The Palm Islands are the largest artificial islands in the world and are under construction in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates．They are being developed as tourist, leisure, and residential resorts, and will increase the coastline of the country by 120 kilometres.
After four years of planning and careful consideration of the environmental issues, construction started in 2001．Dutch engineers with experience of reclaiming land from the sea were employed in the building of the first two islands．The site for all three islands is an area of the sea where the water is not very deep．Sand is taken from the seabed and sprayed into the construction site．Although the shallow water facilitates this process, the islands are still very exposed to the currents and tidal movements of the sea．Rocks are used to hold the sand in place resulting in a large crescent (月状的) structure．This acts as a breakwater and protects the islands from the sea.
The first two islands are in the shape of date palm trees and consist of a trunk and 17 frond, or leaves coming off the trunk．The first island, named Palm Jumeirah, has three five-star hotels in the trunk, and luxury homes in the leaves．It is astonishing that when these homes went on sale in 2004, they were all sold within three days.
The second palm, Jebel Ali, was started in 2002 and is designed to be an entertainment centre．Six marinas (小游艇船坞) are planned, with a water theme park, and homes built on stilts (桩柱) in the water.
The Palm Deira planned to be the largest of the three islands, with a length of 14 km and a width of 8.5 km, an area larger than the city of Paris．It will consist of residential properties, marinas, shopping malls, sports facilities, and clubs．These will be open to both residents and tourists.
More artificial islands, the World Islands, are now being constructed near the Palm Jumeirah．They consist of 300 private islands grouped into the shape of the continents of the world and will be used for estates, private homes, community islands, and resorts.
Unquestionably, these artificial islands are one of the wonders of the modern world．They will also maintain Dubai’s status as one of the leading tourist destinations in the region.According to the passage, all the following are right EXCEPT___________.
| A．Some Dutch engineers are experienced in reclaiming land from the sea. |
| B．The islands are being built in the shallow water of the sea. |
| C．All the luxury homes on Palm Jumeirah were sold. |
| D．The World Islands are bigger than the Palm Jumeriah. |
The underlined word “facilitates” in the second paragraph probably means___________.
| A．holds back | B．makes easier |
| C．slows down | D．leads to |
What is the passage written for?
| A．To introduce the wonderful artificial islands. |
| B．To show how to build artificial islands. |
| C．To offer a travel service for tourists. |
| D．To prove the Palm Islands are the largest artificial islands in the world. |
A growing number of American homes are keeping African pygmy hedgehogs(刺猬) as pets. Hers are some questions and answers about the small animals whose backs and sides are covered with about 6,000 quills. Their quills are short, but hard and sharp.
Where do they come from?
The breed is a hybrid (杂种) of the four-toed hedgehog or African white-bellied hedgehog and the Algerian hedgehog. Its natural habitat is central, eastern and southern Africa. It now breaks the law to bring them into the United States.
An adult African pygmy hedgehog is 6 to 11 inches long and weighs 1 to 2 pounds. A relaxed one is generally oval (椭圆的) , with a very short tail and short limbs that keep the body close to the ground . When threatened or frightened, it rolls into a ball and forces its quills out in all directions. Female hedgehogs are a bit larger than the male ones. The face and the underside are covered with soft and white fur.
What do they eat?
In the wild, the hedgehog feeds mainly on insects. It also eats earthworms, snails and slugs, as well as small snakes and frogs. Pet owners feed cat food to hedgehogs that are kept at home by them.
How many babies can a mother hedgehog give birth to one time?
After hedgehogs get pregnant, it just takes about 35 days for them to give birth. Hedgehogs are born in babies of 2 to 10, each having white quills that do not injure the mother during birth. The US Department of Agriculture requires anyone breeding at least three hedgehogs to get a license.Paragraph 1 shows that keeping African pygmy hedgehogs as pets____.
| A．is very exciting but dangerous for pet owners |
| B．is becoming more and more popular in the US |
| C．is causing more and more troubles for pet owners |
| D．is the most popular with people in the United States |
What do we know about African pygmy hedgehogs?
| A．They usually live in eastern and northern Africa. |
| B．They like rolling away when threatened or frightened. |
| C．They are usually 6 inches long when they are born. |
| D．They are a new breed by two kinds of hedge-hogs. |
Which of the following can be used as the second subtitle?
| A．What do they look like? |
| B．How much do they weigh? |
| C．How long are their bodies? |
| D．How do they protect themselves? |
When African pygmy hedgehogs are born, they probably____.
| A．often influence their mother’s life |
| B．have very soft white quills |
| C．can look for insects within days |
| D．often become food of small snakes |
I was born into a family of five children. As the youngest child, I didn’t have many new clothes. Though my parents worked very hard, we could hardly make ends meet. The only time we would receive new clothes was at Christmas.
The family across the street lived a much better life. They just had two daughters and they were often seen wearing new dresses. The younger girl named Anna was of my age. One afternoon, she walked on the street wearing a beautiful white dress. She looked like an angel in that dress. I, together with many little girls, followed her. We just couldn’t keep our eyes off her dress. We all wished we would have such a dress one day!
That day, after coming back, I told my mom that I wanted a dress like that. My mom frowned(皱眉) she thought such a beautiful dress like that must cost an arm and a leg, but my mom kept that in mind. She worked five days a week at that time, but when Christmas was getting close, she worked even on every Saturday.
However, several days before Christmas, I changed my mind. It was Anna’s birthday that day and I was invited to her home with some other girls. After that party, I asked if I could try on her white dress. “Of course,” she said, “and you can take it if you like it.” I couldn’t believe my ears. How could she give such a beautiful dress to someone else? After trying it on, I knew why.
The dress looked beautiful, but it was uncomfortable to wear. As a matter of fact, my back was quite itchy(痒的) after I put it on. From that day on, I stopped admiring what others had. They may not be as good aswe think.When the writer was a little girl, she.
| A．couldn’t get whatever she liked |
| B．couldn’t see her parents at all |
| C．didn’t like new clothes |
| D．didn’t like Christmas that much |
When the other girls saw Anna’s dress, they thought it.
| A．too little | B．very cheap |
| C．very beautiful | D．very comfortable |
The writer’s mother started working on very Saturday because she.
| A．wanted to buy a new dress for herself |
| B．had to buy all her children expensive gifts |
| C．prepared herself for the busiest Christmas. |
| D．wanted to buy the dress the writer wanted |
From the passage, we learn that.
| A．there are always kind-hearted people around us |
| B．what others have may not be as good as we think |
| C．we should give what we no longer need to others |
| D．we can get what we want if we try hard enough |
For generations here in the deepest South, there had been a great taboo（禁忌）: publicly crossing the color line for love．Less than 45 years ago, marriage between blacks and whites was illegal, and it has been forbidden for much of the time since．
So when a great job about an hour’s drive north of the Gulf Coast attracted him, Jeffrey Norwood, a black college basketball coach, had reservations．He was in a serious relationship with a woman who was white and Asian．
“You’re thinking about a life in South Mississippi?” his father said in a skeptical voice, recalling days when a black man could face mortal（致命的） danger just being seen with a woman of another race, regardless of intentions．"Are you sure?"
But on visits to Hattiesburg, the younger Mr. Norwood said he liked what he saw: growing diversity．So he moved, married, and, with his wife, had a baby girl, who was counted on the last census（人口普查） as black, white and Asian．Taylor Rae Norwood, three, is one of thousands of mixed-race children who have made this state home to one of the nation's most rapidly expanding multiracial populations, up 70 percent between 2000 and 2010, according to new data from the Census Bureau．
In the first comprehensive accounting of multiracial Americans since statistics were first collected about them in 2000, reporting from the 2010 census, made public in recent days, shows that the nation’s mixed-race population is growing far more quickly than many researchers had estimated, particularly in the South and parts of the Midwest．That conclusion is based on the bureau’s analysis of 42 states; the data from the remaining eight states will be released soon．
In North Carolina, the mixed-race population doubled．In Georgia, it grew by more than 80 percent, and by nearly as much in Kentucky and Tennessee．In Indiana, Iowa and South Dakota, the multiracial population increased by about 70percent．
Census officials estimated the national multiracial growth rate was about 35 percent since2000 according to the known result, when seven million people ----- 2．4 percent of the population chose more than one race．If a black man married a white woman 50years ago, the worst result was that _____．
| A．he was sentenced to death |
| B．he was considered to be immoral |
| C．he was criticized by the public |
| D．he was treated as a lawbreaker |
The underlined word “serious” in Paragraph 2 can be replaced by “____”．
| A．stable | B．bad | C．mixed | D．dangerous |
What can we infer from Paragraph 4?
| A．Jeffrey Norwood was born in Hattiesburg and grew up there． |
| B．Taylor Rae Norwood’s mother is a white-Asian． |
| C．70 percent of the people in Mississippi are multiracial． |
| D．Mississippi has the largest multiracial population in the US． |
Which of the following states had the fastest growth rate of mixed-race population?
| A．Georgia． | B．Tennessee． |
| C．North Carolina． | D．South Dakota． |
People in several American states may be surprised to see cars on city streets without a driver．Experimental driverless vehicles now are legal in Florida, Nevada and California．They are pointing the way to a future that is not far down the road．The high-tech company Google has a number of self-driving cars, which had covered 480,000 kilometers by August．Volvo is among the companies doing road tests and says it plans to sell driverless cars by 2020．
In September, California Governor Jerry Brown signed an act to allow autonomous vehicles on the roads of his state．" Today we're looking at science fiction becoming tomorrow's reality-the driverless car．" The technology for these cars includes cameras, radar and motion sensors．The systems have been improved through competitions sponsored by the U．S．government agency DARPA．Engineer Richard Mason of the Rand Corporation helped design driverless vehicles for DARPA challenge races．
Cars have become much more fuel-efficient, and new electronic features are' making Hondas safer, said Angie Nucci of Honda America．" A camera on the passenger-side mirror actually engaged on your guiding screen so you can safely change lanes．" Other safety features include warning systems on the front and the sides of the cars．These systems help drivers , but don't replace them．Curator Leslie Kendall of the Petersen Automotive Museum said autonomous cars will make the high ways safer．
"By taking out drivers, you also remove most risks of an accident," Kendall said．He said consumers, however, may be unwilling to lose control．"It may take them time to come to realize that the technology is indeed reliable, but it will have to prove itself first．"
Mason said the technology already works and the biggest challenge now is getting down the cost for driverless vehicles from hundreds of thousands of dollars to something more affordable．He said this will happen as the technology is improved．What can we learn from Paragraph l?
A．Driverless vehicles are now legal in the whole USA．
B．Volvo will be the first to sell driverless cars．
C．Driverless cars are pointing us' a faraway future．
D．Google's self-driving cars have covered a long distance．We learn that Governor of California Jerry Brown_________．
| A．helped design self-driving cars． |
| B．supports self-driving cars on roads． |
| C．considers self-driving cars science fiction． |
| D．improved the self-driving car systems． |
What is the role of the systems mentioned in Paragraph 3?
| A．They can help people drive more safely． |
| B．They can take the place of drivers now． |
| C．They can make cars run without fuel． |
| D．They can help cars run much faster． |
According to Richard Mason, what is the biggest challenge for driverless cars?
| A．They are not allowed to run on the road． |
| B．Their technical problems remain to be solved． |
| C．They are now too expensive for consumers． |
| D．They are more dangerous for people on the street． |
Adult Basic Education （ABE） and GED Preparation
Task:
The Adult Basic Education Department serves a huge population of learners．Our task is to teach basic skills and help learners to get more knowledge to function effectively as a family member, citizen, worker, and lifelong learner in a changing world．
Description:
ABE is a non-credit program of self-improvement designed to improve basic skills for students who are of different educational level．Development of reading, writing, and math skills are paid special attention to, as well as life skills, employability, and technology．Students without a high school diploma（文凭）also have the opportunity to prepare for the GED exams in the five subject areas writing, social studies, science, literature, and math．
Prerequisites （条件）:
ABE classes are open to anyone 18 or over who desires to improve basic reading, writing, and math skills at the pre-college level．Students who are 16 or 17 must first obtain an official release（ 证书） from high school before attending class．
To be accepted, students must attend an Educational Planning Session．During the Educational Planning Session students will be given an overview of the ABE programs as well as PCC policies, fees, etc．Students will also have their reading, writing, and math abilities assessed （评估） during the Educational Planning Session The results of their assessment will help the teachers develop individual programs of study for students to guide them toward their personal goals．Students needing special help must get in touch with the Office for Students with Disabilities （503-977-4341） at least two weeks before the session is held．
Courses:
The ABE Department serves an aim to___________．
| A．provide learners with basic knowledge and skills to fit in with society |
| B．help learners successfully get a job in a changing world |
| C．offer diplomas to those who fail to finish secondary education |
| D．provide students with opportunities to prepare for the GED exams |
A 17-year-old is not accepted to ABE classes only because he_____________．
| A．is below 18 |
| B．can't offer a high school diploma |
| C．has left school without official permission |
| D．is assessed as poor in learning performances |
What is the Educational Planning Session intended for?
| A．Providing special help to disabled students． |
| B．Helping students be better at the four basic skills． |
| C．Finding out whether they can be accepted to ABE classes． |
| D．An assessment of students' basic skill levels． |
Different courses are offered to different students according to ___________．
| A．their own choices |
| B．the assessments during the Educational Planning Session |
| C．their performances in school |
| D．how much they pay for the courses |