Which city would you prefer to visit, London or Paris?London had welcomed 16.8 million foreign visitors in 2014, compared with 15.2 million visitors to Paris, according to a new report released by UK research firm Euromonitor International in January.
Boris Johnson, London’s mayor, is very proud.“With so many fascinating museums, the best theater scene in the world, more green space than any other European city, numerous top sporting venues , a low crime rate and much else besides, it is no wonder that people from all over the globe are flocking (蜂拥) to London in record numbers. These figures prove that London is without doubt the greatest city on the planet,”he told The Telegraph.
However, Paris’ mayor, Anne Hidalgo, is not as pleased. “London is in some ways a suburb of Paris,” she said.The Huffington Post used the word “bickering” to describe these back-and-forth insults (侮辱). It refers to arguments about unimportant things, like small children fighting over a toy, or lovers arguing over the TV remote.
France and Britain are separated only by the English Channel. For centuries, they fought over territory (领土).But in fact, Paris and London are very similar. Both are centers of fashion and the arts. Even their most famous landmarks are a little similar --- the Palace of Versailles outside Paris and Buckingham Palace in London, for example.
That’s the trouble – they’re as good as each other. As the Daily Mail put it: London and Paris are “head-to-head” in their battle for supremacy. In fact, visitors to these great cities love them equally.Hidalgo also wrote an article in The Telegraph, but changed her words slightly: “London is a suburb of Paris and Paris is a suburb of London.”Does this mean these two cities could one day “grow up”, stop bickering, and become friends.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the article?
| A．Paris welcomed more foreign visitors than London did last year. |
| B．Anne Hidalgo didn’t respond to Boris Johnson’s remarks about London. |
| C．Boris Johnson is too modest when talking about the characteristics of London. |
| D．The author thinks it meaningless to argue whether Paris is better than London or vice versa. |
The underlined word “bickering” in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to _____.
| A．jealousy | B．quarreling |
| C．embarrassment | D．misunderstanding |
In her article in The Telegraph, we can infer Anne Hidalgo_______ .
| A．showed an objective attitude toward London and Paris. |
| B．avoided comparing London with Paris. |
| C．displayed Paris’ beauty in many different ways. |
| D．defended her idea that Paris is better than London. |
Living in a green area can make you live longer，according to research published today. The research also shows that the difference in life expectancy (预期寿命) between rich and poor becomes smaller among those who live in an environment with parks and trees.
Richard Mitchell，from Glasgow University，and his colleagues, found that the gap between the number of deaths of people on high incomes and the number of deaths of those on low incomes in green areas was half that compared with figures relating to built-up areas.
Green spaces，classified by the researchers as “open，undeveloped land with natural vegetation”，encouraged people to walk and be more active. Exercise in these settings could have greater benefits than exercise elsewhere，the researchers said.
The benefits potentially go beyond exercise. Studies have shown that being around green spaces can reduce blood pressure and stress levels，and possibly help patients recover faster.
A number of researchers have looked at the effects of greenery on our wellbeing. But few studies had looked at whether living in green areas reduced health inequalities，the Glasgow team said.
Using information from a landuse database of 2001，the researchers divided the preretirement population of England into four groups according to income level，and five groups according to access to green space. They then looked at death rate for 2001～2005.
They found that the inequality in death rate from all causes relating to lack of money was less in those populations in the greenest areas compared with the figures for people living in more built-up places. They found an even stronger relationship when it came to deaths from certain diseases such as heart conditions and stroke (中风)．There was no difference，however，in deaths from lung cancer.
The researchers said that changing the physical environment was an easier way to fight against poor health than using media campaigns or giving out information on health. “The result of the study is clear：Environments that promote good health might be very important in the fight to reduce health inequalities.”The underlined word “that” in Paragraph 2 refers to________.
| A．the gap |
| B．the number of deaths |
| C．the income |
| D．the living area |
What was the special point of the Glasgow team’s research?
| A．They offered a scientific definition of “green spaces”． |
| B．They encouraged people to exercise in green areas. |
| C．They studied the effects of greenery on people’s health. |
| D．They focused on the influence of greenery on health inequalities. |
What advice would the researchers probably give according to the last paragraph?
| A．More health information should be given to the public. |
| B．People should take more exercise every day. |
| C．More trees and grass should be planted in cities. |
| D．People should help to fight against health problems. |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．People should live in green areas. |
| B．Green spaces promote good health. |
| C．Income influences health less than environment. |
| D．Exercise in green areas benefits people a lot. |
In bringing up children, every parent watches eagerly the child's acquisition （学会） of each new skill m the first spoken words, the first independent steps, or the beginning of reading and writing．It is often tempting to hurry the child beyond his natural learning rate, but this can set up dangerous feelings of failure and states of worry in the child．This might happen at any stage．A baby might be forced to use a toilet too early, a young child might be encouraged to learn to read before he knows the meaning of the words he reads．On the other hand, though, if a child is left alone too much, or without any learning opportunities, he loses his natural enthusiasm for life and his desire to find out new things for himself．
Parents vary greatly in their degree of strictness towards their children．Some may be especially strict in money matters．Others are severe （严格的） over time of coming home at night or punctuality for meals．In general, the controls represent the needs of the parents and the values of the community as much as the child's own happiness．
As regards the development of moral standards in the growing child, consistency is very important in parental teaching．To forbid a thing one day and excuse it the next is no foundation for morality （道德）．Also, parents should realize that "example is better than precept"．If they are not sincere and do not practice what they preach （说教）, their children may grow confused when they grow old enough to think for themselves, and realize they have been to some extent fooled．
A sudden awareness of a marked difference between their parents' principles and their morals can be a dangerous disappointment．Eagerly watching the child's acquisition of new skills, ___________．
| A．should be avoided |
| B．is universal among parents |
| C．sets up dangerous states of worry in the child |
| D．will make the child lose interest in learning new things |
In the process of children's learning new skills, parents _______．
| A．should encourage them to read before they know the meaning of the words they read |
| B．should expect a lot of the children |
| C．should achieve a balance between pushing them too hard and leaving them on their own |
| D．should create as many learning opportunities as possible |
The second paragraph mainly tells us that ___________．
| A．parents should be strict with their children |
| B．parental controls reflect only the values of the community |
| C．parental restrictions vary, and are not always for the benefit of the children alone |
| D．it's parents' and society's duty to control the children |
The word "precept" in Paragraph 3 probably means "___________"．
| A．opinion |
| B．punishment |
| C．behavior |
| D．instruction |
In terms of moral matters, parents should _________．
| A．follow the rules themselves |
| B．be aware of the huge difference between adults and children |
| C．forbid their children to follow hook teachings |
| D．always ensure the security of their children |
Both warm-blooded and cold-blooded desert animals have ways to escape the desert heat. Warm- blooded desert animals, such as rats and mice, rest during the day, often staying in cool underground burrows. At night they search for food. Animals that are out during the day, such as cold-blooded lizards and snakes, are active only for short periods. As their body temperature rises, these reptiles（爬行动物） move into the shade in order to cool down. In the early evening, when the sun grows weaker, the reptiles become more active and begin their search for food again.
Getting enough water to survive is a major problem for all desert animals. Some desert animals, like desert birds, manage to find water holes. Other desert animals, such as the kangaroo rat and the related jerboa, get water only from the food that they eat. Because these animals eat mainly dry seeds, they must survive on a tiny amount of water.
Most deserts have only a small number of frogs and toads because these animals must be near water to survive. Yet even these creatures have adapted(适应) to desert conditions. When small amounts of water collect in temporary streams, the desert-living frogs and toads become active. After a rainfall, they lay their eggs. The eggs grow into tadpoles in a few days and into adults in just four weeks. When the puddles(水坑) dry up, the adult frogs or toads dig into the ground. Their metabolism(新陈代谢) slows, and they stay beneath the ground until the next rain, which may be as good as a year away. Until then, their bodily activities continue at a reduced rate.
The camel — often called the ship of the desert — is one of the most successful desert animals. Camels can go for long periods without water, but eventually they must drink. When water becomes available to them after a long drought, they may drink 95 liters of water or more. When water is not available, what helps camels survive the desert heat is the fat stored in their humps(驼峰). A camel’s hump contains about 12 kilograms of fat. Fat is rich in hydrogen. As the fat is digested, hydrogen from the fat combines with oxygen in the air that the camel breathes. The result is H2O, or water. Each kilogram of fat that a camel digests produces about a liter of water. Desert animals are usually more active at night because _____.
| A．it is cooler at night |
| B．it is easier to find water |
| C．they like the dark |
| D．they are less likely to be attacked at night |
Which of the following desert animals can get water only from the food?
| A．The camel. |
| B．The kangaroo. |
| C．The frog. |
| D．The rat. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．All the desert animals rest during the day. |
| B．All the desert animals don’t rest during the day. |
| C．Cold-blooded desert animals are out most of the day. |
| D．None of the cold-blooded desert animals go out during the day. |
The title for this passage could probably be _____.
| A．Hot Deserts |
| B．Desert Animals |
| C．How Desert Animals Get Water |
| D．Ways To Escape the Desert Heat |
The underlined word “burrows” in the first paragraph can be replaced by _____.
| A．holes |
| B．caves |
| C．rooms |
| D．openings |
A guitarist was pleasantly surprised to hear from New York City police that his valuable guitar had been found. It disappeared almost a year ago when he got out of a taxi and forgot to take the guitar with him. Laurence Lennon, 44, said he was running late that day. He was talking to his manager on his cellphone when he rushed out of the taxi. He said that he gave the driver $60 and told him to keep the change. He walked through the front doors of the concert hall, still talking on the phone to his manager.
Upon discovering his loss, Lennon used his cellphone to call the police. The policewoman asked him for the name of the taxi company, the number of the taxi, and the name of the driver. He said that she must have been joking.
She told Lennon that he could apply for a missing item report online. Lennon asked for address. It was www.nypd.gov/toprotectandtoserve/haveaniceday. She told him that finding the guitar might take a couple of years for finding guitars was not as important as finding murderers and marijuana （大麻）smokers. Then she told him to have a nice day.
“This year has been depressing,” said Lennon. “I had to put off the recording of two new CDs. I’ve been using borrowed guitars. And I was losing hope of ever recovering my guitar.”
Lennon was reunited with his $100,000 guitar yesterday. The guitar had been discovered in the corner of a coffeehouse only two blocks from where Lennon had lost it. Lennon had offered a $10,000 reward for its return. He said he would give the reward to the coffeehouse owner, who had informed the police. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Careless guitarist surprised. |
| B．Valuable guitar found. |
| C．Coffeehouse owner rewarded. |
| D．Taxi driver still unknown. |
In the first paragraph, the author explained ________.
| A．how costly the guitar was |
| B．how important the concert was |
| C．why the guitarist was late |
| D．why the guitar was left behind |
By saying “she must have been joking” in Para 2, the guitarist probably means ________.
| A．it was impossible for him to answer her questions |
| B．there must have been something she felt funny |
| C．she didn’t believe at all that he had lost his guitar |
| D．she must have felt that his behavior was funny |
In the policewoman’s opinion, finding the lost guitar _________.
| A．was not important at all |
| B．wouldn’t be done online |
| C．could be a long time hunting |
| D．only depended on the driver |
I wasn’t surprised when I read that actress Helen Hunt recently stated that she would never allow her young daughter to become a child star. Ms. Hunt is the daughter of a Hollywood technical director, and grew up in Hollywood. Now in her late 40s, she started acting and modeling when she was eight and has probably seen a lot over those years in show business.
She has had a successful career. She earned four Golden Globes and four Emmys. She also attained the top honor of her profession when she won the Best Actress Academy Award for her role in the 1992 movie, As Good As It Gets. Given those accolades, Ms. Hunt is successful. There is no doubt that her early experiences as a child star prepared her for what has been an outstanding adult career. Given those achievements, why would this star declare she’ll never allow her daughter, now at the age of six, to follow in her footsteps?
Everyone familiar with the entertainment scene is aware of the reasons for her attitude. Recent tabloid (小报) news headlines featuring the troubles of former child stars, among them Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears and the late Gary Coleman, may answer the question. Although Ms. Hunt managed to become a successful grown-up star, she apparently believes she’s an exception.
What Ms. Hunt may be suggesting is that many very young stars go through unnatural childhoods on movie and TV sets. While they’re earning big incomes, they’re so pampered (纵容) by directors and praised by fans; they may get false impressions that their lives will always be that way. Then, within a few years, when faced with reality, they’re hurt and confused. After all the overwhelming affection, they find they can’t deal with the problems. That’s often when drugs and alcohol take over their lives.
Helen Hunt has some other reasons why she doesn’t want her daughter to be in the entertainment business. Many child stars can never make a successful transition to meaningful adulthood. However, as with many Hollywood movies, I believe there are both good and bad scenes about how it can be played out in real life. According to the passage, Ms. Hunt _________.
| A．started acting and modeling when she was a little girl |
| B．has been acting for about 30 years |
| C．is the daughter of a famous actor |
| D．started singing when she was eight |
27. The underlined word “accolades” in Paragraph 2 probably means “_________”.
| A．difficulties |
| B．awards |
| C．salaries |
| D．opinions |
The author thinks Helen Hunt’s success is mainly due to _________.
| A．her hard work |
| B．the help of a technical director |
| C．her experiences as a child star |
| D．her talent and good luck |
Helen Hunt wouldn’t allow her daughter to become a child star because she thinks _________.
| A．child stars often take drugs and alcohol |
| B．being a child star may ruin her future |
| C．child stars aren’t able to solve their problems |
| D．it is difficult to succeed as a child actor |
From the passage we can conclude that _________.
| A．few child stars will succeed in the future |
| B．there is no way to save the entertainment business |
| C．the author has a different opinion about child stars |
| D．meaningful adulthood only belongs to non-child stars |