If Confucius(孔子) were alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake, there would be a lot of candles. He’d need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out.
While many people in China remember Confucius on his special day, few people in the United States will give him a passing thought. It’s nothing personal. Most Americans don’t even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes.
But that doesn’t mean that Americans don’t care about Confucius. In many ways he has become a bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China.
In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities. More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries. These schools teach both Chinese language and culture. The main courses of Chinese culture usually include Chinese art, history and philosophy(哲学). Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantage of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up the drawbacks of Western philosophy. Students in the United States, at the same time, are racing to learn Chinese. So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States. Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers.
So the old thinker’s ideas are still alive and well.
Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West.
As for the old thinker, he will not be forgotten by people in the West, even if his birthday is.The opening paragraph is mainly intended to _______.
| A．attract the readers’ interest in the subject |
| B．provide some key facts about Confucius |
| C．show great respect for the ancient thinker |
| D．prove the popularity of modern birthday celebrations |
We can learn from Paragraph 4 that American students _______.
| A．take an active part in Chinese competitions |
| B．try to get high scores in Chinese exams |
| C．fight for a chance to learn Chinese |
| D．have a great passion in studying Chinese |
What is the best title for this passage?
| A．Forgotten Wisdom in America. |
| B．Huge Fans of the Chinese Language. |
| C．Old Thinker with a Big Future. |
| D．Chinese Culture for Westerners. |
The passage is likely to appear in ______.
| A．a biography | B．a history paper |
| C．a newspaper | D．a philosophy textbook |
Your glasses may someday replace your smartphone, and some New Yorkers are ready for the change. Some in the city can't wait to try them on and use the maps and GPS that the eyewear is likely to include.
" I'd use it if I were hanging out with friends at 3 a. m. and going to the bar and wanted to see what was open," said Walter Choo, 40, of Fort Greene.
The smartphone-like glasses will likely come out this year and cost between $250 and $600, the Times said, possibly including a variation of augmented(增强的) reality, a technology already available on smartphones and tablets (平板电脑) that overlays information onto the screen about one's surroundings. So, for example, if you were walking down a street, indicators would pop up showing you the nearest coffee shop or directions could come into view right on the sidewalk in front of you.
"As far as a mainstream consumer product, this just isn't something anybody needs," said Sam Biddle, who writes for Gizmodo.com. " We're used to having one thing in our pocket to do all these things," he added, "and the average consumer isn't gonna be able to afford another device (装置) that's hundreds and hundreds of dollars. "[
Google publisher Seth Weintraub, who has been reporting on the smartphone-like glasses since late last year, said he is confident that this type of wearable device will eventually be as common as smartphones. "It's just like smartphones 10 years ago," Weintraub said. "A few people started getting emails on their phones, and people thought that was crazy. Same kind of thing. We see people bending their heads to look at their smartphones, and it's unnatural," he said. "There's gonna be improvements to that, and this a step there. " One of the possible functions of the smartphone-like glasses is to ____.
| A．program the opening hours of a bar |
| B．supply you with a picture of the future |
| C．provide information about your surroundings |
| D．update the maps and GPS in your smartphones |
The underlined phrase "pop up" in the third paragraph probably means " ____".
| A．develop rapidly | B．get round quickly |
| C．appear immediately | D．go over automatically |
According to Sam Biddle, the smartphone-like glasses are ____.
| A．necessary for teenagers |
| B．attractive to New Yorkers |
| C．available to people worldwide |
| D．expensive for average consumers |
We can learn from the last two paragraphs that the smartphone-like glasses ____.
| A．may have a potential market |
| B．are as common as smartphones |
| C．are popular among young adults |
| D．will be improved by a new technology |
Dear Sharon Draper,
A lot of books have flashes of insight, but only few of them can open the readers’ mind and make them realize something new. Your book, Out of My Mind, filled me with those sparks. I enjoyed getting to know Melody. Despite the fact that she had cerebral palsy(脑瘫)，Melody had an amazing character that shone brightly. Out of My Mind helped me learn a life-long lesson.
Your book has changed my point of view. I never teased those who had special needs, but I never really felt comfortable around them either. When I started reading your novel, I saw how Melody was a smart and talented girl. At the beginning of the book, I asked myself, “Would I be Melody’s friend?” The voice in my stomach told me the sad truth: no. I carried on with your book from start to finish, and when I closed it, I asked myself the same question, “Would I be Melody’s friend?” I realized, with a smile, that the answer was right in front of me. Throughout Out of My Mind, I had become Melody’s friend.
Last year, there was a boy in my class who had Asperger’s syndrome(阿斯伯格综合症). I didn’t really know him; he just seemed different to me. This was around the time that I read your novel. Melody showed me how she was just as good as anyone else in her classroom and how the same goes for anyone else with disabilities. The boy in my class amazed me by what he was capable of doing. As the days went by, I started helping him instead of avoiding him.
Melody opened my eyes and cleared the world around me. She showed me how a girl with cerebral palsy was the same as a girl like me. Now it is time for me to thank you for writing this amazing novel. I will never forget your fantastic book.
Sincerely,
Margaret LimBefore Margaret Lim read Out of My Mind, she ________.
| A．often laughed at those who are disabled |
| B．liked to help those who had special needs |
| C．wouldn’t make friends with the disabled |
| D．looked down upon those who are different |
According to the passage, the author mainly thinks Out of My Mind is ________.
| A．beautiful in words |
| B．influential to readers |
| C．skillful at writing |
| D．successful in sales |
What does the second paragraph mainly talk about?
| A．The characters of a disabled girl. |
| B．The change of Margaret’s attitude toward the disabled. |
| C．The friendship between Margaret and Melody. |
| D．The main content of Out of My Mind. |
What can we learn from the third paragraph?
| A．Melody became Margaret Lim’s classmate and they became good friends. |
| B．The boy who had Asperger’s syndrome was different from his classmates. |
| C．The disabled can deal with many things as well as the healthy people. |
| D．Margaret Lim often helped the disabled boy since they became classmates. |
Standing desks have become common across Silicon Valley, offering health benefits to those willing to work on their feet. However, due to their high price, they have failed to catch on until now. Recently, Ikea has brought out Bekant convertible（可改变的）standing desk that can become a normal desk at the touch of a button. The $500 adjustable desk can transform from a standard desk to a standing one, and Ikea hopes it could make the standing desk mainstream.
Experts say that changing from a seated to a standing desk can improve productivity. Similar desks have become a common sight at tech firms such as Google, where some employees have even installed treadmill (跑步机)and bicycle desks.
The desk is not the first “convertible” on the market. As early as 2013, Stir Kinect brought out an adjustable desk. The $3,890 Stir Kinect desk has a motor to raise and lower itself, converting it into a standing desk or a traditional desk. The desk can even be programmed to move up and down slightly, making it appear to take a gentle breath to remind the user to change their position. To move between sitting and standing positions, owners simply double tap on the screen. The desk can learn the user’s preferences over time and suggest the best seating position.
The Stir Kinect desk was created by a team of ex-Apple and Disney engineers. It has a built-in touch screen to control and track movement, and can tell users exactly how many calories they burn by standing during their working day. It also has devices containing power points and USB ports for charging phones, to keep cables hidden.
“Ikea’s height adjustable desk is great for opening up the lower end of the market, ’’ said JP Labrosse, founder and CEO of Stir.What is the text mainly about?
| A．Ikea has brought out an adjustable standing desk. |
| B．Silicon Valley offered health benefits to officials. |
| C．Google formed their tech firms to design bicycle desks. |
| D．The Stir Kinect desk will become mainstream in the market： |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?
| A．Before Bekant desk, similar adjustable desks have been widely used. |
| B．The seated desks will take the place of the standing desks in the future. |
| C．Compared to the Stir Kinect desk, the Bekant desk is much cheaper. |
| D．The adjustable desks were designed by the Apple and Disney Company. |
The Stir Kinect desk______.
| A．can breathe in and breathe out by pressing the button once. |
| B．can charge phones by using a device containing power point. |
| C．can tell you how many calories you need for a walk |
| D．can advise you to do more exercise at a proper time |
What can we infer from the last sentence given by JP Labrosse that______.
| A．Ikea’s adjustable desk will be popular with average people. |
| B．Ikea will have to sell furniture at a lower price in the future. |
| C．This height adjustable table can only be found in Ikea. |
| D．It is not necessary for Ikea to open up the market at all. |
Have you ever had a doctor write you a prescription(处方) for three laps around a local trail（小径）? How about a prescription for sit-ups?
These treatments may not be as typical as the drugs that are usually used to treat our problems, but maybe they should be: a new report shows that regular exercise can be just as effective as prescription drugs for patients with depression and anxiety.
“Individuals who exercise report fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression, and lower levels of stress and anger, “ said the paper’s co-author, Jasper Smith, director of the Anxiety Research and Treatment Program at Southern Methodist University. “ Exercise may help patients with depression re-establish positive behaviors. For patients with anxiety disorders, exercise reduces their fears of fear and related bodily sensations such as a racing heart and rapid breathing.”
In a separate study, published in Physical Therapy journal, scientists studied 161 women who’ d recently given birth to babies, and decided them into two groups. New mothers tend to develop post-partum depression(产后抑郁), and the scientists wanted to find out whether exercise could prevent such problems. One group of women was given specialized exercises as part of an eight-week parenting education program, while the other was given only written education. The physical element seemed to do the trick; the researchers report that the number of women identified as “at risk” for post-partum depression was reduced by half in the exercising group.
Another recent study shows that even when a patient has a chronic illness like cancer or a heart condition, regular exercise can dramatically increase wellbeing by reducing anxiety. Researchers from University of Georgia analyzed 40 clinical trials involving almost 3,000 patients, and found that the patients who reported exercising regularly had a 20% reduction in symptoms of anxiety compared to those who didn’t exercise. As a result, they were more likely to follow their recommended treatment plan.
Of course, there are still some situations where prescription drugs are necessary, and we recommend you leave it to your doctor to determine when that may be. But in many cases, the best medicine may simply be to get up off the couch and go for a walk.Which of the following is the common method to treat depression and anxiety?
| A．Drug. | B．Exercise | C．Run. | D．walk |
Why does the writer mention another two studies?
| A．To compare the two studies to find their similarities. |
| B．To prove the theory: regular exercise can reduce people’s depression and anxiety. |
| C．To compare Jasper Smith’s study with the two ones. |
| D．To help those suffering from depression and anxiety get rid of them. |
What is the text mainly about?
| A．Why should we take more exercise? |
| B．Several studies about the problem of depression and anxiety. |
| C．Regular exercise can reduce the symptoms of depression and anxiety. |
| D．The relationship between regular exercise and physical health. |
A murder will occur this weekend in the peaceful seaside town of Langley, Washington. In fact, a murder has occurred there every February for the past 25 years. But don’t panic! It’s all part of the town’s yearly Mystery Weekend.
What began as a local event in 1984 now attracts visitors from over the U.S. and even abroad. Would-be detectives（侦探）arrive and check in at the visitor center on Saturday. There, they receive a packet, including a newspaper with details about the crime and information telling where to find clues（线索）. Participants then travel to various shops, restaurants and other downtown locations, picking up clues as they go. Along the way, they encounter and interview suspects played by local townspeople. Most Langley residents participate in some way in the Mystery Weekend, a true community（社区）event.
Amateur detectives have until Sunday at 4:00 p.m. to solve the crime and turn in their guesses. Then as everyone gathers, the murderer is found and arrested, and prizes are awarded for correct answers. It’s the perfect ending for a murder mystery and enormous fun for those who get to play detective.
For visitors, Mystery Weekend is not only fun but also a great introduction to the charms of Langley. It’s a very attractive community with historic buildings, exciting ocean views and above all, friendly people. Since Langley is on an island, a fun way to get there is by taking a car ferry to the nearby town of Clinton and then driving the rest of the way. Langley has a delightful selection of inns with bed and breakfasts that are open all year round. And activities in Langley aren’t limited to Mystery Weekend. There is also great hiking, biking, golfing and diving to enjoy. And for a special adventure, visitors can book on one of the whale – watching ships that leave nearby harbors each day.The second paragraph mainly tells us ________.
| A．where participants can pick up the clues |
| B．how the detectives try to clear up the case |
| C．when Mystery Weekend came into being |
| D．what people do during Mystery Weekend |
How can you get to Clinton according to the passage?
| A．By car. | B．By train. | C．By boat. | D．By plane. |
According to the passage, visitors in Langley can _____.
| A．book B& B inns open throughout the year to their own taste |
| B．take a ferry to Clinton for a special adventure |
| C．enjoy a wide variety of recreation like dancing and singing |
| D．feel secure to watch whales performing |
We learn from the text that Mystery Weekend_____ .
| A．aims to decrease crime rate |
| B．is an annual local event |
| C．is intended for detectives |
| D．offers visitors a chance to make money |