On a cool November afternoon in Fleming Island, Florida, Melissa Hawkinson, 41, was driving her five-year-old twins home from school when she saw a sudden splash in Doctors Lake just ahead. What was that? She thought. As she drove up to the scene, she saw a half-submerged car sinking about 30 yards offshore. “It was going down pretty quickly,” Hawkinson recalls. She stopped the car near the boat ramp and ran toward the water. Water is going to be cold, she thought.
She took off her vest and leather boots, got into the icy water, and swam to the car, where she found Cameron Dorsey, five, trapped into his car as the swirling water rose around him.
Hawkinson tried to open the door, but it was locked. So she pushed and pulled hard on the partially open window until she could reach through and unlock the door. She pulled the boy free, swam to shore, and handed him off to onlookers who were only watching them on a dock. The driver, the boy’s suicidal father, swam back to land on his own. Afterward, Hawkinson sat on the shore wrapped in a blanket. “For ten or 15 minutes, I couldn’t stop shaking,” she said.
There’s nothing visibly extraordinary about Melissa Hawkinson, an energetic stay-at-home mom with brown hair and a sweet smile. Yet something made her different from the dockside onlookers that day. Why do some people act quickly, willing to take a risk for a stranger? What makes them run toward danger rather than away from it? Hawkinson, the Granite Mountain Hotshots (能手，高手)---19 of whom lost their life this past summer in Arizona--- every hero who puts his or her life on the line to save another: what makes them brave?
Moreover, can bravery be learned, or is it a quality with which you are born? The answer is complex. Bravery taps the mind, brain and heart. It comes from instinct, training and sympathy. Today, neurologists, psychologists and other researchers are studying bravery, trying to uncover the mystery.It can be learned from the passage that _______.
| A．Melissa Hawkinson was a 41-year-old nurse |
| B．it was spring when the accident happened |
| C．Melissa Hawkinson was picking up her five-year-old son |
| D．Melissa Hawkinson was kind and courageous. |
What conclusion can we draw from the third paragraph?
| A．Not everyone was ready to risk saving the five-year-old boy.. |
| B．The father committed suicide because of the divorce. |
| C．The father was saved in the end by Melissa Hawkinson. |
| D．No one else was available except Melissa Hawkinson. |
How does the writer find other people on the dockside?
| A．Warm and ready to help | B．Thoughtful |
| C．Kind of cold-blooded | D．Not skillful at swimming |
What is the writer’s purpose of writing this passage?
| A．To set us thinking what makes people brave. |
| B．To call on us to learn from such people as Hawkinson. |
| C．To remind people of risk while saving others. |
| D．To show people bravery can be learned. |
After spending a year in Brazil on a student exchange program，her mother recalled，Marie Colvin returned home to find that her classmates had narrowed down their college choices.“Everyone else was already admitted to college，” her mother，Rosemarie Colvin，said from the family home.“So she took our car and drove up to Yale and said，‘You_have_to_let_me_in.'”
“Impressed—she was a National Merit (全国英才) finalist who had picked up Portuguese in Brazil—Yale did, admitting her to the class of 1978，where she started writing for the Yale Daily News and decided to be a journalist，” her mother said.
On Wednesday，Marie Colvin,56，an experienced journalist for The Sunday Times of London，was killed as Syrian forces shelled the city of Homs.She was working in a temporary media center that was destroyed in the attack.
“She was supposed to leave Syria on Wednesday”，Mrs.Colvin said.“Her editor told me he called her yesterday and said it was getting too dangerous and they wanted to take her out.She said she was doing a story and she wanted to finish it.”
Mrs.Colvin said it was pointless to try to prevent her daughter from going to conflict zones.“If you knew my daughter，” she said，“it would have been such a waste of words.She was determined，she was enthusiastic about what she did，it was her life.There was no saying ‘Don't do this.' This is who she was，absolutely who she was and what she believed in：cover the story，not just have pictures of it，but bring it to life in the deepest way you could.”“So it was not a surprise when she took an interest in journalism，” her mother said.From the underlined sentence in Paragraph 1，we can infer that ________.
| A．Yale was her last choice |
| B．Yale must keep its promise to Marie Colvin |
| C．Marie Colvin was confident of herself |
| D．Marie Colvin was good at persuading |
Marie Colvin's story suggests some of the best qualities of being a journalist are ________.
| A．patience and confidence |
| B．honesty and curiosity |
| C．flexibility and creativity |
| D．determination and courage |
Which of the following is the correct order to describe Marie Colvin's life?
a．She was doing a story in Syria and got killed.
b．She was admitted to Yale University.
c．She studied in Brazil as an exchange student.
d．She was hired by The Sunday Times of London.
e．She began to take an interest in journalism.
| A．d→e→c→a→b | B．c→b→e→d→a |
| C．e→d→c→b→a | D．b→c→d→e→a |
From the last paragraph we can know that Mrs.Colvin ________.
| A．knows her daughter very well |
| B．cares little about her daughter |
| C．dislikes the choice of her daughter |
| D．doesn't fully appreciate her daughter |
What can be the best title of the text?
| A．Covering Stories in a Dangerous Conflict Area |
| B．Applying for Top Universities，a Successful Case |
| C．Recalling Her Daughter，a Journalist Killed in Syria |
| D．Choosing Lifelong Careers Based on Your Own Interest |
Suppose you don't need your car today.And suppose，as it happens that a stranger in your area does need a car.Would you be willing to rent yours out?
Several carsharing startups，including Getaround，RelayRides and JustSharelt，are eager to connect car owners with renters this way.The companies have different rules，but participating owners receive，generally speaking，about twothirds of the rental earnings.RelayRides says an owner of a midsize，latemodel sedan who rents out a car for 10 hours a week could expect to clear about $ 3,000 a year.
Peertopeer carsharing remains in the trial stage；it can be found in San Francisco and a few other places.It has a long way to go before it becomes the auto equivalent of Airbnb，the surprise success story for peertopeer sharing of space in apartments and houses.
Shelby Clark，founder of RelayRides，says potential investors in his company have been concerned that owners will be afraid to hand their car over to strangers.To address that，he points to Airbnb，saying，“Letting people sleep in your living room is much more of a disturbance into your personal space than letting someone use your car.”
All of these companies offer their own insurance coverage for their renters，which are supposed to put owners' minds at ease.But only two states—California and Oregon—have passed laws to clarify that an owner will not suffer any consequences should a carsharing renter have an accident.
“In all the other states，legal ambiguity remains，” Shelby Clark says.“If a renter should be involved in a serious accident in those states，the victim can be expected to go after every party possible，including the car's owner.”
Also to remove the worries of car owners，the driving records of renters are checked for recent serious violations..What does the underlined word “sedan” in Paragraph 2 probably refer to?
| A．A kind of car. |
| B．An owner of a car. |
| C．A renting company. |
| D．A carsharing renter. |
Which of the following is true of Aribnb?
| A．It cares little about personal privacy. |
| B．It deals with housesharing successfully. |
| C．It is a very popular carsharing company. |
| D．Its ideas are being tried out in some states. |
If a carsharing renter should have an accident in California，the car's owner ________.
| A．has to take legal responsibility |
| B．will not suffer the consequence |
| C．is not covered by health insurance |
| D．must pay the insurance for the renter |
According to the text，more carowners will participate in the service，if ________.
| A．legal ambiguity is clarified in all the states |
| B．renters are warned not to violate traffic rules |
| C．more money is given to participating owners |
| D．people are aware of the importance of sharing |
It can be learned from the text that carsharing ________.
| A．makes no profit |
| B．remains in popularity |
| C．is against the state law |
| D．is a new business model |
Technology is making life easier for some dairy farmers.They use robotic systems to milk their cows.Cows are trained to follow a series of paths that lead to milking stations.Only one cow at a time can enter a station.
Once inside，the cow is rewarded with food.As the cow eats，a robotic arm cleans and connects the animal to the milking machine.A few minutes later，milking is complete.The gate is opened，the cow is released and the next cow enters.
The robotic systems are designed to operate 24 hours a day.The cows get to decide when they want to be milked.Cows are milked an average of about three times a day.Some are milked four to six times a day.
The cows wear collars around their necks that identify them to the system.A computer keeps records on their eating and milking.A cow is released from the station if the computer decides it should not be milked.
The automated system also measures the temperature and color of freshly produced milk.Milk is thrown away if it does not pass the tests.
Professor Plaut believes the systems will appeal especially to the next generation of farmers.She means young people who are more interested in technology and less interested in working all the time on the farm.Still，she says the price of robotic milking systems will continue to limit their use.
Doug and Tina Suhr have more than 100 cows on their family farm.Last year it became the fourth farm in southeast Minnesota to get a robotic milking system.A recent story in a local agricultural newspaper said the first robot costs 175,000 dollars.The second costs 150,000 dollars.
Doug told AgriNews that wages that would have been paid for one employee in five years will pay for one robot.He says the increase in milk production reaches a high of more than six kilograms per cow per day.From the first paragraph，we can infer ________.
| A．the robotic system is designed to reduce labor |
| B．cows can be raised by robots in the future |
| C．robots direct cows into milking stations |
| D．cows are kept clean by robots on some farms |
Besides milking cows，the robotic system also can ________.
| A．adjust the temperature of milking stations |
| B．judge the quality of fresh milk |
| C．improve the appetite of cows |
| D．keep fresh milk for two weeks |
Why is the robotic system not popular now?
| A．Because young people have no interest in it. |
| B．Because it is difficult to learn how to use it. |
| C．Because people can't afford to buy it. |
| D．Because it usually causes the waste of milk. |
According to Doug，what is the wage of an employee per year?
| A．$150,000～$175,000. |
| B．over $75,000. |
| C．$150,000～$30,000. |
| D．$30,000～$35,000. |
Europe’s deadly outbreak of a rare form of E. coli bacteria (大肠杆菌) has brought new attention to food safety issues. One of the problems when people get sick from food is that the simplest question is often difficult or even impossible to answer. Just what did the people eat that made them sick?
Of course, one way to avoid these medical mysteries is to keep dangerous organisms out of the food supply. This is easier said than done, but scientists keep looking for new ways.
Scientists in the United States have developed an experimental system that uses a high-tech optical scanner. The system is designed to identify the presence of contaminants(致污物) like soil or animal waste on fresh produce. These can be sources of E. coli. E. coli bacteria naturally live in the intestines(肠) of humans and many animals. Most kinds of E. coli are harmless but some can make people sick.
The new scanner can also show damage and imperfections that might make the produce unappealing to shoppers.
Scientists designed the system at a Department of Agriculture research center in Beltsville, Maryland. Moon Kim of the Agricultural Research Service led the team.
MOON KIM: “We were requested, we were asked, to develop a method to detect contamination in produce. So we started with the apple as the model sample.”
The scanner uses a high-speed camera placed over the conveyer belt that moves the produce along. As the apples move along the belt, the scanner captures images of each piece of fruit.
Moon Kim says the team hopes the system will be available before long.
MOON KIM: “We are targeting for development in commercial plants for the next several years.”
The scanner can direct a sorting machine to separate the bad apples from the good ones. The system is currently able to show the surface of only half the apple as it speeds by. The inventers hope to improve the process so it can show the whole surface.What is the main topic of the text?
| A．Bacteria. | B．A high-tech scanner. | C．A camera | D．Food safety. |
E. coli bacteria ______.
| A．broke out all over the world | B．comes from soil or animal waste |
| C．is extremely harmful to health | D．does not cause illness |
The high-tech scanner ______.
| A．can help to sort out different fruits |
| B．make the produce appeal to shoppers |
| C．can only capture images of the whole apple |
| D．can identify the presence of contaminants |
What can be inferred from the text?
| A．The scanner needs to be improved. |
| B．The scanner will be available in the next several years. |
| C．Moon Kim is unwilling to develop the scanner. |
| D．The scanner is connected to a sorting machine. |
Until the 1980s, the American homeless population is mainly made up of older males. Today, homelessness strikes much younger part of society. In fact, a 25-city survey by the U. S. Conference of Mayors in 1987 found that families with children make up the fastest growing part of the homeless population. Many homeless children gather in inner cities; this transient(变化无常的) and frequently frightened student population creates additional problems — both legal and educational — for already overburdened urban school administrators and teachers.
Estimates of the number of homeless Americans range from 350,000 to three million. Likewise, estimates of the number of homeless school children vary radically. A U.S. Department of Education report, based on state estimates, states that there are 220,000 homeless school-age children, about a third of whom do not attend school on a regular basis. But the National Coalition for the Homeless estimates that there are at least two times as many homeless children, and that less than half of them attend school regularly.
One part of the homeless population that is particularly difficult to count consists of the “throwaway” youths who have been cast of their homes. The Elementary School Center in New York City estimates that there are 1.5 million of them, many of whom are not treated as children because they do not stay in family shelters and tend to live by themselves on the streets.
Federal law, the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act of 1987, includes a section that addresses the educational needs of homeless children. The educational provisions（规定） of the McKinney Act are based on the belief that all homeless children have the right to a free, appropriate education.It is implied in the first paragraph that ____.
| A．the writer himself is homeless, even in his eighties |
| B．many older homeless residents are going on strike in 25 cities |
| C．there is a serious shortage of academic facilities |
| D．homeless children are denied the opportunity of receiving free education |
The National Coalition for the homeless believes that the number of homeless children is _____.
| A．350,000 | B．1,500,000 | C．440,000 | D．110,000 |
One part of the homeless population is difficult to estimate. The reason might well be ____.
| A．the homeless children are too young to be treated as children |
| B．the homeless population is growing rapidly |
| C．the homeless children usually stay outside school |
| D．some homeless children are deserted by their families |
The McKinney Act is mentioned in this passage in order to show that ___.
| A．the educational problems of homeless children are being recognized |
| B．the estimates on homeless children are hard to determine |
| C．the address of grade-school children should be located |
| D．all homeless people should have free education |