What kind of pets do people have in your country? Dogs? Cats? How about a duck, hippo or lion? Here are two cases of animal owners with unusual pets.
Barrie Hayman has a pet duck called Star. Barrie adopted (领养) him after his brothers and sisters stayed away from him at birth. Barrie, a duck breeder, realized the little duck needed special attention. So he began taking Star with him everywhere he went. “I would put him in my pocket while I did my shopping,” said Barrie. Now, at five months, Star is too big for Barrie’s pocket, but the two are still inseparable. They watch sports together and even share a drink together. Barrie said, “He is one fantastic duck. I’ve never known any like him.” Star even has his own Facebook page, with more than 2,000 Facebook friends.
Then there’s the case of Tonie and Shirley Joubert in South Africa. They live with their pet hippo, Jessica. Tonie saved Jessica from floodwaters when she was only a day old. Jessica lives outside their riverside house, but she knows how to open the kitchen door, and often goes there for a snack. Tonie recently said, “I don’t know whether Jessica sees me as a hippo or whether she sees herself as a human.” Shirley is more certain, “Jessica sees herself as our child and I see Jessica as my daughter. I can’t imagine my life without Jessica.” Jessica is free to leave, and often visits wild hippos that live nearby. But she always returns home at night. Jessica’s website notes that she has three hippo boyfriends, but one in particular, Fred, is her favorite. They often go grazing (吃青草) together and Fred has recently moved onto the Jouberts’ house as well.
What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．Some websites are set up to protect pets. |
| B．Some unusual pets are adopted by people. |
| C．People should take good care of their pets. |
| D．Pets sometimes can be very interesting. |
What does the underlined word “inseparable” in Paragraph 2 mean?
| A．Always together. | B．Always separated. |
| C．Always friendly. | D．Always healthy. |
Barrie took Star everywhere he went because .
| A．he had never seen a duck like Star |
| B．he set up a Facebook page for Star |
| C．he wanted to care more about Star |
| D．he needed Star to drink with him |
We can learn from the passage that Jessica .
| A．came to the Jouberts’ home when she was 5 months old |
| B．loves eating in the Jouberts’ kitchen |
| C．doesn’t see herself as a human being |
| D．has more than three boyfriends |
If you are having trouble falling asleep, you are in good company. About 65% of Americans said they have sleeping problems a few nights each week, according to a recent study by the National Sleep Foundation. Sleeping too little can lead to a higher risk of becoming fat and getting depressed(沮丧的). But before you go to a doctor for advice, you’d better examine your sleeping habits one more time. Some of your favorite evening habits may have something to do with the sleeping problems.
1. Setting a Bright Alarm Clock.
The light of your bright alarm clock can prevent you from falling asleep. You can make your room as dark as possible. Cover the bright numbers with a book or consider buying a small travel clock. Your cellphone alarm may also do the trick.
2. Counting Sheep
When you just can’t fall asleep, it’s useless to stay in bed to count sheep. If you’ve been trying to fall asleep for more than 30 minutes, the National Sleep Foundation suggests you get up to do some reading or watch TV for a while. Such activities will make you sleepy. Before you know it, you’ll be going back to bed really tired.
3. Exercising Late at Night
Daytime workouts(锻炼) will keep you full of energy for hours. That’s why you don’t want to exercise within three hours of hitting the sack. Fierce(剧烈的)physical activity raise your body temperature and pumps your energy level—both are bad for a good night’s sleep. What can we learn from the first sentence of the passage?
| A．It’s not good to fail to fall asleep at night. |
| B．People in a good company often have sleeping problems. |
| C．There are many people who have sleeping problems. |
| D．You should find someone to talk to if you can’t fall asleep. |
The underlined part “hitting the sack” in the last paragraph means “______”.
| A．going back home | B．going to bed |
| C．going to the gym | D．falling asleep |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?
| A．The bad results of getting too little sleep. |
| B．Why the bright alarm clock keeps you awake. |
| C．What to do if you can’t fall asleep after 30 minutes. |
| D．Why watching TV and reading books make people sleepy. |
By writing the passage, the writer mainly wants to tell us _______.
| A．why so many people can’t sleep well at night |
| B．how to enjoy a good night’s sleep |
| C．that sleeping problems are troubling more and more people |
| D．that people may solve their sleeping problems by some habits |
Do you like football? If so, you can read the following passage and find that it is interesting. In almost every big university in the United States, football is a favorite sport. American football is different. Players sometimes kick the ball, but they also throw the ball and run with it. They try to take it to the other end of the field. They have four chances to move the ball ten yards（码）.
They can carry it or they can throw it. If they move the ball ten yards, they can try to move it another ten yards. If they move it to the end of the field, they receive six points.
It is difficult to move the ball. Eleven men on the other team try to stop the man with the ball. If he does not move the ball ten yards, his team kicks the ball the other team.
Each university wants its own team to win. Many thousands of people come to watch. They all shout for their favorite team. Young men and women come on the field to help the people shout more. They dance and jump while they shout.
Each team plays ten or eleven games each season. The season begins in September and ends in November. If a team is very good, it may play another game after the season ends. The best teams play again on January 1, the first day of the New Year. Many people go to see these games and many others watch them on TV. The passage talks about ___________.
| A．football | B．how to play football |
| C．American sports | D．American football |
Why is it difficult to move the ball? Because ___________.
| A．ten yards is a long way |
| B．many men on the other team try not to let the ball come near |
| C．the playing field is very large |
| D．eleven men have to catch the ball one by one |
If they _________, the teams will play on January 1.
| A．receive six points |
| B．play eleven games in the season |
| C．are the best teams |
| D．move the ball to the end of the field |
Many people come to watch football and they want their team to win. Which of the following is not their act?
| A．Jumping. | B．Dancing. | C．Crying. | D．Shouting. |
Linda Evans was my best friend—like the sister I never had. We did everything together: piano lessons, movies, swimming, horseback riding.
When I was 13, my family moved away. Linda and I kept in touch through letters, and we saw each other on special time—like my wedding (婚礼) and Linda’s. Soon we were busy with children and moving to new homes, and we wrote less often. One day a card that I sent came back, stamped “Address (地址) Unknown. ” I had no idea how to find Linda.
Over the years, I missed Linda very much. I wanted to share (分享) happiness of my children and then grandchildren. And I needed to share my sadness when my brother and then mother died. There was an empty place in my heart that only a friend like Linda could fill.
One day I was reading a newspaper when I noticed a photo of a young woman who looked very much like Linda and whose last name was Wagman — Linda’s married name. “There must be thousands of Wagmans,” I thought, but I still wrote to her.
She called as soon as she got my letter. “Mrs Tobin!” she said excitedly, “Linda Evans Wagman is my mother. ”
Minutes later I heard a voice that I knew very much, even after 40 years, laughed and cried and caught up on each other’s lives. Now the empty place in my heart is filled. And there’s one thing that Linda and I know for sure: We won’t lose each other again!The writer went to piano lessons with Linda Evans _______.
| A．at the age of 13 | B．before she got married |
| C．after they moved to new homes | D．before the writer’s family moved away |
They didn’t often write to each other because they _______.
| A．got married | B．had little time to do so |
| C．didn’t like writing letters | D．could see each other on special time |
There was an empty place in the writer’s heart because she _______.
| A．was in trouble |
| B．didn’t know Linda’s address |
| C．received the card that she sent |
| D．didn’t have a friend like Linda to share her happiness or sadness |
They haven’t kept in touch _______.
| A．for about 40 years | B．for about 27 years |
| C．since they got married | D．since the writer’s family moved away |
Pop music is the name for different forms of popular, commercial(商业) music. It had its beginning in the USA and spread throughout the whole world during the 1950s and 1960s. It is widely liked by the young people. The best known early form of pop music was “rock’ n’ roll”; another was “blues”. A more recent development is “folk-rock”. Pop music has taken the place of native music in many parts of the world; it has caused the number of people for jazz to become much smaller than it was in the 1950s and earlier, and it has now begun to rule musical stage productions. It’s a big industry. Much pop music is without artistic value, but the work of some pop singers, e.g. the Beatles, Bob Dylan, the groups like Floyd and Crosby, Stills and Nash, is on a higher musical level. And there is still a great interest in it today. Pop music concerts and festivals are held all over the world.All of the following forms belong to pop music EXCEPT _________.
| A．blues | B．rock’ n ’roll | C．jazz | D．folk-rock |
According to the article, the number of people for jazz in the 1950s and earlier was __________ it is today.
| A．much greater than | B．much smaller than |
| C．as great as | D．as small as |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．No pop music is on a high musical level. |
| B．Much pop music is very artistic. |
| C．Pop music is highly artistic. |
| D．Not all pop music is without artistic value. |
Faced with a tough job market, fresh graduates are dreaming of running their own businesses instead．But a recent survey has showed that such ambitions lack the required support and remain just that---dreams．
The Shanghai Municipal Employment Promotion Center poll of 1,276 graduates in several universities and colleges in the city, released last Friday, showed 59.78 percent of respondents considered the possibility of setting up a company or at least a small store．“But they just stop at the‘thinking’stage,” it stated．
Respondents put the top reasons for not going it alone down to a shortage of investment and a lack of business opportunity．They also listed lack of business experience and social networks, the need to advanced study and objections from family members as factors that stood in their way．
More than 90 percent of the interviewees said they would rather take up a job after graduating and then consider starting their own business two or three years down the road．
Guo Bing, a senior student in Shanghai International Studies University majoring in English, decided he wanted to be his own boss last year．But he is looking for a job first．“If I fail to find a satisfying job, I would like to establish a company in exhibition services,” Guo said．The Shanghai native has some relatives working in a local printing plant．With their help, Guo hopes to produce exhibition brochures(小册子） at a relatively low price．He is also confident that his English language skills can help him do well in the industry．
“Social networking is an important factor leading to business success,” Guo said．
Guo said that the shortage of graduate jobs is the main reason driving more university students to set up a business right after their graduation．
Jiang Ye, deputy director of Yangpu District Business Guide Center, said the universitysets up a business guide team made of government officials and professionals．They
regularly give training courses to students who show an interest in having their own business．
The parents of university graduates are more willing to help their children start up alone, the survey showed．"Once you win the support of your family, you have won half the battle," Guo added．Which of the following can be the best title?
| A．A Tough Job Market | B．Graduates Dream of Being Boss |
| C．The Ambitious Fresh Graduates | D．The Story of Guo Bing |
In the view of Guo Bing, what is the key factor that makes fresh graduates dream of being boss soon after graduation?
| A．Their family don't support them． | B．Their social networking is not good． |
| C．There are not enough graduate jobs． | D．They want to achieve greater success． |
Who is this article mostly intended for?
| A．The parents whose child goes to university soon. |
| B．Those who will graduate from university． |
| C．Those who want to be bosses． |
| D．The officials who work in the government． |