Two people have died after two separate university shootings in Texas and Arizona, just hours apart. One person was killed and three injured in the first shooting at Northern Arizona University early on Friday. Later that morning a shooting at a student complex near Texas Southern University left one person dead.
In Arizona, police named the gunman there as Steven Jones, an 18-year-old first year student at Northern Arizona University.Mr. Jones told police he was approached by a group of men and attacked. He fled, produced a gun from his pocket and opened fire when the men caught up with him, Arizona police said. Witnesses told police that the victims were unarmed.
The second shooting in Texas happened later on Friday morning at the University Courtyard Apartments on the edge of the Houston campus. One student was killed, a freshman at the school, the university confirmed, and another person was wounded. Two people have been arrested as suspects and a third is still at large, said Houston police spokeswoman Jodi Silva.
The attacks came as President Barack Obama visited families of victims of a college shooting in Oregon. On arriving in Oregon, he was jeered(嘲笑) by gun rights activists who oppose calls he made for tougher gun laws after nine people were killed at Umpqua Community College, Roseburg, last week.
After a private meeting with families, Mr Obama said he had "strong feelings" about gun control, adding: "We are going to have to come together as a country to see how we can prevent these issues from taking place.”
On the edge of this little American town, a few hundred protestors gathered to tell their president he was not welcome. Many were openly carrying handguns to hammer home their message. The demonstrators blamed the shooting here last week on two things: a failure to treat mental health problems and the designation of Umpqua Community College as a gun-free zone. Many of those we spoke to said they had travelled to Roseburg from elsewhere in Oregon to make their voices hear. The hostility to the Democratic president here in Republican rural Oregon was not just political, it was personal.How many people were dead in these two recent university shootings?
A.One. |
B.Two. |
C.Three. |
D.Four. |
Which of the following is right about the Northern Arizona University shooting?
A.The gunman was about to graduate. |
B.It was the victims who started the fight. |
C.The gunman shot the victims out of hatrd. |
D.The victims attacked the gunman with knives. |
Mr. Obama probably agreed that ____________.
A.gun control is too strict in most parts of America, especially in universities |
B.designation of Umpqua community college as a gun-free zone is a wrong decision |
C.Americans should be united to prevent criminal shooting from happening so frequently |
D.A failure to treat mental health problems caused the shooting at Umpqua Community College |
The underlined words in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to ____________.
A.emphasize |
B.digest |
C.commit |
D.respond |
A businesswoman, a mother of four, an international fashion icon(偶像) , a woman committed to making the world a better place for women and children—Queen Rania of Jordan is truly changing the world.
Rania was bom in Kuwait, in 1970.Shortly after Iraq invaded that country in 1990, her family fled and settled in Jordan.After graduating from a business school, Rania became successful in the business world.
When she was just 22, she went to a dinner party that changed her life forever.It was there that she met Jordan' s Prince Abdullah.Six months later, Rania and Abdullah had a royal wedding and started a family.
After the death of her father – in – law, King Hussein, in 1999, Prince Abdullah was crowned King Abdullah II of Jordan, and Rania became the world' s youngest living queen.
In her role as Queen, Rania has become well known around the world for her charity work and her efforts to improve educational opportunities for girls.She is an outspoken advocate of women' s rights, education reform, and child abuse.She is also well - known for her efforts to remove Western stereotypes (旧观念) about the Muslim world.
Rania explains that there is a direct relationship between increasing education and eliminating poverty." You can change the course of a nation through education," she says." One of the most important things you can do for a girl is empower her with her education.Once she has the education she can then have control over her income, she can change her life, she can have choices."
In the future, Rania says, she hopes for a more open and secure world."We look at problems happening halfway across the world and we think,' Well, that' s their problem.' But it' s not," she says." When you solve somebody else' s problem, you are solving a problem for yourself, because our world today is so interconnected."Rania and her family moved to Jordan because ____.
A.she was engaged to Jordan' s Prince Abdullah |
B.she wanted to attend a business school there |
C.Jordan was a more developed country than Kuwait |
D.the war broke out between Kuwait and Iraq |
Rania became the world' s youngest living queen when she was ____.
A.a girl of 22 | B.at the age of 23 |
C.in her thirties | D.29 years old |
In her role as Queen, Rania is more devoted to ____.
A.her business work | B.girls' education |
C.fashion shows | D.her family |
Rania thinks that ____.
A.women have brought about great changes to the world |
B.education can help a girl find a wealthy husband |
C.in the world today, all countries depend on each other |
D.the Muslim world needs more help from the western countries |
The text mainly describes Rania as ____.
A.a caring mother | B.a fashion model |
C.a social activist | D.a smart businesswoman |
You may say it’s just a slip of the tongue. But as a senior official and a well-educated person, a professional who is supposed to be expert at using words shouldn’t have made such a remark like “Why did only two teachers commit suicide?” We use “only” to emphasize(强调) how small an amount is or how unimportant the matter is. When talking about death toll, such a word as “only” should never be appropriate.
Of course, it seems unfair to put all the blame on her, especially about the suicide of any individual. We should never indirectly encourage any self-destructive behaviour by making finger-pointing remarks afterwards. Any sensational accusation may help spread a very wrong message which will lead to even more copycat(模仿他人行为者)cases.
As expected, Professor Li has spoken out in her defence, saying that her remarks concerning the two suicides had been taken out of context, adding that she is a caring and warm-hearted person.
However, a seemingly “caring and warm-hearted person” without enough political sensitivity can hardly make a good government official. Mr. Tung used to be described as kind and selfless, but being kind is not enough. It is misleading to say such characteristics as kindness and devotion make somebody fit or capable.
Last time, her saying that students were the least qualified to criticize the Chief Executive had led to much criticism. Then she apologized. This time, a much more widespread furore(公众的骚动) has been brought. Again, she apologized. How many times is she going to apologize before she is willing to step down?
We need a more diplomatic(外交的) person to calm teachers, students and parents alike.
1. The purpose of the passage is to _____.
A. encourage teachers to commit suicide
B. criticize professor LiC. put stress on the official’s remarks
D. show her dissatisfaction with the senior official
2. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The official used improper words in her remarks.
B. The senior official’s apologies were not sincere.
C. Nobody could comfort the people.
D. The professional tried to mislead the people to continue their suicide.
3. The author thought ________.
A. the official was very fit for her officeB. the official used the word “only” not by mistake
C. it was quite right to blame the official
D. the official won’t make such mistakes any more
4. From the passage we can infer that ______.
A. the officials’ remark led to more suicide committing
B. the official was a sensitive politician
C. the official believed the students had rights to talk about the Chief Executive
D. professor Li showed favor to the official
Television is an important part of modern life, one we can hardly imagine living without it. If I were forced to live without television, I would seek other interests, socialize(参加社交活动) with my friends and family and exercise more often.
Without TV in my home, I would have time to seek other interests. For example, I love to play the piano and without the fun of TV, I would have more time to practice. At other times, I could paint portraits of my family and friends.
Not only that, but also I could find much more time to socialize with my friends and family if my TV disappeared. At my house, the TV is always on during dinner. Without TV we might have time to tell each other about what happened to us that day. In addition, we could more easily find more time to talk with old friends on the telephone. Thus, social time would increase without TV.
Most importantly, lacking a TV would give me a big increase in the available time for exercise in my life. With extra time, I could make the long journey to Bowen Island and go on an enjoyable hike in the mountains. Another exercise would be to go swimming or to an aerobics(有氧运动) class at Bonsor Community Centre. Watching more TV will only develop my bottom muscle.
Seeking other interests, socializing with friends and family, and exercising frequently would be the benefits of having no TV at my home. Just think how much more time I would have if I got rid of my computer, too!
62. According to the passage, we can infer that the author _________ too much.
A. takes exercise B. plays the piano
C. watches TV D. talks with his family
63. The passage mainly tells us ________.
A. we can’t live without TV
B. TV does harm to the author’s life
C. what the author could do without TV
D. why the author dislikes TV
64. The author thinks that he could do the following EXCEPT _____ without TV.
A. playing computers
B. doing outdoor sports
C. make conversations with family and friends
D. doing social activities
65. What’s the most suitable title for the passage?
A. We can’t live without TV. B. TV benefits us a lot.
C. Disadvantages of TV. D. Living without TV.
In the early 80’s, I walked across the Burrard Bridge in Vancouver. Not alone, however. With me were more than 50,000 persons, mostly of my generation, on the Walk for Peace. Loving peace, I think, is one of three important qualities of my generation.
That desire for peace has been an important characteristic of my generation for a long time. I grew up in the 60’s and early 70’s. At that time, many of us took part in demonstrations(示威游行) against the Vietnam War. Many people of my generation have devoted their lives to world peace, and lately we have seen success: US and Russian nuclear weapons are half their 1980 levels and nuclear disarmament(裁减军备) is agreed upon worldwide.
Another characteristic of my generation is our participation in the “marriage revolution”. We were the first generation that had access to safe and reliable birth control. The idea of “free love” made it easier for men and women to safely express their love before marriage. The marriage revolution gave us power, especially to women, and the world was changed forever.
The most important characteristic, however, is that many of us are deeply concerned about the environment. The results of my generation’s activities can be seen everywhere.
Although not all of us have participated, it is sure that we will continue to have a large impact on North America. We are nearing 50 years old, an age where people of my generation will become successful in politics and then, who knows what changes will come.
59. Which of the following does not belong to the characteristics of the author’s generation?
A. Travelling peacefully. B. The wish for peace.
C. Belief in the idea of “free love”. D. Protecting the environment.
60. “My generation” may be people born between ________.
A. the 50s and 60sB. the 60s and 70s
C. the 70s and 80s D. the 80s and 90s
61. The passage implies that ________.
A. most of the author’s generation died for world peace
B. all the countries agreed to remove the nuclear weapons
C. the demonstrations against the Vietnam War achieved success
D. some of the author’s generation may have greater influence on the country
We learned that fossil fuels were formed before and during the time of the dinosaurs(恐龙). We are using up the fuels. We can save fossil fuels by protecting and finding ways to use energy from “endless sources”, like the sun and the wind. Some people suggest that we should start using hydrogen(氢).
Hydrogen is a colorless, smell-less gas that takes up 75 percent of the whole universe. Hydrogen is found on earth only in mixture with other elements such as oxygen, carbon and nitrogen. To use hydrogen, we must separate it from these other elements.
Hydrogen can be used in NASA’s space program as fuel for the spaceships, and in fuel cells that provide heat, electricity and drinking water for astronauts. Fuel cells are devices that directly change hydrogen into electricity. In the future, hydrogen could be used to fuel vehicles and aircraft and provide power for our homes and offices.
Hydrogen can be made from natural gas. An electrical current can also be used to separate water into its elements of oxygen and hydrogen. Some plants in the sea and bacteria(细菌) give off hydrogen through sunlight under certain conditions.
Hydrogen as a fuel is high in energy. Yet a machine that burns pure hydrogen produces almost zero pollution. NASA has used liquid hydrogen since the 1970s to drive rockets and spacecraft into orbit. Hydrogen fuel cells power the spacecraft’s electrical systems, producing clean by-product-pure water, which the crew drinks.
56. We can get hydrogen from the following EXCEPT ______ according to the passage.
A. natural gas B. water C. creature in the sea D. bacteria
57. Why could the hydrogen be used widely in the future?
A. Because it is of high quality.
B. Because it has no pollution.
C. Because it is easy to get it from all kinds of ways.
D. Because there are much hydrogen existing in the universe.
58. The passage mainly tells us ________.
A. the usage of a new energy source B. the future energy sources
C. a new energy source -hydrogenD. how to get the energy source