EXCITING NEW COMPETITION!
Give your workplace a spring facelift!
Living magazine is offering three prizes of between ￡10， 000 and ￡50， 00o to be spent on improving the school， college or office where you spend so many hours each day! If you win， the money will be yours to spend as you wish to make life more pleasant．
Just think! You could spend it on any of the following：
◇improving the look of the place （new wallpaper， tables or pictures）．
◇better study places （a computer room， a language laboratory or a small library）．
◇improving the outside area（making a garden or a car park for example）．
◇better sports places （a small gym or a swimming pool）．
To enter， all you have to do is to design：
◇five ways you plan to spend the money if you win．
◇what you want to include（for example， sofas in your new computer room）．
◇why these changes will make your workplace a better place to be!
Email us your design at livingmagazine@hotmail．com before June 16th．
If you want to get more information， please contact us：
Tel+323﹣647﹣4200 Fax+323﹣647﹣4245
Don't miss this great chance to improve your workplace!
（1）The text tells us that the new competition ．
A． can help you get good grades
B． is organized by Living magazine
C． allows only students to enter
D． provides more than three prizes
（2）Those who want to enter the competition are supposed to ．
A． describe how to spend the prize
B． mention the money they have
C． hand in their designs after June 16th．
D． visit Living magazine in person
（3）What kind of writing is the text？
A． An email．
B． A diary．
C． A note．
D． A poster．
A group of swans flew down to a beach where a crow (乌鸦) was jumping around. The crow watched them with disdain (笔试).
“You have no flying skills at all!” he said to the swans. “All you can do is to move your wings. Can you turn over in the air? No, that’s beyond you. Let’s have a flying competition. I’ll show you what real flying is!”
One of the swans, a strong young male, took up the challenge (挑战). The crow flew up and began to show his skills. He flew in circles, performed other flying tricks, and then came down and looked proudly at the swan.
Now it was the swan’s turn. He flew up, and began flying over the sea. The crow flew after him, making all kinds of comments (评价) about his flying. They flew on and on till they couldn’t see the land and there was nothing but water on all sides. The crow was making fewer and fewer comments. He was now so exhausted that he found it hard to stay in the air, and had to struggle to keep himself from falling into the water.
The swan pretended (假装) not to notice, and said, “Why do you keep touching the water, brother? Is that another trick? “
“No,” said the crow. He knew he had lost the competition. “I’m in trouble because of my pride (自大) ! If you don’t help me, I’ll lose my life...”
The swan took pity on him, and took him on his shoulders and flew back to the beach.What’s the correct order of the following events?
a. The crow followed the swan and got into trouble.
b. The swan felt pity for the crow and saved it.
c. The crow had to ask the swan for help.
d. The swan accepted a challenge of performing flying tricks.
| A．a, d, b, c | B．a, b, d, c | C．d, a, c, b | D．d, c, a, b |
What does the underlined word “exhausted” in Paragraph 4 mean?
| A．Tired. | B．Bored. | C．Nervous. | D．Frightened. |
What do we learn from the passage?
| A．Practice makes perfect. | B．The early bird catches the worm. |
| C．No pains, no gains. | D．Pride goes before a fall. |
1990 was a significant year in world enents. In Febbruary, Nelson Mandela was set free after 27 years in prison. In October, East and West Germany became one country again. Then at the end of 1990, the World Wide Web was born. For this final event we have one man to thank, Tim Berners-Lee, the father of the Web.
Berners-Lee was born on June 8, 1955 in London, England. His parents, both computer designers, encouraged him to think and work creativelhy as he grew up. He was an excellent student and naturally took an interest in computers and science.
After graduating from Oxford University, Tim went to work at a science research centre in Sfwitzerland. There be developed some of the different systems that would later become the Web. The first was HTML, the computer language used to make web pages. The second was an address system that let computers anhywhere find each other and send and receive information. In 1990, while still at the science centre in Switzerland, he put them together to make the first Internet browser. It could run on any computer and allowed people to create share their information with the rest of the world.
Tim knew that the more people used the Web, the more useful it would be. He wasn’t interested in money but knowledge, so he gave out his invention for free to anyone who was interested. Many were interested and the growth of the Internet began.
Today Tim works as a professor at the MIT in America, researching new and interesting ways to use the Web. He has received many awards from governments and organizations for his efforts. He is still not very interested in money. That is why he is so admired by his students and workmates. It may also be one of the reasons that few people outside the world of technology know his name. The underlined word “significant” (in Paragraph 1) most probably means “” .
| A．strange |
| B．terrible |
| C．important |
| D．difficult |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．The address system was used to make make web pages. |
| B．The World Wide Web was created in Swizerland. |
| C．The fist web browser was very expensive to buy |
| D．Many people could use the Internet before 1990 |
What can we learn about Berners-Lee from the passage?
| A．He was encouraged to be creative. |
| B．He didn’t do well at school. |
| C．He is a very poor businessman. |
| D．He is well-known all over the world. |
Where does Berners-Lee live today?
| A．England. |
| B．Switzerland. |
| C．America. |
| D．Canada. |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．The events that took place in 1990. |
| B．The history of the Internet. |
| C．The invention of the Internet browser. |
| D．The man who created the World Wide Web. |
Want to stay away from colds? Put on a happy face.
Compared to unhappy people, those who are cheerful and relaxed are less likely to suffer from colds, according to a new study. It’s possible that being happy helps the body fight illnesses, say the researchers from New York University.
“It seems that positive feelings may reduce the danger of illness,” said the study’s chief researcher Sheldon Cohen.
In an earlier study, Cohen found that people who were cheerful and lively caught coughs and colds less often. People who showed feelings were also less likely to tell their doctors that they felt ill.
In this study, Cohen’s interviewed 193 adults every day for two weeks. During the interviews, the people told researchers about were given colds by doctors and had to stay alone in a room for six days.
The results showed that everyone in the study was equally likely to get ill. Buy for people who said they felt happy during the research period, their illness are less serious and lasted for a shorter time.
Cohen believes that when people experience positive feelings, their body may produce a chemical that helps fight illness and disease. So if you are worried abut your health, look on the bright side more often. Which of the following was NOT a part of the study?
| A．People talked about their feelings every day. |
| B．People were kept alone for six days. |
| C．People were given colds by doctors. |
| D．People were made to feel unhappy. |
What did the study find?
| A．People who felt happy never got ill. |
| B．People’s feelings didn’t influence their health. |
| C．People with good feelings became ill more easily. |
| D．People with positive feelings had less serious illnesses.. |
According to Cohen, which of the following may help fight illness?
| A．Eating. |
| B．Crying. |
| C．Laughing. |
| D．Sleeping. |
This passage is a/an .
| A．advertisement |
| B．newspaper report |
| C．story |
| D．scientist’s diary |
What is the best title for this passage?
| A．Smiles can fight colds |
| B．Cause of colds found |
| C．The danger of colds |
| D．How people get sick |
I heard the bees long before I saw them.
It was a very hot afternoon, and we decided to cool off in the river near my home. As we climbed down a small rocky hill toward the water, my boyfriend John suddenly started to shout then jumped into the water below. Peter and Mary quickly followed but I was too far away to jump. I was trapped.
I heard a low hum(嗡嗡声)，which was growing louder. From a distance, the group of bees looked almost like a cloud of smoke. As it got closer, I realized it was actually thousands of bees flying towards me.
All I could do was cover my face with hands. Crazily, I thought that if I sat very still, the bees would think I was just another rock.
After a few minutes, I knew my plan hadn’t worked. The bees were attacking me. I could hear my friends shouting at me to get down to the pool fast.
But it wasn’t so easy. I was in great pain and the only way I could get away was to use my hands to climb down the rocks. However, I was afraid to do that at first because my face would be unprotected. The noise the bees made was so loud and frightening, but I had no choice.
I rushed down the rocks and jumped into the pool, but I don’t remember doing it. I was just so happy to be free from the pain. I was safe, and the water felt wonderful.
But we still weren’t out of danger. Every time we tried to climb out of the pool, the bees flew back over our heads. We spent the next three hours in the water, putting our heads under the water from time to time to avoid the bees until they finally lost interest. How many people went swimming that day?
| A．Two. | B．Three | C．Four | D．Five |
The underlined word “it” (in Paragraph 3) refers to .
| A．a rock | B．the group of bees | C．a hill | D．the river |
At first why didn’t the writer want to climb down the rocks?
| A．She was afraid she would fall. |
| B．She was too far away from pool. |
| C．She thought the bees would follow her. |
| D．She didn’t want her face to be unprotected. |
How did the writer escape the bees?
| A．She covered her face with her hands. |
| B．She hid behind the rocks. |
| C．She jumped into a water pool. |
| D．She pretended to be a rock. |
In what order are the following mentioned in the story?
a. The writer rushed down the rocks.
b. John jumped into the water.
c. The low hum grew louder.
d. The bees flew back over their heads.
e. The bees were attacking the writer.
| A．b c e a d | B．b a e c d | C．c d e a b | D．c b d e a |
Life in the twenty-first century
The World Future Society is a group of people from more than 80 countries who are interested in how modern technology is making our world better, and who write reports about how it will change our lives. The things that we will be able to do in the twenty-first century (since the year 2000) should help us live better lives in many ways, at home and at work, in our own country and around the world. Here are just some of them, put into five groups.
People
People may live for up to 120 years and use new technology to help when people go blind, deaf and have other problems. The number of people over a hundred years old could go from 135,000 today to 2.2 million people by 2050. By 2015 people think that 100 million workers will be able to work from home for a company in a different country by using the Internet.
Money
Worldwide e-business will become even more successful with online shops that sell special products for each person, which will be brought to their house the next day.
Environment
The technology for making energy from wind and the Sun is growing very quickly. In the future wind and Sun energy could become much cheaper and many more countries could use it. This would be very useful in poor countries. The air in big cities would also become much cleaner and healthier as a result.
Society and culture
The Internet will help to create more worldwide friendships. Families may spend more time together as people will be able to do 24-hour online banking and shopping.
Technology
The new science of “nanotechnology” (very small robots or machines) will make all sorts of products smaller and lighter. Very, very small machines could take away rubbish, make things in factories, and help inside the human body by taking away fat. By 2012 people will be able to wear these small machines that look like watches, which will give them lots of information about their body and keep them healthy.What does the World Future Society do?
| A．Look at how technology will make people happy. |
| B．Look at how technology will change the world. |
| C．Make technology work better for themselves. |
| D．Make small machines to make us healthier. |
How will technology help people?
| A．Help all people live for over 120 years. |
| B．Help disabled people to get jobs. |
| C．Make people healthier and live longer. |
| D．Help workers to use the Internet. |
How will people go shopping?
| A．In special shops. |
| B．Using the Internet at certain times. |
| C．Using the Internet any time of the day. |
| D．Using nanotechnology. |
How will technology help the environment?
| A．Poor countries will have enough energy. |
| B．Wind energy will be cheaper than Sun energy. |
| C．We will not need wind and Sun energy. |
| D．Wind and Sun energy will be cheaper. |
The new science of “nanotechnology” will _______.
| A．drive small machines to work for people |
| B．make good-quality watches |
| C．allow people to eat more |
| D．make very small products |