The thing is，my luck’s always been ruined． Just look at my name: Jean．Not Jean Marie，or Jeanine，or Jeanette，or even Jeanne．Just Jean．Did you know in France，they name boys Jean? It’s French for John．And okay，I don’t live in France．But still，I’m basically a girl named John．If I lived in France，anyway．
This is the kind of luck I’ve had since before Mom even filled out my birth certificate．So it wasn’t any big surprise to me when the cab driver didn’t help me with my suitcase．I’d already had to tolerate arriving at the airport to find no one there to greet me，and then got no answer to my many phone calls，asking where my aunt and uncle were．Did they not want me after all? Had they changed their minds? Had they heard about my bad luck—all the way from Iowa—and decided they didn’t want any of it to rub off on them?
So when the cab driver，instead of getting out and helping me with my bags，just pushed a little button so that the trunk (汽车后备箱) popped open a few inches，it wasn’t the worst thing that had ever happened to me．It wasn’t even the worst thing that had happened to me that day．
According to my mom，most brownstones in New York City were originally single-family homes when they were built way back in the 1800s．But now they’ve been divided up into apartments，so that there’s one—or sometimes even two or more families—per floor．
Not Mom’s sister Evelyn’s brownstone，though．Aunt Evelyn and Uncle Ted Gardiner own all four floors of their brownstone．That’s practically one floor per person，since Aunt Evelyn and Uncle Ted only have three kids，my cousins Tory，Teddy，and Alice．
Back home，we just have two floors，but there are seven people living on them．And only one bathroom．Not that I’m complaining．Still，ever since my sister Courtney discovered blow-outs，it’s been pretty frightful at home．
But as tall as my aunt and uncle’s house was，it was really narrow—just three windows across．Still，it was a very pretty townhouse，painted gray．The door was a bright，cheerful yellow．There were yellow flower boxes along the base of each window，flower boxes from which bright red—and obviously newly planted，since it was only the middle of April，and not quite warm enough for them．
It was nice to know that，even in a sophisticated (世故的) city like New York，people still realized how homey and welcoming a box of flowers could be．The sight of those flowers cheered me up a little．
Like maybe Aunt Evelyn and Uncle Ted just forgot I was arriving today，and hadn’t deliberately failed to meet me at the airport because they’d changed their minds about letting me come to stay．
Like everything was going to be all right，after all．
Yeah．With my luck，probably not．
I started up the steps to the front door of 326 East Sixty-Ninth Street，then realized I couldn’t make it with both bags and my violin．Leaving one bag on the sidewalk，I dragged the other up the steps with me．Maybe I took the steps a little too fast，since I nearly tripped and fell flat on my face on the sidewalk．I managed to catch myself at the last moment by grabbing some of the fence the gardeners had put up…Why did the author go to New York?
| A．She intended to go sightseeing there． |
| B．She meant to stay with her aunt’s family． |
| C．She was homeless and adopted by her aunt. |
| D．She wanted to try her luck and find a job there． |
According to the author，some facts account for her bad luck EXCEPT that ________．
| A．she was given a boy’s name in French |
| B．the cab driver didn’t help her with her bags |
| C．her sister Courtney discovered blow-outs |
| D．nobody had come to meet her at the airport |
The underlined phrase “rub off on” in Paragraph 3 probably means _________.
| A．have an effect on |
| B．play tricks on |
| C．put pressure on |
| D．throw doubt on |
From the passage，we can know that _________．
| A．the author left home without informing her mother |
| B．the author arrived in New York in a very warm season |
| C．her aunt’s family lived a much better life than her own |
| D．her aunt and uncle were likely to forget about her arrival |
The quality of water supply in southern Beijing has been improving in recent years, an official said.
In addition to improvements in the network of pipes, the government has been upgrading three recycled water plants in the south of the capital, said Zhao Lei, spokesman for the Beijing Municipal Commission of Development and Reform.
"The transformation of the three plants has increased the recycled water processing capacity by 160,000 cubic meters per day," he said.
In addition, the city is also speeding up the construction of sewage treatment plants to further recycle the sewage, Zhao said.
Zhang Xiang, a researcher from Nature University, an environmental protection NGO in Beijing, said recycled water use should be promoted, especially in water-scarce cities such as Beijing.
Setting up more recycled water plants in the capital will not only promote efficient water use, but also reduce costs because recycling water is much cheaper than transferring it over long distances, he said.
According to the Beijing Water Authority, the capital will set up 46 more recycled water plants citywide in the next three years while upgrading 20 sewage treatment plants.
The treatment rate of domestic sewage in downtown Beijing will reach 98 percent by the end of 2015, it said.
The capital's recycled water is mainly used for industry, landscaping and cleaning, Zhang said.
Many new communities in southern Beijing are equipped with a network to recycle water.
In the past, people were not enthusiastic about using recycled water. However, as the government has boosted the quality of recycled water and set up more recycled water plants, more residents are gradually accepting it.
Residents in southern Beijing will also enjoy more clean energy, as the government will replace traditional coal-burning stoves with electric radiators as part of a three-year plan to develop southern Beijing from 2013 to 2015.
Since 2010, Beijing has taken measures to develop its southern areas. Earlier efforts have seen the region, which used to rely heavily on low-end industries such as cement factories and small coal mines, being turned into a bustling commercial center and home to many educational institutions.This passage may appear in ________ section.
| A．business | B．life | C．politics | D．forum |
which statement is true according to the passage
| A．Recycled water will be mainly used for drink. |
| B．As usual, recycled water is accepted by people. |
| C．Traditionally people in southern Beijing use coal-burning stove for cooking. |
| D．The water Transferred over long distance is cheaper than recycled water. |
How many recycled water plants will the capital city have in about 3 years?
| A．46. | B．20 | C．3 | D． 49 |
What does the last paragraph mainly tell us?
| A．Southern area in Beijing has taken on a new look. |
| B．The southern area is hone to many educational institutions |
| C．Southern area in Beijing is more beautiful now. |
| D．Southern area in Beijing is a busy place now . |
Which is the best title for the passage?
| A．Beijing government has taken measures to improve its people`s life. |
| B．Recycled water flows to southern Beijing. |
| C．More recycled water plants will be built. |
| D．The southern Beijing residents will enjoy clean water |
BEIJING - China's railway rates for freight and passenger transport will continue to be set by the government, announced a senior official with the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), China's top economic planner, on Friday.
Cao Changqing, head of the NDRC's department of price, said that the country will continue to implement government-set or government-guided prices for the railway sector after the China Railway Corporation (CRC), a State-owned company that takes over the commercial functions of the former Ministry of Railways (MOR), went into business on March 17.
Cao said the railway sector, constituting China's main public transport facilities, is a key basic industry. Its pricing scheme is concerned with both the sector's normal operation and development, as well as the daily traveling and vital interests of the general public.
The state will be very cautious in making any price adjustment in the railway sector, taking into account various factors including operation, construction, public acceptance and coordinated development with other modes of transport, according to the NDRC official.
Under Chinese law and regulations, hearings will be held before adjustments in the basic passenger train ticket fare, Cao said.
In China's latest railway reform, endorsed at the just-concluded annual session of the country's top legislature, the former MOR was dismantled into two parts, with the newly created CRC carrying out business functions and a state railways administration fulfilling administrative functions.What does this passage mainly talk about?
| A．China’s railway pricing scheme unchanged |
| B．A State-owned company takes over the commercial functions of MOR. |
| C．China’s latest railway reform |
| D．The former MOR was divided into two parts |
What does Cao mean according to the passage?
| A．There will be adjustment in the basic passenger train ticket |
| B．China’s railway rate for passenger will not be changed forever |
| C．Hearing will be held before adjustment of railway price |
| D．The price adjustment are being considered |
What can we infer from the fourth paragraph?
| A．The public will be very curious about the price adjustment |
| B．Various factors are taken into account by the state before adjustment |
| C．Public acceptance is the most important factor |
| D．NDRC should coordinate railway development with other modes of transport |
Why will hearings be held before adjustments in the basic passenger train ticket fare?
| A．The public request it |
| B．Under Chinese laws and regulations |
| C．According to the order from leaders |
| D．Because it will cause a lot of problem |
We would most probably read this passage on the newspaper about________
| A．News | B．Entertainment | C．Society | D．Financial |
All it took was a slice of Xinjiang cake to spark heated debates online over China's policy on ethnic（民族的）minorities .
Since Monday,qiegao(cut cake) has been a trending topic on Sina Weibo, China’s main Twitter-like microblogging service.
The cake was a reference to Xinjiang’s famed nut cake, sometimes known by its old Turkic name baklava, a popular pastry across Central Asia and the Middle East. In Xinjiang, they are sold by Uygur vendors（小贩）on tricycles who are known to charge dubious prices depending on the time and season.
The ethnic flare-up started after the Yueyang police from Hunan province posted a message on their official Weibo account. It reported a dispute in Pingjiang countyover an overpriced piece of nut cake between a Xinjiang Uygur vendor and a villager named "Ling".
Villager Ling got into a fight with a Uygur due to a misunderstanding. The verbal dispute eventually escalated into a fight and then a mass fight. As a result, two people were injured and Xinjiang nut cakes worth about 160,000 yuan (US$25,000) were destroyed. The total damage was worth 200,000 yuan which included a broken motorcycle and injuries to people. Local police have detained（扣留） Ling. The 16 Uygur sellers were dully compensated and sent back to Xinjiang.
"Yueyang police incident" quickly became one of the most popular topics on Weibo. Yueyang police removed the post shortly after. As of Tuesday night, the topic was still amassing more than 66,000 hits.
The incident is just one of many similar cases of ethnic tensions across China, notably in Xinjiang province, where deeply entrenched social and racial frictions between the dominant ethnic Han Chinese and minority Uygur Muslims occasionally spark violence. Many Uygurs living in major Chinese cities are viewed by locals as thieves, crooks and even terrorists.Which of the following is true?
| A．The dispute is between a Xinjiang Uygur vendor and a policeman. |
| B．Nut cake is a popular pastry across East Asia and the Middle East. |
| C．The prices of Baklava will change according to the time and season. |
| D．The demand of the 16 Uygur sellers were refused and they were sent back to Xinjiang. |
How much did the broken motorcycle cost？
| A．160,000 yuan | B．200,000 yuan |
| C．40，000yuan | D．We don’t know |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．World's most expensive baklava. |
| B．Ethnic tensions across China. |
| C．Pay attention to the Uygurs |
| D．Misunderstanding caused by a fight |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Yueyang police are afraid of the Xinjiang Uygur vendor |
| B．It’s not the only ethnic tension across China, |
| C．Many Uygurs living in major Chinese cities are viewed by locals as thieves, crooks and even terrorists. |
| D．Villager Ling got into a fight with a Uygur due to a misunderstanding. |
Where is this passage probably from?
| A．Microblogging. | B．Textbook. |
| C．Newspaper. | D．Article. |
Most of the time, we choose colors for decorating based on our personal taste and our sense of aesthetics (审美学). But, a number of color experts believe that colors have an effect on our emotions and that it would be wise of us to be conscious of that before settling on a definite choice.
Some of the effects of colors are well known and accepted by most people. In fact, those effects have been the subject of serious research and experiments and have been scientifically proven. But not all scientists agree on the validity (正确性) of the results.
When we become interested in the psychological effects of colors, it is important to know that not all societies share our opinion of those effects on our emotions. What we hold as an "objective" observation on a color is often nothing more than a reflection of our cultural belongingness, which has attributed properties to that color for generations.
Why is it not possible for us to hold a really objective discourse(论述)on the subject? In part, because it is very difficult to separate the psychological from the symbolic, the symbolic aspects are definitely cultural. Often, and this without our realizing it, they influence our understanding of colors and the following emotions - both psychological aspects. Black and white are good examples. In western countries, black is considered serious, dramatic and sometimes sad. People are warned against its potentially depressing effects on decoration. Black is the traditional color of mourning. White, on the other hand, is associated with purity, peace and optimism. For those reasons, white is the traditional color of bridal dresses. No one would think of attending a funeral in white. Any more than it would occur to a bride to wear black. We simply remain convinced that it is not in the "nature" of those colors. Yet, in certain oriental countries, it is white, not black that is the color of mourning.
That having been said, there is some “overlapping” in the properties different cultures attribute to certain colors. For example, Feng Shui, the traditional Chinese philosophy that distinguishes between good and evil influences explains colors much in the same way as the majority of western color specialists. Is that to say that colors have real natural properties which all humans perceive(感知) in the same way or is the phenomenon an example of the cross-influences that affect the thinking of cultures brought closer to one another by a certain Venetian(威尼斯人) called Marco Polo? It is difficult to say.
But, be that as it may, colors do affect us. And if you feel emotions for a certain color, note them and remember them. You may even wish to consider them next time you are planning to decorate. The decision is yours! Most of the time, we ignore ______ when choosing colors for decoration.
| A．personal taste | B．our aesthetics |
| C．cultural effects | D．psychological effects |
Why is it not possible for us to hold a really objective discourse on the subject?
| A．Because it is often nothing more than a reflection of our cultural belongingness. |
| B．Because the colors have the properties for generations. |
| C．Because it is difficult to separate the psychological from the cultural. |
| D．Because the symbolic aspects influence our perception of colors. |
The italicized word “overlapping” is paragraph 6 is closest in meaning to______
| A．difference | B．conflict | C．sameness | D．agreement |
In western countries, white is ______.
| A．preferred by bridals | B．used in a funerals sometimes |
| C．depressing in decoration | D．pure in its nature |
According to the author, which of the following statements is certain?
| A．Different cultures can have the same properties of colors. |
| B．If you feel emotions for a color, note them and remember them. |
| C．All humans perceive colors’ natural properties in the same way. |
| D．Marco Polo disclosed the psychological effects of colors. |
Ladies and Gentlemen, some strange, wild and wonderful stories colored the news in 2010, you may like them.
● A Copenhagen bus company has put "love seats" on 103 of its buses for people looking for a partner. "Even love at first sight is possible on the bus," said a spokesman for the company to explain the two seats on each bus that are covered in red cloth and a "love seat" sign.
● Shoppers at an international luxury fair in Italy, found a cell-phone-equipped golden coffin（棺材）among the items on display. The phones will help "the dead" contact relatives if they have been buried alive by mistake.
● A man in New York came up with a disarming（手无寸铁的）way to perform his latest bank heist , approaching the clerk’s window with a large bunch of flowers and handing over a note saying “give me the money!”
● An Englishman who lost all his legs and arms in an electrical accident successfully swam across the Channel, a challenge he had been preparing for two years. The whole cost is 400 dollars.
● A set of artificial teeth(假牙) made for Britain's war-time prime minister Winston Churchill known as "the teeth that saved the world" sold for nearly 18,000 pounds (21,500 euros, 24,000 dollars) at auction（拍卖）.
● A British woman caused an Internet hate campaign after she was caught on camera dumping（抛弃）a cat in a rubbish bin. She was fined 250 pounds (400 dollars, 280 euros) after pleading guilty.
● The BBC apologized completely and without any doubts after a radio presenter jokingly announced that Queen Elizabeth II had died.
● Two Australian men needed surgery（手术）after shooting each other in the bottoms during a drinking session to see if it would hurt and they were charged 400 dollars separately.
● A Kuwaiti MP(议员) suggested state-aid for male citizens to take second wives, in an effort to reduce the large number of unmarried women in the oil-rich state.What is special about the coffin in the second news?
| A．It is golden. | B．It has a cell phone. |
| C．It is new. | D．It has many items. |
What is the probable meaning of the underlined word “heist” in the third news?
| A．robbery | B．love | C．discussion | D．repair |
Who has to spend 400 dollars to do the surgery?
| A．A British woman who dumped a cat in a rubbish bin. |
| B．One who bought Winston Churchill’s artificial teeth. |
| C．An Australian man who was shot in bottom to test the hurt. |
| D．An Englishman crossing the Channel without legs and arms. |