Mom was cooking in the kitchen． She could hear the girls arguing in the living room． It was the third time this week that the sisters had been arguing over nothing． A few minutes later， Maria rushed into her bedroom angrily and closed the door heavily．
"Come to the kitchen， young lady，" Mom firmly （坚定地） said to Maria in her best mother tone （语气） of voice．
Maria walked into the kitchen and shouted，"I can't stand living with Felicia another minute．I don't ever want to talk to her again!"
Mom called out， "Felicia， come to the kitchen right now．"
While Felicia was on her way， Mom put two chairs opposite each other but very close together．
"Maria， you sit here and Felicia you sit there．" The girls sat face to face， with their knees almost touching．"Now you look each other in the eye for five minutes，" Mom ordered．
At first the girls moved their bodies from side to side． Mom said firmly，"You must stay staring at each other for five minutes． Each minute you don't make eye contact （眼神交流） means another minute sitting in the chairs．" They both wanted out， so they had to sit there and look at each other．
Felicia looked at Maria's pouting （噘嘴的） face while Maria looked at Felicia's angry face．They each thought the other one looked ridiculous （可笑的）． In fact， they were being ridiculous to fight and be mad at each other over nothing．
Soon Maria couldn't stand it any longer and began giggling （咯咯地笑） and so did Felicia．They giggled and laughed．
Mom wisely didn't say anything except，"Okay girls， you can go now．"
（1）Maria and Felicia argued a lot this week． What was the reason？
A． They argued over nothing．
B． They didn't want to live together．
C． They didn't want to talk to each other．
D． They each thought the other one was ridiculous．
（2）Which is the right picture to show the way the girls sat？
（3）The right order of the following statements is ．
①Maria and Felicia stared at each other．
②Maria argued with Felicia．
③Maria and Felicia giggled and laughed．
④Mom asked Maria and Felicia to sit opposite each other．
A．②④③①
B．④②①③
C．②④①③
D．②①④③
（4）Which of the following is TRUE？
A． Maria had quite a good relationship with Felicia recently．
B． The kitchen is a good place to stop an argument．
C． Mom solved the girls' problem wisely．
D． The girls were under pressure from Mom to make it up （和好）．
（5）After reading the passage， we can know ．
A． parents can do nothing about the argument between children
B． it's difficult to deal with the argument between children
C． there is no need to deal with the argument between children
D.5﹣minute eye contact is helpful to deal with the argument between children
请认真阅读下面短文，在短文后表格中的空白处填入适当的单词(注意：每空1个单词)。
CCTV cameras watch action
In UK , Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras are everywhere. They help the police solve crimes and keep the streets safe. But that’s not all they do . They also catch people doing very stupid or smart things.
One of the videos is of a British woman Mary Bale. She clearly doesn’t like cats. In 2010 she was caught on CCTV throwing one into a dustbin. The video shows Mary walking down a quiet street. All of sudden , she notices Lola the cat jump onto a fence. Mary stops to pickup Lola and drops her into a large dustbin . Lola was saved fifteen hours later. And Mary was arrested for causing unnecessary suffering to an animal . She was fined ( 罚款)￡250 and was not allowed to own pets for five years.
Another video shows “ Britain’s drunkest man” . He’s been at a party at London’s Savoy Hotel. And he’d obviously had a few too many glasses of beer. At about 2 a. m. , he was kicked out for being too drunk . So, he decided to walk home. On the way , CCTV cameras filmed him falling down stairs and crossing the roads madly… A Savoy Hotel waiter said, “ It’s amazing he didn’t hurt himself badly.”
Sometimes they also record smart events. Once a British band The Get Out Clause didn’t have any money to make a music video. So , they came up with an unbelievable idea. They set up their instruments ( 乐器) and played a song in front of eight CCTV cameras. And then, according to the English Freedom of Information Act , they asked for a copy of all the footages ( 视频) , which they edited. The result is that a totally new music video was made, and it didn’t cost them a penny.
Title: CCTV cameras catch action
| Passage outline |
Supporting details |
| Usage of CCTV cameras |
They are almost (1)______________ and are used in many ways. |
| To help the police solve crimes |
A woman saw a lonely cat and (2) ___________ it into a big dustbin. She was fined ￡250 and was not allowed to own pets for five years. |
| To catch people doing stupid things |
A man got very drunk and was thrown out of London’s Savoy Hotel. He went back home through a lot of troubles and dangers but was not (3) ________________hurt. |
| To (4)____________ people doing Smart events |
A band had no money but still wanted to make a music record. They played in front of eight CCTV cameras and asked for the footage copy for (5) ___________________. They edited the footages and make a totally new music video. |
Ever thought of moving to a new country? How about starting a new country? Patri Friedman is planning to do just that. He left Google years ago to set up the Seasteading Institute. And his dream is to build seasteads-----floating micro-nations in the middle of the ocean.
So, what will life on a seastead be like? Probably a bit like life on a cruise liner (游轮), but much larger, with shops, gyms, swimming pools, schools and other areas. In fact, the early seasteads may actually be specially-rebuilt cruise liners. But as science advances, Friedman believes they’ll become more like floating cities, with several hundred people.
Seasteading raises a lot of questions. First of all, how will the new countries make money? The Seasteading Institute has suggested several money-making ideas, including ocean-based theme parks, casinos (赌场) and fish farming. There’s also the questions of safety. With storms, typhoons and pirates (海盗) , the high seas are a dangerous place. However, the Institute says that it can stand bad weather and prevent crimes with its well-designed systems.
So, is this just a day dream? Well, maybe not. One of the people behind the project is Peter Thiel. He founded PayPal and was one of the first investors (投资者) in Facebook. So far, he’s donated $ 500,000 to the project.
And Friedman isn’t wasting any time. He recently announced the creation of the Poseidon Award. This will be given to the first seastead with fifty people. Friedman is hoping to hand out the award in 2015.Where did Friedman use to work?
| A．In Facebook. | B．In Seastead Institute . | C．In PayPal. | D．In Google. |
A future seastead may be most likely to look like ___________________.
| A．a cruise liner | B．a floating city | C．a theme park | D．a fishing farm |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Friedman is planning to move to a new country. |
| B．Friedman is worried about the safety of seasteads. |
| C．Friedman has got some supporters for his project. |
| D．Friedman has already won the Poseidon Award. |
Which of the following can be the best titles of this passage?
| A．Seasteading: a new idea of living |
| B．Seasteading: a wild way of farming |
| C．Peter Thiel: a man behind the project |
| D．Patri Friedman: a crazy day dreamer |
“The only thing holding you back is yourself. Never say never”, said a rising 17-year-old singer, Justin Bieber, who was just an ordinary boy in Canada a few years ago.
After the accident of falling from the 18th floor and lying in the snow for three hours, my hands were frozen and my spinal cord (脊髓)was seriously injured. All the doctors and professors in the famous hospitals in Beijing told me that there was little chance for my hands and my body to recover (康复).
After half a year of medical treatments and recovering exercises, I could not make any more progress for over a year. What was worse , I suffered a lot from depression (绝望). On top of this, I suffered from insomnia, making every minute of the night seem to last forever. Hopelessly, mom and I came back to my hometown, which is small town in Guangdong.
At that time, I thought that I would never be able to walk again. I would never love and be loved. I would never be able to earn even a penny. I would never be able to repay the kindness I got from my parents and many nice people. Life was meaningless.
Now two years has passed. My hands are 80% recovered. I can even type faster than a healthy person! Up to now, I have worked for a law firm as an interpreter for half a year already. Although I don’t earn as much as before, I am able to pay for the food and clothes I need. What’s more, I even have extra money to buy thanksgiving presents for my parents and my boyfriend. Through my blogs (博客) , many people get to know me and like me. I can bring happiness to them. I can help those who are still suffering from depression and the pain of illnesses by chatting with them….You see, I am living a meaningful life and I am happier than ever I could have dreamed.
So, my friends, never say never. As long as you are alive, there is always hope and possibilities. It is never too late to take action to realize your dreams. (382 words)What’s the writer’s present job?
| A．A singer. | B．A typist . | C．A professor . | D．An interpreter. |
What does the underlined word “insomnia” in the third paragraph mean in Chinese?
| A．失眠 | B．失忆 | C．麻木 | D．低烧 |
All of the following words can be used to describe the writer’s present life EXCEPT___________.
| A．helpful | B．meaningful | C．painful | D．hopeful |
According to the passage, which of the following statements about the writer is TRUE?
| A．She gets a lot of help through her blogs. |
| B．She is in love with a young man at present. |
| C．She got medical treatment soon after the accident. |
| D．She had no job and earned little before the accident. |
A Simple Scientific Experiment
| Below is a description of a single scientific experiment. It shows us how iron reacts ( 反应) with air and with water. Aim : To find out if iron rusts( 生锈) (a) in dry air ; (b) in water that has no air in it ( air- free water) ; (c) in ordinary water. Materials : 3 clean iron nails ( 铁钉) ; test tubes ; test tube holder ; cotton wool ; oil ; Bunsen burner. |
|
| Iron in dry air Method (1)Put some iron nails at the bottom of a test tube. (2)Push some cotton wool down the tube. (3)Leave the tube for one week. Result After one week, the nails have not rusted. Conclusion Iron does not rust in dry air. Iron in air-free water Method (1)Half-fill a test tube with water. (2)Boil the water for three minutes. (This makes sure there is no air in the water. (3)Put two or three clean nails in the water. |
(4)Add some oil to the water. (This will keep air out of the water.) (5) Leave the tube for one week. Result The nails do not rust in the tube with air-free water. Conclusion Iron does not rust in air- free water. Iron in ordinary water Method (1)Half –fill a test tube with water and add two or three clean nails. (2)Leave the tube for one week. Result The nails rust in the tube with ordinary water. Conclusion Iron rusts in ordinary water. (238 words) |
In the first part of the experiment the cotton wool is most probably used to ______________.
| A．keep the air dry | B．keep the tube wet |
| C．make the nails rust | D．keep the tube clean |
What are necessary steps to make sure the water in the tube is air free?
①Leave half a tube of water in it
②Boil the water for some time
③Put some clean iron nails in the tube
④Add some oil to the water
| A．①② | B．①③ | C．②③ | D．②④ |
We can conclude from the experiment that only ____________ makes iron rusty.
| A．dry air | B．cotton wool | C．ordinary water | D．air-free water |
Oxford graduates sell faces to pay ￡50,000 university debts
Business is growing for two graduates who decided to pay off ( 偿清) their university debts by selling advertising space on their faces .Ross Harper and Ed Moyse, both from Oxford , are selling advertising space for hundreds of pounds a day and have earned more than ￡25,000 since setting up business last October.
Anyone can buy the advertising space , from businesses to individuals or groups, on a day-to-day basis, through the pair’s website, buymyface .co. uk. The logo (标识) is then seen by people as they go about their daily business. The pair sold their first face ads to friends and family for just ￡ 1 a day, but as need has increased, so has the daily price , which has reached an amazing ￡400 by now, the end of May. So far , the main customers have been Paddy Power , the online betting agency ( 网络博彩企业), and accountancy firm ( 会计事务所)Earnest & Young , which is now the website ‘s official sponsor ( 赞助商).
Moyse and Harper said , “ It’s our special way of paying off our student debts. We’ve seen so many students unsuccessfully applying for jobs , only to find one that they never really wanted. It’s just something a bit different and has taken off quite nicely.” ( 236 words)Why do the two Oxford graduates sell advertising space on their faces?
| A．To raise money for their friends. |
| B．To earn money for their family. |
| C．To pay off their university debts . |
| D．To pay for their online betting |
Where can people buy their advertising space ?
| A．At Oxford University. |
| B．At the website buymyface. co.uk. |
| C．At the accountancy firm. |
| D．At the online betting agency. |
How much money do they earn every day on average (平均) so far ?
| A．Just ￡1 . | B．About￡100 . | C．Over ￡400. | D．Up to￡500. |
From the last paragraph we can learn that Moyse and Harper _____________________.
| A．are satisfied with their special job |
| B．have paid off their debts already |
| C．are ready to apply for another job |
| D．never really wanted to do face ads |