As many as 4 out of every 1,000 infants born today have permanent hearing loss.When parents learn that their child has hearing loss, they are faced with many difficult decisions.These decisions can include choosing therapies and schools, as well as finding financial help for hearing aids or cochlear implants (人工耳蜗).
Help Me Hear Foundation is a public charity that gives the gift of hearing to deaf children from families existing on very low incomes around the world.The foundation offers life-changing services for impoverished families, and provides real help for children with hearing impairment who may otherwise be left behind in schools or society due to their lack of hearing.
Help Me Hear Foundation believes that a child’s first years of development are critical.Being able to hear is vital to human, and Help Me Hear Foundation seeks to provide a positive lasting impression on society through its programs.Help Me Hear Foundation has many goals, including relieving the burden on communities with hearing-impaired infants and children, and strengthening the social structure of families and neighborhoods.
Recipients of Help Me Hear Foundation’s benefits receive state-of-the-art hearing devices that otherwise would cost thousands of dollars per child over the course of their lifetime.The Foundation raises money through donations for hearing aids and cochlear implants, which saves recipients and their families on average over $50,000 on related expenses.
The Foundation tries to be a transparent charity, and wants to be a catalyst for allowing deaf and hearing-impaired children to develop in a typical fashion alongside their peers.
Needy families can obtain information on specific services, and find out about deafness education by visiting the Help Me Hear Foundation’s website.The website offers helpful information on how hearing aids work, and how hearing aids ease many of the learning and language challenges that hearing-impaired children deal with on a daily basis.Help Me Hear Foundation was probably set up to _____.
| A．build schools for deaf children |
| B．research deaf children’s behavior |
| C．protect deaf children from being ignored |
| D．offer real help to poor deaf children |
We learn from the text that _____.
| A．the local government is in charge of the foundation |
| B．the work of the foundation depends on donations |
| C．even blind children can turn to the foundation |
| D．poor deaf African children cannot get help from the foundation |
Visit the foundation’s website, and you will learn about _____.
| A．the function of hearing aids |
| B．the specific services the foundation needs |
| C．the challenges that children face every day |
| D．the prices of a variety of hearing aids |
For whom is the text most probably written?
| A．Poor parents who have deaf children. |
| B．Doctors who want to improve skills. |
| C．Students who cannot see the blackboard clearly. |
| D．Teachers who have deaf children in their class. |
The author writes the text mainly to _____.
| A．tell how to avoid permanent hearing loss |
| B．explain how hard a life deaf children live |
| C．introduce Help Me Hear Foundation |
| D．advise people to give money to Help Me Hear Foundation |
People in Britain often talk about their homes: their mortgages (按揭), the interest rates, and rising prices. Here’s a guide to some of the words and phrases you might come across.
It’s a good idea in the UK to arrange a mortgage with a bank before you start looking. This is when the bank tells you how much money they will lend you so you have a good idea of how much you can afford.
The next step is to go to an estate agent and see what sort of properties they have available in your budget range and in your area. If you see something you like, the estate agent will arrange for you to view the property, so that you can see the house or flat for yourself.
If you see something that takes your eye, you put in an offer. The vendor (卖家) can accept or decline this offer, and if the vendor accepts it, you can move forward with the sale. However, as you don’t pay any money at this point, the offer isn’t legally binding (具有约束力), and in theory, you can pull out of the offer at any time that you like.
Your next step will probably be to get a structural survey done. A qualified surveyor will inspect the house and write a report that illustrates any structural problems, like damp or drainage problems.
If you still want to go ahead with the sale, you need to appoint a lawyer to do the legal paperwork, if you already own a house you might also be busy trying to sell it Many house owners prefer to sell to first-time buyers (those people who don’t already own a home), as they are not in a chain (waiting for other people to buyer house before they can buy their next house).
Finally, once the contracts are signed and exchanged, you complete on your house. You get the keys and you can move in whenever you want. Then you might want to throw a house-warming party. Congratulation!Which of the following shows the right order of what happens before the people in the UK move into a new house?
a. ask for a company which represents others of properties
b. decide how much to borrow from the bank
c. examine the structure of the house
d. hire a lawyer and make a contract
e. offer the seller the right money
f. visit the house and discuss a price with the seller
| A．b, a, f, d, c, e | B．b, a, f, e, d, c |
| C．b, a, f, c, d, e | D．b, f, d, e, c, a |
According to the passage, these statements are correct EXCEPT ___________.
| A．After getting the keys, the owners sometimes have a party. |
| B．People care for mortgages, interest rates and the prices &house. |
| C．The sellers are more interested in the first-time buyers. |
| D．People can borrow the whole money for a new house from a bank. |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?
| A．Collectors. | B．Owners. |
| C．Lawyers. | D．Surveyors. |
The passage is maybe one that _______________.
| A．give some advice on the house | B．give some tips to buyers |
| C．introduces a book on travelers | D．introduces a guide to visitors |
Happy April Fool’s Day! In celebration of the day, we have put together a list of some of the greatest hoaxes (恶作剧) in history. They are the lies that have been designed for innocent people who are ready to believe them.
▲INSTANT COLOR TV
In 1962 there was only one TV channel in Sweden, and it broadcast in black and white. The station’s Kjell Stepson, appeared on the news to announce that thanks to a newly developed technology, all viewers could now quickly and easily transform their existing sets to display color reception. All they had to do was pull a nylon stocking over their TV screen, and they would begin to see their favorite shows in color. Reportedly, hundreds of thousands of people, were taken in. Actual color TV transmission only started to appear in Sweden on April 1, 1970.
▲SAN SERRIFFE
In 1977 the British newspaper The Guardian published a special seven-page supplement (增刊) in honor of the tenth anniversary of San Serfiffe, a small republic located in the Indian Ocean. A series of articles affectionately asked for more information about the beautiful holiday spot. Few noticed that everything about the island was made up.
▲NIXON FOR PRESIDENT
In 1992 American National Public Radio’s Talk of the Nation program announced that Richard Nixon, in a surprise move, was running for President again. His new campaign slogan was, “I didn’t do anything wrong, and I won’t do it again.” Accompanying this announcement were audio clips (片断) of Nixon delivering his election speech. Listeners responded immediately to the announcement, flooding the show with calls expressing shock and anger. Only during the second haft of the show did the host John Huckleberry reveal that the announcement was a practical joke. Nixon’s voice was copied by comedian Rich Little.Which of the following western countries is NOT mentioned in the text?
| A．India | B．the UK |
| C．the United States | D．Sweden |
Who worked as a host on the radio?
| A．Kjell Stepson | B．Rich Little |
| C．Richard Nixon | D．John Huckleberry |
When did the small republic San Serriffe come into being?
| A．In 1962. | B．In 1977. |
| C．In 1992. | D．Never. |
Where can we probably read this article?
| A．In an ad. | B．In a magazine. |
| C．In a novel. | D．In a news report. |
After years of hearing drivers complain about scratches on their cars, Japan’s Nissan Motor Company has officially announced the next big thing— a paint that not only resists scratches and scrapes, but actually repairs itself within a few days.
The new material, developed by Nippon Paint Company, contains an elastic rubbery-like resin (弹性树脂) that is able to heal minor marks caused by car wash equipment, parking lot encounters, road debris (石头碎片) or even on-purpose destruction.
The automaker admits its results vary depending on the temperature and the depth of the damage, but adds this is the only paint like it in the world, and tests prove it works.
Minor scratches, the most common type, are said to slowly fade over about a week. And once they’re gone, there is no trace that they were ever there.
The special paint is said to last for at least three years after it is first applied, but there is no word yet on whether more can be added after that period.
Nissan claims car washes are the worst offenders for this type of damage, accounting for at least 80 percent of all incidents.
But the complete auto-healing won’t come without scratching your wallet. The vehicle maker notes the special paint adds about $100 US to the price of a car.
It plans to use its new chemical mixture only on its X-Trail SUVs in Japan for now, as it looks for a more widespread presentation. And while plans to offer the feature overseas haven’t been made yet, if it’s a hit there, you can be almost sure market forces will drive it to these shores, as well.From the article, we can find that _________.
| A．the paint has already been used on cars by now |
| B．it beats other products of its kind in its lengthy effect |
| C．car damage is mainly caused by scratches and scrapes |
| D．marketing this paint in Europe is not under way |
The paint used on cars can _________.
| A．last 3 years before it is reapplied again |
| B．fade only in a few days |
| C．help to protect minor paint damage |
| D．reduce car scrape incidents to 20 percent |
What does the underlined part refer to?
| A．certain models of Nissan | B．name for one kind of paint |
| C．somewhere in Japan | D．a word standing for a car-dealer store |
What can be inferred from the article?
| A．The paint was developed by Nissan Motor Company. |
| B．The paint might work better in summer than in winter. |
| C．The mark on the car could disappear as soon as the pain is applied. |
| D．The paint is very popular in Japan. |
Along a long path we came to a deep valley, on the far side of which the path led into some very thick bushes. Rather than push through up again and rejoin the path on the far side of the bushes.
As I climbed down into the valley a bird flew off h rock on which I had put my hand. On looking at the spot from which the bird had risen, I saw two eggs. They were the kind that I did not have in my collection, so I placed them carefully in my bag, wrapped in a little dry grass.
As we went further down the valley the sides became steeper and not far from where I had entered. It came to drop of about twelve to fourteen feet. The water that rushed down all these small valleys in the rainy season had worn the rock as glass. As it was too deep to climb down, I handed my gun to one of the men and slid down it. My feet had hardly touched the sandy bottom when the two men jumped down, one on each side of me. They quickly gave me the gun and asked me if I had heard the tiger. In fact, I had heard nothing; possibly because of the noise I made sliding down the rock. The men said they had heard a tiger growling somewhere nearby, but they did not know from which direction the noise had come.According to the text we know that __________.
| A．the writer decided to push through the thick bushes |
| B．the writer decided to walk along the valley |
| C．the writer wanted to stop climbing |
| D．the writer tried to find two eggs |
When the writer found the eggs, he ________.
| A．wrapped them in dry grass and put them aside |
| B．wrapped them in dry grass and took them with him |
| C．tried to find the bird |
| D．made the bird fly off |
At the end of the story, the writer knew that ____________.
| A．a tiger had run away | B．a tiger was close to them |
| C．the men had seen a tiger | D．a tiger had seen them |
Which of the following orders is RIGHT about what happened in their travel?
| A．hear the sound of tiger→find eggs→push through the bushes→climb down into the valley |
| B．climb down into the valley→push through the bushes→hear the sound of tiger→find eggs |
| C．push through the bushes→climb down into the valley→find eggs→hear the sound of tiger |
| D．find eggs→climb down into the valley→hear the sound of tiger→push through the bushes |
In the last 500 years, nothing about people — their clothes, ideas, or languages—has changed as much as what they eat. The original chocolate drink was made from the seeds of the cocoa tree(可可树)by South American. Indians. The Spanish introduced it to the rest of the world during the 1500’s. And although it was very expensive, it quickly became fashionable. In London, shops where chocolate drinks were served became important meeting places. Some still exist today.
The potato is also from the New World. Around 1600, the Spanish brought it from Peru to Eu¬rope, where it soon was widely grown. Ireland became so dependent on it that thousands of Irish peo¬ple starved when the crop failed during the "Potato Famine (饥荒)" of 1845—1846, and thousands more were forced to leave their homeland and move to America.
There are many other foods that have traveled from South America to the Old World. But some others went in the opposite direction. Brazil is now the world’s largest grower of coffee, and coffee is an important crop in Colombia and other South American countries. But it is native to Ethiopia, a country in Africa. It was first made into a drink by Arabs during the 1400’s.
according to an. Arabic legend, coffee was discovered when a person named Kaldi noticed that his goats were attracted to the red berries on a coffee, bush. He tried one and experienced the " wide-awake" feeling that one third of the world’s population now starts the day with.
1. according to the passage, which of the following has changed the most in the last 500 years?
A. Food. B. Clothing. C. Ideology. D. Language.
2. The word "some" in the last sentence of the first paragraph refers to________.
A. some cocoa trees B. some chocolate drinks.
C. some shops D. some South American Indians
3. Thousands of Irish people starved during the " Potato Famine" because________
A. they were so dependent on potatoes that they refused to eat anything else
B. they were forced to leave their homeland and move to America
C. the weather conditions in Ireland were not suitable for growing potatoes
D. the potato harvest was bad
4. according to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT true?
A. One third of the world’s population drinks coffee.
B. Coffee is native to Colombia.
C. Coffee can keep one awake.
D. Coffee drinks were first made by Arabs.