islands, which is named a Special Area of Conservation(SAC), meaning it is protected under EU regulations. This successful human safeguarding of the seals’ habitat is huge turnaround(转机).
Just a few decades ago, the seal population was deliberately decimated. The animals used to be thought of as a threat to local fish stocks. During the late 1960s and 1970s, thousands of seals were shot in a cull(剔除)that aimed to protect the local fishing industry. According to the National Trust, between 1962 and 1983 approximately 2,000 adult females and 3,000 pups were shot.
But, as the fishing industry collapsed, it was gradually replaced by tourism. Today, several companies use fishing boats to take groups of people to visit the islands and admire the scenery, seabirds and, of course, the seals that make their homes in this bleakly beautiful place. In the first three weeks after they were born, almost half of the seal pups _______.
| A．would be abandoned by their mothers |
| B．would be protected by the wardens |
| C．couldn’t live independently |
| D．would die mostly in the sea water. |
According to David Steel, death of so many pups________.
| A．is a normal and natural phenomenon |
| B．is mainly caused by farmers’ killing |
| C．can be prevented efficiently by man |
| D．will be controlled by Mother Nature |
The underlined word “decimate” in Paragraph 6 is closest in meaning to ____.
| A．increase | B．kill | C．reduce | D．control |
What’s the best title for the passage?
| A．The Beautiful Farne Island |
| B．A Tough Beginning |
| C．How to Protect Grey Seals |
| D．Tourism or Fishing Industry |