B
My old digital camera broke down, so I wanted to buy a new one．Being the cautious type, I fancied a reliable brand．So I went on the Net, spent 15 minutes reading product reviews on good websites, wrote down the names of three top recommendations and headed for my nearest big friendly camera store．There in the cupboard was one of the cameras on my list．And it was on special offer．Oh joy．I pointed at it and asked an assistant, "Can I have one of those? " He looked perturbed（ 不安）．"Do you want to try it first? "he said．It didn' t quite sound like a question．"Do I need to?" I replied, "There's nothing wrong with it．" This made him look a bit offended and I started to feel bad．"No, no．But you should try it," he said encouragingly, "Compare it with the others．
I looked across at the others: shelves of similar cameras placed along the wall, offering a wide range of slightly different prices and discounts, with each company selling a range of models based around the same basic box．With so many models to choose from, it seemed that I would have to spend hours weighing X against Y, always trying to take Z and possibly H into account at the same time．But when I had finished, I would still have only the same two certainties that I had entered the store with: first, soon after I carried my new camera out of the shop, it would be worth half what I paid for it; and second, my wonderful camera would very quickly be replaced by a new model．
But something in the human soul whispers that you can beat these traps by making the right choice, the clever choice, the wise choice．In the end, I agreed to try the model I had chosen．The assistant seemed a sincere man．So I let him take out my chosen camera from the cupboard, show how it took excellent pictures of my fellow shoppers．．．and when he started to introduce the special features, I interrupted to ask whether I needed to buy a carry-case and a memory card as well．Why do we think that new options still offer us anything new? Perhaps it is because they offer an opportunity to avoid facing the fact that our real choices in this culture are far more limited than we would like to imagine．
The shop assistant insisted that the writer should ____．
| A．trust him and stop asking questions |
| B．try the camera to see if there was anything wrong with it |
| C．get more information about different companies |
| D．compare the camera he had chosen with the others |
What does the writer mean by "it would be worth half what I paid for it"（ Paragraph 2）?
| A．He should get a 50% discount． |
| B．The price of the camera would soon fall． |
| C．The quality of the camera was not good． |
| D．The price of the camera was unreasonably high． |
The writer decided to try the model he had chosen because he ____．
| A．knew very little about it |
| B．wanted to make sure the one he chose would be the best |
| C．didn' t trust the shop assistant |
| D．had a special interest in taking pictures of his fellow shoppers |
It can be inferred from the passage that in the writer's opinion, __．
| A．we waste too much money on cameras |
| B．cameras have become an important part of our daily life |
| C．we don' t actually need so many choices when buying a product |
| D．famous companies care more about profit than quality |
British singer Sarah Brightman began training for a 2015 flight to the International Space Station where she hopes to become the first professional musician to sing from space, the company arranging the trip said on Tuesday.
Brightman, a famed soprano (女高音) who starred in Andrew Lloyd Webber' s "Phantom of the Opera" , will pay about $ 52 million for a 10-day stay aboard the orbital outpost, Tom Shelley, president of privately owned Space Adventures, said.
Brightman, who will become the eighth privately funded space tourist, is scheduled to fly in September 2015. Her training to fly on a Russian Soyuz capsule began last fall.
Brightman has planned to be the first professional musician to sing from space. But she faces competition from Lady Gaga, who, according to media reports late last year, intends to be the first when she performs one song in space in early 2015 on a Virgin Galactic flight. Virgin Galactic, part of Richard Branson's Virgin Group, plans to offer suborbital(亚轨道的) space flights.
Brightman said in 2012 that she would travel to the space station, but her plans haven't been confirmed until now. So far. Space Adventures has arranged for nine private missions to the space station, a $ 100 billion research laboratory that flies about 260 miles above the earth. Microsoft co-founder Charles Simonyi made two trips.
Brightman will be the first private citizen to visit the station since Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Lalibarte paid about $ 35 million for an 11-day stay in September 2009.
Google co-founder Sergey Brin has an option to fly on the next available Soyuz seat after Brightman, which most likely will be in 2017, Shelley told Reuters. What is the purpose of the passage?
| A．To praise Brightman. |
| B．To persuade the readers that Brightman is more famous than Lady Gaga. |
| C．To instruct the readers how to begin a space flight. |
| D．To give some information about Brightman. |
When did Brightman start training for her space travel?
| A．Last winter. | B．Last autumn. |
| C．Next spring. | D．Next summer. |
The underlined word "she" in Paragraph 4 refers to ____.
| A．Brightman | B．Lady Gaga |
| C．Andrew Lloyd Webber | D．Tom Shelley |
The fifth paragraph is mainly carried out ____.
| A．in time order | B．in space order |
| C．by giving examples | D．by comparison |
Considering Australia' s size and the fact that early settlements were far apart, Australian society is remarkably homogeneous ( 同种的). Its citizens are fundamentally prosperous and the way of life in the major cities and towns is much the same however many miles divide them. It takes a sharp ear to identify regional accents.
However, there is some difference in lifestyle between city settlers and the country people. Almost 90 percent of the population lives in the fast-paced cities along the coast and has little more than a passing familiarity with the desert. The major cities preserve images of colonial heritage, but the overall impression is modem, with new buildings reflecting the country' s youth. In contrast, the rural communities tend to be slow-moving and conservative. For many years, Australia was said to have "ridden on the sheep' s back" , a reference to wool being the country' s main money earner. However, it is no longer dominant ( 主宰的) . Much of Australia' s relatively sound economy is now achieved from natural coal and wheat, and by being the largest diamond producer in the world. Newer industries such as tourism and wine making are also increasingly important. Australians are generally friendly and relaxed, with a modest sense of humor.
Yet, contrary to widespread belief, very few Australians have true prisoner origins. Within only one generation of the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788, Australia had become a nation of immigrants. Originally coming almost entirely from the British Isles, today one in three Australians comes from elsewhere. Australia' s liberal postwar immigration policies led to a flowing of survivors from war-torn Europe, most notably Greeks, Italians, Poles and Germans.
The emphasis has shifted in recent years and today the majority of new immigrants are from Southeast Asia. Today Australia is a "mixture of nations" and although some racism exists, it has generally been a successful experiment and the country is reasonably proud to have one of the most harmonious multicultural communities in the world. What does the writer mean by saying "has little more than a passing familiarity with the desert" in the second paragraph?
| A．The major population has a close relationship with the desert. |
| B．The fast-paced cities are just located by the desert. |
| C．The major population knows little about the desert. |
| D．The major population is familiar with the people living in the desert. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The pace of life in the city is different from that in the country. |
| B．One third of people living in Australia come from Europe. |
| C．The Australian economy is dependent on sheep exports. |
| D．Most Australians have ancestors who were prisoners. |
What used to be Australia' s main money earner?
| A．Wheat. | B．Wool. | C．Tourism. | D．Diamond. |
We can infer from the passage that ____.
| A．nothing about Australia' s colonial part in modem cities can be seen by visitors |
| B．tourism and wine making resulted in fast development in rural communities only |
| C．immigrants from Europe have brought racial problems |
| D．Australia' s recent immigration policy encourages immigrants from Southeast Asia |
There was once a lonely girl who longed so much for love. One day while she was walking in the woods she found two starving songbirds. She took them home and put them in a small cage, caring them with love. Luckily, the birds grew strong little by little. Every morning they greeted her with a wonderful song. The girl felt great love for the birds.
One day the girl left the door to the cage open accidentally. The larger and stronger of the two birds flew from the cage. The girl was so frightened that he would fly away. So as he flew close, she grasped him wildly. Her heart felt glad at her success in capturing him. Suddenly, she felt the bird go weak, so she opened her hand and stared in horror at the dead bird. It was her desperate love that had killed him.
She noticed the other bird moving back and forth on the edge of the cage. She could feel his strong desire—needing to fly into the clear, blue sky. Unwillingly, she lifted him from the cage and threw him softly into the air. The lucky bird circled once, twice, three times.
The girl watched delightedly at the bird. Her heart was no longer concerned with her loss. What she wanted to see was that the bird could fly happily. Suddenly the bird flew closer and landed softly on her shoulder. It sang the sweetest tune that she had ever heard.
Remember, the fastest way to lose love is to hold on it too tight; the best way to keep love is to give it wings!After the girl found the two birds, she ____.
| A．became frightened at once |
| B．began to treat them badly |
| C．greeted them happily |
| D．fed them and raised them |
Why did the girl grasp the stronger bird wildly?
| A．Because the girl disliked the bird any longer |
| B．Because the bird wanted to fly alone. |
| C．Because the girl loved the bird deeply. |
| D．Because the bird intended to find some food. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Catch what you can catch on your way to success. |
| B．Going too far is as bad as not going far enough. |
| C．East or west, home is best. |
| D．A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. |
Maybe ten-year-old Elizabeth put it best when she said to her father. "But. Dad. you can't be healthy if you're dead."
Dad. in a hurry to get home before dark so he could go for a run. had forgotten to wear his safety belt-a mistake 75% of the US population make every day The big question is why.
There have been many myths about safety belts ever since her first appearance in cars some forty years ago. The following are three of the most common.
Myth Number One: It's best to be "thrown clear" of a serious accident.
Truth: Sorry, but any accident serious enough to "throw you clear" is also going to be serious enough to give you a very bad landing. And chances are you'll have traveled through a windshield(挡风玻璃)or door to do it. Studies show that chances of dying after a car accident are twenty-five times greater in cases where people are "thrown clear."
Myth Number Two: Safety belts "trap" people in cars that are burning or sinking in water.
Truth: Sorry again. but studies show that people knocked unconscious(昏迷) due to not wearing safety belts have a greater chance of dying in these accidents People wearing safety belts are usually protected to the point of having a clear head to free themselves from such dangerous situations. not to be trapped in them.
Myth Number Three Safety belts aren't needed at speeds of less than 30 miles per hour Truth: when two cars traveling at 30 mph hit each other. an unbelted driver would meet the windshield with a force equal to diving headfirst into the ground from a height of 10 meters.why did Elizabeth say to her father. "But. Dad. you can't be healthy if you're dead" ?
| A．He was driving at great speed. |
| B．He was running across the street. |
| C．He didn't have his safety belt on. |
| D．He didn't take his medicine on time. |
The reason Father was in a hurry to get home was That he＿＿＿＿＿．
| A．wasn't feeling, very well |
| B．hated to drive in the dark |
| C．wanted to take some exercise |
| D．didn't want to be caught by the police |
According to the text. to be "thrown clear" of a serious accident is very dangerous
because you ＿＿＿＿＿．
A. may be knocked down by other cars
B may get seriously hurt being thrown out of the car
C. may find it impossible to get away from the seat
D. may get caught in the car doorSome people prefer to drive without wearing a safety belt because they believe＿＿＿.
| A．the belt prevents them from escaping in an accident |
| B．they will be unable to think clearly in an accident |
| C．they will be caught when help comes |
| D．cars catch fire easily |
what is the advice given in the text ?
| A．Never drive faster than 30 mile an hour. |
| B．Try your best to save yourself in a car accident. |
| C．Never forget to wear the safety belt while driving. |
| D．Drive slowly while you're not wearing a safety belt. |
Tom Brennan was working in a Philadelphia office building when he noticed a black bag. The bag contained a book.
This chance discovery ended a 12-day search by the Library Company of Philadelphia for a historical treasure-a 120-page diary kept 190 years age by Deborah Logan, "a woman who knew everybody in her day, "James Green ,the librarian told the magazine American Libraries.
Most of the diary is a record of big events in Philadelphia ,It also includes a description of British soldiers burning Washington .D. C in the war of 1812.She describes President James Madison on horseback as "perfectly shaking with fear" during the troubled days. George Wash- ington, she writes, mistook her for the wife of a French man. and praised her excellent English ．
The adventure of the lost book began September 4 when Cory Luxmoore arrived from Eng- land to deliver the diary of his ancestor(祖先）to the Library Company, which he and his wife considered to be the best home for the diary.
Green told American Libraries he had the diary in his possession" about five minutes" when Luxmoore took it back because he had promised to show it to one other person. On returning to his hotel after showing the precious book to Green, Luxmoore was shocked to realise that he had left it in the taxi.
Without any delay, Green began calling every taxi company in the city, with no luck," I've felt sick since then," Luxmoore told reporters.
According to Green. no one has yet learned how the diary came to the office building .
Tom Brennan received a reward(奖励)of 1,000,Philadelphia gained another treasure for its histo- ry, and Luxmoore told reporters, "It's wonderful news. I'm on high".This article mainly tells about the story of ＿＿＿＿＿
| A．a lost diary | B．Deborah Logan |
| C．Cory Luxmoore | D．the Library Company |
From the text,we learn that the diary is now owned by＿＿＿＿＿
| A．Tom Brennan |
| B．an unknown person |
| C．a Philadelphia magazine |
| D．the Library Company of Philadelphia |
Philadelphia is thought to be the best home for the diary because＿＿＿＿＿.
| A．it was written in Philadelphia |
| B．it tells stories about Philadelphia |
| C．people in the city are interested in old things |
| D．the British and the Americans once fought in Philadelphia |
Which of the following shows the right order of what happened to the diary?
a-Tom Brennan found the book in an office building.
b-The book was shown to James Green.
c-Cory Luxmoore arrived from England.
d-The book was left behind in a taxi.
| A．a. b. c. d | B．c. b. d. a |
| C．a. c. d. b | D．c. a. b. d |
What did Cory Luxmoore mean when he said "I'm on high"?
| A．I'm rich | B．I'm famous |
| C．I'm excited | D．I'm lucky. |