Wild weather, unexpected coral reefs and dangerous sea creatures… these are the nightmares (噩梦) you can imagine a teenager on a solo voyage (独自旅行) around the world might suffer from. But for Laura Dekker, sailing around the globe seems less a price to be paid than a prize to be treasured.
As the 19-year-old Dutch sailor said in Maidentrip, a documentary released last year about her experience of becoming the youngest person to sail around the world alone in 2012, “I was born on a boat. I lived my first five years at sea. And ever since, all I have wanted is to return to that life.”
With her yacht Guppy, Dekker began her journey at 14 and sailed 50,004 kilometers in 519 days.
The flying fish keeping her company, the dolphins following in her wake and the warm days spent on deck playing the flute as she watched another unforgettable sunset were enough to make others jealous.
But these didn’t always go well. There were terrible moments in which Dekker feared death. On one occasion, a whale almost turned Guppy over. Another time, she battled extreme winds and Guppy surfed down 8-meter-high waves.
Out on the open sea alone, she also got used to living without a fridge, a flushing toilet, and a hot shower.
“As a human being you don’t need much,” she told Stuff.co.nz. “ They might make life more comfortable, but you really don’t need them to be happy.”
In fact, her outlook on life was shaped by the trip. “I wanted the storms. I wanted the calms. I wanted to feel loneliness,” she told The New York Times. “And now I know all these things. It’s the end of the dream I had as a child, and it’s the beginning of my life as a sailor.”According to the text, in which year did Dekker begin her journey of 50,004 kilometers at sea?
| A．In 2012 | B．In 2010 |
| C．In 2009 | D．In 2011 |
The method the author uses to develop Paragraph 5 is ________.
| A．offering analyses | B．providing explanations |
| C．giving examples | D．making comparisons |
Which of the following can best describe the girl Laura Dekker? _________.
| A．Modest and optimistic | B．Patient and strong |
| C．Brave and generous | D．Brave and determined |
How did Laura Dekker think of her life on the sea?
| A．It was so dangerous and almost ruined her. |
| B．It made her experience happiness and better understand life. |
| C．It is the sailing on the sea that made her well known. |
| D．It brought her great happiness and much comfort. |
I was born in Korea, and my family came over to America when I was 10. I’m the middle child of three girls, and my parents moved so we would experience a different life. They did it for our education and to give us more of a chance than they had. We moved to Staten Island, and I went to the High School of Performing Arts in New York City. My parents were depressed when I told them I wanted to be an actress. My father suggested I try premed(医学预科). But after they saw me in plays they were really proud.
I graduated from Boston University and was doing theater in New York when I got cast in a Korean miniseries(电视连续剧). We started shooting the show in New York, and then went to Korea to finish it up. They said I would be there for three weeks, but it ended up being two months. The miniseries took off, and overnight, I became recognizable. It was sort of like Lost. It blew up. Then amazing projects were offered to me. I kept thinking, “ I’ll do one more and then go back to the US.” I ended up staying for seven years.
Some people described me as the Julia Roberts of Korea, which is a bad comparison because she’s the queen of romantic comedy. I became famous in Korea for a dramatic role in a film called Shiri. I played a “La Femme Nikita” type of role. I was the girl with the gun—all action．The writer’s parents moved to America so as to _________.
| A．offer a good chance to their children. |
| B．receive a good education in performing |
| C．seek a successful life in America |
| D．film a Korean miniseries |
When the writer announced her decision to become an actress, her parents_____.
| A．were both in favor of her | B．felt very ashamed of her |
| C．didn’t agree at first | D．took it for granted |
What is the second paragraph mainly about?
| A．The author’s performing life in America. |
| B．The difficulties of filming abroad. |
| C．The popularity of the miniseries Lost. |
| D．The author’s first performing breakthrough. |
The writer referred to the Julia Roberts of Korea as a bad comparison to show______.
| A．she looked down upon Julia Roberts. |
| B．she disliked to be compared with others |
| C．she had a different style of performing |
| D．she was better at dramatic roles than Julia |
Among various programs, TV talk shows have covered every inch of space on daytime television. And anyone who watches them regularly knows that each one is different in style. But no two shows are more opposite in content, while at the same time standing out above the rest, than the Jerry Springer and Oprah Winfrey shows.
Jerry Springer could easily be considered the king of "rubbish talk". The topics on his show are as surprising as can be. For example, the show takes the ever-common talk show titles of love, sex, cheating, and hate, to a different level. Clearly, the Jerry Springer show is about the dark side of society, yet people are willing to eat up the troubles of other people's lives.
Like Jerry Springer, Oprah Winfrey takes the TV talk show to its top. But Oprah goes in the opposite direction. The show is mainly about the improvement of society and different quality of life. Contents are from teaching your children lessons, managing your work week, to getting to know your neighbors.
Compared to Oprah, the Jerry Springer show looks like poisonous waste being poured into society. Jerry ends every show with a "final word". He makes a small speech about the entire idea of the show. Hopefully, this is the part where most people will learn something very valuable.
Clean as it is, the Oprah show is not for everyone. The show's main audience are middle-class Americans. Most of the people have the time, money and ability to deal with life's tough problems. Jerry Springer, on the other hand, has more of a connection with the young adults of society. These are 18-to 21year-olds whose main troubles in life include love, relationship, sex, money and drug. They are the ones who see some value and lessons to be learned through the show's exploitation.Compared with other TV talk shows, both the Jerry Springer and the Oprah Winfrey shows are ______.
| A．more interesting | B．more detailed |
| C．more formal | D．unusually poplar |
Though the social problems Jerry Springer talks about appear unpleasant, people who watch the shows ______.
| A．are ready to face up to them |
| B．show disbelief in them |
| C．remain cold to them |
| D．are willing to get away from them |
Which of the following is likely to be a topic of the Oprah Winfrey show?
| A．A new type of robot. | B．National hatred. |
| C．Family income planning. | D．Street accident. |
What is the advantage of the Jerry Springer show?
| A．The show exposes the dark sides of society. |
| B．Jerry sums up the whole idea of the show. |
| C．The show pours poisonous waste into society. |
| D．Jerry talks about the improvement of society. |
We can learn from the passage that the two talk shows ____.
| A．have become the only ones of its kind |
| B．exploit the weaknesses in human nature |
| C．appear at different times of the day |
| D．attract different people |
You know how wonderful you are, and you know that others know how wonderful you are, but what do you do when admiration crosses over the line into jealousy? For most teens there will come a day when you realize that one of your friends is jealous and that this jealousy is hurting your friendship. When this happens it can seem like there is nothing that you can do, but the good news is that there is. Don’t let jealousy spoil your relationships. Tackle it head on and you might be back to normal much sooner than you think.
It can be hard to walk up to a friend and ask them what the problem is, but if you want to save your friendship you’ll have to do just that. Don’t approach them and ask why they are jealous of you (unless of course you want to appear totally conceited), just take some time alone with them and let them know that you’ve been feeling like there’s been something coming between you. If they refuse to respond, then use the opportunity to explain how you have been feeling. Chances are that something you say will strike a nerve and your friend will open up as well.
When you figure out what is annoying your friend, ask him or her what (s)he thinks would make the situation better. If, for example, (s)he says that (s)he feels like (s)he doesn’t get to spend any time with you because of your being off with your new friends from the swim team then maybe you could invite her along the next time or block off one day a week for just the two of you. Remember, though, that whatever solution you decide on should be a compromise. Don’t limit your own talents or opportunities simply because your friend is unhappy. Try instead to include him or her in your new life and see how that works out.
Even the best of friendships can be tinged by jealousy. This destructive emotion is rarely productive and can turn best friends into worst enemies. Before taking extreme action, chat with your jealous friend to see if the two of you can work out a compromise. If you can’t, be prepared to know exactly how far you will go to keep your friend and how far you won’t.According to the author, the jealousy emotion is________.
| A．normal | B．destructive |
| C．productive | D．extreme |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a way to confront your friend when jealousy happens?
| A．Spending some time with him/her and letting him/her know you think there’s something between you. |
| B．Spending some time with him/her and letting him/her know how you feel. |
| C．Walking up to him/her and asking him/her what the problem is. |
| D．Walking up to him/her and asking him/her why he/she is jealous of you. |
The underlined “it” in the first paragraph refers to________.
| A．friendship | B．relationship |
| C．jealousy | D．admiration |
What can be inferred from the last two paragraphs?
| A．Jealousy can turn best friends into worst enemies. |
| B．There’s always a solution to solve the problem of jealousy. |
| C．You should go a long way with your friend to work out a solution |
| D．You may lose a friend to keep your own gifts, chances or self development. |
The purpose of the passage is________.
| A．to explain what causes jealousy |
| B．to offer some advice on making friends |
| C．to introduce the way to cope with a jealous friend |
| D．to explain how destructive the jealous emotion is |
I was thirteen when my father got hurt. Looking back over the years, I sometimes wonder what I could have done differently that day. Spit twice over my shoulder when I saw the single magpie (喜鹊), maybe. But that's the thing about superstitions (迷信). You don't know how much power they have until you break them.
We lived in a dark shabby house in Bucks. Wood blocks laid over dirt on the floor. That part of England was full of cherry trees. Chalky soil．
The rice had caught in the bottom of the pot that morning at breakfast and all I could smell was burned rice. Even now when I think of that day I have the taste of burned rice in my mouth.
"I'm going to cut down the old cherry tree," my father announced.
"You've been saying that for years," said my mother lightly touching the end of her nose. Her nose ran all year long. Her arms rested on the table, a cup of tea placed between her hands, steam rising into the air. "You'll never get round to it. "
My stomach, balled into a tight little knot (结) relaxed itself．
"Millie's going to cry if you cut it down," said my younger brother, Simon, his eyes bright as a fox. "Silly Millie, silly Millie."
"Hold your noise," said my father patting Simon on the head. "And put back that butter. That's a week's ration (限额) you've got on your plate. "
"The war's over," said Simon in a low voice." We haven't had rationing for ages." Simon was right. Even sugar had come off points. However, we still occasionally received food parcels from distant cousins in Canada.
My father glared at him and then went on.
"Pigs. Burt says he'll come and help me take the tree down if he can have some of the wood."
"No," I said springing to my feet." You can't do it. That's my tree. Always has been. Always will be. I won't let you."
Tom, took a piece of toast, watching my reaction. My older brother, he knew what the tree meant to me．
"Now then, Millie," said my father softening his face. "That tree's wild. It's in the way."The magpie is mentioned to show that _____.
| A．Millie got much power on seeing the bird |
| B．things seemed to go wrong from the beginning |
| C．the bird caused Father's getting hurt that day |
| D．but for the bird Millie would have done differently |
According to the passage, how many kids does the family have at least?
| A．6. | B．5. | C．4. | D．3. |
By saying "balled into a tight little knot", the author means that Millie _____.
| A．had a terrible stomachache that morning |
| B．felt like crying on hearing her brother's words |
| C．was afraid of her cherry tree being cut down |
| D．hated to hear her mother saying that way |
From the passage, we can infer that _____.
| A．there were already plenty of food supplies |
| B．Mother showed little interest in the cherry tree |
| C．the tree was a great danger to people walking by |
| D．the tree was finally cut down by father that day |
When the author calls up the day, she feels _____.
| A．regretful | B．joyful |
| C．thankful | D．Painful |
The poaching，or illegal killing，of rhinos(犀牛) in South Africa is growing worse each year．The government recently reported that a record number of rhinos were poached in 2014，a year which had more rhino killings in South Africa than ever before．
The World Wildlife Fund，or WWF，says about 20，000 rhinos live in South Africa．That is more than 80 percent of the rhinos in the world．Edna Molewa，South Africa’s environmental issues minister，says，“During 2014，we are sad to say this，1，215 rhinos were killed．This is a rise in the number of poached rhinos from 1004 in 2013 and indeed very worrying．”
The animals are hunted for their horns(犀牛角)．Many people in Asia believe the horn has curing power，which drives poachers，at all costs，mad for more horns．But there is no scientific evidence for this belief．The horn is made of keratin．That is the same thing as human hair， fingernails and toenails．
Ms．Mo1ewa said 386 suspected poachers were arrested last year，an increase from the year before．But rhino protection workers say poachers often go unpunished after arrest．South Africa’s legal system is ineffective．Ms．Molewa said more needs to be done and South Africa is taking strong measures to protect rhinos．The efforts include moving some of the animals to secret places in neighboring countries．“Now approximately 100 rhinos have been moved to neighboring states in the SADC region during 2014 and 200 more rhinos will be moved this year”Molewa said．
Jo Shaw，the rhino program manager at the WWF，said，“we’re talking about a loss of a hundred rhinos a month．Or more than three a day．We really need to see effective action not just at a national level but internationally．”She says officials should find the criminal groups responsible for the poaching and punish them．Government officials are to meet in Botswana in March at the Inter-governmental Conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade．
What do we know about rhinos?
| A．Half of the rhinos live in South Africa． |
| B．Less than 1，000 rhinos were killed in 2013． |
| C．The killing reached the highest point in 2014． |
| D．There are only 20，000 rhinos left in the world． |
What is the main reason for people to hunt rhinos?
| A．To get more keratin． |
| B．To protect the farmland． |
| C．To use them for decoration． |
| D．To make money from horns． |
Jo Shaw thinks that_________．
| A．many criminal groups are well organized |
| B．new laws are needed to punish the killers |
| C．rhino protection needs international cooperation |
| D．conferences about protecting rhinos are to be held every year |
What can we infer from the text?
| A．Rhino protection has a long way to go． |
| B．No one would like to buy horns in the future． |
| C．The illegal killing of rhinos will soon disappear． |
| D．Rhinos living in South Africa will move to other countries． |