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China lacks enough educational resources.

China is now sending more college students to study in the United States than any other country. A new report shows a 23 percent increase in the number of Chinese students coming to the U.S. The latest edition of the annual Institute of International Education(IIE)and another US institute found a 5 percent rise in the number of international university students in the US compared to one year ago. There are now over 157, 000 Chinese students at U.S. colleges and universities. Aisa accounted for four of the top five countries and regions to take advantage of the US higher education system. "Increased numbers of students from China, particularly at the undergraduate level, largely accounts for the growth this past year," the report stated. "They really enroll in a full range of US higher education," said Peggy Blumenthal, senior counselor to the president of IIE, the group that made the report. "20 years ago, students from China only knew of a handful of US insitiutions, but now, they are enrolling in our community colleges, in our small liberal arts institutions, in the research universities. Really spread across the country," she said. Chinese mainland was in the number one spot, while India was the number two country of origin. South Korea was third and Canada was number four. China's Taiwan held the number five spot. Saudi Arabia was in sixth with a 44-percent increase, while Japan was seventh, down 14 percent. Blumenthal attributes the increase in the number of Chinese students heading to US colleges to limited university places in China, as well as a feeling from students and their parents than they want a "unique" educational experience. China's family planning policy, says Blumenthal, has also meant that families can concentrated resources on a single child. The University of California at Los Angeles has one of the largest Asian student populations of any college in the United States.

Why is the number of Chinese students going to the US increasing?

useful

2014 is the year of horse in China. Do you know anything about the horse? The horse is strong and runs very fast. He's a useful and hard-working animal. The horse learns to know his master soon. He loves his master, even after his master has died. Here's a story about such a horse. In a war, the master was killed, and fell from his horse. When his body was found some days later, the horse was still standing beside it. During that long time, the horse didn't leave the body of his master, without food or water, in the coldest weather, driving away the birds that might eat it. Wasn't he a great animal?

The horse is a _ animal to man.

Bottled water may not be as good as we think.

Bottled water has become the choice for people who are healthy and thirsty. Bottled water is all over the world. But some say the planet's health, and people's health may be suffering from it. The idea that bottled water is safer for humans may not be true. The Natural Resources Defense Council of America said, "There is no promise that because water comes out of a bottle, it is cleaner or safer than water from the tap." Another New York City-based action group added that some bottled water is "really just tap water in a bottle--sometimes more clean, sometimes not." It is not proven that bottled water is better than tap water. Nick Reeves from the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management said, "The high mineral content of some bottled water makes them not good for feeding babies and young children." Also, most bottled water doesn't have fluoride , which can make teeth stronger. Kids are drinking more bottled water and less fluoridated tap water, and some say that's behind the recent rise in bad teeth. Storing is another problem. Placed near heat, the plastic bottles can produce bad chemicals into the water. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, some 2.7 million tons of plastic are used worldwide to bottle water each year. The plastic can take between 400 and 1,000 years to break down. In terms of energy use, plastic bottles are also not cheap. One report said that if water and soft drink bottlers had used 10 percent recycled materials in their plastic bottles, they would have saved about 72 million gallons of gas. So, if you are worried about the effect of bottled water on the Earth, you can take the following steps. *Drink from your tap. Unless your government warns against this, it should be fine. *Get a container . Carry your tap water in a steel or a lined drinking container, and clean it between uses. *Keep it cool. Don't drink from a bottle that has been sitting in the sun, don't store it near chemicals, and don't reuse plastic bottles. *Choose glass containers over plastic if possible. When finished, recycle!

What is the main idea of the article?

The Influence of Geographical Environment on Man

A subject which seems to have been insufficiently studied by doctors and psychologists is the influence of geography and climate on the psychological and physical health of mankind. There seems no doubt that the general character of the landscape, the relative length of day and night, and the climate must all play a big part in determining what kind of people we are. It is true that a few studies have been made. Where all the inhabitants of a particular area enjoy exceptionally good or bad health, scientists have identified contributory factors such as the presence or absence of substances like iodine, fluoride, calcium, or iron in the water supply, or perhaps types of land that provide breeding places for pests like mosquitoes or rats. Moreover, we can all generalize about types of people we have met. Those living in countries with long dark winters are apt to be less talkative and less vivacious than inhabitants of countries where the climate is more equable. And where the olive and the orange grow, there the inhabitants are cheerful, talkative, and spontaneous. But these commonplace generalizations are inadequate: the influence of climate and geography should be studied in depth. Do all mountain dwellers live to a ripe old age? Does the drinking of wine, rather than beer, result in a sunny and open temperament? Is the strength and height of one of the Kenyan tribes due to their habitual drinking of the blood of cows? We are not yet sure of the answers to such questions, but let us hope that something of benefit to mankind may eventually result from such studies.

_ might serve as a suitable title for this selection.

A theater.

Live Music--Late Night Jazz Enjoy real American jazz from Herbie Davis, the famous trumpet player. Heis known to play well into the late hours, so don't expect to get much sleep. Place: The Jazz Club Dates : 10 - 25 July Price: $ 100 -- 150 Time: 10:30 p.m. till late Tel: 4668736 Scottish Dancing Scottish dancing is nice and easy to learn. The wonderful dance from Britain will beshown. Place: Jack Stein's Dates :12 -19 July Price: $150 Time: 7:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. Tel: 4021877 Shows in Shanxi Museum There are 12,000 pieces on show here. You can see the whole Chinese history. Place: Shanxi Museum Dates: Jun 1 - Aug 15 Price: $ 60 ( $ 30 for students) Time: Monday - Friday 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Tel : 4886888 Weekends: 9:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m.

What is Jack Stein's most likely to be?

Richard Parker

First published in 2001, the book Life of Pi written by Canadian author Yann Martel won the Man Booker Prize and an Asian American Prize for Literature. It is the story of a young boy named Pi who spends 227 days at sea with a small group of animals after disaster strikes their ship and is an account of his journey of survival and hardship. Piscine "Pi" Molitor Patel, on whom Life of Pi is based, is a young boy living in Pondicherry, India, where his father owns a zoo. The story starts when Patel's family decide to move to Canada, along with their zoo animals for their new home. However, because of the bad weather, the ship sinks. Pi along with an orangutan , an injured zebra, a hyena and a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker are the only survivors who take shelter in a small lifeboat. Both the injured zebra and the orangutan are soon killed and eaten by the hyena. The tiger in turn kills and eats the hyena, leaving just the two of them alone on the boat now. In an effort to avoid being eaten by Richard Parker, Pi acts himself as the head of the group and remains safe from harm. Since he does not want the tiger to die for fear of going mad by being alone on the boat, he fishes and feeds the two of them in order to stay alive. The life of Pi then enters its third stage when their lifeboat washes up on the shores of Mexico and the tiger escapes into a nearby forest leaving Pi alone. After the Mexicans refuse to believe Pi's story, he changes his tale by replacing the animals with his mother, a cook and a sailor and asks the Mexicans which one they prefer. They prefer hearing the first story though they do not believe a word of it. In my view, Life of Pi is a must read book for all those who love reading.

In the book Life of Pi the hyena is killed by _ .

3:00 p. m.

The management and staff are happy to welcome you and will do all they can to make your stay an enjoyable one. We hope you will find the following suggestions and information of use to you. MEAL TIMES Our overnight charge includes a continental-type breakfast. Breakfast: 7:30-9:30 a. m. Lunch: 12:00-2:00 p. m. Afternoon tea: 4:00-5:30 p. m. Dinner: 7:00-9:15 p. m. Meals can be served in rooms at a small extra charge. We regret that owing to staff arrangements, meals cannot be served outside these times. In exceptional circumstances please consult one of our receptionists in advance. Light refreshments, including tea, coffee, biscuits and sandwiches, can be served in rooms between 10:00 a. m. and 11:00 p. m. except during the meal times listed above. Cold drinks are available in the room refrigerator. ROOM CLEANING Please hang the appropriate sign on your door handle if you do not wish to be disturbed. It will be easier for the maids if you can leave the room temporarily at any time between 9:30 a. m. and 4:00 p. m. VALUABLES We are not responsible for the loss of money, jewellery, or other valuables unless they are kept in the safe and signed for by the manager. DEPARTURES Please inform receptionists of your intended leaving before 9:30 a. m. of the day concerned and leave the room by noon to allow for its preparation for incoming guests. If circumstances require, luggage can be left temporarily in the charge of the Hall Porter. A SPECIAL REQUEST We would respectfully suggest that in consideration of the comfort of other guests, the volume of radios and televisions should be turned down after 11:00 p. m.

If you intend to leave the room tomorrow, you may leave at any of the following hours except _

She Xianglin will get State compensation

A man who served 11 years in prison after being wrongly convicted of murdering his wife was officially _ yesterday, walking free from Jingshan County People's Court--the same body that sentenced him to a 15year jail term in 1998--as over 2000 local residents cheered. "Police and other law enforcers made the errors,"39yearold She Xianglin told China Daily, "I believe the law will punish them and give me a just result." The original conviction came based on a confession which She said was extracted under police torture and the misidentification of a still-unknown woman's body. "The provincial Hubei government has sent a team of police, procurators and high people's court officials to investigate the case," a spokesperson for the Jingmen government, which administrates Jingshan County, said yesterday. The miscarriage of justice only came to light when Shen's wife, Zhang Zaiyu, resurfaced late last month after being thought missing for 11 years. This was despite at least five letters from Zhang to her brother over the last two years, which he said he didn't report to police because he thought they were a hoax. Zhang disappeared in January 1994 from Yanmenkou Township, and 3 months later a body was found in a pond that her relatives positively identified. Local police arrested Shen for murder in April 1994,although questions had been raised about discrepancies between the features and clothes of the body and Zhang. Confirmation through DNA testing had not been attempted. Zhang Chengmao, Shen's lawyer, said yesterday he would seek State compensation "but we have not reached a figure yet". When asked about compensation, Shen said, "My mother, who died from the stress of continually appealing, cannot be bought. Eleven years of freedom cannot be bought. Schooling of my daughter that was stopped because of poverty cannot be bought." As for his wife, the man said he did not hate her at all. "If she had not reappeared, maybe I would have been wronged for life," he said. He also said he did not plan to sue Zhang for bigamy, though she had remarried in Shandong Province without divorcing him.

We can infer from the passage _ .

can give teenagers mental health problems

In ancient Greek mythology we learn about a young man named Narcissus. He was so beautiful that he fell in love with his own reflection . He became obsessed , but soon realized that what he loved was not real. As a result, he became sad and died. In the place where he had stood appeared a soft yellow flower -a narcissus. This is where the word "narcissism" came from. Unfortunately, narcissism is often used to show disapproval because it is usually used to mean being self-centered and not caring about others. However, part of the reason that narcissism carries these negative meanings is that many people admire themselves in an unhealthy way. But the truth is that good self-love is necessary for our mental health, scientists say. A study published 10 years ago shows that low self-esteem is responsible for many social problems, and it can affect teenagers seriously. When they feel less confident and not as good as their classmates, teenagers are more likely to suffer from depression, commit suicide, get pregnant and bully others, according to the BBC. The other reason that narcissism is considered an ugly thing is because we are taught that we should care more about others than ourselves and that it's better to give than to receive. Thinking about others is the right thing to do, without question. But psychologists say that the love of others is actually based on self-love. If you see yourself as an unpleasant stranger, how can you be capable of making friends with anyone else? After all, you are closer to yourself than anyone else. After years of study, scientists also found that parents play a big part in building a child's self-belief. Only if the parents approve and accept their children, do they feel loved and learn to love themselves. The next time you look in the mirror, try to tell yourself that you are one of a kind. Pick out your best qualities and be proud of yourself.

According to the text, low self-esteem _ .

unfriendly

My dad was a plumber for the public works department in our town, so from time to time he came into my school. Can you imagine sitting in class and seeing your dad walk past the door of your classroom and wave his hand at you? In junior high? One girl in our class always made fun of me because my dad was a plumber and hers was a lawyer , and she would say things like, "Ew, that's gross !" I must admit I was sometimes embarrassed by what my dad did, especially in my early teens, when the only thing I really cared about was what the other girls thought. The girl lived a few streets away from us, and one winter day---the day her elder sister was getting married---the toilet in their main upstairs bathroom broke and there was water everywhere. Her father, the lawyer called every plumber in the Yellow Page, but nobody would come and because we were having a major snowstorm. Her daughter told him that my father was a plumber, and he called, and my dad went right over---and took me with him.(Maybe he was hoping that the lawyer's daughter would be nicer to me.) My father fixed the toilet, help them clean up everything, and didn't take much time for his trouble. But as we were leaving, he told the girl, "If I ever need a lawyer, I'll be happy to call your dad." As we walked to our car, he said to me, "Do you believe he didn't know where the main shut-off valve was? What a dumb ass!" From that point on, her dad was known in school as Lawyer Dumb Ass. When my husband and I bought our house, the first thing my dad showed him was the main shut-off valve. I have always been proud to say that I'm a plumber's daughter.

The girl's attitude towards the writer can be best described as _ .

drive on the highway instead of on hills

The following safety risks may result in serious injury or death to the user of the MINI Cooper S: *This product contains small parts that are for adult assembly only. Keep small children away when assembling. Remove all protective materials before assembly. Be sure to remove all packaging materials and parts from underneath the car body. *Battery posts contain lead known to the state of California to cause cancer and reproductive harm. Never open the battery. *Body parts such as hands, legs, hair and clothing can get caught in moving parts. Never place a body part near a moving part or wear loose clothing while using the vehicle. Always wear shoes when using the vehicle. *Using the vehicle near streets, motor vehicles, drop-offs such as steps, water (swimming pools) or other bodies of water, hills, wet areas, in alleys, at night or in the dark could result in an unexpected accident. Instead, use the vehicle on the highway. Always use the vehicle in a safe, secure environment. *Using the vehicle in unsafe conditions such as snow, rain, loose dirt, mud, or sand may result in unexpected action, for example tip over. *Using the vehicle in an unsafe manner. Examples include but are not limited to: Pulling the vehicle with another vehicle or similar device Allowing more than two riders Pushing the user from the back Traveling at an unsafe speed *Always use common sense and safe practices when using the vehicle. *Store the vehicle indoors or cover it to protect it from weather. Water will damage the motor, electric system, and battery.

According to the text, it is safer to _ .

an English lesson

Hello, my name is Gina. John, Anna and I are good friends. We are in the same grade. But they are in Class Five and I am in Class Three. We get up at 7:00 and go to school at 7:30. In the morning we have four lessons. We have English every morning. John and Anna have English at 10:00 in the morning and I have _ at 11:00. English is my favorite subject. Math is their favorite. And we all like P.E. In the afternoon, we have three lessons. At 2:30 we have the art lesson in the same classroom. After school we often play soccer. We all like soccer. Sometimes we watch TV at my house. We don't play any computer games.

" _ " ?

People donatemore money when they feel they are watched.

Research shows that humans switch from selfish to unselfish behavior when they are watched. Do you? A picture of a set of eyes on a computer screen can cause a change in the way people act. Even images of eyes on a charity donation, collection box encourage people to be unselfish, because people put more money in a collection box that has a picture of eyes on it than they do when a flower symbol is on the box. Manfred Milinski from the Max-Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology in Germany and Bettina Rockenbach of the University of Berlin, the authors of a new study, found that people act better when they are being watched because they feel they will be rewarded for good behavior. Their report also referred to other research showing that this response of behaving well when watched is somehow _ into humans and people respond this way unconsciously, or without realizing it. It is not just humans that act unselfishly when they are being watched. A fish called the grooming fish cleans other fish. When other fish are around, it is gentler. When no other fish are around, however, the grooming fish bites chunks from the fish it is supposed to be cleaning. The researchers suggest that the best way to get people to behave in the correct way is to make them feel watched. This could be the reason for the success of a famous American army poster. On it was a picture of an elderly man staring fiercely and pointing, it appeared, to the person who was looking at the poster. Under the picture was the caption 'I Want You' It encouraged hundreds of thousands of young American men to join the army during the Second World War to fight the Germans and Japanese.

According to the text, which of the following statements is true?

The woman taught the two young men a lesson.

One night Mrs. Riley, an elderly woman, was walking along a dark prefix = st1 /Londonstreet. She was carrying her handbag in one hand and a plastic carrier bag in the other. There was nobody else in the street except two young men. They were standing in a dark shop doorway. One of them was very tall with fair hair, the other was short and fat with a beard. The two young men waited for a few moments, and then ran quickly and quietly towards Mrs. Riley. The tall one held her from behind while the other one tried to seize her handbag. Suddenly Mrs. Riley threw the tall one over her shoulder. He crashed into the other one and they both landed on the ground. Without speaking, Mrs. Riley struck both of them on the head with her handbag and walked calmly away. The two surprised young men were still sitting on the ground when Mrs. Riley crossed the street towards a door with a lighted sign above it. Mrs. Riley paused, turned round, smiled at them and walked into the South West London Judo Club.

How did the story end?

The high jumping

There are two main kinds of sports. These two kinds of sports are team sports and individual sports. Team sports are such sports as baseball,basketball and volleyball. Team sports need two separate teams. The teams play against each other. They compete against each other in order to get the best score. For example, in a football game, if Team A gets 7 points and Team B gets 3 points,Team A wins the game. Team sports are sometimes called competitive sports. Besides team sports, there is another main type of sporting activity. It's individual sports. In individual sports there are no teams. People play individual sports such as swimming, skiing and running. Of course, it is possible to compete in individual sports. It is possible to keep a score in individual sports. The main difference, however, between team sports and individual sports is that team sports always require more than one person.

_ is an example of individual sports.

future astronauts will become less lonely and more comfortable with the help of the robot

TOKYO--Lonely astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) may soon be getting a robot friend from Japan. Japan's space agency is considering putting a talking humanoid robot on the ISS to watch the work while astronauts are asleep, monitor their health and stress levels and communicate to Earth through the microblogging site Twitter. Japan's space agency JAXA announced this week that it is looking at a plan to send a humanoid robot to the space station in 2013 that could communicate with the ground through Twitter--primarily feeding photos, rather than original ideas --and provide astronauts with "comfort and companionship". Following up on US NASA's "Robonaut" R2 program, which is set for launch on the Discovery shuttle next week, the Japanese robot would be part of a larger effort to create and refine robots that can be used by the elderly, JAXA said in a statement. Japan is one of the leading countries in robotics and has a rapidly aging society with one of the world's longest life expectancies. Improving robot communication capabilities could help elderly people on Earth by providing a nonintrusive means of monitoring the robot owner's health and vital signs and sending information to emergency responders if there is an abnormality, JAXA said. "We are thinking in terms of a very humanlike robot that would have facial expressions and be able to talk with the astronauts," said JAXA's Satoshi Sano. The robot was being developed with the advertising and communications giant Dentsu Inc and a team at Tokyo University. The NASA project has a humanlike head, hands and arms and uses the same tools as station crew members. The "Robonaut" called R2 is intended to carry out maintenance tasks in the station's Destiny lab. NASA says it hopes that humanoid robots could one day stand in for astronauts during spacewalks or perform tasks too difficult or dangerous for humans. For now, the $2.5 million NASA robot is limited to activities within the lab.

From the passage we can know _ .

It was an easy task.

There was once a traveling reporter who was doing a story on the small towns in the Midwest of America. She was particularly interested in the social structures, how men and women got along, and what happened at these large dance parties. She got into a town a few days early, knowing that people would be coming in from all the nearby towns to take part in a fantastic dance party. The night of the dance came, and she did the best that she could go unnoticed, because a good reporter didn't want people to know she was doing a story. She was watching, moving around to different tables and places, and she noticed that as the evening went on, a certain phenomenon was taking place. She noticed that the ladies often got together at the end of a dance and that they talked about the "idiot" who asked them to dance. They complained about this, that and the other and talked about how nobody knew anything, just making cruel remarks and gossiping about the men and the event. But she noticed there was one woman. Even though she was sitting amongst the other women, she was not doing anything like that. She had a pleasant manner. She had a bright smile on her face, and she was not saying anything negative about for any reason at all. She decided she needed to talk to this lady so she walked up and introduced herself. She said, "I've noticed that unlike everyone else at this dance, you just seem to be having a good time. I was just wondering why it is that you're able to sit here and do what you do." The young woman looked at her and said, "I only dance with the partners I want to dance with. If somebody comes up and I don't want to dance with them, I just say I want to have a rest. Enjoying yourself is not difficult."

What did the woman that the reporter interviewed think of having a good time at the dance party?

Chow Yun-fat is popular both at home and abroad.

For the first time in Hong Kong's history, an entertainer has been written into middle school textbooks. He is considered one of the best actors in Hong Kong. Yes, he is Chow Yun-fat. The example of his long hard struggle for success has been used in a chapter in a Hong Kong middle school textbook. Using his experience, students can learn to make the most of their time and to grab every opportunity to succeed. On hearing about this, Chow said happily, "I really hope that my experiences can make young people understand that one should not be afraid of difficulties and setbacks , for they are the only way to success." Indeed, Chow has travelled a long and difficult path to reach his success. In 1955, he was born into a poor family in Hong Kong. When he was 17, he had to leave school. He worked in a number of jobs--as a postman, camera salesman and taxi driver. These experiences paved the way for him to play all kinds of roles later in life. Chow broke into the film industry in the late 1970s. He was one of the hardest working actors and starred in a number of popular TV dramas and films including "Shanghai Bund"(<<>> ) and "A Better Tomorrow". Since 1985, he has won many awards including Taiwan's Golden Horse Awards and Hong Kong Film Awards. In 1995, he went to Hollywood. Although he was already over 40, he had to learn English. _ His film, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", began to gain him more fame and recognition around the world. In 1998, the mayor of Chicago set aside January 12 as "Chow Yun-fat Day".

What can we infer from the passage?

they could get money and do something they enjoyed

There was a big garden in front of Jeff's house. So on weekends, many children came to play soccer from morning to late night. They made a lot of noise, so Jeff couldn't do anything. He thought hard and had an idea. One Saturday evening, he went out and said to them, "It is my happy time when I see and hear you playing here. So I will give you fifty yuan a week if you play in the garden here," They felt very happy and on Saturday evening they came to Jeff's house and asked for the money. He did so. The second week, Jeff said he didn't have enough money and only gave them twenty yuan. The third week Jeff said he lost his work, but he gave them only 10 yuan. And the boys were very _ . The fourth week Jeff said he was looking for his job. He gave them only five yuan. And said he couldn't pay them fifty yuan a week. But he would give them two yuan each week. After that, the boys never played in the garden again.

Children felt very happy at first because _ .

people should eat according to the foods nutrition

Good health is the most valuable thing a person can have, but one cannot take good health for granted. It is important to remember that the body needs proper care in order to be healthy. There are three things that a person can do to help stay in good shape: eat right food ,get enough sleep, and exercise regularly. Proper nutrition is important for good health. Your body cannot work well unless it receives the proper kind of "fuel" .Don't eat too much food with lots of sugar and fat. Eat plenty of foods high in protein ,like meat, fish, eggs and nuts. Vegetables and fruits are very important because they provide necessary vitamins and minerals. However, don't overeat. It is not helpful to be overweight. Getting the proper amount of sleep is also important. If you don't get enough sleep, you feel tired and easily get angry. You have no energy. Over a long period of time a little a amount of sleep may even result in a change of personality .Be sure to allow yourself from seven to nine hours of sleep each night. If you do, your body will feel strong and refreshed, and your mind will be sharp. Finally, get plenty of exercise. Exercise firms the body, strengthens the muscles, and prevents you from gaining weight. It also improves your heart and lungs. If you follow a regular exercise program, you will probably increase your life-span .Any kind of exercise is good. Most sports are excellent for keeping the body in good shapes: basketball, swimming, bicycling, running and so on are good examples. Sports are not only good for your body, but they are enjoyable and interesting, too. If everybody, were to eat the right foods, get plenty of sleep and exercise regularly, the world would be a happier and healthier place. We would all live to be much older and wiser.

In order to keep good health, _ .

Doubtful

I'll be a photographer. I'm going to bring bits of Australia back home with me. I told myself this before, yet I feel so doubtful on this plane that's flying me thousands of miles away. I was so confident yesterday .But today I don't belong to this plane where men sit with briefcases reading newspapers. They're all adults. I've never been out of the US. And now ,I'm traveling into Australia alone, a world I know nothing about. A part of me recognizes it as home. I remember little about my mother, but I remember she had an Australian accent and golden hair. She wan fun and she would often take us to New Jersey beaches, where we would spend the whole day taking walks along the shore. My mom told me that in Australia, Christmas was always spent on the beach with friends and family, and everyone wore Santa hat with their bathing suits. It never got cold and bitter there. My mom was different and I was proud of her. I don't know how she met my father. but after they met several years, they got married and moved into an apartment in New Jersey. Then I was born and we were a perfect family of three who went out to dinner and watched movies in the dark and loved each other. I know things have been hard on my father since my Mom died years ago. It's hard for me, too, and I have to experience the wonderful place my mom grew up in and loved. My mom talked about Australia so much and now I have to see this place. This is an adventure.

How did the author feel when he was on the plane?

He can follow a belief to live his life.

For as long as I can remember, I've always wanted a personal motto. I wanted a saying that I could really try to live my life by. I mean all the humorous book and storybook heroes always have a personal principle they follow. Good manners! Courage! Keenness! But a part of me could never get myself to create my own motto because I never knew where to start and I never thought I could give one. "With great power comes great responsibility." is a quote by the great writer and philosopher, Voltaire. More familiar, it makes an appearance in the modern day movie performance of the superhero Spider-Man. This saying provides a sense of responsibility for those with actually limitless power. "Be good to others and others will be good to you." is another well-known proverb that has roots in almost all of the major religions. Although it is less practiced today than it is lectured, it is a powerful and good motto to live by. Kindness, in this sense, is the final power in judging every action. My personal motto today has an idea - being efficient. Through my limited knowledge, I have come to find that this is simply the best way for me to give insight about who I am and what I believe in. Efficiency is a quality that everyone desires for, right? Who doesn't want to be able to not only work fast but to achieve great results? To some, it may appear to be a frightening journey. But to me, it means that I have a lifelong journey to improve the methods and ideas with which I come near my tasks. Regardless of what motto you want to live by, I believe that everyone should have one, or two or more. These are all symbols of a perfect story of us, in our own view. And it immediately provides insight to the type of person we were, we are and what we strive to be. We are never meant to be perfect, but it is important to try and live by a belief that will help us reach our potential. All you have to do is know what your excitement is and live by it.

Why does the writer want a personal motto?

robots' sense of smell can be affected by other smells around.

Everybody hates rats. But in the earthquake places of the world - Japan, Los Angeles, Turkey - rats will soon be man's new best friends. What happens after an earthquake? We send in rescue dogs. Why? Because they can smell people. Dogs save lives. They help rescuers to find living people. But dogs are big and they can't get into small spaces. So now a new research project is using a smaller animal to save lives: the rat. How does it work? First, the rat is trained to smell people. When this happens, the rat's brain gives a signal. This is sent to a small radio on its back, and then the rescuers follow the radio signals. When the rat's brain activity jumps, the rescuers know that someone is alive. The rat has smelled that person. Although there are already robots which can do this job, rats are better. Christian Linster at Cornell University, New York, says, " 'Robot' noses don't work well when there are other smells around. Rats are good at that." Rats can also see in the dark. They are cheaper and quicker to train than dogs, and unlike robots, they don't need electricity. The " rat project" is not finished, but Julie Ryan of International Rescue Corps in Scotland says, " It would be fantastic. A rat would get into spaces we couldn't get to and a rat would get out if it wasn't safe." Perhaps for the first time in history, people will be happy to see a rat in a building ( but only after an earthquake, of course.)

In doing rescue jobs, _ .

few friends came to visit them in winter.

Norah has a cottage on a cliff above a big bay. In winter it could be very nasty because of strong winds and sea _ In fact, when a gale was blowing, Norah and her husband got used to sleeping in a small room downstairs, because their bedroom upstairs, which faced the gales, had a very big window, and they were afraid that an extra violent gust might break it and blow pieces of broken glass over them. Also, the salt spray from the sea put an end to many of the colorful plants Norah planted in the garden. She tried putting up a fence to protect them, but the wind just hit it, went up over the top and then down the other side, so in the end she filled the garden with trees and bushes that liked salt. But most of the summer Norah enjoyed her cottage and garden very much. At weekends she could sit out-of-doors in the sun, looking at the beautiful view, with interesting ships and boats passing by, and she could very easily cycle down to the sea for a swim. Now, Norah and her husband had plenty of friends and relations. In the summer most of them used to come to enjoy the beautiful place, and in the end it really became quite annoying for Norah and her husband. When they were at home, they found friends and relations arriving, expecting to be given unlimited drinks and meals, and to sit in the sun for hours, talking as if Norah and her husband had nothing else to do but entertain and listen to them. This went on for several years. Norah did not wish to appear rude by refusing to let her friends and relations in, but on the other hand, she was getting tired every summer. Then one day Norah was complaining about this to her hairdresser while she was doing her hair. "You're disturbed by too many uninvited guests, are you?" said the hairdresser. "Why don't you try my way of escaping?" "What's that?" asked Norah. "Well," the hairdresser answered, "when the bell rings, I put on my coat and take my shopping bag. If it's someone I don't want to see, I say innocently, 'I'm sorry, but I've got to go out. But...'"

We can infer that _ .

lion

My name's Molly. I'm a lion. I am three years old .My favorite food is meat and I like to eat little animals .I like the forest ,but I live in the zoo now, I live in a big cage. I can't run and I can't see my parents,I don't like the zoo or the cage. Every day I get up in the cage ,I have breakfast,lunch and dinner in the cage. I sleep in the cage .I really want to run in the forest and live with my parents.

Molly is a(n) _ .

giving makes a person become happier

For the kids in Matt Marciano's sixth-grade social studies class, Thanks-giving is a time for great ideas. "We look at different foods that people eat around the world," says Marciano. "The lesson," he explains, "teaches students to admit that some people are unlucky. And it also gets them thinking about Thanksgiving, about their lives, and about their biggest homework of the year--to find a way they can change the world." Last year, 12-year-old Christian D. taught basic soccer skills to 63 kids with cancer. Christian's classmate Brianna used the money she had raised to buy 56 teddy bears. She donated them to a woman's shelter. Both students say the experience taught them something they'll never forget: When we give something to others, we're really giving thanks. And giving thanks feels good. "Helping the woman smile, if just for a day, made me feel like I could make a difference," Brianna says. "And it taught me that I should always be thankful for what I have." Brianna's happiness is something Jeffrey Froh knows about. Froh studies how gratitude affects a person's mind and attitudes. Those who are thankful are more likely to help others. Grateful people and kids in particular are healthier and happier than those who are not. "Grateful kids tend to be happier and more satisfied with their lives," Froh says. "Kids who give thanks are happier with school, their families and their friends. Grateful children also feel less envy toward others, are less likely to be depressed and even do better in school." "To experience gratitude," says Froh, "a couple of things have to happen. First you have to notice that there is goodness in your life. Then you have to admit that the reason for that goodness lies partially outside of yourself."

The example of Christian and Brianna proves _ .

Protective clothing.

In 1997, a group of twenty British women made history. Working in five teams with four women in each team, they walked to the North Pole. Apart from one experienced female guide, the other women were all ordinary people who had never done anything like this in their lives before. They managed to survive in an environment which had defeated several very experienced men during the same time period. The women set off as soon as they were ready. Once on the ice, each woman had to ski along while dragging a sledge weighing over 50 kilos. The temperature was always below the freezing point and sometimes strong winds made walking while pulling so much weight almost impossible. It was also very difficult for them to put up their tents when they stopped each night. In such conditions, the women were making good progress if they covered fourteen or fifteen kilometers a day. But there was another problem. Part of the journey was across a frozen sea with moving water underneath the ice and at some points the team would drift back more than five kilometers during the night. That meant that after walking in these very severe conditions for ten hours on one day, they had to spend part of the next day covering the same ground again. Furthermore, each day it took three hours from waking up to setting off and another three hours every evening to set up the camp and prepare the evening meal. So, how did they manage to succeed? They realized that they were part of a team. If any one of them didn't pull her sledge or get her job done, she would endanger the success of the whole expedition. Any form of selfishness could result in the efforts of everyone else being completely wasted, so personal Feelings had to be put on one side. At the end of their journey, the women agreed that it was mental effort far more than physical fitness that got them to the North Pole.

Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the text?

Because she thought the man might be a bad man.

I was in Houston a few weeks ago,and needed to be back home in Austin by midmorning the next day.Though I usually left in the evening,for some reason last time I had to choose to set off after midnight. I was on my way back to Austin when I realized I left an important file,and knew I had to return to get it.I took the first exit I could,but when I rounded the corner,an 18-wheeler was stopped dead in the exit lane.I swerved to avoid it,and then I realized that there was something wrong with my car.So I pulled into a small parking lot and unsurprisingly found the area deserted at 3:15am.I've lived in urban areas most of my life.I'm fairly street-wise and don't become frightened easily,but I knew I was in a pretty tough neighborhood. There was no one in Houston to pick me up.I immediately locked the doors and picked up my phone to call a tow truck.Soon a young man knocked on my driver's side window and asked if he could help me.Judging from his appearance,he was far from a mad man,but I knew he was far more likely to rob than help me.So I lied to him.After a while,he asked again,but this time I politely refused and told him the tow truck was due any minute.He finally said,"Madam,you need help.A tow truck in Houston will arrive anywhere between 45minutes and approximately never (which I knew was true),and you aren't going anywhere until you change your flat tire." After considering thoroughly,I got out.He looked surprised,but got right to work.He changed the tire,returned the seat to its place and said,"Thank you for letting me help you.You gave me a chance when most people would never open the door to someone like me.Would it be okay if I gave you a hug?"When I recovered,I gave him a giant hug.I left with a new tire and a renewed faith in human nature.

Why did the author lie to the man and refuse his help in the beginning?

increase of world population

Plants, like animals, are subject to diseases of various kinds.It has been estimated that some 30,000 different diseases attack our economic plants; forty are known to attack corn, and about as many attack wheat.The results of unchecked plant disease are all too obvious in countries which have marginal food supplies.The problem will soon be more widespread as the population of the world increases at its frightening rate.Even in countries which are now amply fed by their agricultural products there could soon be the major crops; the resulting famines could kill millions of people, and the resulting hardship on other millions could cause political upheavals disastrous to the order of the world. Some plants have relative immunity to a great many diseases, while others have a susceptibility to them.A blight may be but a local infection easily controlled; on the other hand it can attack particular plants in a whole region or nation.An example is the blight which killed virtually every chestnut tree in North America.Another is the famous potato blight in Ireland in the last century.As a result of that, it was estimated that one million people died of starvation and related ailments. Plant pathologists have made remarkable strides in identifying the pathogens of the various diseases.Bacteria may invade a plant through an infestation of insect parasites carrying the pathogen.A plant can also be inoculated by man.Other diseases might be caused by fungus which attacks the plant in the form of a model or smut or rust.Frequently such a primary infection will weaken the plant so that a secondary infection may result form its lack of tolerance.The symptoms shown may cause an error in diagnosis, so that treatment may be directed toward bacteria which could be the result of a susceptibility caused by a primary virus infection.

Unchecked plant disease won't result in _ .

education

When he was small, Hill was a famous bad boy. At the age of 9, his father married his stepmother. At that time they lived poor in the countryside while his stepmother was from a wealthy family. His father introduced Hill to his stepmother as he said, "Dear, I hope you notice in the entire shire this is the worst boy, who has made me have no other way. Maybe before tomorrow morning he will throw a stone at you, or do a bad thing you will never ima gine." To Hill's surprise, his stepmother went up to him with a smile, held up his head and looked at him carefully. She then turned around to tell her husband, "You're wrong. He is not the worst boy in the entire shire, but the cleverest and creative boy. Only he doesn't find a place to show himself. " His stepmother's words warmed his heart, his eyes full of tears. With this, he started building friendship with his stepmother. And this became the drive of his life, making him create 28 successful golden rules, which helped tens of thousands of ordinary people walk on the road to success. Before his stepmother came, no one praised him smart, and his father and neighbors considered him as a bad boy. However, his stepmother's words changed his life. When Hill was 14 years old, his stepmother bought him a used typewriter and said to him, "I believe you will become a writer." Hill accepted his stepmother's gift and expectation, and started writing things to a local newspaper. He understood his stepmother's strong feeling of interest in his family while he saw with his own eyes she had changed his family. Therefore, he would do as well as she expected him to. The strength from his stepmother made him a rich man and famous writer in the United States and one of the most important persons in the 20th century. Praise will never be unnecessary, especially for children. A sincere (> praise may be better than 10, 000 bad words.

The writer is most probably an expert of _ .

get back down early

Hiking can be a pleasant as well as a not so pleasant adventure. You will have to take a number of measures so that your hike is a pleasant experience. Hiking Tip 1 -- Start Early Most hiking experts hold the opinion that it is rather sensible to start hiking at 3 or 4 in the morning, even if it is a full-day hike. Since most hikes are conducted at high altitudes, starting off early will make sure that you are back down during the afternoon hours. Hiking Tip 2 -- Be Light Since we are anyway talking about the load you will carry, another important hiking tip is to carry fewer loads. If you are going on a hiking trail on a familiar path, you will need reduced survival items, as chance that you will get lost or hurt yourself on these hiking trails is little. Hiking Tip 3 -- Reduce the Number of Breaks Once you start your hike, you should make sure you do not take too many breaks. You will need to maintain a consistent speed and minimize the number of stops which you take. Speed and rest stops help distinguish an inexperienced hiker from an expert hiker. An inexperienced hiker will have bursts of speed and energy and it will be followed by rest stops. This results in slowing down the general speed. Hiking Tip 4 -- Tip for Children Do you plan to take your kids along with you on the hiking trail? Well, then you must be looking for hiking tips for kids! You will have to educate them about nature and also get them into an exercise routine before taking them on a hike. Kids have a tendency to run in the beginning. This exhausts them and they have to be carried, which is certainly not the best of ideas.

You are advised to start hiking early in order to _ .

A low-salt diet may prevent both high blood pressure and obesity.

"Children who eat less salt and drink fewer sugar-sweetened soft drinks may significantly lower their risks of obesity," researchers recently reported in the journal Hypertension. "Sugar-sweetened soft drinks are a significant source of calorie intake in children," said Feng J. He, a researcher at St George's University of London, England. "It has been shown that sugar-sweetened soft drink consumption is related to obesity in young people." They wanted to know whether there is a link between salt intake and sugar-sweetened soft drink consumption. Dr He and colleagues analyzed data from a 1997 national survey of more than 2,000 people between 4 and 18 in Britain. "We found that children eating a lower-salt diet drank less fluid," said He. "From our research, we estimated that 1 gram of salt cut from their daily diet would reduce fluid intake by 100 grams per day." The researchers also found that children eating a lower-salt diet drank fewer sugar-sweetened soft drinks. From their research, they predicted that reducing salt intake by 1 gram each day would reduce sugar-sweetened soft drink consumption by 27 grams per day, after. "If children aged 4 to 18 cut their salt intake by half, there would be a decrease of about two sugar-sweetened soft drinks per week per child, so each child would decrease calorie intake by almost 250 kilocalories per week," Dr He said. In previous studies, researchers found that a low-salt diet lowers blood pressure in children, and prevents the development of high blood pressure later in life. "Both high blood pressure and obesity increase the risk of having strokes and heart attacks," Dr He said. Dr He recommends that parents check labels and choose low-salt food products. "Small reductions in the salt content of 10 to 20 percent cannot be detected by the human salt taste receptors and do not cause any technological or safety problems," Dr He said.

Which of the following statements would Dr He agree to?

As long as you live

"Memorize these words." "Learn this spelling rule." "Don't forget about the exam tomorrow." You remember things every day, but how do you do it? When you want to call a store or an office that you don't call often, you look in the telephone book for the number. You _ the number, and then you forget it! You use your short-term memory to remember the number. Your short-term memory lasts about half a minute. However, you don't need to look in the telephone book for your best friend's number because you already know it. This information is in your long-term memory. Your long-term memory has everything that you remember through the years. The major reason for forgetting something is because you do not learn it well at the beginning. For example, you meet some new people, and right away you forget their names. You hear the names but you do not learn them, so you forget them.

How long does the long-term memory last?

56.

Lee Kuan Yew, former prime minister of Singapore, died on Monday, March 23, 2015, at the age of 91, according to a statement released by the Prime Minister's Office. Lee, a Cambridge-educated lawyer, is widely credited with building Singapore into one of the world's wealthiest nations. He co-founded the People's Action Party (PAP), which has ruled Singapore since 1959 and led the newly born country when it was separated from Malaysia in 1965. In Beijing's eyes, Lee Kuan Yew, the late founding father and leader of Singapore, was not only "an old friend of the Chinese people", but also "the founder of China-Singapore relations", according to China's previous official news releases about his visits. Chinese media estimated that he had been to China more than 20 times, and he was known for his good personal relations with China's top figures, especially former leader Deng Xiaoping. Zhang Jiuhuan, the Chinese ambassador to Singapore from 2000 to 2004, noted that "it was a _ case" at the time that a foreign prime minister would visit China, as Lee did in 1976, in the absence of diplomatic relations between the two nations. Deng then paid back the visit, going to Singapore in 1978, in what Zhang described as a sensational trip. Jin Canrong, a professor of international relations at Renmin University of China in Beijing, noted that Lee's No 1 contribution to China was his efforts in "sharing Singapore's successful experience in governance", adding that "China has benefited a lot" from this. The China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park, inaugurated in February 1994 in Jiangsu province in East China, was proposed by Lee, who even went to the city in 1992 to inspect the site for the park. Now, with the park serving as a role model for China's economic cooperation with foreign countries, more such industrial parks hosted or co-hosted by China have been established domestically and abroad.

How long has the People's Action Party (PAP) ruled Singapore?

two

Cloud seeding is a method of artificially causing clouds to produce precipitation in the form of rain or snow.Cloud seeding has also been used in attempts to modify the severity of hail storms and hurricanes.The effectiveness of cloud seeding remains controversial .but it continues to be used in some regions to try to increase rainfall for agriculture and to build snow packs for water supplies and power production. Cloud seeding was developed by American scientists Irving Langmuir and Vincent Joseph Schaefer during and after World War II.Their work began as an effort to learn more about the buildup of ice on airplane wings, and eventually led them to attempt to create rainfall by releasing several pounds of crushed frozen carbon dioxide into a cloud from an airplane.In this form, the carbon dioxide is called dry ice.On November 13, 1946, the technique appeared to produce snow directly under the cloud; the snow then turned to rain as it fell to the ground. For their experiment, Langmuir and Schaefer selected a supercooled cloud, one in which the water droplets remain liquid in subfreezing temperatures.Their theory was that small grains of dry ice falling through the cloud would cause tiny droplets of water vapor in the cloud to freeze into crystals that attracted more water vapor.Their theory proved to be correct and eventually the crystals became heavy enough to fall from the cloud as snow.As the snow reached the warmer temperatures closer to the ground, it melted and became rain. Another scientist, Bernard Vonnegut, produced a method of cloud seeding using silver iodide .He used particles of silver iodide because its crystal structure resembled that of ice in clouds.Silver iodide also had practical advantages over frozen carbon dioxide It could be stored at room temperature and did not require an airplane as a delivery mechanism.Instead, silver iodide crystals could be fired by cannons high into the air, where wind carried them into the clouds.

How many methods of cloud seeding are mentioned in the passage?

determination to reach a goal.

The pickle jar , as I can remember, sat beside the dresser in my parents' bedroom. When ready for bed, Dad would toss any coins in his pockets into the jar. As they dropped, they landed with a merry jingle. Whenever the jar was full, Dad would roll up the coins. Every time he slid the box of rolled coins across the counter at the bank toward the cashier, he would smile proudly and say,"All for my son's college." We would always celebrate each deposit by stopping for an ice cream cone. Dad would show me the coins in his change, saying "When we get home, we'll start filling the jar again." He always let me drop the first coins into the empty jar. "You might have to get to college on loose change," he said. "But you'll get there." As years passed, I went to college, got married and took a job. Once, while visiting my parents, I noticed the jar was gone. It had served its purpose. My dad was a man of few words and never lectured me on the values of determination, perseverance or faith. The jar had taught me those far better than the most flowery of words could have done. Soon, my daughter Jessica was born. We spent Christmas that year with my parents. After dinner, Mom and Dad sat next to each other, taking turns holding their first grandchild. When Jessica began crying, my wife Susan took her from Dad's arms to put her in my parents' room. Susan came back, tears in her eyes and led me into the room. "Look," she said softly. To my amazement, there, next to the dresser, stood the old pickle jar, as if never removed, the bottom already covered with coins. I walked over to it, dug down into my pocket, and pulled out several coins. Choked by emotion, I dropped them into the jar. Dad had slipped quietly into the room when I looked up. Our eyes locked, but neither of us spoke, because we knew nothing had to be said.

The pickle jar in the article represents _ .

was afraid she would be arrested

Most shoplifters agree that the January sales offer wonderful opportunities for the hard-working thief. With the shops so crowded and the staff so busy, it does not require any extraordinary talent to help you to take one or two little things and escape unnoticed. It is known, in the business, as "hoisting". But the hoisting game is not what it used to be. Even at the height of the sales, shoplifters today never know if they are being watched by one of those evil little balls that hang from the ceilings of so many department stores above the most desirable goods. As if that was not trouble enough for them, they can now be filmed at work and forced to attend a showing of their performance in court. Selfridges was the first big London store to install videotape equipment to watch its sales floors. In October last year the store won its first court case for shoplifting using an evidence a videotape clearly showing a couple stealing dresses. It was an important test case which encouraged other stores to install similar equipment. When the balls first make an appearance in shops, it was widely believed that their only function was to frighten shoplifters. Their somewhat ridiculous appearances, the curious holes and red lights going on and off, certainly make the theory believable. It did not take long, however, for serious shoplifters to start showing suitable respect. Soon after the equipment was in operation at Selfridges, store detective Brian Chadwick was sitting in the control room watching a woman secretly putting bottles of perfume into her bag. "As she turned to go," Chadwick recalled, "she suddenly looked up at the 'balls' and stopped. She could not possibly have seen that the camera was trained on her because it is completely hidden, but she must have had a feeling that I was looking at her." "For a moment she paused, but then she returned to counter and started putting everything back. When she had finished, she opened her bag towards the camera to show it was empty and hurried out of the store."

The woman's action before leaving the store shows that she _ .

Negative.

A new semester has just started and a number of parents are registering to change their children's names, in the hope that it will change their temper or help their children drop bad habits, like addiction to the Internet. One mother surnamed Shi renamed her son, a primary school student, Hengfu, which means eternal happiness in Chinese. She decided to change the boy's name because he always did poorly in study. She has had him tutored after school, but he always earns low marks in school. So Shi turned to a name-giving master. "I hope the special recipe could bring him good luck," the mother said. Teachers in the city say a few students in every school, most nearing graduation, change their names at the start of every new semester. A naming agency said it has found names for nearly 1,000 students since setting up the shop in 1998. The store said its professionals analyzed the defects of a person's original name, and suggested a new one based on the person's birthday and other fortune-telling skills. Buying a new name costs between 800 yuan and 10,000 yuan. Parents also have to register the name at the local police department for a small fee. This will legally change their child's name on all documents, including ID cards and passports. Hu Jie, a university student who changed her name in her final year of high school, said the new name confused her. "I always had no idea who my classmates were calling when they used my new name," Hu said, adding that she wished she had kept her old name. But parents may be ignoring one thing: name changes might encourage kids to believe that fate is more important than their own efforts.

What is the writer's attitude towards parents' renaming their children?

Sending e-mail is now more popular among students than before.

Everyday we talk about and use the Internet, but how many of us know the history of the Internet? Many people are surprised when they find that the Internet was set up in the 1960s. At that time, computers were large and expensive. Computer network didn't work well. If one computer in the network broke down, then the whole network stopped. So a new network system had to be set up. It should be good enough to be used by many different computers. If part of the network was not working, information could be sent through another part. In this way computer network system would keep on working on the time. At first the Internet was only used by the government, but in the early 1970s, universities, hospitals and banks were allowed to use it too. However, computers were still very expensive and the Internet was difficult to use. By the start of the 1990s, computers became cheaper and easier to use. Scientists had also developed software that made "surfing" in the Internet more convenient. Today it is easy to get on-line and it is said that millions of people use the Internet every day. Sending e-mail is more and more popular among students.The Internet has now become one of the most important parts of people's life.

Which of the following is TRUE?

Apollo was bound by his promise to Phaethon.

Phaethon stood impatiently at the heavy golden doors. He ordered the guards, Month and Year, to let him approach his father's throne. As the doors opened slowly, the sun's rays almost blinded him. Phaethon protected his eyes and felt his way toward Apollo's throne. "Come here, my son. Follow my voice," Apollo's voice echoed. "What is so urgent that you have my guards hurrying to do your bidding?" "Father, I have a problem. All of my friends have been teasing me. They don't believe that you're my father or that you make the sun rise and set," complained Phaethon. Apollo replied, "Oh? That problem again? Well, just to prove it to your friends once and for all, I will satisfy any wish you desire." "Really? Then I have only one wish," answered Phaethon. "I'd like to drive your chariot and make the sun rise tomorrow morning!" Apollo was horrified. "No, not that! No one but me can drive the chariot. The horses are too powerful!" "You said I could have anything," murmured Phaethon. Bound by his promise, Apollo had to agree. His heart was sick with worry as he ordered Dawn to prepare the horses, Hour and Day, to the Golden Chariot. Phaethon could hardly wait to jump in the driver's seat and take the reins . He hoped all his friends were watching the sky and waiting for him through the stars. "Wait, my son! There are things you need to know!" cried Apollo. "Oh, Father! You worry too much. I've often seen you drive. I know what to do," Phaethon answered. Apollo hurried to give directions. "You have never driven my chariot before. You must make the horses stay on the path. If you are too low, you will _ the earth and large land on it could be thrown into a world of fire." "I know, Father. Now watch me take off!" shouted Phaethon. Dawn stepped back and released the horses go. The horses were filled with excitement. The sky begged for Dawn's light, so she ran toward the horizon to make the darkness fade. As Phaethon was about to get on, Apollo took him by the arm and said, "Please listen to me! If you go too high, you will warm the cold depths of the heavens, and the Bear or Snake or the Scorpion will come alive!" Phaethon just laughed. "My friends are waiting. I've got to go!" he shouted. With that, the chariot was off. It was a wild ride. Hour and Day were difficult to control. Phaethon did not have his father's strong arms or years of experience. The horses wove from side to side and jumped up and down through the heavens, hitting everything in their way. The sun bounced along behind the chariot like a basketball. It scratched the stars and slipped along mountaintops, leaving burnt remains behind. Phaethon's friends ran for cover as they watched. Just as his father had warned him, the figures in the sky began to move. Suddenly the Scorpion appeared suddenly before him, but Phaethon dashed by in time. The Snake struck out and bit a wheel off the chariot. Apollo, seeing the destruction, rushed up toward the heavens, but he was too late! The Bear had waken up from his icy hibernation and seized Phaethon before his father could reach him. Apollo took hold of the reins and finally regained control of Hour and Day, but it was years before the earth's mountaintops were white with snow again. The scorched areas became deserts where very little would grow. Phaethon became a part of the stars alongside the Bear, where his father could regretfully keep an eye on him.

What caused Apollo to allow Phaethon to drive the chariot?

A website.

Have you ever lost your car on a parking lot? You don't have a clue where your car is after shopping. Then you start walking around clicking on your car keys so the alarm goes off. It can be annoying, especially on a hot sunny day. No, you needn't install an expensive GPS system to keep track of your car. That's too expensive. You would need to pay a monthly fee to use it. But is there a way to track your vehicle without spending a fortune? Yes, now there is! A California-based company has created a tiny device that works with your smartphone, which could be exactly what you're looking for! What is it? It's called TrackR. It is a state-of-the-art tracking device the size of a coin. It's changing the way we keep track of the important things in our lives. How does it work? It's easy! Install the free TrackR app on your smartphone, connect the app to your device and you're ready to go! Simply attach TrackR to whatever you want to keep an eye on. The entire process of setting it up only takes 5 minutes or less. You can attach it to your keys, briefcase, wallet, your latest tech gadgets and anything else you don't want to lose. Then use the TrackR app to locate your missing item in seconds. If you forget where you have parked your car, pull out your smartphone and open the TrackR app. Tap on the "find device" button on the screen and the app will tell you the exact spot of the last known location of the TrackR. What else can I do with TrackR? The device is small and unnoticeable enough that you can attach it to your pet. Put it on their collar, and the issue of searching for them when they run away to nearby places will be over! You'll never waste a minute searching the whole house for it. TrackR even comes with a double-sided glue so you can stick it to your laptop or under your bike seat. Track down and punish the thieves who steal your expensive things! How much does it cost? You're probably thinking that this device is very expensive. False! TrackR only costs $29! That's a small price to pay for peace of mind, isn't it? Where can I buy one? You can buy it directly from the company's website by clicking here https://buy.thetrackr.co/gu/special-offers/15/ .

Where is this passage most likely taken from?

She thought the poem was well written.

When I was nine years old, I wrote my first poem. My mother read the little poem and cried. "Buddy, it's a beautiful, beautiful poem!" My mother poured out her praise. "What time will Father be home?" I asked. I could hardly wait to show him my poem. My father had begun his movie career as a writer. He would be able to appreciate my poem even more than my mother. I confidently put the poem right on my father's plate on the dining table. My mother said he would be home around 7. But My father got home an hour later than expected. He sat down at the table and noticed his plate. "What is this?" I heard him say. "Ben, Buddy has written his first poem. And it's beautiful, so amazing!" Mother said. "If you don't mind, I'd like to decide that for myself," Father said. I kept my face lowered to my plate. It was only 10 lines long. But it seemed to take hours. "I think it's bad," my father said. I couldn't look up. My eyes were getting wet. "Ben, sometimes I don't understand you," my mother was saying. "This is just a little boy. He needs encouragement." "I don't know why," _ "Isn't there enough bad poetry in the world already? No law says Buddy has to become a poet." I ran from the dining room, threw myself on the bed and cried. A few months later, I read that first poem. It was a bad poem. I worked up the courage to show him a short story. My father thought it was not good but hopeful. I was learning to rewrite. As I worked my way into other books and plays and films, I realized how lucky I was to have a mother who said, "Buddy, it's wonderful!" and a father who shook his head "I think it's bad." Both are love that forces me to improve. In fact, all of us in life need both loving force.

What did the mother think of the Buddy's poem?

He is not good at using computers or drawing.

Architecture lovers in Washington do not have to travel far to see some of the world's most famous buildings. Architect Adam Reed Tucker has recreated fifteen of them using Lego bricks. The exhibit is called "LEGO Architecture: Towering Ambition." It is at the National Building Museum in Washington until early September. Faith Lapidus has more. Lego bricks are small, color1ful plastic blocks. They can be snapped together to make any number of objects. They are popular with children of all ages around the world. Adam Reed Tucker calls himself an "architectural artist". He was a professional architect for ten years. After the terrorist attacks against the United States in two thousand one he decided to do something different. He wanted to express his feelings for the form of the skyscraper while deepening his understanding of architecture, engineering and construction. He chose to use something that most people used as children. Tucker does all his work by hand, using only pictures of the buildings. He does not use any computers or drawings to plan his buildings. While the exhibit is going on, Tucker will be working on his latest work, the White House where the American president lives. Visitors can watch him create the famous building brick by brick. After walking through Tucker's models, visitors can create their own works at the building station. They can make houses, office buildings, stores or factories. They can then place their models on a large map of a city. As more visitors come, the Lego city will grow. To many people, Legos might seem like toys for kids. But Adam Reed Tucker proves that _ . To watch another Lego artist at work, go to 51voa.com and click on Captioned Videos. Lowry Baker came from McLean, Virginia, to see the exhibit. Baker said, "When we saw the models, there were just amazing. As soon as my son got a look at all of the stations here, he wanted to start building. It's really a great set-up. It really encourages creativity on the kids' part."

Which of the following statements is NOT true about Adam Tucker?

Another six people who were on the train.

1. Summer came early to Middlesbrough yesterday, as temperatures shot up to 22degC (71degF), a record for March. But local NFU agent Jim Wilkes says it could be bad news for farmers. "The crops will think it's summer," he told our reporter, "and start sprouting four weeks before time." 2. The death toll of the Burnside train crash rose to four yesterday when John Phillips, 32, of Petersville died in Wallsend Hospital. Another six people are still on the danger list. Mr. Phillips, an electrical engineer leaves a wife and two children. 3. China and the United States reached an agreement on the protection of intellectual property rights yesterday, after difficult marathon talks. The agreement is good news for all parties concerned. The Chinese Foreign Trade Minister described the agreement as a "turning point" in Sino-US trade relations that "promises further progress" in the future. The agreement will not only favorably influence trade relations between China and the United States. It may favorably influence the overall relations between the two countries.

Who are on the danger list?

Germany in 1609

The first newspaper was written by hand and put up on walls in public places. The earliest daily newspaper was started in Rome in 59 BC. In the 700s the world's first printed newspaper was published. Europe didn't have a regularly printed newspaper until 1609, when one was started in Germany. The first regularly published newspaper in English was printed in Amsterdam in 1620. In 1621, an English newspaper was started in London and was published once a week. The first daily English newspaper was the Daily Courant, which came out in March 1702. In 1690, Benjamin Harris printed the first American newspaper in Boston .But not long after it was first published, the government stopped the paper. In 1704, John Campbell started the Boston Newspaper, the first newspaper published daily in the American colonies . By 1760, the colonies had more than thirty daily newspapers.There are now about 1, 800 daily papers in the United States. Today, as a group, newspapers in English have the largest circulation in the world .But the largest circulation for a newspaper is that of the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun . It sells more than eleven million copies every year.

The first regularly printed European newspaper started in _ .

Rising early to get ready for your day with positive energy.

Every day is a gift, and if you look forward to spending each day with happiness, wake up every morning with a positive attitude and enjoy a beautiful day! Set up a daily plan for yourself and ensure that you reserve enough time for your homework. Also, don't forget to spare some time for play! Stop being lazy and start participating in your life instead of just watching it pass by. Try to do something fun and constructive every day. _ , write something interesting in your diary, try a new hobby, spend time with your friends, or just watch your favorite show on television, and you will see how every moment of your day unfolds. You'll achieve better results, and ultimately greater success. However, every day will not be the way you want it to be. Some days will be good, while some will be bad. You won't be always happy and smiling. You may come across many challenges. Don't forget to remind yourself to slow down and take care of yourself. In today's busy lifestyle, it is necessary to relax to bring balance and joy back into your life. So, take charge of your life. Enjoy and appreciate the small things around you. Do a good deed and make others happy. Sometimes, doing something as simple as having a cup of tea with an old friend or a family member, listening to a cheerful song, or just writing down all the things that make you happy could indeed turn your day around! Review and analyze your day before you retire at night. Reward yourself for completing the set goals and prepare the stage for the next day. This will impact your sleep and overall happiness levels. Plan for the next day, take a good rest, and wake up fresh the next morning! If you will you are doing the same things every day, step out of your comfort zone and set aside some time to do things you have never done before. Stretch your limits. Not only will it make a boring day exciting but it will also build your confidence.

Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?

was fast asleep

The woman had died when the rescuers found her after the terrible earthquake. She was covered by a destroyed house. Through gaps of those ruins,the rescuers could see her last posture . It was something like an ancient person who was kowtowing ,but it just looked strange because she was out of shape by pressure. The rescuers confirmed her death by touching her through the gaps of the ruins. They shouted at the ruins again and again,knocked the bricks using various tools,but no reply inside. Then the rescuing team went to the next building. Suddenly the leader ran back,calling "Come here." He came to the body,put his hands under the woman,feeling and touching,then shouted loudly and gladly,"There is someone,a baby,still living." Through some efforts,rescuers cleaned up the ruins which blocked her. Under her body lay her baby,who was covered by a small red quilt . He was about 3 or 4 months' old. Since well protected by his mother's body,he was safe. He was in a deep sleep when the rescuer carried him out,and his lovely and peaceful face warmed everyone around him. The doctor,along with the rescuing team,took the baby out of the quilt to check if the baby was all right,and he found there was a mobile phone in the quilt. The doctor looked at the screen;a written message was already there:"My dear baby,if you could live,don't forget how much I love you." As a doctor,he experienced much of this type of separation;but at this moment,he cried. The mobile phone was passed,and every person who saw this message shed tears.

When the baby was rescued, he .

whether it is necessary to have a telephone

Many people think a telephone is essential. But I think it is a pest and a time waster. Very often you find it impossible to escape from some idle or curious chatter-box, or from somebody who wants something for nothing. If you have a telephone in your own house, you will admit that it tends to ring when you are asleep, or in the middle of a meal or a conversation, or when you are just going out, or when you are taking your bath. Are you strong minded enough to ignore it, to say to yourself,"Ah, well, it will all be the same in a hundred years' time" You are not. You think there may be some important news or messages for you. I can assure you that if a message is really important it will reach you sooner or later. Have you never rushed dripping from the bath, or chewing from the table, or dazed from the bed, only to be told that you are a wrong number? But you will say, you need not have your name printed in the telephone directory, and you can have a telephone which is only usable for outgoing calls. Besides, you will say, isn't it important to have a telephone in case of emergency--illness, an accident, or fire? Of course, you are right, but here in a thickly populated country like England one is seldom far from a telephone in case of dreadful necessity. I think perhaps I had better try to justify myself by trying to prove that what I like is good. I admit that in different circumstances--if I were a tycoon(business VIP),for instance, or bed ridden I might find a telephone essential. But then if I were a taxi-driver I should find a car essential. Let me put it another way: there are two things for which the English seem to show particular talent; one is mechanical invention, the other is literature. My own business happens to be with the use of words but I see I must now stop using them. For I have just been handed a slip of paper to say that somebody is waiting to speak to me on the telephone. I think I had better answer it. After all, one never knows, it may be something important.

The passage is mainly discussing _ .

It strengthened her family ties.

Grandparents Answer a Call As a third generation native of Brownsville, Texas, Mildred Garza never pleased move away. Even when her daughter and son asked her to move to San Antonio to help their children, she politely refused. Only after a year of friendly discussion did Ms Gaf finally say yes. That was four years ago. Today all three generations regard the move to a success, giving them a closer relationship than they would have had in separate cities. No statistics show the number of grandparents like Garza who are moving closer to the children and grandchildren. Yet there is evidence suggesting that the trend is growing. Even President Obama's mother-in-law, Marian Robinson, has agreed to leave Chicago and into the White House to help care for her granddaughters. According to a study grandparents. com, 83 percent of the people said Mrs. Robinson's decision will influence the grandparents in the American family. Two-thirds believe more families will follow the example of Obama's family. "In the 1960s we were all a little wild and couldn't get away from home far enough fast enough to prove we could do it on our own,"says Christine Crosby, publisher of grate magazine for grandparents. "We now realize how important family is and how important to be near them, especially when you're raising children." Moving is not for everyone. Almost every grandparent wants to be with his or her grandchildren and is willing to make sacrifices, but sometimes it is wiser to say no and visit frequently instead. Having your grandchildren far away is hard, especially knowing your adult child is struggling, but giving up the life you know may be harder.

Why was Garza's move a success?

Bob has two lessons in the afternoon.

Bob is a middle school student. He is 13years old. He lives in Shanghai with his parents and his twin brother, Jack. They are in the same( ) school, but in different classes. Bob is good at Maths, but not good at English. He thinks it's a little difficult for him. But he plans to spend more time on it. Every morning, Bob gets up early. He usually reads English for half an hour. And then he has breakfast with his family. He usually has two eggs and a glass of milk. After breakfast, he walks to school with his brother. It takes them about twenty minutes to get to school. They get to school at about 7:40. Bob begins his classes at 8:00. After four lessons in the morning, he has a hamburger, some fish and vegetables for lunch at school. Then he has three classes in the afternoon. His last class is over at 4:50p.m. After school, he usually plays football or basketball from 5:00 p. m. to 6:00 p.m. He says it is good for his health to play sports every day. He gets home at 6:20 p.m. He usually eats some rice and vegetables for dinner. Sometimes, he eats some noodles. After dinner, he does his homework from 7:30to 9:30. Then he listens to music or reads books for a while( ). He doesn't watch TV or play computer games on weekdays. He goes to bed at 10:30 p.m. His friends say his lifestyle is very healthy. Do you think so?

Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

Less than $178.50.

A young woman was walking through a supermarket to pick up a few things when she noticed an old man following her around.Thinking nothing of it,she _ him and went on shopping.After she got what she wanted,she went to checkout line,but the old man got in front of her. "Pardon me!" he said,"I'm sorry if my staring at you has made you feel uncomfortable ,it's just because you look like my granddaughter,who just died recently.And I miss her very much." "I'm very sorry,"said the young woman."Is there anything I can do for you?" "Yes." the old man said."As I'm leaving,can you say 'Good-bye,grandpa' to me? It would make me feel so much better." "Sure,"answered the young woman. As the old man was leaving,she called out."Bye-bye,grandpa!" When she stepped up to the checkout counter ,she saw that her total was $178.50. "How can that be?" she asked."I only bought a few things!" "Your grandpa said you would pay for him," said the clerk.

How much did it cost that the young woman bought?

the number of smokers in the poor is bigger than that in general people

For years experts have argued that poor households are consuming less nourishing food than the rest of the population. But a survey of some of the lowest earners in Britain shows the nutritional value of what they eat is little different to everyone else. In fact, the same deficiencies in diet were shared by all the population and the findings suggest that poor eating choices are far more widespread than previously suspected - affecting many wealthier families. These included low fruit and vegetable consumption, not eating enough oily fish and eating too much saturated fat and sugar. "This is a large and significant study and it shows we are all eating just as bad a diet as each other," said Tim Lang, professor of food policy at City University. The poorest families were eating only slightly more sugar and slightly less fruit and vegetables, according to the study of 3,728 respondents in the bottom of the population. Alison Tedstone, head of nutritional science at the Food Standard Agency, said: " Overall, people on low incomes have less than ideal diets, but their diets are only slightly worse than those of the rest of the population." The study also showed that low earners are choosing to eat unhealthily. Their food choices were not linked to their income, their access to shops or their cooking skills. The findings appear to contradict assumptions that the poor cannot afford healthier foods or are too far away from shops that sell them. The Low Income Nutrition and Diet Survey showed that like the rest of the population, the poor's daily fruit and vegetable intake on average is below the recommended five portions. Fewer than 10 per cent of respondents hit this target, while around 20 per cent ate less than a portion per day. More than three quarters (76 per cent) of men and 81 per cent of women did less than one 30-minute session of moderate or vigorous exercise per week. Some 45 per cent of men and 40 per cent of women were smokers. This compares with 28 per cent of men and 24 per cent of women in the general population.

From the passage, we can learn _ .

the relationship with Raffaello hurt Anne

Princess Diaries star Anne Hathaway has announced she is engaged .The actress, 29,confirmed the news after she was photographed wearing a ring while with her boyfriend Adam Shulman in Brooklyn yesterday. Shulman, an actor and jewellery designer, worked with Kwiat Heritage Jewels to create the ring. The pair quietly began dating in November 2008,but weren't pictured together until the following year. "We hit it off immediately the first time we met each other but it took us a pretty long time to get together," she has said of Shulman. "He thought that I had a boyfriend and I thought that he had a girlfriend, so I thought that I'd better keep my distance because I didn't want to be that girl. She described their union as more mature than her previous experiences, adding, "Being mature doesn't always make for a good story, but it makes for a good life." Speaking about the relationship in the September issue of U.K.s Marie Claire, she said, "Adam totally ruined my plan. I was really actually looking forward to a little time alone tod then I fell in love like a fool. Her romance with Shulman followed a disastrous relationship with an Italian real estate developer Raffaello Follieri. She split up with him in 2008 when he was arrested on fraud charges and he was later sentenced to four and a half years in prison. The actress, whose film credits also include Brokeback Mountain and One Day, will next star in the new The Dark Knight Rises. She plays Selina Kyle, also known as Catwoman.

It can be inferred from the passage that _ .

Because they get a spring break.

Every year in late April, students at Renmin University of China become the subjects of admiration and jealousy of their peers on other campuses in Beijing. Why? Because they get a week off in the middle of term, the so-called spring break. " _ 's been a unique tradition of our school for a decade," said Wang Yueran, 20, a journalism major at Renmin University, who organized a weeklong trip to Sichuan with 12 classmates last year. But having fun is just one dimension of the spring break. Field trips, voluntary work, and social projects are all on students' to-do lists. Experts say the spring break is not just for students to enjoy a few days off, but for them to gain new experiences beyond the campus walls. Push them out The traditional Chinese belief of the exploration of knowledge and truth emphasizes "reading 10,000 books and traveling 10,000 miles", which indicates the importance of experience as much as theory. But while Chinese universities have the tradition of spring outings, what's the benefit of making spring break an institution? Qin Jianguo, of the student affairs office at Shenzhen University, thinks the idea of the spring break in some universities in China comes from the intention of pushing students out of the ivory tower to experience more diversity in their lives. "Take traveling for example. A week traveling is a very different experience to a one- or two-day outing," said Qin. "Students are expected to acquire the spirit of teamwork and compromise, and learn survival and communication skills when put out there in an unfamiliar context." Diverse approaches Many countries have similar vacations in the middle of the semester for students to do things out of their own interest. Taking Japan as an example, instead of partying like their US counterparts, many Japanese students choose to work as interns or engage in study-related projects. "The spring break is an opportunity for many of our students to put their learning to use," said Hiroshi Kanno, dean of the Graduate School of International Corporate Strategy at Hitotsubashi University, in the school's description of a recent spring break project. As for Chinese students who take a week off around the Labor Day holiday, many tend to do volunteer work. Duan Zhipeng, a 22-year-old economics major at Renmin University, applied for a project to go back to his hometown in Jiangxi province to introduce his university's enrollment policies and campus culture to local high school students. Not a trend yet Apart from Renmin University, only a few other universities, such as Yantai University, have a spring break for their students. The concept in China is still far from the culture and norms built around it in the US. Wei Xiang, a professor specializing in holiday economics at Beijing International Studies University, said that the spring break is a good experiment for universities to make study schedules smoother in order to give students more options to arrange their own leisure and study activities.

According to the passage,why do the students in the other universities admire the students at Renmin University?

Mushroom with eggs.

An Englishman was once traveling in Italy. One day he went into a small restaurant to order dinner. He understood very little Italian and couldn't read the menu . He knew the word for eggs, and so he ordered eggs. Italy is famous, however, for its mushrooms with eggs. But he did not know the word for mushrooms. The waiter did not speak a word of English and could not help him. At last, the man took out his pocket a pencil and a piece of paper and very carefully drew a picture of a mushroom on the piece of paper. The waiter looked at the picture of the mushroom for a long while. He did not understand very well, but at last he left. He was gone a long time. After about a half hour he returned. But instead of an order of mushroom, he brought the man a large black umbrella.

What is Italy famous for?

Use them to grab your own food.

Among the many differences between Western and Chinese cultures, table manners are one of the most noticeable differences. Westerners often make mistakes at the table in China or in a Chinese home. In order not to have an embarrassing experience, here are some things to consider next time you are eating with some Chinese. Step1: Keep in mind that food is shared. It is one of the biggest differences between Chinese and Western eating habits. In China a few dishes are placed in the center of a table and shared by all. Also, you should offer thanks when a Chinese host takes food from one of the dishes on the table and places it on your plate. Refusing it would not be polite even if you are full. Step2: Respect the chopsticks. The chopsticks are the single most important tool at a Chinese table. Use the chopsticks to grab food and never skewer it. Also make sure to place your chopsticks over your bowl or plate. Don't lay them on the table or even worse, stick them into the rice bowl. Step3: Use communal chopsticks. To take food from the center of the table you should use the communal chopsticks or spoons that are placed there for that purpose. If there are no communal tools, use the other ends of your chopsticks to take food, remembering not to use the other end to put food into your mouth. Step4: Respect the elders. Table manners in China place extra respect on elders. At the table, pass food to your elders before taking it for yourself. If someone makes a toast, make sure that when you clink glasses with someone older than you, the rim of your glass is lower than the rim of the elder person.

How can you use your chopsticks according to the passage?

He doesn't think that being rich is worth so much attention.

Recently, a professor of philosophy in the United States has written a book called Money and the Meaning of Life. He has discovered that how we deal with money in our daytoday life has more meaning than we usually think. One of the exercises he asked his students to do is to keep record of every penny they spend for a week. From the way they spend their money,they can see what they really value in life. He says our relation with others often becomes clearly defined when money enters the picture. You might have wonderful friendship with somebody and you think that you are very good friends. But you will know him only when you ask him to lend you some money. If he does,it brings something to the relationship that seems stronger than ever before. Or it can suddenly weaken the relationship if he doesn't. This person may say that he has a certain feeling,but if it is not carried out in the money world,there is something less real about it. Since money is so important to us,we consider those who possess a lot of it to be very important. The author interviewed some millionaires in researching his book. Question:What is the most surprising thing you have discovered about being rich,because you are a selfmade man? Answer:The most surprising thing is how people give me so much respect. I am nothing. I do not know much. All I am is rich. People just have an idea of making more and more money,but what is it for?How much do I need for any given purposes in my life?In his book,the professor uncovered an important need in modern society:To bring back the idea that money is a tool rather than the purpose. Money plays an important role in the material world,but expecting money to bring happiness may be missing the meaning of life.

What can we learn about the millionaire from his answer in the interview?

Samaranch was born in Russia.

Within IOC, Samaranch was a man much admired and sometimes loved, the Spanish who made the organization into one that is rich and so powerful. No one doubted Samaranch's ability to make something impossible come true. In 1981 he ensured that Seoul was elected to be the host of the 1988 Olympics. Remember, that was a time when the two Koreas were at war with each other. And because Samaranch helped swing Spanish votes across to London, rather than to Paris, London was made host for the 2012. To China and the Chinese people, Samaranch was considered a great friend. Thanks to his efforts during his last term as IOC president, Beijing and China won the Olympics for the first time. Samaranch led the IOC from 1980 to 2001. Certainly, throughout his IOC presidential term, he had a soft spot for Moscow, for it was there that he was elected president of the IOC in 1980, and it was there that he managed to reach his final wishes as IOC president. Very early on in that 2001 Moscow session he wanted the Belgian surgeon, Jacques Rogge, a newcomer to the Olympic Movement, to replace him as president, for China to host the 2008 Olympic Games and for his son, Juan Antonio Samaranch junior, to become an IOC member. He got all three wishes. Samaranch's death came three months before his 90th birthday on April 21st, 2010.

Which of the following is FALSE about Samaranch?

Eric

Hello! I'm Tom Green. I'm English. This is my mother. Her first name is Mary. This is my father. His first name is Steve. My phone number is seven six zero, nine one seven six. Li Lei is my friend. His English name is Paul. He is Chinese. His phone number is two eight one, five two four eight. Look at the photo. Who is that in the photo? It' s my cousin. His name is Eric. He is a middle school student.

_ is in the photo.

suggest that the fires will speed up climate warming

Against the supposition that forest fires in Alaska, Canada and Siberia warm the climate, scientists have discovered that cooling may occur in areas where burnt trees allow more snow to mirror more sunlight into space. This finding suggests that taking steps to prevent northern forest fires to limit the release of greenhouse gases may warm the climate in northern regions. Usually large fires destroyed forests in these areas over the past decade. Scientists predict that with climate warming, fires may occur more frequently over the next several centuries as a result of a longer fire season. Sunlight taken in by the earth tends to cause warming, while heat mirrored back into space tends to cause cooling. This is the first study to analyze all aspects of how northern fires influence climate. Earlier studies by other scientists have suggested that fire in northern regions speed up climate warming because greenhouse gases from burning trees and plants are released into the atmosphere and thus trap heat. Scientists found that right after the fire, large amounts of greenhouse gases entered the atmosphere and caused warming. Ozone levels increased, and ash from the fire fell on far-off sea ice, darkening the surface and causing more radiation from the sun to be taken in. The following spring, however, the land within the area of the fire was brighter than before the fire, because fewer trees covered the ground. Snow on the ground mirrored more sunlight back into space, leading to cooling. "We need to find out all possible ways to reduce the growth of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere." Scientists tracked the change in the amount of radiation entering and leaving the climate system as a result of the fire, and found a measurement closely related to the global air temperature. Typically, fire in northern regions occurs in the same area every 80 to 150 years. Scientists, however, found that when fire occurs more frequently, more radiation is lost from the earth and cooling results. Specifically, they determined when fire returns 20 years earlier than predicted, 0.5 watts per square meter of area burned are _ by the earth from greenhouse gases, but 0.9 watts per square meter will be sent back into space. The net effect is cooling. Watts are used to measure the rate at which energy is gained or lost from the earth.

.Earlier studies about northern forest fires _ .

Some government officials don't agree with the president on the medical care system.

Hi, everybody. Over the past couple months, most of the political headlines you've read have probably been about the government shutdown and the launch of the Affordable Care Act . And I know that many of you have rightly never been more frustrated with Washington. But if you look beyond those headlines, there are some good things happening in our economy. And that's been my top priority since the day I walked into the Oval Office. After decades in which the middle class was working harder and harder just to keep up, and a punishing recession that made it worse, we made the tough choices required not just to recover from crisis, but to rebuild on a new foundation for stronger, more durable economic growth. Five years later, we have fought our way back. Our businesses have created 7.8 million new jobs in the past 44 months. Another 200,000 Americans went back to work last month. The American auto industry has come back with more than 350,000 new jobs --- jobs putting out and selling the high-tech, fuel-efficient cars the world wants to buy. And they're leading the charge in a business that has added jobs for the first time since the 1990s --- a big reason why our businesses sell more goods and services "Made in America" than ever before. We decided to stop our addiction to foreign oil. And today, we produce more renewable energy than ever, more natural gas than anybody, and for the first time in nearly 20 years, America now produces more oil than we buy from other countries. We decided to fix a broken health care system. And even though the task has been rough, so far, about 500,000 Americans gain health coverage starting January 1st. And by the way, health care costs are growing at the slowest rate in 50 years. And one more thing: since I took office, we've cut our deficits by more than half. And that makes it easier to invest in the things that create jobs --- education, research, and so on. Imagine how much farther along we could be if both parties were working together. Think about what we could do if the few didn't hold the economy hostage every few months, or waste time on dozens of votes to _ the Affordable Care Act rather than try to help us fix it. In the weeks ahead, I'll keep talking about my plan to build a better bargain for the middle class. Good jobs. A good education. A chance to buy a home, save, and retire. And yes, the financial security of affordable health care. And I'll look for any willing partners who want to help. Because of your hard work and tough sacrifices over the past five years, we're pointed in the right direction. But we've got more work to do to keep moving that way. And as long as I'm President, I'll keep doing everything I can to create jobs, grow the economy, and make sure that everyone who works hard has a chance to get ahead. Thanks, and have a great weekend.

According to the speech, which of the following can be implied?

The husband loved his wife no matter what happened.

This is a heart-warming story. It tells about a woman who finally decided to ask her boss for a raise in salary . All day she felt nervous. Late in the afternoon she summoned the courage to approach her boss. To her delight, the boss agreed to a raise. She was so delighted. The woman arrived home happily that evening. To her surprise, she found a beautiful table set with their best dishes. Candles were softly glowing. Her husband had come home early and prepared a festive meal. She wondered if someone from the office had told him about it, or... did he just got the news by accident. She found him in the kitchen and told him the good news. They hugged and kissed, then sat down to the wonderful meal. Next to her plate the woman found a beautifully card with some words. It read, "Congratulations, darling! I knew you'd get the raise! These things will tell you how much I love you." Following the supper, her husband went into the kitchen to clean up. She noticed that a second card had fallen from his pocket. She picked it up from the floor, she read, "Don't worry about not getting the raise! You are the best anyway! These things will tell you how much I love you." According to the Nobel Peace Prize, Mother Teresa said, "What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family." ,,. (1,5)

What can we learn from the second card?

worried about their baby's safety

Last weekend, our family went to have Christmas dinner in a restaurant. We were the only family with a baby in the restaurant. Suddenly, my baby Erik became excited when we were enjoying our meal. I looked around and saw an old man with old clothes and dirty old shoes. His hair was unwashed. He was smiling at my Erik. "He might hurt my Erik," I thought. Everyone in the restaurant looked at us and the old man. Then we decided to leave. The old man sat between the door and us. As I walked closer to the man, I turned my back. Suddenly, Erik leaned over my arms, reaching with both arms in a baby's pick-me-up position . Before I could stop him, Erik had escaped from my arms to the man's. Soon the very old smelly man and my young baby developed a kind of friendship. Erik put his little hand on the man's face, and I saw the old man closed his eyes and tears running down his face. His aged hands held my baby so gently . A moment later, the old man opened his eyes, passed me my baby and said, "Thank you, Madam. You've given me the best Christmas gift." I cried, with my face burning hot. A child saw a soul , but a mother saw only a kind of clothes.

The family decided to leave the restaurant because they _ .

be made of carved wood

Flags have existed for over 3000 years. The earliest flags were wooden or metal poles topped with a carving. About 2000 years ago pies of fabric were added to some poles for decoration. Over the next 500 years the free-flying part of the flag became more important. Every country today has its own flag. Many groups and organizations also have a flag which stands for, or symbolizes, the aims of the group. The flag depicts a world map, centered on the north pole. The map is surrounded by an olive wreath symbolizing peace and co-operation. The flag is blue and white.

A very old flag is likely to _ .

Sports shows

Last week I did a survey about TV shows at No. 2 Middle School. Some students' answers are interesting. Li Ming's favorite shows are sports shows. He often watches basketball games on CCTV-5.And he likes Kobe Bryant beastlier Yuan, a 12-year-old girl, says she can't stand sitcoms. But they're her grandmother's favorite.Liu Yuan loves cartoons very much. She watches Pleasant Goat and Big Wolf every day. She thinks cartoons are interesting and relaxing. Sun Jing doesn't mind game shows.Liu Hui likes talk shows. She thinks she can learn more about life from them. And there is another interesting thing. Most moms like Healthy Living but most dads like the news.

What kind of shows does Li Ming like best?

What is slang?

Slang is a popular, less official and often very current form of language. It is an important part of a living language and is constantly changing as language changes. Slang is often playful, direct and sometimes less respectful than the more official and traditional version of language. So now I'm going to lay it on you! To "lay it on" is American slang for "to tell" or "to explain." Slang can take many forms. For example, slang can be local to one city or area. In Washington, D.C. there is a whole set of slang to describe politics and business in the city. For example, the term POTUS stands for President of the United States. POTUS can often be found with his wife, FLOTUS, the first lady of the United States. "Inside the Beltway" is a popular expression that describes the area of Washington, D.C. The beltway is the large highway that circles the city. The Internet has helped create a whole new kind of computer-related slang. An "angry fruit salad" is an expression that describes a website with too many bright colors. "Netiquette" is slang for correct behavior when using the Internet. Young people often develop the latest slang. For example, to say Special English "rocks" or is "phat" means Special English is really great. A "kegger" is a party where beer is served. If something is "wack", it is wild and crazy. Different professions often have their own slang as well. For example, medical workers might refer to a complaining patient as a "gomer". A "tough stick" is someone whose veins are difficult to find when he or she needs to have blood taken. No matter how well you speak English, there are always new and interesting slang words to discover. There are entire dictionaries for describing slang. Many experts do not even agree on what is and what is not slang. Often slang words later become a part of officially accepted language. Official or not, slang is an energetic and exciting part of the American language that continues to change.

Which of the following can be the best title of this passage?

Kwashiorkor and Improper Eating Habits

The World Health Organization (WHO) planned to study the relationship between the eating habits of the people and the disease. Two doctors were chosen to make the study. They flew to Africa south of the Sahara and during the next two months visited ten countries. They found that serious diseases of poor eating, often mistaken for other diseases, existed in all parts of Africa. The diseases were similar and could therefore all be named kwashiorkor. The diseased children are usually from one to four years old. As the illness progresses, the child's stomach becomes swollen by liquid collecting in the body. The skin changes color and may break out in open sores . The hair changes color and starts to fall out. The patient loses all interest in his surroundings and even in food, and becomes so weak that he wants to lie down all the time. Stomach liquids are no longer produced. The doctors reasoned that kwashiorkor was found in the young children of this age in many parts of Africa because of lack of milk or meat. Their mothers, after stopping their breastfeeding, gave them foods full of starches instead of greatly needed proteins. They found that the addition of milk to the food of the children suffering from kwashiorkor saved many lives. The unbelievable thing about kwashiorkor is that the very existence of the disease--which has been killing thousands of children for centuries--was not even recognized in Latin America as recently as ten years ago. The deaths of those children were mistakenly listed as due to other diseases. It was the WHO's work in Africa that led to the discovery of the problem in Central America.

What's the best title for the article?

one of the main languages

There are more than 3000 languages in the world today, but only about ten are major languages of the world. Among them English is the most popular. More than 350 million people speak English as their first language. Major English-speaking countries are Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA. Another 400 million speak it as a second language. No one knows how many people speak English as a foreign language. They usually learn English as a school subject instead of learning it from their parents. Chinese is the only language with more speakers than English. This is because of the large population of China. English is the language for a better understanding between peoples of the world. It is also the language for business and science. Nearly half of the business deals in Europe are done in English, and more than half of the science magazines are in English. English is widely used in the world's computer network. And children should begin with English when they learn how to use computers. Through the English language peoples of different countries are able to work together and make things even better.

The world's computer network takes English as _ .

recommend Tillman's new book--Wherever You Are: My Love Will Find You

Nancy Tillman's wonderful On the Night You Were Born is one of my very favorite books. Its celebration of the uniqueness of each and every child told in lyrical language makes it the gift I choose most often for expectant or adoptive parents. I also read it regularly with my grandchildren and talk with them about how special they are. Tillman feels that the most important message for children to receive is simply, "You are loved." And it's that message that is the focus of this, her newest book, Wherever You Are: My Love Will Find You. Once again, it is her turn of phrase that most fascinates me: In the green of the grass ... in the smell of the sea ... in the clouds floating by ... at the top of a tree ... in the sound crickets make at the end of the day ... "You are loved. You are loved. You are loved," they all say. Phrases encourage children to grow, to try new things, to "march to the front" of their "own parade" and assures them that, no matter how far they go or what they do, they will be loved. Though the words alone would convince me to buy, share and recommend this book, Tillman is also a gifted artist and her lovely work makes this book a visual treasure as well. Through the pages, a child rides hippos, splashes in the surf with elephants, plays hide and seek with rabbits, shares a trampoline with a kangaroo and enjoys some quiet time with a pair of pandas. My favorite drawing has the child walking away along a wide path that runs between trees covered in mist. In all of the drawings, swirls of sparkling lights wrap around the child--the love that will always be with him/her. I've read On the Night You Were Born dozens of times and with every single reading, I am incredibly touched. Wherever You Are: My Love Will Find You creates the same feeling of wonder, peace and happiness in me. It's a keep-forever book and I'm so happy to have it in my collection to share with the children I love most.

The purpose of this passage is to _ .

Palmer will attempt to put solar cars on the market.

Swiss national Louis Palmer fulfilled a childhood dream when he set off from his mother country on July 3, travelling over deserts, cities and seas in 17 countries in a solar taxi to reach UN Climate Change Conference in Bali, Indonesia. "In 1986, 1 was a 14-year-old boy. I was dreaming that when I will be an adult. I want to drive around the world, " he told reporters. "Then it came to my mind, how can I travel around the world and enjoy the beauty of this world with a car that is polluting the world? Then I thought the perfect car would be a solar car. " His car, which has become a major attraction at the gates of the summit of some 188 nations, was built in three years with scientific help from four universities and 15 Swiss companies. The car pulls a trailer with six square meters of solar panels which absorb the sun. The electricity is fed into the battery which powers the car, and can run for up to 100 kilometers a day. "It's the first time in history that a car is driving around the world without a single drop of petrol, " said Palmer. His epic solar journey is not his first adventure--he crossed Africa on a bicycle and North America in a light aircraft. So far, Palmer has gone by land through Europe and the Middle East, then by sea to India and on to Indonesia. After covering much of Asia, Australia, North America and Africa, he will return to Switzerland to try and drum up support for the commercial possibilities of solar cars. For the moment, he _ , with more curious customers waiting to take a ride in his unique automobile which, he said, "works like a Swiss clock. "

Which of the following is true according to the passage?

bees and agriculture

Most people have heard the sound of bees among flowers. Bees live almost everywhere in the world except in the Arctic areas. Many kinds of agriculture depend on these small, social insects. Without bees, fruit and nut growers as well as many other farmers would not have a crop. There are more than 20,000 kinds of bees. But only honey bees make enough honey for people to use. Honeybees are highly-organized social insects. They work together in a group, called a colony . Each colony lives in a hive . It contains one queen bee -- she lays all the eggs from which the members of the colony come. Each colony has only a few hundred males, called drones. The majority of all bees in a colony are workers, which are all females. Bees even have a special stomach, called a honey stomach, which is used to store sweet fluid that the bees gather from flowers. Bees also have long hairs on their body and legs. These hairs capture pollen as bees go from flower to flower. Some of the pollen is taken back to the hive. Some, however, is passed to the next flower. This is how many plants are fertilized. Pollen is the reproductive material of plants. Many important agricultural crops depend on bees for fertilization. Inside their hives, bees store sweet liquid from flowers and pollen as well. They may even gather sweet liquid from some other kinds of insects. These kinds of sweet liquid are also stored in the hive. Bees make honey through a process. They add liquid from their own mouths to sweet liquid into simple sugar. As the honey is stored, it dries. It becomes thicker and darker. Although bees are often thought of as honey makers, they provide a surprising number of products. Also, their greatest economic value is in fertilizing crops-not in making honey.

The passage is mainly about _ .

"pinyin"

China is a country with a long history. It has great traditional culture, especially Chinese characters. Chinese characters usually have more than one meaning and some of them are very interesting. Here are six ones. We use "pinyin" here because "pinyin" is the Chinese spelling way for the characters. For example, "fu" is the "pinyin" for good luck in Chinese. "pinyin" "fu" is only the phonic part of the character and if you want to know the meaning of good luck "fu", you must read Chinese character because "fu" also represents other Chinese characters that sound the same. "fu" means blessing, good fortune, good luck. Chinese _ "fu" is one of the most popular ones used during Chinese New Year. Chinese people often put up "fu" upside down on the front door of a house or an apartment. The upside down "fu" means good luck comes since the character for upside down in Chinese sounds the same as the character for "come". "lu" is used to mean official's a pay in old China. "shou" means long life, age or birthday. "xi" is happiness, The doubled character "xi" means double happiness. It is usually put up everywhere at Chinese weddings. "cai" is weath or money. Chinese often say " money can make a ghost turn a millstone". It is to say money really can do a lot of things. But, money can't buy everything. "he" is an important part of Chinese culture. It means good relations with other people, when you have "he", things will be a lot easier for you. The top six lucky Chinese charaters. "fu" "lu" "shou" "xi" "cai" "he",are particularly loved by Chinese people.

We use _ to show how to read the Chinese characters.

Good articles.

What is your favourite English letter? Many of you may say Q. Why?Because so many of you chat with your friends on QQ. What do you like about QQ? What do you talk about? The CCTV reporter, Miss Wang, interviews three kids. Let's listen to what they say. When do you chat on QQ? What do you talk about? Lin Yuhan, Xi'an: On weekends. We talk about homework and chat with each other. Tang Xuting, Shanghai: At weekends and when I don't have much homework. We exchange test answers and chat. Yang Yuhang, Dalian: Our class goes online together at 4----6 pm on weekends. We complain about homework, chat and talk about computer games. What do you put on your QQ blog ? Lin: I put good articles I have found online on my blog. I also write articlesmyself. They are about funny things that have happened in my class. Tang: I put pictures on my blog. Not my own photos, but pictures from myfavorite Japanese cartoons like Tennis Prince and Conan. Yang: I put DV films on my blog. I shoot them during sports meetingsand school parties. The most popular one is about a dancing teacher. Itis so funny that everyone watches it. How do you like QQ? Lin: It's a good place for us to make a record of our lives, of both good timesand sad times. Tang: My friends and I may not have time to chat at school. But we can doit on QQ. It's very helpful to our friendships. Yang: If you chat with friends on the telephone, your parents sometimeslisten in on your conversation. There's no such problem with QQ. Youcan relax and talk freely.

What does Lin Yuhan put on her QQ blog?

why Mona Lisa smiled

Art lovers around the world have thought about this question for so many years: what is the secret behind the Mona Lisa's smile? However, they can ask Mona Lisa herself in the interactive exhibition in Beijing. This exhibition brings the 500-year-old painting to life. Now Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting can move her head and wave her hand in 3D, and even answer questions. She can answer the questions about her life, her age and so on. But when she talks she doesn't speak Italian but Chinese like: "Da jia hao, wo jiao Mengna Lisha. Hen gao xing jian dao ni men." The new, digital picture of Mona Lisa is the center piece of the World Classic Interactive Arts Exhibition in Beijing. You can also see other world-famous paintings such as Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper. Last Supper is another picture that they made alive with 3D. In this picture, Jesus can walk and talk with his believers . It took the organizer Wang Hui and over 400 digital artists in South Korea two years to make the picture, at a cost of around 50 million yuan. He says, "What's special about it is that it's the first time to use computer technology to make her speak and move." So what does the Mona Lisa say if you ask her why she is smiling?

For many years art lovers all around the world have wondered _ .

to set a new world record

XI'AN---Seven people died in a fire early on Wednesday morning in Xi'an, capital of Shanxi Province. A restaurant with a karaoke hall in the southern suburbs caught fire around 2 a. m. and seven waitresses who were sleeping on the second floor of the restaurant were killed. The restaurant was completely destroyed and the waitresses, the local police said, were killed by _ smoke from burning decorations. MANILA---Four people were killed yesterday in the central Philippine island of Tacloban when a bomb they had dug up exploded, local police were quoted as saying. The four people were digging to set up a septic(poisonous)tank in their house when they dug up the bomb. It went off, killing all four people, local police were quoted by radio station DZBB as saying. The police did not say where the bomb came from. Unexploded bombs from World War II are still discovered around the Philippines once in a while. TEL AVIV---An Israeli couple kissed for 30 hours and 45 minutes which, a spokeswoman said yesterday, was a world record. The couple, both in their twenties, started kissing on Monday at 8:30 p.m. along with 250 other couples in a contest. "For nearly 31 hours they didn't eat, drink, talk or even go to the bathroom. And the whole time, they were standing up", said Arielle Goldman, who handled public relations for the event. She said a representative of the Guinness Book of World Records was on hang to witness the event, recorded on video. The previous record was 29 hour and 37 minutes, Goldman said. The winning couple received two round-the-world plane tickets and $ _ . (277 words)

The Israeli couple kissed for nearly 31 hours _ .

It was intended for a cure for the common headache

The man who invented Coca-Cola was not a native Atlanta, but on the day of his funeral every drugstore in town shut up the shop in honor of him. He was John Styth Pemberton, born in 1833 in Knoxville, Georgia, eighty miles away. Pemberton was a chemist, sometimes known as Doctor, who, during the Civil War, became an officer and led a cavalry troop. He settled in Atlanta in 1869, and soon began making such patent medicines as Triplex Liver Pills and Globe of Flower Cough Syrup. In 1885, he registered a trademark for something called French Wine Coca-Ideal Nerve and Tonic Stimulant. A few months later, he formed the Pemberton Chemical Company, and hired an accountant named Frank M. Robinson, who had not only a good head for figures, but, attached to it, so unique a nose that he could judge the ingredients of a batch of syrup merely by sniffing it. In 1886 --- a year in which, as contemporary Coca-Cola officials like to point out, the English writer Conan Doyle made Sherlock Holmes known publicly and France found the truth about the Statue of Liberty --- Pemberton invented a syrup that he called Coca-Cola. It was a change of his French Wine Coca. He had taken out the wine and added a bit of caffeine, and, when the end product tasted awful, had thrown in some cola nut oil and a few other oils, mixing the mixture in a three-legged iron pot in his back yard and swishing it around with an oar. He distributed it to soda fountains in used beer bottles, and Robinson, with his elegant account's script, instantly designed a label, on which "Coca-Cola" was written in the style which is still employed. Pemberton looked upon his mixture less as a drink than as a headache cure. One morning in 1886, a man suffering from a headache dragged himself into an Atlanta drugstore and asked for a bottle of Coca-Cola. According to usual practice, druggists should pour a teaspoonful of syrup into a glass of water, but at that time, the man on duty was too lazy to walk to the fresh-water tap. Instead, he mixed the syrup with some soda water, which was closer at hand. After drinking it, the suffering customer cheered up almost at once, and word quickly spread that the best Coca-Cola was a fizzy one.

According to the passage, what was Coca-Cola intended for at first?

It is easier for companies to find high-skilled workers in India.

The high school diploma is losing its value quickly, as a growing number of students graduate from school without the math and reading skills that colleges and companies require, according to a new report. The high school graduation exams that most states require students to pass before they graduate remain far too easy. Most of the exams generally test eighth-or ninth-grade level work. Today, even high school graduates who are going to have blue-collar jobs need to study the math, research and writing courses. But in high school, only students who are going to college are now required to take these courses. "If you want a good job with a good pay, it's a high-skill job," said Michael Cohen, a leading member of the America Diploma Project. The project suggests that all graduates master a wide range of skills. "A high school diploma should mean something to a company and university," said Ohio Gov. Bob Taft, who is Achieve's co-chairman. In Taft's state, about 30% students who go directly to college from high school have to take _ of English or math, he said. It's easy to see that the present high-school graduating standards are not preparing students for college education. And with high-skilled jobs increasingly headed overseas to places like India and Ireland, states need to act, he said. To prove why math and reading skills matter, the report includes real-life examples of problems students meet in college and that workers must solve each day on the job. Some states are taking actions to upgrade the high school diploma. In Texas, all high school students, starting with the 2008 graduating class, will have to take the college-prep curriculum - unless a parent agrees to an easier course load. Other states are planning similar moves. The report includes examples of reading and math skills that high-school students should have. Project leaders say they hope parents will use those examples to judge the coursework at their kids' high schools.

What can we learn from the passage?

To impress the employer better and get further information from the company as well.

So you have been called for an interview---well done?Your effort has been paid off? You will feeI better at the interview if you show an understanding of the nature of the organization. Ask someone who already does it,or check it with one of the advisers. Ask a member of your family or a friend to act as the employer and to give you an unreal interview.Be as realistic as possible,answer the questions seriously.Afterwards discuss how it went.Think about how the employer would prefer to see your look.Remember---the majority of employers are over 30. It is not wise to rush out and buy new clothes.which will be worn for the first time at the interview.You'll feel more at ease in a familiar dress. Carelessness in any of these could cost you the job.Arrive at least 15 minutes before time,this will give you a chance to have a look around,read the notice board and get the feel of the place.Being late at the interview produces a bad impression.The first impression that the interviewer gets of you is formed as you walk through the door,so take a couple of deep breaths. Be ready to shake hands if the interviewer offers. Don't take a seat until asked.Then sit comfortably. Make eye contact when you are greeted and again if you shake hands.And during questioning,eye contact is a form of non-verbal greeting. Remember the interviewer's name and use it from time to time. Be ready for the question "Is there anything you want to ask?" Before the interview you should get ready for two or three such questions.Look on these not just as a chance to get information but as a means to give your employer a better impression.Asking can show knowledge but avoid asking about holidays,pensions and so on.It looks as if you are tired even before you begin.You can check on these later,when the hope for job is offered. And if you fail, look upon the interview as an experience in itself.Learn from it.We wish you good luck and good job hunting.

Why do you prepare yourself for some Is--there*-anything*-you*-want--to-say questions?

GreeceaMiddle EastaItalyaFranceaEngland

Forks trace their origins back to the ancient Greeks. Forks at that time were fairly large with two tines that aided in the cutting of meat in the kitchen. The tines prevented meat from twisting or moving during cutting and allowed food to slide off more easily than it would with a knife. By the 7th century A.D., royal courts of the Middle East began to use forks at the table for dining. From the 10th through the 13th centuries, forks were fairly common among the wealthy in Byzantium. In the 11th century, a Byzantine wife brought forks to Italy; however, they were not widely adopted there until the 16th century. Then in 1533, forks were brought from Italy to France. The French were also slow to accept forks, for using them was thought to be awkward. In 1608, forks were brought to England by Thomas Coryate, who saw them during his travels in Italy. The English first ridiculed forks as being unnecessary. "Why should a person need a fork when God had given him hands?" they asked. Slowly, however, forks came to be adopted by the wealthy as a symbol of their social status. They were prized possessions made of expensive materials intended to impress guests. By the mid 1600s, eating with forks was considered fashionable among the wealthy British. Early table forks were modeled after kitchen forks, but small pieces of food often fell through the two tines or slipped off easily. In late 17th century France, larger forks with four curved tines were developed. The additional tines made diners less likely to drop food, and the curved tines served as a scoop so people did not have to constantly switch to a spoon while eating. By the early 19th century, four-tined forks had also been developed in Germany and England and slowly began to spread to America.

In which way did the use of forks spread?

Myanmar accepts US humanitarian aid officially.

YANGON -- Myanmar has officially accepted an offer of the United States to send humanitarian aid to the country's cyclone(;)victims, state radio reported Friday in a night broadcast Myanmar Deputy Foreign Minister U Kyaw Thu gave the assurance Friday, saying that the country is receiving such relief aid from any country without limit at this time according to its policy of dealing with the disaster, the report said. Kyaw Thu denied rumors about Myanmar's turning down of such relief materials from Western countries but accept those from nations in good relations with Myanmar, saying that the country has never done so in this case. Kyaw Thu said that well wishers abroad may make cash donation through Myanmar embassies stationed there, while those who like to donate relief goods may present at the Yangon International Airport and seaports. According to the report, the US relief aid would arrive in Yangon in days. A foreign ministry's statement said earlier on Friday that at this moment, the international community can best help the victims by donating emergency provisions such as medical supplies, food, cloth, electricity generator, and materials for emergency shelter or with financial assistance," adding that "Myanmar will wholeheartedly welcome such course of action". The government and the people of Myanmar are grateful to the friendly nations, the United Nations, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, private individuals and others for their sympathy and generosity." it said.

The title that best expresses the idea of the passage is _ .

The world is a money-locker

When Boris left school,he could not find a job.He tried hard and pestered his relatives,but they had problems of their Own. He answered advertisements until he could not afford to buy any more stamps. Boris grew annoyed,then depressed,then a little hardened.Still he went on trying and still he failed.He began to think that he had no future at all. "Why don't you start your own business?" one of his uncles told him."The world is a money-locker. You'd better find a way of opening it." "But what can I do?" "Get out and have a look round," advised his uncle in a vague sort of way."See what people want;then give it to them,and they will pay for it." Boris began to cycle around the town and found a suitable piece of a waste ground in the end. Then he set up his business as a cycle repairer.He worked hard,made friends with his customers and gradually managed to build up his goodwill and profit.A few months later, he found that he had more work than he could deal with by himself.He found a number of empty shops but they were all no good:in the wrong position,too expensive or with some other snag . But at long last,he managed to find an empty shop on a new estate where there were plenty of customers but no competition. Boris and his assistant taught themselves how to repair scooters and motor-cycles.Slowly but surely the profits increased and the business developed. At last,Boris had managed to open the money-locker and found bank notes and gold Coins inside.

Which of the following would be the best title for the passage ?

Six

Some friends are playing hide-and-seek at Mr. Green' home. They play in Mike's room. It's time for Lily to find her friends. Lily first finds Sally.Sally is behind the door. Then, Lily sees Bob. Bob is under the table. Mike is under the table, too. Now it's time to find David and John. David's hat is on the sofa. Is David under the sofa? No, he isn't.John's schoolbag is on the chair, but he isn't there."Where are they?"Lily thinks.Shh! Don't let her know. They are under the bed!

How many people are in the game ?

before

Laboratory work is your chance to learn science firsthand. It can be fun but you must be careful to prevent injury. Listen closely when your teacher reads and explains the rules before your first lab lesson. LABORATORYRULES Throughout the lesson *Do not enter the science lab without the teacher's permission.*No food or drinks are to be alowed in the science lab. Before the Experiment *Read al instructions carefuly before every experiment. *Prepare al apparatus and arrange them so that you wil not knock them over while doing the experiment. During the Experiment *If you are unsure of how to use any apparatus or how to operate, ask your teacher for help.*Never smel or taste chemicals unless your teacher gives permission. After the Experiment *Wash al apparatus after use and return them to the places where they were. *Throw waste materials in proper waste baskets. First Aid *Report al accidents to your teacher immediately. *If you spil( )any chemicals onto your body or clothing, wash with plenty of water and report to your teacher.

Your teacher wil probably tel you the rules above _ the first lab lesson.

In an air-raid shelter during the war.

Last week, I was invited to a doctor's meeting at the Ruth Hospital. In one of the rooms a patient, an old man, got up from his bed and moved slowly towards me. I could see that he hadn't long to live, but he came up to me and placed his right foot close to mine on the floor. "Frank!" I cried in surprise. He couldn't answer, as I knew, but he tried to smile, all the time keeping his foot close to mine. My thoughts raced back more than thirty years - to the dark days of 1941, when I was a student in London. The scene was an air-raid shelter , in which I and about a hundred other people slept every night. Among them were Mrs West and her son Frank, who lived nearby. Sharing wartime problems, we got to know each other very well. Frank interested me because he was not normal. He had never been normal, ever since he was born. His mother told me he was 37 then, but he had less of a mind than a baby has. Mrs West, then about 75, was a strong, able woman, as she had to be, of course, because Frank depended on her completely. He needed all the attention of a baby. One night a policeman came into our shelter and told Mrs West that her house had been all destroyed. That wasn't quite true, because the Wests went on living there for quite some time. But they certainly lost nearly everything they owned. When that kind of thing happened, the rest of us helped the unlucky ones. So before we separated that morning, I stood beside Frank and measured my right foot against his. They were about the same size. That night, then, I took a spare pair of shoes to the shelter for Frank. As soon as he saw me, he came running - and paced his right foot against mine. After that, he always greeted me in the same way.

When and where did the writer first meet Frank?

Nokia is a very popular foreign phone seller.

China Mobile, the country's largest mobile communications operator, has accounted for nearly 40 percent of revenues in the domestic telecoms market. That puts it at the top of the six major telecoms operators in the nation, according to the latest official statistics . The other five are: China Telecom, 31.1 percent; China Netcom, 16.6 percent; and China Unicom, 13.4 percent; China Satellite Communications Corp and China Rilcom, 1.5 percent. Mobile communications and the IP phone business have gradually replaced traditional long-distance calls. Mobile communications account for 28.5 percent of the total long-distance communications business. IP phones have 41.4 percent, while traditional long-distance calls are down to 30.1 percent. In another ranking , Nokia, Motorola, Bird, TCL and Siemens came in as the top five mobile phone sellers in China in the first half of this year, according to South Daily. They report also says that during this period, prefix = st1 /Chinaproduced 82 million handsets (including GSM, GPRS and CDMA phones) and sold 80 million. Of the phones sold, 37 million were exported to other countries. Analysts point out that China's lack of key technologies and its heavy dependence on overseas technologies have proved to be an obstacle for development of home-made phone makers.

Which do you believe to be true?

push it first

For many kids in Africa, the colorful PlayPump is the first playground thing they have ever seen. When the children give it a push and jump in for their first ride, smiles of wonder appears on their faces. The fun of going round and round in a circle is just part of the wonder. The wonderful invention doesn't only change the kids' play time, but also makes a big difference to the people's lives. As the merry-go-round starts, _ pumps clean water up from deep underground and keeps it in a huge tank . People are welcomed to come and help themselves to get the water for free. They are very happy these days. In the countryside of Africa, very few people could drink clean water. They don't have machines that can get water in their homes. Instead, they often walk a long way to carry water back. Patricia Molope, a fifteen-year-old girl, explains that before her village in South Africa got a PlayPump, people would pay a taxi driver to take them to a well far from their homes. " Sometimes the taxi drivers were so busy that we would have to stop taking showers in order to save water. It was so far to walk there, but at present we have our own clean water in the village, and the life is better, too." The hard job of carrying water usually is done by women and girls. Carrying water for miles and hours each day is such a heavy job that it sometimes prevents girls from being able to go to school. Thanks to the PlayPump, getting water is quicker and easier-----and even boys join in. The pumps have become a new activity. Kids and adults seem to love playing with them while collecting water. A boy named Khumalo, twelve years old, says, " I have seen many kinds of water pumps, but have never seen one that can keep water. When I grow up, I want to be an inventor so I can also invent clever things like the PlayPump that will help my country." So far, more than 800 PlayPumps are being operated in schools and neighborhoods in four African countries, providing water for almost two million people.

To get water from a PlayPump, people need to _ .

His bone marrow was chosen as a match for a patient from Fujian.

Zhang Wenchi is a 19-year-old student of Hubei Xiangyang No.1 High School. He is very brave and always helps others in need. On March 26, 2012, Zhang donated bone marrow at the Navy General Hospital of Beijing. He is the youngest and the first high school student to do it. Last April, Zhang became a blood donor on his 18th birthday. He also joined the China Marrow Donor Program that day. Six months later, his bone marrow was chosen as a match for a 4-year-old leukemia patient from Fujian. Zhang was studying for the National College Entrance Examination (NCEE) when the call from the Chinese Bone Marrow Donors came. He found out that the patient could not wait, or things might get worse. With the support of his family and school, Zhang arrived at the hospital in Beijing the very next day. "Saving a life is more important than taking an exam, and having the chance to help cure a patient does not allow for more thought," Zhang said. The transplant operation was a success. After that, Zhang Wenchi was in good health and he came back to school soon. Zhang said then the most important task for him was the exam. He hoped that his dream of becoming a pilot could come true. Now the NCEE has been over for more than a month, and what about Zhang Wenchi's marks? To our great relief, it's known that he has earned 540 points, which means he can be admitted into Beihang University (formerly Beijing University of Aeronautics & Astronautics). Therefore he can realize his dream of flying in the sky. Zhang's deed has earned him nationwide respect, and some have given him the nickname, "the most beautiful post-90s student".

Which of the following about Zhang Wenchi is right?

Thirteen weeks

Chicago is next to a beautiful lake, Lake Michigan. In the summer Lake Michigan is warm and blue .People lie on the beaches and swim in the water. In the winter Lake Michigan is cold and gray .Snow covers the beaches, and ice covers the water. On a cold January day, a little boy and his father were playing in the snow on Chicago beach. The boy was Jimrsy Tontlewicx. He was four years old .Several Minutes went by .The father still couldn't find Jimmy. Firemen arrived .Twenty minutes later they found Jimmy and pulled him out of the water. Jimmy was not breathing, and his heart was not beating . He was dead. At the beach paramedics worked on Jimmy for an hour . He began to breathe , and his heart began to beat . The paramedics rushed Jimmy to the hospital.Doctors at the hospital put Jimmy in bed .They put him on a cold mattress because they wanted his body to warm up slowly. They gave him some medicine because they wanted him to sleep .After six weeks in the hospital he got better ,Then he went to another hospital. He stayed there for seven weeks .He began to walk ,talk ,and play again. Jimmy was in the water for more than 20 minutes . He couldn't breathe in the water . He couldn't get any oxygen .But today he is alive and healthy. How is it possible? Jimmy is alive because the water was ice cold. Usually the brain needs a lot of oxygen .But when it's very cold , the brain slows down. It does not need much oxygen .So the ice cold water saved Jimmy . Jimmy's father has another reason .He says ,"Jimmy is alive today because he is a fighter . "

How long did Jimmy stay in hospital before he got healthy?

Because he got his brain trust.

We all know what a brain is. A doctor will tell you that the brain is the organ of the body in the head. It controls our body's functions, movements, emotions and thoughts. But a brain can mean so much more. A brain can also simply be a smart person, If a person is called brainy, she is smart and intelligent. If a family has many children but one of them is super smart, you could say, "She's the brains in the family. " And if you are the brains behind something you are responsible for developing or organizing something. For example, Bill Gates is the brains behind Microsoft. Brain trust is a group of experts who give advice. Word experts say the phrase"brain trust" became popular when Franklin D. Roosevelt first ran for president in 1932, Several professors gave him advice on social and political issues facing the U. S.These professors were called his "brain trust. " These ways we use the word "brain" all make sense. But other ways we use the word are not so easy to understand. For example, to understand the next brain expression, you first need to know the word"drain." As a verb to drain means to remove something by letting it flow away. So a brain drain may sound like a disease where the brain flows out the ears. But, brain drain is when a country's most educated people leave their countries to live in another. The brains are,sort of,draining out of the country. However,if people are responsible for a great idea,you could say they brainstormed it. Here,brainstorm is not an act of weather. It is a process of thinking creatively about a complex topic. For example, business leaders may use brainstorming to create new products, and government leaders may brainstorm to solve problems. If people are brainwashed, it does not mean their brains are nice and clean. To brainwash means to make someone accept new beliefs by using repeated pressure in a forceful or tricky way. Keep in mind that brainwash is never used in a positive way.

Why did Roosevelt successfully win the election?

when it was time to have lunch

Mr and Mrs Smith have just opened a small restaurant. In order to attract customers, they put a notice in front of the restaurant, which said: "Meals on the house for three days." A foreign student who didn't know much English passed by the restaurant on the second day. It was lunchtime and he felt hungry. "Well, here is a restaurant. I'm going to have something to eat," he said. He saw the notice when he walked towards the restaurant. "American people are really strange. They even eat dinners on the house! But how can I get onto the top of the house?" he asked himself He looked around and found a ladder against a tree nearby. He was very glad. But as he reached the top, he heard someone shouting at him, "Hey, what are you doing up there?" Mr Smith was looking at him angrily. Beside him was a policeman. 'Doesn't your notice say 'Meals on the house for three days'? Is it just a joke?" the foreign student answered. On hearing this, both Mr Smith and the policeman burst into laughter. Do you know the meaning of on the house"?

The student walked past the restaurant_.

Scientific discoveries have helped people find efficient ways of using available resources.

Scientific discoveries have changed man's life a great deal during the past century. First of all, they have greatly improved material well-being in several areas of life. In the field of medicine, cures for life threatening diseases have enabled people to live longer. In communication, the telephone and e-mail have made it possible for us to communicate with anyone in the world without leaving our homes or offices. Advances in transportation allow businessmen to fly across the ocean in the morning and return home the same evening. Space technology has put men on the moon. More efficient ways of using available resources, such as coal and solar power, have been explored. Scientific discoveries have also changed man's moral atmosphere. Ethical issues are raised by these discoveries. Should we keep a terminally ill person alive through drugs and machines or should we allow him to die in dignity? With advances in transportation had come the problem of pollution for nearly every major city in the world. If cities become uninhabitable, then such technical advances may come with too great a price to pay. Many people also question the wisdom of sending men to the moon when there are urgent problems that have not been solved on earth. During future years, increasing attention must be given to the moral as well as the practical applications of science.

Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

have enough energy to study

Fangfang, a 15-year-old Chinese girl, likes eating snacks very much. She prefers cream biscuits, McDonald's food, KFC, and Beijing roast duck. Sometimes she eats two packages of biscuits a day. As a result, she becomes _ . Today in China, there are many children like Fangfang. They like snacks. They don't eat enough healthy foods like vegetables and fruit. It's very bad for their health. Poor eating habits are a serious problem. Health experts say that children should have healthy eating habits. First, they must eat regular meals and begin with a good breakfast. Second, they should have different kinds of foods, such as fruit, vegetables, grain, eggs, milk and meat and so on. Third, the children shouldn't eat too many snacks and fried foods. They are delicious, but eating too much of them is unhealthy. If children do as the experts say, they won't become fat. They will be healthier. Students won't become tired at school, and they will have enough energy to study well.

If students do as the experts say, they will _ .

168 dollars.

There are several ski hills that can be found locally, and not so locally. Here's a bit of an informal snow report for any visitors to the city who may be unfamiliar with the local options for skiing. Sunshine Village Sunshine is definitely the premier ski hill in the area. Of all the hills in Alberta, Sunshine is the one that has earned international _ . Ticket prices are cheaper this year than they have been in the past. Adults pay $76.5, seniors $61.5, and children only pay $26.5. At present, they have a snow base of 107 cm. The terrain is a mix of both easy and hard runs. Lake Louise Of all the ski resorts nearby it is the largest with 4,200 acres of ski-able terrain. It has the best balance between easy and difficult runs, and it gets snow of 93 cm right now. Adults pay $75.5, seniors pay $54.5, and children pay $24.5. Lake Louise is a great choice for anyone looking to do some easy access backcountry skiing. Nakiska While it will be opening shortly, Nakiska is popular to the public. Currently, they have a base of 71cm. The terrain at Nakiska is varied, but slants more towards the easy side. It's the best place for families to go skiing as there is a lot of beginner and kid terrain. Tickets are relatively cheap. Adults pay $64.5, seniors pay $51.5, and children only pay $19.5. Olympic Park O.P. was built for the 1988 Winter Olympics in Canada, and it is a world-class facility for almost every winter sport. It has facilities not only for skiing, but also for all kinds of other activities. It has a snow base of 102 cm, but it isn't the primary focus. However, with tickets starting at $5 and capping at $39, it is very inexpensive.

How much will a woman pay if she and her husband with two children go skiing in the best family place?

she is young when her children can look after themselves

During the 20th century there has been a great change in the lives of women.A woman marrying at the end of the 19th century probably has been in her middle 20's and would be likely to have seven or eight children.By the time the youngest was 15,the mother would have been in her early 50's and would expect to live a further 20 years,during which chance and health made it hard for her to get paid work. Today women marry younger and have fewer children.Usually a woman's youngest child will be 15 when she is 45 and she can be expected to live another 35 years and is likely to get paid work until 60. This important change in women's life has only recently begun to have its full effect on women's economic position.Even a few years ago most girls left school and took a fulltime joB. However,when they married they usually left work at once and never returned to it.Today the school-leaving age is 16,many girls stay at school after that age,and though women marry younger,more married women stay at work at least until shortly before their first child is born.Many more return to work later.Such changes have led to a new relationship in marriage,with the husband accepting a greater share of the duties of family life.

One reason why a married woman of today may take a job is that _ .

eat different kinds of food

Scientists say there are seven kinds of food that people should eat every day. They are: (1) green and yellow vegetables of all kind; (2) citrus fruits and tomatoes; (3) potatoes and other fruits and vegetables; (4) meat of all kinds, fish and eggs; (5) milk and foods made of milk, like cheese and ice-cream; (6) bread or cereal , rice is also in this kind of foods; (7) butter, or something like butter, with fat . People in different countries in the world eat different kinds of things. They also eat in different kinds the day. In some place people eat once or twice a day; in other countries, people eat three or four times a day. Scientists say that these differences are not important. It doesn't matter if a person eats dinner at 4 o'clock in the afternoon or at eleven o'clock at night. The important thing is that every day a person must eat something from each of the seven kind of food. The most important thing is that we must find some way to help the hungry people and make the people have right kinds of food , make them and healthy

In different countries people _ .

we shouldn't be rude to others

One day, John Randolph rode on his horse to a town many miles from his home. The road was strange to him, so he traveled very slowly. When the night fell, he stopped at a nice roadside inn for accommodation .The innkeeper welcomed him. A fine supper was prepared. The innkeeper talked about the weather, the roads, the crops. However, his guest ate silently. Next morning after breakfast, Mr. Randolph paid his bill and was ready for his journey. Leading his horse to the door, the innkeeper said, "Which way will you travel, sir?" Mr. Randolph looked at him and answered, "I've paid you my bill. Should I pay you anything more? I travel the way I wish to go." But not far from the inn, to his surprise, there were two ways. He searched for a while but there was no sign to help him. The innkeeper was still standing by the door. He called to him: "My friend, which road leads to Lynchburg?" The innkeeper answered, "Sir, you have paid your bill and don't owe me a cent. Travel the way you wish to go. Good-bye!" As bad luck would have it, Mr. Randolph took the wrong road. Though out of his way, he lost much time, all because of his rudeness.

We can learn from the story that

Jane

I have a big family. My name is Tony Brown. I'm English. My father and mother are teachers. They teach English in No.1 Middle School. I have a sister. Her name is Mona. We are students in N0.1 Middle School. My grandfather's name is David, My grandmother's name is Sue. They are retired , they are at home. Paul is my uncle. He is a worker . Paul's wife --Jane, is a doctor . They have ason. His name is Jeff. He's only three.

Mona's aunt is _ .

On the Plane

I'll be a photographer. I'm going to bring bits of Australia back home with me. I told myself this before, yet I feel so doubtful on this plane that's flying me thousands of miles away. I was so confident yesterday .But today I don't belong to this plane where men sit with briefcases reading newspapers. They're all adults. I've never been out of the US. And now ,I'm traveling into Australia alone, a world I know nothing about. A part of me recognizes it as home. I remember little about my mother, but I remember she had an Australian accent and golden hair. She wan fun and she would often take us to New Jersey beaches, where we would spend the whole day taking walks along the shore. My mom told me that in Australia, Christmas was always spent on the beach with friends and family, and everyone wore Santa hat with their bathing suits. It never got cold and bitter there. My mom was different and I was proud of her. I don't know how she met my father. but after they met several years, they got married and moved into an apartment in New Jersey. Then I was born and we were a perfect family of three who went out to dinner and watched movies in the dark and loved each other. I know things have been hard on my father since my Mom died years ago. It's hard for me, too, and I have to experience the wonderful place my mom grew up in and loved. My mom talked about Australia so much and now I have to see this place. This is an adventure.

Where did the author most probably write this passage?

concerned

Even before there were people, there were cases of air pollution. There were dust storms. Volcanoes erupted, sending ash and poisonous gases into the atmosphere. When people appeared on the scene and began their conquest of nature, they also began to pollute the air. They cleared land, which made possible even larger dust storms. They built cities, and the soot from their hearths filled the air. The Roman author Seneca wrote in A.D. 61 of the "stink, soot and heavy air "of the imperial city. In 1257, the Queen of England was forced to move away from the city of Nottingham because the heavy smoke was unbearable. The industrial revolution brought even worse air pollution. Coal was burned to power factories and to heat homes. Soot, smoke, and sulfur dioxide fill the air. The good old days? Not in the factory towns. But there were large rural areas unaffected by air pollution. With increasing population, the entire world is becoming more urban. It is the huge cities that are most affected by air pollution. But rural areas are not unaffected. In the neighborhoods around smoky factories, there is evidence of increased rates of spontaneous abortion and of poor wool quality in sheep, decreased egg production and a high death rate in chickens. Traffic police in Tokyo have to wear gas masks and take "oxygen breaks" --breathing occasionally from tanks of oxygen. Smog in Athena at times has forced factory closings and traffic restrictions. Acid rain in Canada is caused by air pollution in the United States, contributing to strained relationships between the two countries. Sydney, Rome, Tehran, Ankara, Mexico City, and most other major cities in the world have had frightening experiences of air pollution. One of the two major types of smog--consisting of smoke, fog, sulfur dioxide, sulfuring acid (H2SO4), ash and soot--is called London smog. Indeed, the word smog is thought to have originated in England in 1905 as a contraction of the words "smoke" and "fog." Probably the worst case of smog in history started in London on Thursday, 4 December, 1952. A large cold air mass moved into the valley of the Thames River. A temperature inversion placed a blanket of warm air over the cold air. With nightfall, a dense fog and below-freezing temperatures caused the people of London to put coal into their small stoves. Millions of these fires burned throughout the night, pouring sulfur dioxide and smoke into the air. The next day, Friday, the people continued to bum coal when the temperature remained below freezing. The factories added their smoke and chemical fumes to the atmosphere. Saturday was a day of darkness. For twenty miles around London, no light came through the smog. The air was cold and still. And the coal fires continued to bum throughout the weekend. On Monday, 8 December, more than one hundred people died of heart attacks while trying desperately to breathe. By the time a breeze cleared the air on Tuesday, 9 December, more than 4,000 deaths had been caused by the smog. Soot and ash can be removed by electrostatic precipitators . Unfortunately, they use large amounts of electricity, and the electrical energy, which is hardly affordable for most of us, has to come from somewhere. Fly ash removed from the air has to be put on the land or water, although it could be used in some way. The elimination of sulfur dioxide is more difficult. Low-sulfur coal is rare and expensive. Although sulfur can be washed from finely pulverized coal, the process is expensive. There are also processes for changing dirty coal into clean liquid and gaseous fuels. These processes may hold promise for the future, but they are too expensive to compete economically with other fuels at present. They also waste a part of the coal's energy.

It can be inferred that when writing this article, the author was in a(n) _ mood about the topic.

Many new websites appear and develop fast.

World travel has moved on to a new level as new websites spring up to enable travelers to plan their trips online. Virtual tourism is the latest name of the game and although relatively new, has seen some tourism websites grow to host over one-million users. Typically, this development features a website that contains the answers to almost any tourism question.Tips and information are not provided by a single source, such as the website host, but rather from travelers themselves-often in the thousands. This has proven to be exceptionally beneficial for would-be travelers who are seeking infomtation on questions such as where to find the best museum or beach; whether it is better to tour Brussels with a bicycle or on foot; and which exchange rate bureaus are available in Italy. Questions about food and restaurants; tourist spots; safety; accommodation; and others are all answered. In addition, posted tips promote better preparation, such as what to pack when heading for Sicily . Apart from the useful tips, visual images and virtual tours have also been made available.If you'd like to visit the Eiffel Tower, it's a good idea to view the surrounding areas; to pick a safer train route; or to know that it's very close to the Seine River and that a walk along it would enhance the experience. Virtual tours have _ globally.In South Africa, John Gore established the Virtual Tour Guide in November last year. On his blog, Gore was quoted a saying, "The world is panoramic . "'We are able to tum our heads and look in all directions and get a feel for where we are, but the typical photograph cannot show or describe that experience completely. " However, there is an answer--technology makes it possible to share the world around us in a 360 degree panoramic way, which really makes the viewer feel as though he or she is really there.

Why is virtual tourism more and more popular?