To most people, noise pollution is a jet flying over their head. For one Spanish woman, it is a neighbor playing the piano. The woman has taken her neighbor to court. Now she wants to send her neighbor to prison for over seven years on the charges of psychological damage and noise pollution.
In a country known for its noisiness, the case has raised eyebrows Neighbors often complain about street noise in Spain, but people seeking prison time for someone practicing the piano is unheard of. At the trial, Sonia Bosom says she has been suffering noise pollution up to now due to the practice sessions of Laia Martin, who lives below her. Martin, 27, didn’t admit that she played at home that often, saying she took regular classes in other towns and mostly practiced at home on the weekends.
On the first day of the trial, the newspaper reported that Bosom told the court she now hated pianos so much that she couldn’t even stand seeing them in a film.
Bosom says years of hearing constant playing has caused her “psychological injury”. Medical reports show she has suffered from a variety of problems, including insomnia (失眠), anxiety, and panic attacks.
She says tests by local authorities have found that the sound levels made by the piano are up to 10 decibels (分贝) higher than the limit. City authorities have asked the family several times to either stop the piano playing or soundproof (隔音) the room. The family told the court they carried out soundproofing work twice but the complaints continued.
The court hasn’t made a final decision.A spokeswoman says the trial will end before May.Bosom wants to send Martin to prison because _______.
| A．Martin’s playing the piano damaged her health |
| B．Bosom suffered from heart attack |
| C．Martin refused to take regular classes in other towns |
| D．Martin flew a jet over her head |
How did Laia Martin respond to the complaints?
| A．She stopped playing the piano. |
| B．She soundproofed the room. |
| C．She didn’t admit she played at home. |
| D．She took her neighbor to court. |
Which of the following may probably be the best title for the passage?
| A．A 7-year Sentence Caused by the Piano |
| B．Pianist Charged with Noise Pollution |
| C．Health Problems of a Spanish Woman |
| D．Actions Against Noise by Local Authority |
For 40 years, people in London have been happy to see parakeets (马尾鹦鹉) in their parks. The shocking green body and long tail have brought a bright color to the parks, which have attracted a lot of people.
However, the parakeets are no longer welcome. They will push out local birds from trees to build their own nests, and will also take most of the food in the parks, such as seeds, fruit and nuts.
Sometimes by accident, plants and animals are carried to new places. They are transported by trains, ships or even planes. Often, animals like fishes get transported in the water containers of ships. When these ships reach new places and pump out the water from their tanks, these animals will start a new life in a new place.
Sometimes people take plants and animals from one part of the world to the other to solve a problem. But it will create a bigger problem. Years ago, the sugarcane (甘蔗) farmers of northern Australia brought the toads (蟾蜍) from South America to their farms. They thought they would kill the beetles (甲虫) that harm the sugarcane crops. But the toad has done much more. It is now killing Australia’s native animals, such as snakes, water birds and so on. People get interested in parakeets mainly because of ____.
| A．their appearance | B．their singing |
| C．their behavior | D．their living environment |
How do the parakeets affect the local birds?
| A．They sometimes kill the local birds. |
| B．They destroy trees which the local birds live in. |
| C．They take the local birds nests and food. |
| D．They have attracted much of peoples attention. |
What is the third paragraph mainly talking about?
| A．How animals and plants come to new lands. |
| B．How a new animal affects the local animals. |
| C．Why some plants are introduced to a new place. |
| D．The role of ships in transporting animals and plants. |
What can we learn about the toads?
| A．They didnt kill the beetles at all. |
| B．They were brought to Australia by accident. |
| C．They have ruined the sugarcane crops. |
| D．They have created a larger problem in Australia. |
Many years ago, Norman Cousins was seriously ill. He was given six months to live. His chance for recovery was 1 in 500.
He could see the worry, depression and anger in his life contributed to his disease. He wondered, If illness can be caused by negativity (消极性), can health be created by positivity (积极性)?” He decided to make an experiment of himself.
Laughing was one of the most positive activities he knew. He watched all the funny movies he could find. He read funny stories. He asked his friends to call him whenever they said, heard or did something interesting.
His pain was so great that he could not sleep. Laughing for 10 solid minutes, he found, relieved the pain for several hours so he could sleep. He fully recovered from his illness and lived another 20 happy and healthy years.
Laughing is necessary to our health. If were not well, laughing helps us get well; if we are well, laughing helps us stay that way. So, if you like laughing, do it as often as you can.
Use whatever makes you laughmovies, books, jokes or friends. The people around you may think youre strange, but sooner or later theyll join in even if they dont know what youre laughing about.Cousins decided to try to laugh a lot ______.
| A．in order to be happy |
| B．in order to cure his disease |
| C．because he could not live for long |
| D．because his disease couldnt be cured |
The text mainly tells us ______.
| A．how to be happy |
| B．laughing is good for our health |
| C．about Cousins miserable life |
| D．funny stories make our life different |
Which of the following is TRUE about his illness?
| A．There was little possibility to cure his disease. |
| B．He had been happy before he was ill. |
| C．His disease resulted from his hard work. |
| D．His disease made him sleepy all the time. |
From Cousins story, we can know that ______.
| A．doctors believed that his disease could be cured by laughing |
| B．he was sure that positivity could cure his disease |
| C．laughing regularly contributed to his disease |
| D．his life was changed after he was ill |
Im a real book lover. Every time my friends visit me, my nose is buried in a book. Wherever I go, I always have a book with me. Novels, history books, stories about people, journals and news—I read them all and I’ve learnt a lot, too. For example, many things in life happen for the best even if we don’t like or understand them.
Why is reading such an enjoyable pastime for me? I probably first learned about it from my parents. My mother read to me at night in my childhood and bought me picture books. The greatest gift she has given me is a love for reading. And it will be a life-long habit.
No one ever asked me why I liked to read. They just saw me and asked, “Oh? Is that for school work?” And I just shook my head, “No. It’s just for fun.” While reading a good book, I can totally forget myself and fly to another world. It’s like exploring through someone’s eyes, which is just as exciting as watching a movie.
Reading is also necessary in order to learn about writing, to improve my use of words and phrases and broaden my knowledge. What a pity to see our imagination disappear, for we don’t exercise it often. Reading can even be good for one’s health, I think. Everyone should read sad stories that make us cry and also books with humor that make us laugh out loud!Among the gifts my parents have given me, which is the most valuable one?
| A．A love for reading. | B．Picture books. |
| C．Good health. | D．A lovable pastime. |
In the fourth paragraph, the author thinks reading can ____.
| A．make his parents happy |
| B．finish his school work |
| C．improve writing and broaden knowledge |
| D．help him understand some movies |
If we dont use our imagination often, ____.
| A．it is bad for our health |
| B．we will soon learn how to write |
| C．it will help us to have a good rest |
| D．it will soon disappear |
What does the passage mainly talk about?
| A．Why do I have few friends? |
| B．What are my life habits? |
| C．Why do I love reading? |
| D．Why do things happen for the best? |
Part-time jobs for 15 and 16 years olds
| Waiter / Waitress A job as a waiter or waitress is a good choice for 16-year-olds. Not only can one earn $9-$12 an hour, but they can also get the tips (小费). Most people that visit a restaurant don’t just have good food. They come here to relax and have a good time. Besides serving food quickly, a young waiter who talks to them politely with a smile on his face will make the diners enjoy their time at the restaurant. |
| Work in a library If one is fond of books, working in a library is another suitable choice. Besides the pay is good, it offers a lot of free time when students can actually sit down and finish their homework. So on returning home, they would have time to hang around with friends or just relax. So working in a library is an excellent part-time job for teens, especially for school students. |
| Internet jobs There are many ways of making money through online jobs like clicking on advertisements, visiting sites and signing up with them. However, such online jobs don’t pay well. A better Internet job for teens is to complete online surveys. These are quite simple surveys that usually ask one about his/ her opinions and ideas. Many companies use these ideas to make products designed for teenagers. |
A student who is busy with his research paper will probably choose to work ______.
| A．in a restaurant | B．in a library |
| C．on the Internet | D．in an IT company |
The writer wrote this text to ______.
| A．tell us the importance of doing part-time jobs |
| B．advise teenagers how to choose a part-time job |
| C．teach young people how to make lots of money |
| D．introduce his/her experience of doing part-time jobs |
Why do some companies ask the teens to do surveys?
| A．The teens have more free time. |
| B．They can pay less to the teens. |
| C．They need advice to make products for teens. |
| D．The teens usually express their true opinions. |
In the past hundred years, the world’s attitude toward whales has changed a lot. The animals are no longer seen as frightening creatures and worldwide protection efforts have reduced whale hunting. Through careful observation, scientists have shown that whales are generally peaceful, playful creatures, and that they have a high level of intelligence.
But even now, some behaviour of whales is still a mystery. A lot of information gathered by whale researchers has raised new puzzles about the animals. Whales’ communication is particularly difficult to understand. Male humpbacks (also known as bulls) give off a sequence (一连串) of low moans（呻吟）, high screams and clicking noises. These noises are sometimes combined in songs that last as long as 30 minutes. And in a particular region, every male will sing the same song, making small changes every once in a while so that it evolves (逐渐形成) into a completely different song over time.
This behavior seems to be related to reproduction. During the mating (交配) season, a male humpback starts the long song sequence, stopping only to join a passing female whale (also known as a cow). Eventually, the bull and the cow may dive deep into the ocean, probably to mate. Male humpbacks’ songs are similar to what birds display to attract mates (配偶), except that the sound carries over many miles, attracting some other male humpbacks in the area. It’s very odd that a male would call his own competition to him, unless he actually wanted to test his strength against others. Some whale researchers believe that the songs are actually acoustic (听觉的) contests of strength.What can we infer from the first paragraph?
| A．We used to have wrong ideas about whales. |
| B．Whales are in danger of dying out today. |
| C．Whales have always been considered as fierce creatures. |
| D．Whales are only protected in some parts of the world. |
We can learn from the second paragraph that .
| A．male whales and female whales both sing songs |
| B．people can’t fully understand whales’ communication |
| C．people only understand the songs of male whales |
| D．the songs of male whales never change |
The last paragraph suggests that male humpbacks sing songs most probably to .
| A．find their own family members |
| B．work together with others to hunt |
| C．compete against other male humpbacks |
| D．frighten away other male humpbacks |