C
In 1932 the warning of the British politician, Stanley Baldwin, that “the bomber will always get through” made a deep impression in Britain, the only state to make serious plans to evacuate civilians from large towns before the war started.
The British Government developed plans for evacuating 1 million children to the United States and Canada and other Commonwealth nations. It established the Children's Overseas Reception Board (CORB) in May 1940. After the fall of France, many people thought the war was lost and some saw this as one way of ensuring that Britain could survive even if invaded.
The Germans eventually began bombing British cities in September. Some children were evacuated by ship to British Dominions, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa. The CORB selections were not done on a first-come, first-served basis. CORB classified and prioritized the children. Charges soon appeared in the press that the well-to-do were being given priority. CORB arranged for the transportation. The Government paid the passages. Quite a number of children had already been evacuated. This tended to be children from rich families with money and overseas contacts. The British public eventually demanded the government pay so that less privileged children were also eligible.
World War II occurred before the beginning of trans-Atlantic air travel. Liners were used to transport the children and this proved to be dangerous because the U-boats quickly emerged as the greatest threat. And this put the evacuee children trying to cross the Atlantic to safety in danger. Two ships carrying child evacuees were torpedoed (破坏)in 1940. One was the Dutch liner Volendam with 320 children on August 30. The crew managed to get the life boats off and saved the children. They were returned to Glasgow. The other was the City of Benares, an ocean liner with 200 British and foreign civilian passengers and 93 British children with a guard of nurses, teachers, and a clergyman. It was torpedoed on September 13. The crew attempted to launch the life boats as Benares began to sink. The rough weather made this difficult, so many of the passengers in the life boats died in the extreme conditions. Only 15 children survived. Churchill, when he learned of the disaster, decided to end the overseas evacuation scheme.The whole passage is mainly about _____.
| A．bombing Britain |
| B．children evacuation |
| C．German U-boats |
| D．loss of children |
What can we learn about the British people according to the passage?
| A．They were concerned about their children. |
| B．They were threatened by Stanley Baldwin. |
| C．They were frightened by German invasion. |
| D．They longed to go to commonwealth nations. |
The underlined word “eligible” in the last sentence of Paragraph 3 probably means _____.
| A．qualified | B．accessible |
| C．hopeful | D．popular |
Churchill decided to end the evacuation scheme mainly because _____.
| A．so many people needed evacuating |
| B．the weather in the Atlantic was rough |
| C．the crew were inexperienced in saving people |
| D．liners easily became the targets of the German U-boats |
Celebrity TV presenter Ju Ping has been a host on China Central Television for 30 years, but her recent experience fronting a charity event was one of the most special moments in her career.
On April 2, World Autism Day, Ju partnered with Xia Junqi, a 17-year-old autistic teenager, to host a charity gala at the Beijing National Aquatics Center, otherwise known as the Water Cube.
The event was organized by One Foundation, which aims to increase public awareness of autistic people and their needs.
Autism is a neural disorder that impairs sufferers’ communication skills and social interactions. Sufferers have restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior. It affects about 1.6 million people in China, with medical studies suggesting autism may affect one in every 166 children.
Autism has no cure. For many years it went largely undiagnosed in China but early intervention and continuous education may help to teach the autistic self-help skills and lessen their disruptive behavior.
The gala featured autistic children singing, dancing and performing, and was greeted with enthusiastic applause from the audience.
Cai Chunzhu, a celebrity playwright, recalled feeling heartbroken when his son was diagnosed with autism at the age of 2. He says his family struggled to accept the reality but finally made peace with the diagnoses in the past four years. He says the boy lives in his own world and is trained in an intervention facility. Sun Zhongkai, executive director of the Beijing Stars and Rain Institute for Autism, one of the earliest intervention facilities for autistic children in China, shared with audience his deep sorrow for parents who often collapsed with desperation when he told them there was no cure for their autistic children.
Over the years, Chinese society has become more supportive of autistic people and their families, but there are still challenges in terms of getting autistic people employed and looking after them when their parents pass away.
Actor Zhou Xun also called on society to show greater understanding and support toward autistic children and their families.Where did the gala take place?
| A．In a theater in Shanghai. | B．In the Water Cube. |
| C．In a Children’s Palace. | D．In Nanjing. |
What does the underlined word “impairs” mean in the fourth paragraph?
| A．damages sth or makes sth worse. |
| B．improve sth or become sth better. |
| C．feel what they do the saddest. |
| D．increase the interest of knowing sth |
What can we know from the seventh paragraph?
| A．Some parents were in deep sorrow when they heard their children can be cured. |
| B．Cai Chunzhu is executive director of the Beijing Stars and Rain Institute for Autism. |
| C．Sun Zhongkai recalled feeling heartbroken when his son was diagnosed with autism at the age of 2. |
| D．Autism is a kind of disease that can not be cured. |
What is the attitude of our society and enthusiastic people?
| A．Some actors like Zhou Xun called on people to do nothing for autistic children. |
| B．Chinese society and people have become more supportive of autistic people and their families. |
| C．Some people want to give up helping autistic people because of many challenges they face. |
| D．Autistic children won’t be looked after when their parents pass away. |
Scientists are learning new things about Antarctica, the coldest place on Earth. For example, the Antarctic ice sheet is shrinking. A new study found that summer ice loss in parts of Antarctica was at its highest level in 1,000 years. The study showed that Antarctic ice was melting mostly from below ice shelves, where the water is warmer than the ice.
Eric Rignot is an earth system expert at the University of California, Irvine. He also works for the American space agency, NASA. There he serves as senior research scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, also in California. He says ice melting from below is responsible for 55 percent of the shelf loss from 2003 to 2008. That is a much higher rate than scientists thought earlier.
Professor Rignot and his team used satellite observations, radar and computer models to measure features above the ice to learn what was going on below.
The measurements show differences from one area to the next around the continent. The major ice shelves are called Ross, Filchner and Ronne. They make up two-thirds of Antarctica’s ice shelves. But they are responsible for only 15 percent of the melting ice.
The professor says even small changes, like changes in ocean flow driven by wind, can make a huge difference in the melting of the ice shelf.
Sixty percent of the Earth’s fresh water is held in the huge Antarctic ice sheet. Professor Rignot says the study will help experts predict how the continent reacts to warmer ocean waters and helps to cause rising sea levels around the world. The study was published in the journal Science.What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．the Antarctic ice sheet is shrinking |
| B．the coldest place on earth |
| C．the major Antarctica’s ice shelves |
| D．the Atlantic Ocean are changing |
How did Eric Rignot and his team do the research?
| A．He serves as senior research scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. |
| B．They used satellite observations, radar and computer models to know the things happening below the ice. |
| C．Small changes, like changes in ocean flow driven by wind, can make a huge difference in the melting of the ice shelf. |
| D．They melted 55% of the Antarctica’s ice to prove their theory is right. |
Which is true of the following statements?
| A．Ice melting from below is responsible for 35 percent of the shelf loss from 2003 to 2008. |
| B．The major ice shelves are called Ross, Filchner and Ronne, which make up one-third of Antarctica’s ice shelves. |
| C．Sixty percent of the Earth’s fresh water is contained in the huge Antarctic ice sheet. |
| D．Summer ice loss in Antarctica was at its highest level in 1,000 years. |
When will a plant be considered a weed? Experts have a simple answer: when the undesirable qualities outweigh (胜过，强过) the good qualities. Crops generally produce several hundred seeds from each plant. By comparison, each weed plant can produce tens or even hundreds of thousands of seeds. And some buried seeds can survive up to forty years or even longer. Eradicating weeds means that you have to remove all the seeds and roots so the weeds will die completely. But birds or the wind can reintroduce them to the land.
A common way to deal with weeds is to control them enough so that the land can be used for planting. Experts suggest using more methods to deal with weeds. Chemical weed killers or natural treatments like corn gluten (玉米麸) can suppress weed growth. Bill Curran is a professor of weed science. He says the most efficient method for suppressing weeds is dense planting. Dense planting of a crop can also act as a natural control. A dense and competitive crop that quickly shades the soil will help suppress many weeds. The weed seeds need light to grow, so cutting off sunlight will reduce weed growth.
Other controls include turning over the soil, pulling the weeds or covering them with mulch (地膜) made of wood, garden waste or other materials. But even mulch has its limits. Natural resource specialists point out that weeds can be transported in mulch. This is also true of soil, grain, hay and animals. Yet animals like sheep or goats eat weeds, so they can provide a biological control. Insects and other organisms can also act as biological controls.
Preventing the spread of weeds is an important part of weed management. Farm vehicles should be kept out of areas with weeds. If that is not possible, then clean off the equipment and your shoes when leaving. Some people bum weeds or bury them deep. Experts say the economical way is to make organically rich compost (有机堆肥). On the one hand, the process produces heat which can kill many weed seeds. On the other hand, the compost can be added to the soil to help plants grow.Why do people kill all the seeds and roots of weeds?
| A．Because the seeds and roots are bad in quality. |
| B．Because weeds have strong ability to live. |
| C．Because weeds take up too much space. |
| D．Because the seeds and roots will be eaten by birds. |
Which of the following methods of eradicating weeds can work best?
| A．Chemical weed killers. |
| B．Putting the com gluten in the field. |
| C．Dense planting. |
| D．Making use of mulch. |
How does dense planting affect weeds?
| A．The crops grow stronger than weeds. |
| B．The crops grow deeper in the soil. |
| C．The crops block sunlight the weed seeds need. |
| D．The crops compete with weeds for shade. |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．The weeds will surely die under mulch. |
| B．The buried weed seeds can’t come out. |
| C．Farm vehicles should be used to kill weeds. |
| D．People can make good use of weeds properly. |
Though the last book of the spectacular (壮观的) Harry Potter series was released seven years ago in 2007, the young wizard continues to be extremely popular with both kids and adults. Over the years, Harry Potter fans have been able to experience numerous aspects of the young wizard’s life, right down to his favorite drink — butter beer. Now thanks to a British hotel, they can also spend a night in the wizard’s Hogwarts Castle dormitory room.
The four-star Georgian Hotel in Central London, which recently opened its two wizard chambers(房间), is ideally suited to reproducing J.K. Rowling’s school of wizardry (巫术). That’s because the hotel, which is still run by the descendants of the original owners, dates all the way back to 1851. It still remains its original styles inside.
According to the owner of the 163-year-old Georgian Hotel, the idea originated as a way to create a kid-friendly environment in a hotel that is well-known for its Victoria Classic and Belgravia Boutique rooms.
The wizard chambers that have been refinished to resemble the Hogwarts Castle dormitory rooms are furnished with everything a wizard fan could think of — four-poster beds, stone wash basins, potion bottles, cauldrons (汽锅，大锅), spelling books and even study tables. In order to make them appear even more magical, the hotel owners have added their own special touches that include placing a wand in the hand of the Mona Lisa painting that is in one of the chambers.
As you may have guessed, these unique accommodations are not cheap. The rooms, breakfast included, cost about $350 for two people. Kids sharing the same room pay only an additional $40 each. Given that the big wizard chamber can contain up to five people, the overall cost is perfect for families that are all Harry Potter fans. Special packages include a Muggle Walking Tour that takes Harry Potter fans through the areas of the city where parts of the movies were filmed or a visit to Warner Brothers Studio, home of the Harry Potter films’ sets and props (道具).
The hotel is certainly generating a lot of buzz among Harry Potter fans!How long does the Georgian Hotel exist?
| A．It has been existing in London for three hundred years.. |
| B．It has a history of more than 160 years. |
| C．It has been there since 2007. |
| D．It has been visited by the Harry Potter fans since 1851. |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?.
| A．The hotel opening two wizard chambers originated as a way to create a kid-friendly environment. |
| B．All of the books of the spectacular (壮观的) Harry Potter series were released seven years ago in 2007. |
| C．As you may have guessed, these unique accommodations are very cheap. |
| D．The wizard chambers aren’t furnished as a wizard fan could think of. |
If Mr Green and his wife with three children want to stay in the hotel for a night, how much should they pay?
| A．$ 350. | B．$ 390. | C．$ 430. | D．$ 470. |
The best title of the passage is _______.
| A．Stay in the magical Harry Potter rooms |
| B．Play with Harry Potter |
| C．A recent Harry Potter Hotel |
| D．A Expensive Hotel |
D
It’s the dieting fad that is sweeping the world , and encourages fasting for two days of the week . But does it work ?
People are starving themselves to lose weight , with a dieting trend known as the “fast diet” growing in popularity .
The method is also known as the 5:2 diet , and consists of eating normally for five days of a week and cutting calories to about 25 percent of normal intake during other two days . Men consume just 600 calories on the two fast days , while women are limited to 500 calories.
Notably, the two fasting days should not be hack-to-back. The dieter should have at least one normal eating day in between.
In the best-selling book The Fast Diet: Lose Weight, Stay Healthy, and Live Longer with the Simple Secret of Intermittent Fasting by Dr. Michael Mosley and Mimi Spencer, the two authors claim that the 5:2 diet not only promotes weight loss, but also benefits health, offering protection from disease, improved cognitive function and increased lifespan.
The diet originated in the United Kingdom and became popular in the United States. Now, it is gaining popularity among the Chinese middle class.
Zhong Minghui, who is 178cm tall and used to weigh 100 kilograms, finds fasting effective in weight control. He works in the sales department of' a trade company and used to drink and eat a lot after work. After sticking to the fasting diet for five months, he managed to lose about 20 kilograms.
" Actually I did not exactly rely on the 5 :2 diet to lose weight. My fasting was more extreme. I almost completely cut off my supper every day and only ate some fruit. I also used an app to calculate the calories in the food I eat and was cautious of not eating any high-calorie food. I did about an hour's aerobic exercise every day. Fasting is definitely effective, but I think sports also help ,” he says.
"I do not really believe that fasting is the magical cure-all, but my high blood sugar has improved," he adds.
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics says that although there is evidence that intermittent fasting diets may help prevent chronic disease, more research is needed.
Han Ting, a clinic nutritionist of Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, says that people who suffer diabetes or eating disorders, pregnant women, kids, teens and frail seniors should not try fasting. She recommends a regular low-calorie diet, which is safer and less risky for health.
When on a fasting diet, on the weekly fasting days, Han recommends low-fat, low-sugar, low-protein food, such as vegetables, yogurt, non-fat milk, shellfish and fruit with high dietary fiber.According to the passage the practice of 5 :2 diet first begins in _________.
| A．China | B．the United States |
| C．the United Kingdom | D．the United Union |
What should be paid attention to when one goes on the 5:2 diet?
| A．The two fasting days should be arranged one after another. |
| B．The two fasting days should not be arranged continuously. |
| C．You should consume as many calories as possible during the five normally eating days. |
| D．Women must take in more calories than men during the two fasting days. |
According to the passage, Zhong Minghui _________.
| A．managed to lose about 20 kilograms by taking exercises |
| B．thought little of the 5:2 diet |
| C．owed his high blood sugar to the fasting diet |
| D．found it effective to lose weight via fast diet |
What does the underlined word "intermittent" mean ?
| A．Happening occasionally. |
| B．Motivating continuously |
| C．Increasing dramatically. |
| D．Changing sharply. |